April 3, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Heritage softball hires new coach

Greg Immke is no longer the Heritage softball coach.


The Heritage Board of Education accepted his resignation at their February meeting.


Superintendent Tom Davis said Immke informed him on Feb. 6 that he would be resigning.


Davis said the resignation caught him by surprise since they were in the process of getting ready to interview for the assistant position.


“However, his message to us made me understand why he was resigning,” he said. “I respected his coaching immensely, we were very lucky to have him.”


Davis said the focus immediately turned to the softball program and finding a new coach.


Davis said Heritage Athletic Director Lori Archer contacted Vicki Roberts, who formerly coached at St. Thomas More.


“Vicki has ties to the area so it was a natural fit,” Davis said.


Davis said a former Heritage coach recommend Roberts.


“Vicki and I talked at length about the first year of the program and she seemed very interested,” Davis said. “By the time of our next school board meeting, she had accepted after the job listing was posted the required number of days and we also had an assistant coach, current Heritage High School counselor and the former head coach for Heritage softball, Patti Knott, in place.”


Roberts was hired at the February meeting.     


Davis said he wanted to thank Immke for the job he did with the softball program last year.


“The girls enjoyed playing for him, and I was proud every time we took the field.” he said.


Davis said the team was competitive and won some great games last year.


Since last season the district has made some upgrades to the softball fields at the High School.


The district spent $25,000 on new fencing for the softball field at Broadlands, improved the infield mixture, and have a plan for the future to have a brand new scorekeeper, announcer, and concessions building like the one near the baseball field.


The building will include a sound system so they can announce games and play music like the baseball field has. 


Davis said despite the changes the team has maintained an upbeat attitude.
“Practices up to this point have been very positive, though all indoors due to the weather,” he said.   “I had met with the girls once we had Vicki in place as I knew they would be shocked, but so far what I have observed is a team working hard getting ready for their first game next Wednesday at Leroy. “

Banner
Related Posts

She’s Back! Dukeman set to get another shot at softball this summer

June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020

Hannah Dukeman is getting a chance to play softball despite COVID-19 stealing her senior season at St. Joseph-Ogden High School....

Immke, Martinie help power SJO softball to five-game win streak

April 18, 2022

April 18, 2022

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School softball team is finding its rhythm.And picking up plenty of wins in the process.The Spartans...

SJO girls’ basketball looks to bounce back against Tuscola

November 29, 2021

November 29, 2021

Playing the Paris girls’ basketball team is always a challenge, with the Tigers as one of the premier small-school programs...

SJO girls’ basketball stays close, but loses first two games

November 27, 2023

November 27, 2023

Playing in the Illini Prairie Conference means the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ basketball team will get tested during conference games each...

SJO cross-country teams eager to start season off and running

August 31, 2019

August 31, 2019

The end goal for every high school cross-country runner in Illinois is to end the season racing at Detweiller Park...

Griebat dances her heart out

January 24, 2019

January 24, 2019

Dancing is what Haley Griebat loves to do. And she’ll get a chance to do so on the state’s biggest...

Thanks for the memories

November 9, 2019

November 9, 2019

We asked the St. Joseph-Ogden Cross Country team to share their favorite memories from the 2019 season. Here are their...

SJO heading to state in boys track and field

June 17, 2021

June 17, 2021

By Jim Cotter After not having any kind of a season in 2020, the St. Joseph-Ogden boys track and field...

Martinie, Frick propel SJO girls’ basketball in two straight wins

January 23, 2023

January 23, 2023

More losses than wins have unfolded so far this season for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team.But the...

Vallee, Lannert help SJO girls’ basketball increase win streak to four games

December 12, 2019

December 12, 2019

Winning close games has become a theme so far this season for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School girls’ basketball team....

SJO football back in the playoffs, meets Williamsville in first round

October 26, 2019

October 26, 2019

The last time St. Joseph-Ogden High School football met Williamsville in a playoff game, the Spartans ended up playing for...

SJO to hold summer camps

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

Boys Basketball Youth CampMay 29, 30, 31 8 AM-1:30 PMThe camp will be full of drills and fundamentals. The new...

They’re going to state! SJO volleyball continues dream season

November 9, 2019

November 9, 2019

All season long, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School volleyball team has risen to the occasion. The Spartans did so again...

Ingram, balanced run game and opportunistic defense lead SJO football to first win

September 23, 2021

September 23, 2021

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School football team needed a win. In a big way. The Spartans delivered one. In a...

McCarty hurls shutout, SJO baseball cruises to win at STM

April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

Excellent pitching has defined the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team throughout much of its 2019 season. The trend continued...

Comments
Leave a Reply