May 17, 2026 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

Postseason play begins for St. Joseph Middle School baseball, softball teams

September 22, 2020

September 22, 2020

Whether the St. Joseph Middle School would have baseball and softball teams this school year was uncertain. All because of...

SJO boys’ track and field looks to build upon past success

April 2, 2019

April 2, 2019

Jason Retz is no stranger to success when it comes to St.Joseph-Ogden High School athletics. The sixth-year coach of the...

SJO to discuss basketball in December

December 3, 2020

December 3, 2020

The St. Joseph-Ogden Board of Education decided to wait until December to make any final recommendation about basketball. The state...

SJO competitive cheer team has successful season

April 1, 2025

April 1, 2025

What an accomplished 2024-2025 season the SJO competitive cheer team has had. Starting in May 2024 this group of athletes...

Get to know SJO Volleyball player Emma Ward

October 31, 2022

October 31, 2022

What do you think makes the team so successful? Our ability to work well together What is your favorite thing...

Cafarelli, Kern help SJO golf start strong

August 31, 2022

August 31, 2022

The sport to begin during the fall season, the St. Joseph-Ogden High School golf team is off to a rousing...

Ward, Cromwell help SJO softball end losing skid

April 24, 2019

April 24, 2019

Losing streaks are never easy to deal with. But thanks to Kaylee Ward and Ashtyn Cromwell, the four-game skid the...

5 questions with TREVOR AMES

March 1, 2024

March 1, 2024

How would you describe this team? This team is special. What is a lesson you have learned this season? Having...

Red-hot SJO volleyball faces St. Teresa for regional championship

October 28, 2021

October 28, 2021

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School volleyball team concluded August with an impressive three-set win at St. Teresa. If the Spartans...

Cain, Pence help SJO boys’ basketball post two wins

January 27, 2020

January 27, 2020

Playing a competitive nonconference schedule is nothing new for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ basketball team. The Spartans face...

McKinney, Wedig help SJO football pull away from Prairie Central

September 5, 2025

September 5, 2025

Big offensive plays are bound to happen with the St. Joseph-Ogden football team. The Spartans, simply put, have too many...

Spartans fall to T-Town

February 23, 2019

February 23, 2019

NORMAL— All basketball teams have an off-night shooting occasionally. It’s just too bad that the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartans picked the...

SJO baseball reaches Sweet 16, faces Tuscola in sectional title game

May 25, 2019

May 25, 2019

Strong offensive games have happened here and there this season for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team. The Spartans...

Wells, defense shine as balanced SJO girls’ basketball team wins regional title

February 22, 2022

February 22, 2022

The high school girls’ basketball season has taken St. Joseph-Ogden High School all across the state of Illinois. With plenty...

Mattsey, Poe highlight SJO boys’ cross-country’s recent success, while Plotner, Rajlich do the same for SJO girls’ cross-country

October 22, 2019

October 22, 2019

All the miles, all the training and all the preparation will come to a head this Saturday for the St....

Comments
Leave a Reply