NUIC North announces 2025 All-Conference teams, Pecatonica wins Sportsmanship Award
By Trenten Scheidegger
The Durand Bulldogs and the Pecatonica Indians compete in one of the toughest conferences in all of Illinois High School softball. The Northwest Upstate Illini Conference-North has been loaded with talent over the past decade.
Historically, the Orangeville Broncos have dominated softball competitions across Northern Illinois. In recent years, it has been the Dakota Indians who have held the upper-hand over the rest of the conference. While the Indians have won a couple of conference championships in a row, the Broncos have claimed seven consecutive regional championships.
The Broncos extended their regional streak with a regional championship victory over the Durand Bulldogs, this year. In 2025, the NUIC-North had three regional champs between Dakota, Orangeville, and the Pearl City Wolves.
The revival of the Pearl City Wolves has only increased the level of competition in the conference. This year, both Pearl City and Lena-Winslow were playing under new head coaches. Despite that, the Wolves and Panthers both had excellent seasons, combining for nearly forty wins and a few of the most exciting matchups of the season. Ultimately, Pearl City won the war with a regional victory over Le-Win. Eventually, the Wolves went on to knock off Orangeville in sectional play. Dakota ultimately proved why they were the top team in the conference, however.
The NUIC-North isn’t for the weak. Le-Win went 17-13 overall and had a 7-5 league record, just to finish in fourth place in the conference standings. The Wolves were 21-13, while also being 7-5 in the North, which was good enough for third place.
Durand had an extremely solid season. Despite coming in fifth place in the NUIC North, the Bulldogs finished with an overall record of 14-13. They were also 500 in league play with a record of 6-6. In most cases, the Bulldogs would have found themselves in the top half of the conference, but that just isn’t the reality of competing in the north.
This year, the Bulldogs were led by a pair of seniors in Delaney Wirtjes and Caitlind Maines. Both players took their leadership to a new level in 2025, and they were rewarded for their play. Wirtjes and Maines were both given First Team All-Conference selections after their senior campaigns.
A couple of underclassmen helped the Bulldogs finish above five hundred, as well. Sophomore, Emily Ball, and freshman, Olivia Johnson, gave the Bulldogs a much-needed boost. The youth helped to spark some energy and their play didn’t go unnoticed. Both Ball and Johnson were given Second Team All-Conference selections for 2025.
2025 was a battle for the Pecatonica Indians. Pecatonica went just 8-21 overall this year. Just two of those wins came in league play as the Indians went 2-10 in conference play. They wound up finishing in sixth-place in the conference, ahead of just the 0-12 Forreston Cardinals.
The Indians were led by their workhorse senior, Maren Davis. As the team’s leading pitcher over the course of the last few years, Davis ate up some long innings for Pecatonica. The senior was recognized for her leadership and play with a Second Team All-Conference selection, this year.
Joining Davis on Second Team All-Conference are a couple of players who should look to help the Indians take a step forward, next year. Juniors, Ellie Bolen and Sammy Abate, helped to stabilize the Indians’ lineup in 2025. After claiming Second Team All-Conference awards as juniors, the duo should look to take their leadership to another level in 2026. The Indians also claimed this year’s Sportsmanship Award for the NUIC North.
NUIC North Softball All-Conference Team – 2025
First Team:
• AJ Howarth, sophomore, Dakota (Player of the Year)
• Autumn Kinney, freshman, Dakota
• Jersie Banks, freshman, Dakota
• Delaney Wirtjes, senior, Durand
• Caitland Maines, senior, Durand
• Rachael Setterstrom, senior, Le-Win
• Maddy Chiles, senior, Le-Win
• Addyson Wheeler, senior, Orangeville
• Jada Reed, junior, Orangeville
• Mackenzie Lotz, sophomore, Pearl City
• Kendra Kuhlmeier, senior, Pearl City
• Jorja Johnson, senior, Pearl City
Second Team:
• Finley Banks, junior, Dakota
• Hailey Kerchner, sophomore, Dakota
• Emily Ball, sophomore, Durand
• Olivia Johnson, freshman, Durand
• Ayla Kiper, senior, Forreston
• Aubrey Sanders, senior, Forreston
• Anicka Kraft, junior, Orangeville
• Abigail Hazzard, sophomore, Orangeville
• Maren Davis, senior, Pecatonica
• Ellie Bolen, junior, Pecatonica
• Sammy Abate, junior, Pecatonica
• Natalie Lotz, senior, Pearl City
Honorable Mention:
• Brianna Fye, sophomore, Le-Win
• Addison Holtz, freshman, Le-Win
• Jillian Carlisle, freshman, Orangeville
• Rylie Scheuerell, freshman, Orangeville
• Anna Dampmann, senior, Pearl City
Conference Champions:
• Dakota High School Indians
Sportsmanship Award:
• Pecatonica High School Indians
Player of the Year:
• AJ Howarth, sophomore, Dakota