Two Clarendon Hills Little League Softball teams brought home Illinois state championships in July, bringing the program's two-year title count to four. Rosters for both squads blend girls from Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills.
The 9-11-year-old All-Stars shut out North Riverside 9-0 in the championship game, while the 8-10 squad rallied from a 6-0 first-inning deficit to beat La Salle 12-9 in Milan. Program leader Steve Contreras said both finals were won on the same day.
Dominance in Orion
Head coach Steve Sikorski's 9-11 team received a bye to state after no other teams entered the district competition, then steamrolled through the four-team state tournament in Orion. Clarendon Hills beat Huntley 17-0, North Riverside 11-4, and host Orion 16-0 before the title game. Pitchers combined for three no-hitters across the four contests, including in the final.
Sikorski told The Hinsdalean the pitching staff carried the team through the tournament.
Severe storms forced the championship to a neutral site in Brookfield. Ava Nolan and Cameron Wright each drove in two runs in the 9-0 clincher; Chloe Carey, Morgan Hadden, Madelyn Rante, and Livi Sikorski each added an RBI. Most of the roster won the 8-10 state title in 2025, making this a back-to-back run for the core group.
The team stayed in a hotel for the first three games, a new experience after hosting the 2025 state tournament at home.
"I feel like it was a much different experience from being at our homes and sleeping in our own beds than being at a hotel where we get, like, a few hours of sleep," Nolan said. "We had different energy."
Comeback in Milan
The 8-10 team's path was rockier. After splitting their first two games at the state tournament in Milan from Saturday, July 18 through Tuesday, July 21, Clarendon Hills reeled off wins of 5-0 over Pike County, 8-4 over La Salle, and 12-6 over Brookfield to reach a rematch with La Salle in the final.
That title game looked bleak early.
La Salle jumped out 6-0 in the first inning. Clarendon Hills clawed back, knotting the score at 9-9 by the end of the third, then pushed three runs across in the fourth to seal the 12-9 victory.
Maci Fleenor, Reagan Cox, and Grace Nolan each drove in two runs in the championship. Rylin Vrchota, Emilie Cartwright, Roma Cobb, Libby LeStrange, Maddie Tatterson, and Victoria Tsvihun each contributed an RBI. Fleenor also played on the 2025 state-winning 8-10 team, giving her consecutive titles in the age group.
A program on a roll
Over the past two seasons, Clarendon Hills Little League Softball has reached all six state championship games across its age groups, winning four. The 12U All-Stars also made the 2026 final but fell short. The program serves more than 415 girls annually.
