Ballin4God

06/17/2026

Episode 27 of The Ballin4God Talk Show is here! This episode features "The Battery," Carterville 2026 graduates Caidence Phillips and Colbie Bennett, the pitcher/catcher duo continuing their careers in college. Phillips is headed to the University of Illinois, while Bennett is staying close to home at John A. Logan Community College.

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We had the battery of Caidence Phillips & Colbie Bennett on the Tal...

06/17/2026

We had the battery of Caidence Phillips & Colbie Bennett on the Talk Show after wrapping up their senior seasons where they won the IHSA 2A State Championship. They beat Seneca in the championship game 3-1, and finished their season 39-1.

We got to award Phillips with her Player Of The Year shirt, along with Bennett a Player Of The Week Shirt. Below are some cool stats from the last four years of their careers.

Overall: 95-12
Conference: 31-1 (2023 - AJ Lady Wildcats)
Last Southern Illinois team they lost to: Johnston City Lady Indians (2023)

Losses break down below
Out of State: 4
3A Schools: 5 (3 of them Glenwood: 2025 State Champion/2026 State Runner Up)
2A Schools: 3 (Beecher State Champion 2025/AJ Lady Wildcats 2023/Johnston City 2023 Sectional Championship)

Caidence Phillips: University Of Illinois
Colbie Bennett: John A. Logan
Taryn Ford: Wichita State
Savannah Gibbs: UT-Martin

06/17/2026

06/16/2026

Go Vote!

06/16/2026

Russell Conwell for River Radio Sports Central MARION — Carbondale’s Savion Mims scored the go ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the South squad scored 15 unanswered points to beat the North 23-17 in the

06/16/2026

Sesser-Valier Athletic department is proud to announce the hiring of Jake Vanwey as the next Boys’ Head Basketball Coach. Coach Vanwey is a 2015 graduate of Sesser-Valier High School.
Coach Vanwey’s coaching journey began at Johnston City High School, where he served as the junior varsity boys' basketball coach for two seasons. During his tenure there, he coached under fellow Sesser-Valier alumnus Coach Scott Burzynski, establishing a strong foundation in program leadership and player development. In 2023, Coach Vanwey returned home to Sesser-Valier as the junior varsity boys' basketball coach.

In addition to his impact on the hardwood, Coach Vanwey is a teacher at Sesser-Valier High School. As a career and technical education (CTE) teacher, he leads courses in manufacturing and sports marketing, providing students with skills and practical insights. His classroom expertise is backed by real world experience. Outside of school hours, Vanwey helps manage and operate his family's local manufacturing business.

06/16/2026

06/16/2026

SESSER — Sesser-Valier has a new head boys basketball coach. The board officially hired Jake Vanwey as its new head coach at its monthly board meeting Monday night. Vanwey has been the junior varsity coach for the

06/15/2026

Over the weekend our very own Savion Mims was named Mike Rude MVP at the Southern Illinois Coaches Association All-Star Football game! Way to represent!

06/15/2026

After completing an unbelievable career and finishing with an even better senior season, Caidence Phillips from the Carterville Lady Lions is our Ballin4God Spring Athlete of the Year.

📸 Field Focus

Phillips is an Illinois signee and will continue her career in the blue and orange at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Phillips finished her career with a 0.36 ERA, ranking No. 17 all-time, and posted a 0.10 ERA during her senior season. She is tied for 10th all-time for single-season ERA with Claire Miller (2016 Wayne City Graduate). Phillips finished her career with 1,001 strikeouts and recorded 324 strikeouts this season in 145 innings pitched.

She was feared in the circle her senior season with a 24-0 record along with 17 shutouts and two perfect games en route to helping lead her team to the Class 2A state championship.

Phillips also contributed at the plate with a .333 batting average, five home runs, 37 RBIs, 38 hits and 16 doubles. She also surpassed 100 career hits.

Phillips was both three-time All-State & All-South selection and was named Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and MaxPreps Illinois Player of the Year.

During Phillips four years at Carterville, the Lady Lions won four regional championships, two state championships in 2024 and 2026, and finished as state runner-up in 2025. The Lady Lions compiled a 95-12 overall record and a 31-1 conference record during this senior class’ four years of high school.

Phillips will continue her career at the University of Illinois. Several seniors graduating alongside her will also continue their softball careers, including Taryn Ford at Wichita State University, Savannah Gibbs at University of Tennessee at Martin, and the other half of that battery, catcher Colbie Bennett, who is heading to John A. Logan College alongside a slew of local athletes.