ROCHELLE — Playing mostly freshmen at the varsity level last season, the Rochelle Lady Hubs struggled for victories. With key leaders and many of those young players back as sophomores, Rochelle made small strides, particularly on offense and in the circle, in 2025.

The Lady Hubs finished with a 9-21 overall record, but the team went winless in the Interstate 8 for the second straight season, posting an 0-10 mark. Despite conference struggles, progress was shown in games against Ottawa and Kaneland, who Rochelle played close each time. 

The Lady Hubs fared better in nonconference action, where the team went 9-11 with victories against Lexington-Ridgeview, Pearl City, Mendota, South Beloit, Genoa-Kingston, Rockford Lutheran, Forreston and Ashton-Franklin Center. Rochelle improved its win total from the 2024 season and there’s optimism for the future, as only one senior will depart from the roster.

“We made the teams in our conference sweat a little bit and we put a bit more pressure on them,” head coach Deanna Jacobs said. “We made them throw their No. 1 pitchers and we forced them to make plays and even play small ball to score runs and win games.”

That lone senior will be Wartburg College commit Lauren Dyer, who shined at the plate and in the circle for the Lady Hubs this season. Dyer led Rochelle with a .421/.476/.568 slash line while notching a team-high 40 hits, scoring a team-high 28 runs and collecting 22 RBIs. Dyer also started 21 games and threw a team-high 97.2 innings for the Lady Hubs, striking out 97 batters with only 24 walks. Dyer’s 4.95 ERA was the team best (minimum 15 innings pitched).

“I thought our growth came from confidence at the plate and confidence in the field,” Jacobs said. “We were a lot more aware of what was going on and we knew where we needed to get the ball as opposed to throwing it around. We were able to bounce back at the plate and we were a bit more resilient as opposed to getting down on ourselves after one mistake.”

Among the many sophomores eligible to return in 2026 will be Emma Heller, who stepped up as the team’s No. 2 pitcher before a late-season injury. Heller threw 41 innings and struck out an impressive 68 batters while posting only 14 walks. Freshman Cheyenne Somers emerged as a late-season arm for the Lady Hubs, striking out 18 batters over 13 innings and posting a 3.23 ERA in limited work. Freshman Mya Martinez logged 20 strikeouts over 27 innings pitched.

Five players recorded batting averages over .300 this season. Martinez enjoyed a breakout freshman season at the dish, slashing .363/.404/.500 with 37 hits, 24 runs and 18 RBIs. Freshmen Audrina Rodriguez (.338/.416/.471, 23 hits, 15 RBIs, 13 runs) and Cheyenne Somers (.321/.390/.415, 17 hits, 18 runs, 10 RBIs) provided a punch to the lineup, while sophomores like Camryn Metzger (.337/.375/.490, 33 hits, 23 RBIs, 16 runs), Jaclynn Lira (.292/.414/.403, 21 hits, 11 RBIs, 12 runs) and Phelisity Lopez (.276/.488/.345, 8 hits and 7 runs) emerged.

Junior Madigan Williams (21 hits, 17 runs , 8 RBIs) and sophomore Briel Metzger (18 hits, 11 runs, 12 RBIs) are two more players eligible to return in 2026 for the Lady Hubs, who will look to improve in the field after posting 93 errors in 30 games, an averaged of 3.1 errors per game. In the circle, Rochelle will aim to cut down on the 22 wild pitches and 11 hit batters in 2025.

“Grit will be huge for us going into next season,” Jacobs said. “We need to be flexible enough to bounce back from our mistakes. We need to be able to acknowledge and learn from mistakes.”