Vote: CSM Spring Athletes of the Week, April 21-27, 2025

Unbelievable performances are starting to get more believable for many star athletes around Central Illinois and the latest batch of nominees for CSM Spring Athletes of the Week features many of them.

This week’s nominees feature multiple past Athlete of the Week winners, school record-holders, lights-out pitchers, a pair of track and field standouts from Normal and more. 

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UPDATE: Dee-Mack's Byrkleigh Kraft and Brimfield/Elmwood's Kaeden Schatsiek won CSM Spring Athletes of the Week. Voting closed at 11:59 PM Thursday.

Girls Athlete of the Week nominees 

Sutton Centoni, Dunlap softball

Centoni no-hit fellow Class 3A power Ottawa on April 26, throwing 10 strikeouts in a 1-0 victory where the only Pirates baserunner reached on a hit by pitch. The Eagles’ star junior went 5-for-10 with four RBIs at the plate across three games, highlighted by three RBIs in a 9-0 Mid-Illini win over Morton on April 24 and thee hits in a 5-4 loss to Ottawa in extra innings on Saturday.

Zoe Kormah, Pekin girls soccer

Kormah became the all-time leading goal scorer for Pekin girls soccer at the Pekin Soccer Invitational. She tied the all-time record with her 77th goal that came in the waning minutes against Normal West on April 23 to force a 1-1 tie. She broke the record with her 78th and 79th goals of her career in a 2-0 win over Bradley-Bourbonnais on April 25. 

Reilly Vetter, Bloomington softball

10 strikeouts in a game is impressive and 15 is incredible. But Vetter struck out a whopping 23 batters in a nine-inning battle against Champaign Central on April 26. She gave up just three hits in a 2-0 loss but pitched the Purple Raiders to Big 12 wins over Normal West and Richwoods, fanning 27 batters combined in two complete games. She was a weapon at the plate too, hitting three doubles and driving in two runs. 

Isabella Thurston, Normal U-High girls track and field

One of several Pioneers girls track and field athletes to earn a nomination this season, Thurston threw the furthest distance among girls Class 2A shot putters this season at the Edwardsville Invitational, which Normal U-High won, on April 25. Her throw of 39 feet, 1 inch won the event and Thurston also won the shot put and the discus at the Pontiac Co-Ed Invite on April 22.

Byrkleigh Kraft, Dee-Mack softball

Kraft’s big bat helped Dee-Mack to a trio of victories, including one over previous Heart of Illinois Conference leader LeRoy. She went 9-for-13 with nine RBIs, two home runs, two triples and a double over the course of the week. Kraft drove in three in a 10-6 win over Heyworth on April 21, went 3-for-3 in the 8-5 win over LeRoy on April 23 and hit two homers with four RBIs in a 10-6 loss to Midwest Central on April 24.

Boys Athlete of the Week nominees

Kaeden Schatsiek, Brimfield/Elmwood baseball

Schatsiek and Brimfield/Elmwood lit up the scoreboard in every game they played last week as the Indians’ slugger drove in 13 runs on six hits in four games. His best game came in a 13-3 win over Sciota West Prairie on April 26, going 3-for-4 with six RBIs and a home run. Two days earlier, he homered and drove in four runs in a 12-5 win over ROWVA/Williamsfield. Schatsiek also drove in a pair in a 12-2 win against Annawan/Wethersfield on April 23 and hit an RBI double in a 17-0 win over South Fulton on April 21. 

Drew Patterson, Normal Community boys track and field

Patterson earned a spot at the Distance Night in Palatine invite, tying for first in his heat of the 800 meters by crossing in 1:54.78. The time was a personal best for Patterson and was the sixth-best 800 time of any high school runner in the state this season. He also finished second in the 800 at a dual meet with Champaign Centennial on April 22. 

Davis Weeks, Dunlap baseball

Weeks silenced East Peoria’s bats in a complete-game shutout in a 6-0 win over the Raiders on April 23. Weeks fanned 13 batter and gave up five hits in the dominant showing. He went 5-for-11 in three games at the plate, with four of those hits being doubles. Weeks had a single, double and RBI in the win over East Peoria and went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two two-baggers in a 13-1 win over Geneseo on April 24. 

Jayden Washington, Illini Bluffs boys track and field

Washington won several times last week, including a sweep of the long jump and triple jump to help the Tigers win the Illini Bluffs Invite on April 24. A day earlier, Washington won the triple jump and took second in the long jump at the Princeville Co-Ed Meet, which the Tigers also won, and also won the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 10 inches. The senior displayed his running skills too, helping Illini Bluffs’ 4x400 win at the Illini Bluffs Invite. 

Blaine Williams, Tremont baseball

Williams was one of many Turks that had huge weeks at the plate in a quartet of big wins. He doubled twice and had four RBIs in a 14-0 win over Gibson-City-Melvin-Sibley on April 23 and hit a solo homer against Bloomington Cornerstone Christian the next day. He co-led the Turks with four RBIs in a key 11-7 win over Tri-Valley as well on April 25.