Oakton avenges earlier loss with sweep of Joliet to win Region 4 title
JOLIET, ILL. - Oakton College, which won four straight region championships from 2018 to 2022, returned to the top with a sweep of Joliet Junior College to iwn the 2025 NJCAA Region 4 Division III Baseball Tournament. Oakton's Owen Jenkins was named the Region 4 Tournament Most Valuable Player, while Bill Fratto earned Region 4 Coach of the Year. (Recap: Oakton)
Oakton College, the tournament's #3 seed, began postseason play with a 16-5 upset on the road against #2-seed College of DuPage. The Owls then dropped a semifinal game at top-seeded Joliet Junior College by a narrow 7-6 final after the Wolves broke a 6-6 tie with a run in the bottom of the eighth.
The loss forced Oakton into a rematch with the Chaparrals in an elimination game, and the Owls came away with an 11-3 victory to set up championship tilt with JJC. In need of two victories, Oakton College turned a 2-0 deficit into an 11-2 decision thanks to a four-run sixth and a six-run ninth inning.
The winner-take-all finale was a wild affair that saw a combined 32 runs and 35 hits over 11 innings. Joliet tallied a run in the top of the ninth to force extra innings, and after JJC took a 14-13 lead in the top of the 11th, the Owls tied the game in the bottom half before smashing a game-winning, walk-off grand slam to win 18-14.
2025 Region 4 Division III Most Valuable Player
Owen Jenkins - Oakton College
2025 Region 4 Division III Coach of the Year
Bill Fratto - Oakton College
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Oakton College advanced to and hosted the NJCAA Division III Great Lakes District Championship against Owens Community College in a best-of-three series held at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois on May 16-17. The Owls earned a 16-6 win in five innings in the opener, before falling 8-7 in the second game. In yet another winner-take-all game, Oakton College won the district title with a 7-2 victory.
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Oakton College was awarded #7 seed at the 2025 NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series in Auburn, New York, from May 24-29. The Owls opened against #2 RCSJ Gloucester, but were run-ruled 10-2 in eight innings. In an elimination game against #3 Brookdale Community College, Oakton was unable to rally from a three-run deficit and lost 3-1 to finish their season with a 34-30 record.