Softball: Lake County All-Area captain Hillner helps Antioch win first state crown to cap four standout seasons

Antioch senior softball standout Samantha Hillner’s formula for success this season was fairly straightforward.

“I got more comfortable,” she said. “You have to go out and have fun and that’s what led to the success.”

And boy did the Sequoits have fun and then some, winning the Class 3A state title after finishing second in each of Hillner’s first 2 seasons. Antioch now has four top three state finishes since 2022.

At the plate, in the field and as a leader, Hillner not only cemented herself among recent Antioch greats but continued the program’s stranglehold on the county’s top individual softball honor.

Hillner is the captain of the 2026 Daily Herald Lake County All-Area softball team, following in the footsteps of current Michigan State sophomore pitcher Jacey Schuler, who won the 2024, 2023 and 2022 Lake County captain accolade.

“Sam has the metrics of an elite Division I player,” Antioch coach Anthony Rocco said. “She is one of those athletes who is fluid and makes everything look easy. She also thinks like a coach. She will ask questions to have a full grasp of what we are doing or about our opponent.”

Hillner’s importance to the Sequoits on the field this season was multifold. At the plate, Hillner hit .426 with 49 hits in 115 at-bats to go with 48 runs scored, 11 home runs and 41 RBI, while also stealing 22 bases. She finished with a .511 on-base percentage, an .809 slugging percentage and a 1.320 OPS.

“Sam swings the bat like it’s a sledgehammer but has the strength and discipline to control it,” Rocco said.

Reaching into the sabermetric bag tells the story of further clutch play, Hillner had a 68.89 quality at-bat percentage. A quality at-bat is awarded for an extra-base hit, a hard-hit ball, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, a sacrifice fly, seeing 3 or more pitches after 2 strikes and seeing 6-plus pitches in an at-bat. She hit .458 on balls put in play, hit .422 with runners in scoring position, had 9 two-out RBI and led the team in hard-hit balls with 49.

In the field, Hillner, off to Division I University of Illinois at Chicago this fall, split time between first, second and third base and also caught eight games. She made only 2 errors in 104 total chances (.981 fielding percentage).

“She is a selfless player who will play anywhere to help us win,” Rocco noted.

Hillner, a two-time Illinois Coaches Association Class 3A all-state first-team selection who was named an All-American as a junior, said she saw improvement in both phases this season.

“My hitting has definitely gotten better and defensively I was able to contribute at multiple positions to help the team,” she said.

Not lost on Hillner is being able to continue the tradition of high-level results for the Antioch softball program. She was part of 4 Sequoits varsity teams that went 121-26, won 4 Northern Lake County Conference titles, 4 sectional titles and 3 state trophies.

“It’ always been fun to be out there,” she said. “You can feel the energy and that helped us. It’s been great from the community members to the parents to the players, the coaches and even the older girls. It’s a great family environment. We’ve had coaches that always made things better and made it fun and that helps when you are playing the game. This year, we had four freshmen who are really good. We’re able to turn around athletes so well year after year again and again.”

Rocco said Hillner, a 2-time team captain, was even better as a leader. “Besides leading vocally, she leads by example,” he said. “Never a lazy swing or rep at practice. She also is very welcoming to new players to the varsity team and took our freshmen under her wing. She understands what it’s like to start on an elite program as a freshman since she was in the same situation 4 years ago.”

Antioch senior catcher Addison Webb, headed to Division I Bradley University, summed up Hillner’s team importance like this: “Sam has a good bat that has come in clutch a few times for us. She has provided an offensive threat these past 4 years. She has moved around to multiple positions on the field when our team need is.”

Rocco recalled Hillner partnering up with now sophomore pitcher Addison Osborne last season during workouts. “My favorite thing was Sam and Addison when we had hitting stations,” he said. “Here you have Sam, this big-time hitter and vocal leader, and then Oz who is a pitcher only and pretty quiet at practices. I dubbed them our odd couple. Their bond was strengthened as a battery.”

Hillner logged multiple memorable clutch hitting performances in critical state playoff situations over the last 4 years. She had an RBI in the state semifinals as a freshman in 2023, a homer in the 2024 supersectional, 2 homers in the 2025 sectional title game, and a 2-run double in the 2026 state title game.

She said she will miss being part of the Antioch program.

“A lot,” Hillner said. “I was able to be part of these solid years with all these girls. We had fun coaches who were very supportive. It’s going to be hard to leave some of my best friends outside softball who were on that team, but it will be exciting to grow and meet new people. It’s growth. Everybody needs to have that to spread their wings.”

And obviously, Hillner is over the moon that her career ended with the program’s first state championship.

“It is a relief to be able to end on such a high note. It was a good feeling. The last thing we wanted to do was finish second 3 times,” she said. “It’s so cool that the last game I played for Antioch we won. To this day, it still doesn’t feel real. Like it didn’t actually happen. I still haven’t come to the realization that, wait, oh wow, we won it.”

Rocco talked about Hillner’s legacy in the Antioch softball program.

“Sam is the greatest utility player I have ever had and is only our third All-American. Her legacy as a softball player is well documented with her accolades and performances, but most teammates will remember her as a great teammate that made their experience in our program fun and memorable on and off the field,” he said. “As a coach, she was one of my favorite players to coach and will be missed.”