Craig Ohlau’s baseball books earn national awards and Hall of Fame placement

Illinois author, educator and baseball coach Craig Ohlau has built a wide-ranging catalog spanning baseball history, endurance sports, memoir and children’s books. Several titles have won national honors, and two baseball books are preserved in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.

Why it matters: - Craig Ohlau’s work shows how independent authors can break through across multiple genres, from sports history to children’s literature. - His baseball titles have reached both award circuits and the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, giving his books unusual cultural reach. - Ohlau’s catalog connects athletics, family history, endurance and childhood storytelling, widening the audience for his work.

What happened: - Ohlau, an Illinois author, educator and baseball coach, is being recognized for a body of work that spans baseball history, sports psychology, endurance athletics, biography, memoir and children’s books. - His first major national attention came with The Sons of Chester: A Tale of Small Town Boys, Baseball, and Very Big Dreams, co-authored with Kevin L. Gingrich and published by Black Rose Writing. - The book tells the true story of young athletes in Chester, Illinois, pursuing championship dreams along the Mississippi River. - The Sons of Chester earned multiple honors, including 2021 American Writing Awards Nonfiction Book of the Year, 2019 PenCraft Book Awards Winner for Biography, and 2025 Literary Global Independent Author Awards Winner for Legacy Non-Fiction. - The book also became an Amazon bestseller in baseball-related categories and was accepted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library in Cooperstown, New York. - Ohlau followed with Kings of the County League: One Summer, One Team, One Dynasty, a tribute to amateur baseball and the people who keep it alive. - Kings of the County League draws on Ohlau’s 18 seasons in the Mon-Clair Baseball League and focuses on the Waterloo Buds, manager Vernell Moehrs and summer baseball culture in the Midwest. - The book became a five-time national award winner and also entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library. - Ohlau’s baseball lineup also includes The Baseball Cortex: Maximizing Your Mental Game While Becoming a Complete Player, a guide to baseball psychology and mental preparation.

The details: - Ohlau’s endurance titles include Naked Iron: An Improbable Quest in the Sport of Triathlon and Naked Ultra: A Texas-Sized Misadventure. - Naked Iron recounts his entry into triathlon and received finalist recognition for Best Cover Design—Nonfiction in the 2024 Literary Global Book Awards. - Naked Ultra won the Men’s Health category in the 2025 Literary Global Independent Author Awards and was a finalist in the Health–Aging/50+ category of the 2025 American Writing Awards. - Ohlau’s biography and memoir titles include When the Fields Were Wild and Grandma, Tell Me Your Story: A Memoir. - Grandma, Tell Me Your Story was a finalist in Best Cover Design—Nonfiction in the 2024 Literary Global Book Awards. - His children’s books include The Active Book of Monsters: A Bedtime Story, Don’t Wake the Dragon, The Active Book of Monsters 2, The Junior Outdoorsmen: An Interactive Adventure and Bobby Loves Baseball. - Don’t Wake the Dragon was a 2026 Literary Global Children's Book Awards finalist in the Interactive category. - The Active Book of Monsters was a 2026 finalist in the Legacy category. - Ohlau’s documented honors also include recognition from the American Writing Awards, Literary Global Book Awards, PenCraft Book Awards, Maxy Awards, Eric Hoffer Book Awards and Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards. - His listed distinctions include national book-of-the-year recognition, category wins, runner-up finishes and finalist placements. - Born and raised in Chester, Illinois, Ohlau became a standout player at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and remains listed in multiple SIUE baseball record books. - He was inducted into the National Semi-Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. - Ohlau also coached in the Edwardsville community and contributed to Edwardsville High School baseball during its Illinois state championship seasons in 2019, 2022 and 2023. - In addition to writing and coaching, Ohlau works as a high school science educator. - Readers can explore his books through Goodreads, Amazon and participating booksellers.

Between the lines: - Ohlau’s catalog is built around a consistent theme: ordinary people doing hard things and preserving the stories that come from them. - The repeated award recognition suggests his work has found traction with niche judges and genre-specific readers, not just local audiences. - The Hall of Fame Library placements add a credibility boost that goes beyond sales and awards.

What's next: - Ohlau’s growing catalog gives him room to keep publishing across baseball, memoir, sports psychology and children’s fiction. - His newest and past titles already position him for continued visibility in independent publishing and sports-related literary circles.

The bottom line: - Craig Ohlau has turned a life in baseball, education and coaching into a multi-genre writing career with national awards, Hall of Fame recognition and a steady audience across age groups.