When an author’s work earns a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library and racks up book-of-the-year honors across multiple genres, it’s worth paying attention. Illinois educator, coach, and writer Craig Ohlau has quietly built a literary career that spans baseball history, endurance sports, family memoir, and children’s fiction — and the awards are piling up.
From the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library to national literary awards, Craig Ohlau celebrates perseverance, family, friendship, and extraordinary stories
We are given one lifetime to live, but through the stories we leave behind, we are given the chance to live a thousand more.”— Craig Ohlau
From the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library to nationally recognized literary competitions, the Illinois author, educator, and baseball coach has built a diverse literary career celebrating perseverance, family, friendship, and the extraordinary stories of everyday people.
Also worth a look: RexTrix backs AI film festival with $10,000 in creator awards and new submission hub and Prime 1 Studio unveils $1,899 Godzilla Minus One diorama, pre-orders open Oct 30.
Award-winning author, educator, and baseball coach Craig Ohlau continues to establish himself as a versatile voice in contemporary independent publishing, captivating readers with an extensive collection of books spanning baseball history, sports psychology, endurance athletics, biography, memoir, and children’s literature.
With multiple national literary honors, award-winning titles, and two books preserved in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library in Cooperstown, New York, Ohlau has built a body of work that celebrates the determination of athletes, the importance of family, the power of childhood memories, and the enduring human spirit.
From the dusty baseball diamonds of small-town America to the grueling challenges of endurance sports, and from heartfelt family histories to imaginative bedtime adventures, Ohlau’s books share a common thread: ordinary people, extraordinary experiences, and stories worth preserving.
A Literary Career Built on Award-Winning Baseball Stories
Ohlau first attracted national attention 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.
Set in Chester, Illinois, the book tells the true story of a group of young athletes growing up along the Mississippi River, pursuing championship dreams while navigating the friendships, challenges, and unforgettable experiences of small-town life.
The book has earned an impressive collection of literary distinctions, including:
2021 American Writing Awards — Nonfiction Book of the Year
2019 PenCraft Book Awards — Winner, Biography
2019 Maxy Awards — Runner-Up, Nonfiction Book of the Year
2020 Eric Hoffer Book Awards — da Vinci Eye Finalist
2020 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards — Finalist, Outstanding Biography
2020 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards — Finalist, Outstanding Memoir
2025 Literary Global Independent Author Awards — Winner, Legacy Non-Fiction
2025 Author of the Year POTY Book Awards — Nonfiction Book of the Year
The book also achieved Amazon bestseller recognition in baseball-related categories and was accepted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library in Cooperstown, New York.
Building upon that success, Ohlau released Kings of the County League: One Summer, One Team, One Dynasty, a tribute to the enduring traditions of amateur baseball and the remarkable people who sustain the game.
Inspired by Ohlau’s 18 seasons competing in the Mon-Clair Baseball League, the book explores the Waterloo Buds, their legendary manager Vernell Moehrs, and the deeply rooted culture of summer baseball in America’s heartland.
Recognized as a five-time national award-winning title, Kings of the County League also earned a place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library.
Ohlau expanded his baseball-related writing with The Baseball Cortex: Maximizing Your Mental Game While Becoming a Complete Player, an instructional and motivational guide focused on the psychological aspects of baseball.
Drawing upon decades of experience as a player and coach, the book examines the importance of mental preparation, confidence, discipline, focus, and developing the mindset necessary for athletic success.
Together, these three works offer readers a distinctive combination of baseball history, personal storytelling, and practical instruction.
Beyond Baseball: Extraordinary Adventures in Endurance Sports
Ohlau’s storytelling extends far beyond the baseball diamond.
In Naked Iron: An Improbable Quest in the Sport of Triathlon, Ohlau recounts his unlikely entry into the demanding world of triathlon, embracing the challenges of an unfamiliar sport and testing the limits of his physical and mental endurance.
Blending humor, vulnerability, determination, and adventure, the book explores what happens when an ordinary individual commits to an extraordinary challenge.
His follow-up endurance adventure, Naked Ultra: A Texas-Sized Misadventure, continues that exploration of personal limits, taking readers into the demanding and unpredictable world of ultra-endurance competition.
Naked Ultra earned Winner honors in the Men’s Health category of the 2025 Literary Global Independent Author Awards and was also recognized as a finalist in the Health–Aging/50+ category of the 2025 American Writing Awards.
Naked Iron additionally received finalist recognition for Best Cover Design—Nonfiction in the 2024 Literary Global Book Awards.
These two books offer readers compelling accounts of adventure, resilience, self-discovery, and the willingness to pursue seemingly impossible goals.
Preserving Lives, Legacies, and Family History
Ohlau’s passion for storytelling also encompasses biography and memoir, where he turns his attention to the people, memories, and personal histories that shape generations.
When the Fields Were Wild explores the lives and experiences of individuals whose stories deserve to be remembered, reflecting Ohlau’s interest in personal history and the connections between people, places, and the past.
In Grandma, Tell Me Your Story: A Memoir, Ohlau celebrates family history and the importance of preserving the experiences, memories, and wisdom of older generations.
The book serves as a reminder that some of life’s most meaningful stories are found not in history books, but in the recollections of parents, grandparents, and loved ones.
Grandma, Tell Me Your Story also received finalist recognition in the Best Cover Design—Nonfiction category of the 2024 Literary Global Book Awards.
These works reflect Ohlau’s commitment to preserving personal legacies and celebrating the stories that connect generations.
Inspiring Young Readers Through Imagination and Adventure
As a father and longtime educator, Ohlau has also developed a collection of imaginative children’s books designed to entertain young readers and encourage creativity.
The Active Book of Monsters: A Bedtime Story introduces children to a playful world of monsters, transforming familiar bedtime themes into an imaginative reading experience.
Don’t Wake the Dragon invites young readers into a whimsical adventure filled with fantasy, curiosity, and the excitement of discovering what might happen next.
Both titles have received recognition in the 2026 Literary Global Children’s Book Awards, with Don’t Wake the Dragon named a finalist in the Interactive category and The Active Book of Monsters recognized as a finalist in the Legacy category.
Ohlau’s broader children’s catalog also includes The Active Book of Monsters 2, The Junior Outdoorsmen: An Interactive Adventure, and Bobby Loves Baseball, further demonstrating his interest in creating books that encourage imagination, outdoor exploration, and a love of sports.
A Growing Collection of National Literary Recognition
Across his writing career, Ohlau has received recognition from multiple literary organizations and book award competitions, including the American Writing Awards, Literary Global Book Awards, Literary Global Independent Author Awards, PenCraft Book Awards, Maxy Awards, Eric Hoffer Book Awards, and Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards.
His documented literary distinctions include national book-of-the-year recognition, multiple category-winning honors, runner-up finishes, and finalist placements.
The breadth of these honors is particularly notable given the diversity of Ohlau’s writing, which encompasses sports history, instructional nonfiction, personal adventure, memoir, and children’s literature.
From the Baseball Field to the Classroom and the Written Page
Born and raised in Chester, Illinois, Ohlau developed a lifelong passion for baseball that eventually led him to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he became a standout collegiate player.
He remains listed in multiple categories of the SIUE baseball record books.
Ohlau was inducted into the National Semi-Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019, recognizing his accomplishments during an 18-year playing career in the Mon-Clair Baseball League.
His influence on baseball continued through coaching. As a longtime coach in the Edwardsville community, Ohlau has helped develop generations of young athletes and contributed to the Edwardsville High School baseball program during its Illinois state championship seasons of 2019, 2022, and 2023.
In addition to his writing and coaching, Ohlau serves as a high school science educator, bringing the same enthusiasm for learning, discipline, and personal development to the classroom that characterizes his books.
His career demonstrates how athletics, education, and literature can intersect to inspire readers and young people alike.
A Collection for Readers of Every Age
Whether readers are searching for an inspirational baseball story, a humorous endurance-sports adventure, a meaningful family memoir, or an imaginative children’s book, Craig Ohlau’s growing catalog offers something for a wide variety of interests.
His featured titles include:
The Sons of Chester: A Tale of Small Town Boys, Baseball, and Very Big Dreams
Kings of the County League: One Summer, One Team, One Dynasty
The Baseball Cortex: Maximizing Your Mental Game While Becoming a Complete Player
The Softball Cortex: Maximizing Your Mental Game While Becoming a Complete Player
Naked Iron: An Improbable Quest in the Sport of Triathlon
Naked Ultra: A Texas-Sized Misadventure
When the Fields Were Wild
Grandma, Tell Me Your Story: A Memoir
The Active Book of Monsters: A Bedtime Story
The Active Book of Monsters 2
Don’t Wake the Dragon
The Junior Outdoorsmen: An Interactive Adventure
Bobby Loves Baseball
From stories of small-town championship dreams to personal tests of endurance and imaginative adventures for young readers, Ohlau’s books reinforce the idea that the most memorable stories often begin with ordinary people who dare to dream, persevere, and make their experiences count.
Readers can explore his published works through Amazon, Goodreads, and participating booksellers.
Goodreads Author Profile:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18788217.Craig_Ohlau
Amazon Author Profile:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Craig-Ohlau/author/B07MKSXSGG?
Craig Ohlau
Author
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
Why it matters: Ohlau’s career shows that independent authors can earn major institutional recognition — including placement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library — while writing across genres that resonate with readers of all ages. His growing stack of national awards, from book-of-the-year honors to finalist nods in children’s literature, underscores a broader shift: compelling storytelling no longer requires a traditional publishing house to reach a wide audience.
