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2A IHSA State Finals Preview

May 30, 2019
Tino Abarca
Staff Writer

Now that we’ve taken a glance at the 1A qualifiers, here’s a look at the 2A field. There’s a lot to unpack with these four teams.

Aurora Christian looks to repeat despite bumping up a class. Teutopolis is back in the state finals for a third consecutive year. Pleasant Plains has dominated the postseason field and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. Alleman avenged a 2018 loss to Hall (2A 2018 state champ) to qualify for this year’s tournament.

With that said, here’s a breakdown of each team:

Aurora Christian (19-9-1)

How they got there: The Eagles had no difficulty downing Walther Christian, Westmont and Holy Trinity begin their playoff run, beating the trio by a combined 37 runs. In the sectional final against DePaul College Prep, the Eagles exploded for a seven-run first inning. Offense slowed after that posting one run the rest of the game, but defense and pitching were at a high level for the Eagles and held DePaul to just two runs on the day. In the supers, Aurora Christian defeated McNamara, 5-3, behind a stellar outing by P/1B Jake Kuntzendorf (Purdue commit, 2020). Kuntzendorf didn’t allow a hit, struck out 10 and tossed 5.1 innings.

Who to watch for: Kuntzendorf has been a major contributor for the Eagles for years now. He’s made a name for himself on the mound but can handle the bat, too. A year ago in Peoria, Kuntzendorf homered in the semifinal game against Marquette and pitched a complete game to send the Eagles home with a state championship. He has struck out an impressive 89 hitters on the season in 46 innings pitched, has a 1.96 ERA and enters with a 6-2 overall record. SS Trey Madsen (2019) is a pesky leadoff hitter who hits for a .410 average. Only OF/IF Sam Tickel (2019) has more hits and a higher average than Madsen on the team. OF/P MJ Stavola (Indiana Wesleyan, 2019) is coming off a 2-for-3 super-sectional, plating three of the five runs the Eagles scored. He has a team-high two homers to his credit.

Misc: Head coach Andy Zorger has his team in a position to repeat despite bumping up a class. There are few teams with as many weapons as the Eagles, and Zorger knows exactly how to use his guys and get the best out of them. Pleasant Plains can slug the ball and will pose a valiant test in the semifinals, but if any team can hang with Pleasant Plains and their bats, it’s Aurora Christian.

Takeaway: Aurora Christian is looking to encore its 2018 1A title with a 2A title. This is an impressive feat to even reach the state finals after bumping up a class, but something tells me the Eagles aren’t going to settle for just a qualification – they want to come out on top again. With Kuntzendorf leading the charge, and Tickel, Madsen and Stavola as the catalysts on offense, the Eagles will be extremely tough to beat this weekend.

Teutopolis (26-8-1)

How they got there: Teutopolis beat Vandalia and Greenville to start their postseason run. Gillespie and Mater Dei gave them a battle in the sectional, but the Wooden Shoes were able to prevail. In one of the most intriguing matchups in the 2A state playoffs, they beat Harrisburg, 3-0, in the supers to punch their ticket to Peoria - a place they’re very familiar with. The Shoes have played one of the toughest schedules of the 2A qualifiers. With teams like Coal City, Effingham, Pleasant Plains (who has also qualified), Edwardsville and Mater Dei on their schedule, Teutopolis has played their fair share of talent. To win the sectional, Teutopolis had to overcome an early season loss to Mater Dei, and ultimately got their revenge in the postseason.

Who to watch for: When looking at the loaded Teutopolis roster, you wonder just where to start. First, 1B/P Clint Weber (Lakeland commit, 2019) and P/OF Mitch Hemmen (2020) are the only two returning starters from last year’s team who lost in the state title game to Hall. Both are undoubtedly the leaders in the Teutopolis clubhouse. Weber and Hemmen have five homers on the year and lead the team in RBI with 35 and 30, respectively. In the postseason alone, Hemmen is hitting .467 with eight knocked in. Weber has upped his game in the postseason, too, hitting .500. It’ll be interesting to see what these two can do in Peoria as they try to come out on top this year. Also helping the Wooden Shoes is SS/P Dawson Smith (Kaskakia commit, 2019) who is a well-rounded athlete and can get it done on either side of the ball. Smith is a threat on the bases, as well. He looks to run on any given opportunity; Smith has 14 steals on the year. On the mound, Hemmen carries a 7-0 record and has struck out 60 through 50 innings. Smith and Hemmen are a solid 1-2 punch on the bump.

Misc: Head coach Justin Fleener is as textbook as it gets, which is why Teutopolis is no stranger to the state finals. Fleener began his career with Teutopolis in 2001. Since then, he has been to the state finals eight times, collecting three championships -- most recently in 2017. Fleener and the Wooden Shoes pride themselves on fundamentals and puts an emphasis on minimizing mistakes and cutting down on walks and producing weak contact.

Takeaway: The Wooden Shoes are more than just a two-man duo with Hemmen and Weber, but it’ll be a treat to watch them together on the biggest stage they’ll play on this season. Those two are capable of single-handedly carrying a team to a title. Teutopolis will have their work cut out for them, but if they hit on all cylinders, look for the Wooden Shoes to reach the top once again.

Alleman (27-13)

How they got there: In the early rounds, Alleman held steady against their competition. The Pioneers handled both Kewanee and St. Bede by a combined 10 runs in the Wethersfield Regional. To open the Byron sectional, Alleman downed Byron 8-3. The Pioneers faced their first test in the sectional final, where it would take late-game heroics from senior 1B/DH Anthony Glancey (2020) to will the Pioneers to an 8-7 victory over Hall -- last year’s 2A champ. In the super-sectional, the Pioneers saw contributions from senior OF/P Chase VanDerGinst (Western Illinois, 2019), who had two hits and an RBI, and junior Collin Snyder (2020) -- who went six innings on the bump while striking out 10 and allowing no earned runs en route to a 7-5 victory over Elmwood.

Who to watch for: Snyder has been white hot on the mound for the Pioneers all season, and he has continued his dominance into the postseason posting a 2-0 record with a save and a 0.00 ERA in the playoffs. The offense is led by VanDerGinst, who is hitting .398 with seven homers and 45 RBI on the season. OF Nate Sheets (2020) has also put together a stellar campaign, hitting .403 while adding 17 total extra base hits. P/OF Sam Mattecheck (Washington University, 2019) has contributed all over the diamond, sporting a 3.93 ERA on the mound and a .341 average at the plate.

Misc: After jumping out to a 12-1 start to the year, Alleman faced some midseason struggles -- battling a 13 game stretch where they went 4-9. The Pioneers have regained their swagger and are looking to avenge their last state finals appearance in 2012 when they lost to Normal U-High, 5-4, in the championship game. Alleman is led by head coach Jerry Burkhead who has a record of 107-74 over his five-year stint with the program.

Takeaway: Alleman is 4-9 on the year when allowing more than five runs, and 23-4 when allowing five or less runs. The key to a Pioneer championship run will be good pitching; if the team can see solid contributions from VanDerGinst, Snyder and Mattecheck on the mound then they will give themselves the best chance of winning the state title.

Pleasant Plains (25-11)

How they got there: The Cardinals have ran through the postseason with ease, outscoring opponents by 32 runs over five games. Their closest call came against Maroa in the regional final where they squeaked out a 5-3 victory. Interestingly, that victory avenged a 6-3 midseason loss to Maroa -- a loss that would mark the beginning of a four-game losing streak for the Cardinals. Pleasant Plains managed both Carlinville and New Berlin in the sectional with 5-0 and 11-4 victories, accordingly. Pleasant Plains saw key contributions from UTL Corgan Greer (2020) and P/IF Reese Snell (2019), who combined for four hits in their sectional final win against New Berlin. The Cardinals upended Tuscola in five innings and a 12-2 score in what was a surprise to many around the state.

Who to watch for: P/OF Joe Lee (2019), P/IF Joel Niermann (2020), P/IF Cam Furbeck (2019) and Greer have led the offense all season long -- hitting a combined .396 while also adding nine of the team’s 10 homers on the year. On the pitching side, UTL Mason Williams (2021), UTL Brady Marshall (2021)  and Furbeck are all sporting ERAs south of two on the bump, with Furbeck featuring an 8-1 W-L record and a team-leading 47.2 innings pitched.

Misc: Head coach Dave Greer has created a winning culture over his 30 years at Pleasant Plains, securing 2 state titles to go along with his 728-267 career record. Following another successful playoff run, Greer now has an impressive 13-straight 25-win seasons to his name. Their latest victory against New Berlin in the sectional final sent Pleasant Plains to their second straight super-sectional and their sixth in the last 11 years. Their upcoming state appearance will be their third in the past seven years.

Takeaway: Throughout the season, the cardinals have entertained five separate win streaks of four wins or more. Entering postseason play, Pleasant Plains had lost 3 straight. The team will have to avoid cold streaks that seem to accompany their sometimes streaky tendencies if they want to win the title. With a coach so accustomed to winning on their side -- and experienced seniors Joe Lee, Cam Furbeck, and UTL Jack Schaffer (2019) filling the lineup --  the Cardinals have all the ingredients necessary for a title winning club.

Aurora Christian takes on Pleasant Plains in the first semifinal at 3 p.m., then Alleman and Teutopolis will play at 5 p.m. Make sure to follow us on Twitter at @PBRIllinois for updates throughout the weekend.

Now that we’ve taken a glance at the 1A qualifiers, here’s a look at the 2A field. There’s a lot to unpack with these four teams.

 

Aurora Christian looks to repeat despite bumping up a class. Teutopolis is back in the state finals for a third consecutive year. Pleasant Plains has dominated the postseason field and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. Alleman avenged a 2018 loss to Hall (2A 2018 state champ) to qualify for this year’s tournament.

 

With that said, here’s a breakdown of each team:

 

Aurora Christian (19-9-1)

 

How they got there: The Eagles had no difficulty downing Walther Christian, Westmont and Holy Trinity begin their playoff run, beating the trio by a combined 37 runs. In the sectional final against DePaul College Prep, the Eagles exploded for a seven-run first inning. Offense slowed after that posting one run the rest of the game, but defense and pitching were at a high level for the Eagles and held DePaul to just two runs on the day. In the supers, Aurora Christian defeated McNamara, 5-3, behind a stellar outing by P/1B Jake Kuntzendorf (Purdue commit, 2020). Kuntzendorf didn’t allow a hit, struck out 10 and tossed 5.1 innings.

 

Who to watch for: Kuntzendorf has been a major contributor for the Eagles for years now. He’s made a name for himself on the mound but can handle the bat, too. A year ago in Peoria, Kuntzendorf homered in the semifinal game against Marquette and pitched a complete game to send the Eagles home with a state championship. He has struck out an impressive 89 hitters on the season in 46 innings pitched, has a 1.96 ERA and enters with a 6-2 overall record. SS Trey Madsen (2019) is a pesky leadoff hitter who hits for a .410 average. Only OF/IF Sam Tickel (2019) has more hits and a higher average than Madsen on the team. OF/P MJ Stavola (Indiana Wesleyan, 2019) is coming off a 2-for-3 super-sectional, plating three of the five runs the Eagles scored. He has a team-high two homers to his credit.

 

Misc: Head coach Andy Zorger has his team in a position to repeat despite bumping up a class. There are few teams with as many weapons as the Eagles, and Zorger knows exactly how to use his guys and get the best out of them. Pleasant Plains can slug the ball and will pose a valiant test in the semifinals, but if any team can hang with Pleasant Plains and their bats, it’s Aurora Christian.

 

Takeaway: Aurora Christian is looking to encore its 2018 1A title with a 2A title. This is an impressive feat to even reach the state finals after bumping up a class, but something tells me the Eagles aren’t going to settle for just a qualification – they want to come out on top again. With Kuntzendorf leading the charge, and Tickel, Madsen and Stavola as the catalysts on offense, the Eagles will be extremely tough to beat this weekend.

 

Teutopolis (26-8-1)

How they got there: Teutopolis beat Vandalia and Greenville to start their postseason run. Gillespie and Mater Dei gave them a battle in the sectional, but the Wooden Shoes were able to prevail. In one of the most intriguing matchups in the 2A state playoffs, they beat Harrisburg, 3-0, in the supers to punch their ticket to Peoria - a place they’re very familiar with. The Shoes have played one of the toughest schedules of the 2A qualifiers. With teams like Coal City, Effingham, Pleasant Plains (who has also qualified), Edwardsville and Mater Dei on their schedule, Teutopolis has played their fair share of talent. To win the sectional, Teutopolis had to overcome an early season loss to Mater Dei, and ultimately got their revenge in the postseason.

 

Who to watch for: When looking at the loaded Teutopolis roster, you wonder just where to start. First, 1B/P Clint Weber (Lakeland commit, 2019) and P/OF Mitch Hemmen (2020) are the only two returning starters from last year’s team who lost in the state title game to Hall. Both are undoubtedly the leaders in the Teutopolis clubhouse. Weber and Hemmen have five homers on the year and lead the team in RBI with 35 and 30, respectively. In the postseason alone, Hemmen is hitting .467 with eight knocked in. Weber has upped his game in the postseason, too, hitting .500. It’ll be interesting to see what these two can do in Peoria as they try to come out on top this year. Also helping the Wooden Shoes is SS/P Dawson Smith (Kaskakia commit, 2019) who is a well-rounded athlete and can get it done on either side of the ball. Smith is a threat on the bases, as well. He looks to run on any given opportunity; Smith has 14 steals on the year. On the mound, Hemmen carries a 7-0 record and has struck out 60 through 50 innings. Smith and Hemmen are a solid 1-2 punch on the bump.

 

Misc: Head coach Justin Fleener is as textbook as it gets, which is why Teutopolis is no stranger to the state finals. Fleener began his career with Teutopolis in 2001. Since then, he has been to the state finals eight times, collecting three championships -- most recently in 2017. Fleener and the Wooden Shoes pride themselves on fundamentals and puts an emphasis on minimizing mistakes and cutting down on walks and producing weak contact.

 

Takeaway: The Wooden Shoes are more than just a two-man duo with Hemmen and Weber, but it’ll be a treat to watch them together on the biggest stage they’ll play on this season. Those two are capable of single-handedly carrying a team to a title. Teutopolis will have their work cut out for them, but if they hit on all cylinders, look for the Wooden Shoes to reach the top once again.

 

Alleman (27-13)

 

How they got there: In the early rounds, Alleman held steady against their competition. The Pioneers handled both Kewanee and St. Bede by a combined 10 runs in the Wethersfield Regional. To open the Byron sectional, Alleman downed Byron 8-3. The Pioneers faced their first test in the sectional final, where it would take late-game heroics from senior 1B/DH Anthony Glancey (2020) to will the Pioneers to an 8-7 victory over Hall -- last year’s 2A champ. In the super-sectional, the Pioneers saw contributions from senior OF/P Chase VanDerGinst (Western Illinois, 2019), who had two hits and an RBI, and junior Collin Snyder (2020) -- who went six innings on the bump while striking out 10 and allowing no earned runs en route to a 7-5 victory over Elmwood.

 

Who to watch for: Snyder has been white hot on the mound for the Pioneers all season, and he has continued his dominance into the postseason posting a 2-0 record with a save and a 0.00 ERA in the playoffs. The offense is led by VanDerGinst, who is hitting .398 with seven homers and 45 RBI on the season. OF Nate Sheets (2020) has also put together a stellar campaign, hitting .403 while adding 17 total extra base hits. P/OF Sam Mattecheck (Washington University, 2019) has contributed all over the diamond, sporting a 3.93 ERA on the mound and a .341 average at the plate.

 

Misc: After jumping out to a 12-1 start to the year, Alleman faced some midseason struggles -- battling a 13 game stretch where they went 4-9. The Pioneers have regained their swagger and are looking to avenge their last state finals appearance in 2012 when they lost to Normal U-High, 5-4, in the championship game. Alleman is led by head coach Jerry Burkhead who has a record of 107-74 over his five-year stint with the program.

 

Takeaway: Alleman is 4-9 on the year when allowing more than five runs, and 23-4 when allowing five or less runs. The key to a Pioneer championship run will be good pitching; if the team can see solid contributions from VanDerGinst, Snyder and Mattecheck on the mound then they will give themselves the best chance of winning the state title.

 

Pleasant Plains (25-11)

 

How they got there: The Cardinals have ran through the postseason with ease, outscoring opponents by 32 runs over five games. Their closest call came against Maroa in the regional final where they squeaked out a 5-3 victory. Interestingly, that victory avenged a 6-3 midseason loss to Maroa -- a loss that would mark the beginning of a four-game losing streak for the Cardinals. Pleasant Plains managed both Carlinville and New Berlin in the sectional with 5-0 and 11-4 victories, accordingly. Pleasant Plains saw key contributions from UTL Corgan Greer (2020) and P/IF Reese Snell (2019), who combined for four hits in their sectional final win against New Berlin. The Cardinals upended Tuscola in five innings and a 12-2 score in what was a surprise to many around the state.

 

Who to watch for: P/OF Joe Lee (2019), P/IF Joel Niermann (2020), P/IF Cam Furbeck (2019) and Greer have led the offense all season long -- hitting a combined .396 while also adding nine of the team’s 10 homers on the year. On the pitching side, UTL Mason Williams (2021), UTL Brady Marshall (2021)  and Furbeck are all sporting ERAs south of two on the bump, with Furbeck featuring an 8-1 W-L record and a team-leading 47.2 innings pitched.

 

Misc: Head coach Dave Greer has created a winning culture over his 30 years at Pleasant Plains, securing 2 state titles to go along with his 728-267 career record. Following another successful playoff run, Greer now has an impressive 13-straight 25-win seasons to his name. Their latest victory against New Berlin in the sectional final sent Pleasant Plains to their second straight super-sectional and their sixth in the last 11 years. Their upcoming state appearance will be their third in the past seven years.

 

Takeaway: Throughout the season, the cardinals have entertained five separate win streaks of four wins or more. Entering postseason play, Pleasant Plains had lost 3 straight. The team will have to avoid cold streaks that seem to accompany their sometimes streaky tendencies if they want to win the title. With a coach so accustomed to winning on their side -- and experienced seniors Joe Lee, Cam Furbeck, and UTL Jack Schaffer (2019) filling the lineup --  the Cardinals have all the ingredients necessary for a title winning club.


Aurora Christian takes on Pleasant Plains in the first semifinal at 3 p.m., then Alleman and Teutopolis will play at 5 p.m. Make sure to follow us on Twitter at @PBRIllinois for updates throughout the weekend.