Class 1A/2A Final Four Previews

By Drake Skleba

Hard to believe but the Class 1A and Class 2A semifinal weekend is here. On Friday at O' Brien Field in downtown Peoria at 10, the Class 1A semifinals will commence. After Illinois' smallest class settles who will be in Saturday’s 11 am Class 1A Championship game, the Class 2A semifinals will begin at approximately 3 p.m.

In the Class 1A opener, a pair of Catholic schools will square off, between St. Anthony's of Effingham and Marquette of Alton. In the second semi Lena-Winslow and Tuscola will battle.

In the Class 2A opener, Alleman Catholic of Rock Island will meet Herscher and in the second semifinal contest, Cinderella Wesclin High School of Trenton will meet University High of Normal.

Wesclin (20-17) stunned two-time defending Class 2A state champion Teutopolis 5-1 in the Sauget Super-Sectional Monday night. The winners will meet for the Class 2A State Championship on Saturday night.

Class 1A Semifinal One- Friday 10 a.m.

Effingham (St. Anthony) 29-8-1 vs. Alton (Marquette) 27-8

Effingham St. Anthony – The Bulldogs from Effingham County punched their ticket to Peoria with a 7-0 whitewash of Shawnee in the Marion Super-Sectional on Memorial Day. The Bulldogs are led by their multi-talented junior RHP Bob Hecht. Hecht is 10-0 with a 0.53 ERA. He has fanned 67 in the 66 innings he has pitched. Hecht leads the Bulldogs with a .458 average with one homer and 34 RBI.

Sophomore Austin Busher has gone deep six times for the Bulldogs with 40 RBI, both team-leading marks. Busher is hitting a robust .396. Senior Mike Kabbes (.358, 4 HR, 27 RBI) adds additional offensive punch for the Bulldogs.

On the mound, senior RHP Reed Willenborg (8-5 1.69 ERA) needs just one more strikeout to hit the coveted century mark.  Freshman RHP Zach Gardewine has been a valuable addition for the 'Dogs, compiling a 7-2 mark with a 1.15 ERA.

The Bulldogs play in the National Trail Conference.

This is the sixth trip to state for St. Anthony's, having finished fourth in 1991 and third in 1993. Bulldog head coach Ken Miller is in his third year at St. Anthony's with a 63-42-1 record.

Alton (Marquette) - The Explorers slipped past highly-considered Pawnee 5-4 in the Lincoln Land College Super-Sectional on Memorial Day. The win was the third straight one-run contest for Marquette. In the Blackburn College Sectional, the Explorers outlasted Nokomis 5-4 in 16 exhausting innings and then rallied from a 6-1 deficit to knock off defending Class 1A state champion Carrollton 7-6, in the sectional championship game.

Senior Johnny Wilson and junior Nick Shrank lead the Explore attack. Wilson is hitting .396 with 16 doubles and 35 RBI. Shrank is right behind Wilson with a .390 clip with 25 RBI. Additional offensive punch is provided by sophomore Geoffrey Ferguson (.356, 10 RBI).

On the mound the Explorers are led by their junior RHP Brogan Fischer, who checks in with a perfect 6-0 mark with a 1.11 ERA. Brogan has fanned 63 in just 50 innings of work. Fellow-junior RHP Tommy Anderson is 7-1 with a equally awesome ERA at 1.14. Sophomore RHP Steven Peterbough (7-3, 2.53) is a solid No. 3 for the Explorers.

The Explorers play in the South Central Conference.

Marquette is making its eighth trip to state, having won state titles in 1980 and 1984 under legendary Explorer head coach Greg DeCoursey. In 1988 the Explorers were second under DeCoursey. Explorer head coach Joe Silkwood is in his third season at Marquette with a 55-38 record.

Class 1A Semifinal 2

Lena-Winslow (27-11-1) vs. Tuscola (23-13)

Back on April 2, the Panthers of Lena-Winslow lost a tough 4-3 contest to Freeport. The loss was the fifth straight and sent the Panthers to a dismal 3-6 mark, heading into April. Never fear, the Panthers rebounded and went on to win 13 straight games and turn around their season. On Memorial Day at the Benedictine University Class 1A Super-Sectional L-W blanked Ottawa Marquette 6-0 to advance to the Class 1A Final 4. The win was no. 300 for Panther head coach Tom Smargiassi.

Lena-Winslow is led by its senior 3B Cole Logeman. Logeman is hitting .496 with 14 doubles and six homers with 61 huge RBI for the Panthers. Senior C Casey Schroeder checks in at a blistering .460 clip with 41 RBI.

On the mound, the Panthers are led by their only junior, RHP Evan Heer (7-1, 2.13 ERA, 85K), who fired a three-hit shutout at Marquette in Lisle. Schroeder (4-0, 1.79 ERA) also provides productive innings on the mound for the Panthers.

This is the first trip to state for Lena-Winslow. Head coach Tom Smargiassi is 300-161-2 in his 16^th season at L-W.

Tuscola - The Warriors out-slugged Tremont 10-6 on Memorial Day to win the University of Illinois Super-Sectional and advance to Peoria. The Warriors are led

by senior RHP Dillon Hoel. Hoel is hitting .422 with six dingers and 34 RBI to lead the Tuscola attack. Hoel is also the ace on the mound for the Warriors, with a perfect 6-0 mark with a 2.58 ERA. Hoel has fanned 65 enemy batsmen this year.

Senior TJ Onstott (.377, 4 HR, 38 RBI) and junior Nolan Walsh (.383, 25 RBI) provide additional pop in the Warrior lineup.

Senior RHP Jake Barr is 7-5 on the season with a 3.69 ERA. Barr has 63 strikeouts and has chipped in with a fine .321 average at the plate.

Tuscola plays in the Okaw Valley Conference

Tuscola is making its second trip to state, having finished fourth in 2008.

Warrior head coach Duff Hoel is 36-32 in his second season at Tuscola.

Class 2A Semifinal One Friday 3 p.m.

Herscher 33-7 vs. Rock Island (Alleman) 28-12

Herscher- After suffering four heart-breaking defeats at the Class 2A Benedictine University Super-Sectional in the last five years, the Tigers finally broke through and defeated Gordon Tech 9-3 to advance to Peoria.

The winners of the tough Interstate 8 Conference South Division, will meet it's

fifth private school in its six tournament contests, when it faces the Alleman Pioneers on Friday.

The Tigers are led by their 6-foot-4 190 pound twin-brothers Jordan and Justin Ruckman. The bros will be heading to DeKalb together this fall and will be playing for the NIU Huskies next spring.

Jordan (7-1) has been the ace of the Tiger staff this spring. Ruckman struck out 13 in the Tigers 9-3 win over Gordon Tech on Monday. Ruckman now has 99 strikeouts in his 58 innings pitched with a 1.81 ERA. Jordan has helped himself at the plate with a .396 average with three homers and 34 RBI.

Justin has 15 doubles and has  gone deep seven times in 2012 with 43 RBI.

Tiger junior C Evan Regez has led the Tigers with a .462 clip at the plate with 28 big RBI for Herscher. Regez's walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh gave Tiger head coach, Dad Eric and the Tigers a thrilling 3-2 Coal City Sectional championship game win on Saturday. 

Tiger senior LHP Matt Webber (9-2, 1.31 71 K) has driven home 37 for Herscher with three bombs and a .293 average. Junior RHP Jimmy Brandt (6-0) has been a pleasant surprise on the mound for Herscher.

This is the fourth trip to state for Herscher, having won all of the marbles in 1999, in Regez's seventh year. Regez is 537-166-2 in his 20^th year at the Kankakee County school.

Rock Island Alleman- Playing in the Class 3A Western Big Six conference, the Pioneers took their lumps finishing 5-5. Putting it all together in the Pioneers' post-season Catholic Tournament, where the Pioneers crushed Danville (Schlarman), Quincy (Notre Dame) and Burlington Central, Alleman breezed through Class 2A tournament action.

Outscoring the Pioneer's five tournament foes by a cumulative 50-12, culminating with a 14-3 win over Richmond Burton in the Augustana Super, Alleman comes to Peoria with bats a blazing.

Senior Ryan O'Keefe leads the Pioneer attack with a .462 clip with five bombs and 49 RBI. Junior RHP Cody Sedlock chips in with a .391 average with 32 RBI. Sedlock also is the ace of the Alleman staff with a 9-3 mark with a 3.19 ERA.

Senior RHP Matt Schissel (8-4; 2.93) provides the Pioneers with a solid No. 2.

Junior Dan Cutkomp provides additional offensive punch for Alleman with a 339 average with 34 big RBI.

This is the sixth trip to state for the Pioneers, having finished fourth in 1997. Alleman head coach Chris Lemon is in his seventh year at the helm in Rock Island with a 179-69 mark.

Class 2A Semifinal 2 Friday

Normal U-High 27-10 vs. Trenton (Wesclin) 20-17

Normal (U-High)- Another band of Pioneers venture to Peoria this weekend.

U-High storms into O'Brien Field off of an 11-1 blowout of Quincy Notre Dame

in the Lincoln Land College Super-Sectional on Memorial Day.

The Corn Belt Conference Pioneers are led by Heartland Community College-bound LHP Jake Hendren. Hendren is 8-1 with a paltry 1.31 ERA. Hendren has 90 strikeouts in his 61 innings pitched. At the plate Hendren is hitting at a .393 clip with two homers and 28 RBI.

Twin-brother Jared Hendren, is hitting .350 with three homers and a Pioneer team-leading 36 RBI. Senior Jordan Stralow has driven in 24 Pioneer runs with a .287 average.

Senior RHP Ryan Newby (5-1, 1.94 ERA) is the solid No. 2 pitcher for U-High. This is the seventh trip to state for the Pioneers, having finished second in 1979 and winning the Class A State championship in 1998. Pioneer head coach Jim Collins is in his second year at U-High with a 47-23 record.

Trenton (Wesclin)- Cinderella is alive and well down in Clinton County as the

Warriors stunned two-time defending Class 2A state champion Teutopolis 5-1 in the Sauget Super-Sectional Monday night.

The Cahokia Conference Warriors rolled past the Wooden Shoes behind a route-going performance from senior RHP Alex Wilkin (7-3). Wilkin won four of the six Warrior tournament contests. As a No. 6 seed in Wesclin's own six-team regional, the Warriors had to play a play-in game on Monday May 14.

Wilkin is 7-3 with a 2.26 ERA to lead the Warrior staff. Wilkin can hit too as evidenced by his .340 clip with four dingers and 34 RBI. Senior RHP Justin Groennert leads The Warriors with a .413 average with 34 RBI.

Groennert (4-3, 3.69 ERA) picked up the other two Warrior tournament wins.

This is the third trip to state for Trenton (Wesclin), finishing second in 2006. Warrior head coach John Groennert is in his 15^th season at Wesclin with a 263-170 record.