Pitching keys Neuqua Valley's repeat bid

The order of their pitching rotations is now unimportant.

Which hurler was considered a team's No. 1, 2 or 3 starter during the regular season means little when a club needs just two wins to secure a state championship.

All that matters is winning in any way possible. That's the approach the baseball teams from defending Class AA champion Neuqua Valley (32-8) and challenger Prairie Ridge (30-8) will take when they square off in Joliet in a Class 4A state semifinal tonight at 7 p.m..

Both coaches have potent arms to call on in hopes of making it through to Saturday's state championship game against the winner of today's other semifinal between Wheaton North (24-13) and Oak Park-River Forest (28-9-1) at 4 p.m.

Both teams have three live arms at their disposal, pitchers most likely to toe the rubber in some combination over the next two days.

Neuqua Valley coach Robin Renner has the luxury of three pitchers with state finals experience in senior Geoff Rowan (5-1, 0.86 ERA, 40 2/3 IP) and juniors Mike McKinley (7-1, 2.75, 51 IP) and Ian Krol (8-1, 0.94, 52 IP).

Last year at the state tournament in Joliet, Krol pitched 5 innings and earned the victory in a 7-4 quarterfinal victory over Edwardsville, a game McKinley closed out by allowing 2 runs in 2 innings of work.

Rowan was on automatic when he tossed a 5-inning no-hitter in an 11-0 semifinal victory against Washington.

Krol was on the hill for the final 2 innings of the Wildcats' 5-1 title-game victory over New Trier.

"Our main three guys were coming back, and so far it's worked out," McKinley said. "(Krol's) got his fastball at about 90 mph, (Rowan's) got his cutter and his junk and I've got my curveball. We give teams a bunch of different looks."

And if one of the aforementioned pitchers should falter, reinforcements are at the ready.

"(Senior right hander) Jason David (5-1, 2.58, 38 IP) can come in," Krol said. "Plus, we have juniors that can get the job done. We have plenty of support out there."

Prairie Ridge's fearsome threesome consists of seniors T.J. Swank (10-1. 1.76 ERA, 70 IP), Michael Heesch (9-1, 1.49 ERA, 80 IP) and Nick Martini (6-2, 2.96 ERA, 52 IP).

Swank, a right hander, got a no-decision in Monday's supersectional at Alexian Field. The Coastal Carolina-bound sidearmer threw 98 pitches in the Wolves' 5-4, eight-inning victory over Carmel (35-6).

Martini, a Kansas State signee who is hitting .434 with 18 doubles and 7 home runs, came on Monday to earn the victory with 1 2/3 pressurized innings of scoreless relief.

Heesch is the best rested of the three. Last Saturday the 6-foot-5 lefty pitched a complete-game 6-hitter in a 4-2 victory against Hononegah at the Rockford Guilford sectional final. He finished that game with 8 strikeouts to raise his season total to 94.

"I might pitch by committee or if I have to split a game, I might split a game with Swank and Heesch," first-year Prairie Ridge coach David Haskins said. "I might start with Swank still. He said his arm was fine. It's good to have my lefty and my righty (available), so we'll go with the same format and when the situation comes up, I'll ask for the other guy to step in."

Both pitching staffs will face potent offenses. Fox Valley Conference (Fox Division) champion Prairie Ridge is hitting .343 as a team with 83 doubles and 22 home runs. Upstate Eight champion Neuqua Valley is hitting .374 with 78 doubles and 39 home runs.

The two teams met in a nonconference affair on May 5, which Neuqua Valley won 12-6 in Naperville. However, that game doesn't serve as much of a barometer since neither team threw its top pitchers.

"We'll go with our horses this time and I'm sure they'll go with their horses and we'll see what happens," Haskins said.