Maine's repeat feat still stands alone in baseball lore

No repeats have nearly been the rule for IHSA baseball state champions.

The lone exception is now at a half-century since winning historic titles in succession.

This is clearly one of the monumental feats in Illinois high school athletic history. Maine Township's repeat state titles in 1958-59 have withstood not only a lengthy test of time but significant changes in equipment, outside player development and multiple class expansions.

There was no question Maine was the class of the state back then since only one champion was crowned.

Now it would be difficult to put a baseball repeater in that same class, since there are four to increase the possibilities of a team defending a title such as Stanford Olympia, which will try to do so this weekend in Joliet in Class 2A.

And the most recent class expansion has altered the makeup of the baseball tournament unlike any other sport. Now only two wins are needed on the final weekend instead of the three which used to require a champion to have pitching depth as well as talent.

Those Maine teams certainly had championship stuff on the mound en route to a 43-6 record in their unequaled two-year run under legendary head coach Al Carstens, who also led Maine West to the 1963 state crown.

Former Wheaton North head coach Jim Humay, who was 20-2 in 1958-59, and Bob Gruber both pitched in the White Sox organization. After Gruber graduated in 1958 with a 12-0 record, Bob Peterson, a future Mets farmhand, stepped up to go 8-2 in 1959.

"Back then we had some real depth as far as the staff was concerned," Humay said in an interview 11 years ago.

That was the constant for two teams that were offensive opposites when it was still a crack instead of a ping of the bat. The first champion hit .351 as a team and was led by powerful third baseman Vic Pagel, who played in the minors with the Dodgers.

The second champion - bolstered by the addition of junior all-tourney picks George Verber in center field and Wes Galitz at first - relied more on little things as it hit .275. Maine had only 16 hits in its three state tourney games but committed only 2 errors and allowed 1 measly run.

And Maine had its share of baseball magic in a game where the ball often doesn't bounce the best team's way. The Demons won their first title 3-2 over Niles as sophomore shortstop Bill Wagner capped a 2-run eighth with an RBI single.

They also needed to rally from a seventh-inning deficit in the sectional final against North Chicago on Bob Kupczak's homer.

And to repeat they had to beat future major league pitcher Gerry Arrigo. He didn't allow an earned run but Maine took advantage of 2 wild pitches, 5 errors and 3 passed balls for an 8-1 win over Chicago Harrison.

"We had some great ballclubs," Carstens said in 1998. "But you can't make a mistake. Every break has got to go your way."

It's a Maine combination no one else in Illinois high school baseball has been able to duplicate.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com