Baseball/Scouting the Fox Valley’s Class 3/4A postseason
One and done. Lose and you’re out. Survive and advance. All the clichés fit.
No IHSA tournament is as unforgiving as the baseball postseason. Every game is Game 7.
State champions will be crowned in Classes 3A and 4A in Joliet on June 9. Here’s a look at the paths of Fox Valley area teams.
Class 4A McHenry sectional
Regional sites: Larkin, Huntley, McHenry, Harlem
Top regional seeds: Barrington, Crystal Lake South, Cary-Grove, Rockford Boylan
At Larkin: Barrington (17-12) is the top seed and will play Elgin (12-22) Thursday. The Maroons are led by the strong pitching of Alex Doty and three-year varsity catcher Gage Teschner. South Elgin (17-12) and pitchers Eric Stazy and David Palmer hope to reverse their late-season fortunes. The Storm dropped 8 of their last 10 games. South Elgin faces District U-46 rival Larkin (11-22) on Wednesday. Palmer tamed Larkin 6-0 on April 3.
At Huntley: No. 1 Crystal Lake South (26-9) won a share of a Fox Valley Conference title for the first time since 1996. The Gators not only have three strong pitchers in Jordan Van Dyck (9-1), Zack Geib (7-3) and Tyler Hall (7-4), they lead the Fox Valley area in team batting average (.337). CL South plays Wednesday against the winner of Monday’s play-in game between Rockford Jefferson and Dundee-Crown (8-20-1). No. 3 Huntley (20-14) and No. 2 Jacobs (18-14) meet again Thursday. The FVC teams split two meetings this season. Huntley has won 5 straight and has gone 10-3 since April 27. Jacobs, which owns a team ERA of 2.41 but has never won a regional, split with CL South. The Gators swept 2 games from Huntley.
At McHenry: No. 1 Cary-Grove (21-13) opens Wednesday against No. 4 Round Lake. The Trojans are paced by pitcher Ryan Kaveney (8-1), leadoff man Matt Byrne (.359) and junior cleanup hitter Daniel Vilardo (.365). McHenry (17-16) plays Grant in Thursday’s second semifinal. McHenry and Cary-Grove split 2 regular-season meetings, though the Trojans scored just 2 runs off McHenry pitching.
At Harlem: Boylan Catholic (24-8) is the top seed. The Titans will likely face a stiff test in the final from No. 2 Hononegah (23-9). The Indians ended Boylan’s 19-game win streak last Saturday.
Advancement: The Harlem and Larkin regional winners will meet Wednesday, May 23. The McHenry and Huntley regional winners will meet Thursday, May 24.
Class 4A Schaumburg sectional
Regional sites: Lake Park, York, Wheaton North, St. Charles East
Top regional seeds: Geneva, St. Charles North, Wheaton North, St. Charles East
At Lake Park: District U-46 rivals Bartlett (16-18) and Streamwood (10-24) square off for a second time in Monday’s play-in game in Bartlett. Their first meeting was a wild one; Streamwood prevailed 10-9 on April. The winner draws No. 1 Geneva (25-7) and slugger Matt Williams on Wednesday. Streamwood was outscored 44-3 by Geneva in a 3-game series this week. The Vikings defeated Bartlett 4-3 on April 5.
Advancement: The Lake Park and Wheaton North regional winners will meet at Schaumburg Boomers Stadium on Wednesday, May 30 at 5 p.m. The York and St. Charles East regional winners will meet in the second semifinal at 7 p.m.
Class 3A Sycamore sectional
Regional sites: Hampshire, Kaneland, Marian Central, Freeport
Top regional seeds: Burlington Central, Kaneland, Wauconda, Belvidere North
At Hampshire: No. 5 Hampshire (12-17-1) must defeat No. 4 Marengo (12-17-1) on the road in Monday’s play-in game to gain a semifinal on its home field against top-seeded rival Burlington Central (24-8). The Whip-Purs defeated Marengo 8-1 on April 3. Central seeks its sixth regional title since 2003. The Big Northern East co-champs are led by senior slugger Tanner Scott (.470, 12 HR, 11 2B, 43 RBI) and pitcher Riley Jensen (8-2, 60 K, 0.93 ERA, 60 IP,). No. 2 Sycamore (17-12) faces No. 3 Crystal Lake Central (14-17) in the second semifinal Thursday. Central played every team in this regional and went 5-0.
Advancement: The Kaneland and Freeport regional winners will meet Wednesday, May 30. The Marian Central and Hampshire regional winners will meet Thursday, May 31.