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1A/2A State Semifinals: Recap

June 6, 2025
By: Illinois Scouting Staff

This Friday and Saturday, May 31st and June 1st, the IHSA 1A and 2A state playoffs took place at Illinois Field in Champaign, IL. Four teams from each respective classification battled it out for high school baseball’s most coveted honors - a state title. 

Our staff took in Friday’s semi-final matchups, and we’ve recapped all of yesterday’s action below. 

CLASS 1A

OTTAWA MARQUETTE VS. LEXINGTON

In the first game of the 1A State Semifinals, the Marquette Crusaders faced the Lexington Minutemen.

Lexington started things off in the top of the second with a single from 2B Kayden Knight (2026), who later scored on an RBI single from 1B Jaxson Goodrich (2025), giving Lexington the early 1-0 lead.

Ottawa Marquette followed with a huge bottom of the second, scoring 10 runs in the inning. The inning was highlighted by RBI singles from DH Payton Gutierrez (2025) and C Keaton Davis (2025; Spoon River JC). 2B Anthony Couch (2026) later delivered a no-doubt, two-run home run over the left field wall that gave the Crusaders a big lead early, sitting comfortably at 10-1.

The Crusaders continued to tack on runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings to further add to their lead. INF Alec Novotney (2026) highlighted the bottom of the third with a two-RBI double to center field to give the Crusaders the 14-1 lead. They eventually walked it off in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI double from CF Grant Dose (2026), sending the Crusaders to the 1A State Finals on Saturday afternoon.

FATHER MCGIVNEY VS PAWNEE

Pawnee got on board in the top of the first with a single from SS Gavin Greer (2028), who would later score on an RBI single from DH Coy Clarke (2025; Spoon River), taking a 1-0 lead early.

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Father McGivney would tie the game in the bottom half of the first. They would then take the lead from a 2B Kannon Kamp (2025; SIU-Edwardsville) grand slam, going up 5-1.

The Griffins followed up with an eight-run third inning, highlighted by a P Mason Holmes (2025; Hendrix) two-run single. RF Omar Avalos (2027) and 1B Ty Etcheson (2026) would each connect on RBI singles, taking a 13-1 lead.

Father McGivney would put the finishing touches in the bottom of the fourth as they scored three more runs. Avalos would connect on his third hit of the game as he drove in another run. SS Drew Kleinheider (2025; St. Louis) would drive in the final run of the game on a sac fly to take a 16-1 victory over Pawnee. The Griffins will take on Ottawa Marquette for the 1A State championship at 1:00 Saturday afternoon.

CLASS 2A

EUREKA VS. SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN

The first game of the 2A State Semifinals was between Sacred Heart-Griffin and Eureka.

The Cyclones got on the board in the top of the first with an RBI single into center from C Mike Groesch (2027). Eureka would respond in the bottom half with three runs capped off by a grounder that drove in a run from RF Isaac Schaefer (2025).

Pitchers would keep the game scoreless for the next four innings. Until the top of the sixth, when the Cyclones would tie the game off of an RBI double from Andy Antonacci (2025; Heartland) and an RBI single from SS Carson Butler (2026). 

Eureka would quickly take back the lead in the bottom of the sixth by driving two runs. The final run came in from a line drive into left for an RBI single from CF Ben Lapp (2025; Illinois Central).

CF Drew Ward (2026) would tie the game up in the top of the seventh with a two-run double. Groesch would drive in the leading run with an RBI triple into center field.

Eureka would put two runs on base but Sacred Heart-Griffin would hold to take a 6-5 victory to advance to Saturday night’s 2A State Final championship.

NEWMAN CENTRAL CATHOLIC VS. TEUTOPOLIS

The final game of the day was a 2A State Semifinal matchup between Teutopolis and Newman Central Catholic.

C Jason Kreke (2026) drove in the first run of the game in the top of the first with an RBI single into center field. Newman Central Catholic would respond in the bottom half as RF Ashton Miner (2027) would connect on a sac fly into center field. 

Teutopolis would regain the lead in the top of the second as CF Aidan Niemerg (2027) and 1B Mick Niebrugge (2025; Millikin) would highlight the three-run inning with RBI singles.

In the bottom of the third, Miner would tack on two more runs for the Comets with a two-run double into right field. The Wooden Shoes would respond in the top of the fourth as Davin Worman (2026) would connect on an RBI single into right field. 2B Henry Thompson (2025) would drive another run with a sac fly into center field.

Kreke would launch a two-run home run over the left field wall to add the final runs for the Wooden Shoes. 

Teutopolis would take the game, 9-3. The Wooden Shoes will play Saturday night against Sacred Heart-Griffin for the 2A State championship.

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