Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

2A State Finals Preview

June 11, 2026
By: Coby Miller
Area Scout, Content

Following the the 1A State Semifinals, Harvest-Westminster and Freeburg will face off at 4 pm, and directly following, Marquette and St. Joseph-Ogden will play at 7 pm. The third place game will take place Saturday at 4 pm with the State championship set to begin at 7 pm.

With extensive coverage of all these games and the 2A State playoff games, you won’t want to miss the action. You can find the coverage on our X @PrepBaseballIL.

Below, you can learn more about the four teams that will be competing for the 2026 2A State championship.

Harvest-Westminster (36-2)

Harvest-Westminster Academy makes its first-ever state tournament appearance after a breakthrough 27-7 season that established the Warrior-Lions as one of the top Class 2A programs in Illinois. Head coach Matthew Schulenburg guided Harvest-Westminster to a memorable inaugural state run, highlighted by postseason victories over Marengo, Rockford Lutheran, Riverdale, Winnebago, and Chicago Hope Academy in the Kane County Super-Sectional.

The Warrior-Lions feature a balanced lineup that produced a .356 team batting average, 301 runs, and 295 hits. Junior Elias Vaagen leads the offense with a .432 batting average, 41 hits, and 33 RBIs, while senior Brennan O’Donnell scored a team-high 44 runs and hit .373. Junior Ryan St. Louis adds a .402 average and three home runs, while senior Maryville commit Jameson Rapinchuk (.387) and senior Brian Powers (.360, 30 RBIs) provide additional offensive firepower.

Harvest-Westminster’s success has been built around strong pitching depth. St. Louis has emerged as the staff ace with a 7-2 record, 1.54 ERA, and 85 strikeouts in 50 innings. Rapinchuk owns a 5-2 record with a 2.63 ERA and 71 strikeouts, while junior Elias Vaagen went 4-0 on the mound. As a team, the Warrior-Lions carry a 3.11 ERA and have recorded 267 strikeouts.

Despite falling in a Sectional semifinal one year ago, Harvest-Westminster has taken a major step forward in 2026, reaching the state finals for the first time in program history and completing one of the most successful seasons the school has ever produced.

Freeburg (30-9)

Freeburg returns to the IHSA State Finals for the first time since capturing the Class 2A state championship in 2021, marking the program’s sixth state appearance overall. The Midgets, who also finished as state champions in 1989 and runners-up in 1956 and 2002, enter state with a 30-9 record after advancing through a challenging postseason path that included victories over Columbia, Effingham, St. Anthony, and Pinckneyville. Freeburg has been dominant throughout the playoffs, outscoring its five postseason opponents by a combined 32-3 margin while recording four shutouts. After falling in a Regional semifinal last season, the Midgets have bounced back in a big way under veteran head coach Drew Gericke, who has compiled a 311-173 record during his tenure and guided the program to a third-place finish in 2014 and a state championship in 2021.

The Midgets feature one of the state's most balanced lineups, batting .338 as a team with 329 hits, 285 runs scored, and 19 home runs. Cole Miller (2026; McKendree) has paced the offense with 61 hits, a .480 batting average, 45 RBI, and six home runs. Ryan Garland (2026) adds a .438 average with 53 hits and 43 runs scored, while Beau Breyman (2027) contributes a .443 average, 45 RBI, and six home runs. Junior Bradley commit Jonathan Barlow (.321, 36 hits), senior Cameron Harms (.333, 28 hits), and senior Cohen Merrill (30 hits, 24 RBI) have provided additional production throughout the lineup, giving Freeburg multiple offensive threats from top to bottom.

Freeburg’s pitching staff has been equally impressive, posting a 2.33 team ERA with 282 strikeouts in 234 innings. Cohen Merrill has emerged as the ace with an undefeated 11-0 record and a 0.64 ERA, while Liam Scaiefe (2027) owns a 7-2 mark with 80 strikeouts. Alex Fritz (2026) has added five wins to the staff, while Noah Miller (2026) has excelled in relief, allowing just two earned runs over 22 innings while posting a 0.64 ERA. The combination of offensive production, pitching depth, and postseason experience has the Midgets positioned for another run at a state title as they seek the program's third state championship.

Ottawa Marquette (37-3)

Ottawa Marquette enters the Class 2A State Finals as one of the hottest teams in the state and brings a winning pedigree that few programs can match. The Crusaders arrive in Champaign with a 37-3 record after capturing back-to-back Class 1A state championships and three state titles since 2019 under longtime head coach Todd Hopkins. Marquette has become a fixture on the state's biggest stage, making six state-final appearances since 1999, including championships in 2019, 2024, and 2025.

The Crusaders have been dominant on both sides of the ball this spring. Offensively, Marquette owns a .380 team batting average while scoring 390 runs and collecting 394 hits. The lineup is led by Alec Novotney (2026; Valparaiso), who is hitting .478 with 55 hits, 19 doubles, and 46 runs scored. Anthony Couch (2026; Spoon River) provides another middle-of-the-order threat, batting .383 with a team-high 55 RBI. Junior Griffin Dobberstein (.407), senior Morton commit Grant Dose (.375, 54 runs scored), and junior Easton Debernardi (.336, 12 home runs, 53 RBI) round out one of the most productive lineups in Class 2A.

On the mound, Marquette has been just as impressive, posting a 2.43 team ERA with 336 strikeouts in 228 innings. Novotney serves as the ace of the staff, going 8-1 with a 1.32 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 53 innings. Couch has added a 12-1 record with 68 strikeouts, while Dobberstein (4-1, 1.88 ERA) and Debernardi (5-0, 2.46 ERA) provide additional depth and experience.

After dropping their final two regular-season games, the Crusaders responded with a dominant postseason run. Marquette claimed Regional wins over Pontiac and Kankakee Bishop McNamara before rolling through the Sectional with victories over IC Catholic and Wilmington. The Crusaders punched their ticket to state with a 9-6 Super-Sectional win over Brimfield.

With an experienced roster, a powerful offense, and a deep pitching staff, Ottawa Marquette will look to continue its championship tradition and bring home another state title.

St. Joseph-Ogden (38-2)

St. Joseph-Ogden returns to the IHSA State Finals after putting together one of the most dominant seasons in Illinois. The Spartans enter the weekend with a 38-2 record and have cruised through the postseason, outscoring opponents 41-7 across their Regional, Sectional, and Super-Sectional victories. Their path to Champaign included Regional wins over Marshall and Bismarck-Henning, Sectional victories over Downs Tri-Valley and Tolono Unity, and a 9-0 shutout of Williamsville in the Super-Sectional.

Head coach Josh Haley has continued to establish St. Joseph-Ogden as one of the premier small-school programs in the state. Since taking over in 2012, Haley has compiled a 422-89-2 record with the Spartans and an overall coaching mark of 515-206-2. The program has reached the state tournament twice under Haley, finishing as the Class 2A runner-up in both 2016 and 2017. This year's club will look to take the final step and capture the first state championship in program history.

The Spartans feature one of the most dangerous offenses in Class 2A, hitting .336 as a team while scoring 345 runs. Trevor Ames (2026; Morton) has been the catalyst, batting .467 with 63 hits, 64 RBI, 15 doubles, and 11 home runs. Logan Rosenthal (2026; Heartland) is hitting .388 with 52 hits and a team-high 47 runs scored, while Bryson Houchens (2026; Morton) has added a .385 average, 53 RBI, and 10 home runs. Will Haley (2026; Kankakee) has been another key contributor, scoring 43 runs while driving in 27 and adding three triples. Junior Finn Miller (.361), senior Lake Land commit Parker Fitch (.364), and senior Kodey McKinney (.295) provide additional production throughout a deep lineup that has totaled 361 hits, 74 doubles, and 30 home runs.

On the mound, St. Joseph-Ogden has been equally impressive. The Spartans own a 1.62 team ERA and have struck out 299 batters in 259 innings. Asher Pruemer (2026; Kaskaskia) has been dominant at the front of the rotation, posting a perfect 10-0 record with a 1.13 ERA and 87 strikeouts over 68 innings. Parker Fitch has been another workhorse, going 10-2 with a 1.87 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 75 innings. Trevor Ames (7-0, 1.24 ERA) and junior Dalton York (5-0, 1.24 ERA) have provided valuable depth throughout the season, while Finn Miller has excelled in the closer role, recording a 1.24 ERA with 27 strikeouts and just three earned runs allowed over 17 innings. Together, the group has helped make St. Joseph-Ogden one of the state's most complete pitching staffs.

After falling in the Regional final to Tolono Unity a season ago, St. Joseph-Ogden has responded with one of the best campaigns in school history. Behind a powerful offense, dominant pitching staff, and a roster loaded with experience, the Spartans return to the state stage looking to bring home the first baseball state title in program history.

RELATED CONTENT