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3A State Finals: Preview

June 11, 2026
By Clayton Hopfinger
Area Scout, Content

This year’s 3A IHSA State Finals are set for this weekend at Duly Health And Care Field in Joliet, IL, and it looks like it will be a talented field.

To kickstart the state playoff, St. Rita and East Peoria will face off at 10 am, and directly following, Crystal Lake South and Triad will play at 1 pm. The third place game will take place Saturday at 10 am with the State Championship set to begin at 1 pm.

With extensive coverage of all these games and the 3A 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 3A State championship.

Triad (35-5)

After finishing the 2025 season with a third place finish, the Triad Knights find themselves heading back up north for the 3A IHSA State Finals for the second year in a row. Triad has been one of the most steady programs in Southern Illinois as of late, winning five of the last six Mississippi Valley Conference titles, but they hope to cap off their recent success with a state title for the first time in program history. They have been one of the hottest teams heading into the State Semifinals, winning nineteen straight heading into Joliet, and they will look to continue riding that momentum into the State Finals

The Knights are led offensively by 1B Keegan Seipp (2027; Xavier) who had one of the strongest seasons of anyone in the state at the plate. The Xavier commit had the second most home runs of any hitter in the state of Illinois this season with 16, and also leads the team in areas such as hits (48), RBIs (52), and is second in batting average (.393). Along with Seipp, OF Braxton Yates (2026; Lewis & Clark) has been a strong producer out of the leadoff spot for most of the year, batting a team-high .400 with 49 runs scored. SS Nolan Keller (2026; Kaskaskia) had a strong senior season at the plate, leading the team in doubles (14) and driving in 29 runs. Another senior being among the team leaders in different areas was Carter Gaskill (2026; Illinois-Springfield), who was second on the team in RBIs (32) and runs scored (38), while also leading the team with seven triples. 1B/DH Nathan Klucker (2027) is an option to provide some pop for the team after clubbing six home runs this spring. Look for INF Kannon Seipp (2027; Jefferson JC), OF Auggie Bugger (2027), C Kade Rocca (2027), and INF Brody Hasquin (2027) have all put together strong seasons at the plate, with each hitting over .300 to round out a deep Triad lineup.

On the mound, Triad has seen strong seasons out of numerous arms this year. Anchoring the rotation is RHP Nolan Keller, who heads into Joliet with a 10-1 record while leading the team in innings pitched (67) and strikeouts (82), all while posting a 1.36 ERA on the year. Along with Keller, RHP Matt Morris (2028) has been stellar this spring for Triad. Morris has a perfect 9-0 record with a 0.82 ERA in 51 innings pitched this season, punching out 50 batters in that span. RHP Brody Hasquin (2027) and RHP Kody Anderson (2029) are each strong options for Coach Bugger to go to. Hasquin has a 1.70 ERA in 37 innings pitched for the Knights, with Anderson logging a team best 0.72 ERA in 29 innings pitched this season. RHP Grayson Yank (2026) has been called upon the most out of any Triad arm, leading the team with 16 appearances this spring with a 1.50 ERA in 28 innings pitched.

With both a deep lineup and a strong top of the pitching staff, Triad is all set to be able to make a statement in the 3A State Finals. It remains to be seen whether or not they can finish the job from last year’s third place run, but things are set up nicely for the Knights to win their first ever state title in program history.

East Peoria

This season was a special year for East Peoria. They head into the State Finals for the first time since 1974, and they look to cap off the season with their first state title in program history.

INF Jackson Ahrens (2026; Northern Illinois) has seen the most at bats of anyone on East Peoria, leading the team in areas such as runs (48), doubles (16), triples (8), home runs (10). This was all with Ahrens sporting a .444 batting average with 35 RBIs at the plate to go. CIF Auggie Lognes (2026; Illinois Central) is another name to know within this East Peoria lineup. The senior leads the team in RBIs (39) while also hitting .380 and clubbing eight home runs. Ryan Duncheon Jr (2026; Illinois State) has also been a force at the plate this spring, hitting .526 with a team leading 60 hits, tallying 37 RBIs with seven home runs and 13 doubles for the Raiders. Other names to keep an eye on for East Peoria is Eli Martin, who hit .314 this season.

On the mound, the previously mentioned Ryan Duncheon Jr. has been lethal on the mound, putting together an 11-2 record, striking out 141 batters in 79.1 innings pitched, putting up a 1.41 ERA. Along with Duncheon at the top of the staff is. Dalton Oakman (2026). Oakman has a 10-1 record himself, and even leads the team in areas such as innings pitched (81.2) and ERA (1.03). Eric Duckworth Jr. is a name likely to be called on out of the ‘pen, as he leads the team in appearances out of the bullpen, putting up a 2.86 ERA in 14.2 innings. Look for LHP Will Eaker (2027), RHP Jordan Marsh, and RHP Eli Martin to all potentially be called upon for East Peoria.

With a strong one-two punch in the rotation and a strong top half of the lineup, East Peoria is in a position to make some noise during this finals run. It remains to be seen how they will fare in the finals.

Crystal Lake South (29-9)

Crystal Lake South will head back to the State Finals for the first time since they finished fourth in 2022, and winning it in 2017. They have been hot as of late, winning eleven straight games as they head into the 3A State Final. Throughout the season, the Gators have blended offensive depth with a lockdown pitching staff, making them a dangerously balanced team in the state of Illinois.

OF Nick Stowasser (2027) has arguably been the most productive hitter in this Crystal Lake South lineup, hitting .374 while leading the team in home runs (5) and RBIs (38). Carson Trivellini (2027; Illinois) has also been helping to lead the attack offensively throughout the season, hitting .392 with thirteen doubles in a team leading 120 at bats. INF Michael Silvius hit .388 this year with a pair of home runs and drove in 31 runs on the season, good enough for second on the team. INF Nolan Dabrowski (2026) led the team in batting average, hitting .407 across the year with a team-high 40 runs scored. C Jackson Lee (2027) has provided some pop for the Gators, clubbing three home runs with 25 RBIs, with OF Wes Bogda (2028) hitting .343 on the season.

As strong as the Gators have been at the plate, they have plenty of arms to go to in the State Finals. There are four Crystal Lake South Arms with at least 39 innings pitched and a sub-two ERA. Devin De Loach (2026; Northern Illinois) has arguably been the leader of the staff this season after logging a season in which he threw 51 innings with 72 strikeouts, which were both team high totals, while also posting a 1.51 ERA. RHP Matt Bychowsky (2026; Oakton CC) and RHP Michael Silvius (2027) have each put up strong years to go with De Loach. Bychowsky has put up a 7-1 record in his 11 appearances, throwing 47 innings on the year with a 1.49 ERA, while Silvius has a 6-0 record and posting a 1.79 ERA in 43 innings. RHP Tanner Maurer (2027) has been a reliable arm for Crystal Lake South, leading the team with 20 appearances and posting a team-low 1.44 ERA in 39 innings on the year with 40 strikeouts. Look for RHP Julian Redmond (2026; Oakton) and RHP Ryan Morgan (2028) to each be potentially called upon to pitch in the finals after seeing a meaningful amount of innings pitched this spring.

Crystal Lake South has enough depth on both sides of the ball to make plenty of noise during the 3A State Finals. The Gators are poised to make some noise as they head into Joliet, and if they can keep riding the momentum of their eleven-game win streak, Coach Bodga’s squad is in a good position to be State Champs for the first time since 2017.

St. Rita (28-12)

For the first time since 2014, St. Rita will head back to the State Finals. A decade after their last runner-up finish, this squad will head to Joliet with the capabilities to take that final step and win the State Title for the first time in school history.

Offensively, St. Rita has quality bats all throughout their lineup, with nine players putting higher than a .300 average in 50 at bats. Leading the charge offensively for St. Rita is C Colin Quinn (2026; Heartland), who leads the team in numerous offensive categories such as hits (53), RBIs (51), doubles (13), triples (3), and home runs (4) with a .469 batting average. Another top bat for St. Rita was MIF Ryan Jones (2027), who collected 33 RBIs and posted a team high .473 batting average. 1B Jayden Ibarra (2027) was also a major run-producer at the plate this season, putting up 43 RBIs, collecting thirteen extra base hits and posting a .343 batting average. OF Jayden Hawkins (2027) had a team leading 40 runs scored, hitting .370 on the season, and UTIL Vinny Stubitsch (2027) hit well throughout the year, hitting .368 with a home run and 22 RBIs. OF Joe Camer (2026) was among the top hitters on the team in his 65 at bats, hitting .462. Look for Luke Arteaga (2026) and SS Braden Quinn (2027) to also potentially make an impact at the plate.

On the mound, RHP Will Rewers (2026; Saint Ambrose) and Sullivan Kazee (2026; Southeastern CC) have the bulk of the innings pitched in the staff, combining for 123 of the 224 total innings pitched for St. Rita. Rewers has put together a 10-3 record in 63 innings pitched this season, striking out 81 hitters and posting a 2.78 ERA on the season. Kazee has posted an 8-1 record himself, posting a 3.50 ERA in 60 innings pitched with 78 punchouts. The aforementioned Ryan Jones was called upon ten times out of the bullpen and was strong during his outings, posting ten strikeouts in ten innings pitched with a 2.80 ERA. Look for Greg Zaber (2027) and Nick Cegielski (2026) to also see time out of the ‘pen throughout the State Finals.

Ultimately, the success of St. Rita will have to come down to execution. They have proven offensive depth throughout the order and a formidable one-two punch on the mound, but it remains to be seen how the team will finish up the season. The Mustangs are playing some of their best baseball of the season at the perfect time, and now look to finish the job and secure their first IHSA State Title in program history.

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