The state 3a/4a softball championships will be decided starting Friday with the semifinals. In 3a the Charleston Lady Trojans are making their first ever trip to state after winning the Decatur Millikin Super Sectional over Apollo Conference rival Mt Zion. They enter at 28-5 led by Avery Beals with a .617 batting average leading the team with 71 hits. Kailyn Wilson is hitting .523 with a team leading 9 home runs on the season and Karah Moore leads the team with 66 RBI while hitting .483. Charleston ace this season has been Karah Moore who is 12-4 on the season with 85 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. Although Addison Shrader and Wilson also have been very good in the circle.
Antioch won 3rd place last year and enter with a remarkable 33-1 record. They have 6 girls hitting over .500 led by Jacey Schuler hitting .564 on the year with 63 RBI and 9 home runs. Schuler and Syerra Gilmore have combined to go 30-1 on the season with Schuler striking out 251 in 129 innings with an ERA of 0.92. First pitch is set from Louisville Slugger Park in Peoria for 12:30.
The first game of the day will feature Lemont against Lisle Benet Academy. Lemont is last year’s state champions and enter at 33-1 on the season. They have won 18 in a row and have been to the state finals on 3 separate occasions entering this weekend. Lisle Benet Academy is 24-11 and after struggling a bit down the stretch losing 7 out of 11, they have reeled off 7 straight wins. That first pitch is set for 10 a.m.
In 4a the first game is at 3pm with 30-7 Oak Park River Forest taking on 35-2 Yorkville. Defending 4a state champion OPRF is out of the West Suburban Conference and are led by Elyssa Hasapis and her 14 home runs and 18 doubles while hitting .583 and driving in a team leading 45. Bella Morales has struck out 97 batters in 99 innings as she is 12-4 with a 2.26 ERA.
Yorkville is out of the Southwest Prairie Conference. Madi Reeves has been amazing in the circle as she is 24-1 with an 0.61 ERA. She has struck out 326 in 161 innings. This is Yorkville’s first trip to state.
The second game is 35-2 Chicago Marist against 35-5 Barrington. Marist lost in the state finals a year ago and is out of the East Suburban Catholic Conference. Isabel Cunnea leads the team with 22 home runs and is hitting .491 with 70 RBI. Gianna Hillegonds has struck out 153 in 147 innings going 25-1 with an ERA of 1.05.
Barrington is from the Mid-Suburban League and lost in last year’s 4a 3rd place game to Edwardsville. They can hit up and down the lineup with 7 hitters batting over .400 and 3 hitting double digit home runs. Allie Goodwin is the ace with 170 strike outs in 178 innings, she’s 25-3 with a 2.52 ERA. Coach Perry Peterson has been coaching at Barrington since 1992, a 31 year total with 927 wins against just 198 losses. Game time at 5:30pm.
