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Class 4A and 3A State Championship Previews

June 14, 2014

By Drake Skleba
Senior Writer

Class 3A State Championship Game

No.2 Lemont (36-4) vs. No.3 Springfield Sacred-Heart Griffin (38-3), 11:30 a.m.

We nailed this one, having figured correctly, that the winner of the insane Class 3A Joliet Catholic Academy Regional would meet the Central State Eight Conference powerhouse Cyclones on June 14. No. 2 Lemont survived Joliet and cruised to the Class 3A title game today.

SHG knocked off downstate powers Quincy Notre Dame, Champaign Central and Mascoutah, Saturday’s11:30 matchup should be a classic. On the mound for Lemont will be the 11th-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, Indian lefty Jake Latz. Latz has allowed but two earned runs in his 55.2 innings pitched for a 0.25 ERA. Latz (9-0) is unbeaten in his nine decisions and has 103 punchouts on the season.

Opposing Latz will be Cyclone junior lefty Ben McElwee. McElwee also enters today’s contest at 9-0 with a 0.85 ERA with 77 punchouts in 57.1 innings pitched.

Both starting southpaws have MLB draft picks for batterymates. Lemont’s 16th-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, catcher Mike Papierski will be behind the plate for Latz. If the two batterymates do not sign with the Jays, they will be heading down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to continue their education at Louisiana State University. Papierski on Friday, singled home the first two Indian runs and homered the last two Indian runs in Lemont’s 8-3 win over Metamora.

SHG is led behind the plate by the 11th-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds, Mitch Trees. If Trees does not sign with the Reds he will be heading down to Louisville, Kentucky to continue his education as a Louisville Cardinal. You’ll have to excuse Mitch right after the trophy presentation, if he heads for a TV to watch his future Louisville Cardinal teammates, take on Vanderbilt in an opening-round game of the 2014 College World Series in Omaha at 2 today.

Class 4A State Championship Game

No.1 St. Rita (37-4) vs. No. 6 Providence (27-14), 5:30 p.m.

After breaking through in 2013 for its first State Championship since 1976, there will be an All-Chicago Catholic League Blue Division Class 4A Final on Saturday evening around 5:30. For the only the fourth time in IHSA history, two teams from the same conference will battle for a state championship. Just two years ago, West Suburban Conference Silver Division rivals Oak Park-River Forest and Lyons Township, battled in one of the all-time great State Championship Games with OPRF prevailing 4-3.

In this one, the top-ranked Mustangs of St Rita,escaped the Chicago Catholic Blue Invitational aka Class 4A Reavis Sectional, by defeating Lyons Township and arch-rival and defending Class 4A State Champion Mount Carmel. Today’s starting pitcher, University of Notre Dame-bound right-hander Jake Shepski, fired a five-hit shutout at Lyons Township and nailed down his ninth save in nine save opportunities, in the Sectional Championship win over Mount Carmel. Shepski (7-1) then fired a six-hitter in the Mustang’s 2-1 Crestwood Supersectional win over Downers Grove South on Monday

For Providence, we can’t really call the Celtics underdogs, as they were ranked No.10 in the PBR’s Preseason Super 75. With LSU-bound right-hander Jake Godfrey on the mound, we knew the Celtics would be pretty good in 2014.

The Celtics post-season run included huge wins over then No.1-ranked Lincoln-Way North in the

Andrew Sectional final and on Kent State-bound Dylan Rosa’s walk-off bases clearing double, which ousted No. 5 Edwardsville at the University of Illinois Supersectional on Monday.

Opposing Shepski for Providence  may be Godfrey (6-6). St. Rita destroyed Providence 9-1 and 14-1 in the two school’s CCL-Blue contests and then 10-4 in the Third Place game of the Steven M. Bajenski Memorial Tournament on May 24.

“They hammered us in our three previous meetings and were definitely the superior team,” said Providence head coach Mark Smith.”Fortunately we just have to be the superior team tomorrow.”

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