Tomorrow, Friday, June 8, the class 3A and 4A State semifinals will begin. The 3A semifinals’ first game will take place at 10 a.m. between Nazareth Academy and Morton at Route 66 Stadium in Joliet. The second 3A semifinal will take place once game one is finalized, at approximately 12 p.m., between Triad and St. Ignatius College Prep.

The third-place game is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday and the title game will follow it, beginning roughly at 11 a.m.  

You can visit IHSA’s official tournament page for more information.

CLASS 3A STATE SEMIFINAL ONE – FRIDAY, 10 A.M.

Nazareth Academy (23-13-1) vs. Morton (28-6)

Nazareth Academy Roadrunners: Nazareth is back in the State tournament since its second-place finish in 2015. In fact, during Lee Milano’s 19-year tenure at the head of this program, the Roadrunners have made it to State three times but have yet to clinch the first-place trophy. In their game with Antioch an Monday’s Super-Sectional, it didn’t seem very likely that Nazareth would even have the chance to take home a trophy of any kind in Joliet. The Roadrunners were staring at a six-run deficit, 9-3, in the top of the seventh inning when they rallied for seven runs in the top of the frame and held the Sequoits scoreless in the bottom half to clinch this spot in the semifinals.

Andrew McKenna was the one who got the Roadrunners rallying in that wild seventh inning. His two-run homer resuscitated Nazareth’s hopes of a trip to State and in his second turn at the plate of the inning, his hard-hit grounder was fumbled by Antioch in the infield, allowing the go-ahead run to score. The junior catcher is a Holy Cross commit and, in his 19 games this year, led the team with a .420 batting average and slugged a couple homers. And if it isn’t McKenna doing the heavy lifting at the plate, it’ll probably be Dominic Milano (Triton JC commit). Milano leads the team in most offensive categories this spring like hits (40) and doubles (7), especially because McKenna missing some action.

Their contributions to the offense are instrumental to the success of Nazareth because it isn’t their run production that’s gotten them this far, it’s been their run prevention.

Prior to their game with Antioch, Nazareth had allowed two runs combined in their first four playoff games. They had pitched three straight shutouts to open postseason play. Julian Lopez (Loras) shut out Intrinsic Charter in their first playoff game, three pitchers combined for the four-inning shutout against Elmwood Park, and Ryan Turgeon (Dayton) and Chance Roach (Carthage) combined to one-hit Montini Catholic in the Sectional semis.

The senior righty Roach has been tabbed as their No. 1 this spring. He’s pitched in 18 games and is 8-0 with a 1.66 ERA. The other senior righty, Turgeon, and the junior lefty Michael Prosecky flank Roach in support. Both their numbers are pretty similar, they’ve both thrown 30.1 innings this spring and have struck out 47 batters – though Prosecky, the Louisville commit, leads the team with an ERA of 1.38 while Turgeon’s is still a plenty effective 2.08.

Morton Potters: The Potters are led by a three-headed attack that can do it all. Logan Peterson (Illinois Central JC) has been one of the best talents to walk through Morton’s halls in the program’s history. He’s been a starter for the past three seasons and is the team’s all-time leader in hits. This year, he leads the team with a .449 batting average and has eight doubles and four homers this spring. And if he isn’t driving in runs, he’s preventing them. On the mound, Peterson has a 1.74 ERA in 48.1 innings in 2018 and has struck out 68 batters across that span.

Like Peterson, fellow senior Vinni Massaglia (Illinois Central JC) is a two-way talent who’s been a starter on head coach Jesse Crawford’s Potters team for the past three years. Massaglia carries an ERA of 1.14 into State and has struck out 52 batters in 43 innings this season. On offense, he’s smashed a team-high 10 homers this year, too.

And then there’s junior Nick Guerra. The middle infielder is the team tablesetter and he brings an all-around game to balance the lineup. He tied Peterson for the team-high in hits (48) and led the team in doubles (12) and triples (4), and he also swiped eight bases. And even though he’s better in the lineup and in the infield, he threw nearly 40 innings for Morton this spring and kept an ERA of 1.59.

These three have helped the Potters mostly cruise to this point in the playoffs. Outside of a narrow 3-1 win over Bloomington in the Regional finals, Morton has crushed its opposition, most notably a talented Stillman Valley team on Monday, 16-8. Their regular season schedule was lighter than Nazareth’s, so it’s possible that some of that added experience or lack thereof comes into play here, but there’s no doubt that the Potters wield one of State’s most talented trios.

CLASS 3A STATE SEMIFINAL TWO – FRIDAY, 12 P.M.

Triad (29-11) vs. St. Ignatius College Prep (19-11)

Triad Knights: The Troy-area high school is participating in its second-ever State tournament, still seeking its first State win. In their last appearance back in 2012, head coach Jesse Bugger’s squad dropped its two games against LaSalle-Peru and Nazareth Academy. This year, however, he may have the chance to earn more than just a single State win.

Even though they avoided facing Glenwood’s ace, Jacob Maton, in Monday’s Super-Sectional, the Knights still had to go through a quality Titans team that still featured some next-level arms. Triad legitimized their own powerful lineup when it breezed through the Super-Sectional with an 8-0 victory, out-hitting Glenwood 12-2 along the way.

Nick Beeler (McKendree University) shut out Glenwood that day. This staff has a lot of talent and Beeler has been at the front of it. In 63 innings in 2018, Beeler has struck out 83 batters and has groomed an ERA of 1.67. He’s helped out at the plate, too, with five homers and 11 doubles this spring.

Josh Mesenbrink and Zach Kraabel have been the primary offensive weapons for Triad, though. The two seniors generally hit in the first and second spots in the order each gameday and that tandem pays off all the time for the Knights. This season, leads the team in batting average (.447), doubles (18), triples (3), and runs (42). He’s tied with Travis Heilman with six homers and 32 RBIs – Heilman actually hit a homer and drove in a couple runs on Monday, too. As for Kraabel, he’s hitting .368 with 15 doubles on the spring. These two, as well as Heilman, have represented Triad well all spring, but especially in these playoffs.

Their last two wins have come against Power 25-ranked teams: Glenwood and Columbia. Those are two major victories, so you’d have to consider Triad as possible favorites to be the last team standing in the 3A bracket on Saturday. They’ve definitely outgrown their underdog status.

St. Ignatius Wolfpack: On the 3A side, there might not be a team with a more difficult schedule than the Wolfpack. Don’t let their 19-11 record mislead you, St. Ignatius had to combat the likes of Mount Carmel, De La Salle, Loyola Academy, and Lane Tech this spring. Those are some typical powerhouse Chicago-area programs. I suppose, though, that there’s an argument to be had that it’s made them stronger. They entered the playoffs on a four-game skid but it didn’t take long to nix the losing streak.

They opened the postseason against the Chicago schools, Farragut and Bogan, and they won both games 15-0. Things got tougher in the Sectional rounds, but they escaped their meetings with Solorio and Brooks with one-run wins. Then came their biggest test. The Wolfpack had to oppose a Coal City squad that was fresh off a win over one of the state’s best teams, Joliet Catholic. But they did it – they overcame a 5-1 deficit with a big fifth inning to come back and win it, 6-5, taking them to their first-ever State tournament appearance.

Will McManaman, the lefty senior headed to Denison University next fall, leads this staff that’s frankly been elite when it comes to stymying opposing offenses. No pitcher on this team, not one who’s stepped foot on the mound this spring, has an ERA over 1.33. McManaman works as the team’s ace and he’s thrown 63 innings and has struck out 92 batters, as had an ERA of 0.27. Their team ERA is baffling and even more impressive when you factor in their tough regular season schedule.

On offense, there’s no one batter who powers this offense. Like their rotation, there are many bats who help generate scoring. Senior shortstop Thomas Stoodt has a .383 batting average and he trails Nicolas Rosa-Palermo by just a couple points for the team lead at .385. There are a few other regulars hitting over .330, too, making the whole squad a well-rounded force.

Battle-tested, the Wolfpack are ready to make a sound first impression on the State tournament tomorrow.

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