Highland Finishes Fourth at IHSA State Baseball Tournament

Highland Finishes Fourth at IHSA State Baseball Tournament

Highland High School’s baseball team made a remarkable run to the IHSA State Tournament, ultimately finishing in fourth place out of 160 schools. The Bulldogs entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed from their sectional and faced a tough bracket. In their opening game, they defeated No. 16 seed Lemont 6-2, with senior pitcher Ethan Schmidt throwing a complete game. In the quarterfinals, Highland faced No. 8 seed Lockport Township. The game was a pitchers’ duel, and the Bulldogs ultimately won 2-0 in 10 innings. Schmidt and junior pitcher Joey Hildebrand combined for a shutout, allowing only two hits. In the semifinals, Highland faced No. 4 seed St. Ignatius College Prep. The teams traded runs throughout the game, but St. Ignatius ultimately pulled away in the late innings to win 7-5. Despite the setback, the Bulldogs bounced back in the third-place game against No. 3 seed Glenbrook North. However, the Spartans proved too strong, winning 7-2. Highland’s fourth-place finish was a testament to the team’s hard work and determination. Senior catcher Carson Ford led the offense with a .455 batting average in the tournament, while Schmidt and Hildebrand pitched lights-out. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 33-4 record, one of the program’s most successful seasons in history. The team’s fourth-place finish at the state tournament was the highest for Highland since winning the championship in 1996.“`“`

++++++++The+Highland+High+School+baseball+team+received+their+fourth-place+medals+at+the+Class+3A+tournament+on+Saturday,+June+8,+at+Duly+Health+and+Care+Field+in+Joliet.

++++++++++++Highland+Athletic+Department

++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++

The+Highland+High+School+baseball+team+returned+home+disappointed+Saturday+night+after+back-to-back+losses+in+the+IHSA+Class+3A+tournament+at+Duly+Health+and+Care+Field+in+Joliet.

In+their+first+visit+to+state+since+winning+the+2015+Class+3A+championship,+the+Bulldogs+fell+flat,+losing+6-3+to+Lemont+in+the+semifinals+last+Friday+afternoon+and+dropping+Saturday+morning’s+heartbreaking+1-0+third-place+game+eight+innings+behind+Morris.

Their+fourth+place+left+an+empty+feeling.

++++++++++++++++

Click+to+resize

++++++++++++++++++++

But+former+Bulldogs+coach+Joel+Hawkins+felt+his+club’s+32-8-1+season+was+a+special+season+that+his+players+will+look+back+on+with+fond+memories.

“The+kids+would+have+said+they+came+up+short,+but+I+say+it+was+a+great+spring,”+Hawkins+said.++“There+was+the+disappointment+of+not+winning+the+conference,+but+I+think+that+calibrated+us+at+the+end+of+the+season+for+that+playoff+run.

“So+when+they+look+back,+they’re+going+to+realize+that+it+was+really+a+special+season+because+they+played+big+games+together+and+beat+a+really+good+team+and+won+some+really+good+baseball+games.”

Highland+came+out+red-hot+at+the+start+of+the+2024+season+thanks+to+a+blistering+21-1-1+start,+with+wins+over+Alton,+Mascoutah+and+Marion.++That+strong+start+gave+Hawkins+the+mindset+that+this+group+could+have+a+special+season.+

“We+were+21-1+there+for+a+while+and+it+really+reminded+me+that+…+no+matter+who+we+faced,+we+were+at+least+going+to+be+in+the+games,”+he+said.

Trent+Clemons,+a+senior+righthander,+and+Chase+Knebel,+the+Bulldogs’+left-handed+junior+ace,+were+the+Bulldogs’+pitching+leaders+during+the+campaign,+giving+them+a+solid+chance+to+win+every+time+they+took+the+mound.++Knebel+finished+the+regular+season+with+a+0.31+average,+while+Clemons+finished+with+an+ERA+of+1.72.

Senior+outfielder+Jake+Ottensmeier,+senior+Zane+Korte+and+senior+shortstop+Trey+Koishor+were+big+at+the+plate+for+Highland+this+spring,+hitting+.397,+.361+and+.352,+respectively.

Highland+opened+the+postseason+with+a+23-1+short-game+victory+over+East+St.+Louis+on+May+22+in+the+regional+semifinal+and+defeated+Waterloo+3-0+on+May+25+for+the+Class+3A+regional+championship+in+Waterloo.+

“Each+game+was+different+from+the+next+and+Waterloo+was+an+excellent+team,”+Hawkins+said.

A+10-0+victory+at+Belleville+East+over+My+20+helped+the+Bulldogs+get+ready+for+the+postseason.

Then+came+the+Class+3A+section+at+Triad.++The+Bulldogs+defeated+Salem+5-2+on+May+29+in+the+sectional+semifinals+and+then+defeated+Mascoutah+3-2+to+claim+the+sectional+championship.+

“The+Mascoutah+match+was+probably+the+most+emotionally+taxing+of+all+the+matches+because+Mascoutah+is+such+a+good+team+and+we+know+each+other+so+well.++Playing+Mahomet-Seymour+on+Monday+wasn’t+easy,+but+it+was+a+breath+of+fresh+air+compared+to+that,”+Hawkins+said.

That+led+the+Bulldogs+to+the+Class+3A+supersectional+at+Millikin+University+in+Decatur+on+June+3.++Highland+overcame+a+slow+start+to+defeat+Mahomet-Seymour+6-3+to+punch+its+ticket+to+the+Class+3A+tournament.

Hawkins+credits+his+seniors+Brayden+Bircher,+Keaton+Favre,+Koishor,+Korte,+Ottensmeier,+Abe+Hawkins,+Adam+Munie,+Clemons,+Cale+Houchins+and+Deklan+Riggs+for+providing+leadership+and+helping+take+the+club+to+the+state+tournament.

“These+guys,+especially+Jake+and+Trey,+were+so+focused+and+worked+so+hard,”+Hawkins+said.++“It+was+always+just+one+more+ground+ball+coach+or+one+more+pop-up.++What+I+will+miss+(with+them)+is+precisely+that+pursuit+of+perfection+and+all+in+all+they+wanted+success.”

Although+the+Bulldogs+will+lose+10+seniors+to+graduation,+they+will+have+some+good+young+talent+returning+in+2025.++Knebel,+BraxdonHighland finished fourth at the IHSA State Baseball Tournament, falling to Chatham Glenwood 5-1 in the third-place game Saturday at Dozer Park in Peoria. The Bulldogs (36-4) took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Evan Frey doubled and scored on a single by Cooper Gregory. But Chatham Glenwood (34-7) answered with two runs in the second inning and never trailed again. The Titans added two more runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth to build a 5-1 lead. Highland had a chance to tie the game in the seventh inning when it loaded the bases with one out. But Chatham Glenwood pitcher Ethan Skender got a strikeout and a groundout to end the game. Frey finished 2-for-4 for Highland, while Gregory was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Chatham Glenwood pitcher Ethan Skender was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after throwing a complete game in the championship game. Highland’s fourth-place finish is the program’s best since winning the state championship in 2012.