CLASS 2A
Unity Rockets (25-2)Coach — Aimee Davis (sixth season, 124-63-1 record).
How they got here — Unity convincingly rallied from a 4-1 deficit through 41/2 innings versus Normal U-High to rout the Pioneers 14-4 in a six-inning super-sectional. The Rockets’ first-ever state appearance also happened because of close victories over Paris (8-7 in an eight-inning sectional final), St. Joseph-Ogden (8-4 in a regional final) and Westville (1-0 in a regional semifinal).
Who powers the offense — Balance is important to Unity’s success, with eight different players boasting 11 or more RBI entering the state semifinals. Junior Taylor Henry‘s .437 batting average, six home runs, 12 doubles and 31 RBI does lead the way. Junior Maddie Reed‘s seven homers is a team best, and her 25 RBI puts her on the 20-or-more RBI plateau with juniors Hailey Flesch (24 RBI), Grace Frye (21 RBI) and Grace Renfrow (20 RBI).
Who leads the pitching staff — Henry carries a bulk of the workload, as her 14-2 record across 113 innings indicates. She’s compiled a 1.86 earned run average and 177 strikeouts, with 40 walks the only negative. Sophomore Ashlyn Miller (1.80 ERA in 35 innings) and Frye (1.27 ERA in 33 innings) can step into the circle for Henry when needed.
Fun fact — The Rockets want to win it all now, but they’ll be in good shape for next season should things not work out Wednesday. Leadoff hitter Taylor Joop is Unity’s lone senior on a roster with 11 juniors.
Joliet Catholic Angels (22-8)Coach — Tina Kinsella (fourth season, 88-39 record).
How they got here — Joliet Catholic is making its first state showing since 1988 and fourth overall after largely dominating its postseason slate. The Angels thumped Chicago Disney II 22-0, Aurora Rosary 15-0, Beecher 11-1 and Manteno 10-0 before squeaking past Port Byron Riverdale 1-0 in Monday’s super-sectional round.
Who powers the offense — Seven Joliet Catholic players are hitting .339 or better for the season, though none of them higher than .394. That latter mark belongs to freshman Wrigley Fanter, who also owns team highs in doubles (nine) and RBI (31). Other Angels in double digits for RBI are junior Morgan Bruno (.392 average, 30 RBI), senior Andie Broniewicz (.359 average, 20 RBI), sophomore Mack Brow (.354 average, 20 RBI) and senior Charlie Kinsella (.295 average, 15 RBI).
Who leads the pitching staff — Broniewicz and sophomore Sophia Stirbis each have logged significant usage, but it’s Broniewicz who’s been in charge for most of the season. She’s accumulated 17 victories, a 1.32 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 138 innings pitched, while Stirbis’ 2.45 ERA in 60 innings is nothing to sneeze at.
Fun fact — Seven of the Angels’ eight losses have come to Class 4A programs, including a pair to 4A state semifinalist Chicago Marist and another to fellow 4A state qualifier Lincoln-Way Central.
Rockridge Rockets (27-0)Coach — John Nelson (seventh season, 204-48 record).
How they got here — By never losing. It’s a pretty simple formula for success, if your team can pull it off. After needing just 10 innings to win a regional championship, defeating Mercer County 22-0 and Sherrard 10-0, the Rockets nearly were upended in a 4-3 sectional semifinal win over Tremont. But they’ve started cruising again since, with lopsided victories over Olympia in the sectional final (11-2) and Tri-City/Sangamon Valley in the super-sectional (12-0).
Who powers the offense — The word “power” has a lot of meaning when talking about Rockridge. The Rockets have bashed 38 home runs, led by sophomore Payton Brown‘s 10 and seven apiece from senior Olivia Drish, junior Lexi Hines and freshman Kendra Lewis. Hines is hitting .500 across 86 at-bats with a team-high 13 doubles, Lewis paces the club with 48 RBI and both Hines (39 RBI) and Drish (35 RBI) are capable of knocking in runs.
Who leads the pitching staff — Lewis is the primary arm at Rockridge, being deployed for 98 innings to the tune of 15 wins, a 0.57 ERA and 137 strikeouts. The trio of Drish, Brown and Hines has combined for 12 victories, and Drish sports an unblemished 0.00 ERA in 262/3 innings across nine games.
Fun fact — The Rockets by far have made the most state appearances of these four Class 2A teams. They claimed third place in 2019 and won the 2A championship in 2016 among eight berths dating back to 1996.
Massac County Patriots (24-2)Coach — Molly Hargrove (second season, 40-12 record).
How they got here — Apparently, by getting all of their bad vibes out of the way on opening day. Massac County suffered a 24-2 loss to Marion on April 20 and since has posted 11 shutouts. A 5-0 regional final win over McLeansboro was one, and the Patriots also knocked off Anna-Jonesboro (13-1), Carterville (11-6), Trico (10-4) and Freeburg (3-1) in postseason play.
Who powers the offense — Like Unity, there are many options Massac County can turn to when in need of a clutch at-bat. Senior Cali McCraw‘s .420 batting average with nine home runs and 38 RBI stands out. So too does junior Maddie Jenkins‘ .527 average and 20 RBI. And let’s not leave out senior Macy Pierce‘s .333 average with 11 doubles and 23 RBI, nor senior Emma Austin‘s robust .694 average with eight doubles and 14 RBI.
Who leads the pitching staff — That’d also be McCraw, who carries a perfect 18-0 record into Wednesday’s action. That’s been achieved over 115 innings, as have her 1.77 ERA and 120 strikeouts. Sophomore Jayden Willard is the backup option, with a 1.42 ERA in 192/3 innings.
Fun fact — Similar to Joliet Catholic, Massac County isn’t terribly familiar with the softball state stage. The Patriots’ only other state trip came in the 1985 Class A tournament, and they lost to Freeburg — whom they defeated in Monday’s super-sectional.
CLASS 1AArthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond Knights (22-3)Coach — Jerry Lane (sixth season, 111-41 record).
How they got here — ALAH scheduled three challenging doubleheaders in the season’s first nine days and sat at 4-3 afterward. The Knights haven’t lost since, though their playoff path hasn’t been drama-free. After topping St. Thomas More 15-0 and Salt Fork 9-0 in regional play, ALAH hung on against Meridian (1-0) and Argenta-Oreana (2-1) in the sectional round and versus Ottawa Marquette (1-0) in a super-sectional.
Who powers the offense — The Knights have utilized just 11 players at the dish this season, but those athletes traditionally make the most of their opportunities. At the forefront is senior and Tulsa softball signee Makenzie Brown, who is hitting .548 with four home runs, 11 doubles and 32 RBI. Sophomore Alisha Frederick leads the team with 38 RBI on top of a .550 average, four home runs and 12 doubles, while junior Ryli Kauffman (.358) and sophomores Kaci Beachy (.352) and Kailee Otto (.352) also hit for average.
Who leads the pitching staff — Brown all the way, and ALAH needs it to be that way. She’s been utterly dominant, especially during the postseason, while putting together an 18-1 record with a 0.18 ERA and 274 strikeouts in 1161/3 innings. Kauffman and freshman Madison Schweighart are first off the bench, but have ERAs north of 4.00.
Fun fact — Another first-time state-qualifying team, ALAH is the second Lincoln Prairie Conference program to make it this far in the last three seasons. Argenta-Oreana made the 1A state field in 2018 and finished third.
Effingham St. Anthony Bulldogs (20-8)Coach — Makayla Walsh (first season, 20-8 record).
How they got here — Walsh didn’t need much time to let her coaching style sink in with the Bulldogs, who also are making the first state appearance in team history. There were bumps in the road to get here, but St. Anthony has been strong in the playoffs with wins over Mulberry Grove (13-0), Altamont (9-1), Hutsonville (10-0), Casey-Westfield (6-2) and Marissa (4-1).
Who powers the offense — St. Anthony’s lineup is young, as the team has no seniors and six freshmen. That hasn’t stopped the Bulldogs from producing runs. Sophomore Lucy Fearday leads the club in doubles (10) and RBI (32), while freshman Hayley Niebrugge has turned in seven doubles and 27 RBI. Sophomore Cameron Rios also is hitting .582 with six doubles and 20 RBI.
Who leads the pitching staff — Fearday is the top dog in that regard, though she’ll carry a 3.00 ERA and 111 strikeouts across 1141/3 innings into the state tournament. None of the three relievers behind her — freshmen Stacie Vonderheide, Addie Wernsing and Sydney Kibler — has an ERA better than 4.10, either.
Fun fact — St. Anthony and semifinal opponent ALAH do have some common opponents. Both teams split two games with Casey-Westfield, and both squads knocked off 2018 Class 1A state champion Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg.
Orangeville Broncos (18-1)Coach — Lon Scheuerell (19th season, 436-176 record).
How they got here — Yet another first-time state participant, Orangeville held its opponents to four or fewer runs 19 times this season — all victories. Five of those occurred in the playoffs, as the Broncos worked around Galena (12-2), Lanark Eastland (10-0), Dakota (7-3), Pearl City (4-3) and Williamsfield (11-4).
Who powers the offense — Sophomore Tessa Janecke has proven hard to stop for Orangeville’s foes. She’s hitting .597 in 77 at-bats with nine home runs, 10 doubles and 33 RBI. Other strong batting averages come from senior McKayla Riemer (.449 with 15 RBI), freshman Megan Holder (.447 with 23 RBI) and freshman Meghan Carlisle (.409 with nine RBI).
Who leads the pitching staff — Senior Tori Plowman has (sorry) plowed through the competition nearly every time she’s in the circle. Her 18-2 record in 109 innings attests to that, as does her 1.28 ERA and 95 strikeouts. Janecke is a capable second option with a 2.20 ERA in 35 innings.
Fun fact — Scheuerell no doubt has been itching for this moment to arrive. After going 0-23 and 11-19 in his first two seasons, he’s guided the Broncos to 20 or more victories every non-COVID year since, including 30 or more twice.
Illini Bluffs Tigers (15-1)Coach — Lindsey Lox (first season, 15-1 record).
How they got here — Playing the smallest schedule of any teams in Peoria, Illini Bluffs made sure to pounce on its limited chances. The Tigers have allowed more than three runs just once — in their lone loss, to Tremont — and have posted 10 shutouts. They’ve also permitted only one run in the playoffs while beating Delavan (13-0), Midwest Central (9-0), Camp Point Central (9-0), Brown County (9-1) and Centralia Christ Our Rock Lutheran (8-0).
Who powers the offense — Four different Tigers boast 20 or more RBI leading into the state tournament: junior Kierston McCoy (.509 batting average, 25 RBI), senior Emma Hicks (.537 average, 24 RBI), junior Kristen Graham (.449 average, 23 RBI) and senior Addison Welsh (.583 average, 20 RBI). Graham also has bashed six home runs to go with 10 doubles from Welsh, eight doubles from Hicks and seven doubles from McCoy.
Who leads the pitching staff — McCoy has been close to untouchable all season long in handling most of Illini Bluffs’ circle duties. She sports an 0.88 ERA in 872/3 innings and has 127 strikeouts on top of 15 wins. Junior Tinley Beecham also has not allowed an earned run in seven innings.
Fun fact — The Tigers hold the only state tournament appearances in this year’s Class 1A field, including a runner-up effort during the 2019 tournament under former longtime coach Nancy Meyer. Illini Bluffs also made the small-school fields in 2013 and 2000.
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