High‑School Baseball Showdowns End the Season

In Illinois, the last day of high‑school baseball brings four finals that decide state champions. The Class 1A final is in Champaign, where the Tremont Turks try for their first title against Granville Putnam County. Both teams are aiming to win a championship they have never captured before. At Illinois Field, the Class 2A match pits St. Joseph‑Ogden—home for the Spartans and hoping to use that advantage—against Elgin Harvest‑Westminster, a squad making its debut in the state tournament. In Joliet, the Class 3A showdown features Troy Triad, who finished third last year, against Chicago St. Rita, which has come close three times but never won a title. The Class 4A game was shifted to 4 p. m. because of possible bad weather. Libertyville, the defending champions who beat McHenry last year, will face Park Ridge Maine South, a team that has not appeared in a state tournament since 1966.Weather has played a role in several games. A lightning delay pushed the Class 1A title back to 2:30 p. m. , while a similar pause in the Class 3A final moved play to 2:40 p. m. The weather‑related change for Class 4A also moved the start time earlier, allowing the third‑place contest to follow afterward. Each team’s journey adds drama: Tremont has only played in two state tournaments, finishing fourth once; Putnam County has seven appearances with a runner‑up finish in 2013. St. Joseph‑Ogden has two prior runner‑ups, hoping this win would be its first. Harvest‑Westminster’s participation is a debut. Chicago St. Rita has appeared seven times, earning two second places and a third in 2019; Troy Triad is on its second straight state trip, having won the school’s best record last Friday. Libertyville has entered four championships and won once, while Maine South’s last trip was in 1966, when they lost to Northbrook Glenbrook North. The season’s climax shows how far teams can travel, how weather can change plans, and how history and hope mix on the diamond.