The regular season ended on a positive note for the St. Joseph-Ogden High School baseball team.
Now, the Spartans hope to carry that momentum into the postseason.
SJO (24-8-2) begins its playoff journey at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday when the second-seeded Spartans play No. 7 Villa Grove/Heritage in a Class 2A Unity Regional semifinal game in Tolono.
“It’s a good time of the year,” SJO coach Josh Haley said. “We prepare all regular season to have a team prepared for a postseason run. We don’t put an emphasis on any regular season game, and we talk about treating every game like it is the postseason, so the postseason doesn’t feel any different. I’ve always felt prepared this time of the year, and I feel prepared with this club for the postseason.”
SJO carries a seven-game win streak into its game with VGH. The Spartans swept Salt Fork in a home doubleheader this past Saturday, winning 2-0 and 5-1, before concluding the regular season with an 11-4 win against Tri-Valley on Monday at home.
Quality pitching, a staple of SJO’s season, was evident in the sweep of Salt Fork.
Crayton Burnett and Keegan McCarty combined on a two-hit shutout and 10 strikeouts in the first game against Salt Fork, with Burnett throwing five innings to pick up the win and McCarty throwing the final two innings to earn the save.
Nick Boggs and Zach Martinie each drove in a run.
The win in the second game against Salt Fork saw the Spartans lead 2-0 after two innings and add three insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth to finish off another superb pitching performance.
Martinie started and went three innings without giving up a hit before Joe Acton finished off the game with four innings, only allowing one hit and one run in that span. Adam Rose paced the offense by going 3 for 4 with three RBI, while Sam Wesley added two hits, Blake Primmer drove in a run and Drew Coursey drove in a run.
Much like he’s done all season, Rose was the sparkplug at the top of SJO’s lineup in the win against Tri-Valley. Rose went 3 for 3 with an RBI, four runs scored and a single-game school record seven stolen bases.
Adam Frerichs (2 for 4, RBI), Burnett (2 for 4, RBI, two runs scored), Kaden Jacobs (1 for 2, two RBI), Coursey (1 for 3, two RBI), Brayden Weaver (1 for 2, RBI) and Boggs (1 for 3, RBI) all played an important role at the plate in the win. Caleb Johnson started and went three innings for the Spartans, giving up three runs on four hits and striking out six. Coursey threw the final four innings, giving up a run on four hits and striking out seven.
All those contributions from multiple players should have SJO ready for any postseason test the Spartans encounter.
But first, that focus rests with VGH, a team SJO defeated 10-0 on March 11 in St. Joseph in what was the season opener for both teams.
“VGH is a quality team that has had success this year,” Haley said. “We’ve scouted them a few times, and like any postseason game we play in, we will have to play quality baseball. I feel like our schedule has put us in a good position this year. We faced a number of 3A and 4A teams, and I feel like we’re prepared for the postseason with our schedule.”
A win on Wednesday would advance SJO to the Unity Regional title game at 11 a.m. on Saturday against either No. 3 Monticello or No. 5 Unity. Those two teams are slated to play at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in a regional semifinal game.
SJO has won six straight regional championships and returns many players who experienced a sectional semifinal defeat last season.
For seniors Boggs, Frerichs, Jacobs, Johnson and Rose, this is their last opportunity for an extended postseason run. They’d like nothing better than to end up in Peoria on May 31 and June 1 at the state tournament. But first, they need to hone in on VGH.
“I always want the seniors to go out with success,” Haley said. “They’ve been a part of the program for four years and have had success. Like any senior group, they want to go out with a special year.”
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