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 The 2014 IHSA Softball State Finals get underway this weekend as the Class 1A and Class 2A finalists meet at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria. The games will unfold on the Eastside Centre’s award-winning Mizuno Field on Friday and Saturday, June 6-7. The 2014 finals mark the 39th annual edition of the state tournament, the seventh season of the four-class series and the 14th consecutive season that the Eastside Centre has served as the host.
Class 1A will be filled with new faces in 2014, as all four qualifiers are making their first state final appearances in school history. West Prairie and Altamont meet in the first Class 1A semifinal at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, with Amboy and Trico following at 12:30 p.m.
Class 2A is a mixture of newcomers and perennial powers. Monticello plays in its first-ever state final game at 3:00 p.m. on Friday against an Alleman squad that has won five state titles and eight total trophies in 14 state final appearances. Two-time (2004, 2007) state champ Beecher closes Friday’s action with a matchup against first-time qualifier Teutopolis, with first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Fans can watch every inning of the 2014 IHSA Softball State Finals live on the NFHS Network via www.IHSA.tv, as Beau Spencer returns to call the action.
CLASS 1A
WEST PRAIRIE CYCLONES (26-9) vs.
ALTAMONT LADY INDIANS (27-4)
The Cyclones' last three games have been tight affairs, as Jim Scott’s squad has combined to win its Sectional and Super-Sectional contests by a score of 11-7. Senior pitcher Kourtney Campbell has been a workhorse on the mound, striking out 200 in 225 innings en route to 26 wins and a 1.62 ERA. Left-handed senior outfielder Jen Reedy (.416, 26 R, 23 RBI) has sparked the West Prairie offense all season long.
Second-year head coach John Niebrugge inherited a talented Lady Indian squad that lost to 2012 state champ Goreville in the Super-Sectional round last season. Altamont has taken the next step in 2014 behind record-setting senior dynamo Deidre Ledbetter, who excels as a pitcher (24-3, 1.11 ERA, 259 K) and at the plate (.485, 47 RBI), and table-setting senior outfielder Madison Ohnesorge (.510, 42 R).
AMBOY LADY CLIPPERS (22-9) vs.
TRICO LADY PIONEERS (32-3)
Head coach Kelly Whitman and the Lady Clippers feature a young, but tested group that has won a trio of one-run games during the postseason. Amboy starts several non-seniors, beginning with the pitcher-catcher battery of freshman Karlee Doege and junior Kaitlyn Liebing, respectively. Doege (16-7, 2.13 ERA, 121 K) has helped her own cause with a .398 batting average and seven home runs, while Liebing (.380, 28 RBI) is one of six regulars hitting .360 or higher.
Jessica Lodge has led Drew Franklin’s squad all year long at the plate (.550, 68 RBI, 19 HR) and in the circle, making her Super-Sectional performance a microcosm of the Lady Pioneers' season. The senior (23-2, 1.32 ERA, 230 K) threw a one-hit shutout against New Athens and drove in the game’s only run in the 1-0 victory. Opposing pitchers can’t just worry about Lodge though, as junior C/OF Jessica Prange (.465, 57 R, 32 RBI) has also been a tough out in 2014.
CLASS 2A
MONTICELLO SAGES (30-4) vs.
ALLEMAN LADY PIONEERS (30-6)
Monticello head coach Courtney Hoffman played for legendary coach Jane Grebner (and her mom, assistant coach Pam Allen) at perennial power Williamsville, and is starting a tradition of her own with the Sages. Chrissy Gadbury (25-4, 2.08 ERA, 147 K) has been stellar pitching for Monticello in her senior season, while junior shortstop Samantha Valentine (.508, 46 R) and senior catcher Allie Hislope (.452, 41 RBI, 12 HR) pace an offense that has scored double-digit runs 15 times this season.
Alleman’s tradition starts with its coaching staff, as 2014 marks the Pioneers' first state final trip under eighth-year head coach Mike Ebner, the brother of Steve Ebner who coached Alleman to a state title, and the return of three-time state champion coach Jay Hatch as an assistant coach. Senior leftfielder Anna Wetherell (.525, 57 R) made it happen when her first career home run in the seventh inning of the Super-Sectional helped rally the team to the win. Juniors Dakota Stout (15-4) and Emily Hoffman (11-1) have split pitching duties this season, while junior third baseman Isabelle Anderson (.622, 57 RBI) is dangerous at the plate.
TEUTOPOLIS LADY SHOES (28-3) vs.
BEECHER LADYCATS (33-7)
Teutopolis has won 20 games or more in each of head coach Rich Niebrugge’s 12 seasons, but finally breaks through for its first state final trip. The Lady Shoes are led by a quartet of standout sophomores that includes twin sisters Kadi Borres, a dual-threat as a pitcher (17-1, 111 K) and a hitter (.490, 37 RBI, 6 HR), and catcher Anni Borres (.475, 42 R). Sophomore shortstop Danielle Repking (.398, 24 R) was also a starter on the T-Town basketball team that placed third in the winter.
The 2014 season marks the seventh time in 12 seasons that Beecher has won 30 games or more under head coach Kevin Hayhurst. The Ladycats offense has been beyond explosive this season, averaging 11 runs per game behind the slugging of freshman Taylor Johnson (.594, 66 RBI, 16 HR) and senior Sarah Crews (.577, 64 RBI, 10 HR). Senior Sarah Crews (23-3, 2.10 ERA, 140 K) will take the ball in the pitching circle as Beecher vies for its third state title in the past 11 seasons.
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SITE
Eastside Centre (East Peoria)
Directions
SCHEDULE
Friday, June 6
Session 1
Class 1A Semifinals
10:00 a.m.
West Prairie vs. Altamont
12:30 p.m.
Amboy vs. Trico
Class 2A Semifinals
3:00 p.m.
Monticello vs. Alleman
5:30 p.m.
Teutopolis vs. Beecher
Saturday, June 7
Class 1A Finals
10:00 a.m. - Third-Place
12:30 p.m. - Championship
Class 2A Finals
3:00 p.m. - Third-Place
5:30 p.m. - Championship
WATCH
All games available live on www.IHSA.tv
LISTEN
WKJT 102.3 FM (Teutopolis)
Online Broadcast
Altamont & Teutopolis games
WEZC 95.9 FM (Clinton)
Online Broadcast
Monticello games
RESULTS & BOX SCORES
IHSA Softball Page
TICKETS
$6 per day
INTERACT
Twitter Coverage:
@IHSAState #IHSA
Facebook Page
Photos
HISTORY & RECORDS
2014 1A State Series
2014 2A State Series
Record Book & Past Champions
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