The Class 1A IHSA Softball State Finals are being held at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria Friday and Saturday with Ridgewood, Villa Grove, Illini Bluffs, and Trico vying for the state championship.
SCHEDULE
Friday, May 31 – Semifinals
Ridgewood vs Villa Grove – 10 a.m. (WRMJ broadcast, pre-game coverage starts at 9:30 a.m.)
Illini Bluffs vs Trico – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 1 – Championship Day
3rd place game – 9 a.m.
Championship game – 11:30 a.m.
STATE FINALISTS
Ridgewood Spartans (29-5-1)
- Conference: Lincoln Trail Conference
- State Finals History: First-ever appearance
- Last Year: Lost in sectional semifinal to St. Bede, 6-1
- Head Coach: Renae Leander (10th season: 139-104-2)
- Ranking In Final ICA Poll: #3
The Ridgewood Spartans are making an appearance at the IHSA softball state finals for the first time ever after storming back to defeat East Dubuque, 6-4, in the Black Hawk College Super-Sectional Monday. With the Spartans down to their final out and trailing 4-2, Gabby Dean delivered a two RBI double to tie the game. Mya Brown then crushed a two-run home run to give Ridgewood its first lead of the game. Brown was able to hold East Dubuque scoreless in the bottom of the seventh to get the Spartans to state for the first time.
Brown finished the game with 19 strikeouts, which tied her own single-game school record. It also pushed her past the 800-career strikeout milestone. On the season, she’s 21-3 with a 1.87 ERA and more than 300 strikeouts. In two sectional games in Williamsfield, Brown struck out 16 batters against Henry in a 7-1 sectional semifinal win and fanned 16 in the sectional championship victory against West Central, 4-0. The win over the Heat avenged two regular season losses Ridgewood suffered to West Central earlier in the year.
In the regional, the Spartans beat a pair of conference opponents – Princeville, 2-1, and Abingdon-Avon, 2-0.
Brown and Dean lead Ridgewood at the plate. Both players have .400+ batting averages and have combined to hit 10 of the 15 home runs for the Spartans this season. Freshman third baseman MacKenzie Peck hits .441 with three homers and 32 RBI.
Ridgewood started the season on a 21-game winning streaking before ending the regular season going 3-5-1 over the final nine games. Since then, the Spartans have won five straight in the playoffs to enter the state finals with a lot of momentum.
Villa Grove Blue Devils (25-13-1)
- Conference: Lincoln Prairie Conference
- State Finals History: First-ever appearance
- Last Year: Lost in sectional semifinal to LeRoy, 4-3
- Head Coach: Jenna Block (8th season: 144-88-1)
- Ranking In Final ICA Poll: Unranked
The Villa Grove Blue Devils are a state finalist for the first time in school history after a 5-2 win in eight innings against Serena at the Illinois Wesleyan University Super-Sectional Monday. Villa Grove trailed 2-0 entering the top of the sixth inning before scoring a pair of runs to tie the game. In the top eighth, the Blue Devils plated three runs, two of them on a Piper Kiser home run.
Kiser, a sophomore, leads Villa Grove in virtually every offensive category. She’s hit for a .436 average, clubbed eight home runs, and driven in 50 runs on the season. The Blue Devils have hit 33 home runs as a team.
Villa Grove’s top pitcher is senior Alexandria Brown, who is 13-5 with a 4.10 ERA.
On April 6, the Blue Devils were 8-11 on the season, but have since won 17 of 19 games. Villa Grove beat Armstrong, 15-0, and Gibson City Melvin-Sibley, 11-1 in the regional. To win the sectional championship, the Blue Devils defeated Heyworth, 4-0, in the semifinals, and LeRoy, 3-2, in the championship.
Illini Bluffs Tigers (24-1)
- Conference: Inter County Athletic Conference
- State Finals History: 7th state finals appearance (2000, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- State Championships: 2 (2021, 2022)
- Last Year: Lost in state championship to St. Bede, 7-6
- Head Coach: Lindsey Lox (4th season: 83-9)
- Ranking In Final ICA Poll: #1
The Illini Bluffs Tigers are returning to the state finals for the fifth consecutive season after beating Carrollton, 2-1, in the Athens Super-Sectional Monday.
Illini Bluffs has played in the last four 1A state championship games, winning in 2021 and 2022, and losing in 2019 and 2023. Head coach Lindsey Lox has led the Tigers to the state tournament in all four of her seasons.
The only loss this season for Illini Bluffs was to Olympia on May 10, 8-3. In the playoffs, the Tigers crushed Hartsburg-Emden, 18-0, and Rushville-Industry, 11-0, to win the regional. Illini Bluffs got past Seymour, 6-1, and Pleasant Hill, 1-0, in the sectional on their home field.
On offense, Lexi Brinkman and Sara Finn have each hit 11 home runs. Finn hits. 566 with 34 RBI and Brinkman has a .447 batting average and 41 RBI.
In the pitchers circle, Cora Ellison is 15-1 with a 1.49 ERA. She’s struck out 148 batters in 113 innings pitched.
Trico Pioneers (26-5)
- Conference: Black Diamond Conference
- State Finals History: 3rd state final appearance (2014, 2016, 2024)
- State Championships: 0
- Last Year: Lost in sectional championship to Goreville, 4-3
- Head Coach: Drew Franklin (18th season: 173-160)
- Ranking In Final ICA Poll: #15
The Trico Pioneers are back in the state finals for the first time in eight years after beating Windsor, 5-3, in eight innings at the Johnston City Super-Sectional Monday. Trico scored two runs in the top of the eighth to break a 3-3 tie.
Taylor Cottom has had a huge year at the plate to lead the Pioneers with a .418 batting average, 17 home runs, and 40 RBI. Zoey Kellerman, nine homers, and Josie Wettig, seven homers, are also threats to leave the yard.
Trico’s pitching stats weren’t provided.
The Pioneers shutout both of their regional opponents, Steeleville, 19-0, and Waltonville, 6-0. In the sectional, Trico beat Century, 12-3, and Goreville, 2-0.