Baseball: Libertyville completes magical season, wins first state baseball championship
Josh Holst has Libertyville flying high.
Holst, who will be playing next season at the Air Force Academy where he wants to be a pilot, pitched and hit Libertyville to the Class 4A state title Saturday.
Holst tossed a complete game and drove in three runs as Libertyville topped McHenry 4-1 at Slammers Stadium in Joliet.
“Something came over me and I was very calm,” said Holst, who allowed just two hits and struck out eight while throwing 90 pitches and improving his record to 13-0.
“I knew we were going to win. My first pitch, I felt a little something in my groin. I was really thinking about that. It kind of calmed me down a little bit. I was throwing a bit too hard, so I just stayed back and threw smoothly from there. I knew my defense was great.”
Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said Holst was tough from the outset.
“This is what we expected from him every time,” Thompson said. “He came out and gave us the chance to win the game. Last game, he got some jitters out of the way and today he was ready.”
Libertyville (36-4) won its first state baseball title after failing in two previous attempts. It was also the just the third state title for a team from Lake County with Barrington and Waukegan East being previous champions since the early 1980s.
Thompson was hoping to get his team back to Libertyville Saturday for a celebration at the Libertyville Days festival.
“We might show up there,” Thompson said. “This is so much fun. So fun. Here we are and we did it. This whole team gave everything it had all year. All of them. Every single one of them was ready. Every single one of them committed. They bought in on what we were doing and they were all playing for each other.”
Libertyville took an early 2-0 lead.
Cole Lockwood got the offense rolling with a shot down the right field line that Lockwood was able to turn into a triple. Two batters later, Holst grounded out to score Lockwood.
In the third, Mason Strader led off with a single. He moved to third on a successful bunt and a ground out. He then trotted home when Carson Holmes singled to center.
McHenry (36-5-1) came back in the fourth. Kaden Wasniewski, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, eventually scored on Kyle Maness’ sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.
Libertyville doubled its run total in the fifth to take a commanding 4-1 lead.
After Strader, who was hit by a pitch, was thrown out at the plate. The Wildcats showed they were unfazed. With runners on second and third with two outs, Holst drilled a single to left center scoring Lockwood, who had doubled earlier, and courtesy runner Nick Farmakis.
“I knew he had a good fastball,” Holst said. “I just wanted to be quick to the ball. Foul it off and do whatever I can. I was on time for a fastball down the middle and I was able to hit it up the middle. We scored two and after that I knew this game was over.”
Holst struck out two in the final inning including the final batter on a swinging strike.
The Libertyville team and its huge fan base erupted for joy as the players piled on each other right by the pitcher’s mound.
Quinn Schambow, who is taking his talents to Oklahoma State next year, said his excitement had no bounds.
“I couldn’t want anything else in the world,” Schambow said. “We have never done this in this town. To see all these people here behind us is amazing. This is for a Libertyville. This group is so special. We have been to together for a long time and this is the perfect way to end it for us.”
Cole Lockwood had two hits and two runs scored. He will be playing at Valparaiso next season and said this team had set its sights on a state title before the start of the season.
“It has been four years in the making for all of us,” Lockwood said. “I can’t say how proud I am of each and everyone of these guys. We did this all year long. This is exactly what we envisioned. We accomplished our goal.”