Baseball: Tight-knit Wilmington group aims to add another title to the trophy case

Kyle Farrell doesn’t remember exactly when he started playing baseball with most of the rest of the Wilmington baseball roster.

He does however remember one somewhat interesting fact.

“I think I started playing with most of them when I was seven and most of them were eight,” Farrell said.

“And I don’t think we ever won a game.”

To say things have changed is a dramatic understatement.

Wilmington (27-1) will play at approximately 7 p.m. Friday in the IHSA Class 2A State Baseball Tournament against Effingham St. Anthony (25-5-1). It is Wilmington’s first state tournament appearance since 2004 which capped a three-year stretch where Wilmington won two titles (2002, 2004) and had a third-place finish (2003).

Like those past Wilmington teams, the Wildcats rely on a dominant pitching staff and a lineup that gets contributions 1 through 9.

Farrell and Lucas Rink have thrown the lion’s share of the innings for the Wildcats this season with Farrell posting a 9-0 record with 1.21 ERA and 94 strikeouts, while Rink is 9-1 with a 0.50 ERA and 96 strikeouts. Rink took the loss in the team’s only setback of the season, an 8-5 loss to Joliet West on March 19.

The duo has pitched in essentially a two-man rotation throughout the postseason. Rink who earned Wilmington’s win over Herscher in the sectional finals will get the nod Friday against St. Anthony. Farrell, who tossed a one-hitter in the Wildcats supersectional win against Peoria Notre Dame, is lined up to throw in what the Wildcats hope will be a state championship game Saturday against either Maroa-Forsyth (26-4) or Sterling Newman Central Catholic (25-4-1).

For that to happen, Wilmington will need to figure out how to scratch out some runs against a St. Anthony pitching staff that has been stingy all season, but particularly in the postseason. The Bulldogs have allowed just 76 runs in 31 games this season (2.45 runs per game) and have allowed just four runs to opponents in five postseason games and only one run in its past three postseason games.

Sophomore Aiden Lauritzen (7-0, 1.21 ERA) threw in St. Anthony’s win over downstate Mt. Carmel in the supersectional, so the expected starter for the Bulldogs will be Brock Fearday (8-1, 1.75 ERA). Joseph Tegeler (4-2, 1.93 ERA) could also be an option.

Wilmington will approach the St. Anthony challenge as it has any other obstacle that has been in its path.

“They have a competitive winning attitude that they know no matter what the situation is they’re going to play all the way through to the end. And they’re going to come out on top,” Wilmington coach Mike Bushnell said. “That group has it. Whatever that means, they have it.”

A closer look at the teams competing in this weekend’s Class 2A State Tournament:

Wilmington Wildcats

Enrollment: 409.5

Conference: Illinois Central Eight

Record: 27-1

Current win streak: 25 games

Head coach: Mike Bushnell (7 years, 93-84-1)

Previous state appearances: 2003 1st in A; 2004 3rd in A; 2005 3rd in A.

Top arms: RHP Kyle Farrell, jr., 9-0, 58.0 IP, 1.21 ERA, 94 K, 25 BB; RHP Lucas Rink, sr., 9-1, 56.0 IP, 0.50 ERA, 96 K, 4 BB; RHP Ryan Kettman, so., 4-0, 22.0 IP, 0.32 ERA, 31K, 5 BB

Top bats: RH Zach Ohlund, so., .424, 46 RBI, 28 R, 9 HR; LH Lucas Rink, sr., .390, 25 RBI, 38 R, 3 HR; LH Ryan Kettman, so., .371, 13 RBI, 33 R, 0 HR

Effingham St. Anthony Bulldogs

Enrollment: 330.825

Conference: National Trail

Record: 25-5-1

Current win streak: 5 games

Head coach: Tony Kreke (7 years, 101-62)

Previous state appearances: 2012 1st in 1A; 1992 3rd in A; 1991 4th in A; 1986 DNP in A; 1984 DNP in A; 1980 DNP in A.

Top arms: RHP Brock Fearday, jr., 9-0, 68.0 IP, 1.75 ERA, 74 K, 21 BB; RHP Aiden Lauritzen, so., 7-0, 52.0 IP, 1.21 ERA, 51 K, 30 BB; RHP Joseph Tegeler, jr.., 4-2, 29.0 IP, 1.93 ERA, 31K, 10 BB

Top bats: LH Brock Fearday, jr., .417, 41 RBI, 26 R, 7 HR; RH Connor Roepke, sr., .409, 35 RBI, 10 R, 4 HR; RH Brady Hatton, jr., .378, 30 RBI, 29 R, 7 HR

Maroa-Forsyth Trojans

Enrollment: 344.5

Conference: Sangamo

Record: 26-4

Current win streak: 8 games

Head coach: Sean Martin (28 years, 459-274)

Previous state appearances: 2022 4th in 2A; 1995 DNP in A; 1990 DNP in A; 1985 DNP in A; 1982 DNP in A.

Top arms: RHP Connor Kelly, sr., 8-1, 60.0 IP, 2.68 ERA, 53 K, 16 BB; LHP Cayden Rose, jr., 4-2, 35.0 IP, 2.20 ERA, 34 K, 20 BB; RHP Kaiden Maurer, sr.., 5-0, 31.0 IP, 0.45 ERA, 43K, 6 BB

Top bats: RH Kaiden Maurer, sr., .461, 13 RBI, 44 R, 0 HR; RH Tate Brandenburg, jr., .456, 47 RBI, 34 R, 2 HR; RH Zayn Giles, sr., .431, 32 RBI, 30 R, 1 HR

Newman Central Catholic Comets

Enrollment: 346.5

Conference: Three Rivers Athletic

Record: 25-4-1

Current win streak: 17 games

Head coach: Kenny Koerner (4 years, 83-29-1)

Previous state appearances: 2023 3rd in 1A

Top arms: RHP Evan Bushman, so., 11-0, 58.0 IP, 3.26 ERA, 42 K, 10 BB; RHP Garet Wolfe, so., 6-0, 50.0 IP, 2.24 ERA, 37 K, 20 BB; RHP Joe Oswalt, jr., 3-0, 22.0 IP, 1.27 ERA, 23K, 10 BB

Top bats: LH Brendan Tunink, sr., .557, 27 RBI, 54 R, 7 HR; RH Garet Wolfe, so., .319, 27 RBI, 27 R, 0 HR; RH Ashton Miner, fr., .306, 41 RBI, 19 R, 1 HR