Balanced offense propels SJ-O baseball to state

ST. JOSEPH - The way Will Haley described his hitting approach on Tuesday night seemed rather simple.

"Just kind of see ball, hit ball," the St. Joseph-Ogden senior catcher said with a grin. "I had confidence, and with confidence, you'll succeed."

Haley and the rest of the Spartans' baseball team certainly has those traits in full supply when they step into the batter's box right now. It's a main reason why SJ-O (38-2) could win a Class 2A state championship this weekend, with the Spartans playing Ottawa Marquette (37-3) at 7 p.m. on Friday in a 2A state semifinal game at Illinois Field in Champaign.

If SJ-O can knock off Marquette - and it won't be an easy task since the Crusaders are the two-time reigning 1A state champions before getting bumped up to 2A this year - then the Spartans would face either Freeburg (30-9) or Harvest-Westminster (27-7) at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the state title game at Illinois Field.

"The tension will be high, and there's a lot of pressure, but we know we have the skill to compete with any team in the state," SJ-O senior center fielder Logan Rosenthal said. "We know that we're not going to let any team roll through us. We've competed our butts off the entire year, and we're not going to stop."

Every SJ-O starter during Tuesday night's convincing 9-0 win against Williamsville in a 2A super-sectional game at Claude Kracik Field in Springfield reached base. Whether it was from a well-struck base hit, working out a walk or getting hit by a pitch.

Haley stood out Tuesday night by driving in four runs, but so did Rosenthal. The Spartans leadoff hitter was 2 for 4 and reached base in all five of his plate appearances. Senior right fielder Trevor Ames and junior third baseman Finn Miller each added two hits in another well-rounded, balanced performance by SJ-O.

Ames has produced all season as the Spartans' top hitter, and the Morton College signee carries a .467 average with 11 home run and 64 RBI into the state tournament. But it's not just Ames who makes the SJ-O lineup hum.

First baseman Bryson Houchens, who will play with Ames at Morton next season, has delivered 10 home runs and 53 RBI to go with a .385 average. He is the Spartans' leader in career home runs, too.

Then there's the left-handed swinging Rosenthal with his .388 average, one home run and 25 RBI. Not to mention Miller (.361, two home runs, 28 RBI), senior pitcher/left fielder Parker Fitch (.364, 18 RBI), senior shortstop Kodey McKinney (.295, one home run, 19 RBI), senior designated hitter Cam Schluter (.264, four home runs, 27 RBI) and Haley (.277, 27 RBI).

SJ-O coach Josh Haley is in his 14th season leading the Spartans and will coach in his third state tournament this weekend. But even the first two SJ-O teams he took to state in 2016 and 2017 before they both finished second didn't have an offense quite like the one this SJ-O team does.

"I wouldn't want to face this lineup," Josh Haley said. "Seriously, you put this lineup out there, we can beat you in multiple ways. We don't just beat you with the long ball, and we set the school record for home runs this season. We beat you by moving the baseball, and we come at you in so many different ways. It's a lot of the work they've already put in. They don't stop swinging, and they understand the approach we're trying to do."

The Spartans have not sustained a shutout this season, with their only two losses coming in their season opener against Columbia (a 3-1 defeat on March 18 in O'Fallon) and at Unity (a 5-2 loss on May 4 in Tolono).

All told, they're averaging 8.6 runs this season, and that includes 15 games of at least 10 runs.

"One through nine, everyone can hit," Houchens said. "It gives us so much confidence. When you're able to swing freely, it makes you feel better as a hitter."

The Spartans have had the same lineup all postseason long, too. Once Rosenthal leads off, then it's Will Haley in the No. 2 spot before Houchens steps in as the No. 3 hitter. Ames is SJ-O's cleanup hitter, followed by Miller at No. 5, Schluter in the sixth spot, McKinney at No. 7, Fitch in the eighth spot and Asher Pruemer rounding it out at No. 9.

It helps that eight of the nine SJ-O starters are seniors, with six set to play junior-college baseball in the state in Ames, Houchens, Fitch (Lake Land), Will Haley (Kankakee), Pruemer (Kaskaskia) and Rosenthal (Heartland).

The fact they get to end their high school careers together at a Big Ten venue just 15 miles from their own home venue, Meier Field, is a moment they're not taking for granted this week.

"It's sweet," Pruemer said. "This is something we've been wanting to do since forever."

Fitch, who combines with Pruemer as the Spartans' top two pitchers, echoed the sentiment.

"This has always been our expectation, so we've always worked for this," Fitch said. "It's just amazing. I don't even have any other words."

He might have to find some more if SJ-O can win two games in Champaign to secure the program's first state championship and become the first Champaign County high school to win a baseball state title since the IHSA held its first state tournament in 1940.

If SJ-O is able to accomplish history on Saturday night, its coach knows they'll do so the same way they've done this entire season. Their decisive win against Williamsville on Tuesday night provided a showcase for all the positive attributes the Spartans want to display when they take the field.

"That's how we've played all year," Josh Haley said. "If you've came and watched us play baseball this year, like every day, that is the way we play. We grind out at-bats. We bunt. We score with runners on third base and less than two outs. We throw strikes on the mound. We play clean defense. That's Spartan baseball."

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 9:48 AM.