A pair of conference rivalry matchups highlight 3A and 4A baseball sectionals

Here’s a preview of the upcoming Class 3A and 4A baseball sectionals in the metro-east, which begin Wednesday.

In Class 4A, O’Fallon takes on Southwestern Conference rival Edwardsville at 4:30 p.m.Wednesday at Gordon Moore Park in Alton. The winner advances to the Bloomington Sectional championship and will face either Normal West or Minooka at 11 a.m. Saturday at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.

In Class 3A, Waterloo takes on Mississippi Valley Conference rival Highland at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Salem. The winner advances to the Salem Sectional championship and will face either Mount Vernon or Effingham at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Class 4A Bloomington Sectional

Edwardsville Tigers

Record: 33-1, 16-game winning streak

State/national ranking: 12th in the nation in the USA Super 25 rankings; 1st in the state by PrepBaseballReport.com

Last sectional title: 2014

State championships: 2 (1990, 1998)

Coach: Tim Funkhouser

Head to head: beat O’Fallon 2-1 in 11 innings on April 14; beat O’Fallon 8-5 on May 14

Big bats: Matthew Zielonko (.416, nine doubles, four triples, four home runs, 33 RBIs; Bailey Zimmer (.403, 18 RBIs); Collin Clayton (.400, eight doubles, two home runs, 29 RBIs; Jordan Hovey (.398, 12 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 32 RBIs, 15 stolen bases); Aaron Jackson (.390, 10 doubles, two homers, 24 RBIs); Jake Garella (.378, nine doubles, one homer, 26 RBIs)

Top pitchers: Daniel Lloyd (10-0, 0.57 ERA); Aaron Jackson (7-0, 0.67 ERA); Jake Garella (5-0, 1.88 ERA); Chris Robinson (4-0, 0.26 ERA); Trey Riley (5-1, 2.39 ERA)

O’Fallon Panthers

Record: 28-9, won five in a row

State/national ranking: 25th in the state by PrepBaseballReport.com

Last sectional title: 2010

State championships: none

Coach: Jason Portz

Head to head: lost to Edwardsville 2-1 in 11 innings April 14; lost to Edwardsville 8-5 May 14

Big bats: Bradley Harrison (.429, 14 doubles, two triples, four homers, 47 RBIs); Dillon Weiss (.406, six doubles, 11 RBIs); Bradley Snyder (.376, nine doubles, 23 RBIs); Chris Holba (.356, seven doubles, two homers, 21 RBIs); Jackson Penrod (.355, six doubles, one homer, 18 RBIs); Kyle Van Bevern (.343, one homer, 25 RBIs, 13 stolen bases)

Top pitchers: Chris Holba (7-2, 0.74 ERA, 99 strikeouts in 76 innings); Bradley Harrison (10-2, 1.48 ERA); Chris Dye (3-1, 3.32 ERA); Kyle Van Bevern (2-2, 1.71 ERA)

Class 3A Salem Sectional

Waterloo Bulldogs

Record: 24-11, won two in a row

Last sectional title: 2011

State championships: none

Coach: Mark Vogel

Head to head: beat Highland 5-4 April 27; lost to Highland 4-1 May 13

Big bats: Tyler McAlister (.458, six doubles, seven home runs, 33 RBIs); Ryan Aycock (.410, three doubles, 25 RBIs); Kane Osterhage (.393, nine doubles, three triples, 16 RBIs, 21 stolen bases); Brett Degener (.353, 20 RBIs); Ben Maurer (.322, 10 RBIs);

Top pitchers: Corey Vogel (5-1, 1.87 ERA); Noah Thaggard (5-3, 3.11 ERA); Aaron Laskowski (5-0, 2.22 ERA); Tyler McAlister (3-3, 3.50 ERA)

Highland Bulldogs

Record: 23-10, won two in a row

Last sectional title: 2008

State championships: one, 2008

Coach: Joel Hawkins

Head to head: lost to Waterloo 5-4 April 27; beat Waterloo 4-1 May 13

Big Bats: Andrew Winning (.452, eight doubles, 19 RBIs); Grant Geppert (.378, five doubles, 26 RBIs); Cody Bentlage (.372, four doubles, 17 RBIs, 28 stolen bases); Sam Green (.350, four doubles, 14 RBIs); Will Greenwald (.330, four doubles, four RBIs, 35 stolen bases).

Top Pitchers: Grant Geppert (8-3, 1.44 ERA); Tyler Kimmle (4-3, 3.14 ERA); Jordan Smith (3-1, 2.46 ERA).

This story was originally published June 2, 2015 at 1:31 PM with the headline "A pair of conference rivalry matchups highlight 3A and 4A baseball sectionals."