Effingham used a combination that is virtually impossible to beat – hitting up and down the lineup, a flawless defensive effort and strong pitching. The Hearts banged out 11 hits, did not commit a single error and got a shutout performance from Josh McDevitt.

“This is awesome. It’s really hard to put it into words right now,” EHS coach Curran McNeely said after the game. “I keep going back to the kids and how hard they’ve worked. They never gave up on themselves.”

Not even after dropping four of the final six regular season games.

“We knew we could turn it around,” said senior Quest Hull. “We finally started hitting, playing better defense and pitching really well. Everything has come together.”

The Hearts wasted no time breaking on top. In the bottom of the first, Jack Harper ripped the first pitch he saw into right-centerfield for a base hit. When the outfielder misplayed the ball, Harper raced all the way to third base. Four pitches later, he scooted home on a ground ball off the bat of Kaden Koeberlein.

“As the leadoff batter, I try to be the sparkplug,” Harper said. “I’m looking for that first pitch. You just know it’s going to be a strike. Anytime you get a hit to start the game, it provides energy for the team. The guys feed off that.”

Effingham increased its lead to 2-0 in the second. With two outs, Evan Waymoth blooped a single down the rightfield line. Spencer Fox then lined a base hit and Kaden Nichols grounded a single between first and second. The throw home actually beat Waymoth, but he avoided the tag.

“An early lead just boosts the confidence of everyone,” McNeely noted. “The guys get more aggressive and continue to attack. They’ve also been patient at the plate and got themselves into fastball counts. And it’s paid off. We’ve really hit the ball hard the last couple weeks.”

That was all the runs McDevitt needed. The senior righthander allowed one hit in all seven innings, but only two of those runners advanced past first base.

“I was definitely sharper than I was last week,” McDevitt admitted. “I threw a lot more changeups tonight. It was actually my best pitch. They (Champaign Central) are aggressive hitters, so I knew I had to mix it up and throw all my pitches.

“And I knew I didn’t have to strike everybody out,” McDevitt added. “I pitched to contact and let my defense back me up. Our defense tonight was awesome.”

“He definitely pitched to contact tonight,” McNeely said. “According to our scouting report, we knew they were super aggressive, especially early in counts. They are a fastball hitting team. So, Josh mixed up his pitches and our defense was awesome behind him. We played a pretty clean game.”

McDevitt finished with a seven-hit shutout. He walked two and struck out six, while throwing just 85 pitches.

“Command comes before everything,” he explained. “That’s been my big emphasis this year. It allows me to keep my pitch count low and finish more games.”

The Hearts capped the scoring with a two-run fourth. Fox singled to left with one out, went to second on a bunt and scored when Harper grounded a base hit up the middle. Harper then stole second, went to third on an errant pickoff throw and scored on an RBI single by Camden Raddatz.

Raddatz went 3-for-4 to lead the 11-hit attack. Harper and Fox both added a pair of hits, while Koeberlein, Myles Maxedon, Waymoth and Nichols also got into the hit column.

Now it’s on to the state tournament.

“I’m speechless,” Hull said. “It’s exciting to be part of the team that got us back to state. We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now, which is good. You have to have confidence if you’re going to win. Going to state is great. We all believed we could do this.”

“It’s a great feeling to still be playing,” Harper added. “I definitely think we’re a team to watch out for at state.”

Effingham and Grayslake Central will be joined in the Final Four by LaGrange Park (Nazareth Academy) and Sycamore, who won the super sectionals at Schaumburg and Geneseo respectively. Those two teams will play the second game Friday.

The third place and championship games are scheduled for Saturday morning.

“To do something that hasn’t been done since 1942, it’s an incredible feeling,” McDevitt said. “We’ve been up and down this season, but we just kept working hard. It’s great to play with a group of guys that just kept fighting and never gave up. It’s an amazing feeling.”

“I’m just happy and excited for the kids,” McNeely added. “It’s quite an accomplishment to play in the state tournament.”