The Illinois high school baseball playoffs began this week, with play-in games on Monday, and a majority of first round games starting tomorrow, as well as on Thursday. 

 

For a full breakdown of the IHSA postseason, brackets, game times, venues, etc., click HERE. 

 

To follow along our staff’s coverage throughout the postseason and where we’ll be at as the weeks roll on, click HERE. 

 

We’ve taken the time to break down some of the regionals that fall within our coverage area of the state, which encompasses all schools below the Peoria line, and excludes everything above it.

 

While we didn’t break down every single regional, and all of the sectionals, we did touch on almost all of them inside our coverage area, providing our opinions, and giving our predictions for who we think will win in each individual regional as well. 

 

You can find all of that, and more, by reading below. 

 

4A 

Normal Community Sectional 

 

+ Belleville Regional: Four Southwestern Conference opponents will square off in this regional, with Belleville East set as the host site. (2) Belleville West and (8) Belleville East will square off in a cross-town playoff game in the opening round, with (3) O’Fallon and (6) Alton matching up on Thursday. While the Redbirds are the lower seed, they’ll be able to give the Panthers some fits, especially if they throw RHP Logan Hickman (2026; John A. Logan) and standout sophomore RHP Anderson Kaufmann (2028). Still, we’d expect the Maroons and Panthers to face off in the Regional Championship on Saturday. 

 

Predicted Winner: O’Fallon

 

+ Edwardsville Regional: The Tigers will host a regional yet again, something that’s become the norm and standard for Edwardsville. As the top seed in their half of the sub-sectional, they’ll draw (7) Granite City on Wednesday, with (4) Quincy and (5) Collinsville facing off afterwards. At this point, it would be a major upset if the Tigers didn’t win this regional. 

 

Predicted Winner: Edwardsville

 

+ Moline Regional: While most of the teams in the other side of the sub-sectional sit outside of our coverage area, No. 1 Normal Community doesn’t, and the Ironmen are our pick to not only win this regional, but to come out as sectional champs when it’s all said and done. They were the wire-to-wire top team on our ‘Large School’ rankings all spring and we fully expect them to be playing for a trip to Joliet early June. 

 

Predicted Winner: Normal Community 

 

Predicted Sectional Winner: Normal Community 

 

3A 

 

Washington Sectional 

 

+ Metamora Regional: The top seeded Redbirds are playing host to a regional once again, drawing (8) Kankakee on Wednesday in the 4:30 PM slot, with (4) Ottawa and LaSalle-Peru (5) playing after them at 7:00 PM. Metamora spent a large portion of the spring inside our top-15 large schools, but Ottawa is a tough group, and we’ll take the latter to come out as regional champs. 

 

Predicted Winner: Ottawa

 

+ Galesburg Regional: This is one of the more interesting regionals that falls inside our coverage area in class 3A. In game one, on Wednesday, (2) East Peoria will play against (7) Galesburg, who’s hosting. What the Raiders elect to do on the mound is what makes this such an intriguing case, as they could deploy RHP Ryan Duncheon (2026; Illinois State), or save him for the next round, choosing to roll out LHP Dalton Oakman (2026; Monmouth), who’s having an excellent spring. If Duncheon were not to throw, it would automatically give the Raiders an advantage in the next round, assuming they’d advance. 

 

On the other side, (3) Washington and (6) Limestone will square off in a Mid-Illini Conference playoff matchup. The Panthers took both games in the regular season rather handedly, but Limestone is capable of being tough in a pinch, especially with Gavin Klecker (2027) or Hunter Long (2027) on the mound. We’ll take the Panthers to win this game, though we’d expect it to be much closer than it was in the regular season. 

 

Predicted Winner: East Peoria 

 

+ Dunlap Regional: For being the top seed in their regional and hosting, the Eagles drew a rather tough mark. They’ll advance to the regional championship game, but they’ll have to face either (4) Morton or (5) Geneseo, neither of which will be an easy task. 

 

The Potters are playing their best ball as of late, splitting with Dunlap two weeks ago, and sweeping both conference games from Washington to end the regular season. The Maple Leafs actually beat Morton in extra innings on May 8th, and do have a handful of other quality wins on their resume. We’re going to roll with the Potters in this first round matchup, though we still expect Dunlap to end up as regional champions. 

 

Predicted Winner: Dunlap 

 

Predicted Sectional Winner: Dunlap 

 

Mt. Zion Sectional 

 

+ Chatham Regional: Hosting as the top seed, (1) Glenwood will win their opening round matchup over (8) Lanphier. The nightcap on Wednesday is a highly intriguing game, however, between (3) Mahomet-Seymour and (5) Mt. Zion. Both are teams that spent a good portion of the spring inside our ‘Large School’ rankings and are conference opponents, which will make this an excellent battle. We’d expect to see RHP Max Young (2026; SWIC) take the rubber for the Bulldogs, while RHP Connor Fox (2027) opposes for the Braves – both of them aces of their respective pitching staffs. 

 

Predicted Winner: Mahomet-Seymour 

 

+ Champaign Regional: The second seeded Maroons are hosting, and we’d expect one of the hottest teams in 3A to come away as regional champions. After starting the season on a bit of a scuffle, Champaign Central has won 12 straight games, and finished the regular season with a 29-6 record. They will face (7) Danville in the opener, playing the winner of (3) Normal West and (6) Champaign Centennial in the championship round. 

 

Predicted Winner: Champaign Central

 

+ Normal Regional: (1) Normal U-High is the top seed in their regional and will be the host. They’ll play (8) Urbana in the opening round and win, advancing to the championship round to face either (4) Rantoul and (5) Bloomington. The Pioneers were one of the team’s we were highest on all spring, spending a majority of the spring inside the top-10 of our ‘Large School’ list, and we’d expect them to come away as regional champions. 

 

Predicted Winner: Normal U-High

 

+ Lincoln Regional: Bumping up to 3A for the first time, (2) Sacred-Heart Griffin is the top seed in this sub-sectional, drawing (7) Springfield Southeast in the opening round. The Cyclones will win that game, with a matchup against (4) Lincoln or (6) Springfield awaiting. The Railsplitters are the higher seed, but the Senators have a handful of impressive wins on their resume, and they’ve played some high quality teams tough this year. They’ll also almost certainly throw staff ace Brody Scheffler (2026; Lincoln Land), who’s able to beat anyone on any given day when he’s on the mound. We’ll take the Senators in round one, but still believe the Cyclones will come away as regional champions. 

 

Predicted Winner: Sacred-Heart Griffin

 

Predicted Sectional Winner: Sacred-Heart Griffin

 

Triad Sectional 

 

+ Jerseyville Regional: Slotting in this regional are the top-seeded Knights, as (1) Triad takes on (7) Taylorville in round one. While the seeding may suggest otherwise, we’d expect the Tornadoes to make this a competitive game, though we still think Triad will come away as the winners. On the other side, (4) Jerseyville and (5) Civic Memorial are matching up in a game we predict the Eagles will win. Ultimately, however, Triad comes away as winners on their quest back to the state playoffs. 

 

Predicted Winner: Triad

 

+ Marion Regional: Hosting are the Wildcats, who are the second seed in this sub-sectional and will play (7) East St. Louis in the first round. On the other side, (3) Waterloo and (6) Carbondale are playing each other in a game we believe the Bulldogs will win, setting up a regional championship between two teams ranked on our final ‘Large School’ list. In our opinion, the edge, from a pitching perspective, lies with Waterloo, and we’ll pick the Bulldogs to come away as regional champions.

 

Predicted Winner: Waterloo 

 

+ Mascoutah Regional: Hosting as the top seed in their sub-sectional yet again are the Indians, who play (8) Cahokia in the opening round. They’ll advance to their regional championship with likely all three of their top arms available in RHP Darren Klein (2027), RHP Brandon Klein (2029), and MIF/RHP Nolan Lebert (2026; Olivet Nazarene). 

 

Waiting for them will be the winner of (4) Mt. Vernon and (5) Centralia, which could set up an interesting situation for (1) Mascoutah. Centralia won’t be an easy out, but if the Rams are able to win their round one game, they have the pitching staff to give the Indians fits in the championship. RHP Cale Maurer (2026; Kaskaskia), RHP Maxwell Nowak (2028), and whatever they can get from RHP/INF Trevor McClure (2027) are three high quality arms that can give them a chance to win when they’re on the mound. We’ll take the Rams in round one, and will still lean Mascoutah to come away as regional champions, but this could be a much more tightly contested regional than what it looks like on paper. 

 

Predicted Winner: Mascoutah

 

+ Mattoon Regional: (2) Jacksonville and (8) Mattoon are facing off in the opener on Wednesday at 4:30 PM. Mattoon has played some quality teams tough, and actually do have some quality wins, so they won’t be an easy out for the second-seeded Crimson. The nightcap on Wednesday is (3) Charleston and (6) Highland, a game in which we will take the Trojans, who were just on the outside looking in of our rankings several times this spring. We will take both Jacksonville and Charleston to win their first round games, with the latter coming away as regional champions. 

 

Predicted Winner: Charleston 

 

Predicted Sectional Winner: Triad

 

2A

 

Benton Sectional 

 

+ Harrisburg Regional: The Bulldogs are the top seed in their sub-sectional and will host regionals. As the No. 1, they’ll draw (9) Eldorado in round one, and will play the winner of (4) Johnston City and (5) West Frankfort in round two. We’ll predict West Frankfort to win that game, but we do have Harrisburg coming away as regional champions. 

 

Predicted Winner: Harrisburg

 

+ DuQuoin Regional: Checking as the No. 2 in this sub-sectional are the Indians, who will play host to three quality teams. They’ll take on a tough (7) Herrin club and, if they win, will advance to take on the winner of (3) Pinckneyville and (6) Chester. It likely won’t be the easiest path to navigate, but DuQuoin has the most complete roster of this group, and they also have a true staff ace in RHP Cy Craft (2027). 

 

Predicted Winner: DuQuoin 

 

+ Carterville Regional: Carterville’s had an excellent season, one that’s rewarded them as the top seed in their sub-sectional and the right to host a regional, too. As the top seed, they’ll draw (9) Murphysboro in round one, which we’d project the Lions would win. On the other side, (4) Red Bud and (5) Metropolis square off against each other. The Musketeers will have Landon Ruebusch (2026) on the mound, who has a 1.29 ERA over 38 innings of work, but the Patriots will counter with Zach Maurer (2026) and his 2.64 ERA in 63 ⅔ innings, punching out 72. In our eyes, Carterville and Metropolis to square off in the championship game, with the Lions taking home the ever so coveted plaque. 

 

Predicted Winner: Carterville

 

+ Mt. Carmel Regional: Our staff hasn’t seen, in person, the four teams that are playing in this regional. (2) Fairfield and (10) Carmi White are playing in round one, while (3) Mt. Carmel and (6) Benton draw each other in round two. Historically, Mt. Carmel has been the most successful team of this bunch, so we’ll take the Aces to emerge as regional champs. 

 

Predicted Winner: Mt. Carmel 

 

Predicted Sectional Winner: Carterville 

 

Greenville Sectional 

 

+ Vandalia Regional: This regional is going to set up for an epic championship matchup between (1) Teutopolis and (4) St. Anthony, as we’d expect those two to win both of their first round matchups. Those two programs are incredibly similar – they’re deep on the mound and have no shortage of success from a winning standpoint. It’s a tough pick, and it’ll almost certainly be an excellent matchup, but we’re going to ride with Teutopolis to come away as regional champions. 

 

Predicted Winner: Teutopolis 

 

+ Glen Carbon Regional: Bumping up to 2A for the first time, (2) Father McGivney will serve as the host in this regional. In round one, the Griffins will take on (7) Breese Mater Dei, who they split with in the regular season. We’d predict Father McGivney to advance, where they’ll face the winner of (4) Breese Central and (6) Greenville. In our opinion, the Cougars will have the pitching advantage in that game, and they’re actually our pick to take home the regional crown. 

 

Predicted Winner: Breese Central 

 

+ Nashville Regional: This may be the toughest regional across the board in 2A, featuring three teams that we were plenty high on this past season. The No. 1 seed is Freeburg and will draw (8) Wesclin, who they will defeat in round one. On the other side (3) Nashville and (5) Columbia are facing off in a monumental clash between two excellent teams in southern Illinois. We’re going to side with the Eagles in that one, setting up a regional matchup between two conference foes in Freeburg and Columbia. Our staff has been especially high on Freeburg all spring, and we believe the Midgets will take home the regional plaque. 

 

Predicted Winner: Freeburg

 

+ Effingham Regional: Another tough draw in 2A features a handful of quality programs in this regional. (2) Newton and (7) Robinson are matching up in round one, with the latter actually beating the former earlier in the season. With that being said, we’ll take Newton to win that game, earning them a spot in the regional championship against either (3) Effingham and (5) Richland County. Our staff is picking the Hearts in that game, and we actually believe Effingham is going to come away as regional champions this year. 

 

Predicted Winner: Effingham 

 

Predicted Sectional Winner: Freeburg 

 

Monticello Sectional 

 

+ Bismark Regional: While they’re not hosting, the No. 1 wire to wire team in our ‘Small School’ rankings is in this regional with St. Joseph-Ogden. They’re the clear favorite to come away from this regional and it would be a massive upset if the Spartans weren’t hoisting a championship plaque on Saturday afternoon. 

 

Predicted Winner: St. Joseph-Ogden

 

+ Pana Regional: Our staff hasn’t seen any of the four teams in this regional in person this spring. (2) Tri-Valley will play (7) Bloomington Central Catholic on Wednesday afternoon, with (3) Warrensburg-Latham and (5) Pana matching up on Thursday. The Vikings have played some of the tougher teams in central Illinois close, so we’ll pick them as the team to come away as regional champs. 

 

Predicted Winner: Tri-Valley

 

+ Clinton Regional: In this regional, (1) Maroa-Forsyth will take on (8) Olympia on Wednesday, while (4) Clinton and (6) Shelbyville square off on Thursday. The Trojans have the most experience, and program pedigree, of these four clubs, so they’re our pick to come out as regional champions. 

 

Predicted Winner: Maroa-Forsyth 

 

+ Monticello Regional: This is another highly contested regional, with two of the top teams in our ‘Small School’ rankings on a collision course to matchup in the championship game. (2) Tolono Unity and (3) Monticello would make for an excellent bout, assuming they both advance, which we believe they will. The Sages took the Rockets down in the regular season, but on a broader scale, Tolono Unity’s resume is more impressive, and we like what their club offers on the mound just a touch more. Nonetheless, these are two excellent teams, and it’s a shame that only one of them will advance in the postseason after this weekend. 

 

Predicted Winner: Tolono Unity 

 

Predicted Sectional Winner: St. Joseph-Ogden

 

Pleasant Plains Sectional 

 

+ Litchfield Regional: This is a strong group of teams competing for this particular regional plaque. (1) Roxana and (8) Carlinville are playing each other on Wednesday at 4:00 PM, followed by host (3) Litchfield and (5) North Mac in the night game. Roxana spent almost the entirety of the regular season inside our ‘Small School’ rankings, and we like the Shells to come away as regional champions this year. 

 

Predicted Winner: Roxana

 

+ Williamsville Regional: (2) Petersburg is taking on (10) Beardstown in an afternoon matchup on Wednesday, with (3) Williamsville and (6) Pittsfield matching up on Thursday.

 

Predicted Winner: Williamsville 

 

+ Pleasant Plains Regional: Hosting up in Pleasant Plains are the Cardinals, who are the top seed in this regional and will take on (8) Auburn on Wednesday afternoon. Following them is a matchup between (4) Rochester and (5) New Berlin, who will almost certainly throw RHP Reid Hepperly (2026; Lincoln Land). The Rockets are likely to counter with RHP Ajay Runkel (2026; Illinois-Springfield), setting up for what’s certainly going to be a tight, competitive contest. We’ll take Rochester to win round one, but we believe Pleasant Plains will come away from this regional as champions. 

 

Predicted Winner: Pleasant Plains 

 

+ Gillespie Regional: The final regional that falls within our coverage map will be hosted by (2) Gillespie, as the host Miners are taking on (7) Piasa in the opening round. On Thursday, (4) Staunton draws (6) Alton Marquette in the other round one matchup. We think it’ll be Gillespie and Staunton playing for a regional championship, with our lean being the Bulldogs coming away with the plaque. 

 

Predicted Winner: Staunton 

 

1A – Teams To Know

 

+ Tremont: The Turks spent all season in our ‘Small School’ rankings, climbing as high as No. 5 in our most recent, and final, update. We believe they’re the No. 1 team in the entire 1A landscape and are the favorites to win the championship. RHP Chase Rhodes (2026; John A. Logan), RHP/CIF Andrew Dawson (2026; Valparaiso), and MIF Griffin Meeker (2026; Heartland) are the core group of a team that’s been absolutely dominant throughout the spring. 

 

+ North Clay: Aside from Tremont, the Cardinals are the only other 1A team that ended the season inside our ‘Small School’ rankings. They’ve been nothing short of exceptional from start to finish and have a group capable of making it back to state, if not winning it like they did in 2022. 

 

+ Goreville: Perennially the top 1A team in southern Illinois, the Black Cats have a deep, strong group that has a chance to lead them back to the state playoffs. We nearly had them inside our rankings a few times this spring, which speaks volumes, considering the amount of 1A clubs that cracked our top-15 board is very limited. 

 

+ Mt. Pulaski: Two years in a row now where Mt. Pulaski has an excellent regular season and heads into the playoffs as a high seed, this time earning the No. 1 mark in their particular sub-sectional. 

 

+ Armstrong: The top seed in their sub-sectional, and hosting, Armstrong has one of the top arms in the entire state with RHP Traxton Roberts (2027; Kentucky), who also provides plenty of production at the plate for their crew. They will have a high chance to win every single time he touches the rubber, something that definitely bodes well in the postseason. 

 

+ Routt Catholic: Once again the top seed in their sub-sectional, the Rockets are again a contender in the 1A landscape. LHP Brady Turner (2026; Quincy), OF Bryson Mossman (2026), C Talon Thompson (2026) lead a group ready to make a deep playoff run. 

 

+ Gibault Catholic: Their record isn’t the prettiest, but the Hawks played an incredibly difficult schedule, and they’ve earned the right to be the top seed in their particular sectional. They spent a few weeks on our ‘Small School’ rankings and it’s our belief that they’ll be playing deep into the postseason. 

 

+ Pawnee: Looking to make a run back to the state playoffs, Pawnee is the top seed in their sub-sectional this go around. They have a highly intriguing sophomore arm in RHP Gavin Greer (2028) who’s having a strong spring and will be a name to know moving forward.