Prairieview-Ogden registered the highest IESA state finish in baseball in school history on Monday (Oct. 4).

The Mustangs finished as the Class 1A state runners-up, dropping a 6-3 title-game decision to once-beaten Lexington in the finals. The game was delayed by 48 hours due to rain on Saturday at the East Side Centre, in East Peoria.

PVO scored all of its runs in the third inning and carried a 3-1 lead into the fourth inning. Lexington (23-1) went ahead to stay with a three-run fifth inning.

The PVO offense combined for seven hits, including two apiece from Graham Ray and Kodey McKinney. Ray, McKinney and Parker Fitch scored the Mustangs’ runs.

Hayes and Dalton York shared the pitching duties. Hayes worked 5 1/3 innings, giving up five hits while striking out six batters.

In 1 2/3 innings, York recorded three strikeouts.

In school history, four PVO teams have played for IESA state championships and wound up in second place. Sharing recognition as the highest state placers in school history with the 2021 baseball team are the 2020 boys’ basketball team, the 2015 girls’ volleyball team and the 2009 boys’ basketball team.

“Very proud of the team for all they accomplished this year,” said PVO coach Greg Immke, whose 20-4 squad established a school mark for single-season wins.

“We fell one game short of what our goal was that we set the first day of practice.”

PVO had 21 athletes playing baseball this year. The five eighth-graders were: Coy Hayes, Parker Fitch, Vance McComas, Kodey McKinney and Graham Ray.

“We’ve had some strong hitting all season and it was a close game (4-3 score in the title game until the seventh inning),” Immke said. “I feel terrible for the kids, the community and the school.

“As a coach, will learn from this run at the state tournament and try to improve moving forward.”

Two PVO players had hits in all three tournament games: Fitch and Lane McKinney.

Hayes was the catalyst in an 8-2 semifinal triumph over Mount Pulaski on Saturday (Oct. 2). Mount Pulaski finished its season with an 18-3 record and a fourth-place finish.

Hayes slugged a pair of three-run home runs. His first blast helped PVO build a 3-2 lead in the third inning against Mount Pulaski. His second shot was part of a five-run sixth inning, which concluded the game’s scoring.

Winning pitcher Lane McKinney hurled a complete game, striking out nine and permitting four hits.

Kodey McKinney joined Hayes with two hits in the game. One of his hits was a double.

On Friday (Oct. 1), Prairieview Ogden broke a 5-5 tie with a two-run sixth inning and clinched an IESA semifinal berth in baseball for the first time in school history.

In the Class 1A quarterfinals, PVO edged Effingham Sacred Heart, 7-5.

Fitch and McComas each laced two hits against Sacred Heart. One of Fitch’s hits was a home run.

Other teammates to register hits in their state debuts were York, Lane McKinney and Kaden Wedig.

PVO outhit its opponent, 7-5, for its fifth consecutive victory.

Fitch pitched the first 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven and yielding four hits. Hayes finished on the mound and earned the win, allowing one hit in his stint.

Effingham Sacred Heart ended its season with a 14-4 record.

For the season, PVO registered five shutouts, four by Fitch and one by Hayes.

Other squad members with pitching wins this season were Jemesen Ehler, Lane McKinney, Ray and York.

Ten of the PVO wins this season were by margins of at least 10 runs.

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Parker Fitch was the winning pitcher in both games as top-seeded Prairieview Ogden defeated two foes to win an IESA Class 1A baseball regional.

Fitch and Coy Hayes combined to throw a perfect game on Saturday (Sept. 18) in a semifinal game at home, a 16-0 three-inning win over Next Generation.

Fitch struck out five of the six batters he faced in two innings. It was his fourth consecutive start without allowing a run. Hayes fanned the side in the final inning.

Kodey McKinney and Vance McComas each swatted three hits. McComas scored three runs and McKinney ripped two triples.

Fitch, Dalton York, Lane McKinney and Royce Loschen all finished with two hits.

PVO took control with a seven-run first inning.

McComas, York, Lane McKinney and Graham Ray wound up driving in two runs apiece.

On Monday (Sept. 21), Fitch pitched 5 2/3 innings in a 4-1 regional championship-game victory over Schlarman Academy.

He scattered three hits and struck out 12.

Hayes worked the last 1 1/3 innings and didn’t permit a hit.

Kodey McKinney produced two of the Mustangs’ six hits. Hayes stole two bases and tallied two runs.

The Mustangs scored the runs they needed during a three-run fifth inning.

PVO (16-3) returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 25) in a sectional championship game against Gifford (14-4) at Champaign St. Matthew.

PVO has won 12 of its last 13 games, one of which was a shutout over Gifford.

The Saturday winner secures a berth in the state tournament, which starts on Oct. 1 in Peoria.

The post PVO baseball takes Regional Championship first appeared on SJO Daily.

In baseball wins over Armstrong-Potomac (Thursday, Aug. 19), over Rossville (Monday, Aug. 23), and over Schlarman (Tuesday, Aug. 24) the Prairieview Ogden Junior High Mustangs had their fourth, fifth and sixth different players pick up pitching wins.

Jemesen Ehler pitched 4 1/3 innings in an 11-1 victory over Armstrong. He allowed three hits and struck out seven.

In a 24-2 triumph over Rossville, Graham Ray yielded four hits in three innings. He fanned four.

Coy Hayes, who hammered two home runs and drove in four runs, threw the final inning against Rossville.

And, in a 10-1 triumph over a one-loss Schlarman Academy squad, Parker Fitch worked 6 1/3 innings, yielding five hits while striking out 12. Lane McKinney closed out the win on the mound after Fitch reached his IESA-imposed pitch limit.

Against Rossville, Hayes, Fitch and Kodey McKinney had three hits each. Fitch laced two triples to go with a single. He had four RBI. Lane McKinney and Kaden Wedig collected two hits apiece.

Against Armstrong, Fitch and Lane McKinney totaled three hits. Wyatt McKinney had two hits. Fitch’s hits included a double and a triple. Kodey McKinney drove in three runs. Garrett Loschen scored three runs.

Against Schlarman, PVO took command with a four-run fourth inning, which featured a two-run double by Ray and solo RBIs from Vance McComas and Lane McKinney.

For the game, Ray and Lane McKinney each had two hits and knocked in three runs. Both players ripped one extra-base hit. Fitch’s lone hit in the game was a triple.

Other Mustangs with pitching wins besides Ehler, Ray and Fitch are Hayes, Dalton York and Lane McKinney.

PVO is 6-2 and returns to action on Thursday (Aug. 26) at Westville.

“This is by far the deepest team I’ve ever had,” coach Greg Immke said. “There are 45 kids in the junior high and I have 21 out for baseball.

“Many of the kids not starting this year would be starters on other years’ teams. It’s a great group of kids who have bought in and work hard.”

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