Josh Holst’s complete game gem leads Libertyville to the Class 4A state title

Two generations of Libertyville baseball players came very close to winning state championships. The Wildcats lost one-run title games in 2013 and 1976. The current team knows those years by heart. They know the story of the games and even some of the players.

“My trainer was on the 2013 team,” Libertyville senior Cole Lockwood said. “Libertyville baseball is still close to the hearts of so many older guys. It will really mean something to a lot of people when we come home with this.”

Senior lefty Josh Holst, an Air Force recruit, was spectacular in the Class 4A championship on Saturday in Joliet. He threw all seven innings and allowed one run and two hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.

Libertyville beat McHenry 4-1 to win the school’s first baseball state title.

“This whole team gave everything that had all year,” Wildcats coach Matt Thompson said. “Every single one of them was ready. Every single one was committed and playing for each other. That was great to see.”

The team grew up playing together through youth baseball and entered this season focused on finally bringing a state title to Libertyville.

“We’ve been playing together our whole lives,” Lockwood said. “This has been four years in the making for me and all the guys. It is such an amazing moment to get what you have been craving for four years.”

Throughout the weekend of games, starting pitchers struggled early. Pressure, nerves, and the large stadium make that first inning difficult. Holst tore through the top of McHenry’s talented lineup with a 1-2-3 inning. The Warriors (35-5) didn’t manage a hit until the fourth inning.

“Tonight both of my off-speed pitches were the best they’ve been all season,” Holst said. “I knew they were a great team and they have some really, really good hitters at the top of the order. So if I was able to keep them off balance I knew we were going to win.”

Lockwood tripled to lead off the game for Libertyville (36-4). Holst knocked him in with grounder to second to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead and they never trailed.

Holst had a hit, a walk and three RBI. Carson Holmes added two hits for Libertyville.

“[Holst] is unbelievable,” Lockwood said. “I could not say enough good stuff about him. He has the mindset that he’s better than you. And he was today, it showed.”

McHenry is a talented but very young team. Freshman center fielder Carver Cohn and sophomore third baseman Kaden Wasniewski are top 20 players in the country in their classes. Sophomore Landon Clements, the second baseman, hits second.

The Warriors cut Libertyville’s lead to 2-1 on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Maness in the fourth inning. But they only managed two baserunners the rest of the way.

“We started 16-0, in stride right from the get-go,” Thompson said. “We lost a couple in the middle and then got going again. We had some close games in the playoffs but we knew we were in good shape to win it all.”

Holst struck out the final batter of the game, threw his glove in the air and soaked in the celebration.

“Ending on a strike swinging—I wouldn’t want it anyway else,” Holst said. “And I wouldn’t want to play this game with anyone else but my guys.”