EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Edwardsville Tigers baseball program will be seeking its third straight state title this weekend at Duly Health & Care Field in Joliet.
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They will take on Providence Catholic of New Lenox at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 7 in the first Class 4A state semifinal.
Here’s what to know about Edwardsville semifinal opponents:
Providence Catholic
The Tigers know that a state championship three-peat is possible because the Celtics have done it.
They won three straight titles from 2014-2016 under longtime head coach Mark Smith. This is Smith’s 17th season at the helm with a career record of 441-211.
It will be the fifth time his team has made the state tournament. Providence Catholic took second in 2011.
The Celtics also won state titles in 1978 and 1982 under head coach Jaime Garcia, who has been the pitching coach for the MLB’s Detroit Tigers since 2013. Garcia set a program record with a 42-16 season in 1982.
The Celtics come into this season’s state tournament with a record of 31-8 after beating Chicago Mt. Carmel 3-2 in their super-sectional.
Providence Catholic won that game on Jackson Smith’s RBI single in the bottom of the eighth.
They enter the game as the top-ranked team in Chicago according to Max Preps, the second best in Class 4A, only behind the Tigers.
A special thanks to our sponsors Gori Law Firm, Edison’s Entertainment Complex, and Play It Again Sports for supporting Riverbender.com’s coverage of Edwardsville Tigers baseball.
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