The Illinois High School Association has announced that the 2026 baseball state finals will unfold over two days, June 12 and 13, at venues in Champaign and Joliet. The event will showcase the top sixteen high school teams from across the state, each vying for a championship in their respective classification.
Classification Breakdown
Teams are divided into four classes — 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A — reflecting school enrollment sizes. Each class will crown its own champion, with the finals scheduled for the afternoon of June 13 after a full slate of semifinals the day before.
Semifinal Matchups
Class 1A semifinals pit Tremont against Jacksonville Routt and Granville Putnam County against Louisville North Clay. In Class 2A, Elgin Harvest-Westminster meets Freeburg, while Ottawa Marquette faces St. Joseph S.J.-Ogden. Class 3A features a clash between Chicago St. Rita and East Peoria, as well as Crystal Lake South versus Troy Triad. The 4A bracket includes Naperville Central versus Park Ridge Maine South and a showdown between Libertyville and Chicago Mt. Carmel.
All games, from the early semifinals through the championship finals, will be broadcast live on the NFHS Network, allowing fans across the country to follow the action in real time. The network will carry every matchup, including third‑place games and the final title contests.
Longtime high school sports journalist Corey Sheldon has been covering Illinois athletics since 1998, and his reporting will provide additional insight into the tournament’s storylines and player profiles.