The Pleasantville baseball team, the top seed in the Class 2A State Baseball Tournament, is set to meet the eighth‑seeded Ridge View Raptors in the quarterfinals. With a 32‑1 record, the team enters the matchup fresh off a 15‑0 substate final win that showcased a potent offense and a stingy pitching staff.
A Season of Dominance
Pleasantville’s offense averages 10.8 runs per game while maintaining a team batting average of .395. Leading the charge, JJ Phillips is batting .505 with 49 hits, 64 RBI and 10 home runs, while Brayden Kennedy is hot at .506 with 45 hits, 42 RBI and three homers. The pitching staff boasts a collective ERA of 0.89 and limits opponents to a .127 batting average.
Kennedy also serves as the team’s ace, posting a 9‑1 record and a 0.74 ERA. The combination of power hitting and near‑perfect pitching has left opponents scrambling to keep up with a lineup that consistently delivers multi‑run innings.
Ridge View’s Challenge
Ridge View arrives with a 22‑4 record and a .360 team batting average. The Raptors are paced by senior hitters Blake Myrtue, who is batting .482 with 38 hits and 26 RBI, and Owen Worthan, who sits at .435 with 30 hits and 34 RBI. Their pitching staff posts a 3.24 ERA, providing a respectable but less dominant arm compared to Pleasantville’s unit.
The Raptors secured their spot by defeating Grundy Center in the substate final, and they will look to lean on the experience of players like Eric Myrtue, Aiden Myrture and Eli Franken to close the gap.
The championship‑bound clash will take place at Merchants Park in Carroll, a venue that has hosted many of the state’s most memorable high school baseball moments. Fans can tune in live on 95.3 KNIA to catch every pitch and swing.
The two programs have not met since 2015, adding a layer of historic intrigue to a game that pits an unbeaten favorite against a resilient underdog. With both squads boasting standout talent and deep rosters, the quarterfinal promises to be a showcase of high‑level high school baseball.