The St. Elizabeth Hornets seem to find a different gear when it gets to the baseball postseason.
“The boys buckled down when it got time to get back to the Final Four,” St. Elizabeth coach Caleb Heckemeyer said as the third-ranked Hornets prepare to take on the unranked Platte Valley Longhorns in the Class 1 semifinals Monday night at U.S. Ballpark in Ozark. Game time is 7 p.m.
St. Elizabeth has outscored its opponents 44-1 in their four postseason games. Those dominant efforts may be a product of the regular-season schedule.
At 16-6, the third-ranked Hornets may not have the gaudiest record heading into the semifinals. But the schedule -- which included games against Willard, Battle and Camdenton -- was set up to test the team, not rack up victories.
“We like playing tougher teams to help get us ready,” Heckemeyer said. “To see good pitching and good hitting lineups prepares us for situations like the postseason.”
St. Elizabeth advanced to the Final Four with a 14-0 quarterfinal win in five innings Wednesday night against Billings.
St. Elizabeth starter Brock Lucas gave up a hit in the first inning, but none after that.
“He was on command from the get-go,” Heckemeyer said. “There was nobody that was going to find a hole because he wasn’t going to leave a pitch over the plate again.”
Lucas has posted a 5-2 record in 10 games, including nine starts, this season. In 50 innings, the Missouri signee has allowed 12 earned runs on 34 hits and 15 walks while recording an ERA of 1.68. Lucas has recorded 93 strikeouts and is allowing less than one baserunner to reach per inning.
Lucas may not get the start on the mound today as Heckemeyer is leaning toward junior Caleb Oligschlaeger.
Oligschlaeger is 7-1 in 10 games, including nine starts. He has given up 16 earned runs on 26 hits and 18 walks with an ERA of 2.45. Oligschlaeger has totaled 69 strikeouts and is allowing exactly one baserunner per inning.
“It’s unbelievable to have those two,” Heckemeyer said. “They both consistently are in the upper 80s, sometimes reaching 90.”
Jace Kesel is the Hornets catcher on the receiving end of those pitches.
“Brock and Caleb know what they want to throw, but Jace gives them his ideas as well,” Heckemeyer said. “I know it’s hard catching guys who throw that hard, he’s got his work cut out for him. But he works so hard behind the plate.”
St. Elizabeth is averaging 8.4 runs per game.
Lucas leads the Hornets with a .582 average, totaling 39 hits in 67 at-bats. He has 11 doubles, four triples and two home runs, while scoring 31 times and driving in 32.
He has walked 13 times, striking out just seven.
Oligschlaeger is hitting .420 this season, with 29 hits in 69 at-bats. He has nine doubles, one triple and one home run to go along with 19 RBI and 31 runs scored.
He has drawn 19 walks, while striking out 13 times.
Isaac Green has a .500 on-base percentage this season for the Hornets. In 69 at-bats, he has 29 hits -- including six doubles and a triple -- for a .391 average while scoring 30 runs and driving in 19. He has drawn 12 walks, while striking out 15 times.
Kesel is the cleanup hitter for St. Elizabeth. He leads the team with three home runs and 33 RBI, compiling a .391 batting average. He has walked eight times, with nine strikeouts.
Those are the top four hitters in the lineup. But Heckemeyer knows it will take the bottom of the lineup producing to possibly win a title.
“They can keep innings going for us,” he said. “If we’re going to win a state title, we’re going to need 1 through 9 to all step it up.”
St. Elizabeth has scored eight or more runs in 10 of its last 12 games.
Platte Valley, a co-op between South Nodaway with Jefferson: Conception Junction, is 18-2 on the season.
Memphis Biley, a junior right-hander, figures to get the start Monday night. Biley is 8-0 this season with a 0.27 ERA in 51 innings. He has walked just eight while striking out 108. He threw nine innings of no-hit ball in the district title game.
“He’s going to throw in the low 80s,” Heckemeyer said. “He locates it well with a decent curve and a slider. We’re going to have to be ready for his fastball when he throws it.”
Biley, who also plays shortstop, leads the team with a .603 average (35 hits in 58 at-bats). He has two home runs and 26 RBI. Also among the top Longhorn hitters are Wyatt Miller (.417 avg., 20 RBI), Alex Mattson (.382, 11 RBI) and Matthew Jermain (.377, 16 RBI).
Platte Valley is hitting .389 as a team, walking 61 times while totaling 87 strikeouts.
“They’ve got a lot of pesky hitters that are going to be tough to get out,” Heckemeyer said. “They’re very disciplined at the plate.”
St. Elizabeth played in last year’s Final Four at Ozark and got another look at it last Wednesday when the quarterfinal game was moved there due to wet field conditions in Billings.
One positive is the quarterfinal had the same start time as tonight’s game.
“It’s good to see what the sky is going to be like for fly balls,” Heckemeyer said. “Last year, we were in the mid-day when we played.”
The third-place and championship games are scheduled for Tuesday.
Notes: Oran (19-3), co-No. 1 in the final regular season rankings, and No. 9 Northeast: Cairo (14-5) will meet in Monday’s first semifinal at 4 p.m. Oran defeated St. Elizabeth 3-0 in the championship game last season and 4-1 in the title game in 2018. “I feel like I owe them one,” Heckemeyer said. … Platte Valley opened the season with six straight wins before falling 6-5 to Lone Jack. The Longhorns then rattled off nine consecutive victories before falling 3-1 at Mid-Buchanan to end the regular season. … It’s the second straight district title for Platte Valley, who fell in the sectional round last year. … St. Elizabeth is making its fifth straight Final Four appearance and 10th overall. The Hornets have won three titles, finished second twice, third once and fourth three times.