CRYSTAL LAKE – Crystal Lake Central High School first baseman/pitcher Tommy Cone was late to his own graduation party, even though he had the best excuse for being late.
Cone, along with his teammates and coaches, were celebrating in a different way at Central Fieldhouse as the Tigers came together with fans on Sunday to celebrate the first baseball state championship in school history.
The Tigers won the Class 3A baseball state championship on Saturday, defeating Lemont, 3-2, at Dury Health and Care Field in Joliet. The team was honored at noon Sunday as fans cheered and took photos of the monumental accomplishment.
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Central fans were just celebrating the girls soccer team’s Class 2A state championship this past weekend.
“My father [Chuck] “I’m over there,” Cohn said as he stood at the microphone. “My mom’s getting ready for my graduation party, which started 30 minutes ago.”
The Tigers’ magical run at state was unexpected. They were 9-14 when they beat Prairie Ridge, 3-2, in a walk-off on May 6 to start a 13-game winning streak.
Central’s players believed they had what it took, but it was still a surprise. Center Drew Welder had planned his senior trip to Arizona with 15 other seniors, and he left Saturday night, just a few days after the Tigers’ win.
Central High School Principal Eric Ahn, Athletic Director Dave Shutters, Tigers coach Cal Aldridge and five senior players spoke at the banquet. Welder sent a video he filmed at 3 a.m. Sunday after arriving in Arizona with friends.
Aldridge, 27, called his team “the craziest bunch of guys I’ve ever met.”
“Around April 22, we were about 7-14 and didn’t know what was going to happen,” Aldridge said. “I sent a message to the seniors, underclassmen and coaching staff asking what I thought our legacy was for the Crystal Lake Central baseball team. Where do we go from here? Where can we get to?
“The feedback I got was great. From that moment on, we just soared. We were tenacious, we were tough, we never gave up, we just enjoyed playing the game.”
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The Tigers finished tied for fifth in the Fox Valley Conference with a 9-9 record and were ranked 10th at the Grayslake Central Sectional, but none of that mattered to the Tigers as they hoisted the state’s best trophy on Saturday.
Aldridge shared a funny incident that occurred when his son, Cal Jr., was born in late March. When outfielder Carter Kelly asked if he could hold the coach’s baby, Aldridge replied, “If we win a state title.”
There was also a photo Saturday of Kelly holding Cal Jr., who was wearing his father’s state medal.
Shortstop Jaeden Obaldo said the Tigers never lost faith in their possibilities.
“At the beginning of the season, we had the intention of going all the way to Joliet,” he said. “We had some rough times in the middle of the season, but we never gave up on that idea of going all the way to Joliet.”
“Tenacity” is a word Aldridge likes to use to describe his team, and Cone and right fielder/pitcher Connor Gibeau embodied that.
Gibourg dislocated his left shoulder during Friday’s 5-2 win over Morris but returned to the lineup as a DH on Saturday, hitting three bases from the No. 4 spot.
Cone, who had not pitched since May 11 because of a sore shoulder, returned in time to serve as the closer when Gibour was injured. Cone recorded saves in both the semifinals and the championship game, his first start in nearly a month.
Aldridge will be making the trip with his father, Jeff, who retired as Central’s AD in December and coached the Tigers from 2000 to 2008. Jeff’s father, Gary Aldridge, coached at Central since 1999.
Welder, Cone, Obaldo, Shawn Kemp and Joey Marco often refer to Cal and Jeff Aldridge as “Little Aldridge” and “Big Aldridge.” Jeff was the force to be reckoned with on his son’s team, and he was a force to be reckoned with.
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“Big Aldridge knows how to get us going,” Cone said. “He knows what to say and when to say it.”
Arn, who is retiring in two weeks, was excited when Cal Aldridge applied for the baseball coaching job last year. Aldridge led Prairie Ridge to a fourth-place finish in Class 4A in 2014 and was an NCAA Division III All-American at Wisconsin-Whitewater.
“When I hired him, I knew he was a winner who would bring a winning culture,” Arne said, “but I didn’t expect him to bring a state title in his first year as head coach.”
