South Suburban snaps two-year drought with Region 4 championship
SOUTH HOLLAND, ILL. - South Suburban College ended a two-year hiatus atop the region as they claimed the 2026 Region 4 Division I Baseball Tournament championship for the first time since ending a three-peat in 2023. The top-seeded Bulldogs put up historic offensive numbers, culminating in a 22-6 victory over #3-seed Olive-Harvey College in the title game for the program's 16th Region 4 banner overall. Steve Ruzich was named Region 4 Coach of the Year for the 15th time. (Recap: South Suburban)
The postseason began with a resounding 17-6 victory in eighth innings over #4 Triton College in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs racked up 19 hits, including a home run by Jamie Mercer in the win, with starting pitcher Lachlan Litman fanning seven batters over six innings.
The semifinals was a rematch of last year's title game and featured a back-and-forth tussle with #2 McHenry County College. The Bulldogs raced out to a 7-1 lead before MCC used a five-run fourth inning to rally and eventually even the score at 9-9 in the fifth. South Suburban wasn't done scoring, posting two runs in the bottom half before four more runs in the sixth to take a 15-9 lead into the seventh. The Scots added a run in each of the final three innings, with SSC also plating two in the eighth before taking the 17-12 win. Seven players posted multiple hits and four left the yard, led by Benjamin Geary's 3 for 6 effort at the plate with two home runs, four runs batted in, and three runs scored. Matthew Gaspar and Ashton Janowski combined for the win on the mound.
In the championship with Olive-Harvey College on May 8, South Suburban College posted ten runs in both the second and third innings as they scored a run-ruled victory in five innings with a 16-run advantage. Angelo Barton paced the offense with three hits, six RBI, and two runs scored. He was one of four batters to hit a home run.
2026 Region 4 Division I Coach of the Year
Steve Ruzich - South Suburban College
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BELLEVILLE, ILL. - The Region 4 title secured a spot in the NJCAA Midwest District Tournament, hosted by Southwestern Illinois College on May 13-14. The Bulldogs drew Wabash Valley College in the semifinals, but was unable to overcome an early 9-0 deficit as they lost 17-5 in six innings. South Suburban avoided an early exit with a 8-0 shutout of SWIC in eight innings, using five runs in the first inning to take control. The season, however, ended with a 10-0 loss in five innings as Iowa Western Community College no-hit the Bulldogs to finish the season with a 42-16 record.