Jun. 6—CHAMPAIGN — Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley is ranked the No. 70 Class 1A baseball team in the state of Illinois by MaxPreps heading into the postseason.
It wasn’t bad at all based on the Falcons’ record. They had won eight games in the regular season and lost 20.
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Then the regional beating began. GCMS (11-20) has won three straight postseason games, captured the program’s third straight district title and will win its fourth in two weeks in Saturday’s sectional championship game at 11 a.m. against Armstrong-Potomac in Dwight.
“There’s not a lot of love in their algorithm for us,” GCMS coach Dustin White quipped about MaxPreps’ ranking. “But we’ll be happy to continue to find ways to win games and get people out and continue to play good baseball if we can.”
What has helped push this level of GCMS success is the number of players who have experienced it before. The Falcons finished fourth in Class 1A in 2024. Current seniors Zeb Greer and Trent Wetherell and junior standout Graydon Leonard were all on that team. A total of six players from last year’s district champions are on this year’s list.
“Those guys talked (in the 2025 sectional game loss to Salt Fork) a little bit about how focused you have to be,” White said of his team’s run to the postseason. “You’ve got to show up and you’ve got to play and you’ve got to bring it every pitch and every inning. You can’t just think you’re going to win a football game. The last two weeks here I feel like our kids have been focused, and that group of six has been locked in and talking a lot and talking a lot. They don’t want it to end.”
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Armstrong-Potomac faces a similar situation. The Trojans (22-3) have experienced a very different season from a win-loss perspective compared to their division championship opponent, but both teams are in win-or-go-home mode.
AP won three straight district titles from 2022-24, but a young team last season in Tom Wolken’s first season as coach needed little time to develop into a 22-game winning team and another district championship this spring.
“I had a good episode of these guys in elementary school,” Wolken said. “I knew the talent we had last year. We were young last year. The pieces came together a lot. We had some development, some development in the players. We have a lot of good people on this team, but they play as a team. That’s what we like to see.”
The game to watch Saturday at Dwight, comes down to a few people. GCMS will start Leonard, who is their unquestioned veteran. AP will debate Kentucky commit Traxton Roberts.
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“It could be a single-game hitting record for both teams if those players are playing and working,” White said. “I don’t expect it to be a very high score. I expect both strikers to really be in their game, and if so it should be exciting.”
White made it clear that it might be just one mistake that could cost the team these young right-handed players. Wolken sees Saturday’s sectional game the same way.
“I think you can expect a very important game,” added Wolken. “I really believe that whoever makes the fewest mistakes is going to win that game. Both teams know the game of baseball – they know the ins and outs, they know the situations.”
