A look at the Oak Park-Wheaton N. matchup

If Neuqua Valley survives Prairie Ridge and advances to Saturday night’s state championship game, the Wildcats figure to have ace Ian Krol ready to throw seven more innings and try to clinch a second consecutive title. The team awaiting Neuqua will either be a program with even richer postseason experience, or one making its first state tournament appearance. A look at the other side of the bracket:

Wheaton North (24-13) vs. Oak Park (28-9-1)

What: Class 4A state baseball semifinal

Where: Silver Cross Field, Joliet

When: 4 p.m. Friday

Wheaton North

Coach: Dan Schoessling; 178-168 overall; 139-138 in eight seasons at Wheaton North; 39-30 in two seasons at St. Francis.

Conference: DuPage Valley.

Road to Joliet: Defeated Glenbard East 3-0; St. Charles East 12-4; St. Charles North 5-2; Schaumburg 10-2; Loyola 4-1.

At a glance: No doubt, the Falcons are resilient. They controlled the DVC title race but lost three of their last four series and were forced to share the championship with Naperville North and Glenbard North. It appears there was no carryover effect -- Wheaton North lost seven of its last nine regular-season games before peaking at the right time. Three pitchers -- Trey Martin (6-0, 0.86 ERA) Jack DeAno (7-1, 1.03 ERA), Aric Dama (7-2, 1.30) -- have accounted for 20 of the team’s 24 wins. Martin allowed only three hits to lead Wheaton North over top-seeded Schaumburg and to its first sectional title. Then the Falcons again demonstrated their ability to bounce back, scoring all four of their runs in the sixth to erase a one-run deficit and beat Loyola - Dama pitched four innings of no-hit relief to earn the win. DeAno is hitting .475 with four home runs and 24 RBI. Also look for Martin (.285, six home runs, 32 RBI), Matt Palackdharry (.417, four home runs, 31 RBI) and Ryan Javech (.388, 33 RBI).

Oak Park-River Forest

Coach: Chris Ledbetter; 228-85-1; eight seasons.

Conference: West Suburban Silver.

Road to Joliet: Defeated Kelly 17-1; Morton 9-0; Young 9-5; Fenwick 8-4; Sandburg 7-3.

At a glance: The Huskies finished atop the WSC Silver Division, the fourth time in five seasons they have either won or shared the title, building on a strong tradition. This marks their 11th appearance in the state tournament. Oak Park’s two state titles in 1942 and 1981, the second under coach Jack Kaiser, who guided the program for 48 seasons and finished with a 892-408-6 record. This edition includes Drew Golz, a two-sport standout who is reportedly planning to play soccer and baseball at the Air Force Academy. The senior’s versatility includes hitting and pitching. The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound Golz is batting .444 with 47 RBI and has compiled a 7-1 record with a 2.30 ERA. Senior Kyle Glancy leads the staff with nine wins and a 1.36 ERA. Sam Picchiotti keys the offense with a .475 average, five home runs, 37 RBI and 47 runs scored.