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Edwardsville and Father McGivney continued their run of academic recognition during the 2025-26 school year.
The Tigers earned the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award for the third straight year, while the Griffins received the honor for the fifth consecutive season.
To qualify for the award, a high school or college team must be led by a head coach who is an American Baseball Coaches Association member and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 for the academic year.
Edwardsville and Father McGivney were among 326 high school teams nationwide to earn the honor.
The Tigers and Griffins were two of at least 22 Illinois programs recognized, joining Alleman, Althoff, Chicago Public High Schools, Freeburg, Freeport, Galesburg, Kaneland, Lane Tech, Libertyville, McHenry, Mount Vernon, Neuqua Valley, Romeoville, St. Ignatius, St. Charles East, St. Laurence, Tuscola, Waubonsie Valley, West Aurora and Whitney Young.
On the field, Edwardsville finished 26-12 and won its seventh straight Southwestern Conference championship with an 11-1 league record.
The Tigers also extended their streaks to 46 consecutive 20-win seasons and 51 straight winning seasons. They captured their state-record 38th regional championship with a 7-0 victory over Collinsville and defeated O’Fallon 6-5 in the sectional semifinals.
Edwardsville’s season ended with a loss to Minooka in the Normal Community Sectional championship game, leaving the Tigers one victory short of their state-record 22nd sectional title.
Father McGivney finished 27-10 after placing second in the Class 1A state tournament the previous season. Competing in Class 2A, the Griffins’ season ended with a loss to Breese Central in a regional championship game.
