Illinois Wiffleball State Championship ends with Lakeside third-place finish

Lakeside Wiffleball Blue finished third at the Illinois Wiffleball State Championship after an 11-8 playoff loss to Central Prospects Illinois. The result, captured in a July 30 reel, capped what the post called an “amazing day” and put the club on the podium after a run through the bracket.

The score lines told the story of how Lakeside got there. The reel showed Lakeside Wiffleball Blue on the wrong side of the 11-8 game against Central Prospects Illinois, and another playoff note displayed a 7-0 result, a sign that at least one round of the tournament turned sharply on the scoreboard. In a format where one inning can flip a placement game, the close margin against Central Prospects Illinois was the decisive hurdle between a third-place finish and a shot at the final.

The event itself was built like a serious tournament, not a casual summer gathering. A Big League Wiffle Ball post tied to the Illinois Wiffleball State Championship listed “Series at 10:00am,” while another listing put the team fee at $140 and set age divisions at 10-12, 13-15 and 16+. A July 28, 2026 event listing also placed the Illinois State Wiffleball Tournament at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet, showing how the state’s wiffle ball calendar now uses recognizable venues and a formal entry structure.

That structure fits the wider Illinois wiffle ball scene, which keeps teams moving from season awards to championship weekends. The Illinois Wiffleball account posted that teams were headed to the state championship and later noted, “2025 awards are out!” The circuit has been active for years as well. In August 2021, the 42nd Annual World Wiffle Ball Championship returned to Midlothian’s Memorial Park, and money raised from that event went to the South Suburban Humane Society.

For Lakeside, the third-place finish was earned in the kind of playoff environment that exposes every mismatch. The 11-8 loss to Central Prospects Illinois kept the club out of the final, but the podium result confirmed a run that survived bracket pressure and ended just short of the championship game.