The Licking High School baseball team has won the 2023 Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 3 state championship.
Licking secured the crown with a 3-1 victory over South Callaway in Thursday’s Class 3 Tournament final at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark.
The Wildcats made it to the final by beating Barstow 4-1 in a semifinals matchup on Wednesday. They reached the Final Four by blanking Forsyth 11-0 in a sectionals round game and routing Stockton 11-1 in the quarterfinals.
The Wildcats’ clean run through the postseason began in the 5-team Class 3 District 9 tournament in Houston, where they blanked Liberty 10-0 in the semifinals and topped Houston 6-4 in the final.
Licking finished the season with an overall record of 27-6. The last time the Wildcats won a state championship was in 1989 and the last time they played in a final game was in 1994.
