Two of the biggest stars in the state will square off at Rogers Park Tuesday night when fourth-ranked St. Edmond meets No. 5 Collins-Maxwell in a Class 1A state quarterfinal.

First pitch is set for 5:15 p.m. on Diamond 2.

Gael junior Mariah Myers has committed to the University of Iowa and enters the week as one of the top hitters. She has blasted 14 home runs while hitting .627 overall, sitting first in the state in on-base and slugging.

Standing inside the circle and dealing to Myers will be Erica Houge, a senior who has a state-leading 364 strikeouts with a 27-3 record, 0.19 earned run average and .081 opponent batting average.

Houge, the youngest sister of University of Virginia pitcher Mikayla Houge and DePaul University infielder Alexis Houge, signed with Div. I Western Kentucky University earlier this year.

“Our goal is to put the ball in play and make contact,” SEHS head coach Bill Shirbroun said. “She is a very good pitcher, so we are adjusting what we do at the plate.”

St. Edmond (25-5 overall) has more than just Myers leading the charge. Returning all-staters Kaili Henning, Lauren Gibb and Faith Shirbroun pack quite a punch as well, with all three hitting over .387, The trio has a combined 43 extra-base hits and 84 RBI.

The Gaels have struck out just 84 times in 749 official at-bats while working 106 walks. Henning has 155 strikeouts in just under 113 innings pitched with a 15-3 record.

Along with being an elite pitcher, Houge is also one of the top hitters for the Spartans, who won back-to-back state titles in 2018-19. She is hitting .640 with six homers, 44 runs, 42 RBI and 17 doubles, while drawing 30 walks.

Overall, Collins-Maxwell (27-3) has worked 124 walks and recorded 12 homers with 45 other extra-base hits. Four other starters other than Houge are hitting over .300.

This is the first appearance at state for the Spartans since 2020 when they finished second to Clarksville. Collins-Maxwell has reached the elite eight five times since 1985.

The Spartans have won four straight and went 13-0 to claim the Iowa Star Conference South division title. They topped Newell-Fonda last month, 1-0, bested Bishop Garrigan, 3-0, and also own a win over fellow 1A qualifier Sigourney, 1-0.

Awaiting the winner between St. Edmond and Collins-Maxwell will be either No. 1 Martensdale-St. Marys (28-6) or No. 12 Edgewood-Colesburg. The other quarterfinal round games pit second-rated Wayne (24-4) against seventh-ranked Southeast Warren (23-2) and No. 3 Remsen St. Mary’s (23-0) vs. sixth-ranked Sigourney (23-7).

Semifinals take place Wednesday at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the championship game concluding the week Friday night at 7:30 p.m.