Joshua Holst’s victory lap was short-lived, but for good reason.
Yes, he cherishes the Class 4A state championship that he and his Libertyville teammates won on June 14, and he enjoyed the celebratory pep rally on Saturday as much as anyone.
But Holst has already embarked on the next chapter of his life. He flew to Colorado Springs, Colorado, this week, not for baseball workouts with his new team, but for the rigorous weekslong basic cadet training at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
“It’s combining two things that I love,” he said. “I love my country, and I love baseball, so I might as well combine both.
“A lot of what I’ll encounter won’t be easy, but I know I have the determination to get through it. A lot of people wish they had this opportunity, and I plan to take full advantage of it.”
Holst, the 2025 News-Sun Baseball Player of the Year, certainly knows how to seize the moment. To complete a season in which he didn’t lose a start, the senior left-hander allowed one run on two hits and drove in three runs as the Wildcats defeated McHenry 4-1 in the 4A state championship game.
For the season, Holst went 13-0, setting a program record for wins, with a 1.34 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, 118 strikeouts and 25 walks in 73 1/3 innings. He also hit .361 with 14 doubles, a team-high five home runs and 44 RBIs.
“He’s not going to back down from anybody, and he gives everything he has every time he plays,” Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. “Obviously, his stuff is good. You can have good stuff, and you can live in the bullpen or in a pitching lesson in the winter. But he’s going to be the guy you want on the mound when the chips are on the table and the pressure is on.”
Air Force coach Mike Kazlausky, a Grant graduate who enjoys recruiting local student-athletes, also sees traits in Holst that the academy values.
“I’m excited for the fact that he’s accepted a challenge to be different,” Kazlausky said. “Americans want the best of the best to be trained here.”
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At Grant, Kazlausky played for his father, Fritz, who is a member of both the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Mike Kazlausky has been the coach at Air Force, his alma mater, since 2011 and emphasized that winning isn’t the only priority there.
“I’m proud for him that he had such a great year, but we have higher expectations than just baseball,” Kazlausky said. “Yes, we want to win. But he’ll also learn about service and character and be pushed to fail, which will lead to him being the best possible version of himself with a remarkable outcome. He’s on America’s team now.”
That opportunity might not have arisen had Holst not posted on his Perfect Game profile that he’s interested in aviation. A couple of weeks after the initial contact period opened Aug. 1, 2023, he received a call from Kazlausky.
“My grandfather was an Air Force pilot, and I also have an aunt who was in the Air Force, but I hadn’t really ever considered the military,” Holst said. “I knew that I didn’t want a normal job when I grew up and wanted to become a pilot. A month later, I had committed.”
But Holst’s admission process wasn’t so straightforward. A test detected he had hearing loss in one ear, which didn’t meet the academy’s physical standards. Holst had a minor surgical procedure to address the impairment, and tubes were placed in his ears, a step the academy didn’t approve.
The tubes were subsequently removed, but by that time a waiver to allow Holst’s admission had been denied. So he decommitted earlier this year.
“We filed an appeal, but coach said he didn’t have any idea how long the appeal process would take,” Holst said. “So he said it would be in my best interest to open up my recruitment. I heard from some bigger schools that liked where I was at talent-wise, which was good to hear. But right after spring break, it got approved. It was definitely a stressful time.”
Not that anyone would have noticed based on Holst’s on-field performance. A mainstay in Libertyville’s rotation for three years, he was virtually unhittable this season, and his accolades included 4A all-state first-team recognition.
Quinn Schambow, an Oklahoma State recruit who caught Holst for years, had the utmost confidence in him.
“I know when someone has it on the mound and when someone doesn’t, and he does,” Schambow said. “Every time he steps on that mound, it’s lights out.”
Holst knows a new challenge awaits.
“Before every inning, I tell myself I’m the best and that no one is going to hit me,” he said. “I’m going to attack every hitter. When you pitch with confidence, it makes you that much more effective.
“Starting school, there’s definitely some nervousness, but I’ll attack it to the best of my ability.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.