Maddy DiNino was in quite the physical and emotional state as IC Catholic Prep was making history Monday night.

Never more so than when freshman Sophia Deoudes was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth inning of a scoreless game.

“Completely honest? I already told people, I wasn’t feeling good during her at-bat. I was throwing up. When I found out she reached base, I was crying,” said DiNino, a senior pitcher for the Knights. “I was overhydrated and I had a full adrenaline crash.”

The Knights are riding that rush all the way to state.

IC Catholic, 0-for-6 in its previous supersectional appearances, five since 2014, is headed to state for the first time in program history after a 1-0, eight-inning thriller over Stillman Valley on Monday.

The Knights (30-5) play Seneca (38-2), also at state for the first time, in a Class 2A semifinal at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria.

IC Catholic’s pitching is a big reason why the team is here.

DiNino, a St. Norbert commit, and fellow senior Leilani Mendez have not given up a run in four playoff games. IC Catholic has shut out six of seven opponents during a current seven-game win streak.

“Our defense has been phenomenal this season, take away our loss to St. Ignatius,” said IC Catholic coach Frank Reaber, in his 17th season. “When our pitchers are on, it changes everything.”

Also travel teammates with Heat Premier, DiNino and Mendez may not pile up the strikeouts – but they are more than effective.

DiNino is 16-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 107 strikeouts over 135 innings. Mendez is 7-2 with a 2.83 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 42 innings.

“We know how to feed off each other,” DiNino said. “If Mendez is pitching, I know she will do amazing. When I am pitching, she has our back. It’s up to the coaches to choose between us.

“As a pitcher she has amazing speed on the mound, great energy. While I may not have the speed she does, I have the spin.”

When Reaber asked the girls who should pitch Monday, Mendez offered to start DiNino and then go to her – just like travel.

But Reaber never went away from DiNino, who struck out five and walked two in a five-hit shutout.

“Maddy changes speeds well, she’s really good at hitting her spots. I wish her changeup could slow it down a little more. Some games it’s super slow, some games it’s not,” Reaber said. “I rely on [junior catcher] Kelly Cahill a lot. She warms them up, I say what pitches are not on, we take them out of the box if something is working, we don’t throw it.”

“Really I’m all about hitting my spots,” DiNino said. “My whole thing is I don’t care if I get the strikeout. Our fielders can make the plays.”

DiNino, who estimates she’s been pitching for 12 or 13 years, has a trusty voice calling pitches along with Cahill – her dad, Mike, who’s been her coach for a long time and has Reaber’s trust.

“If something is off, I go to him first,” Reaber said. “He can pick up stuff right away.”

The Knights struck out 17 times Monday against Stillman Valley freshman Kaiya Hildreth, unusual for a lineup with pop.

Cahill, batting .510 with 28 extra-base hits and 56 RBIs, and junior Lexi Russ, .473 with 21 extra-base hits and 53 RBIs, bring the thunder.

Senior center fielder Sofia Bucaro, batting .536 with 53 runs scored, sets the table. With junior shortstop Ariani Zito out since breaking her hand against St. Francis May 13, Reaber has hit Deoudes at the top of the order.

That lineup has a tall order against Seneca’s pitching tandem of Hayden Pfeifer and Tessa Krull, who have 399 strikeouts between them in 217 innings with a 1.23 ERA.

Those two have also combined for 24 homers and 100 RBIs at the plate.

“We’ll see what happens,” Reaber said. “Get in the game, enjoy the experience. That’s all you can do.”