Prep Baseball Report

Preseason Team Countdown: No. 46 Morgan Park



By Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director

Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will count down the Top 50 preseason teams every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

Team: Morgan Park
Preseason Rank: 46
2014 Record: 21-7-1
Conference: Chicago Public League Jackie Robinson – South (Champions)
IHSA Class: 3A  
Head Coach: Ernie Radcliffe
Playoff Run: Regional Champs, Lost in the Sectional Semi-Final 2-1 to Manteno
2014 Final Rank: Not Ranked 

TOP PLAYERS
Name, Position, Class (College Commitment)
Christian Bullock, OF/LHP, 2016 (Michigan)
Tyler Hill, OF, 2015 (Kirkwood CC)
Josh Shaw, 3B/OF, 2016
Darius Hill, MIF/OF, 2016
TJ Byrd, OF, 2016
Dantrell Lucas, MIF, 2016
Donivan Williams, 3B/OF, 2017
Jarren Norman, RHP, 2016

X-FACTOR
Michigan commit OF/LHP Christian Bullock tore up the PBR Class of 2016 Showcase this fall and was named the No. 1 Overall Prospect from the event. Bullock has plus tools with a smooth left-handed swing and runs a 6.75 60-yard dash.

NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Jimmy Ambrose
, 6-foot-2, 240-pound right-handed pitcher, has physically impressive size and is an arm to watch out for this spring, according to Radcliffe.

3B/OF Donvian Williams is ranked No. 27 in the 2017 class in Illinois. Williams impresses with an advanced approach at the plate, and arm strength in the outfield and at third base (84 mph from the outfield).

KEY PLAYER LOST
James Davison, OF, 2014 (Howard JC)
Lavar Reed, SS, 2014 (Hill College)
Jamal Martin, 1B, 2014 (Alcorn State)

STAT RAT
The Mustangs have an abundance of team speed, perhaps more than any other team in Illinois from top-to-bottom throughout the lineup. Bullock, Darius Hill, and TJ Byrd all ran sub 7.0 60 yard dashes at the Class of 2016 Showcase this fall. Hill has run 6.66 this winter for the PBR scouting staff.

OF Tyler Hill has a plus arm in the OF (90 mph) and showed advanced bat speed (89 mph exit velocity) at multiple showcases this fall/winter. Hill was named the No. 5 Overall Prospect at this fall’s Unsigned Senior Showcase, and eventually committed to Kirkwood CC.

OUTLOOK
After claiming the school’s first Chicago Public League Championship last spring with a 9-5 victory over Taft, the Mustangs will look to improve upon last year’s 21-7-1 record. Morgan Park also captured the Morgan Park Regional Championship over Evergreen Park 2-1. They narrowly missed out on advancing even further, losing a 3-2 nail-biter to Manteno in the sectional semi-finals.

BOTTOM LINE
Coach Radcliffe’s squad features several underclassmen, but they are experienced thanks to last season’s Public League Championship and IHSA Playoff run. Look for the Mustangs to be the favorite in the Public League and to make some noise in the playoffs beyond the regionals.

Preseason Countdown

+ Top 50 Preseason Countdown Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2015 Rankings

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