Prep Baseball Report

2015 PBR First Team All-State



By Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director

The Illinois 2015 Prep Baseball Report First Team All-State squad features a talented group of prospects that helped their respective teams to successful seasons. Our All-State teams pull from the entire state, all classifications.

The players below, we believed, were the most dominant at their respective positions. Some positions were more loaded than others, especially pitchers and middle infielders this year. We took into account several different metrics: overall performance, statistics, and strength of schedule/competition.

The All-State teams are geared more towards statistical performance, otherwise they’d just be a direct reflection of our PBR Player Rankings, which rank players on pure ability/prospect status only. We’ve also strongly considered the defensive play of several players, something that gets thrown out the window at times during all-area or all-conference debates.

Over the next few days we will also unveil our second and third teams.

Without further ado, a look at the 2015 First Team All-State selections:

Pitcher

Bryan Hudson, Alton, 2015
The 2015 PBR Player of the Year led Alton to a 30-7 record, leaving as the all-time leader in career innings (198), career wins (25), single-season ERA (0.47), career ERA (1.23), single season strikeouts (152), and career strikeouts (323). He’s also tied for single-season wins with 10. The talented southpaw went 10-2 this season with a 0.47 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 70.1 innings pitched, video game type numbers. Hudson also did damage at the plate, leading the Redbirds in batting average (.436), doubles (14), triples (six), home runs (four), and RBI (49). Hudson became the first Illinois prep off the board in the MLB Draft, when the Chicago Cubs selected him in the 3rd round with the 82nd overall pick. He’s expected to begin his professional career shortly.

Nelson Munoz, Mount Carmel, 2015
The ace of the Class 4A runner-up Caravan, Munoz went a perfect 14-0, with a 2.12 ERA, 92 strikeouts in 82.2 innings, only allowing 62 hits and 22 walks. The senior right-hander heading to Grambling State next fall worked six innings in the state title game, leaving in line for the win in Mount Carmel’s extra-inning 6-5 loss to Providence. Munoz showed his grit pitching in five of Mount Carmel’s seven playoff games, earning a save with two scoreless innings in a semifinal win over Jacobs. Munoz was also named the Chicago Catholic League All-Conference squad, and was tabbed the Daily Southtown Player of the Year.

Ryan Eiermann, Napervile Central, 2017
Going into the year there was no doubt Eiermann possessed talent, but the sophomore left-handed stepped into the ace role for the Redhawks, exceeding expectations and impressing with a surgical approach to pitching. Eiermann opened the season with a 54-inninng unearned run streak, finishing the year 8-1 with a 0.56 ERA, 114 strikeouts in 75.2 innings pitched, with only 11 walks. The Texas Christian-commit was also named the DuPage Valley Conference Player of the Year (shared with Glenbard North’s Eric Orze), and his only loss came in the sectional semifinals in extra innings to Plainfield North. His 114 strikeouts are good for third all-time in the Naperville Central single-season record book.

Catcher

Danny Oriente, Downers Grove South, 2016
Oriente, ranked No. 15 in Illinois’ 2016 class, has long been lauded as one of the top hitter’s in the state of Illinois, and college baseball powerhouse Louisville noticed, offering the Downers Grove South catcher/outfielder a scholarship. Oriente led the Mustangs to a 30-6 final record, losing to Plainfield North in the Romeoville Sectional Championship. He hit an astounding .560 this spring, with 25 extra-base hits (15 doubles, eight triples, two home runs), while driving in 39, scoring 35 runs, walking 12 times, and stealing 13 bags. Perhaps the most impressive stat is that Oriente struck out three times all year long in 121 plate appearances. He posted a .614 OBP, .899 slugging percentage, and a 1.515 OPS to boot.

First Base

Cory Wright, St. Charles North, 2015
The Upstate Eight Conference Player of the Year, Wright led the North Stars to a 32-5 record with his bat and his arm. Perhaps the best defensive first baseman in the state of Illinois, possessing middle infield like actions and athleticism, Wright did it all for St. Charles North. The southpaw went 9-0 on the mound with a 0.50 ERA, 61 strikeouts in 56 innings pitched, allowing just 22 hits and 11 walks, good for a miniscule 0.589 WHIP. In the process Wright became St. Charles North’s all-time winningest pitcher, with 21 career victories. At the plate he hit .463 with 17 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 26 RBI, and 33 runs scored, good for a 1.278 OPS.

Middle Infield

Charlie Donovan, Westmont, 2015
Ranked No. 1 overall in Illinois’ 2015 class, and No. 20 in the overall rankings, Donovan is a two-time PBR First Team All-State honoree. The toolsy left-handed hitter posted a .483 batting average this spring with 17 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, 33 RBI, 64 runs scored, and 44 stolen bases. He helped lead the Sentinels to a program record 30 wins in 2015, and the school’s first state trophy with a 3rd place finish in Class 2A in 2014. Donovan was selected in the 30th round of the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, but will forgo professional baseball to attend Michigan.

Ethan Skender, Metamora, 2015
A 2014 PBR Third Team All-State honoree, Skender more than proved he was one of the top offensive threats in the state of Illinois during his 2015 spring season. The Kansas State-signee hit .495 with an incredible 33 extra base hits in 107 at bats; 21 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 32 RBI, and 39 runs scored. He stuck out only eight times in 119 plate appearances, posting a .546 OBP, .991 slugging percentage, and a 1.537 OPS. He led the Redbirds to a 31-8 record in 2015, a Mid-Illini Conference championship, and a sectional championship. Skender was selected in the 31st round of the MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

Third Base

Willie Bourbon, Stevenson, 2015
After quarterbacking the Patriots to a Class 8A title on the gridiron, Bourbon led a young baseball team this spring to a sectional championship. The Northwestern baseball signee hit .425 leading the Patriots in extra base hits and RBI, while also hitting four home runs. Two of the homers came against Libertyville in a playoff victory where he accounted for all five of Stevenson’s runs.

Outfield

Ryan Kramer, Nazareth, 2015
Kramer helped lead Nazareth to a Class 3A State Runner-Up finish this spring hitting .454 with four home runs, 25 RBI, and 11 doubles. Nazareth’s starting right-fielder, who also played four errorless games at second base, went 2-for-4 in the state title game against Highland, and hit .597 in East Suburban Catholic Conference play in 2015. Kramer will play his collegiate baseball at Carthage (WI).

Bradley Harrison, O’Fallon, 2016
Harrison led O’Fallon to the Super-Sectional in 2015, where they dropped a tough one to eventual class 4A State Champion Providence. The left-handed hitting OF/LHP put up incredible two-way numbers this spring, hitting .418 with 15 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 49 RBI, and 33 runs scored. He posted a .503 OBP, .672 slugging percentage, and a 1.176 OPS. On the mound, the SIU-Carbondale commit went 11-2 with one save and a 1.273 ERA, with 81 strikeouts and 22 walks in 66 innings pitched. He only allowed 36 hits, posting a .879 WHIP.

Chris Botsoe, Hinsdale Central, 2015
The speedy Botsoe hit .395 with four homers, 29 RBI, 35 runs scored, 14 doubles, six triples, and 15 stolen bases in 2015 for the Red Devils. The Louisville-signee recovered from a fractured orbital bone near his left eye last season to cap a stellar three-year varsity career. The 6.76 runner was perhaps the best defensive centerfielder in the state of Illinois in 2015, making tough plays look easy with his natural outfield instincts.

Utility

Nick Maton, Glenwood, 2015
Glenwood’s starting shortstop and ace righthander posted incredible numbers at the plate and on the mound in 2015. Maton hit .457 with 23 extra-base hits (11 doubles, eight triples, four home runs), while posting 28 RBI, and 45 runs scored. He also stole 20 bases, and posted an impressive .584 on base percentage, showing plate discipline with 30 walks and only eight strikeouts on the year. On the mound, Maton led the Titans going 8-0 with a 0.67 ERA in 52.1 innings pitched. He only allowed 23 hits, struck out 92 and walked 14. Glenwood finished the year 34-5 ranked No. 22 in the final PBR Power 25 poll. For his efforts, Maton was drafted in the 40th round of the MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. He will attend Eastern Illinois if he does not begin a professional career.

Related Content

----2015 Future Games Slide - 2015FutureGamesSlide.jpg