2019 PBR First Team All-State
June 24, 2019
By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director
The Illinois 2019 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 middle infielders and pitchers 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 2019 First Team All-State selections:
PITCHERS
 |
Cole Kirschsieper LHP / 1B / Lincoln-Way East, IL / 2019
| LHP |
66 |
10-1 |
1 |
32 |
70 |
14 |
0.42 |
0.70 |
Illinois commit. Arguably the most consistent arm in the state over the last two seasons. Shattered the school record for career wins with over 20, the previous record was 17. Kirschsieper is a loose-armed left-hander who attacks the strike zone behind a mid-80's fastball and swing-and-miss changeup that he has ultimate confidence in. The ace of the staff finished with 10 wins and led the Griffins to a 26-6 season.
|
 |
| LHP |
52 |
9-0 |
30 |
105 |
21 |
0.81 |
Indiana State commit. Edmonson is a quick-armed left-handed pitcher with dynamic, swing-and-miss stuff which is evidenced by his enormous strike out totals. In 52 innings, Edmonson struck out 105, just a tick over two batters an inning. Edmonson consistently runs his fastball into the upper-80's and features a four-pitch mix with a sharp curveball and late-biting cutter.
|
 |
| LHP |
48.2 |
9-1 |
21 |
87 |
17 |
0.58 |
0.781 |
OF |
.389 |
10 |
2 |
3 |
35 |
.512 |
Illinois commit. Hutchings led a talented Coal City to a 27-5 record, doing so with his arm and his bat. Hutchings is one of the more polished pitchers in the 2020 class and is constantly on the attack when he is on the mound. Hutchings struck out close to two batters an inning, while walking only 18 on the season. The talented two-way prospect also hit 10 doubles and had a .512 OBP.
|
| |
Matt Jachec RHP / 3B / Hampshire, IL / 2019
| RHP |
80 |
7-3 |
50 |
110 |
8 |
0.61 |
0.725 |
Indiana State commit. Jachec was one of the biggest reasons Hampshire made a surprising run to the 4A State Finals in Joliet. The durable right-hander threw 80 innings on the season and would consistently take the ball in the biggest games of the year. Jachec pounds the zone, walking a miniscule eight batters in 80 innings, and was almost impossible to score runs off of (0.61 ERA).
|
CATCHER
 |
Matt McCormick C / RHP / St. Laurence, IL / 2019
| .419 |
12 |
1 |
9 |
51 |
33 |
.563 |
1.38 |
RHP |
10 |
19 |
1.47 |
24 |
West Virginia commit. Earlier this month, we announced that McCormick won his second-consecutive Illinois Player of the Year award. McCormick is the first player in Illinois history to win multiple PBR POTY awards. McCormick, a four-year middle-of-the-order threat for the Vikings capped off his historical prep career with a second-place finish in 3A. The talented left-handed hitter, drove in 51 on the season and also took on the closer role for the sqaud this spring. McCormick, who can run his fastball up to 90 mph converted on all 10 of his save chances, striking out 24 in 19 innings.
|
FIRST BASEMAN
 |
Drake Westcott 1B / 3B / Edwardsville, IL / 2020
| .390 |
8 |
9 |
39 |
30 |
36 |
.602 |
.823 |
1.425 |
7-7 |
Louisville commit. There may not have been a player in the state, who affected his teams lineup as much as Westcott. The left-handed hitter rarely got pitched too and when teams did decide to challenge him, he frequently made them pay with nine home runs and 39 RBI on the season. Westcott, who helped lead Edwardsville to the 4A State Title, walked a remarkable 36 times and recorded a .602 on base percentage.
|
MIDDLE INFIELDERS
 |
| .421 |
13 |
4 |
3 |
34 |
43 |
20 |
.514 |
19 |
.991 |
Oklahoma commit. One of the top shortstops in the country, continues to see his stock rise and had an impressive spring for the Caravan with the bat and the glove. One of the best defensive shortstops to come through the Midwest in recent memory, finished the season with a .991 fielding %. Howard should be a high-interest draft prospect come next spring.
|
 |
Josh Gibson SS / 2B / O'Fallon, IL / 2019
| .402 |
8 |
1 |
7 |
34 |
49 |
29 |
50-50 |
8 |
.567 |
Jefferson JC commit. Gibson, a four-year starter for the Panthers, arguably had his best season this past spring. The dynamic shortstop was a remarkable 50-50 in stolen bases on the season which set a school record. He also finished his career as the O'Fallon leader in career stolen bases, runs scored and varsity games played. Gibson, the catalyst for a 25-9 O'Fallon squad, which exceeded many peoples expectations, also hit seven home runs and had an on base percentage of .567 %.
|
| |
Egon Hein SS / 2B / St. Charles North, IL / 2019
| .415 |
14 |
2 |
3 |
32 |
40 |
20 |
20 |
10 |
.570 |
Wisconsin-Whitewater commit (football). Hein, a two-sport star for the North Stars, was instrumental in their second-place finish in Class 4A this spring. The right-handed hitting infielder excelled on both sides of the ball. Defensively, playing the majority of the time at second base, Hein made one error in 140 chances. Offensively, he was the key run producer for the North Stars, collecting 14 doubles, scoring 40 runs and finishing with a .570 OBP.
|
THIRD BASEMAN
 |
Cade Sullivan 3B / 1B / Metea Valley, IL / 2020
| .478 |
10 |
1 |
7 |
30 |
36 |
28 |
5 |
.678 |
.817 |
1.495 |
Uncommitted. Sullivan, who was named second team All-State as a sophomore, put up nearly identically numbers as last spring. The one big difference being the propensity to hit the long ball this spring. Sullivan, hit .478 this spring compared to .477 last spring but saw his home run numbers go from one in 2018 to seven in 2019. The physical, imposing right-handed hitter also jumped his on-base-percentage by 100 points, thanks to drawing 28 walks against 15 strikeouts. Sullivan is one of the top power bats still on the market in the Illinois' 2020 class.
|
OUTFIELDERS
 |
Kendall Pettis OF / Brother Rice, IL / 2019
| .435 |
12 |
3 |
2 |
24 |
38 |
20 |
25 |
.510 |
The Oklahoma commit had a huge senior year, which culminated in him being named Chicago Catholic League - Blue Division Player of the Year. Pettis, who has long been one of the top outfielders in the state, took his performance to a new level this spring. Besides patrolling center field for one of the most talented clubs in the state, Pettis hit .435 with 12 doubles, scored 38 runs ans stole 25 bases. Pettis helped lead Brother Rice to a 25-12 record all while playing some of the toughest competition in the state on a day-in, day-out basis.
|
 |
Connor Milton OF / Champaign Central, IL / 2020
| .411 |
17 |
6 |
6 |
42 |
43 |
18 |
22 |
.500 |
Milton, an Illinois commit, features an intriguing combination of high-level tools and started to put it together on the field this spring for Coach Staab and the Maroons. Milton, slugged .790 and had an OPS of 1.290 on the spring. Along with 17 doubles, Milton hit six triples, six home runs and stole 22 bases to boot. Given Milton' athleticism (6.51 60) and pop in his bat, it would not be a surprise if he draws some pro interest next spring.
|
 |
| .440 |
6 |
2 |
6 |
34 |
33 |
15 |
34 |
.573 |
.774 |
1.347 |
Drury University commit. Collins burst onto the scene with a huge senior season for the Panthers. O'Fallon, who was extremely young across their roster, relied on Collins and the aforementioned Gibson, to lead the way offensively and on the base paths. Collins had an impressive stat line, notching six home runs, a .573 on base percentage and stealing 34 bases as well.
|
UTILITY
 |
| .529 |
13 |
5 |
7 |
37 |
40 |
34 |
8 |
.655 |
RHP |
6-3 |
40 |
36 |
31 |
1.57 |
Maryville commit. Guerra did it all for Morton in 2019 but the offensive numbers stand out the most. The athletically-built, left-handed hitter, hit for power and average in 2019. Guerra, who finished with a .529 average for the spring also hit 13 doubles, seven home runs, drove in 37 and scored 40 runs. He also sported an on base percentage of .655 %. Guerra was also one of the top arms for Morton this spring, going 6-3 with a 1.57 ERA.
|
 |
Nick Kosmetatos SS / RHP / St. Francis, IL / 2019
| |
59.1 |
9-1 |
30 |
102 |
9 |
0.47 |
.351 |
8 |
7 |
22 |
21 |
14 |
11 |
Butler commit. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound, physical infielder has long been known for his ability as a position player. However, in his senior season, Kosmetatos proved that he may have a future on the mound. Kosmetatos went 9-1 with 102 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched and only walked nine batters on the season. The right-handed pitcher, worked in the upper-80's, gave up less that half a hit per inning and took the ball in every big game for the Spartans. Offensively, he hit seven home runs and walked more than he struck out. It will be interesting to see what side of the ball Kosmetatos contributes to most at Butler, if not both.
|
 |
Jack Brannigan SS / RHP / MAriST, IL / 2019
| .394 |
14 |
2 |
3 |
16 |
36 |
17 |
.496 |
RHP |
4-2 |
38.2 |
24 |
53 |
1.81 |
Notre Dame commit. Brannigan, who finished as the No. 11 ranked 2019 in Illinois, may have been the most athletic prospect in the class. Along with running a 6.68 60, Brannigan also ran his fastball into the mid-90's and took an increased role on the mound for the Red Hawks this spring. Brannigan, who turned into one of the go-to starting pitchers come playoff time, struck out 53 hitters in 38.2 innings pitched and finished with a 1.81 ERA. Offensively, he hit close to .400 with 14 doubles and scored 36 runs. Brannigan, like Kosmetatos, has the ability to impact the next level as a pitcher or as a position player.
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