Within this post, we’ll be breaking down five of Illinois’ 11 Division-I programs and their incoming 2020 recruiting classes, from both in-state and out-of-state perspectives. Thirty-five of the state’s top seniors will be sticking around their home state to pursue baseball at the next level. We’ll be breaking things down, program by program, in-depth below.

Keep checking things out throughout the week as we analyze the entire Illinois 2020 class and the commitments they’ve made, as well as the top prospects in the state who have yet to choose a home come fall of 2020.

BRADLEY

NAME	STATE (RANK)	SCHOOL	POS
Connor Aten	IL (60)	Galesburg	RHP
Jackson Chatterton	IL (88)	Dunlap	UTL
Logan Delgado	IL (46)	Antioch	C
Isaiah Gudeman	IL (48)	Morton	C
Grant Herron	IN (39)	Center Grove	RHP/1B
Hank Himrich	IA (42)	Dowling Catholic	OF
Kaden Krueger	WI (22)	Appleton West	LHP
T.J. Manteufel	WI (11)	Union Grove	SS
Jared Novak	IL (71)	Benet	RHP

TOTAL RECRUITS: 9 | IN-STATE: 5 | STATE TOP-50: 6

Bradley’s bringing in nine recruits inside its 2020 class and another two are headed down south from Wisconsin. The Braves are always able to pull a couple of big names from the Badger State and they’ve done so once more – and, frankly, this year they may have outdone themselves. SS T.J. Manteufel (Union Grove) has what it takes to be the gem of this recruiting class, as an all-around athlete who’s done nothing but perform at each stage of his prep career. He’s a heads-up gamer with gap-to-gap pop in a wiry, athletic frame fit for shortstop. And, on the eve of Signing Day, LHP Kaden Krueger (Appleton West) swapped commitments from Minnesota to Bradley. He’s the No. 22-ranked prospect in the Wisconsin for a deceptive motion that produces upper-80s velocity that we’ve also seen climb into the 90 mph threshold.

Logan Delgado (Antioch) and Isaiah Gudeman (Morton) are a pair of backstops situated right near each other on Illinois’ 2020 board. The two offer relatively similar profiles, but it bodes well for the Braves that they bat from opposite sides of the plate – Delgado bats left-handed while Gudeman hits righty. But both are top-50 prospects in our home state and are physical catchers with strong arms and actions.

Elsewhere from Illinois, Galesburg’s RHP Connor Aten pitches with a ton of athleticism and it’s easy to picture him sitting at the top of a rotation one day. The 6-foot-5 Benet Academy product, Jared Novak, has been trending up in 2019 with his long and loose levers and a real feel for his three-pitch mix. From Dunlap, utilityman Jackson Chatterton has the versatility and athleticism to project all over the diamond – and he hits switch, too. He does a little bit of everything and can help Bradley more ways than one.

RHP/1B Grant Herron (Center Grove) is ranked inside Indiana’s top-40 for his 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame and two-way abilities. He’s been up to 86 mph and swings a strong right-handed bat.

And, from Iowa, Hank Himrich (Dowling Catholic) is the No. 42-ranked prospect from his state for his loud toolset. He’s a 6.77 runner with a left-handed bat and projectable pop who can operate in a corner outfield role with the arm strength for right.

CHICAGO STATE

NAME	STATE (RANK)	SCHOOL	POS
Justin Rivera	IL (119)	Lake View	RHP
Jalen Anderson	IL (N/A)	Brooks	INF

TOTAL RECRUITS: 2 | IN-STATE: 2 | STATE TOP-50: 0

Chicago State will welcome an ace in the making in less than a year: RHP Justin Rivera (Lake View). The No. 119-ranked prospect in Illinois’ senior class is an athletic 6-foot-3 righty with a quick and easy arm that has helped him reach 88 mph in front of our staff, combined with a tight spinning slider that could be a real outpitch at the next level. It’s a great get for the Cougars. They’ll also be bringing on infielder Jalen Anderson from Brooks, who primarily played first for the Eagles last spring.

EASTERN ILLINOIS

Name	STATE (RANK)	SCHOOL	POS
Mitchell Alba	WI (28)	Franklin	RHP/OF
Trevor Davis	IL (38)	Danville	C
Dylan Drumke	IL (133)	Libertyville	OF
Max Engelking	IN (75)	Guerin Catholic	LHP
Gavin Kriegel	IL (153)	Hampshire	SS/2B
Brandon Micetich	IL (70)	Plainfield Central	2B/SS

TOTAL RECRUITS: 6 | IN-STATE: 4 | STATE TOP-50: 3

After only bringing in one in-state recruit inside last year’s class, the Panthers have four Illinois prospects headed there way in the fall of 2020, starting with the No. 38-ranked prospect in the class: C Trevor Davis (Danville). Davis is the No. 2-ranked catcher in the state as an athletically-built, left-handed bat with advanced bat strength and pop. Behind the plate Davis has a strong, true arm. 

Plainfield Central’s Brandon Micetich is one of the more interesting left-handed hitter’s in the Illinois’ 2020 class. He’s joined by up-the-middle athlete, Gavin Kreigel, who starred for Hampshire this spring during their run to state. He’s a smooth defender with barrel feel who was especially clutch all spring for the Whip-Purs. And from Libertyville, Dylan Drumke is a physical/compact outfielder with strong hands and natural defensive actions.

From outside of Illinois, in neighboring Wisconsin, the Panthers will be bringing on one of the state’s top two-way athletes: OF/RHP Mitchell Alba (Franklin). Alba is a multi-sport athlete with a mid-80s fastball and a sharp swing-and-miss slider, one of the best in Wisconsin. He’s also a strong gap-to-gap right-handed bat with sure hands in the outfield, ranked No. 28 in Wisconsin.

From Indiana, LHP Max Engelking (Guerin Catholic) is a projectable 6-foot-3 southpaw with a fluid low-80s arm, right now.

ILLINOIS

NAME	STATE (RANK)	SCHOOL	POS
Jack Crowder	IL (7)	Plainfield East	RHP
Cal Hezja	IL (33)	Oswego	SS
Payton Hutchings	IL (12)	Coal City	LHP
Clayton Johnson	IL (11)	Prophetstown	RHP
Tom Jurack	IL (57)	Hinsdale Central	OF
Connor Milton	IL (14)	Champaign Central	OF
Tucker Shalley	IL (25)	Jersey	RHP

TOTAL RECRUITS: 7 | IN-STATE: 7 | STATE TOP-50: 6

The Big Ten program continues to dominate its in-state recruiting class, committing some of the top talent in Illinois to continue their playing careers in Champaign. This year is no different, as the entirety of their current recruits hail from Illinois and are among the best prospects in our area.

The top-ranked talent among this group is RHP Jack Crowder (Plainfield East), who’s been rising in 2019 to the point where it’s alerted the pro scouting community to consider him come June’s draft. He’s a hulking 6-foot-3 with a workhorse build and a live fastball that’s been up into the 94 mph range in front of our staff. He has a nascent feel for his offspeed which really just shows how high his ceiling is. He’s the No. 7-ranked prospect in the state.

Speaking of intimidating at-bats, it doesn’t get any easier after Crowder. From Prophetstown, the 6-foot-8 righty Clayton Johnson is as imposing as it gets. He has an strong, easy arm action, runs his fastball comfortably in the upper-80’s and features a swing-and-miss changeup.

Ranked just behind Johnson on the Illinois board is Coal City’s Payton Hutchings. There might not be a more competitive pitcher in the state. The left-hander has the physical traits – a smooth, quick arm, an athletic 6-foot frame – and he’s has the tempo and on-mound IQ to consistently dominate, which he has done throughout his high school career. He sits in the mid-80s throughout his starts, up to 87 mph, consistently pounds the zone and has a three-pitch repertoire that could profile him as a starter moving forward.

Tucker Shalley (Jersey) is more in line with Crowder and Johnson, physically. He’s an imposing 6-foot-4 righty with an upside-arm, mid-to-upper 80’s fastball and sweeping breaking ball.

Moving off the mound, the top position player headed to Illinois is OF Connor Milton, who’ll be sticking close to home as a Champaign Central grad. Milton is, simply, one of the most athletic players in the Midwest. He ran a 6.51 in July at the PBR ProCase and he uses that speed on both the basepaths and out in center field. He has quick-twitch, strong hands at the plate, advanced bat speed and flashes pull-side power. Given his athleticism and upside at the plate, Milton is one of the state’s, and thus the region’s, top prospects.

From Oswego, middle infielder Cal Hejza is one of the top defensive middle infielders in the Midwest. Hejza will not blow you away with his tools but he is a heady defender with an advanced baseball IQ and highly-accurate arm. He’s a competitive right-handed bat, too.

Finally, from Hinsdale Central, is OF Tom Jurack (Hinsdale Central). He’s been climbing the Illinois board in 2019 because of his ability with his right-handed bat. Jurack has easy power and earner MVP honors at a PBR Wisconsin tournament in the summer. Jurack hit .440 this past spring with a handful of home runs as well.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

NAME	STATE (RANK)	SCHOOL	POS
Jack Blazevich	IL (210)	Downers Grove South	3B
Daniel Clawson	IL (87)	Hersey	OF
Eric Erato	WI (30)	Sussex Hamilton	3B/RHP
Spencer Hill	OH (87)	New Albany/Bridgton Academy	OF
Caleb Mealy	IN (60)	Blackford	C
R.J. Nowicki	IL (161)	Barrington	LHP
Matthew Salomonson	IL (50)	Notre Dame	RHP/SS
Jacyk Uehling	WI (44)	South Milwaukee	OF

TOTAL RECRUITS: 8 | IN-STATE: 4 | STATE TOP-50: 3

The Huskies brought in a small, but talented, group of three names this fall, but they’ll make up for it next year with eight recruits to bolster their roster.

Yesterday, PBR Wisconsin profiled two of their top prospects who are headed to DeKalb: INF/RHP Eric Erato (Sussex Hamilton) and OF Jacyk Uehling (South Milwaukee). Erato is a thin left-handed hitter who’s competitiveness plays all over the diamond with easy actions, at both the plate and on defense. He made a jump in summer 2018 on the mound continues to progress well there, too, so we’ll see how he looks in his final spring as a prepster. As for Uehling, Northern Illinois is getting the single quickest player in the state’s ‘20 class. He ran a 6.60 at this summer’s Top Prospect MKE event. Uehling does whatever it takes in the box to get on base where he makes good use of that premium footspeed. He’s also been up to 91 mph from the outfield where his legs play, naturally, as well.

Headlining the four Illinois names on their way to Northern Illinois is the RHP Matthew Salomonson (Notre Dame). Ranked No. 50 in the state, Salomonson has been trending up over the past year with his ability on the mound. The well-proportioned right-hander creates steep angle to his fastball which sits comfortably in the upper-80’s and has feel for an overhand curveball. 

From Hersey, OF Daniel Clawson wields some of the best power potential in the state. He has a physical, defined 6-foot-2 frame that helps him juice balls over the fence, especially to his pull-side.

Barrington’s 6-foot-3 R.J. Nowicki is a pitchability left-hander who can paint the corners with his sinking fastball and slider-changeup combo. And the last in-state recruit to mention is 3B Jack Blazevich, from Downers Grove South, who is a corner infielder with upside to his game.

From Ohio, RHP Spencer Hill (New Albany/Brighton Academy) is a projectable 6-foot-3 with an effort-y, uptempo arm that has been up to 90 mph and has shown a power breaking ball. And from Indiana, C Caleb Mealy (Blackford) is a quick defender with pop times around the 2.0 mark.

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