Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 2 Brother Rice

March 12, 2019
By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 11, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2019 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, leading into a countdown through the official PBR Illinois Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a Preseason Questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2019 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Brother Rice
Preseason Rank: 2
2018 Record: 27-13
Conference: Chicago Catholic League (Blue)
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Sean McBride
Playoff Run: Supersectionals
2018 Final Rank: 13
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 3

TOP PLAYERS

NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POSITION	COMMITMENT
Michael Bolton	IL	Brother Rice	2019	OF	Purdue
Benji Brokemond	IL	Brother Rice	2019	SS	Miami (OH)
Eric Diaz	IL	Brother Rice	2019	RHP	Triton JC
Danny Doligale	IL	Brother Rice	2019	OF	Illinois
Michael Hopkins	IL	Brother Rice	2019	C	John Carroll
Brandon Laux	IL	Brother Rice	2019	RHP	Kirkwood CC
Ryan Maher	IL	Brother Rice	2019	SS	Heartland CC
Nolan McQuillan	IL	Brother Rice	2019	OF	-
Kendall Pettis	IL	Brother Rice	2019	OF	Oklahoma
Eli Sweiss	IL	Brother Rice	2019	RHP	-
Micah Gouwens	IL	Brother Rice	2020	RHP	-
Marquis Jackson	IL	Brother Rice	2020	OF	Oklahoma
Jack Payton	IL	Brother Rice	2020	C	Louisville
Dylan Robertson	IL	Brother Rice	2020	SS	-
Jacob Sullivan	IL	Brother Rice	2020	RHP	-

KEY LOSSES

NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POSITION	COMMITMENT
Dillan Fike	IL	Brother Rice	2018		-
Patrick Hayes	IL	Brother Rice	2018	SS	Parkland JC
Sam Jones	IL	Brother Rice	2018	INF	Indiana
Zach Litke	IL	Brother Rice	2018	RHP	Concordia (IL)
Brandon Mahoney	IL	Brother Rice	2018	1B	Carthage College
Ryan Palmblad	IL	Brother Rice	2018	LHP	Central Michigan
Joe Payton	IL	Brother Rice	2018	RHP	Central Michigan

NEWCOMER TO WATCH

2019 INF/OF Benji Brokemond. Brokemond, a Miami (OH) commit, transferred to Brother Rice from Walter Payton College Prep for his senior season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound, highly-athletic, multi-positional prospect will most likely slot in somewhere on the infield this spring. He is also more than capable of filling a spot in the outfield, if needed. Thanks to the likes of Michael Bolton, Danny Doligale, Kendall Pettis, Marquis Jackson and others, Brother Rice already had some of the best team speed in the state. You add Brokemond and his 6.49 60 speed to the lineup and it’s hard to argue there is another team in the state that will run better. The only other team that comes close is a neighbor of Brother Rice, that we have yet to touch on.

Benji Brokemond (2.11.18)

X-FACTOR

2019 RHP Brandon Laux. Like Brokemond, Laux transferred into Brother Rice for his senior season. Laux, who saw significant innings for Lincoln-Way East, gives Brother Rice some added depth and quality at the top of their rotation. Laux, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound, right-handed pitcher has the ability to slot in as a conference starter, need be. The long, projectable right-hander has a clean arm and mid-80s fastball with more in the tank. If Laux can adjust to life in the Chicago Catholic League Blue, he gives the Crusaders much needed help on the mound that could help push Brother Rice over the edge this spring.

OUTLOOK

With the departure of former head coach John McCarthy to Homewood-Flossmoor, Sean McBride inherits a team full of talent with an extremely high ceiling. McBride, who served as an assistant before getting the head coaching job, is familiar with the club and we're betting on the transition being a seamless one.

This year’s club returns six starters and three arms from a 2018 team that went 27-13 and lost to the eventual state champions, Plainfield North, in the supersectionals. The 2019 team looks just as tough on paper, if not better. The current squad has six Division-I commits, four of them being seniors and all six of them having played varsity last spring. This Crusaders lineup should be the strength of the team. The three outfield spots should be occupied by D-I commits at all times, with Michael Bolton (Purdue commit), Danny Doligale (Illinois) and Kendall Pettis (Oklahoma) as the likely candidates. The versatile Brokemond and juniors Marquis Jackson (Oklahoma) and Jack Payton (Louisville) also have the ability to play on the outfield grass, if required.

The more likely spots for both Brokemond and Jackson on an everyday basis should be somewhere on the infield, while Payton will handle the majority of the catching duties. Payton is one of the best defensive catchers in the state and a force with the bat. He hit in the heart of the order as a sophomore and had 20 doubles last season – his stock continues to ascend. INF Ryan Maher, a senior Heartland CC commit, can play anywhere on the infield and should see ample amount of time on the field this spring. Seniors C Michael Hopkins, OF Nolan McQuillan – as well as 2020 INFs Dylan Robertson and Jack Landmesser – will all push for time on the field as well.

As you can see, the Crusaders have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to position players. Time will tell how the lineup exactly shapes up but Coach McBride will have plenty of options and pieces to work with.

On the mound, there are a few more question marks. The Crusaders lack the true, shut-down ace that every team desires. Looking at this staff, it is arguably more talented and experienced than last year’s group. Senior RHPs Eli Sweiss (43 innings), Eric Diaz (28), and Lou Latino (22) return after throwing a number of meaningful innings last spring. Add in the aforementioned Laux, and you have four quality arms with big game experience. Another arm who was a surprising contributor last spring was Marquis Jackson, who is more known for his physical left-handed bat and hard-nosed position play. Jackson was used as a key weapon out of the bullpen and can run his fastball into the mid-to-upper 80s. One of the biggest unknowns to the staff will be junior RHP Micah Gouwens. Gouwens has battled the injury bug over the last year but seems to be fully healthy heading into 2019. Gouwens is a loose-bodied 6-foot-1, 165-pound, projectable right-hander who has been up to 87 mph with a sweeping breaking ball. If he continues to progress and stay healthy, Gouwens gives Brother Rice yet another interesting arm whose role could evolve as the season progresses. A few 2021s who potentially could add to the depth of the staff are: LHP Mike Bernas and RHPs Ben Guzek and Sebastian Barrera.

BOTTOM LINE

Brother Rice will once again have to navigate a loaded CCL that features three teams in our preseason top five. With that loaded schedule, they undoubtedly will lose some games along the way, with the hope being that it helps prepare McBride & Co. for the one-and-done gauntlet of the postseason playoffs.

Expectations are high for new head coach, but he has an experienced group around him and one that has a supersectional run under their belt from last season. Brother Rice has a good a chance as any team in the state to make it to Joliet, a place they haven’t been since 2007.

Make sure to follow @PBRIllinois on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2019 season.