The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 16, 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 2020 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 2020 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Lake Forest
Preseason Rank: On The Bubble
2019 Record: 25-11
Conference: North Suburban Conference
IHSA Class: 3A
Head Coach: Ray Del Fava
Playoff Run: Sectional Finals appearance
2019 Final Rank: On the Bubble
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 5

OUTLOOK

The Scouts return a number of key contributors from a 25-win 2019 squad, but most importantly they welcome back their top two arms, senior LHP’s Michael Vallone (DePauw commit) and Connor Morrison (uncommitted). Both arms have ace stuff, quality varsity experience and can potentially beat anyone in the state come playoff time. Another arm at the Scout’s disposal is RHP Robby Gray. Gray, an unsigned senior, has a strong 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame and sits 82-84 mph with his fastball. 

With the graduation of SS Peter Turelli (Wisconsin-Whitewater), senior SS Breck Nowik (UIC commit) will look to lead the way positionally. Nowik has a projectable 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame and a potent right-handed swing, primed to be one of the key run producers in the lineup. Other seniors who could provide depth to the squad are C Anthony Ranallo (Coe College), OF Luke Chlystek (John Carroll), 2B Steve Antrim (Carleton College) and RHP Ryan Antrim (Carleton College). A young prospect to keep an eye on in the coming year is sophomore RHP/INF Cade Nowik, Breck’s younger brother. Cade is a three-sport athlete who has been up to 84 mph on the mound and can handle the bat. 

The Scouts will be looking for much needed depth throughout the season, if they hope to repeat or surpass their impressive 2019 campaign. If they get it from a few unlikely sources, Lake Forest has the top-end arms and middle-of-the-order threats to make some noise come playoff time. 

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

Breck Nowik (8/6/19)

Make sure to follow @PBRIllinois on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2020 season.

Find more information on the 2020 Scouts below:

+ Full Schedule
+ Team Twitter

MORE ON THE BUBBLE