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: Oswego East
Preseason Rank: On The Bubble
2019 Record: 18-13
Conference: Southwest Prairie
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Matt Engelhardt
Playoff Run: Regional Finals appearance
2019 Final Rank: NR
Returning Starters: 7
Returning Pitchers: 4

OUTLOOK

Oswego East just missed out on winning a Regional last season and return seven starters from that team.

The Wolves could potentially end the season with one of the top overall pitching staffs in the state. Their talent and depth on the mound is plentiful to say the least. Senior right-hander Connor Gill (2020; Central Michigan) is their most experienced starter and will play some outfield on the days that he isn’t pitching. Joining him are two nationally ranked southpaws in Adam Dowler (2021; Louisville) and Noah Schultz (2022; Vanderbilt). Dowler is the No. 2 overall prospect in the state and is capable of taking over games on the mound with his stuff. Schultz is the No. 4 overall prospect in Illinois’ 2022 class. He’s a highly projectable 6-foot-7 arm that makes for an uncomfortable at-bat and is primed to potentially make a splash on varsity at some point.

It doesn’t end there for the Wovles. Tyler Heidkamp (2020; Parkland commit) is a top 100 prospect in his class and is athletic on the mound with a mid-80s fastball from the left side. He’s capable of sliding into their rotation if need be. Cole Collander (2021; uncommitted) is another hard-throwing arm that should see time at both first base and on the mound for Coach Engelhardt. 

While they don’t have the firepower at the plate that they do on the mound, Oswego East does have some strong offensive contributors in seniors Jacob Ferry (2020; Morehead State), Alex Kelsch (2020; Loras) and Andrew Petsche (2020; Purdue-Northwest). Ferry is a left-handed hitter with a knack for the barrel and flashes pull-side power. Kelsch is hard-nosed and should be penciled in towards the top-of-the-order for the Wolves. Petsche has a physical presence to him behind the dish and has present pull-side raw power in his swing. All three of these will be key pieces to Coach Engelhardt’s offense.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

Connor Gill (2/10/19)

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

Find more information on the 2020 Wolves below:

+ Full Schedule
+ Team Twitter

MORE ON THE BUBBLE