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: St. Joseph-Ogden
Preseason Rank: On The Bubble
2019 Record: 27-9
Conference: Illini Prairie
IHSA Class: 2A
Head Coach: Josh Haley
Playoff Run: Sectional Finals appearance
2019 Final Rank: On The Bubble
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 7

OUTLOOK

The depth of this pitching staff is what has SJO’s sights set on Peoria as part of the 2A title race. The Spartans won 27 games in 2019 and their three best arms are locked and loaded back inside their rotation, and they have the healthy depth to relieve them as the dog days enter the picture.

Arguably their top returner, Crayton Burnett (2021; uncommitted) has two-way responsibilities, all while operating as the ace of staff. We just saw Burnett at the Preseason All-State where he sat 83-85 mph from a ¾ slot with effective offspeed. He was SJO’s everyday shortstop as a sophomore last spring, too, hitting .353 with 34 RBIs along the way.

Fellow junior RHP Zach Martinie (2021; uncommitted) joined Burnett at the aforementioned showcase event last month, sitting 81-83 mph with arm-side action, also from a ¾ slot. He was primarily utilized as a reliever last spring and punched out 20 batters in just as many innings. 

Lake Land JC commit and senior Keegan McCarty groomed a sub-2.00 ERA in 54 innings in 2019 with strikeout stuff – he notched a 17 K game last year. Another senior, Drew Coursey (uncommitted), will likely serve as the team’s second baseman and has been a member of this varsity roster all four of his years now in St. Joseph. He hit over .320 and drove in 23 runs as a junior. And unsigned seniors Jaden Miller and  Brayden Weaver are a lot like Coursey – both four-year starters who pull their weight on offense.

SJO will be relying on inexperienced underclassmen in order to make it to state. Coby Miller (2022) will likely be the team’s starting catcher, an important role for a team rostering this kind of pitching. And there are a couple freshmen here that could make an impact that we’ll be tuning in to see.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

Crayton Burnett (2/9/20)

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

Find more information on the 2020 Spartans below:

+ Full Schedule
+ Team Twitter

MORE ON THE BUBBLE