Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 3 Joliet Catholic

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: Joliet Catholic Academy
Preseason Rank: 3
2018 Record: 31-6
Conference: East Suburban Catholic
IHSA Class: 3A
Head Coach: Jared Voss
Playoff Run: Sectional Final
2018 Final Rank: 7
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 3

TOP PLAYERS

NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POSITION	COMMITMENT
Max Cullen	IL	Joliet Catholic	2019	1B	Loras College
Jared Cushing	IL	Joliet Catholic	2019	SS	Texas Tech
Tony Fleischauer	IL	Joliet Catholic	2019	2B	Grand Valley State
Zachary Gould	IL	Joliet Catholic	2019	RHP	Illinois-Chicago
Michael Gurka	IL	Joliet Catholic	2019	RHP	Minnesota
Nick Iannantone	IL	Joliet Catholic	2019	OF	Johnson County CC
Alex Vera	IL	Joliet Catholic	2019	LHP	Illinois
Gregory Ziegler	IL	Joliet Catholic	2019	OF	Missouri State
Zach Hise	IL	Joliet Catholic	2020	RHP
Christian Knapczyk	IL	Joliet Catholic	2020	SS	Louisville
Alberto Lamas	IL	Joliet Catholic	2020	RHP

KEY LOSSES

NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POSITION	COMMITMENT
Matt Bebar	IL	Joliet Catholic	2018	OF	North Central College
Justin Conant	IL	Joliet Catholic	2018	SS	Ball State
Simon Grashoff	IL	Joliet Catholic	2018	C
Ryan Surin	IL	Joliet Catholic	2018	LHP	St. Louis
Aidan Tyrell	IL	Joliet Catholic	2018	LHP	Notre Dame

STAT RAT

Six. The number of Division-I commits currently on the roster, with more sure to come. The loaded roster should be led offensively by seniors OF/RHP Greg Ziegler (Missouri State commit), INF Jared Cushing (Texas Tech commit), and junior INF Christian Knapczyk (Louisville commit).

X-FACTOR

LHP Alex Vera. The senior Illinois commit is coming off a stellar junior season and could be the key to the Hilltoppers pitching staff this spring. Last spring, the Hilltopper staff featured five D-I arms and it was Vera who had the best statistical season. Vera threw 54.1 innings, struck out 63, and had a minuscule 0.64 ERA. With the departure of last year’s ace LHP Aidan Tyrell, who is now a freshman at Notre Dame, look for Vera to be the next left-hander to warrant the “ace” status. Vera is calm and confident on the mound, is not fazed by the big moment, and has an advanced feel for pitching. He sits comfortably in the mid-80s, can add and subtract when needed, and can throw any pitch in any count. That's a recipe for success at any level.

Alex Vera (9.15.18)

OUTLOOK

Joliet Catholic, last year’s No. 1-ranked team on the 2018 Preseason Power 25, featured nine D-I players. Well, three have since graduated and the Hilltoppers are down to only six D-I commits... hence the sarcasm. Joliet Catholic, once again, looks to be one of the best teams in the state. They have the depth, balance and high-level talent for one to think they are the team to beat in the 3A class.

On the mound, they have five arms, all with varsity experience, each of whom could be the ace of 90 percent of the teams across the state. At the top of the list is Vera, who was talked about at length above. Joining him is senior RHPs Zachary Gould (Illinois-Chicago commit), Michael Gurka (Minnesota), OF/RHP Greg Ziegler (Missouri State), and junior RHP Zach Hise. Hise in the only one of the aforementioned names without a D-I commitment, but he surely has multiple offers on the table and he's one of the top 2020 arms in the state. He has a 6-foot-3, 190-pound, wide-shoulder build, a loose, clean arm, sits in the mid-to-upper 80s, and flashes a swing-and-miss slider thrown aggressively. Other arms who could see time this spring are 2020s RHP Alberto Lamas and LHP Josh Ragusa.

Five starters return to the offensive lineup in ‘19. Senior C/INF Tony Fleischauer (Grand Valley State) is back after his breakout campaign last season when he hit .386 with 21 RBIs. Dynamic two-way talent and four-year varsity starter Greg Ziegler is back after leading the offense in hitting last season – amassing a .402 batting average with 35 runs scored and 36 RBIs. Ziegler also plays an advanced center field and is a force on the mound. The left side of the infield is where you should find junior Christian Knapczyk (Louisville) and senior Jared Cushing (Texas Tech), both are three-year varsity starters. Knapczyk is a high-level athlete and left-handed hitter that impacts the game in a number of ways. Cushing hit .314 and drove in 30 runs last season, and is a smooth infield defender. Loras commit and senior Max Cullen should occupy first base and is yet another returner who hit over .300 last season (.326; 17 RBIs). Another talented senior to keep an eye on is OF Nick Iannantone a Johnson County CC commit. Iannantone, also a standout running back on the football team that won state this fall, is a physically-advanced left-handed hitter with power in his bat.

A few other 2020s of note who could make an impact on JCA's title chances this spring: CIF Danny Wuestenfeld, INF Nate Gehrke, and C Joe Batusich. Two sophomores coming through the ranks to keep an eye on moving forward: OF Ben Stoner and INF Brody Munch.

BOTTOM LINE

The Hilltoppers can't be satisfied with the way last season ended. Arguably the favorites to win the 3A state title, they were upended in the sectional championship by a tough Coal City squad. This year’s group, largely intact from 2018, should have a chip on the shoulder come mid-May.

With three class 3A squads sitting in the top 10 of the Preseason Power 25, a road to state will certainly not be easy but the Hilltoppers have the balance, talent, depth, and experience to get it done in 2019. Only time will tell.

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