Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 17 Libertyville

The Wildcats were one of the more exciting teams on paper last season but failed to meet their expectation, losing in their Regional's semifinals. A handful of impact players from that roster are gone and Libertyville enters 2020 with an inexperienced, yet talented group. 

Andrew Kim (Illinois), Tanner Kelly (Illinois State), Garrison Bennett (Missouri), and Ryan Klainos (Valparaiso) are four Division-I commits that were vital pieces to the success the Wildcats had last season and each leaves an important hole that the young Wildcats will have to fill. 

Luckily, coach Thompson’s squad seems ready to reload and has depth scattered throughout his roster. The aforementioned RHP Connor Lockwood (2021; uncommitted) should lead the way on the mound but he is not the only quality arm on staff. 

Joining Lockwood on this staff is RHP/UTL Sam Paden (2020; Wisconsin-Whitewater). Paden is a competitive, all-around utility player for Libertyville who will be a major contributor on both sides of the ball. He’s a compact athlete that’s been up to 84 mph with his fastball that gets late arm-side run and should provide high-quality varsity innings. At the dish, Paden has sneaky power and should hit towards the top of the lineup and he's athletic enough to slide all over the diamond defensively.

Sam Paden (2.20.19)

Two juniors, RHP Connor Lutes (2021; uncommitted) and RHP Brady Wells (2021; uncommitted), mentioned above as one of the top newcomers, are two right-handers who are in line to get innings this season for the Wildcats. Lutes is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound arm who got some time on the mound last season and will be relied on to add quality depth. Wells has the upside to potentially impact the squad in a big way.

Offensively, the Wildcats will be led by several players returning from last year’s roster. Senior OF Dylan Drumke is an Eastern Illinois commit is arguably their top returning bat from 2019. Drumke hit 11 doubles in 2019 and tied for the team lead in RBIs with 21, too. Fellow seniors OF/C Cole Fiorenza (North Park), INF James Schmidt (uncommitted), and INF/OF Will Murphy (uncommitted) are in line to contribute in their own way as well. Fiorenza hit above .300 in 27 games last season, Schmidt is in line to see reps at shortstop, and Murphy is another versatile weapon that can play multiple positions for Libertyville.

Dylan Drumke (2.20.19)

C Gavin Bennett (2021; Illinois), the younger brother of the aforementioned Garrison, didn’t see much playing time as a sophomore, but is in line to take over a large chunk of playing time behind the dish left behind by his brother. He’s a left-handed hitting backstop with a short and simple swing that is tailored to make consistent hard contact to the large part of the field. Another junior, Matthew Robertson (uncommitted), is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound right-handed hitting first baseman that, like Bennett, received minimal playing time as a sophomore and could see more at-bats this season. He’s a first baseman by trade but could ultimately end up moving around the diamond to potentially fit other team needs. 

Two underclassmen to keep an eye on moving forward are RHP Jonathan Ciullo (2022; uncommitted) and RHP Connor Walters (2022; uncommitted). Ciullo is an athletic arm that consistently touched 82 mph with his fastball a few weeks ago in front of our staff. Walters is a highly projectable 6-foot-3 arm with a loose, quick arm and seems bound to make a jump in velocity at some point soon. They may not be needed in 2020 but they are talented arms in the system that Coach Thompson could call on if needed. 

BOTTOM LINE

The Wildcats have one of the deeper more complete teams in the Chicagoland area, on paper. One thing that this team lacks is varsity experience, as only a handful of players from this squad played on a consistent basis last season. 

Libertyville plays in a tough conference that may cause a few bumps in the road throughout the season but it should prepare them for what could be a deep run come playoff time. The pitching, defense, and depth to its bats are there, so all that is left is to play up to their potential. This spring should be a fun season for the Wildcats.

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