Prep Baseball Report

Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 10 Huntley


By Andy Sroka
Staff Writer, Associate Scout

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: Huntley
Preseason Rank: 10
2019 Record: 28-10
Conference: Fox Valley
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Andy Jakubowski
Playoff Run: Sectional Semifinals appearance
2019 Final Rank: 16
Returning Starters: 4
Returning Pitchers: 6

TOP PLAYERS

NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POSITION COMMITMENT
Evan Tocmo IL Huntley 2020 OF/INF Rock Valley JC
Jimmy Fairley IL Huntley 2020 RHP/OF/1B Rock Valley JC
James Sibert IL Huntley 2020 RHP -
Brandon Besch IL Huntley 2020 OF Milw. School of Engin.
Christian Kasal IL Huntley 2020 RHP -
Tommy Giese IL Huntley 2020 RHP/1B Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Brice Klepfer IL Huntley 2020 C Maryville
Jake Lyon IL Huntley 2020 3B/UTL -
Joey Cauldren IL Huntley 2021 2B Purdue
Zach Isenegger IL Huntley 2021 LHP -
Mitchell Jones IL Huntley 2021 LHP -
Jake Jakubowski IL Huntley 2021 RHP -
Tyler Castro IL Huntley 2021 2B/SS -
Michael Moise IL Huntley 2021 RHP -
Alex Janke IL Huntley 2021 OF -
Brandon Hanley IL Huntley 2022 C -
Brayden Bakes IL Huntley 2023 OF -
Ryan Bakes IL Huntley 2023 C -
Andrew Ressler IL Huntley 2023 RHP -

 

KEY PLAYERS LOST

NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POSITION COMMITMENT
Hunter Rumachik IL Huntley 2019 1B/LHP McHenry County JC
A.J. Henkle IL Huntley 2019 OF McHenry County JC
Eli Paplanus IL Huntley 2019 RHP Milw. School of Engin.
Kyle Maurer IL Huntley 2019 RHP McHenry County JC
Dylan Janke IL Huntley 2019 C Indiana-Kokomo
Jackson Broom IL Huntley 2019 INF Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Davis Pasco IL Huntley 2019 RHP Aurora
Josh Tarlin IL Huntley 2019 1B Harper College
Massimo Mescino IL Huntley 2019 OF -
Michael Talesky IL Huntley 2019 INF -
Zach Model IL Huntley 2019 INF -
Jason Peters IL Huntley 2019 INF McHenry County JC
Troy Hanson IL Huntley 2019 RHP -


NEWCOMER TO WATCH

Huntley doesn’t typically need to reach into its freshman class to reshape its team for the spring – not that it needs to in 2020 – but there are some high-level 2023s who just made it to campus who might be in the right place at the right time. Twins Brayden and Ryan Bakes are two physical 5-foot-9 prospects, both athletically advanced for their age. Brayden, an outfielder, is fleet of foot and it could earn him the opportunity to start in Huntley’s outfield at some point in 2020. He also swings a quick-twitch left-handed bat. Similarly, Ryan is athletic behind the plate and he’s topped at 80 mph from the crouch. He’s a right-handed hitter, unlike his brother, who swings a compact, quick bat. There’s a senior in the way of Ryan on the depth chart, so his path to playing time is less clear than Brayden’s, but the Red Raiders will have the luxury of having both of them for four years.

Freshman RHP Andrew Ressler topped 83 mph this winter and looks like a follow inside the state’s 2023 class, but Huntley’s strength on paper is its depth of arms. Ressler has a clean, quick arm, pounds the zone and has presence on the mound. Ressler is another to watch over the coming years.

Brayden Bakes (2/16/20)

X-FACTOR

Multi-positional prospect Evan Tocmo, a senior Rock Valley JC commit, is a three-year varsity starter who will shoulder the bulk of the offensive load in 2020. Tocmo had nine extra-base hits in his junior spring, and his natural barrel feel should help him handle the added offensive responsibilities in his final prep spring. Because of Tocmo’s versatility, he’ll occupy the spot on defense where Huntley needs him most. There are several juniors who will be making their varsity debuts, more or less, and depending on where they slot best defensively, Tocmo will pick up the slack elsewhere – one of his many strengths. His well-rounded profile will pace the team, but the Red Raiders may be looking for runs, at times, in 2020, so any boost Tocmo’s added to his right-handed bat will be eagerly welcomed.

Evan Tocmo (2/10/19)

OUTLOOK

The Fox Valley Conference continues to churn out state title contenders, year after year, and Huntley is becoming a perennial power in the northwest suburbs. After making a run to the 4A state title game in 2018, they looked more than capable of getting back to Joliet in 2019 before running into the state’s best pitcher, Quinn Priester, and Cary-Grove in the sectional semis.

Despite graduating more than a handful of go-to contributors on both the 2018 and ‘19 squads, Huntley looks like the type of program that can restock on an annual basis, and this batch of juniors and underclassmen set to introduce themselves to varsity ball this year can make an instant impact.

Of the holes the Red Raiders are looking to plug, this 2021 class seems as if they have the talent to allow Huntley to jolt from the starting line (whenever that will be). We saw a handful of Huntley’s incoming juniors over the winter, like versatile prospect Tyler Castro. He’s a lanky, projectable 6-foot-1, left-handed hitting middle infielder who should earn some work from the mound, too. Our staff also saw RHP Michael Moise break out at the McHenry I.D. in late January, where he was up to 86 mph. Huntley returns over 70 innings from last year’s squad, but they’ll need juniors like Castro and Moise to chip in from the mound, with room to carve out more regular opportunities.

RHP Jake Jakubowski, is another junior who will likely be counted on to record outs for this Red Raiders staff. He lives in the 75-76 mph range, but he makes for an uncomfortable at-bat, working from a quick and athletic submarine slot. It’s not easy to repeat strikes from that release point, and that’s what separates Jakubowksi from other drop-down arms his age. He routinely pounds the bottom of the strike zone with advanced feel for his breaking ball and changeup, too. He has the chance to make a substantial and unique influence in some form.

Integrating these useful juniors to this deep 2020 class is Huntley’s strength on paper.

We broke down Tocmo’s critical role to the success of this team earlier, but the Red Raiders will also need senior RHP Jimmy Fairley, another Rock Valley JC commit, to pick up where he left off in 2019. He recorded 31 innings last spring and groomed a 1.81 ERA over that span. Huntley might not have a single ace-type arm, but their faith in Fairley is paramount to the team. Fellow seniors on staff like James Sibert, Tommy Giese, Christian Kasal, Zach Isenegger, and Mitchell Jones will have expanded on-mound roles. Sibert, Giese, and Kasal will specifically attempt to shore up the staff, and each offers some upside from the bump on their own.

This deep rotation of effective strike-throwers will help stifle opposing offenses, keeping Huntley in most every game. However, its reliance on underclassmen, juniors, and even senior talent to make positive strides this spring could be its downfall.

Castro and OF Alex Janke will be asked to assume the role as run manufacturers ASAP, as will 3B/UTL Jake Lyon. The Bakes brothers could be the shot in the arm this offense needs, but it could, understandably, take the two some time to adjust to a higher level of competition than they’re accustomed to. Sophomore Brandon Hanley has the right-handed bat that should acclimate to varsity ball, it just might take him some time to get there.

BOTTOM LINE

The Red Raiders are one of the fortunate programs in the state that are able to consistently retool itself by infusing up-and-coming young talent in their program. The Red Raiders have won 25-plus games in each of the last four years, including the state runner-up in 2018. Head coach Andy Jakubowski is known for getting the most out of his talent and he will have a mixture of all classes to work with this spring. 

Expect Huntley to once again be in the mix for a Fox Valley Championship and ready to make a run to Joliet when the playoffs roll around. 

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

Find more information on the 2019 Red Raiders below:

Full Schedule
Team Twitter

PBR ILLINOIS PRESEASON POWER 25

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