Prep Baseball Report

Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 14 Crystal Lake South


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: Crystal Lake South
Preseason Rank: 14
2019 Record: 24-11
Conference: Fox Valley
IHSA Class: 3A
Head Coach: Brian Bogda
Playoff Run: Sectional Championship appearance
2019 Final Rank: On The Bubble
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 9

TOP PLAYERS

NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POSITION COMMITMENT
Jacob Bimbi IL Crystal Lake South 2020 LHP/OF Wabash Valley JC
Ben Peltz IL Crystal Lake South 2020 C McHenry County JC
Nick DiBenedetto IL Crystal Lake South 2020 INF/RHP Loras College
Alejandro Mendez IL Crystal Lake South 2020 INF/RHP -
Ian Gorken IL Crystal Lake South 2020 INF/OF Augustana (IL; football)
Jake Skirpan IL Crystal Lake South 2020 OF -
Ryan Murtaugh IL Crystal Lake South 2020 LHP -
Dominic Guzman IL Crystal Lake South 2021 RHP -
Nate Freeze IL Crystal Lake South 2021 OF -
William Frisch IL Crystal Lake South 2021 RHP -
Ysen Useni IL Crystal Lake South 2022 1B/RHP -


key players lost

NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POSITION COMMITMENT
Kyle Hetherington IL Crystal Lake South 2019 OF Rend Lake JC
Beiker Fuentes IL Crystal Lake South 2019 OF Wabash Valley JC
Patrick Fischer IL Crystal Lake South 2019 UTL -


NEWCOMER TO WATCH

Sophomore Ysen Useni landed on our radar after several impressive and advanced showings in both showcase settings and live game action. Listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Useni has a stout lower half that helps him generate advanced strength from both the rubber and the right-handed batter’s box. Given the depth of arms on South’s staff right now, Useni won’t necessarily be leaned on to provide shutdown innings for the Gators – but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t. This winter, Useni was up to 87 mph and he’s shown a propensity to mix in strikes with the potential for swing-and-miss offspeed.

This spring, however, Useni has the potential to see everyday at-bats from either the DH role or while taking over the first base role. He swings a short, quick bat that’s created some advanced off-the-barrel contact for us, so we’ll see what he’s able to accomplish in his first spring on Crystal Lake South’s campus, as a transfer from Maine South.

Ysen Useni (2/16/20)

X-FACTOR

LHP/OF Jacob Bimbi popped up at a winter PBR Wisconsin showcase in 2019 and he continued to climb up our rankings and until he eventually landed a commitment to JUCO powerhouse Wabash Valley in the late summer. His live arm from the left side has been into the upper-80s for us in the past, and it’s his best next-level trait, but he’s an athlete who will roam the outfield when he isn’t pitching. The Gators have a couple of arms who could further emerge as a No. 1 option as the season goes on, and Bimbi is, at this stage, the best bet to do so. 

Regardless, his role in the rotation is a substantial one and he’s going to help the team find runs to support himself when he’s pitching, and his fellow staffmates when he isn't.

Jacob Bimbi (5/14/19)

OUTLOOK

The Gators are returning 200-plus innings to their pitching staff in 2020, a team that won 24 games en route to an upset victory over in-town rivals Prairie Ridge in the Sectional Semis. South fell in the next round to Grayslake Central, but when reflecting on last spring, this crew achieved a lot and many of the same faces that helped them on their postseason run return this year.

Offensive staples like Kyle Hetherington (Rend Lake JC) and Beiker Fuentes (Wabash Valley JC) graduated, so while this staunch rotation is intact, they’ll be in search of replacing those runs lost. Physical sophomore Useni will help instantaneously, but there’s a few upside upperclassmen who have been on the rise this winter, too, like switch-hitting OF Nate Freeze. Freeze (2021) is a lean 6-foot-2 athlete who made big gains from last winter to this one, and he showed well at a couple preseason events as a result. He creates leverage from both sides of the plate that should help him support this deep Gators staff on the scoreboard.

Freeze will bolster this 2020 class on offense, reinforcing several two-way types who can pull their weight at the plate when they’re not pitching, like Bimbi. Freeze’s 2020 has the potential to be somewhat reminiscent of Bimbi’s 2019. Seniors Nick DiBenedetto and Alejandro Mendez are two more two-way type to be leaned on here. They’re first and foremost infielders who will have large offensive responsibilities to this team, but they can help from the mound, too. DiBenedetto is a submariner who is especially effective out of the ‘pen. Ian Gorken is preparing for his final spring on the diamond before moving onto football full-time in college. His return is instrumental to the offense, as he led last year’s team in doubles and RBIs. LHP Ryan Murtaugh and OF Jake Skirpan will also help navigate this season as two more seniors to follow.

Another on-the-rise name to know fresh off a strong showing at the Preseason All-State is RHP Dominic Guzman (2021), who remains uncommitted. He’s a 6-foot-3, 190-pound righty who ran his fastball up to 90 mph at the event, mixing in a changeup with swing-and-miss fading action. He earned innings last spring as a sophomore, too, grooming an ERA of 1.29 against FVC opponents which helped him get credited with three wins. 

And count RHP William Frisch as another junior arm on this staff who earned his share of work as an underclassman in 2019. He’s a long-levered 6-foot righty who was up to 84 mph at an event in February who’s surely going to carve out some role for himself on this staff.

Doing all the receiving for this experienced and talented rotation is senior Ben Peltz, a McHenry County JC commit. His strong left-handed bat was etched into the middle of this order last year, so he’ll have a crucial role as both a defender and run-producer in 2020.

BOTTOM LINE

The ever-competitive Fox Valley has produced feisty, talented teams that repped the conference at state in recent years, and the fight for the FVC crown will be especially hard fought this spring. South’s concoction of senior influence and rising juniors – with some impact sophomores lurking – could propel the Gators to the top of this rigorous conference. The experience gathered from last year’s underdog Sectional Semifinal run could prove to be the ingredient that pushes them back to Joliet for the first time since they won it all in 2017.

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

Find more information on the 2020 Gators below:

+ Full Schedule
+ Team Twitter

PBR ILLINOIS PRESEASON POWER 25