Prep Baseball Report

Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 7 Edwardsville


By Andy Sroka
Staff Writer

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: Edwardsville
Preseason Rank: 7
2018 Record: 26-10
Conference: Southwestern
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Tim Funkhouser
Playoff Run: Regional Final
2018 Final Rank: 15
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 5

TOP PLAYERS

Name State School Class Pos Commitment

Dawson Taylor

IL

Edwardsville

2019

RHP

John A. Logan JC

Matthew Boyer

IL

Edwardsville

2019

RHP

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Josh Ohl

IL

Edwardsville

2019

SS

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville

Jack Cooper

IL

Edwardsville

2019

INF


Blake Burris

IL

Edwardsville

2019

OF


Joe Copeland

IL

Edwardsville

2019

OF

McKendree

Jonathon Yancik

IL

Edwardsville

2019

RHP


Grant Schaefer

IL

Edwardsville

2019

RHP


Dalton Wallace

IL

Edwardsville

2019

C


Max Ringering

IL

Edwardsville

2019

INF

John A. Logan JC

Aaron Young

IL

Edwardsville

2019

OF


Joe Toscano

IL

Edwardsville

2019

OF


Trent Moore

IL

Edwardsville

2019

RHP/1B


Drake Westcott

IL

Edwardsville

2020

1B

Louisville

William Range

IL

Edwardsville

2020

RHP


Nick Hemken

IL

Edwardsville

2020

C/OF/RHP


Hayden Moore

IL

Edwardsville

2021

OF

Missouri State


KEY PLAYERS LOST

Cole Hampton, INF/OF (Missouri S&T)
Reid Hendrickson, RHP (Central Missouri)
Collin Elvers, C (Lincoln Land CC)
Chase Gockel, RHP (Parkland College)

NEWCOMER TO WATCH

Year after year, the Tigers reload the chamber to compete in the Southwestern Conference as one of the deepest teams in the state. They lost a few of their everyday contributors from 2018, but are still returning six starters and five arms that helped lift this squad to a 26-10 record. Still, of the few holes they have to fill, they can look to new faces William Range and Hayden Moore to help further stabilize their rotation and lineup.

Range is a junior right-handed arm with an upside frame, standing in at 6-foot-3, 175 pounds. Edwardsville’s pitching staff is locked and loaded this spring, with a handful of its go-to arms having reportedly put in the work over the offseason, but Range is talented enough to force his way into a role of some kind on the staff. He was up to 88 mph in mid-February at a PBR Missouri scout day, and could be another useful arm for head coach Tim Funkhouser to utilize as he determines who is set to back up the experienced front of his rotation.

As for Moore, the sophomore is a versatile prospect and recently committed to Missouri State at the start of the new year. He’s likely going to be starting in an everyday role on the outfield grass, but is capable of playing an up-the-middle spot in the infield, too. Long-term, Moore projects as an offensive catalyst – a top-of-the-order switch-hitter, who’s actually shown our staff a little bit of sneaky pop, as well. While he might need some more live, in-game reps before taking over on an everyday basis, Moore is set to contribute on both sides of the ball this spring anyhow.

Hayden Moore (10.13.18)


X-FACTOR

It feels as if Drake Westcott has been smashing through spring ball for longer than just a couple years, but the first base prospect is still just a junior, and is well-seasoned and the obvious Tiger to jumpstart the heart of the middle of this lineup.

Westcott was a PBR First Team All-State selection last June, after hitting a remarkable .519 with 21 extra-base hits in the spring – including seven home runs. It’s hard to fathom the kind of numbers the Louisville commit could put up in his junior and senior springs, now that the players and pitchers around him are finally his age.

And with all that being said, we just had the opportunity to see Westcott up and close again last month at our Preseason All-State event, where the junior bopper came away as the No. 2-ranked prospect at the premier showcase. His bat is that special; loose and strong with the force to do all kinds of damage on the regular. Funkhouser’s daily lineup is going to be deep, and it’s among the tops in Illinois because of the destruction Westcott is capable of on his own.

Drake Westcott (2.10.19)


OUTLOOK

There aren’t many teams in the state who can describe themselves as balanced, or as well-rounded, while simultaneously angling for a shot at a 4A state title, but that’s precisely what Edwardsville looks like in the opening week of the season.

Funkhouser will have the luxury of mixing starting lineups to find the one that fits perfectly in their march back to the state playoffs. While he does that, senior staples Josh Ohl and Jack Cooper will more than adequately cushion Westcott in the lineup, allowing the Tigers to charge through the early parts of the season while they sort out how to fit the right pieces onto the 2019 roster puzzle. Ohl, an Southern Illinois-Edwardsville commit, will be the Tigers’ starting shortstop, and is a reliable defender at the toughest position on the infield. He hit .293 for Edwardsville last spring, and has the traits to take another step forward offensively this year. As for Cooper, it seems as if he’s in the running to be this team’s second-best bat. He’s penciled in to hit right behind Westcott in the order, and after slugging over .500 in 2018, he’s fit for the job. The uncommitted senior will probably bounce between third and second base on defense.

Fellow seniors Blake Burris and Joe Copeland will arrange themselves in some order in the outfielder with Moore. Burris, still uncommitted, was one of this team’s most productive bats as a junior, while Copeland, a McKendree commit, has good speed and a solid feel for the strike zone.

Despite having lost a couple of its regular arms from last spring, Edwardsville is still rostering among the region’s deeper staffs, if not, one of the state’s deepest. Led by senior righties Dawson Taylor and Matthew Boyer, the duo combined for over 37 innings last spring and Boyer was the first arm called upon out of the bullpen in their regional title game against rivals O’Fallon. The Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit was bested in his relief appearance and dealt the extra-innings loss, but he’s still going to be one of this team’s most dependable pitchers, and is returning his 1.94 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched as a junior.

There have been reports of Taylor working in the low 90s against live hitters in the early parts of this spring, which would give the Tigers another starter with No. 1 potential – and one with some serious upside and ace-like stuff. Right now, there isn’t an obvious leader of the staff, but that can be positive sign and proof of their depth. If the John A. Logan commit continues to ascend, he and Boyer could really help Edwardsville improve on its 26-win campaign from a year ago, especially if they’re handed the kind of run support we expect them to be.

A trademark sign of a good Edwardsville team is the depth surrounding the aforementioned names. Seniors like right-handed pitchers Jonathon Yancik, Trent Moore, and Grant Schaefer will help round out this staff, while infielder Max Ringering, another John A. Logan commit, and outfielders Aaron Young and Joe Toscano provide even more evidence of the type of talent taking Tom Pile Field.

Also, watch for all-purpose junior Nick Hemken to make his mark somehow. He was at Preseason All-State with Westcott last month and has the talent to become this staff’s primary battery mate, back it up in the outfield, or even eat some innings himself.

BOTTOM LINE

The theme in Edwardsville is a familiar one: The Tigers are one of the state’s deepest programs and are capable of another lengthy run at state. Unlike in years past, neighbors O’Fallon are dealing with an uncharacteristic rebuild and may not be the juggernaut we're used to seeing, thus making the Tigers’ path to the postseason a little lighter than what they’re accustomed to.

Still, this team has some work to do before its road north to Joliet is paved, but the foundation has been laid to make the trip totally achievable.

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

Find more information on the 2019 Tigers below:

+ Full Schedule
+ Team Website
+ GameChanger
+ Team Twitter

PRESEASON POWER 25 COUNTDOWN