By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will count down the Top 50 preseason teams every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

Team: Glenbrook South
Preseason Rank: 36
2014 Record: 29-6
Conference: Central Suburban South
IHSA Class: 4A 
Head Coach: Steve Stanicek
Playoff Run: Lost in Sectional Semifinals
2014 Final Rank: 10
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 2

TOP PLAYERS
Name, Position, Class (College Commitment)
Fitz Stadler, RHP, 2015 (Arizona State)
Jordan Libman, OF/LHP, 2016 (Illinois State)
Ben Samborn, INF/RHP, 2015
George Karavidas, INF/RHP, 2015
Connor Pauly, RHP/OF, 2015
Mike Henderson, OF, 2015
Justin Machado, INF, 2016
Billy Loggarakis, C, 2016
Michael Arkema, RHP, 2015
Andrew Kaczmarek, OF, 2016

X-FACTOR
Fitz Stadler.  The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Arizona State recruit gives the Titans a true dominant No. 1 starter. As a junior, Stadler earned PBR third-team All-State honors after he posted an 8-0 record with a 0.81 ERA. In 43.1 innings, he struck out 45 and had a 1.31 WHIP.

NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Justin Machado. The 6-foot junior infielder may possibly fill one of the vacancies on the left side of the infield.

KEY PLAYERS LOST
OF Cody Carroll (Bradley)
SS Mario Tursi (SIU-Edwardsville)
RHP Conor McCarthy (Villanova)
3B Tommy O’Hara (Tufts)

STAT RAT
Over the last two seasons, the Titans have a 55-13 record, which includes two consecutive Central Suburban South championships.

OUTLOOK
The Titans graduated a lot of high-end talent from last year’s squad that was ranked in the top 10 for most of the spring season. Nevertheless, they still have the building blocks in place to enjoy another 20-win season. Fitz Stadler returns to anchor a relatively inexperienced pitching staff, but one that has plenty of options.  The big question surrounding the Titans will be their offensive production after graduating several top-of-the-order producers. Look for junior Jordan Libman, an Illinois State recruit, to make a significant impact, both with his left-handed bat and on the mound.  Connor Pauly is the only returner in the outfield. George Karavidas and Ben Samborn, who are both two-way performers, also return. While on paper this may not be the most talented Titans team in recent years, coach Steve Stanicek always gets the most out of his players, dating back to his years at Lockport.

BOTTOM LINE
The Titans have question marks in several areas, but they feature solid depth around the diamond. Glenbrook South still has enough horses to win its third straight Central Suburban South crown. But how far the Titans advance in the postseason will depend on their ability to score runs.

Preseason Countdown

+ Top 50 Preseason Countdown Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2015 Rankings

+ June Event Schedule