Top-10 Stories of 2022: No. 5 Year One Success At The Illinois State Games

On Aug. 9 and 10 of this year, PBR Illinois hosted its first Illinois State Games at the Rantoul Family Sports Complex in Rantoul, Ill. This two-day, invite-only event was the first of its kind, consisting of a workout that occurred on the morning of Day One, followed by live gameplay through the remainder of the day and all of Day Two. Over 160 of the top prospects in the state competed in the event and were broken down into 10 teams. The lineups and rosters were assembled by our staff and players played three simulated games against each other, featuring players representing grad classes 2023 through 2026.

In total, 70 players who entered the event uncommitted have gone on to make commitments in the four months since the event took place with many more on the way. Of those 70 commits, 19 have been to Division I schools.

Following the event we also chose a Most Valuable Player Award, along with a Most Valuable Pitcher:

LHP/1B Patrick Gardner (Lemont; 2023) took home the Most Valuable Player award and committed to Heartland CC this fall. Here is what we had to say on Gardner’s performance:

Perhaps the biggest winner from the event’s second day was LHP/1B Patrick Gardner (Lemont, 2023). At 6-foot-4, 230-pounds, Gardner displayed easy bat strength nestled inside that physical frame, finishing the day with six hits in total and multiple extra-base hits to the opposite field. He also hopped on the mound and struck out six of seven batters faced over two innings pitched, pitching in the low-80s with his fastball while spotting both of his secondary offerings for strikes. Still uncommitted, Gardner certainly caught our attention throughout the weekend.

The Most Valuable Pitcher went to RHP Dominic Voegele (Columbia, 2023) who committed to Kansas this fall:

From the Takeaways story (8/15/22): The event’s most electric pitching performance came from RHP Dominic Voegele (Columbia, 2023), who toed the rubber Wednesday afternoon. Standing at a lean 6-foot-2, 180-pounds with upside, Voegele easily pumped his fastball at 90-91 mph, touching 92 mph with more left in the tank, and commanded it to both corners of the plate. Voegele threw two breaking balls with distinct shapes, too. He tossed a more gradual 75-79 mph breaking ball at 2,600+ RPM, landing it more comfortably for strikes, while turning to a firm low-80s slider as a more swing-and-miss pitch at 2,550+ RPM. Voegele impressed at the plate throughout the event, staying up the middle from a short, quick right-handed stroke. A high level athlete who’s a multi-sport standout at Columbia, Voegele remains a top-end uncommitted prospect in Illinois.

Dominic Voegele

The talent of the event was eye-opening, especially with this being the inaugural year.

+ 70 commits
+ 19 D1 commits
+ 35 arms 85+ mph
+ 33 Sub-7.0 60s. 
+ 19 Peak Exit Velocities of 96+ mph
+ 15 INF velocities of 83+ mph.
+ 11 OF velocities of 87+ mph
+ 12 catcher velocities of 78+ mph
+ 9 sub-2.0 pop times

Shortly following the event we looked at some of the top performers from each team in our “Takeaways” article FOUND HERE. 

Throughout the course of the event, we were able to capture much of the action on social media. Below are some of the more noteworthy moments and prospects from the event:

After popping at the #PBRFG22, LHP Jack Bauer (@LWEastBaseball, 2025) continues to show high-follow stuff for his age.

6-foot-2. 175-pound frame.

FB T91, sat in the upper-80s through 2️⃣ IP, punching out 5️⃣. Landed upper-60s CB for strikes, too. #ILStateGames | @ShooterHunt pic.twitter.com/2rYHMN4o1d

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 10, 2022

Loud three innings of work from LHP Jacob Janisko (Harvest Christian, 2023; @UIndyBaseball); 0 H, 4 Ks.

FB T90, sat 86-89 mph with 20+ inches of horizontal movement. Spun a S/M SL in the upper-70s with sweep, too. #ILStateGames pic.twitter.com/R1EZKXvgwU

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2022

Malzone’s offensive skill-set is on full display early at the #ILStateGames.

He hammers this pitch deep over the RF fence for a no-doubt #PBRBombSquad. https://t.co/MaQPNpYWtq pic.twitter.com/M8iM9tXlls

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 10, 2022

And Nevils keeps it going, crushing a no-doubt home run over the LF fence. He’s been producing runs in a multitude of ways these two days as one of the most athletic, talented uncommitted ‘23s in the state.#ILStateGames https://t.co/pxqHYn2Yfm pic.twitter.com/YVtLVgMyYK

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 10, 2022

Yet another impressive look at 6-foot-3, 210-pound RHP Drew Koenen (@MSHawksBaseball, 2023).

FB T90, sat 86-89 mph at 2,300+ RPM & easy effort. Spun CB at 77-80, breaching 2,500+ RPM. #ILStateGames pic.twitter.com/WHaLEAuSqw

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2022

C Donald Timon (@MHS19Baseball, 2023) breaks out as a high-level catching prospect here at #ILStateGames; accurate throws with carry, measured in the 1.85-1.89 range in the workout. Laced a line-drive single (⬇️) later on. pic.twitter.com/ssRD4fJkZw

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 10, 2022

CLICK HERE to view all of the analysis from the event. To view the event's stat leaderboards in their entirety, click here. 

COMMITMENT TRACKER

At the first-ever Illinois State Games, there were over 30 colleges in attendance: Augustana (IL), Butler, Concordia (WI), Danville Area CC, Davenport, Eastern Illinois, Elmhurst, Illinois-Champaign, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois-Springfield, Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan, John A. Logan JC, John Wood CC, Kankakee CC, Lake Land JC, Lewis, Lincoln Trail JC, Lindenwood, Maryville, McKendree, Missouri-St. Louis, North Park, Olive Harvey, Rose-Hulman, Southeast Missouri State, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Triton JC, Wabash Valley JC, Webster, Western Kentucky.

Below, we have kept a running list of the players who attended State Games uncommitted, and have since made their commitment announcement.

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