Updated Illinois Power 25 Rankings

May 1, 2023
By Illinois Scouting Staff

Today marks the fifth update to the Power 25 on the season after another loaded week of games. For the first time in a while we have a new No. 1 in the state with Providence Catholic (19-3). The Celtics have been rolling as of late and went 15-2 over the month of April, knocking off a number of high-level opponents along the way, including Lockport, St. Rita, St. Laurence (2), Homewood-Flossmoor, Marist, DePaul College Prep, among others.

Nazareth Academy (19-2) drops down to No. 2, which is where they were slotted during the Preseason. The Roadrunners held down the No. 1 slot for a number of weeks but a 2-2 week, which also broke a 35-game winning streak (7th longest streak in IHSA history) dating back to last season, has Nazareth down one spot. On the week, Nazareth knocked off Benet 11-1 and 9-3 but also lost 10-9 before losing on Saturday to the new No. 24 Kenwood by a score of 10-8.

Check out the rest of the movement in the Power 25 below.

CLIMBING

+ No. 4 New Trier (17-3): The Trevians had an eventful week with legendary head coach Mike Napoleon picking up the IHSA record for most wins in a coaching career at 951, surpassing Dave Swisegood who retired in 2015 with 950 wins. They also climbed six spots after a perfect 5-0 week where they picked up wins over Highland Park, Libertyville, Glenbrook North (2) and Montini. Two big conference games against Glenbrook South await this week along with a solo matchup against Niles North on Saturday.

+ No. 7 St. Charles East (15-1): The Saints have been one of the bigger surprises this season and had yet another perfect week going 3-0. On top of that, they have yet to lose in conference with three-game sweeps of Wheaton Warrenville South, Glenbard North and Lake Park under their belt. They also knocked off Geneva 7-6 last week and climbed eight spots, up to No. 7 in the Power 25.

+ No. 8 Lincoln-Way East (18-6): The Griffins are 9-2 in their last 11 games and their schedule has been peppered with quality Power 25 opponents. This past week they went 3-1 with their lone loss coming this Saturday to a Oswego East team that is trending up. They also knocked off No. 9 Lincoln-Way West, Kankakee and Valparaiso (IN) on the week. They have three games on the docket this week, highlighted by a Saturday non-conference matchup against No. 1 Providence Catholic. The Griffins are up three spots, now inside the Top-10.

+ No. 16 Lemont (16-5): The Indians have been hot of late, ratting off seven straight wins and 12 in their last 13 games. After a 4-0 week, they are up five spots to No. 16 on the big board. This past week was highlighted by a 9-3 non-conference win over No. 9 Lincoln-Way West. They also took down Richards and TF South twice. Keep an eye on this veteran group moving forward.

+ No. 20 Columbia (20-1): The Eagles continue to prove they have one of the top 2A squads in the state after yet another perfect week where they went 4-0. Led by two-way standout, SS/RHP Dominic Voegele (Kansas commit), they knocked off Clayton (MO), Breese Central, Salem and Dupo. Voegele should be one of the leading candidates for Player of the Week after last week where he went 12-for-16 with five home runs, four doubles and 13 RBIs. He also did it on the mound as well where he went 6.1 innings pitched, allowing one run while striking out 14.

SINKING

+ No. 9 Lincoln-Way West (16-6): The Warriors had a 1-2 up-and-down week that included a big 10-0 win over No. 12 Downers Grove North. They also got taken down by No. 16 Lemont 9-3 and No. 8 Lincoln-Way East 3-2. The expectations and talent across the board are still extremely high for the Warriors as they have plenty of pitching depth to go along with high-level position players. Two games against Stagg await the Warriors this week as they look to get right back on track.

+ No. 11 St. Laurence (17-7): The Vikings drop a couple of spots after a tough two-game CCL-Blue set against the new No. 1 Providence Catholic, losing two one-run games 6-5 and 1-0. They collected three wins as well on their 3-2 week, taking down Mount Carmel, Fenwick and Marmion. The Vikings still roster one of the deepest teams in the state and should be one of the favorites in 3A this season.

+ No. 12 Downers Grove North (16-4): Dropping down four spots, the Trojans finished this past week at a 2-2 clip, seeing wins over Downers Grove South 13-3 and Oak Park-River Forest 9-4 - while also falling to Addison Trail 3-1 and No. 9 Lincoln-Way West 10-0. The Trojans will have a chance to bounce back in the right direction as they are set to play a three game set against Hinsdale Central this week along with a lone game against Proviso West.

NEW TO THE TOP 25

+ No. 21 O’Fallon (16-4): Coming in at No. 21, O’Fallon is currently riding a six game win streak, recently taking down one of the top prep arms in the country to help propel their record to 16-4. The Panthers don't jump off the page from a talent perspective but they have a number of quality arms, play tough/smart baseball, are well coached and can score in a variety of ways. They went 3-0 this past week, winning in their style, knocking off Belleville East 3-1 and 2-1, along with Freeburg 3-2.

+ No. 22 Brother Rice (14-9): Brother Rice re-enters the Power 25 and are currently boasting a six game win streak, with five of the wins coming in this past week against current No. 1 Providence Catholic 7-3, Mount Carmel 16-8 & 16-9, and Marmion 10-0 & 7-1. Though their record might not look as attractive as some of the other teams in the rankings, their strength of schedule is among the strongest. The Crusaders will face off against Providence again this week, along with Loyola and a two-game set against St. Rita.

+ No. 24 Kenwood (17-3): Kenwood enters this week's update at No. 24 after taking down the No. 1 team in the state at the time, Nazareth, by the score of 10-8. Kenwood has all sorts of athleticism and talent throughout their roster. Names such as OF Savion Flowers (2024; Eastern Kentucky), OF Khamaree Thomas (2024; Michigan State), INF DeMaurion Butler (2025), CIF Jimmy Downs (2025), C Brandon Stinson (2025) and INF Phillip Thigpen (2025) make up the Broncos lineup, while LHP Kevari Thunderbird (2024; Eastern Kentucky) heads their rotation. The Broncos currently boast a 17-3 record and have four games scheduled for this week, as they are set to play Jones twice, Taft and Homewood-Flossmoor.

+ No. 25 Lincoln-Way Central (15-6): Cracking the No. 25 position this week is Lincoln-Way Central. The Knights had a dominant 4-0 week this past week to improve to 15-6, seeing wins over former No. 25 Bradley Bourbonnais by the scores of 13-1 and 15-0. The Knights have collected some impressive wins so far this season, such as taking down St. Laurence 16-6, Lockport 7-6, Homewood-Flossmoor 12-2 and Naperville Central 7-4, along with numerous others. The Knights have a busy week ahead of them as they are slated to play Andrew twice, Normal Community, Normal University and Normal West.

DROPPED OUT

+ St. Rita (16-6)
+ Lockport (13-8)
+ Minooka (13-8-1)
+ Bradley-Bourbonnais (11-6)

JUST MISSED THE CUT

+ Glenwood (17-1)
+ Plainfield Central (19-6)
+ Oswego East (14-6)
+ Routt Catholic (22-1)
+ Maroa-Forsyth (18-3)
+ Ottawa-Marquette (19-2)
+ Stevenson (18-6)
+ Morris (18-3)
+ Harrisburg (23-2-1)
+ Moline (20-5)
+ Hersey (15-5)
+ Nashville (19-3)

UPDATED TOP 10

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