Updated Illinois Power 25 Rankings
April 10, 2023
In our second true update of the season, the top two teams in the state, Nazareth and St. Laurence, remains at the top. Nazareth had yet another perfect week, with two convincing wins and remain undefeated at 11-0 on the season.
St. Laurence traveled out west for a spring trip and despite finishing 2-2 they remain No. 2 in Illinois. Their two losses out West came to Bishop Gorman (NV) and Archbishop Moeller (OH), both ranked No. 1 in their respective states. They also picked up wins over Regis Jesuit, Vauxhall Academy on the week and have impressive wins over Lemont, Maine South, Simeon, Lincoln-Way West and others back in the Illinois area. They sit at 9-3 on the young season.
Read on below for a look at the notable Power 25 action that took place over the past week.
CLIMBING
+ No. 3 Providence Catholic (9-1): The Celtics jump up our list to No. 3 after a dominating 4-0 week with wins over Homewood-Flossmoor (14-2), Hinsdale Central (5-2), De La Salle (14-1) and DePaul (4-1). The Celtics have one of the deeper rosters in the state, boasting a gritty lineup from top to bottom that is complemented by quality players off the bench. They can also trot out at least eight arms to eat up meaningful innings. When you pair both of these facets together you’re looking at a well-rounded club that has the bandwidth to make some noise come playoff time.
+ No. 6 New Trier (7-1): The Trevians have been on a roll as of late, winning two more games this week with their only loss on the year coming to Casteel, a top-five program in Arizona. The Trevians knocked off Buffalo Grove 12-1 and Fremd 9-7 this past week for a perfect 2-0 record and have three non-conference games on the books for this week. The Trevians made one of the biggest jumps on the week, jumping eight spots.
+ No. 9 Brother Rice (7-6): The Crusaders dont have the record of a top-10 team, with six losses already on the young season. However, that record is somewhat skewed, due to the fact they were invited to the NHSI Tournament which features the top high school teams in the country where they finished 1-3 with an impressive 5-0 win over Hagerty (FL). This past week they were finally back at home and went a perfect 4-0 with wins over De La Salle, DePaul College Prep, St. Ignatius and Fenwick. There is plenty of talent across this roster and the eye test tells us they are currently a better club than their 7-6 record indicates.
+ No. 12 Naperville Central (7-3): The Redhawks finished the week at an impressive 4-0 clip and now find themselves up 10 spots to No. 12. Impressive Power 25 wins over Lockport (13-3) and Joliet Catholic (12-0) stand out immediately, followed by a 5-4 win over Bolingbrook and a 8-4 win over St. Charles East.
+ No. 14 Lyons Township (5-1): A perfect 3-0 week has the Lions jumping nine spots to No. 14. The Lions outscored opponents 38-5, boasting wins over Morton (13-1) and Glenbard West (11-2 & 14-2). They have a tough three-game conference series this week against a talented Downers Grove North club which should be a good litmus test for both schools.
+ No. 18 Mascoutah (10-1): Mascoutah climbs up seven spots to find themselves at No. 18 entering the week. They didn’t allow a single run in either game they played last week, taking down Belleville West 3-0 and Alton Marquette 11-0. The Indians have impressed all season long with their pitching, giving up more than two runs in a game only twice so far. They look to be one of the top 3A programs residing in Southern Illinois this season.
SINKING
+ No. 7 Lockport (7-3): The Porters have not shied away from tough opponents and they had their toughest week of the season so far as a result, going 1-2. They knocked off Andrew 11-1 but also fell to Power 25 Naperville Central 13-3 and to Lincoln-Way Central 7-6. Overall, they still have a number of impressive wins on the season and they will be busy once again this week with four total games scheduled, two against Power 25 opponents.
+ No. 8 Edwardsville (9-4): The Tigers have been up and down on the year, with a number of quality wins, but a 1-2 week has them sliding three spots to No. 8. They split a two-game set against O’Fallon, one of their toughest conference series of the year and lost to Francis Howell (MO) on a walk off in extra innings. The Tigers still have one of the deepest, most well-rounded teams in the state and it would be no surprise to see them rattle off some wins and be right back in the “rising” category next week.
+ No. 20 Lincoln-Way East (9-4): A 1-3 week has the Griffins sliding down to No. 20 in the Power 25. They went 1-2 on their spring trip and had a tough 3-2 loss on Saturday against St. Charles North when they got back home. They have a number of convincing wins on the year but this week should be a big one as they have conference tilts against Lincoln-Way Central, Andrew and a non-conference matchup with Lemont on Saturday.
+ No. 21 Sandburg (8-3-1): The Eagles were one of the hottest teams across the state to start the year and came back down to earth with a 1-2-1 week against some quality competition. They tied Marist 1-1, beat Thornwood 5-3 but losses to Andrew (11-1) and Minooka (5-3 in extras) have the Eagles down 12 spots to No. 21 in the state. They still have a number of quality wins under their belt and have four games on the schedule for this week to get right back on track.
+ No. 22 Lemont (6-4): Lemont is another team that faced some tough opponents on their spring trip (Florida) and had an up-and-down 2-2 week as a result. Lemont took down Cardinal Gibbons 5-4 but lost to Monsignor (11-8) and Archbishop McCarthy (2-1) before knocking off Stagg 5-2 once they returned home. They have a two-game conference set against an undefeated Oak Forest club this week as well as single games against Reavis and No. 20 Lincoln-Way East.
+ No. 25 DePaul College Prep (7-4): The Rams have to play one of the tougher schedules in the state and that proved true this past week, falling to Brother Rice 9-7 and Providence Catholic 4-1. They got in the win column with a 7-5 victory over Mt. Carmel and will look to stay hot with some non-conference matchups this coming week.
NEW TO THE TOP 25
+ No. 15 Minooka (9-1-1): Minooka has been a bit of a surprise to start the season as they have dealt with a few injuries to key players. That has not seemed to affect them so far as they already have nine wins with a number of them against quality opponents to start the season. This past week they went 4-0 with wins over No. 21 Sandburg (5-3), Plainfield South (4-1), Joliet West (5-0) and Plainfield Central (10-7). They also have wins over No. 3 Providence Catholic, Andrew and Morris to name a few. Junior OF Nate George (Eastern Illinois), has been on fire to start the season, recently being mentioned in our “Diamond Notes” story for his impressive performances.
+ No. 17 Evanston (11-2): Evanston cracks the Power 25 at No. 17 for the first time this spring. Out of state wins over Henry Clay (KY) 7-6, Westwood (FL) 14-4 and Scott County (KY) 2-0 highlight this past week for the Wildkits as they now boast an 11-2 record. The Wildkits have two non-conference games scheduled for this week before they square off with No. 6 New Trier the following week for a two-game conference matchup.
+ No. 19 Crystal Lake South (7-0): A strong 7-0 start has the Gators making their Power 25 debut this week. They only played one game last week, but it was a commanding 9-2 win over a hot Cary-Grove club. The Gators made it all the way to state last season and have returned a good chunk of that roster, so look for South to make some noise as the season progresses. Coach Brian Bogda picked up his 300th win on his career this past Saturday and will have a chance to add to it this week with five games on the schedule, four of them conference games.
DROPPED OUT
+ Stevenson (8-4)
+ Belleville East (8-5)
+ Joliet West (5-4)
JUST MISSED THE CUT
+ Morton (8-1)
+ O’Fallon (8-2)
+ Moline (13-3)
+ Cary-Grove (9-2)
+ St. Charles North (5-1-1)
+ Warren Township (8-2)
+ Lake Park (8-1)
+ Quincy Notre Dame (9-1)
+ Harrisburg (12-1-1)
+ St. Rita (8-3)
+ Lincoln-Way Central (6-3)
+ Andrew (5-2-1)
+ East Peoria (10-1)
+ Kenwood (8-1)
+ Evergreen Park (8-3)
+ Montini Catholic (9-2)
+ Triad (9-3):
+ Oak Forest (7-0)
+ Routt Catholic (13-0)
+ Maroa-Forsyth (8-1)
+ Manteno (8-0)
+ Nashville (10-1)
+ Niles Notre Dame (5-1)
+ Columbia (6-1)
+ Ottawa Marquette (7-1)
+ McHenry (8-3-1)
+ Neuqua Valley (5-2-1)
UPDATED TOP 10
+ CLICK HERE to view entire Power 25 Team Rankings
2023 SEASON
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