Prep Baseball Report

Updated Illinois Power 25 Team Rankings


By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

Today marks the seventh Power 25 update of the season. The Chicago Catholic League-Blue regular season champs, St. Rita, is the new No. 1 team in the state. The Mustangs of St. Rita are currently 26-5 and clinched the outright league title thanks to a 10-8 win over No. 10 Brother Rice on Friday. The win, which was the second over Rice on the week, brought Rita’s conference record to 10-2 and clinched the title.

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

CLIMBING

+ Edwardsville - The Tigers are 14-1 in their last 15 games, 26-5 overall and up two spots, to No. 2 in the state. This past week, Edwardsville went a perfect 4-0, beating Belleville West, Jerseyville once and Belleville East twice. Looking ahead to this week, Edwardsville has two games against Southwestern conference rivals O’Fallon.

+ Warren - The Blue Devils continue to impress and are 26-3 on the season after a 4-0 week. On the week, Warren took two games from Stevenson and two from Wheeling, clinching the outright North Suburban Conference title. Warren is 23-1 in their last 24 games and currently sit at their season best No. 6 in the power 25.

+ Neuqua - Neuqua continues to be as steady as any team in the state and are up a spot to No. 7 after a 4-0 week. The Wildcats beat Naperville North 2-1, Naperville Central 7-0 and swept a two-game set against Waubonsie last week. Neuqua is currently 22-5 on the season and 13-1 in the DuPage Valley conference.

+ Marist - The Redhawks are 8-1 in their last nine games and are back in the Top-10 for the first time since mid-April. Marist, who currently sport an 18-8 record, went 3-1 on the week with their only loss coming to No. 5 Joliet Catholic. Marist swept a two-game set against Marian Catholic and took a game from Benet.

+ Normal University - The Pioneers had a perfect 5-0 week and climbed four spots, to No. 11. U-High improved their record to 20-6 on the season, beating Decatur Eisenhower, Normal Community, Springfield (twice) and Mt. Zion last week.

+ Normal West - The Wildcats went 3-0 last week and clinched the Big 12 outright title by two games thanks to a 12-1 conference record. The only loss in conference was a 3-2 game against Normal Community. In this week’s update, the Wildcats climbed two spots, to No. 14, and are 22-6 on the season.

+ Coal City - The Coalers are currently 23-3 on the season and jumped three spots to No. 16 after a 3-0 week. Coal City knocked off Wilmington 4-3 and Plano twice last week. The only three losses on Coal City’s record are to No. 5 Joliet Catholic (6-0), No. 10 Brother Rice (3-1) and Alton (2-0).

+ Barrington - Up four spots, to No. 18, is the Broncos of Barrington, after a busy and impressive 5-1 week. Barrington beat Conant and Schaumburg twice and Lake Forest once. Their lone loss was to Prospect by a score of 3-0. Barrington is 25-6 on the season.

+ Lyons Township - The Lions had arguably their most impressive week of the season as far as run differential is concerned. During their 4-0 week, the Lions outscored their opponents 37-1. Lyons Township, currently 21-6 on the season, jumped four spots, to No. 19.

FALLING

+ St. Laurence - The Vikings, who had held the top spot in the state for four weeks in a row, fall to No. 3 in the state, after a 3-2 week. Laurence beat Sandburg once and Loyola twice but tough losses to Brother Rice and Marmion ultimately cost them a chance at the Chicago Catholic League-Blue regular season title. St. Laurence is currently 27-4 on the season.

+ Huntley - The Red Raiders dropped from No. 6 to No. 13 after a 2-3 week. Huntley split with Prairie Ridge and Hampshire on the week and lost to Crystal Lake Central. The up-and-down week has Huntley at 23-8 on the season.

+ St. Charles North - The North Stars had been on the rise as of late but a 2-2 week has them down four spots to No. 17. St. Charles North, 20-8 on the season, split with Batavia last week, beat St. Charles East but were shut out by Wheaton Warrenville South, 10-0.

+ Oak Park-River Forest - The Huskies dropped five spots to No. 22 after a 2-3 week. The Huskies beat Hinsdale Central and Proviso West but lost a two-game set against York and dropped a game to Glenbard West. Oak Park-River Forest is currently 19-8 on the season and has a big conference tilt, Monday against No. 19 Lyons Township.

+ Metea Valley - A 3-2 week has Metea down three spots to No. 23. The Mustangs took games from Naperville Central and Waubonsie but lost 2-of-3 to Naperville North. Metea is currently 21-6 on the season.

NEW TO THE POWER 25

+ Grant - The Bulldogs, the new No. 21 in the Power 25 are currently 15-0 in the Northern Lake County Conference and 22-4 overall. Grant finished a three-game sweep against Grayslake North this past week and took two games from Lakes Community. Looking ahead, Grant has a huge three-game set against Grayslake Central, who is 22-5 on the season and currently sits on the bubble.

+ Belleville West - Belleville West, the new No. 25 team in the state, are one of the top teams in the Southern Illinois area and currently sit at 21-5. The Maroons split their two-game conference series against Edwardsville and won their two games last week by a combined total of 41-0.

DROPPED OUT

+ Lockport (19-10)

+ Cary-Grove (18-10)

JUST MISSED THE CUT

+ Galesburg (25-6)

+ Morton (25-5)

+ Mascoutah (23-3)

+ Moline (21-6-1)

+ Rochester (21-6-1)

+ Grayslake Central (22-5)

+ Tuscola (25-2)

+ Normal Community (21-6)

+ South Elgin (21-5)

+ Quincy Notre Dame (22-3)

+ Dunlap (20-5)

+ Plainfield North (15-7-1)

UPDATED TOP 10

RANK
LAST WEEK TEAM CLASS
2019 RECORD
1
5 St. Rita
4A 26-5
2 4 Edwardsville
4A 26-4
3 1 St. Laurence
3A 27-4
4 2 Lincoln-Way East
4A 22-5
5 3 Joliet Catholic
3A 23-7
6 7 Warren
4A 26-3
7 8 Neuqua Valley
4A 22-5
8 9 Nazareth
3A 23-5-1
9 11 Marist
4A 18-8
10 10 Brother Rice
4A 20-11

 

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2019 SEASON

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