Despite what the weather’s like right now, the sun shined across Illinois this past week, allowing for a ton of baseball to be played in the state. Naturally, a loaded slate of games has prompted the PBR Illinois staff to update the Power 25 rankings, and there’s a lot to share and discuss.

In our third installment of the season, a handful of teams inside the top-10 were shuffled around, including St. Laurence, the new No. 1 team in the state. St. Laurence has yet to lose, sitting at a perfect 16-0 on the season. Previous No. 1 Marist, drops to No. 7, after a 1-2 week, the week after their trip to North Carolina, for the NHSI.

Elsewhere within the Power 25, Prairie Ridge strung together a perfect week and so did the Coal City Coalers. We also have a couple teams to introduce you to, as they’re making their Power 25 debuts in this update.

There are a number of quality programs knocking at the door of the Power 25. Loyola, Normal West, Galesburg, Morton, Grant, Rochester and others, have made a strong case to belong in the Power 25 but they will have to wait at least one more week.

So, let’s get to it.

CLIMBING

+ St. Laurence - The Vikings, mentioned above, are the new No. 1 team in the state, after yet another spotless week. St. Laurence currently sits at 16-0 and last week they shutout No. 10 Neuqua, beat Mount Carmel twice and Clemente once.

+ Joliet Catholic - The Hilltoppers jump up two spots to No. 2 in the state after a 4-1 week. The 14-4 Hilltoppers split with No. 18 Marian Catholic and went 2-0 at the PBR Midwest Select, beating Portage Northern (MI) and Moeller (OH).

+ Lockport - The Porters continue to roll and climb all the way to No. 3 in the Power 25 after a perfect 3-0 week. The Porters, who currently sit at 17-2, outscored their opponents 44-0 this week.

+ Edwardsville - The Tigers (12-3 on the season) went 4-1 on the week with their one loss coming at the PBR Midwest Select against Columbus North, one of the top programs in Indiana. Edwardsville, up three spots to No. 5 in the state, defeated Portage Central (MI) 14-5 and Gull Lake (MI) 3-1, at the PBR Midwest Select and Collinsville twice back home in the Metro East area.

+ Prairie Ridge - Prairie Ridge swept two, two-game series against Dundee-Crown and Crystal Lake Central, en-route to their spotless 4-0 record on the week. The Wolves, who currently sit at 13-3 on the season, have three games coming up against conference foe McHenry this week.

+ Barrington - The Broncos are another team to climb three spots on the week, up to No. 16. The Broncos went 3-0-1 on the week, tying Palatine 7-7. They also defeated Palatine 20-7, Buffalo Grove 13-0 and Mundelein 14-7. Barrington currently resides at 13-2-1 on the season.  

+ Coal City - The Coalers went a perfect 5-0 on the week with wins over Morris and Manteno as well as two wins a piece over Herscher and Sandwich. The 14-2 Coalers climbed five spots to No. 20, their highest ranking on the season.

FALLING

+ Marist - The Red Hawks held onto their No. 1 spot last update, after an impressive 2-1 showing at the NHSI. However, a 1-2 record this past week with losses to Nazareth and Glenbrook North, drop Marist to No. 7. Marist, who currently sits at 6-4, will be playing new No. 25 Nazareth, at Wrigley Field this Wednesday.

+ Lincoln-Way East - The Griffins had an up-and-down 2-2 week and dropped five spots, to No. 8 in the Power 25. The 13-3 Griffins defeated Homewood-Flossmoor 10-0 on Tuesday but then lost to HF 11-1 on Friday. They also beat Thornwood 11-1 on Monday but fell to Lemont 11-10 on Saturday. Things do not get easier this week, as the Griffins face No. 21 Providence Catholic on Monday and No. 3 Lockport on Thursday.

+ Providence Catholic - The Celtics had a tough week going 1-3 and dropped from No. 7 to No. 22. Loyola, who is right on the cusp of the Power 25, swept a two-game conference series against the Celtics. The Celtics also split their other two-game conference series against No. 4 Brother Rice.

NEW TO THE POWER 25

+ Warren (15-2) - The Blue Devils have been impressive as of late, going 5-0 on the week and running their current win streak to 12-straight wins. Warren knocked off Libertyville 11-0 & 7-3, Antioch 1-0, Hoffman Estates 13-1 & 11-3 this week. The Blue Devils enter the Power 25 for the first time on the season at No. 17.

+ Carmel Catholic (7-1-1) - The Corsairs jump into the Power 25 for the first time in 2019 after a 3-0 week. Carmel swept two games from former No. 24 St. Viator (3-2 & 8-3) and also beat No. 25 Nazareth 10-6, which was Nazareth’s first loss of the season.

+ Nazareth (11-1-1) - The Roadrunners, who have a true ace in LHP Michael Prosecky, have had a strong start to the season including a solid 3-1 week. Nazareth took down former No. 1 Marist 6-4 and beat Aurora Christian 16-6 and Lane Tech 3-0. The 2018 Class 3A third place finishers seem poised to make another run back to Joliet this spring.

DROPPED OUT

+ Mount Carmel (9-8)

+ Cary-Grove (9-4)

+ St. Viator (9-3)

JUST MISSED THE CUT

+ Loyola (9-4)

+ Normal West (11-4)

+ Galesburg (16-3)

+ Morton (12-2)

+ Rochester (14-2-1)

+ Mascoutah (14-1)

+ Champaign Central (12-5)

+ Grant (12-3)

+ St. Patrick (13-4)

UPDATED TOP 10

RANK	LAST WEEK	TEAM	CLASS	2019 RECORD
1	2	St. Laurence	3A	16-0
2	4	Joliet Catholic	3A	14-4
3	5	Lockport	4A	17-2
4	6	Brother Rice	4A	13-6
5	8	Edwardsville	4A	12-3
6	9	St. Rita	4A	14-1
7	1	Marist	4A	6-4
8	3	Lincoln-Way East	4A	13-3
9	10	Huntley	4A	12-4
10	11	Neuqua Valley	4A	10-4

 

CLICK HERE to view the Updated Illinois Power 25 Team Rankings

 

2019 SEASON

+ Updated Illinois 2019 Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2020 Rankings 

+ Illinois Scout Blog

+ Illinois Daily Roundup

+ Players of the Week

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