Illinois 2025 Rankings: Risers
August 29, 2024
The 2025 rankings update in Illinois are long overdue after a long summer season which featured the end of the IHSA season, a number of Prep Baseball Tournaments, showcases, as well as big invite-only events, most notably the Illinois State Games, which featured close to 400 of the best players in Illinois across all classes.
+ Click HERE, to view the entire 2025 rankings board.
+ Click HERE, to read yesterday's 2025 rankings release story.
Today, we are taking a look at a number of prospects that saw themselves rise up the rankings in this update, and that can be found below.
RISERS
Aidan Flinn LHP / 1B / Marist, IL / 20255/10/24: Illinois commit. Currently ranked No. 140 in the state, Flinn got the start for the RedHawks and showed high upside throughout his start. He is every bit of 6-foot-6, 200-pounds with room to still grow into the frame. He is a loose and athletic mover down the mound, working in-sync with his long levers. His fastball plays with late, hard life through the zone at 88-90 mph, seemingly getting quality extension on the pitch. His go-to off-speed offering was a sweeping-type breaking ball that he was confident throwing to both sides of the plate; back-dooring right-handed hitters or throwing it at their back foot. To complement his repertoire, he pounded the zone with both pitches to make for a 77% strike clip in the outing. The southpaw is a tough matchup for any lineup he opposes, and he more than held his own against the No. 1 team in the state; finishing with six strikeouts over his five innings of two-run ball. |
Trey Meyers OF / 1B / New Trier Township High School Winnetka, IL / 20252/24/24: OF Trey Meyers (New Trier; Indiana commit) stands out physically with his 6-foot-5, 214-pound frame, and he has some eye-opening upside still left in the tank. He uses his levers to create easy power and bat-speed (70.6 mph avg), and his power projects as he continues to fill out. In this look, he had a clear intent to keep the ball on a line, working up to 93.9 mph for his max EV. He moves extremely well for his size, cruising to a 6.58 in the 60 with a max run speed of 21.1 mph, also recording a 29.8” vertical. Fluid footwork in the outfield with steady hands, plays through the ball with intent. Moves well into a crow hop, topping out at 89 mph with life out of the hand. High-upside name to know. |
Ethan Moore SS / 2B / Oak Park-River Forest, IL / 20253/03/24: Moore is a dynamic switch-hitter with feel to hit and power from both sides of the plate. From the left side, Moore has high hands with a wide base, using a lengthy stride straight toward the pitcher. It’s a very direct path with notable bat speed that enabled him to hit the ball hard, reaching 96.7 mph off the bat. In the right-handed box it’s more controlled movement, working into a strong loaded position with quality timing. Moore showcased his speed, as the Illinois native was one of just four players to run a sub-7.00 60-yard dash (6.92). Defensively, Moore showed quality actions with the feet, soft hands and quick lateral movement. His arm worked from multiple angles with accuracy, reaching 89 mph across the infielder. |
Brandon Menser RHP / 3B / Sesser Valier , IL / 20258/21/24: RHP Brandon Menser (Sesser Valier) is a high-level uncommitted arm in Illinois' now senior class. He stands in a hard-to-miss 6-foot-3, 176-pound frame with long levers and all kinds of projection still to come. He earned Illinois State Games Most Valuable Pitcher honors after tossing two innings on the mound with four strikeouts and no hits, runs or walks allowed. His fastball played with heavy carry through the zone (avg. 19.4” IVB), sitting 87-89 mph and topping out at 91 mph with quality spin to pair (avg. 2486 rpm). He mixed in a curveball with 12/6 action, sitting 74-79 mph with an average of 2680 rpm as well as an average of -15.4 inches of induced vertical break. He rounded out his polished three-pitch mix with an 80 mph changeup with slight fading action to the arm-side. A must-know prospect that is trending up in Illinois. |
Connor Blue RHP / 1B / O'Fallon, IL / 20255/23/24: Cincinnati commit, 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame that holds lean strength throughout. Ranked No. 17 overall in the state’s junior class and No. 491 overall nationally. Tossed six innings of one run ball for the Panthers in a regional win, scattering three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Simple, stretch-only operation, leans into his backside and rides it downhill, lead leg swings to front footstrike. Strong glove arm, drifts towards the first base side through release. Clean and continuous path on the backside, gets into scap retraction and fires out of a high ¾ slot. Fastball played at 90-91 mph in the first inning, pitched anywhere from 86-89 mph as he went on, but did reach back for 89 mph in each of the final two frames of his outing. Showed a low-70s curveball as his main secondary offering, sharp spin at times. Served as more of a change-of-pace in this look, kept hitters off balance and stayed off the barrel; did induce three ground ball double plays with his breaking ball. One of the top arms in the state’s soon-to-be senior class. |
Joe DuSell OF / LHP / St. Edward, IL / 20252/11/24: LHP/OF Joe DuSell (St. Edward, 2025) offered one of the more intriguing, yet raw ‘pens of Sunday’s event. Built at a strong 6-foot-1, 202-pounds, DuSell is a simple mover on the bump and creates some easy velocity from the left-side. His best fastball clocked in at 87.1 mph while sitting in the 85-87 mph range throughout his ‘pen and he also featured a hard running two-seamer in the same velocity band. As for off-speeds, Dusell’s curveball played with late 1/7 action with sharpness, and it was spun at well-above average rates, roughly 2,750 RPM on average. A tight mid-70s slider and a fading changeup rounded out his repertoire. On the other side of the ball, DuSell delivered the third hardest-hit ball of the day at 98.9 mph, averaging just under 90 mph throughout his round with a 328’ max distance. He has a long, athletic swing with loose hands, using the whole field throughout his round. He also showed well defensively, with clean actions and some quickness in his feet, reaching up to 89 mph from a crow hop as well. Above-average overall athlete with a 6.85 in the 60. |
Brandon Shannon RHP / Mchenry High School-west Campus, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 19 / POS: 6
6/05/24: Uncommitted. Currently ranked No. 33 in the state, standing in at a loose-limbed 6-foot-3, 160-pounds. Shannon got the start for the Warriors in the Sectional Semifinals and continued to show why his stock has been rising over the course of the year. His fastball played in the upper 80’s consistently throughout the game; sitting 88-90 mph (T91) with life through the zone. His slider played tighter in this look at 77-79 mph, while flashing an 11/5-shaped curve to go with it, rounding out his arsenal with a splitter at 81 mph with downer bite to it. Shannon turned in a final line of: W, 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K. |
Jack Wheeler 3B / RHP / Morris, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 26 / POS: 2
8/21/24: RHP/INF Jack Wheeler (Morris; Illinois commit) is an upside two-way prospect to know. At 6-foot-5, 190-pounds, Wheeler showed impressive tools to start the event during the workout. He ran a 6.95 60, was one of the event leaders in infield velocity at 90 mph, while also putting up a max EV of 99.3 mph. On the bump Wheeler featured a three-pitch mix, with his fastball touching 88 mph, while tossing in a 73-76 mph curveball for strikes 67% of the time, and also turning over a changeup at 79-81 mph. |
Gavin Triezenberg SS / 3B / Brother Rice , IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 28 / POS: 2
5/01/24: Arizona commit. Currently ranked No. 39 in the state. Physical, 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame with proportioned strength. Started at shortstop and hit out of the three-hole for the Crusaders. Moves extremely well on the infield for his size, soft glove-to-hand with quality timing through the ball, plays on the move. The right-handed hitter finished the day 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and a run scored, displaying quality plate coverage with loose, whippy hands through the zone. Aggressive on the basepaths, took a curveball off the head and stole second first pitch against a premium backstop. |
Ike Young SS / Monticello, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 29 / POS: 3
4/22/24: Uncommitted. Currently ranked No. 162 in Illinois’ 2024 class. Stands in a high-waisted and projectable 6-foot-1, 160-pound frame with plenty more to come. Started on the mound for the Sages, and although he didn’t get the results he wanted, it was still an impressive look at the uncommitted junior. Athletic mover with a high leg lift with tuck, tall and fall delivery down the mound, foot lands closed towards third base. Clean and quick arm path out of a ¾ slot with noticeable acceleration out front. Came out of the gate throwing three 90 mph fastballs in a row, but sat mostly 87-89 mph early on, showed clear ride through the zone with arm-side run at times. Mixed in a breaking ball at 74-77 mph with varying shapes, worked best when thrown hard, producing 12/6 shape, garnering multiple swings-and-misses. A must-know uncommitted junior in Illinois. |
Nathan O'Donnell 3B / RHP / Providence Catholic, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 35 / POS: 3
6/19/24: O’Donnell is another star who led the 4A State Champions, Providence Catholic, to their well-deserved title. The infielder had a big junior campaign, racking up honors such as Chicago Catholic League Blue First-Team and the Chicago Catholic League Blue Player of the Season. He slashed .430/.504/.803 with 55 RBIs, 11 home runs, and 11 doubles on the season. O’Donnell then contributed 2 RBIs in the 4A State championship game to help lead the Celtcis to their first state title since 2016. The former Future Games participant is one of the top uncommitted bats in the Illinois' 2025 class after recently decommitting from Creighton due to the coaching change. |
Ryan Schaffnit RHP / 1B / Morton, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 43 / POS: 13
8/21/24: RHP Ryan Schaffnit (Morton; Bradley commit) opened some eyes in his two inning stint. He takes the mound at a physically imposing 6-foot-6, 213-pounds and moves well for his size, showing little perceived effort with the ability to repeat his operation. His arm works short in the back before firing through with a higher ¾ release. The fastball came out easy with life through the zone, 87-89 mph (T90), setting up a sharp slider with late lateral break at 78-79 mph with feel to land to his glove side. His final offering was a changeup around 75-79 mph, displaying gradual running action to his arm-side. |
Sam Driscoll OF / LHP / Mt. Zion, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 44 / POS: 8
8/21/24: LHP/OF Sam Driscoll (Mt. Zion) provided an upside look on both sides of the ball throughout the State Games. Starting with the bat, the left-left uncommitted prospect reached a max exit velocity of 97.2 mph during batting practice, while putting up numerous quality at-bats during gameplay. Driscoll is an athletic 5-foot-9, 166-pounds, with easy foot speed - evident by his 6.64 60 time, as well as numerous home to first times under 4.65. He also showed well on the bump, sitting 85-88 mph with a fastball that played with carry (avg. 15.3” IVB), challenging hitters in the zone with the pitch. Driscoll’s slider showed sharp spin (avg. 2426 rpm) at 74-77 mph to earn swing and miss. He would also turn over a changeup at 74-77 mph with downer fade to complete his pitch mix. |
Owen Roberts SS / RHP / Waubonsie Valley, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 48 / POS: 8
8/21/24: INF/RHP Owen Roberts (Waubonsie Valley), who is coming off a highly-impressive spring season where he earned Prep Baseball Second Team All-State honors, had a strong showing on both sides of the ball at this year’s event. Standing in an athletic 6-foot, 180-pound frame with lean strength throughout, Roberts showed well in his two-inning stint, striking out two, allowing one run and one hit. He’s a clean mover on the mound with a quick arm, showing a fastball that sat 89-90 mph, topping out at 90.9 mph with clear ride through the zone. He spun the curveball well, averaging 2448 rpm in the 78-81 mph range, and showed feel for a low-80s breaking ball as well. At the plate, the right-handed hitter had multiple quality barrels, including a double to deep center field, recording a 4.58 run time on the turn. A 6.96 runner, Roberts produced a max exit velocity of 95.5 mph (90 mph avg.), a 70.2 mph average bat speed, and an 89 mph infield velocity. A must-know uncommitted 2025. |
Braxdon Decker RHP / OF / Highland , IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 49 / POS: 15
5/04/24: Uncommitted, ranked No. 86 overall in the state’s junior class. Long, lanky 6-foot-2, 160-pound multi-sport athlete (basketball) that’s still growing into his frame and should continue to tack on mass over the next few years. Started for the Bulldogs and threw two strong innings, punching out four with a hit allowed. Athletic in-line mover, open front hit at footstrike, sticks the landing and finishes onto a firm lead leg. Arm is loose and easy with natural whip, finishes out of a clean ¾ arm slot. Fastball played at 85-87 mph, touching 87 mph multiple times, with hard, natural running action that drew several uncomfortable swings against right-handed hitters. Easy out the hand, plenty more in the tank. Spun a sweeping slider at 71-74 mph, paired it well off fastball and spotted it to the glove-side corner of the plate with consistency. Finding his footing as the spring comes to an end, is an upside arm with plenty ceiling to follow for one of the top 3A teams in the state. |
Cole Kenyon RHP / OF / Lake Zurich, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 50 / POS: 16
8/21/24: There’s a lot to like about RHP Cole Kenyon (Lake Zurich), standing in at an athletic 6-foot-2, 163-pound frame with upside. He tossed 1 ⅔ innings, striking out three, walking two and allowing no runs or hits in his stint. His fastball sat in the mid-80s and topped out at 88.6 mph with quality spin (avg. 2361 rpm) He also showed an impressive slider that had the highest average and max spin rates from the entire event, being recorded at 2855 rpm and 2932 rpm, respectively, while also playing with big horizontal movement (-18.3” avg. HM). He remains a must-know uncommitted arm in Illinois. |
Chase Petersen OF / RHP / Glenbrook North, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 52 / POS: 10
8/14/24: OF Chase Petersen (Glenbrook North, 2025) continued his strong summer down at the Senior Future Games. During the workout day, the strong 5-foot-8, 183-pound outfielder ran a 6.91 60, put up a max vertical of 32”, and also reached 84 mph on a crow hop from the outfield. He showed well during batting practice as well - reaching a max exit velocity of 94.8 mph (avg. 90.8) paired with a max distance of 324 feet. Petersen’s Blast metrics also stood out, as he had a max bat speed of 86.4 mph (avg. 75.7), and a max hand speed of 24.4 mph (avg. 22.5). Petersen continued to show well during gameplay with the bat - finding barrels throughout the week. |
Charlie Taczy RHP / 3B / Cary-Grove, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 53 / POS: 17
8/21/24: Illinois-Chicago commit, RHP Charlie Taczy (Cary-Grove) is an intriguing arm in the state’s 2025 class. An athletic, upside frame at 6-foot, 150-pounds, Taczy is a loose and easy mover down the mound. His arm is long and loose out of a low ¾ slot, showing a fastball that sat in the mid-80s, and topping out at 86.2 mph with high spin (avg. 2441 rpm). He also showed two impressive off-speed pitches in his slider and change-up - the slider sitting in the upper-70s with above-average spin (avg. 2775 rpm) and an average of -17.8 inches of horizontal movement, while his change-up sits 80-81 mph with an average of 19.3 inches of horizontal movement. Rounding out his four-pitch mix, Taczy threw an upper-70s sinker with arm-side run, averaging 20.6 inches of horizontal movement. He finished his two-inning stint with five strikeouts, two hits and one run allowed. |
Davis Collie 1B / LHP / Sycamore, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 55 / POS: 3
(7/21/24): Bradley commit. Collie stands in a physical 6-foot-2, 204-pound frame with athleticism and strength throughout. A left-handed hitter, Collie was on the barrel throughout the game, delivering a single up the middle in his first at-bat and a double to the left-center gap in his third, driving in two runs in the process. He continued to carry his hitting pace into Sunday, sending a three run home run to help lift Sparks North to an 11-4 victory. He also showed well defensively, proving to be a steady glove with clean footwork. |
Davis Weeks SS / RHP / Dunlap, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 56 / POS: 11
8/22/24: SS/RHP Davis Weeks (Dunlap, 2025; Michigan State) looked to be one of the top prospects in attendance on the day. 6-foot-1, 179-pounds, high waist with athleticism and room to add strength. Controlled right-handed swing, wider base with a simple setup and load, loose hands with a flat path, balanced finish, upside swing, 95.7 mph max EV, 354’ max distance. On the mound, Weeks is a loose mover with a simple and repeatable delivery. His fastball worked up to 91 mph (T2344 rpm) while sitting around 88-90 mph. To pair off the fastball he went to a sharp slider at 75-77 mph and diving changeup at 79-80 mph. |
Jacob Parr OF / RHP / Lemont, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 59 / POS: 12
4/27/24: Uncommitted. 6-foot-3, 198-pound, broad-shouldered, athletic, well-proportioned build. Left-handed hitter, started in center field and hit in the four-hole. Moves well for his size, clean arm that plays strong from the outfield. Offensively, finished 1-for-2 with a solo home run to right-field. Also walked and scored two runs. Easy, strong hands with above-average plate coverage and jump off the barrel. Physical, athletic, uncommitted left-handed hitter to know in the class. |
Sean Cody SS / RHP / Richards, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 72 / POS: 15
8/21/24: Illinois-Chicago commit, RHP/MIF Sean Cody (Richards) is a name our staff has continued to hear about over the past six months. Standing in an athletic 5-foot-11, 173-pound frame with lean strength to pair, Cody showed well on the mound in his two-inning stint. He’s an athletic mover with a long arm path and quickness out front, running his fastball up to 90 mph, but sitting mostly upper-80s. His curveball sat 70-73 mph with 11/5 shape, and he showed a change-up that sat 73-78 mph. He finished his two-inning stint with three strikeouts, one walk and one hit allowed. He recorded some impressive metrics at the plate during the showcase, posting a max exit velocity of 100.7 mph and an average exit velocity of 95.6 mph (third highest at the event), while sending his farthest hit ball 365 feet. His bat speed metrics were equally as impressive, posting an average bat speed of 75.4 mph. A 6.88 runner, Cody showed well up the middle with his glove, paired with a strong arm that was up to 87 mph across the diamond. |
Tyler Powell RHP / 1B / Edwardsville, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 75 / POS: 23
8/21/24: RHP Tyler Powell (Edwardsville, 2025) was one of the first arms to toe the rubber at the event and the 6-foot, 190-pound uncommitted senior left a positive mark after his two innings of work. Powell’s a clean, efficient mover down the mound that doesn’t exert much effort in his operation, producing upper-80s velocity with his fastball, while touching 90 mph on his firmest pitch. Powell relied mostly on his fastball in this stint, but he did show feel for a low-80s changeup to left-handed hitters. |
Ryan Lazewski 2B / 3B / Fenwick, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 77 / POS: 1
8/21/24: INF Ryan Lazewski (Fenwick) is a must-know uncommitted name to know in the state. Presenting a long-levered, projectable frame at 6-foot, 162-pounds, Lazewski showed well on both sides of the ball throughout game play. Offensively, the left-handed hitter has an athletic swing through the zone that produced line-drive contact to pair with a simple and patient approach. To go with the in-game results, Lazewski also had a loud round of batting practice - posting an average exit velocity of 91.3 mph (T94.5). Defensively, primarily playing up the middle, he showed a natural feel for the glove in both spots paired to go with an accurate arm that should allow him to stick up the middle moving forward. |
Shea Glotzbach 3B / RHP / Lemont, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 81 / POS: 4
8/21/24: Uncommitted RHP Shea Glotzbach (Lemont) is an upside arm to know in the state. A loose mover at 6-foot-3, 189-pounds, Glotzbach worked primarily with a fastball/curveball mix. His fastball sat 86-88 mph (T89) with over 14” of arm-side run on average paired with 17” of induced vertical break on average. He was able to land a 72-77 mph curveball to both sides of the plate with an 11/5 shape, spinning at an average of 2266 rpm (T2520). |
Filippo Baratta OF / 2B / Lincoln-Way Central, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 82 / POS: 13
8/21/24: OF Filippo Baratta (Lincoln-Way Central) is an uncommitted outfielder to follow. A lean and athletic 5-foot-10, 157-pounds, Baratta showed well on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he has fluid movements and routes, giving a natural look in center field. The right-handed hitter looked comfortable against tough arms at the State Games - working quality at-bats and finding barrels. Baratta also looked the part on workout day; running a 6.65 60, posting a max vertical of 33”, reaching 86 mph on a crow hop, while also putting up a max exit velocity of 93.7 mph. |
Dominic Holton SS / 3B / Notre Dame College Prep, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 83 / POS: 19
8/14/24: INF Dominic Holton (Notre Dame, 2025) had a strong showing during the workout, and he’s a dynamic prospect still on the market. The left-handed hitter has a clean swing with some obvious strength, boasting well above-average bat-speed (77.9 mph avg.) with the ability to cover the plate and take pitches where they are thrown. Throughout his round of BP, Holton worked his max EV up to 91.1 mph while averaging 88.2 mph. He’s a smooth, natural defender that should be able to stay on the left side of the infield at the next level, and his arm is plenty strong to back that up (T86 mph). He’s also an above-average athlete, having run a 6.84 60 in the past with a 36.4” vertical. |
Andrew Tay RHP / SS / Mt. Zion, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 84 / POS: 26
8/14/24: RHP Andrew Tay (Mt. Zion, 2025) is an intriguing arm that’s still uncommitted after this event. Standing in an athletic frame with upside at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, Tay has simple and clean actions on the mound. His arm is compact in the backside and moves into a ¾ slot with acceleration out front. His fastball sat 83-86 mph with some ride through the zone, while also twirling a slider at 76-78 mph with short, horizontal break. He rounded out his arsenal with a 80 mph change-up with fade to the arm-side. An uncommitted name-to-know. |
Kasten Goebbert RHP / Providence Catholic, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 87 / POS: 28
6/13/24: Uncommitted. Currently ranked No. 120 in the state, standing at a trim 6-foot-3, 172-pounds. Goebbert got the start for the Celtics in the Championship game, and was strong from start to finish. He is an athletic mover down the mound with a simple operation down the mound. His arm works clean with apparent armspeed out front from a ¾ slot. His fastball sat 84-87 mph (T88) with some carry through the zone, strikes. He showed a sweeping-curveball in the low 70’s for occasional swing and miss, while also showing a 78-79 mph changeup at times. Goebbert did not light up the stat sheet from a strikeout perspective, but he was efficient throughout the game and pitched to contact, trusting the strong Providence Catholic defense behind him. A must-follow in the state’s incoming-senior class. |
T.J. Jakubowski SS / 2B / Huntley, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 89 / POS: 21
6/05/24: Uncommitted. Currently ranked No. 111 in the state, listed at 6-foot, 140-pounds with plenty of room to fill out the frame. Jakubowski was on the barrel from the left side in this one, tallying two hits towards the top of the Red Raiders lineup. He has a mature approach that looks to keep things simple with an all fields approach. Defensively he continues to show athleticism and range to both his left and his right, which should allow him to stay on the middle infield moving forward. |
Carter Lennington C / 1B / Minooka , IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 95 / POS: 7
6/26/24: Uncommitted and currently ranked No. 166 in the state. Lennington was all over the barrel throughout the tournament, hitting a pair of homers in the first two games for Top Tier, and then adding onto it with a double on Saturday afternoon. Presents a 6-foot, 190-pound frame with apparent strength in the lower-half that he utilizes for power. Defensively, he presents a large target behind the plate and has flexibility in the hips, allowing him to get to pitches on both sides of the plate. Lennington also showed a visibly strong arm that played true and accurate. |
Jackson Kees RHP / SS / DeKalb, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 97 / POS: 29
8/21/24: RHP Jackson Kees (DeKalb; Grand Valley State commit) came away a winner from the event. Highly projectable 6-foot-2, 164-pounds, lean limbs with a high waist, plenty of room to add on strength. He works down the mound with a high front side, moving with a tall/fall lower-half and over-the-top release to create angle on all his pitches through the zone, especially his fastball, which played around 85-88 mph with tilt and carry. His curveball plays with some gradual 11/5 shape with the ability to keep it to his glove side, 75-77 mph. Flashed a straight changeup at 81 mph. |
Nathan Matoush LHP / Hillsboro, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 99 / POS: 12
9/26/23: Another arm to know from this event is LHP Nathan Matoush (Hillsboro, 2025), who showed well at Creekside earlier this summer and pounded the zone over his two innings of work at this event. The strong, physically built 6-foot-2, 195-pound southpaw pitched at 84-86, touching 87 mph, with his fastball, and it played up too, working from a tighter, deceptive arm window. Matoush spun a 68-72 mph breaking ball for strikes and he turned over a firm 77-81 mph changeup, too. |
Joseph Stewart RHP / 3B / Mattoon, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 100 / POS: 31
4/27/24: Uncommitted. Currently ranked No. 65 in Illinois’ 2025 class. Stands in a well-built frame at 6-foot-1, 205-pounds. Started on the mound for Mattoon in game one of the day and threw a no-hitter with eight strikeouts, five walks and one run allowed. Heavy usage of a fastball that sat in the low-80s throughout the game, touching 86 mph often, with arm-side run at times. Mixed in a curveball with 11/5 shape, sitting 68-71 mph. An uncommitted name to know in the state’s junior class. |
Cal Hanson 1B / OF / Grayslake Central, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 103 / POS: 5
8/21/24: 1B Cal Hanson (Grayslake Central) owns an upside frame at 6-foot-3, 176-pounds with athleticism throughout. A left-handed hitter, Hanson has a fluid, loose load showing some power, producing a max exit velocity of 97.2 mph (avg. 92.1 mph) during his round of batting practice. He showed some bat speed, too, averaging 72.2 mph. Uncommitted incoming-senior to follow. |
Justin Garcia Hernandez OF / 3B / St. Patrick, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 114 / POS: 17
8/21/24: 1B Justin Garcia-Hernandez (St. Patrick) swung one of the heaviest barrels we have seen in some time in his workout, reaching up to an eye-opening 110 mph for his max exit velocity. Standing in at 6-foot-4, 241-pounds, Garcia-Hernandez has plenty of strength throughout his frame with broad shoulders. The right-handed hitter carried his impressive power into game play, sending a ball out to right field for a home run, despite getting jammed on the pitch. His hand and bat-speed are both off the charts, averaging 26 mph for his hands and 81.4 mph with the bat. |
James Spellman 3B / RHP / Notre Dame College Prep, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 125 / POS: 7
8/21/24: CIF James Spellman (Notre Dame College Prep) stands in a physically imposing frame at 6-foot-3, 201-pounds with all kinds of strength throughout. During his round of batting practice, Spellman blasted a baseball 101.5 mph off the bat, including an average exit velocity of 90.1 mph, and a max batted distance of 340 feet. He had well above-average bat speed, posting an average bat speed of 74.1 mph (T78.9 mph). Also a 7.15 runner, Spellman showed quality defense actions at first base with a strong arm across the diamond (T88 mph). The left-handed hitter showed well during gameplay, barreling a home run over the right-center field fence. Lewis commit. |
Lucas Rink 3B / RHP / Wilmington, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 134 / POS: 8
8/21/24: Recent Kankakee CC commit, RHP/INF Lucas Rink (Wilmington), had a quality showing on the bump. The sturdy 6-foot, 189-pound right-hander featured a mid 80’s fastball (T85) with carry through the zone at an average of 18.9” of induced vertical break - which was one of the event’s best. Rink also had confidence in a 73-76 mph slider that he was able to throw for strikes 63% of the time. He finished with three strikeouts over his two innings of work. |
Cooper Kubinski LHP / Joliet Catholic, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 139 / POS: 15
9/20/23: LHP Cooper Kubinski (Joliet Catholic, 2025) was a noteworthy arm out of the bullpen for Elite Baseball Training 2025s. The 6-foot, 195-pound left-hander had multiple short stints out of the ‘pen where he showed a clean, fluid, easy arm and fastball that he spotted up to both sides of the plate at 82-83 mph. Left-handed arm with some pitchability to follow in the Illinois 2025 class. |
Mason Marshall OF / RHP / Glenwood, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 151 / POS: 30
8/21/24: OF Mason Marshall (Glenwood) has continued to solidify himself as an uncommitted name-to-know throughout 2024. An athletic frame with upside at 5-foot-10, 167-pounds, Marshall collected a couple of in-game hits. He’s a right-handed hitter with a fluid load and a slightly uphill path, barreling his hardest hit ball 92.8 mph during his round of batting practice. He showed athleticism too, running a 6.66 60 time which translated to the outfield where he displayed the ability to track down baseball with a strong arm on throws (T87 mph). Heading into his senior year, the uncommitted athlete is a must-follow out of the Central/Southern part of the state. |
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