The IHSA season officially kicked off on Monday, March 11th across the state. With the weather cooperating over the first week, there were a number of teams who were able to get their season underway and play multiple games. There are also still teams who have not kicked off their season, and even the ones who have, played three to four games. With that being said, we will purposely hold off on updating the Power 25 until teams from all across the state have compiled enough games to get a fair assessment.

Today we take a quick look at how the first week of the season has shaped up. We highlight the fifth annual Metro East Kickoff Classic which is powered by Prep Baseball Illinois, featured 46 teams from across the state and took place across nine venues in the Metro East area. Eight Preseason Power 25 teams took place in the event and there were plenty of takeaways over the course of the four-day event.

We will also look at some teams outside of the Power 25 that have gotten off to strong starts and will warrant plenty of attention moving forward.

POWER 25 KICKOFF CLASSIC TAKEAWAYS

+ No. 1 Edwardsville (2-1): The Tigers, who are coming off consecutive 4A State Titles, opened up the 2024 season with three games against teams ranked in the Preseason Top six in the state; No. 4 Brother Rice, No. 5 Joliet Catholic and No. 6 New Trier. They took down Brother Rice 1-0, New Trier 5-3 and lost to Joliet Catholic 6-0. It was abundantly clear that Edwardsville will have one of the top pitching staffs in the state and will yet again be a team to beat in 4A.

+ No. 5 Joliet Catholic (4-0): After taking down No. 8 Minooka 9-5 early in the week, the Hilltopppers continued to impress going 3-0 at the Kickoff Classic with wins over No. 1 Edwardsville 6-0, No. 15 Triad 8-7 and Glenwood 9-3. Joliet Catholic has all kinds of arms at their disposal with left-handed arms Jacob Gimbel (Heartland CC) and Lucas Grant (uncommitted) seemingly leading the way. They played quality baseball all weekend long and should battle for the ESCC crown this spring.

+ No. 15 Triad (2-1): Triad took care of business against non-power 25 teams Oak Forest 15-6 and Normal West 11-1. They lost a hard-fought game against No. 5 Joliet Catholic 8-7 with their ace, RHP Drew Winslow (Oklahoma State) on the mound. Despite Winslow just coming off basketball season and working himself into shape, he has high-end stuff and the ability to match up with any offense in the state. The talented junior was up to 91 mph with one of the best breaking balls in the class.

+ No. 20 Normal Community (4-0): Normal Community, like a number of the teams already mentioned, are led by talented arms. In a total of four games so far they have given up a total of three runs and have outscored opponents 32-3. At the Kickoff Classic they took down Belleville East 2-0 and Moline 11-1. Led by Louisville bound LHP Ethan Eberle, the Iromen look to be one of the top teams in Central Illinois this spring.

ON THE RISE

+ Lockport (3-0): Lockport, as they have in the last few years, is off to a hot start and firmly establishing themselves as a team to follow closely moving forward. One of the biggest takeaways from watching them at the Kickoff Classic was sophomore leadoff hitter Adam Kozak. Kozak got his first taste of varsity action and did it all at the top of the lineup in the two games he played down in the MEKOC. Over the two games Kozak went 6-for-7 with two tiples, two doubles, five RBI, five runs scored, a stolen base and a walk. Kozak is an athletic left-handed hitter that plays with energy and should be a catalyst at the top of the order the rest of the spring. Some other main contributors were 2026s Trace Schaaf (W; 4 IP, 8 K's, 0 R, 0 H), Jack Schiek (W; 3 IP, 5 K's and 2-for-3 at the plate) and Colton Benaitis (HR, 2 3Bs, 3 RBI, 2 R). Seniors Nate Byrdak and Dylan Nagle should be big on the mound as well. Byrdak struck out five in three innings of work against Mt. Vernon while Nagle struck out the side in his lone inning of work and also went 3-for-6 at the plate.

+ Highland Park (3-0): A perfect start to the season with two wins over Preseason Power 25 squads have thrust Highland Park into the conversation. Led by RHP Luke Weber (Illinois), the Giants took down No. 12 Stevenson 9-3 in the season opener and followed that up by taking down No. 9 Hersey 5-2. They capped off their impressive first week with a 10-0 win of Taft. The Giants could see themselves firmly inside the Power 25 if they can continue this impressive start.

+ Lane Tech (4-0): Lane Tech is another squad with multiple Power 25 wins; taking down No. 21 St. Rita 8-6 to start the year and No. 17 Mount Carmel 4-3. Outside of the two impressive Chicago Catholic League-Blue wins, they had a pair of 10 run wins over Brooks and Deerfield in between. With plenty of talent up-and-down the roster this looks to be a squad ready to make some noise throughout the spring.

+ Mascoutah (2-0): The Indians went a perfect 2-0 down at the Kickoff Classic to get their season off on the right foot. Mascoutah knocked off Mt. Vernon 8-1 and then knocked off a scrappy Morris team 8-6 on Friday. Led by RHP Austin Musso (Kansas), the Indians have a true ace and they play sound baseball which should keep them in plenty of games moving forward.

+ Washington (2-1): The Panthers started off the year 2-1, including a 17-7 Power 25 win over No. 22 Bradley-Bourbonnais. They also took down Salem 10-0 and their lone loss was a 10-8 defeat to Benet. A trio of juniors in RHP/SS Gavin Lawrence, INF Micah McCoy, and C/OF Tyler Humphrey will provide much of the offensive charge for the Panthers, and RHP/OF Braden Vanderheydt (2024, Maryville University) will likely be the ace on the mound yet again in 2024.

+ Rochester (4-0): The Rockets are off to a perfect start with three wins coming at the Kickoff Classic. They blanked Hillsboro 12-0 to start the year and then took down Normal West 10-5, Joliet West 10-9 and Galesburg 6-5 at the MEKOC. Senior Jack Swaney (Northern Illinois) led the way for the Rockets and made a case for Player of The Week honors. On the week he hit .438 with a double, four home runs, 10 RBIs and six runs scored. Another Central Illinois squad to keep tabs on moving forward.

+ Joliet West (2-1): The Tigers went 2-1 at the Kickoff Classic and picked up a 10-9 win over No. 13 O’Fallon in the process. They also took down Belleville East 5-1 before losing a tough 10-9 game to Rochester. A strength of the squad, after a couple of games, looks to be a deep offensive lineup with strong infield defense, including catcher Owen Young who left the yard a couple of times at the Kickoff Classic.

+ Crystal Lake South (2-0): The Gators have been a formidle group every year under coach Brian Bogda and this year looks to be no different. The offense exploded for 33 runs in the first two wins of the year; 14-2 over Boylan Catholic and 19-4 over Richmond-Burton. Unsigned Senior, CJ Regillio, made a case for Player of the Week going 2-for-3 with two grand slams, eight RBIs and two runs scored in one contest. Keep an eye on yet another talented club in the Fox Valley conference.

+ Homewood-Flossmoor (3-0): The Vikings have taken care of business so far, starting the year perfect with wins over Kenwood 9-8, Eisenhower 16-1 and Crete-Monee 11-9. The Vikings are scheduled for a busy week with three games scheduled for this week before they hit the road to LakePoint, GA for a spring trip.

+ Burlington Central (2-0): The Rockets were in the conversation for a Preseason Power 25 spot and have started the year 2-0 with wins over Belvidere North 6-4 and Harlem 20-3. There is talent up and down the lineup with seniors Brady Gilroy (Wisconsin Whitewater) and Michael Person (uncommitted) as two names to watch throughout the spring. The Rockets look to have the pieces to make some noise in the Fox Valley this spring.

+ Lyons Township (2-0): A convincing 9-1 win over Cicero Morton and a 3-2 win over Neuqua have the Lions off to a quality start. With Nathan Anderson and Tucker King on the mound, this should be a formidable group this spring. Time will tell but this should be a group to keep close tabs on moving forward.

+ Marquette (4-0): The Crusaders are off to a hot start, winning games over Peoria Heights (12-3), Newton (8-1), Mendon Unity (2-1) and Lexington (8-5). SS/RHP Alec Novotney (2026) and 1B Sam Mitre (2025) will headline their offense this season, and Novotney will likely find a lot of innings on the mound, too.

+ Monticello (5-0): The Sages are off to a dominant start, scoring 73 runs thus far, while only allowing eight. A 2024 Super 60 participant, RHP/SS Luke Teschke (2024; Illinois State) will look to be the ace on the mound this year, and he’s a quality bat as well, already hitting multiple home runs this season. 1B Colton Vance (2025), C Eli Craft (2025), and RHP Ike Young (2025) are a few more names to watch on the Sages this season.

OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH

+ Andrew (3-0)
+ Dixon (3-0)
+ Evanston (1-0)
+ Father McGivney (3-0)
+ Fenwick (2-0)
+ Glenwood (1-1)
+ Illini West (4-0)
+ Lincoln-Way West (2-0)
+ Mundelein (2-1)
+ Plainfield Central (2-0)
+ Routt Catholic (4-0)
+ Sacred Heart-Griffin (3-0)
+ St. Patrick (3-1)
+ Yorkville (2-1)

CLICK HERE FOR A LOOK AT THE CURRENT POWER 25.

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