On Nov. 13th, thousands of high school baseball players across the country signed their National Letters of Intent to lock in their official commitments to their respective schools, with hundreds of these signings hailing from Illinois.

Over the next few weeks, we will spend some time highlighting the names from Illinois that signed their NLI to play baseball at the Division I level. We’ll do so by breaking these names up by conference, continuing with the Ohio Valley today. 

Eastern Illinois

The Panthers grabbed a talented trio from in-state, starting with RHP Braxdon Decker (Highland). Listed at 6-foot-2, 160-pounds, the right-hander is an athletic mover and is equipped with a high-spin upper-80s fastball and deceptive low release.

From 5/4/24: “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.”

MIF Drew Church (Montini) is another strong get for the Panthers, boasting arguably some of the highest upside in the state. There is plenty of room for added strength to his 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame, and he’s already one of the top defenders on the left side of the infield in Illinois. He also shows some intrigue with the bat, possessing an athletic right-handed swing. 

From 4/19/24: “Eastern Illinois commit. Currently ranked No. 52 in the state. Lean, high-waisted 6-foot-2, 163-pound frame, athletic look with plenty of room to add on strength. High-level defender on the dirt, soft hands with advanced glove-to-hand, plays through the ball with rhythm, easy/fluid actions and footwork allow him to cover ground to both sides of his glove. Arm is quick and strong, playing from a ¾ release with life across the diamond. Loose right-handed swing, easy effort and stays through the zone, will use the whole field. Hopped on the mound to close out the game, impressing with his loose, quick arm once again; working up to 86 mph with the fastball and ripping off a sharp 10/4 slider at 77-78 mph. High-level middle-infield prospect with a high ceiling.” 

RHP Gavin Rosengren (Batavia) rounds out the recruiting class for Eastern, and he’s another arm that will help add depth to the Panthers’ staff. There’s some present strength in his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame, and we’ve seen him show well on multiple occasions over the last couple years. From a shorter and deceptive window, we’ve seen Rosengren work his fastball up to the 90 mph mark, setting up both a slider in the mid-70s and a low-80s changeup. 

From 2/24/24: “RHP Gavin Rosengren (Batavia) made noticeable strides this offseason, ticking up his velocity since we last saw him at the 2023 Illinois State Games. Standing in a 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame with noticeable strength throughout, Rosengren ran his fastball up to 90.2 mph, while sitting mostly 86-89 mph. He showed significant improvement in his off-speed pitches, too, with more quality movement and shape. His slider has sharp break with an average of -15.8 inches of horizontal movement, sitting 74-77 mph. His changeup sat in the low-80s with little to no IVB and an average of 14.5 inches of horizontal movement. A high-follow uncommitted arm moving forward.”

Lindenwood 

The Lions did not have to go too far to get OF/LHP Sam Driscoll (Mt. Zion), who provides some intrigue on both sides of the ball. A premium athlete, Driscoll has above-average tools across the board starting with his 6.64 laser-timed 60. He creates plenty of pop for his size with a 97 mph max EV, and he also has an extremely strong arm from the outfield (T91 mph.) His arm-strength translates effortlessly onto the mound, where he’ll cruise in the upper-80s with his fastball with a swing and miss slider to pair. 

From 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.”

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville

The Cougars grabbed a couple left-handed bats from Illinois in OF/RHP Cooper Eggert (Providence Catholic) and MIF Kannon Kamp (Father McGivney).

Eggert earned Third-Team All-State honors this past spring as a utility player, helping to lead the Celtics to a 4A State Title in the process. At the plate, Eggert turned in a .417 average with nine doubles, five triples, five home runs, 25 RBIs and 43 runs scored. On the other side of the ball, the right-hander twirled 36 innings to the tune of a 2.53 ERA and a 4-1 record. 

From 6/7/24: “Uncommitted. Currently ranked No. 21 in the state, presenting an athletic and loose-bodied 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame. Eggert got the start for the Celtics in the State Semifinal matchup and continued to show to be one of the top remaining uncommitted arms in the state. He pitched with a ton of moxie and confidence, while keeping his composure when his team needed him most; most notably escaping a bases loaded jam in a tie game in the bottom of the sixth. The righty worked with a three-pitch arsenal, working all offerings in and around the zone. His fastball played with occasional run at 84-87 mph, holding velo throughout the outing. Eggert would also toss in a cutter at 79-83 to miss right-handed barrels to induce groundballs. His go-to secondary offering was a 75-78 mph slider that played in the zone with sharp break for swing and miss. Eggert turned in a final line of: W, 7 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 K.”

Kamp on the other hand, is a scrappy 5-foot-11, 154-pound middle-infielder that has proven to be a menace at the plate. He provides a hitterish look with a contact based approach, and he has the actions to stay on the infield, too. 

From 5/2/24: “Lean, wiry 5-foot-11, 155-pound left-handed hitter that started on the mound and hit in the two-hole for the Griffins; plays up the middle on the infield when he’s not pitching. Hitterish look, gives off the vibe that he’s going to get a hit each time he steps up to the plate. Short, simple, and direct path to contact with consistent barrel feel and polish. Widens his base with two strikes and shortens his load with two strikes, has an approach. Minimal swing-and-miss in our looks, has five strikeouts all season, and doesn’t expand the strike zone. Went 1-for-2, on the day with an RBI, two runs scored, and two walks, one of which was a double-digit pitch at-bat in the bottom of the seventh to get himself on base. Athletic on the mound, pitched in the low-80s with his fastball and flashed feel for a curveball/changeup secondary mix.” 

The Cougars didn’t have to go far to get RHP Tyler Powell (Edwardsville), and he’s yet another talented arm from the southern part of the state. Listed at 6-foot, 190-pounds, Powell can work his fastball up to 90 mph while also turning over a low-80s changeup to left-handed hitters. To fill out his arsenal he will go to both an 11/5 curveball and a firm slider. 

From 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.”

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