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, starting with the SEC, and you'll learn more today about the players from Illinois headed to those programs, below. 

Alabama 

RHP Joseph Chiarodo (Edwardsville) is not just one of the top arms, but one of the top athletes in the entire state, and he will be heading to Tuscaloosa next fall. Listed at a strong and durable 5-foot-11, 180-pounds, the right-hander will routinely run his fastball into the low-90s, reaching 93 mph on numerous occasions while also spinning in an advanced CB/SL duo, and flipping in a diving changeup at times. On the other side of the ball, Chiarodo is a 6.68 runner that can play a lockdown centerfield, and he’s been a key piece in the Tigers’ success throughout his prep career on both sides of the ball.

From 4/16/24: "Alabama commit and one of the top arms in Illinois’ junior class; ranked No. 8 overall in the state. 5-foot-11, 180-pound athlete with strength throughout his frame, particularly in the lower half. Took the mound for the Tigers in a conference win over Collinsville; tossed five strong innings, striking out six with a walk and three earned runs. Power mover, sits into his back hip and works downhill in a drop/drive pattern with noticeable athleticism, repeats. Strong front side, stays closed up front and finishes onto a firm lead leg through release. Bulldog-like demeanor on the mound, highly competitive and in control. Short arm draw out the glove, travels to release on a short, compact arm circle that finishes out of a high ¾ slot. Fastball touched 93 in the first, sat 90-92 mph early, settled at 88-90 mph. Jumps out the hand with life on the corners, strikes often and pitches off it. Slider was the best it has ever been over our numerous looks. Stays on fastball tunnel with sharp, late swing-and-miss break at 80-84 mph. Able to land it for strikes too, though mostly used for whiffs in this look. Depth and more vertical action to a 74-76 mph curveball, tight spin and strike feel. Starting to show more comfort and feel for a changeup at 81-83 mph, favored it to left-handed hitters. High level athlete that has four-pitch feel and polish who consistently performs each time we see him."

Kentucky

The Wildcats have started dipping into Illinois over the last few years, most recently with the 66th overall pick in this past year's draft, SS Tyler Bell (Lincoln-Way East, 2024) and RHP Nate Harris (Yorkville, 2024), a former Future Games standout. 

The Cats recently grabbed LHP/1B Conor Essenburg (Lincoln-Way West), a dynamic two-way prospect that has a chance to make an impact on both sides of the ball. On the mound, Essenburg has ran his fastball up to 94 mph in the past and even earned Prep Baseball Illinois Pitcher of the Week honors this past spring, as well as First Team All-State Honors as a utility player after he turned in a 10-2 record on the mound with 52 innings pitched, just 20 hits allowed, 101 strikeouts and a 1.48 ERA. On the other side of the ball, the right-handed hitter turned in a .388 batting average with 12 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 29 RBIs, 31 runs scored, an OBP% of .554 and SLG% of 673.

From 6/26/24: "Kansas State commit. Essenburg (Lincoln-Way West, 2025) started on the mound in Friday night’s last game. He finished the game throwing two innings with five strikeouts, one walk, one run and two hits allowed. Clean, athletic mover on the mound with a loose arm. He used his fastball often which sat 89-91 mph, topping out at 92 mph with mostly straight actions. He also mixed in slider with hard bite at 76-78 mph with 2200-2300 rpm. A high-level arm in the state’s incoming senior class. Essenburg later showed easy right-handed pop at the plate, lacing two doubles in their game on Saturday. He uses a whole field approach at the plate, and can generate power to any part of the field. He also showed natural actions in the outfield with his strong arm translating to the outfield as well."

 Toby Peterson (Palatine) is a projectable 6-foot-2, 180-pound southpaw headed to Lexington after his senior year. Another Future Games standout, Peterson is a fluid and easy mover that will work in the upper-80s and grab 90 mph, setting up a sharp biting slider and a splitter he can kill spin on.

From 2/24/24: "LHP Toby Peterson (Palatine) is one of the top remaining uncommitted arms in the state, and showed a strong feel for all three pitches in his ‘pen. His fastball sat 87-88 mph (T89) with slight arm-side action and some feel for spin (T2371 rpm). His slider played with spin as well (avg. 2178; T2467 rpm) and was thrown with intent at 78 mph. Peterson’s third offering was a splitter that played firm at 79-80 mph with slight downer action and feel for the zone (60% strikes)."

Missouri 

Typically a dominant force in their neighboring state, Missouri was able to land RHP Brady Rosenkranz (Stevenson) early on in his prep career. Listed at a towering 6-foot-7, 227-pounds, the big right-hander has a simple and easy-effort delivery that allows him to control his levers and repeat his mechanics. There still looks to be more in the tank for Rosenkranz, though he’s already been up to 90 mph in previous looks.

From 2/24/24: "RHP Brady Rosenkranz (Stevenson; Missouri commit) is an imposing 6-foot-7, 227-pound prospect that moves easily downhill. He has feel to spin the fastball (avg. 2374 rpm), playing at 87-89 mph with more of a four-seam action. Both of Rosenkranz’s breaking balls spun with an average of 2300+ rpm, with the slider having slightly better spin and better feel for the strike zone."

Tennessee 

The reigning National Champions have been getting busy in Illinois as of late, and they were able to sign two of the most sought after prospects in the Midwest. 

Saying LHP Cameron Appenzeller (Glenwood) is a top prospect in the midwest isn’t exactly doing him justice, as he’s currently the No. 3 ranked player in the entire country, as well as the No. 1 ranked left-handed pitcher. Glenwood has a long history of talent on the baseball field, with players such as Reid Detmers, Jayson Werth, Nick Maton and Phil Maton all logging MLB service time. Appenzeller looks to be the next big prospect coming out of the area, and here’s what Shooter Hunt had to say about him at the USA Trials in Cary:

“The top left-handed arm in the class was just that in Cary, and while it was not the “loudest” performance, it is exactly for that reason why he is such a high-level prospect. Even without being in pristine form, the wiry-athletic and long-limbed, 6-foot-5, 180-pound southpaw provided stress free innings that almost could have gone unnoticed. Lulling hitters to sleep with a controlled, continuous arm stroke and delivery, the big southpaw worked 89-93 with a fastball that jumped on hitters out of a low slot with quickness to an arm that hovered on slinky action. Killing spin on an 84-85 changeup, the pitch is likely headed to being a plus-offering, and one that he exhibited innate confidence in. Finally, while his sweepy breaking ball (77-79) was less consistent in this short look, it ticked up throughout, and is likely headed for an above average pitch in itself. Appenzeller stands confidently on the mound with a poised demeanor and quiet expectation of success, and the effortless electricity that comes out of his hand holds massive upside and value as a future starter. It is inevitable that Appenzeller’s entire arsenal makes a jump, and seeing as he was able to dominate the class’ best hitters without being at his sharpest, the ceiling has been set extra high for the Illinois native”.

Currently ranked No. 9 in Illinois, MIF Ethan Moore (Oak Park-River Forest) provides all sorts of intrigue with his switch-hitting profile and advanced defensive actions. Listed at a physical, yet athletic 5-foot-10, 193-pounds, Moore has explosive hands at the plate from both sides, reaching up to 97 mph for his max EV in-event while also working hard on the barrel in front of our staff this past summer. He’s a natural defender on the infield and should be able to stick there at the next level.

From 3/3/24: "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."

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