The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 17, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next two weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2025 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2025 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Morris Community Redskins
Preseason Rank: 18
Head Coach: Todd Kein
Classification: 3A
Conference: Interstate 8
2024 Record (Finish): 30-4 (3rd in State (3A))
Key Players Lost: Cody DelFavero (Parkland JC), AJ Zweeres

 

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ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 6
No. of Returning Starting Pitchers: 3
No. of Returning Relief Pitchers: 2
Team Strengths: Experience

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X-FACTOR

One of the top two-way prospects in the state, 3B/RHP Jack Wheeler (2025; Illinois commit) will be relied on heavily to produce on both sides of the ball for Morris. He’s coming off a spring in which he garnered not just All-Conference honors, but also a First-Team All-Area selection. The Illinois commit is the current No. 29 ranked player in state, and he provides some of the best defense at third base in IL. The long-levered 6-foot-5, 190-pound right-handed hitter will also serve as the catalyst in their lineup, possessing plenty of power to go along with the ability to hit for average. On the other side of the ball, Wheeler will be able to miss bats with his fastball alone, reaching up to 91 mph in previous looks. He will also feature a curveball and a changeup to keep hitters guessing. A starter on varsity since his freshman year, Wheeler is primed for his biggest spring yet.

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TEAM OUTLOOK

It's hard to overlook the fact that coach Kein and his group made it to state last year and only lost two of their pieces. Though important pieces, they bring back a large chunk of last year’s team who now have a year of experience under their belt.

Their rotation has a quartet of quality arms headlined by senior Purdue Northwest commits RHP Brett Bounds, LHP Colin Pfeifer and RHP Merek Klicker - along with the aforementioned Wheeler.

Bounds, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound right-hander, is a crafty righty that played a key role on the mound for the Redskins last spring, earning Honorable Mention All-Area honors as well as an All-Conference selection. He attacks the zone and limits the free pass, going after hitters with a mid-80s fastball and curveball to collect swing and miss.

The lone southpaw in the rotation, Pfeifer was an important two-way piece for Morris a season ago and will be relied on to eat important innings on the bump. Currently ranked No. 248 in IL, he is coming off a strong summer circuit and will certainly look to carry it over into the spring - boasting a low-80s fastball to go along with a sharp breaking ball with depth and out-pitch potential.

Rounding out the Purdue-Northwest commits we have Klicker, a physical right-hander with a power arm. Listed at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds, Klicker will run his fastball into the upper-80s, and he also has an innate ability to spin his breaking ball (2500+ rpm), making it a reliable out-pitch. Look for Klicker to play a key role on the mound for Morris this spring, coming off a year in which he earned All-Conference Honorable Mention honors. 

Klicker and Wheeler could both see time out of the ‘pen if needed, but they also will have Bryce Lee (2026) and Hayden Hutchcraft (2025), a couple right-handers that can run it into the mid/upper-80s.

Manning the pitching staff from behind the plate will be C Griffin Zweeres (2025; Lewis commit). Coming off a spring in which he earned All-Conference honors and an All-Area Honorable Mention selection, the strong right-handed hitter provides quality defense behind the dish and will be a formidable force in the middle of the lineup.

Captaining the infield alongside Wheeler will be SS Ximi Baftiri (2025; Evansville commit). The shortstop will look to be a cornerstone for the Redskins both on the infield and in the lineup, and he’s coming off a spring where he earned an All-Conference selection as well as an All-Area Honorable Mention. The 6-foot, 185-pound right-handed hitter will add some thump to the lineup, and he’s also a lockdown shortstop that will provide reliable defense up the middle.

Klicker, Bounds and Pfeifer will all be looked to as position players as well when they aren’t pitching, each of which seeing a notable amount of time in the starting lineup as juniors.

Bottom Line & Director's Note

Morris is coming off a 30-win season in which they made it all the way to state, finishing third at the 3A level. They did lose a couple key pieces in Cody DelFavero and AJ Zweeres, but there’s a plethora of returners that were large contributors to their success. Their pitching staff has front-line talent backed by quality depth with college commits littered throughout, and their lineup has talented players at key positions. This group is also extremely experienced, with Zweeres and Wheeler starting on varsity since they were freshmen - while Bounds and Baftiri have been on varsity since they were sophomores. It's hard not to like what Morris brings to the table, and they are primed for yet another big spring.

"It is hard to find a more complete team at the 3A level than what Morris has on paper for the 2025 spring. Coming off a state final appearance in 2024, they should be one of the top contenders to make it back to state." Drew Locascio

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Find more information on the 2025 Morris Community program below:

+ Follow them on X: @MorrisBaseball
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 homepage

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