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Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 22 Bradley-Bourbonnais

March 5, 2024
By: Gavin Smith
Area Scout, Content

The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 11, 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 2024 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 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Bradley-Bourbonnais Boilermakers
Preseason Rank: No. 22
Head Coach: Brad Schweigert
Classification: 4A
Conference: South West Suburban
2023 Record (Finish): 17-12 (First Round loss to Minooka)
Key Players Lost: Max Mallindine (Joliet JC) & Vernon Malone (Augustana).

 

ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Positional Starters: Eight
No. of Returning Pitchers: Seven
Team Strengths: Senior leadership & Pitching Depth.

NAME STATE CLASS POS COMMITMENT
Andrew Schwigert IL 2024 OF/RHP Heartland CC
Thomas Offill IL 2024 INF Kankakee CC
Toby Schriefer IL 2024 RHP Illinois State
Cal Darling IL 2024 OF/RHP Heartland CC
Tyler Wilson IL 2024 OF -
Spencer Boudreau IL 2024 RHP/DH Kankakee CC
Caleb McBurnie IL 2024 C Olivet Nazarene
Tyler Snoreck IL 2024 RHP Olivet Nazarene
Brody Clark IL 2024 LHP Millikin
Luke Allen IL 2024 OF -
Cody Freitas IL 2025 RHP/INF Arizona
Cayden Arbour IL 2025 C -
Jace Boudreau IL 2026 INF -
Liam Martin IL 2026 RHP -

X-FACTOR

Last season, RHP/INF Cody Freitas (2025; Arizona commit) led the Boilermakers in innings pitched (41) and strikeouts (51), and he finished the season with a 3.76 ERA while holding his opponents to a .248 batting average. Our scouts have seen Freitas up to 92 mph with a tight-breaking curveball that he can throw for strikes. At the plate, he’s shown the ability to hit for power in our looks, producing low-90s exit velocities on average, and a peak exit velocity of 98.5 mph. We expect Freitas to take on an expanded role in 2024 for this Boilermakers’ team.

NEWCOMERS TO WATCH

INF/OF Jace Boudreau (2026) and RHP Liam Martin (2026) are a pair of sophomores that are likely to find some varsity playing time. At the plate, Boudreau has a simple swing with a flat path and a whole field approach, and defensively he’s shown our staff athletic actions with quick feet. Martin stands in a physical 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame, and he showed a fastball up to 82.7 mph with ride through the zone at our last event of the winter calendar.

TEAM OUTLOOK

The Boilermakers were a young team in 2023, ultimately finishing the season 17-12 with a first round playoff exit. With a majority of their starters from last year’s team back this year, they look like they have the potential for a big year backed by a deep pitching rotation.

RHP Cody Freitas (2025; Arizona commit), mentioned above as the team’s X-Factor, will likely head their pitching rotation yet again, but they have a plethora of experienced arms that will provide a tough matchup for opposing teams each time they take the mound: RHP Toby Schriefer (2024; Illinois State commit) RHP Spencer Boudreau (2024; North Central College commit) and RHP Tyler Snoreck (2024; Olivet Nazarene commit). Schriefer is an intriguing arm in the state’s senior class, and he recently committed to Illinois State. We’ve seen his fastball touch 87.6 mph with ride through the zone, and a slider that’s shown out-pitch potential. In 2023, Boudreau tallied the second most innings for the Boilermakers (32.1), recorded the lowest ERA on the team (2.81), and struck out 25 batters. Snorkeck struck out 31 batters and only walked four in 16.2 innings of work.

OF/RHP Andrew Schweigert (2024; Heartland CC commit) was one of the Boilermakers top bats last year, leading the team in home runs (5), RBIs (13) and extra base hits (10). The senior will look to be one of the top run-producers on this year’s team. Schweigert will likely be called upon for bullpen duty this season as well, as last year he threw 16 innings, struck out 12, and posted a 3.50 ERA.

A group of seniors will be tasked with providing much of the offensive charge this year: OF Cal Darling (2024; Heartland CC commit), INF Thomas Offill (2024; Kankakee CC commit), 1B Tyler Wilson (2024), and OF/INF Luke Allen (2024). At the Illinois State Games in 2023, we saw Darling hit a ball 101.1 mph off the bat with his farthest hit ball traveling 357 feet. The Heartland commit has power potential, as he hit three home runs last year while recording 13 RBIs last season. Offill led off for the Boilermakers last year, and in 101 plate appearances, he slashed .292/.370/.337 with nine RBIs, 25 runs (team leading) and eight stolen bases (team leading). Wilson hit to a .297 average in 2023, while tallying one home run, three extra base hits, 15 RBIs, and 16 runs scored in 85 plate appearances. Allen saw limited action, but in 21 plate appearances he recorded six hits with a triple and four RBIs.

C Cayden Arbour (2025) is another potential impact name this season. In 2023 Arbour found the field in 19 games, and recorded 45 plate appearances with a double and five RBIs. Senior LHP Brody Clark (Millikin University commit) is set to find some time on the mound. He has an athletic and clean delivery with a fluid arm path, running his fastball up to 78.7 mph in our looks.

Bottom Line

With their deep and experienced pitching staff, the Boilermakers have the makeup for a deep run in the playoffs this spring. If their offense can come together, they will be a dangerous team come late May and early June.

Find more information on the 2024 Bradley-Bourbonnais program below:

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