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Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 8 Minooka

March 9, 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: Minooka Indians
Preseason Rank: No. 11
Head Coach: Jeff Petrovic
Classification: 4A
Conference: Southwest Prairie
2023 Record (Finish): 23-14 (Lost in Sectional Championship to Edwardsville)
Key Players Lost: Sully Minor, Andrew Forillo, and Anthony Rizo

 

ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Positional Starters: Six/seven
No. of Returning Pitchers: Three starters & three relievers
Team Strengths: Starting Pitching; Well-rounded offensively & defensively.

NAME STATE CLASS POS COMMITMENT
Ryan Anderson IL 2024 RHP Arizona
Nate George IL 2024 OF -
Tyler DeLuca IL 2024 RHP St. Xavier
Noah Munson IL 2024 1B St. Francis
Ben Muhich IL 2024 RHP North Central College
Nathan McBroom IL 2024 OF/1B Triton College
CJ Deckinga IL 2025 UTL/RHP Michigan State
Brayden Zilis IL 2025 MIF/RHP -
Isaac Goddard IL 2025 OF -
Carter Lennington IL 2025 C -
Jason Duy IL 2026 INF -
Brady Kozlowski IL 2026 OF -

X-FACTOR

There’s a ton to like about OF Nate George (2024) who was a member of the Prep Baseball Illinois Third Team All-State in 2023. Last season, George slashed .380/.460/.840 with nine home runs, 15 extra base hits, 42 RBIs, and 32 runs scored. He’s currently ranked No. 10 in the state’s senior class, and he has all kinds of tools. This winter, George posted a max exit velocity of 102.4 mph (97.9 mph average), a max batted distance of 390 feet, recorded a 96 mph outfield velocity, and ran a 6.39 60 time. His impact in the middle of the Indians' lineup will provide a run-producing threat to opposing pitchers.

NEWCOMER TO WATCH

INF Jason Duy (2026) is a newcomer to watch this season for Minooka. Duy posted a 90.1 mph max exit velocity, 73.9 mph average bat speed, and an 80 mph infield velocity at an event this winter.

TEAM OUTLOOK

A 23-win team that won a Regional Title last spring, Minooka has their sights set high this season as they return a majority of their starters from last year

Former Future Gamer, OF/RHP CJ Deckinga (2025; Michigan State) will look to provide a spark in this year’s lineup. He’s a 6-foot-4, 173-pound prospect that has athleticism in his long-limed frame, and he ran a 6.97 60 time this winter. He was an in-game performer at the Future Games this past summer, impressing scouts with his frame and bat. Deckinga posted a max exit velocity of 94.8 mph with easy bat speed to pair (72.5 mph average). He has an above-average arm across the diamond, recording his best bullet at 86 mph (89 mph OF).

MIF/RHP Brayden Zilis (2025) made a big splash in front of our staff this winter. Along with George and Deckinga, Zilis will provide a lot of the offensive production. He’s a 6.87 runner that’s also shown the ability to barrel the baseball, sending six balls 98+ mph (T99.9 mph) at this winter’s Preseason All-State, Upperclass event. He has arm strength on the infield, recording his best bullet across the diamond at 89 mph. Zilis will likely find a good chunk of innings on the mound, recently touching 89.1 mph with his fastball with a quality spinning slider (T2777 RPM).

Arizona commit, RHP Ryan Anderson (2024) will headline this year’s Minooka pitching staff. In our look this winter, his fastball sat 86-88 mph, touching 88.6 mph. Anderson also showed a quality spinning slider that sat in the upper-70s and a change-up that sat 83-84 mph. RHP Tyler DeLuca (2024; St. Xavier commit) and RHP CJ Deckinga are two more arms to note in this deep pitching staff. At last year’s Illinois State Games, DeLuca sat 83-85 mph (T85.6) with his fastball, and this winter, Deckinga’s fastball touched 87 mph.

Headlining Minooka’s bullpen will be RHP Isaac Goddard (2025), RHP Colin Hickey (2024), and RHP Ben Muhich (2024; North Central College).

C Carter Lennington (2025) will likely control the backstop for this year’s team. A strong and athletic frame at 6-foot, 190-pounds, Lennington recorded a max exit velocity of 99.4 mph and a max batted distance of 363 feet. Defensively, his lowest recorded pop time is 2.00, and he’s shown a strong arm on throws down to second (T77 mph). A potential high-impact performer for the Indians this season.

OF Isaac Goddard and INF Noah Pharo are a pair of juniors that will look to provide offensive production to this year’s team. Goddard has a loose easy swing from the right side, and we’ve seen him find success throughout the summer circuit in 2023. Pharo has produced a max exit velocity of 90 mph, and he’s shown above-average infield actions in our looks.

Bottom Line

Minooka returns a lot of their production from a team that won a Regional Title in 2023. With many of their returners making big strides this offseason, the Indians look like a dangerous team heading into 2024 and will be one to watch closely all season.

Find more information on the 2024 Minooka program below:

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

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