Preseason ProCase: Illinois Roster Preview
January 28, 2025
On Wednesday, January 29th, the Prep Baseball Illinois staff is hosting our annual Preseason ProCase at Rhino Baseball Academy in Shorewood, IL. This event has been a staple within the state over the last few years, allowing some of the state's top players to get in front of pro scouts before the start of the spring season.
Today, we wanted to take a second and highlight every single Illinois product that will be in attendance with scouting reports and video, found below.
Roster Preview
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Joey Arend OF / LHP / St. Charles East, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 22 / POS: 4
From 2/24/24: "OF/LHP Joey Arend (St. Charles East; Xavier commit) gave our staff an impressive two-way look over the weekend. At the plate, the left-handed hitter has an upside stroke with a projectable frame to pair at 6-foot-1, 168-pounds. He has loose, whippy hands through the zone that look to stay flat and keep the ball on a line, creating easy jump off the bat with his levers (T97.8 mph). He’s a fluid mover in the outfield, displaying soft hands that play through the ball. He has plenty of arm-strength, reaching up to 89 mph from a crow hop, also showing no trouble translating his arm over to the mound. Arend is an athletic mover downhill with a clean arm that has clear acceleration out front. His fastball sat 85-86 mph with arm-side run, and he landed it in the zone 67% of the time. He threw an upper-70s changeup with heavy fade, creating an average of -17.4 inches of horizontal movement. Arend landed his mid-70s slider for strikes 80% of the time, and it showed tight, sharp break." |
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Liam Arsich OF / RHP / Lincoln-Way Central, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 48 / POS: 10
From 5/06/24: "Toledo commit. Currently ranked No. 29 in the state, and standing in at a long-levered 6-foot-3, 175-pounds. Arsich batted leadoff and started in center field for the Knights. A loose and fluid mover in the outfield, Arsich showed natural and comfortable actions in the outfield, getting clean reads on fly balls; covering ground to both his left and right, while also showing range over the shoulder. The right-handed hitter uses his long levers to create extension out front off of a slightly uphill bat path. He hit the ball hard at times, using the whole field, showing the ability to take the ball where it’s pitched. Arsich finished the day 1-for-3 with a HBP, two runs scored, and a stolen base." |
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Zach Bava C / OF / Naperville North, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 34 / POS: 4
From 8/21/24: "C Zach Bava (Naperville North; Illinois State commit) has long been a high-motor player on both sides of the ball. The future Redbird is athletic out of the box from the left side, posting a home to first time of 4.57 seconds. Bava also stood out with his hustle on defense - not taking any plays off from behind the dish. During the workout, Bava posted a 1.93 pop time with a 77 mph max velo from the crouch, to go with a max EV of 96 mph during batting practice." |
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Drew Church SS / 2B / Montini Catholic, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 65 / POS: 14
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." |
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Davis Collie 1B / LHP / Sycamore, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 57 / POS: 2
From 8/01/24: "1B Davis Collie (Sycamore, 2025) Bradley commit. Collie stands in a physical 6-foot-2, 204-pound frame with athleticism and strength throughout. A left-handed hitter, Collie was on the barrel throughout the game, delivering a single up the middle in his first at-bat and a double to the left-center gap in his third, driving in two runs in the process. He continued to carry his hitting pace into Sunday, sending a three run home run to help lift Sparks North to an 11-4 victory. He also showed well defensively, proving to be a steady glove with clean footwork." |
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CJ Deckinga 3B / OF / Minooka, IL / 2025From 3/29/24: "Michigan State commit, currently ranked No. 5 in the state and No. 181 in the country. Listed at an uber-projectable 6-foot-4, 173-pounds with lean strength and plenty of room to add on strength. The right-handed hitter finished the day 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored hitting out of the four-hole. His double was a frozen rope to his pull-side over the left fielder’s head, plating two runs on the same play. Wide base at the plate with a quick lift and place stride, pre-pitch waggle in the hands for rhythm, stays short to the ball and long through the zone, power projects as he fills out. Steady, natural actions at third base, appears comfortable on the move. Strong arm that plays with carry and life. High-ceiling name to know in the state." |
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Cooper Eggert RHP / OF / Providence Catholic, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 24 / POS: 8
From 6/07/24: "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." |
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Cody Freitas RHP / 3B / Bradley-Bourbonnais, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 31 / POS: 10
From 8/01/24: "RHP Cody Freitas (Bradley-Bourbonnais, 2025) Arizona commit. Freitas showed well in his start on Thursday afternoon. He showed a controlled, athletic delivery with a long and loose arm with acceleration out front. His fastball sat 88-90 mph, and topped out at 91 mph, showing life through the zone. He also mixed in a slider at 78-80 mph with sharp horizontal actions and a change-up in the low-80s with slight fade. He attacked the zone with his three-pitch mix throughout his outing, showing confidence in each pitch, too. In addition, Cody Freitas was slugging the ball for Sparks. The right-handed batter impressively went 3-for-3 with five RBI s, a solo homer, and a grand slam. At the plate, Freitas stands tall with loose hands. He shows a high leg kick and quick bat as he drives through the ball keeping the bat close to his body." |
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Lucas Grant LHP / 1B / Joliet Catholic, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 16 / POS: 5
From 3/15/24: "6-foot, 185-pound, left-handed pitcher, currently on the rise in the Illinois 2025 class. Showed well this winter at the Preseason All-State and has now backed it up with two quality performances this spring. Came out of the bullpen in this game and was almost perfect in his three innings of work, allowing one hit, no walks and struck out six. 29 of his 42 pitches were strikes, working primarily behind a lively fastball that gets all over hitters at 87-89, T90 mph early on, settling at 86-88. Worked almost exclusively with his late running fastball that he works at the bottom of the zone. Rarely went to his slider which played at 77 mph with a short, late horizontal wrinkle. Overall, easy operation with feel and presence on the mound. Should be a highly-sought after left-handed arm in the Illinois 2025 class." |
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Joshua Holst LHP / Libertyville, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 23 / POS: 7
From 5/15/24: "Air Force commit. Currently ranked No. 34 in the state. Strong-bodied, 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame with some physicality throughout. Got the start on the mound and struck out 14 over 5.2 innings, allowing only one run. Athletic mover for size, loose and flexible, gains easy ground downhill, delivers his arsenal from a ¾ release with a clean path. Heavy dose of fastballs, cruised around 85-88 mph, flashed hard arm-side life, worked the whole zone. Flashed a 1/7 curveball at 66-69 mph, slight decel, big-breaking with some depth." |
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Enzo Infelise C / 3B / Providence Catholic, IL / 2025From 8/21/24: "All C/INF Enzo Infelise (Providence Catholic; Oklahoma commit) has done since we first saw him is hit. The 6-foot-2, 229-pound right-handed hitter has easy strength in his bat, juicing a no-doubt home run over the left field wall during game play. He continues to show well above-average bat-to-ball skills, making it hard for pitchers to get a strike past him. He had one of the more impressive rounds of batting practice during the event s showcase, barreling balls for an average exit velocity of 94.4 mph (T102.4 mph), while sending his farthest hit ball 356 feet, per TrackMan. Infelise s average bat speed was 74.4 mph, including an average hand speed of 22 mph. Defensively from the crouch, he recorded an 81 mph catcher velocity while recording a pop time range of 1.87-1.95, also tallying 88 mph across the diamond during infield defense." |
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Trey Meyers OF / 1B / New Trier, IL / 2025From 2/24/24: "OF Trey Meyers (New Trier; Indiana commit) stands out physically with his 6-foot-5, 214-pound frame, and he has some eye-opening upside still left in the tank. He uses his levers to create easy power and bat-speed (70.6 mph avg), and his power projects as he continues to fill out. In this look, he had a clear intent to keep the ball on a line, working up to 93.9 mph for his max EV. He moves extremely well for his size, cruising to a 6.58 in the 60 with a max run speed of 21.1 mph, also recording a 29.8 vertical. Fluid footwork in the outfield with steady hands, plays through the ball with intent. Moves well into a crow hop, topping out at 89 mph with life out of the hand. High-upside name to know." |
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Jackson Natanek SS / RHP / Brother Rice, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 39 / POS: 6
From 5/01/24: "Illinois State commit. Currently ranked No. 36 in the state. Athletic, 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame, round shoulders with some strength throughout. Advanced defender on the dirt, soft hands with confident actions, secures the ball into his body before moving into a clean transfer with above-average glove-to-hand work. The right-handed hitter finished the day 1-for-3 with two runs scored, walking once. Works in his legs in his setup and through impact, strong hands through the zone with controlled aggression." |
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Chase Petersen OF / RHP / Glenbrook North, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 54 / POS: 12
From 8/14/24: "OF Chase Petersen (Glenbrook North, 2025) continued his strong summer down at the Senior Future Games. During the workout day, the strong 5-foot-8, 183-pound outfielder ran a 6.91 60, put up a max vertical of 32”, and also reached 84 mph on a crow hop from the outfield. He showed well during batting practice as well - reaching a max exit velocity of 94.8 mph (avg. 90.8) paired with a max distance of 324 feet. Petersen’s Blast metrics also stood out, as he had a max bat speed of 86.4 mph (avg. 75.7), and a max hand speed of 24.4 mph (avg. 22.5). Petersen continued to show well during gameplay with the bat - finding barrels throughout the week." |
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AJ Putty 1B / 3B / Huntley, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 38 / POS: 1
From 6/19/24: "The Illinois commit is one of the top right-handed power bats in the state and he proved it once again this spring launching double digit home runs for a Red Raider club that finished 29-8-1, finishing inside our Power 25 Final Rankings. Putty slashed .419/.504/.812 on the year, including 11 home runs, 13 doubles, and 35 runs scored. Depsite hitting for a lot of power, Putty walked (22) more than he struck out (17) and was the biggest threat in the Huntley order throughout the season." |
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Jake Rifenburg LHP / Benet Academy, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 69 / POS: 9
From 2/24/24: "LHP Jake Rifenburg (Benet Academy) was one of the biggest winners from Saturday s event. At the same event last year, Rifenburg s fastball sat 78-80 mph, but this year, he showed significant strides in velocity, with his fastball sitting 87-89 mph with carry through the zone. He showed a sharp, late breaking curveball that sat 73-74 mph with 1/7 shape. Rifenburg s changeup was thrown with intent, and he created clear fade/sink to the arm-side (avg. -11.6 HM). An instant uncommitted name to know in the state s junior class." |
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Brady Schallmoser OF / 1B / Downers Grove North, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 60 / POS: 13
From 8/21/24: "OF Brady Schallmoser (Downers Grove North) committed to Wabash Valley JC just days after another impressive performance at this year s Illinois State Games. He stands at a strong 6-foot-2, 198-pound frame, showing juice from the left-side of the plate. Schallmoser produced a peak exit velocity of 99.3 mph during his round of batting practice, staying on the barrel for an average of 91.8 mph, and sending his farthest hit ball 366 feet. During gameplay, Schallmoser delivered a ball to deep centerfield for a ground rule double." |
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Gavin Triezenberg SS / 3B / Brother Rice, IL / 2025Rankings StateRank: 26 / POS: 2
From 5/01/24: "Arizona commit. Currently ranked No. 39 in the state. Physical, 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame with proportioned strength. Started at shortstop and hit out of the three-hole for the Crusaders. Moves extremely well on the infield for his size, soft glove-to-hand with quality timing through the ball, plays on the move. The right-handed hitter finished the day 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and a run scored, displaying quality plate coverage with loose, whippy hands through the zone. Aggressive on the basepaths, took a curveball off the head and stole second first pitch against a premium backstop." |
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