2018 is in the rear view mirror and every year we like to put together a preview of sorts to the new year. As we kick off 2019, we take a look ahead at some of the top things to watch for in the new year. Players, storylines, predictions, you name it - here's a few things to keep your eye on for 2019.

PBR Metro East Kickoff Classic Continues To Grow

The annual PBR Metro East Kickoff Classic is entering its third year and will once again jump start the 2019 IHSA season. The event, which takes place during the first week of the season, is played over a four-day stretch in the St. Louis Metro East area and has grown substantially every year. This year's event will feature 47 of the best high school programs from all over Illinois, 12 more teams than the 2018 edition. The 2018 event featured three top five teams in the preseason rankings, including Plainfield North, who went on to win the Class 4A State Title. Looking ahead to the 2019 event, there are bound to be a plethora of teams who will be ranked in the Preseason Power 25. Some of the main programs to keep an eye on will be Brother Rice, Edwardsville, Glenwood, Joliet Catholic, Mount Carmel, Neuqua Valley and O'Fallon, among a host of others. The amount of talent on hand will be overwhelming and multiple teams will feature multiple Division I commits. Brother Rice and Joliet Catholic currently have six Division I commits each, while Mount Carmel has three, including the No. 1 player in the Illinois 2020 class, SS Ed Howard (Oklahoma).

2019 Draft Prospects

 Scouts should be busy this spring tracking down some of the top 2019 talent in Illinois. The player with the most draft buzz is RHP Quinn Priester (Cary-Grove). Priester, a Texas Christian commit, who has long been on the radar, is a highly-athletic RHP who sits comfortably in the low-90’s with an advanced repertoire. LHP Michael Prosecky (Nazareth) is extremely projectable and skyrocketed up the rankings thanks to an impressive 2018 campaign. Prosecky helped Nazareth finish runner-up in class 3A and a few weeks later was up to 93 mph with a firm slider in a bullpen setting. 1B Jason Hodges (Marist) created plenty of buzz with his performance in Jupiter this fall. Hodges is a physical specimen with easy power. Matt McCormick (St. Laurence) is arguably the most talented left-handed hitter in the midwest and it will be interesting to see how scouts value the bat come the draft. Effingham product RHP Zachary Lee, a Kentucky commit, could catch some buzz this spring as well. We have seen the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Lee up to 91 mph but there have been multiple reports of him much firmer. It could be a sneaky good draft year for Illinois as there are a number of other players not mentioned above (ie. Dylan Post, Kendal Ewell, Alex Helmin, etc) that could rise this spring. Stay tuned.

Preseason Power 25 Rankings

The high school season is right around the corner and the Preseason Power 25 countdown will begin at the start of March. We know it is still early to talk about the top teams in the state but below are a few teams that seem to have bright 2019’s ahead. We are still in the process of gathering information on all the teams around the state and will see plenty of players at winter events that should impact the Power 25 but keep an eye out for the teams below. By no means does this list reflect the rankings that will be released in early March.

Plainfield North - Despite losing a lot of talent off of last year’s roster, Plainfield North, the defending 4A Champs, should be poised for another successful season. The Tigers have become known for producing high-level arms and this year’s team should have a fair share once again. Junior Eben Heine should lead the way. Heine, a hard-throwing right-hander saw quality innings last season and notched the save with a strikeout in last spring’s title game. Some other key arms for the Tigers should be CF/RHP Cameron Kissel, RHP Nate Curtis, RHP Dylan Szajkovics and LHP Jacob Goss. THe top returning position players besides Kissel will be OF Garret Cook and C Greg Budig.

Marist - Coach Sefcik is heading into the 2019 season with the most talented and veteran group he has had yet. The Redhawks have three 2019’s who could draw draft interest this spring in 1B/OF Jason Hodges, OF Kendal Ewell and OF/RHP Jack Brannigan. Others set to contribute are 2021 INF Noah Smith (Louisville commit), 1B/RHP Justin Janas, C Max Malley and a host of others.

Brother Rice - New head coach Sean McBride will have six Division 1 commits on his roster to work with in his first year at the helm. The Crusaders will be loaded in the outfield with Michael Bolton, Danny Doligale, Kendall Pettis and transfer Benji Brokemond. Brokemond can roam the outfield or stick on the infield. Behind the plate, they have one of the top defensive catchers in the state, in 2020 C Jack Payton. RHP Brandon Laux transferred in from Lincoln-Way East and should receive quality innings this spring. Other arms to watch will be RHP’s Eli Sweiss, Eric Diaz, Micah Gouwens and Jacob Sullivan.

Joliet Catholic - The Hilltoppers should be a repeat near the top of the Preseason Power 25 rankings thanks to their impressive crop of seniors returning this spring. Coach Jared Voss has already seen five of his upcoming seniors commit to the Division 1 ranks in OF/RHP Gregory Ziegler, INF Jared Cushing, LHP Alex Vera, RHP Zachary Gould and RHP Michael Gurka. They also have one of the top-ranked 2020 prospects in INF Christian Knapczyk (Louisville commit) along with last years Sophomore breakout RHP Zach Hise to lead the Hilltoppers into what looks to be a promising 2019 campaign. 

Homewood-Flossmoor - Heading into the 2019 season, the Vikings will be under the helm of a new head coach in John McCarthy. After seven successful seasons at Brother Rice, McCarthy will look to bring his aggressive style to push HF to the top of the Southwest Suburban Red Conference. The Vikings have a unique group of talent returning in RHP Tyler Schlafer, C Jacob Schroeder, OF Jorge Santos, INF Tre Hondras and LHP Isaiah Coupet, to name a few.

2019 Showcase Schedule

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Unsigned Senior Showcase	IL	01/13	The MAX - McCook, IL
Illiana Preseason I.D.	IL	01/21	Ho-Chunk Sports and Expo Center - Chicago Heights, IL
Kenosha Preseason I.D.	IL	01/26	Fielders Choice Training Facility - Kenosha, WI
Future Prospects Showcase & Educational Camp	IL	01/27	Pro Player Academy - McHenry, IL
McHenry Preseason I.D.	IL	01/27	Pro Player Academy - McHenry, IL
Super 60 Pro Showcase	NATIONAL	02/03	The Max
Preseason All-State Showcase (Invite Only)	IL	02/10	The Max - McCook, IL
Underclass Invitational (Invite Only)	IL	02/17	The MAX - McCook, IL
Lockport Preseason I.D.	IL	02/18	Bo Jackson Elite Sports Dome - Lockport, IL
Peoria Preseason I.D.	IL	02/20	Louisville Slugger Sports Complex - Peoria, IL
Chicago Preseason I.D.	IL	02/23	Pullman Community Center
Future Prospects Showcase & Educational Camp	IL	03/03	The MAX - McCook, IL
Future Prospects Showcase & Educational Camp	IL	03/31	Bo Jackson Elite Sports Dome - Lockport, IL

 

2022 Rankings

The lone 2022 commit from the state of Illinois is SS Logan Wagner. Wagner, who recently committed to Louisville, will likely be one of the top prospects in the state when the initial 2022 rankings are released. Some other talented freshman to keep an eye on moving forward is C Zander Buchan, C Jayden Comia and RHP’s Gavin Woodland, Ethan Patera, Alex Stanwich. It should be interesting to see if any of these freshman, or others, impact a varsity squad this spring.

PBR Tournaments/Lake Point

In November, we announced a partnership with the “best-in-class operational tournament and facility company” Bullpen Tournaments. Then, just about a month ago now, our staff announced a long-term partnership with the country’s go-to baseball facility: LakePoint in Emerson, Ga.

So how will this affect the travel baseball scene in Illinois? It's still early in the process, but it’s clear that there will be an influx of PBR-affiliated tournaments in the region for the area’s travel teams to choose from. After dipping our toes in the pool over the past year or two with the Limited Series tourneys, we’re diving in head-first. For a complete look at the tournaments being in 2019, click here.

As for the LakePoint event schedule, there are already six high-profile tournaments slated for 2019, including the invite-only National Program Invitational. It remains to be seen how many Illinois-based programs will be headed to Emerson in 2019, but given the amount of talent within this state, it’s fair to expect a handful of local representation.

CLICK HERE for the entire PBR Tournaments Headquarters.

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