2020: A Look Ahead

It’s time to look ahead to this year, 2020, one that is sure to be a big and busy one for Prep Baseball Report, both locally and nationally. We’re preparing for what’s become an even more hectic winter showcase season that will transition neatly into the fourth annual PBR Metro East Kickoff Classic to jumpstart the 2020 IHSA baseball season.

Check out what we’re looking forward to in 2020:

THE 4TH ANNUAL KICKOFF CLASSIC

For the fourth straight year, the PBR Illinois team will make its way down to the St. Louis area to host the Metro East Kickoff Classic, four-day stretch featuring some of the top programs across the state all in one central location. While specifics on this year’s field are still being drawn out, there were nearly 50 teams in attendance last year.

Among fellow hosts Edwardsville and O’Fallon, you can expect to see the likes of Joliet Catholic and Neuqua Valley at the Kickoff Classic in mid-March, as well as Oswego East, Lockport, Oak Park-River Forest, and Huntley. Each of the aforementioned should be competitive this spring, too, so we’ll see if they get their seasons started on the right foot down south. 

2020 MLB DRAFT

There’s always at least a few high-profile prep prospects from Illinois scouts are keen to see in the spring, but the last couple years have featured some seriously talented names. From 2019 first-rounder Quinn Priester (Cary-Grove; Pittsburgh, Round 1, No. 18) to this year, where Ed Howard IV (Mount Carmel; Oklahoma commit) is vying for a first-round selection with a reasonable chance to hear his name called even earlier than Priester did. He established himself as one of, if not the, top high school shortstop in the country last summer and he could continue to raise his profile this winter and spring.

This year, Illinois has another prep prospect that is capable of earning a Day One or earlier Day Two pick: RHP Ben Hernandez (De La Salle; Illinois-Chicago). Around this time last year, Hernandez elevated his status as one of the best in the state to the best in the country with a lights out bullpen thrown at one of our Preseason All-State. He maintained his status as one of the nation’s best arms throughout the summer, too. He probably needs to answer some questions in order to land a Day One pick, but the ceiling is there. Regardless, as the No. 56-ranked prospect on our PBR Draft Board, he gives our state another high schooler to watch extra closely this spring.

Keep an eye out for these names, among many others, as potential 2020 draft picks: Louisville commit SS Chrisitan Knapczyk (Joliet Catholic), Saint Viator’s RHP Jack Mahoney (South Carolina), C Jack Payton (Brother Rice; Louisville), 1B Drake Westcott (Edwardsville; Louisville), RHP Jack Crowder (Plainfield East; Illinois), RHP Ben Wiegman (Carmel Catholic; Louisville), OF/RHP Isaiah Jackson (Champaign Central; uncommitted), and OF/INF Tre Hondras (Homewood-Flossmoor; Michigan), among others.

2020 IHSA SEASON

Even though the calendar only just turned to the New Year, it’s already time to start thinking about the IHSA baseball spring. Check out the final edition of our 2019 Power 25 for a little refresher on how the 2019 season ended. Here’s a snapshot of some of the teams in the state to watch out for this spring:

• Edwardsville: The reigning 4A champs earned the state title in dramatic fashion and head coach Tim Funkhouser won his 700th game in the process. The Tigers graduated an enormous amount of starters and role players from their dugout last May, so it’ll fun to watch the respected head coach find a way to plug those holes. Edwardsville is never short on talent either, so they’ll be able to find a way to reinforce the lineup around Westcott and junior Hayden Moore (Missouri State).

• Brother Rice: The Crusaders look lethal in 2020 despite graduating some of their reliable starters last year. They’re still with the likes of Payton and OF Marquis Jackson (Oklahoma), and they also have a really healthy mix of seniors and juniors to bolster what should be another run at the Chicago Catholic League – Blue title. We could even see the emergence of two of the nation’s top freshmen: Zion Rose (Louisville) and Bryce Nevils (uncommitted)

• St. Charles North: The North Stars won 29 games in 2019 and were the runners-up in the 4A state title race despite fielding a ton of youth and inexperience. They did graduate a couple key members of last year’s squad, but the core of the team returns in juniors Nick Demarco (Notre Dame) and Andrew Jimenez (uncommitted). To get so close to the title and come up just short will have this roster eager to make its way back to Joliet.

• Mount Carmel: The Caravan are going to have their bleachers full of scouts as they hound Ed Howard’s every move, but Mount Carmel isn’t a one-man show, they hardly ever are. Fellow seniors Tony Livermore (Northwestern) and Joshua Houston (Southern) will give this team firepower in the middle of the order to surround Howard, and there’s some exciting underclass talent looming, too.

• De La Salle: Every Hernandez start will help give the Meteors a chance to win, and it would make them one of the last team’s you’d want to oppose come playoff time. De La Salle is also coming off a 22-win spring at the 3A level, so they aren’t solely relying on their ace, either. They scored some huge wins in 2019 over the likes of Lincoln-Way East, Homewood-Flossmoor, Mount Carmel, and Providence Catholic, though saw their season end in a 3-2 loss to St. Laurence late in the playoffs. The Meteors will be back in 2020, with a vengeance. 

2020 WINTER SHOWCASE SCHEDULE

STATE 2023 RANKINGS

In November, PBR National Crosschecker Shooter Hunt, in collaboration with our team of state directors, released the first look at the Class of 2023 Overall Rankings. On it, five Illinois prep prospects, three of whom have already announced their verbal commitments: Zion Rose (Brother Rice; Louisville), T.J. Schuyler (Antioch; Indiana), and Dillon Head (Homewood-Flossmoor; Michigan). Elsewhere on the top-200, though still unsigned: Bryce Nevils (Brother Rice) and Ryan Jefferson (Providence Catholic).

It’s shaping up to be another strong class, so we’re excited to see more of this freshmen group on the showcase circuit in early 2020. We released our first in-state look at the 2022 class last September, after accruing a winter, spring, and summer worth of data and insight, but you can expect the state’s 2023 board to see the light some time following the winter showcase circuit.

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