Throughout the next couple of weeks, the PBR Illinois team is going to be examining the 100-plus prospects on their way to Division-I destinations next fall, breaking them down conference by conference.

We kicked off the series by looking at the Big Ten, MAC, Horizon and Ohio Valley conferences. Today, we’re onto the Ohio Valley Conference, one set to welcome 13 names, as of today, their way in the fall of 2020.

It’s important to note that we broke down all of the in-state D-I programs at length just a couple weeks back. You can find Part One here and Part Two here. If you’re looking for full, detailed breakdowns of Illinois’ top programs and their complete 2019 recruiting classes, check it out.

For now, here’s what you can look forward to inside the Missouri Valley baseball scene in the not-too-distant future.

MISSOURI VALLEY

There are five homegrown prospects headed to Illinois State, naturally, led by left-hander Josh Dima (Belleville West) who has rocketed up the rankings in 2019. 

Josh Dima (10.12.19)

Dima and RHP Mason Burns (Normal Community) highlight two top 25 prospects from Illinois the Redbirds landed. Burns a former Team Illinois Future Gamer has continued to improve his stock by adding quality strength to his frame and polishing his three-pitch mix. Burns now listed at 6-foot-3, 200-pounds has a clean, easy arm, has been running his fastball into the upper-80’s with two above-average off-speed offerings.  Check out the latest on Dima, Burns and the rest of these Redbird recruits by clicking here.

Mason Burns (2.10.19)

ILLINOIS STATE

NAME	STATE (RANK)	SCHOOL	POS
Mason Burns	IL (24)	Normal Community	RHP
Josh Dima	IL (17)	Belleville West	LHP/OF
Tommy Heideman	IL (79)	Normal Community	1B
Daniel Laughery	IL (76)	Grant Community	OF
Tyler Woltman	IL (56)	Wheaton North	C

Similarly, there are five in-state prospects making their way to Bradley, led by the catching duo of Logan Delgado (Antioch) and Isaiah Gudeman (Morton). The two offer relatively similar profiles, but it bodes well for the Braves that they bat from opposite sides of the plate – Delgado bats left-handed while Gudeman hits righty. But both are top-50 prospects in our home state and are physical catchers with strong arms and actions.

UTIL Jackson Chatterton (Dunlap) is an athletic switch-hitter that gives the Braves plenty of versatility. He has the foot-speed to turn into an above-average defensive center fielder and the hands to stick somewhere on the infield, if need be. Offensively he handles the bat equally as well from both sides, can handle velocity and has feel for the barrel. To learn more about the Braves’ incoming 2020 class, click here.

BRADLEY

NAME	STATE (RANK)	SCHOOL	POS
Connor Aten	IL (60)	Galesburg	RHP
Jackson Chatterton	IL (88)	Dunlap	UTL
Logan Delgado	IL (46)	Antioch	C
Isaiah Gudeman	IL (48)	Morton	C
Jared Novak	IL (71)	Benet	RHP

Valparaiso has a pair of Illinois arms coming their way: RHPs Griffin McCluskey (Normal Community) and Alex Rodriguez (Bradley-Bourbonnais). McCluskey is an athletic, strike-throwing right-hander who has been up to 88 mph and can throw both off-speed pitches for strikes in any count. Rodriguez, a broad-shouldered, 6-foot-4, 200-pounds, battled some injuries throughout 2019 but looked to be trending in the right direction at the Senior Games this August and came away as one of the top overall prospects. At the event, Rodriguez filled up the zone with a mid-80's fastball but it was his sharp curve-ball that sat 76-77 mph that looked to be a potential plus offering. Rodriguez looks to have plenty more in the tank and could be a sleeper in this Crusaders recruiting class.

Alex Rodriguez (8.6.19)

Finally, Evansville recruit, 3B/C Anthony Fornero (Lemont) is the No. 73-ranked prospect in the state as a strong, toned 6-foot-1 athlete with the actions to thrive on either the left side of the infield or behind the plate. Fornero has been a mainstay in the middle-of-the-order for Lemont since his sophomore season and could impact the Aces lineup early on in his college career. 

Anthony Fornero (4.26.19)

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