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Illinois Fall Limited Series: Preview

October 1, 2020
By Andy Sroka & Diego Solares
Illinois Staff

This Saturday and Sunday, the PBR Illinois team will be headed to Normal, lll., to host its annual Fall Limited Series where five teams will gather to play each other at Duffy Bass Field on Illinois State University’s campus. This event is comprised of mostly high school sophomores, though there’s a mix of 2022 and 2024 talent participating, too.

We’re outlining this exclusive five-team, round-robin event today, featuring some of the top freshmen and sophomore talent in Illinois, as well as from Wisconsin and Missouri.

GATORS BASEBALL ACADEMY

This St. Louis-area program has done nothing but impress at multiple PBR Tournaments throughout the summer. Consisting of players mostly from the Illinois side of St. Louis, GBA is filled with a number of high-level uncommitted prospects to keep an eye out for this weekend who impressed throughout this calendar year.

1B/LHP Riley Iffrig (Edwardsville, 2023) has been prominently featured for his work at Creekside this summer, where he’s looked like a follow power bat with two-way upside. It’s a loose, easy swing from the left side that was on the barrel frequently this summer, and he also topped 82 mph from the rubber back in late May.

OF/LHP Kaden Griffitts (Williamville, 2023) emerged as a follow at the late May GBA Scout Day, and he backed that performance up with impressive live looks along the summer circuit. His left-handed swing is a standout tool and it earned him an invitation to the Underclass Games where he showed above-average bat speed and topped 91.5 mph off the barrel in BP.

SS Bryer Arview (Civic Memorial, 2023) is one of the prospects on this roster we’re most excited to seeing this weekend. Another Southern Illinois player who earned an invite to the Underclass Games where he looked impressive from the left-handed batter’s box while also looking extra smooth and crisp on the left side of the infield.

LHP Andrew Barbee (O’Fallon, 2023) is one of this team’s go-to arms, by the looks of it. He had a productive summer as a upper-70s pitchability type. And he was often pitching to C Jayden Diaz’s (Alton, 2023) target. Diaz is a stout/strong 5-foot-8, 188 pounds, and he uses his size to produce some loud left-handed contact, while also showing well as a receiver.

Lastly, keep an eye on RHP/OF Zander Mueth (Belleville East, 2023), a 6-foot-1, 170-pound athlete who has not yet attended a PBR showcase, but reportedly could show one of the more live arms at this Limited Series event.

CANGELOSI SPARKS

After winning the PBR at The Rock Midwest Fall Championships last weekend, this same Cangelosi Sparks squad is back in action and looking to pick up where they left off. There’s no shortage of talent on this 2023 roster, led by its two committed prospects: SS Ryan Jefferson (Providence Catholic, 2023; Illinois commit) and OF Trey Swiderski (Joliet Catholic, 2023; Louisville). Both will find their names towards the top of the Illinois’ 2023 rankings and are nationally ranked, too.

They’ll lead the Sparks offensively, but there are several other names worth mentioning. OF Krew Bond (Mendota Township, 2023) swung it well last weekend; a short and compact stroke with a natural feel for the barrel. His above-average foot speed plays up on the diamond, especially defensively, giving Bond a well-rounded profile on both sides of the ball. INF Tommy Atkinson (St. Rita, 2023), MIF Jake Stefanos (Marist, 2023), and INF Cal Sefcik (Marist, 2023) all had strong performances last weekend, particularly when it counted in the playoffs. Their athleticism helps them take reliable reps all over the diamond, and not just on the infield, where they project best.

As talented as this squad is offensively, Sparks have spent the summer showing depth on their staff. RHP Grant Tenuta (Sandburg, 2023) and RHP Drew Zemaitis (Providence Catholic, 2023) have impressed our staff so far this fall, both pumping low- to mid-80s fastballs with natural feel to spin above-average breaking balls. While similar in velocity, Tenuta’s fastball is more heavy with sink, while Zemaitis’ runs with rise, supported by high-spin marks.

RHP Cole Van Assen (Brother Rice, 2023) has been one of the summer’s big winners in Illinois’ 2023 class. Listed at 6-foot-4, 165 pounds, this long-levered righty was dominant in last weekend’s championship game at the PBR Wisconsin tournament, striking out nine over five innings. He pairs his 81-85 mph fastball with two advanced offspeed pitches: a sharp, late-breaking curveball and a fading changeup.

LHP T.J. Schlageter (Joliet Catholic, 2023) is an athletic 6-foot-2, 180-pound southpaw who pounds his 81-83 mph fastball into the zone and pairs it with a curveball in the 67-68 range. High-waisted 5-foot-11, 135-pound RHP Taylor Waldron (Marquette Academy, 2023) pitched a shutout last weekend and is worth a follow, too. His advanced feel for three pitches sticks out, a standout trait for someone his age.

CHICAGO ELITE

Chicago Elite’s roster is a fairly even mix of 2023 and 2024 talent, and our staff was fortunate enough to have seen most of them earlier in the summer at another PBR Wisconsin tourney. A few names jump out: RHP Dennis Helwig Jr. (St. Laurence, 2023), RHP Ryan Hussey (Providence Catholic, 2023), and INF Cole Crafton (Lincoln-Way West, 2024), who is committed to Louisville already as a freshman.

Sophomores Helwig and Hussey both earned invitations to the PBR Future Games as pitchers, one to Team Select and the latter to Team Illinois. Helwig emerged as a high-ceiling follow this summer with a 6-foot-4, 165-pound build. His long levers get way down the mound, from a high front side, adding some deception to a fastball that’s reached 85 mph in front of our staff. He threw a ton of strikes at the Future Games, mixing in a fading change at 75-77 mph, and he’s looking like a power-armed follow in Illinois’ already exciting 2023 class

Dennis Helwig Jr. (8/2/20)

Hussey is a highly athletic 6-foot, 180 pounds, who makes his low-80s velocity look uber easy. He’s been up to 84 mph in front of us from a clean, loose, quick arm action that repeats well and allows him to attack the strike zone. The breaking ball projects well, too, and his changeup is a viable third pitch, underscoring the early polish Hussey’s shown for a sophomore arm.

Ryan Hussey (8/2/20)

Crafton is one of several talented freshmen on this same roster. He’s a 6-foot-2, 175-pound infielder who put on one of the most memorable statistical performances of the summer at our 2024 Top Prospect Games. There, Crafton showed as a highly impressive left-handed hitter, recording a max exit velocity of 95.8 mph and max distance of 345 feet in batting practice, per TrackMan. He also ran a 7.04 and was 82 mph across the infield, featuring at or near the top of just about all of the categories he participated in.

Cole Crafton (8/22/20)

RHP/INF Henry Brummel (Pontiac, 2024) impressed on the mound at that same event that Crafton shined. Brummel showcased two-way potential, but was especially sharp on the mound where he was an easy 78-82 mph, featuring some late sink, with an 11/5 curve and change both thrown with feel.

A couple more sophomores to know ahead of time: 3B Charalambos Nicoloudes (Naperville Central, 2023) and RHP Matt Sauser (Normal University, 2023). Nicoloudes’ right-handed swing features some natural lift and power potential, and he performed well in both our live looks and in the showcase environment. Sauser is another clean and easy righty on this staff who was just recently up to 85 mph at the Joliet Open with a fastball that topped a spin rate of 2,660 rpm, and a breaking ball that spins at similar rates. His 6-foot-2, 157-pound frame and live arm is something were really looking forward to seeing again in-person this weekend.

ISA STARS

Representing Wisconsin this weekend will be this ISA Stars program, one that’s composed of both 2022 and 2023 talents that we’ve gotten plenty of looks at throughout this year. This team has proven, on several occasions, that they’re a competitive squad who grinds out tough at-bats. And something similar can be said about their arms, led by 2023s RHP Eli Zollar (Ashwaubenon, 2023) and RHP Cole Bensen (Bay Port, 2023). Zollar’s hulking 6-foot-3, 225-pound physical frame paired with his advanced feel for both his offspeed pitches makes him an intriguing upside arm on the mound. Bensen’s present velocity, a low-80s fastball touching 84 mph, athleticism, and feel to spin off a sharp slider all makes him an upside arm worth a follow in Wisconsin’s 2023 class. 

Offensively, OF Jaicee Foster (Green Bay Southwest, 2022) is a bat-strength prospect that represented Team Select at the PBR Future Games in August. He’s largely known for his ability to consistently hammer baseballs and be on the barrel, something we’re used to seeing Foster do by now. Left-handed-hitting C Maxwell Kalk (Kimberly, 2023) and INF Garrett Hietpas (Appleton North, 2023) are top-of-the-order bats in this offense that continue to hit each time we see them. Hietpas, in particular, has made noteworthy strides at the dish since our last look and it felt like he was always on the barrel in every at-bat last weekend. Kalk is looking more and more like one of Wisconsin’s top sophomores. His athleticism behind the dish constantly rears its head, and his loose, fast bat finds barrels often.

PROPLAYER HURRICANES

This same ProPlayer Canes squad came ever so close to winning last weekend’s PBR Wisconsin tourney, ultimately falling short against the same Sparks team they’ll meet once again this weekend.

This group is headlined by C Ryan Bakes (Huntley, 2023), who’s solidified himself as one of the top overall prospects in Illinois’ 2023 class. Bakes was invited to participate on Team Select at the PBR Future Games, where he showed off more of that trademark compact strength. From there, he exploded offensively last weekend at The Rock, hammering three home runs in two days and finding the barrel in each at-bat even when he was out – which didn’t happen a lot. He’s a standout defensively too, with advanced actions behind the dish and a strong arm to pair, consistently registering pop times in the 1.92-2.00 range, topping 80 mph to second. It’s an all-around impressive profile that’ll surely continue to garner national attention as he continues to develop.

Another high-ceiling power arm to follow in the state’s 2023 class: RHP Andrew Ressler (Huntley). His pitching performance last weekend at The Rock was arguably the best we saw, dominating his opponents for 12 strikeouts in five innings without allowing a run or hit – and just three balls were put in play. He sat an ultra easy 83-86 mph throughout, touching 87 multiple times early on, and he relentlessly challenged hitters inside the zone. His offspeed is still developing, although Ressler did manage to flip in some breaking balls that flashed above-average sharp action. The athleticism and physical projection left to come suggest the best is yet to come for Ressler.

Joining Bakes and Ressler on this roster: 3B Sheppard Graf (Lake Forest, 2023), SS J.R. Nelson (Stevenson, 2023), SS Joseph Pflug (Westosha Central, WI, 2023), LHP Ian Boal (Johnsburg, 2023), and C/RHP Cooper Jaworski (Hampshire, 2023).

Graf is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-handed hitting third baseman with physicality in the bat and noticeable raw power to his pull-side. Nelson is a silky-smooth middle infielder and he hit leadoff at times for this squad last weekend, continuing to show his advanced defensive skills, making a couple eye-popping plays up the middle with his glove. Pflug had a strong showing at The Rock, as a standout defender with a loose right-handed swing. Boal is a twitchy lefty arm with athleticism and upside. And finally, Jaworski has sneaky two-way upside and is worth a mention, too.

SCHEDULE

Saturday Matchups
12:00 pm Sparks (4) vs Gators Baseball Academy (3)
2:15 pm Gators Baseball Academy (0) vs Chicago Elite (3)
4:30 pm ISA (9) vs. Sparks (9) 6 innings
6:45 pm ISA vs Pro Player
   
Sunday  
9:00 am ISA vs Chicago Elite
11:15 am Chicago Elite vs. Sparks
1:30 pm Pro Player vs Gators Baseball Academy
3:45 pm Sparks vs. Pro Player



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