The Illinois Class of 2021 Rankings was recently updated and expanded for the first time since its initial release back in early September. Since then, we saw a number of players this fall, thanks to the likes of showcases, tournaments, games, and college camps. With that said, we were able to give the sophomore class a facelift and expanded it from 25 to 40 players.

There were 15 prospects along the way this fall who performed exceptionally well, forcing us to add them to the rankings in this update. We touched on all the new names and faces in our Newcomers story, published on Wednesday.

Today, we’re up to a different task. We’re going to be sharing notes on all of the prospects who did, in fact, make an impact on our staff this fall, but fell just short of landing on the top-40 board. Regardless, they still deserve some recognition.

It’s important to note that, within the first couple of editions of a list like this, the rankings can be fickle and unsettled. Prospects this young mature and develop at various speeds, the process is never linear. With that being said, as colleges are committing sophomore talents with more frequency, we’ll share our notes to-date on the prospects who have made impressions on us thus far but currently don’t see their names in the rankings.

As these prospects continue to grow, their place on the rankings is sure to fluctuate. Take a look below at some of the players who just missed this cut this time around.

JUST MISSED THE CUT

LEFT-HANDED PITCHERS

Keagan Bobbitt LHP / Lincoln-Way West, IL / 2021 He’s built at an extremely projectable 6-foot-4, 160 pounds. On the mound, fills up the strike zone behind an upper-70s fastball.

Charlie Cmiel LHP / York, IL / 2021 An athletic, loose, quick-armed southpaw who fills up the zone with a three-pitch mix and currently sits in the upper 70s. Though, it looks as though a velocity jump will come sooner rather than later.

Daniel Flores LHP / East Leyden, IL / 2021 He is at talented left-hander who sat in the low 80s at the Underclass Invitational in February. Flores also got some time on East Leyden’s varsity squad as a freshman. He battled through some injuries late in the summer but should be one to watch in the new year.

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

MacCallan Conklin RHP / Normal University, IL / 2021 A 6-foot-1, 168-pound pitcher with plenty of room to fill out his lean frame. Conklin showed plenty of intrigue at the Central Illinois Open in August, with his clean arm and fastball up to 83 mph. Our staff would not be surprised if he is one of the better arms in the Bloomington/Normal area in the coming years.

Tyler Conklin RHP / Kaneland, IL / 2021 He’s an undersized right-handed pitcher but with a live and clean arm. He sat 83-84 mph at the Underclass Showcase with developing offspeed.

Tom Egan RHP / Mount Carmel, IL / 2021 An athletic, strong-armed sophomore whose future may be on the mound, thanks to his ability to spin a slider. At the Chicagoland Open in August, Egan sat 81-82 mph but his separator was that sharp, late-biting slider that he throws with conviction at 72-73 mph.

Jeremy Fox RHP / Riverside-Brookfield, IL / 2021 Fox is packed with easy arm strength and a fastball that topped 85 mph at the recent Underclass Showcase. A firmer breaking ball will only help his development.

Lazaro Marquez RHP / Home school, IL / 2021 In only a limited amount of looks, he seems to have a chance to be a high-level arm in this class. He’s athletic with projectable arm action and reports have had him in the mid 80s.

Chad Readey RHP / Homewood-Flossmoor, IL / 2021 A 6-foot-7, 200-pound, projectable righty with clean and easy arm action. This fall, he sat in the low 80s in a bullpen setting. Has one of the higher ceilings in this class.

Ryan Shimp RHP / Yorkville, IL / 2021 He’s a 6-foot-2, 155-pound, loose-bodied, right-hander who showed plenty to like this fall in a short bullpen setting. He has a live arm, and the ball jumps out of his hand, oozing upside.

TWO-WAY PROSPECTS

Jackson Kent LHP / OF / Lake Park, IL / 2021 Kent is a 6-foot-1, 175 pound LHP/OF who has emerged as a follow moving forward. His long, athletic frame helps him both as a pitcher and in the left-handed batter’s box. On the mound, he was up to 82 mph with short, quick arm action in a bullpen setting. Back at the plate, he swings with intent and makes a lot of hard contact.

Frank Magnelli 3B / RHP / Ridgewood, IL / 2021 He is a physically advanced 3B/RHP – at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds – who is on the rise after his showing this fall at a college camp. On the mound, his fastball sat 80-82 mph in a bullpen, while in the right-handed batter’s box he stays flat through the zone with present bat strength.

Kyle Washington SS / RHP / Jacobs , IL / 2021 He has been on the radar since 2017, when he touched 82 mph off the mound with feel for a curveball. He’s also a switch-hitter who flashed quick twitch at the plate and arm strength across the diamond from shortstop.

CATCHERS

Drew Ezard C / Jacksonville, IL / 2021 A physical 6-foot-2, 205-pound catcher with a strong arm. Ezard has the tools to become one of the better catchers in the class.

Matthew Hunzinger C / Dieterich, IL / 2021 Hunzinger is a 6-foot, 150-pound backstop who hits left-handed. He has an athletic build with a loose, handsy swing that projects with added strength. He has clean, natural actions behind the dish, making him one of the class’ upside catchers with a well-rounded skillset.

Luke Lawrence C / Brother Rice, IL / 2021 The Brother Rice backstop is a 5-foot-9, 160-pound catcher who has a fluid left-handed swing and consistently finds the barrel.

Michael Rastrelli C / Mundelein, IL / 2021 The wiry 5-foot-10, 145-pound catcher impressed our staff with his defensive actions at the Underclass Showcase in October. He has soft hands, helping facilitate clean transfers, and throws a true ball out of the crouch, topped at 77 mph.

OUTFIELDERS

Cameron Hill OF / Kenwood, IL / 2021 Hill is one of the more projectable outfielders in the class. At 6-foot-3, 189 pounds, he’s a right-handed hitter with loose, easy bat speed and also flashes pull-side power.

Julian Jimenez OF / Romeoville, IL / 2021 He’s a 6-foot-1, 160-pound outfielder with athleticism who impressed at the Underclass Games this past summer. Jimenez has an upside left-handed bat and should be a follow moving forward.

Ryan Orput OF / Hinsdale Central, IL / 2021 A 6-foot-4, 190-pound outfielder who is an above-average runner with a bat that contains pull-side power from the left-handed batter’s box.

Luke Trepanier OF / Manteno, IL / 2021 Trepanier is a left/left outfielder with a short, compact, repeatable swing and natural outfield actions.

INFIELDERS

Sam Antonacci SS / 2B / Sacred Heart-Griffin, IL / 2021 From Sacred Heart, the switch-hitting infielder has feel for the game. He also spent time on varsity as a freshman.

Ethan Bowers SS / 3B / Vernon Hills, IL / 2021 A 5-foot-11, 175-pound infielder who ran a 6.86 in the 60 this fall and is built with strength and athleticism. On the infield, he has clean actions and he flashed some pop in his bat from the right side.

Al Holguin 1B / St. Rita, IL / 2021 Holguin is a physical and strong first base prospect who swings a left-handed bat with both power and middle-of-the-order potential.

Joshua McAlister INF / HOMEWOOD-FLOSSMOOR, IL / 2021 He’s a highly athletic prospect with an older brother Nick who just committed to Southern Illinois by way of South Suburban JC. Nick ran a 6.44 in the 60 at an event this fall.

Jaylon Nauden SS / 2B / Marian Catholic , IL / 2021 Nauden is an athletic middle infielder who continues to add strength to his frame and his bat has benefited from it.

William Pauling 2B / SS / Homewood-Flossmoor, IL / 2021 The run tool is his calling card. Pauling ran a 6.54 in the 60 in past events. Though, it’s still unclear where he will end up defensively, but it’ll be hard to keep that speed away from center field.

Luke Sefcik SS / 3B / Marist, IL / 2021 He has made big strides in his game over the past year. This fall at a college camp, Sefcik showed natural infield actions with the tools to stick on the left-side of the infield.

Christopher Schellhorn 2B / SS / Minooka, IL / 2021 He’s an undersized left-handed middle infielder who gets the most out of his current size. Schellhorn has loose hands and an aggressive hack at the plate which is capable of making a lot of hard contact.

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