From 8/1/23 “...was another major winner for Team Illinois at the Future Games. On the workout day, Wawro ran a 6.95 60, reached a peak run speed of 20 mph, and generated noticeable bat speed (76.3 mph) in BP. Wawro is a highly competitive and hitterish top-of-the-order left-handed bat that started his event off on a high note, earning ‘Player of the Game’ honors in game one after swatting a three-run home run and driving in four runs total. He followed that up by ambushing the first pitch of game two down the right field line for a leadoff double and stealing third moments afterwards. Wawro constantly found himself on base, drawing three walks and getting hit by a pitch twice, too. He’s a scrappy, gamer-type that seems to always be on the barrel with sneaky gap-to-gap power.”

From 4/27/23 “... Ultra-projectable, 6-foot-7, 180-pound frame, wiry with upside and a high waist. Didn’t have his best stuff in this look but still showed why he is one of the top uncommitted arms left in the 2024 class. He worked his fastball in the 88-91 mph range, topping out at 92 mph and flashed a developing breaking ball at 75 mph with 11/5 shape. He shows an ease in his delivery with little perceived effort, though he was struggling to get his lower-half through at times in this look. Cercello has already made tremendous strides since last spring and his upside is off the charts. Look for continued gains as the tall right-hander continues to develop into his body.”

From 5/11/23 “...6-foot-1, 175-pound frame with upside and room to till out, high waist. Started on the mound for the Knights and threw it well over his seven innings of work, scattering seven hits, one earned run, one walk and eight strikeouts. The right-hander has an easy tall and fall delivery with little perceived effort, creating some tilt with his fastball thanks to his higher release point. He worked his fastball up to 87 mph, sitting mostly 84-86 mph, showing the ability to work it to both sides of the plate. He showed a knack to spin the breaking ball, flipping in both a 10/4 slider at 76-78 mph and 11/5 curveball at 74-75 mph, both playing with sharp action and two-plane break with feel for the zone. Impressive polish over his arsenal with more velocity to come as he continues to mature.”

From 2/27/23 “... is listed at a athletic 6-foot-4, 210-pounds with room to add mass onto and he made for a good look during our time in Peoria. Out of a simple and repeatable delivery, Spangler ran his fastball up to 88.1 mph, which was an event high, and this is a pitch that plays with carry, maxing at 19.5’ of induced vertical break. As for his offspeeds, he featured two different breaking balls, the first being a short wrinkle slider that averaged 2,382 rpm and the second being a 11/5 curveball that he was able to spin at 2,470 rpm on average. He rounded out his four-pitch mix with a changeup that flashed some hard running action through the zone.”

From 8/8/23 “...stands at an athletic 6-foot-3, 215-pound build with strength in his lower half. On the mound Wnukowski impressed, tossing two clean innings where he struck out two batters and earned seven whiffs, mostly on his fastball. His fastball worked at 82-84 T85 mph with an average of 19.1 inches of ride that earned swings and misses in the zone. His two offspeed pitches, a upper-60s curveball and a mid-70s slider are both developing but flashed tight breaking movement with some feel for the zone.”

 From 2/24/23 “... is a 5-foot-11 left-hander who was up to 86.2 mph in Lockport, with a quick arm, fluid. He mixed in both a true four-seam and a two-seamer that did run hard arm-side at times, and both kinds of fastballs showed life through the zone. Ledvina’s slider also has some sharpness to it, spinning at over 2,200 rpm on average, with sweep-type action. His feel for the strike zone with all three pitches, including a changeup, helped him stand out last weekend.”

From 7/18/23 “...Physically, Eggert really looks the part in a uniform, boasting a presently strong 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame with plenty of room to add on. A left-handed bat, Eggert got off several ‘A’ swings throughout BP and the ball jumped off his barrel with ease when he found it. He averaged 87.4 mph per batted ball, reaching a max exit velocity of 96.4 mph and peak distance of 346 feet, per TrackMan. Eggert is also a follow on the mound, pitching in the low-80s at this event with feel to spin a 2300+ RPM breaking ball.”

From 8/8/23 “... is a left-handed hitting outfielder that exhibited real power potential at the plate. Patterson took a loud round of BP, which led to him being towards the top of the leaderboard in multiple categories. He was all over the barrel, using a slightly uphill swing to generate a peak distance of 379 feet. To pair, Patterson also had one of the highest peak exit velocities at 99.3 mph. Patterson also showed off an above-average arm in the outfield, touching 85 mph.”

From 8/3/23 “... is a premier athlete with a lean, lanky 6-foot-3, 160-pound frame who is just scratching the surface of his future self. Arsich ran the fastest 60 time on Team Illinois (6.57) and also had the highest max run speed (21.4 mph). His speed was on full display throughout the week, as Arsich was 4.40 down the line on a groundball to second base and posted a 4.43 on a routine flyball to center field. He swiped a bag both in game one and game two, scoring a run as well. Offensively, Arsich flashes twitch and works to stay connected with his long-levers. He showed a knack for line drive, gap-to-gap contact, and is comfortable using the whole field. His most impressive showing came in game three, where Arsich went 2-for-4 with a loud double into the left-center gap, brought a run home, and he showed off his noticeable arm strength from the outfield (90 mph) by throwing a runner out at home to end an inning. Arsich is another high-end name to follow from this event.”

From 8/1/23 “... seemingly had a calm, collected presence to him throughout the Future Games. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound infielder continued to show well with his glove, taking a crisp and clean round of infield defense on the workout day, and flashing advanced actions throughout the week. Innate feel for the game, plays with advanced body control and an internal clock on the infield and makes throwing from all platforms look easy. Smooth double play transition and highly-accurate arm. Offensively, was consistently on-time and talking quality at-bats throughout the week. Minimal chase and looking to attack fastballs. Singled twice, drew a walk, plated a run, and scored twice.”

From 8/8/23 “... continues to make a name for himself and will be a right-handed bat to follow in the class moving forward. The 6-foot, 191-pound, solidly- built, athletic sophomore has a fluid, upside swing with natural strength that works on-plane with natural lift and gap-to-gap approach. It's an easy, impactful, balanced swing that resulted in a 88.8 mph average exit velocity, three mph off his 91.8 mph max with a max batted ball of 323’. It is a polished swing and approach that should only continue to ascend as he moves forward.”

From 6/27/23 “... is a 5-foot-11, 180-pound, compact, right-handed hitting two-way prospect, who led the event with an average bat speed of 76.9 mph. It’s a quick, strong bat that plays uphill and he worked the middle of the field throughout his round, registering a T89.3 mph exit velocity. Behind the dish, he has a quick first step with a quick and clean transfer paired with an accurate arm that played at 75 mph from the crouch and a low pop time of 2.14. Showed equally as well on the infield, playing easy and low to the ground. Multi-positional prospect to follow moving forward.”

From 5/11/23 “... 5-foot-11, 200-pound, strong, compact, right-handed pitcher. Got the start for Brother Rice. Competed throughout and picked up the hard-earned win, going six innings, scattering five hits, one earned run, four strikeouts and no walks. Compact, on-line delivery, repeats. Long arm action, ¾ slot. Showed a three-pitch mix but challenged with a high-volume of strikes. Was mostly 84 mph early with the fastball, T86 and settling in at 81-84 mph. Fastball works at the bottom of the zone with heaviness and sink. Goes to a sweeping breaking ball at 71-72 mph with above-average feel and 10/4 shape. Also flashed a changeup at 79-80 mph.”

From 8/8/23 “... is a physical 5-foot-10, 180-pound athlete with tools across the board. He consistently got off fast, aggressive hacks throughout his round of BP, averaging 92 mph per batted ball, while peaking at 100 mph, and sending his furthest barrel 356 feet. Aside from his inherent juice, Petersen darted to a 6.83 60 time and showed natural arm strength from the outfield, peaking at 88 mph on his firmest bullet. “

From 8/8/23 “...Bava is a left-handed hitter with high bat-to-ball skills that has continuously hit in front of our staff all summer long. During the workout portion of the event, Bava had a max exit velocity of 96 mph, paired with a max distance of 350 feet. Bava additionally showed well behind the dish on the workout day with a max velocity of 78 mph down to second, with a quick pop time range of 1.95-2.03 seconds. Bava is a high-motor backstop to continue to monitor in the 2025 class.”

From 8/8/23 “... has noteworthy tools and athleticism attached to a strong, well-proportioned 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame. Weathers, who’s also a standout basketball player at Marian Catholic, showed above-average hand (23.8 mph) and bat speed (76.5 mph) on the workout day to go along with a 95.2 mph max exit velocity and 346 ft. peak distance. He did so from a flat and simple right-handed swing, staying through the baseball to the pull-side while maintaining balance throughout. It didn’t take long for Weathers to show his strength in game, as he rocketed a triple into the right-center gap in his second at-bat of the event. He also ran a 6.80 60 and was 87 mph across the infield with a 90 mph arm from the outfield.”

From 8/8/23 “...is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound uncommitted soon-to-be senior with tools to pair. Edwards ran a 6.91 60, was an event-best 92 mph from the outfield, and generated noteworthy bat speed (75.7 mph) and rotational acceleration (24.6 g) on average.”

From 3/2/23 “... is another right-handed hitter with an impressive frame and present bat strength. DeCosta has a 6-foot-4, 215-pound, long, high-waisted frame with plenty of more physical development to tap into down the road and creates leverage and bat strength in his swing. DeCosta swings with controlled intent, natural loft throughout and registered a 101.3 mph max exit velocity and 375’ max batted ball, both land him in the top-three from the event. Powerful right-handed swing with more to tap into moving forward.”

From 2/26/23 “...was one of the top uncommitted follows coming out of the strong crop of position players. Vega is confident for his age, playing with a fluidness and flair to his all-around game. The hands play soft and he is comfortable ranging to each side on the infield while showing well above-average glove-to-hand actions and the ability to throw from any platform. His arm played easy and accurate at 81 mph across. Natural up-the-middle defender with the tools to stick on the dirt at the next level. Listed at 6-foot, 170-pounds, the right-handed hitter showcased a controlled, athletic right-handed swing that worked line drives to the middle of the field, remaining flat and short to the ball with quick hands - reaching up to 94.7 mph with a max distance of 332’.”

From 4/25/23 “...Stands at an athletic and strong 6-foot, 190-pounds. Noreuil threw 6 ⅓ innings, struck out 10, walked three, and allowed no runs or hits - only being taken out due to pitch count. Showed confidence on the mound and worked with a quick and quality pace. Produced weak ground ball contact throughout the game. Mostly threw fastballs with an occasional curveball mixed in. Fastball sat 86-89 mph, topping out at 90 mph with arm-side run. His curveball sat 71-72 mph with 12/6 shape. A quality look at a top uncommitted arm in Illinois’ junior class.”

From 3/02/23 “...is another catcher with an impactful right-handed swing. Kempf has a compact 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame and his swing is much the same. He stays short and direct to the ball, flat through the zone with above-average bat-to-ball skills and creates backspin contact to the gaps with a 96 mph peak exit velocity, 85.4 mph average. Kempf showed improvements from behind the plate since our last look, lowering his pop-time down to 2.00 seconds and adding three mph to his velocity out of the chute (now T78 mph).”

From 3/2/23 “...has a strong 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame with all kinds of bat strength in the box. Wachler, who ran a 7.11, launched a ball 347’ and registered a 98.5 mph exit velocity. He also topped at 87 mph from the outfield.”

From 2/15/23 “...is another 2025 who continues to get better every time we get our eyes on him. The 5-foot-10, 140-pound, high-waisted left-handed hitting shortstop looks nowhere near his ceiling as he showed off a loose, barrel-control swing with whip and athleticism throughout. It's a swing built for contact and the ability to spray line-drive contact to all fields, that should only continue to ascend as he gains quality strength that should come in time. Defensively, he features all the actions while staying fundamentally sound with an ultra-quick glove-to-hand release and easy, confident demeanor. He has a clear understanding of the position and angles of attack on ground balls. His arm plays above-average, reaching up to 81 mph across the diamond from a ¾ slot and easily firing off accurate throws on the move. A name to follow closely in the 2025 class.”

From 8/8/23 “...had one of the more impressive showings on the workout day. Strong, 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame, athletic with room to add on more strength in the coming years. The right-handed hitter was all over the barrel in his round of BP, averaging 93.3 mph with a max exit velocity of 100.3 mph, also reaching up to 371’ for his max distance. Speed continues to trend in the right direction, trimming .22 seconds off his time from this past winter with a 7.07 in the 60. Strong arm in the outfield, plays with carry through his target, reaching up to 86 mph but has been up to 90 mph in the past.”

 From 8/8/23 “... had one of the liveliest arms from the outfield during Tuesday’s workout at the Illinois State Games, and he translated that arm strength to the mound, too. A steady defender with a long and loose arm, Wemhoff sent a ball 90 mph on his best throw to home. His round of BP produced a max exit velocity of 94.7 mph, but sat consistently in mid-80s from the right side of the plate. He barreled his farthest ball a distance of 352 ft. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound prospect ran a 7.11 60 time, too. Wemhoff hopped on the mound Wednesday night and pitched at 84-86, touching 87 mph, with his fastball, that showed noticeable carry (20.8”) at peak.”

From 8/8/23 “...is a smooth swinging left-handed hitter that, on average, produced upper-80s exit velocities with a peak of 96.7 mph. Brandt stays balanced and in rhythm with an aggressive swing that remains in control. The athletic 5-foot-10, 160-pound prospect had some of the quickest pop times of the event that ranged from 1.90-1.97, and he fired his best ball to second at 78 mph. His impressive workout translated to game play where he looked the part behind the dish and recorded three hits with three RBIs and double to his name.”

From 3/2/23 “...showed some deception from an over the top slot with effort that produces an 87-88 mph fastball with tilt. He kept it mostly down in the zone, as well as a firm 74-75 mph curveball with 12/6 shape and above average depth.”

 From 3/2/23 “...is yet another prospect with a highly-projectable frame (6-foot-3, 185-pounds) and looks to be scratching the surface of his future ceiling. He’s an upside right-handed hitter that’s able to create some bat strength with ease, creating some bat speed that projects as he adds muscle to a projectable build; Rasmussen averaged an exit speed of 87.8 mph, 93.9 max.”

From 3/2/23 “...was arguably the top receiver during the bullpen setting. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound left-handed hitter caught each ‘pen with in-game intent, showing off flexible hips, low target and soft, quiet receiving abilities. Highly-impressive, intentful defensive look during his PBR showcase debut. He also topped at 79 mph from the crouch with accuracy and 2.01-2.04 pop times. Offensively, he stays quiet and repeatable with a simple, barrel-control swing and the ability to use the whole field.”

From 8/8/23 “...showed off a loud arsenal during the nightcap on Wednesday. The right-handed pitcher stands at a broad-shouldered 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame with strength throughout. Balla uses a balanced delivery and short arm action with acceleration out front. Coming out of the bullpen, Balla fired off a heavy dose of fastballs that pounded the inside part of the plate. The fastball played up (T2410 RPM) and sat 84-86 throughout, topping at 86.6 mph. Balla showed feel for a high-spin curveball (T2820 RPM) that played with two-plane break to get swings and misses down in the zone.”

From 8/8/23 “...is an uncommitted follow in the 2024 class from this event with tools attached to a lean, athletic 5-foot-9, 160-pound frame. Parpet controlled the barrel in BP and used the whole field, spraying elevated contact while working gap-to-gap. He also ran a 6.95 60, was 87 mph across the infield, peaked at 76 mph from the chute, and popped a 1.90 on his quickest bullet to the bag.”

From 8/8/23 “...continues to look the part of a future asset in the middle of the field. Perez carries one of the more advanced gloves in the class, providing noticeably productive defense on the dirt with the likelihood being he sticks up the middle long term. His arm, alongside his glove, is advanced too, and Perez was 88 mph across the diamond on his hardest bullet. Offensively, Perez swings a simple, athletic right-handed barrel that flashed above-average raw power with wood, reaching peak exit velocities upwards of 95 mph while also elevating his furthest batted ball 347 feet, per TrackMan. Heading into the final year of his prep career, Perez looks the part of a pro follow that should draw attention throughout the fall, as well as into the spring.”

From 8/8/23 “...was a regular producer throughout the event, especially on Wednesday night, where he worked on the barrel regularly to all fields. A simple and easy swing with a flat path, Lee has some quickness to the barrel at times, producing a peak bat speed of 78.8 mph in Tuesday’s workout. From the crouch, Lee posted his quickest pop time of 2.00 slightly quicker than his last recorded pop in the winter. A steady corner infielder, he produced an 81 mph velocity on throws to third base.”

From 8/8/23 “...was one of the top RHPs at February's Preseason All-State showcase, and has continued to cement himself as a top uncommitted pitcher in the state. Giemzik stands at a well-proportioned 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame with strength throughout. The soon-to-be senior showed a repeatable delivery highlighted by a quick arm. Giemzik sat in the mid-80s throughout, touching 87.1 mph with plenty of carry (2525 RPM). Off his fastball, Giemzik used a mid-to-upper 70s slider as a secondary pitch that spun well (2634 RPM) with short movement.”

From 8/8/23 “...gave an upside look throughout workouts with a loud round of BP. Highly projectable, 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame with room for added strength. The left-handed hitter reached up to 97.4 mph for his max exit velocity in BP with a max distance of 356’. Steady defender up the middle with reliable hands and a clean transfer, reached up to 83 mph across the diamond.”

From 8/8/23 “...was a major winner at this year’s Illinois State Games. A legitimate two-way prospect, Natenek really stood out on the mound in this look. Athletic with quick levers, his fastball was up to 87.8 mph, sitting mostly 84-87 mph, and spinning it at a max of 2590 RPM. He threw a true sinker, too, at 86.1 mph with 18.3” of horizontal movement and 5.1” of induced vertical break. Pairing that with his slider that spun at 2826 RPM, on average, with an average horizontal movement of 13.3”, Natanek’s sequence of sinker/slider has out-pitch potential. During his two innings of work, he struck out three, allowed one hit and no runs. Positionally he continues to prove he is one of the steadier middle infielders in the state and took a number of competitive swings and at-bats throughout the two days.”

From 4/8/23 “...5-foot-10, 165-pound, athletically-built, left-handed hitting infielder with room to add additional muscle mass. Started at second base and batted towards the bottom in a heavy upper class lineup. Mature approach in the box, showed pitch recognition and plate discipline throughout taking at-bats deep into counts and did not chase out of the zone. Went 1-for-1 on the day with a walk and a sharply hit RBI single down the first base line. Wide setup in the box, slight active hands pre-pitch, short stride and keeps the hands inside the baseball with natural lift through the zone. During I/O, Holton showed athletic actions with a quick and clean double play turn. Uncommitted, left-handed hitting middle infielder to follow moving forward.”

From 8/8/23 “...was an impressive two-way standout throughout the week. Athletic, 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame, still has room for added strength. Fired three innings on the mound while not allowing a single earned run, striking out three against no walks. The right-hander has an athletic delivery; controlled tempo with a slight coil into balance point, works in-line down the mound, showed the ability to repeat. His fastball worked in the 82-85 mph range with slight running action and finish through the zone. Went to an 11/5 curveball at 64-68 mph and a 10/4 slider at 69-72 mph with some feel for the zone. Went to a straight change at 73-76 mph to change up pace. On the other side of the ball, Weeks gives an athletic look from the right-handed batter’s box, reaching up to 93.5 mph for his max exit velocity and also taking 90 mph up the middle for a single in gameplay.”