The Illinois high school season kicked off on March 11th, the first day for regular season games.

Leading up to the opening week, we rolled out team previews of high school teams all across the state and across all classifications, eventually launching our Preseason Power 25. Since, it will take a couple weeks for teams to get a substantial amount of games under their belt, we will hold off on updating the Power 25.

Today we take a look at a number of other teams who were on the shortlist of making the Top-25 and should be teams to watch this spring. Below we take a quick look at each team and mention some key players returning and a few reasons why we expect them to have a successful season.

Teams To Watch:

+ Antioch - Class 3A
2018 Record (20-14); Lost in Super Sectional
The Sequoits return five position players and five arms, led by 2020 LHH C Logan Delgado, a Bradley commit and 2019 1B/OF Jack Gillespie. Gillespie a 6-foot-3, 175-pound, right-handed hitter was arguably the Sequoits best hitter during their postseason run. 2019 RHP Sawyer Phillips (UW-La Crosse commit) looks to be their top returning arm.

+ Barrington - Class 4A
2018 Record (23-8-2); Lost in Sectional Final
The Broncos lost a lot from last year’s 23-in club but have a deep junior class to help fill the void. 2019 INF Clark Elliott, a Michigan commit, will once again look to lead the way offensively. Junior OF/C AJ Christoffer, saw some time on varsity last year and is hoping for a breakout campaign this spring. On the mound, two junior’s LHP RJ Nowicki, a Northern Illinois commit and RHP Nate Holler should carry the load. The biggest sleeper for Barrington this spring could be LHP Andreas Reaume.

+ Belleville East - Class 4A
2018 Record (21-16); Lost in Sectional Semi-Final
The Lancers bring back most of their offensive production from last year returning five of their six bats to the 2019 lineup card. Senior catcher Gage Cruz (Western Illinois commit) and uncommitted senior shortstop Zechariah Georgian will be three year varsity starter giving reliable play at the prime positions. The pitching staff returns four arms and will be led by 6-foot-3, 175-pound ace RHP Evan Gray (Arkansas commit, 2019) who runs his heater in the low-90’s with perhaps the states’ best breaking ball.  Brother Evan Gray (Arkansas commit, 2021), a LHH outfielder, started last year as a freshman and Dillon Donjon will add senior depth in the outfield grass.

+ Buffalo Grove - Class 4A
2018 Record (30-6); Lost in Super Sectional
After an impressive 30-win season, the 2019 Bison will need to replace the recently departed 1-2 punch at the head of the 2018 pitching staff. They’ll look no further than current senior duo RHP/OF Connor Adams and LHP/OF Dan Pocklington (Grinnell commit). Last season the pair tossed 70-plus varsity innings combining for 64 Ks and 11 total wins. The offense will be led by middle of the order mainstay, 3B/RHP Riley Rundquist (Heartland CC commit, 2019) who hit .344 with 6 HRs and 35 RBI as a junior. Senior C Carter Gledhill (Concordia-Chicago commit), a 2018 All-Conference selection who hit .320 with 21 RBI last spring, will reclaim his role as an on-field leader for the Bison. Also, look for 2020s OF Alex Paul and INF Matt Brunelli to build on successful sophomore seasons while RHP/1B Nate Cole, should affix himself in the pitching rotation in some capacity.

+ Carmel Catholic - Class 3A
2018 Record (23-11); Lost in Sectional Semi-Final
The Corsairs return 2019 INF Andrew Wiegman and 2020 RHP/INF Ben Wiegman, both Louisville commits. Both will play big offensive roles, while Ben is also one of the top arms in the state. Some other key offensive pieces this spring will be 2019 OF Sean Lynch, an Eastern Illinois commit and LHH 1B Lukas Galdoni, a Butler commit.

+ Cary Grove - Class 4A
2018 Record (18-12-1); Lost in Regional Semi-Final
The Trojans only return one arm this spring but it’s one of the best arms in the country, in Texas Christian commit, RHP Quinn Priester. Priester, has a low-90’s fastball and a highly-advanced four-pitch mix. On top of that, Priester is one of the best athletes on the team, can handle the bat and is an above-average runner. Two returning senior’s to help bolster the lineup will be INF LJ Waco and INF/OF Jacob Duncan. Duncan should also see time on the mound. 2019 RHP’s Cooper Schmidt and Josh Belgrave should add depth on the mound.

+ Coal City - Class 3A
2018 Record (34-6); Lost in Super-Sectional
The 2018 Coalers set a school record in wins (34), finished 14-2 in conference play and came up one run short of making the final four at state. Plenty contributors from that historic team are off to college, but the Coalers return the dynamic two-way prospect, 2020 Payton Hutchings (Illinois commit) who will lead the pitching staff and hit in the middle of the order.  2019 LHP/OF Keegan Gagliardo (Lincoln Trail commit) and 2020 RHP/OF Connor Best should back up Hutchings on the rotation and play serious innings in the outfield grass. 2020 Jack Bunton will play on the left side of the diamond, perhaps filling the void at shortstop, while 2020 Austin Pullara will get ample time behind the dish. There is plenty of young talent in the pipeline and the Coalers will be a team to watch in 3A for years to come.

+ Columbia - Class 3A
2018 Record (30-4); Lost in Sectional Final
The Eagles, coming off an undefeated 10-0 Conference Championship season, graduated 13 varsity players meaning there could be some growing pains early in the spring. The pitching staff looks to be the strong suit led by senior RHP Shane Wilhelm (Missouri commit). Wilhelm has been a top two arm for Columbia since his sophomore year, sporting an advanced three-pitch mix with an upper-80s fastball and should play a major role in the field when not on the mound. Senior right-handed arms Brandon Kuchinski, Noah Riley (Drury commit) and Logan Denison will get innings on the bump and seniors Josh Marion and A.J. Mueller should claim roles on the infield dirt.

+ Crystal Lake South - Class 3A
2018 Record (13-18-1); Lost in Regional Semi-Final
The Gators will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2018 campaign thanks to the return of four starting position players, three arms and a strong junior class. Senior OF’s Kyle Hetherington, Beiker Fuentes, C/1B Evan Jewson and 3B Patrick Fischer are all returning and will look to lead the way offensively. 2019 RHP’s Nick Vollmert and Joey Walsh are back on the mound as is 2020 LHP/RF Jacob Bimbi. Bimbi is a L/L athlete that has a quick arm and has been up to 88 mph.

+ De La Salle - Class 3A
2018 Record (9-17); Lost in Regional
The 2018 Meteors were a young bunch. Fast forward a year and there is plenty more varsity experience that will take the field come game one. The pitching staff will be led by ace 2020 RHP Ben Hernandez (Illinois-Chicago comit) who recently dropped jaws at our recent Preseason All-State topping 94 mph and should see a boost in the next 2020 rankings release. 2020 INF Jeremy Figueroa will man an infield position, perhaps opposite projected starting shortstop in 2022 Christian Holmes. 2019 C Manny Moreno can shut down an opposing running game behind the dish and 2021 CIF Jayden Gonzalez will look to build on a strong freshman varsity year.

+ Dunlap - Class 3A
2018 Record (28-8); Lost in Sectional Semi-Final
The Eagles bring back three high-quality RHP’s Taylor Catton (Bradley commit), Andrew Pogue (Illinois commit) and John Day (Illinois Central JC commit) that can rival arguably any other 3A schools top arms. Catton and Pogue both run there fastball’s around 90 mph and have quality off-speed to go with it. The Eagles will need there offense to step up with the losses of 1B Charlie Mangieri, a Northwestern football commit, C Jared Holt and others.  

+ Grayslake Central - Class 3A
2018 Record (28-7); Lost in Sectional Semi-Final
The Rams return five position players and four arms from a team that won 28 games last season. They return their top three arms in RHP Coby Moe (Northwestern commit), RHP Ethan Peterson and Eric Sturm. Three-year starters Nic Presutti and Tony Crews return in the outfield, while two-year starter Marcus Maristella is back at shortstop.

+ Hinsdale Central - Class 4A
2018 Record (16-14); Lost in Regional Semi-Final
The 2019 Red Devils return senior RHP Kyle Wisch (Nebraska commit) who should retain his spot atop the rotation. Senior SS Alexander Perez set the table in the leadoff spot most of last season and should see no change come game one in 2019. Seniors Simon Lane (Grinnell commit) and Ayden Head (Kenyon College commit) are two physical bats that saw time in the middle of the order last spring. Junior Tom Jurack (Illinois commit) and senior Ethan Harrast (Hamilton College commit) should crack the everyday lineup with plenty 2018 contributors off to college.

+ Lincoln-Way Central - Class 4A
2018 Record (23-10); Lost in Regional Final
Despite losing a massive 2018 class to graduation, the Knights should be solid once again in 2019. Senior LHH catcher Dylan Post (Houston commit), returns and will anchor the lineup. Another senior who returns after an impressive junior campaign is LHH OF Kyle Labedz (MSOE commit). Senior’s RHP Tim Rybarczyk (Triton JC commit) and LHP Noah Cantleberry should help on the mound. A trio of sophomores: LHP/1B Ryan Kraft (Indiana commit), INF/RHP Matthew Maloney and INF Michael Maloney also could play a role this spring.

+ Mascoutah - Class 3A
2018 Record (23-8); Lost in Regional Final
The Indians return a number of talented players from a team that won 23 games in 2018. Senior Logan Bibb is a mid-80’s left-handed arm that should be at the top of the rotation, along with RHP John Minor, LHP Jakob Rhoderick and junior Jack Owens. Samuel Scott, a Dayton commit, returns behind the plate and his let-handed bat should be in the middle of the lineup. SS Cole Gober, OF Hunter Haines, INF Evan Fournie and INF Jeffery Getchell are other position players that should make an impact with the bat.

+ McHenry - Class 4A
2018 Record (26-11); Lost in Sectional Semi-Final
The Warriors bring back four position players and two starting pitchers, including their ace, 2019 RHP Joseph Kaminski. Kaminski went 7-3 with a 0.82 ERA and was named IHSBCA First Team All-State. Kaminski, also a first baseman hit .327 with 24 RBI. Junior’s, 3B Nolan Shannon and SS Carter Foat also return after seeing ample varsity time as sophomores. Senior LHH Jake Evans, returns to the outfield after hitting .314 with 21 RBI’s last spring.

+ Moline - Class 4A
2018 Record (29-7); Lost in Regional Final
The Maroons will look to replace a few key losses from last season in First Team IHSBCA All-State Selection Eric Maffie, OF Nick Drobushevich, a Northern Illinois commit, as well as their top two arms from last season. SS Brody Harding, an Illinois commit, does return and is one of the top players in the state. 3B/RHP Michael Conner, a Southern Indiana commit also returns and should hit somewhere in the middle of the order. Conner is also a reliable arm on the mound. The Maroons always reload talent and this year should be no different. Expect Moline to be a tough out come playoff time.

+ Normal Community - Class 4A
2018 Record (23-8): Lost in Regional Semi-Final
The Ironmen return six position players and five pitchers from a team that won 23 games a year ago. At the top of the rotation should be two Division I commits, senior RHP Nick Gilhaus (Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit) and junior RHP Griffin McCluskey (Valparaiso). Alongside them will be talented 2020 RHP Mason Burns. Burns sat comfortably in the upper-80’s at our Preseason All-State Showcase and threw one of the more polished bullpens on the day. Another quality arm will be senior LHP Brendan Short, who pounds the strike zone and serves as a change-of-pace arm. McCluskey should also man shortstop and be one of the more reliable bats in the lineup when not on the mound. Jack Schirpke returns behind the plate after being an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection a year ago, when he hit .351 with 10 doubles. Recent Illinois State commit, 1B/OF Tommy Heideman should also provide some middle of the order thump to the lineup.

+ O'Fallon - Class 4A
2018 Record (25-4-1); Lost in Super Sectional
Arguably, no team lost more talent due to graduation than the Panthers of O’Fallon. They do return senior SS Josh Gibson, a Jefferson County CC commit. Gibson, who has been a staple on varsity since his freshman year is a dynamic top of the order bat that creates havoc on the bases. Alongside him on the infield should be junior MIF Logan Lowery and junior 3B Cody Bauer. On the mound, they will be extremely young. Keep an eye on senior RHP Luke Gasser, who should be the most reliable Panther arm.

+ Plainfield Central - Class 4A
2018 Record (24-10); Lost in Sectional Semi-Final
The Wildcats will return all of their top arms from last years’ regional title team along with a chunk of key offensive pieces. Justin Divelbiss (Creighton commit) will head the rotation and should hit at the top of the lineup again in his final HS season. Coach Rosner can lean on three additional experienced arms in senior right-handers Anthony Noble (Purdue-Northwest commit), Chris Conrad (St. Xavier commit) and Zach Rana (Indianapolis commit). CF Jake Donahue should retain his spot in the heart of the order hitting over .400 last year as a sophomore. Senior SS Charlie Bischoff (Illinois Wesleyan commit) (.386 Avg, 30 RBI) and senior 1B Jac Lindish (.333 Avg, 3 HR) should retain their roles at their respective positions.

+ Plainfield East - Class 4A
2018 Record (28-7); Lost Sectional-Semi Final
When the 2019 Bengals take the field game one they will be rather young and inexperienced. Coach O’Reel will look to senior catcher Sean Blanchard (Heartland commit) to be a leading voice on the field and the strong RHH finished with a .415 batting average last spring. 2020 RHP Jack Crowder (Illinois commit) was used out of the pen mostly in 2018 and the physically-advanced righty should be one of their top arms the next two seasons sporting a clean arm and upper 80’s fastball. 2020 utility-man Riley Morris will should contribute along with 2020 outfielders Nick Pratscher and Andrew Hill.

+ St. Charles East - Class 4A
2018 Record (23-10-1); Lost in Regional Final
The Saints return a number of key contributors from last year’s squad that won 23 games and swept Power-25 St. Charles North during the regular season. Junior C/OF Cole and MIF Clay Conn return and should both play a role at the top of the order. Sophomore C/1B/OF Kyle Hayes returns after starting on varsity as a freshman. Senior INF Thomas Schroeder, a Triton JC commit, returns and should slot somewhere on the infield and in the middle of the order. Keep an eye on the Saints this spring.

+ St. Ignatius - Class 4A
2018 Record (20-12); Lost in 3A State Final
The Wolfpack made an impressive run all the way to the Class 3A state final in 2018. They lost four of their main arms due to graduation but return senior Dominick Fischer and junior Luis Salinas in 2019. Those two combined to throw 45 innings last spring with Salinas sporting a 2.12 ERA. Fischer will also be one of their key offensive returners along with 2019 OF Nicholas Rosa Palermo and Ryan Dziekan. Dziekan hit .306, Palermo hit .385 with 13 duobles, four triples and Fischer hit .329 with eight doubles and a triple.

+ Wheaton North - Class 4A
2018 Record (23-12); Lost in Regional Final
The Falcons are coming off a 23-win 2018 and a deep run in the summer state. They return junior Division commits, SS/RHP Andy Nelson (Iowa) and C Tyler Woltman (Illinois State). Physical 2020 LHH Carson Roberts will be one to watch with the bat this spring as well. On the mound, 2019 Mike Sullivan (Maryville commit) should lead the way. Seniors Patrick Dosen, Jay Gail and Ryan Russman should also help on the mound. Wheaton North, now in the DuKane conference, will add to what looks to be a deep and talented brand new conference.

+ York - Class 4A
2018 Record (21-12); Lost in Regional Final
The Dukes and head coach Dave Kalal return six position players and two arms from a team that won over 20 games last spring. Defense and pitching should be strength of the team with the question mark coming on the offensive side of the ball. They do return senior’s INF/OF Ryan Ross, (Cornell commit) as well as INF Ian Steinorth (North Central College). Some other Dukes expected to play a role this spring are Clayton LeTourneau, Joe Orrico, Joe Goehl and Dan Brown. A trio of juniors to keep an eye on moving forward should be RHP Kai Formella, RHP Tyler Lawrence and OF Tyler Cwik.

MORE IHSA CONTENT

+ Preseason Power 25
+ Power 25: Bubble Teams
+ Metro East Kickoff Classic