By Mike Rosenbaum and Sean Duncan

Illinois and Missouri?s premier high school baseball teams will face-off for the second consecutive year at the Border War.  Powered by Prep Baseball Report, the Border War is a seven-game showdown played at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill.

In 2010, Illinois and Missouri split the weekend series 3-3 after a decisive seventh game was rained out.  And with the quality of the teams set to compete at this year?s event, a seventh game could once again determine the Border War champion.

Of the seven Missouri teams participating in the event, three are ranked within Prep Baseball Reports? Top-25: No. 2 Rock Bridge, No. 3 CBC (last year?s Class 4 state champion), and No. 10 Vianney. Chaminade, Festus, Valle Catholic, and Francis Howell Central will also represent Missouri at this year?s Border War.

The Missouri teams will be forced to beat some of Illinois? finest, including O?Fallon, Prep Baseball Reports? No. 16 team in the state, and perennial baseball powerhouse Edwardsville, the No. 25 team in the state.  Belleville East, Granite City, Collinsville, O? Fallon, Althoff, and Belleville West round out the other teams competing at the Border War.

Thursday, March 24

 Chaminade vs. Belleville East

To kick off the action, Chaminade will play Belleville East on Thursday, March 24 at 4 p.m.  Chaminade is lead by senior pitcher Luke Bumgarner (4-1, 0.24 ERA, and 35 strikeouts in 2010), who will once again be the team?s ace, as well as junior Austin Allen (.322 BA, 13 RBI).

 

No. 2 Rock Bridge vs. Granite City

At 7 p.m., No. 2 Rock Bridge will play Granite City in what is likely to be one of the more exciting games at this year?s Border War.  Rock Bridge head coach Justin Towe had this to say about the event, ?We are really looking forward to participating in this year?s Border War.  It?s always fun to play against teams that you don?t normally see during the year.  Not only will we be playing at a great stadium, but we have only heard good things from the Prep Baseball Report organization.?

The Rock Bridge squad is lead by the No. 2 junior in the state, RHP/INF Ryan Phillips (left).  Last season, Phillips paced the Bruins with a 9-1 record and 1.19 ERA, while tallying 59 strikeouts in 53 innings.  At the plate, the standout junior hit .476 with 11 doubles, 1 HR, and 23 RBI.  Wilson Pfieffer, Prep Baseball Report Missouri?s No. 10 senior and an Arkansas commit, will once again handle the catching duties after hitting .366 with 17 runs and 12 RBI in 2010.

Rounding out Rock Bridge?s rotation are University of Missouri-bound RHP, No. 15 John Miles (6-0 with a 3.11 ERA in 2010), and No .18 RHP Travis Bittle (6-0, 3.26 ERA), a Truman State commit.

Even though Granite City finished 26-10 in 2010, they graduated All-State C Jake DePew, who was a ninth-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Rays ? and signed. Currently, their top player is OF/RHP Cody Spanberger, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior.

  Friday, March 25

Festus vs. Collinsville

On Friday, Festus will play Collinsville at 4 p.m.  Festus is lead by junior INF/OF Caleb Wilkerson (right, .290 BA, .430 OBP, six doubles, and 10 RBI), and senior RHP Connor Eisenbeis (3-1, 2.66 ERA).  The team also harbors one of the state?s top underclass catchers in sophomore Tim Gruno.

Collinsville features Conner Judge, a 6-3, 190 junior OF, and a variety of other young talent.

Valle Catholic vs. No. 16 O?Fallon

In the nightcap, Valle Catholic will play No. 16 O?Fallon at 7 p.m. A participant in last year?s inaugural Border War, Valle Catholic was the Class 2 state champion in 2009.  After losing several upperclassmen that were vital to their success, the Warriors seek to regain the form that made them a force within Class 2 in ?09.

O? Fallon coach Jason Portz said this year?s team has the potential to be as good as he?s ever had, which says a lot, considering the Panthers have earned two third-place trophies since 2006. Six starters return from last year?s squad that advanced to the supersectional. OF/LHP Matt Meadows (.370 BA, 3 HR, 28 RBI), an Austin Peay recruit, leads the way, along with strong-armed C/RHP Austin Bossart (.303 BA, 3 HR), who?s signed at Penn. Cedarville-bound SS/RHP Sam Summerlin (.320 BA, 8 doubles, 21 runs) is a three-year starter, and senior OF/DH Rob Bohnenstiehl (.336 BA, 23 RBI), senior 1B Cody Seeberger (.333 BA, 32 RBI), senior OF Justin Busekrus (4 doubles), senior INF Casey Truitt (.274 BA), and junior OF/DH Cory Beyersdorfer (.277 BA) all return as well. Losing RHP/OF Miles Quintal hurts, but look for sophomore RHP Jacob Jarvis (4-3 as a freshman) to establish himself as a frontline ace. Junior RHP/INF Sam Hopkins and sophomore RHP Ethan Wild will also contribute.

 Saturday, March 26

No. 3 CBC vs. Althoff

Saturday?s games begin at 11 a.m. as No. 3 CBC takes on Althoff, both of whom participated in last year?s event.  CBC finished the 2010 season with an overall record of 26-7, and won the Class 4 state title.  The Cadets are lead by RHP David Schmidt, the state?s No. 2 senior and a Stanford commit, who was 4-0 with a 1.22 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 34.2 IP.  At the dish, Schmidt raked at a .391 clip with 34 runs, 10 doubles, 2 triples, 27 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.     

The Cadets have a slew of standout seniors: OF Derek Cornell (.344 BA, .528 OBP, 11 doubles, 2 HR, 15 RBI, and 17 stolen bases), 1B Mike Ehrhard (.396 BA, 25 runs, nine doubles, 3 HR, and 35 RBI), and C Parker Stewart (.488 BA, 8 doubles, 3 HR, and 15 RBI).

They also have several up-and-coming underclassmen in junior infielder Paul Sullivan, sophmore infielder Joe Schrimpf (right), and sophomore pitchers Joey Clemente and Matt Kellis.

Frances Howell Central vs. Belleville West

The games continue at 2 p.m. when Francis Howell Central plays Belleville West.  Howell Central is lead by senior INF Dominic Faron (.378 BA, 29 runs, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 11 RBI and seven stolen bases) and OF Dylan Schindler (.344 BA, 25 runs, 5 doubles, 17 RBI), as well as a couple excellent juniors. Catcher Jake Henson (.431, 24 runs, 12 doubles, 4 triples, and 33 RBI) and INF/OF Austin Boden (.360, 8 doubles, 26 RBI) figure to be impact players for the Spartans for the next two seasons.

Belleville West lost a lot from last year. They are led by 6-3, 195-pound 3B/1B Kane Sweeney (.468 BA, .607 OBP, 13 doubles, 3 HR, 29 RBI), who?s signed with Moorehead State. Garrett Schlecht, a highly considered prospect, transferred last summer to Waterloo HS.

No. 10 Vianney vs. No. 25 Edwardsville

The Border War will conclude on Saturday night when No. 10 Vianney plays No. 25 Edwardsville at 5 p.m.  One of the more intriguing Class 4 teams, Vianney possesses a potent mix of upperclassmen and up-and-coming youngsters.  The Golden Griffins will rely on the experience of their seniors: Quincy commit RHP/OF Zack Kneese, Central Missouri-bound OF Ryan Snyder (.317, three doubles, three home runs, and 21 RBI), Southeasern Missouri commit C Ryan Barnes (.433, 10 doubles, 2 HR, and 25 RBI), and INF/OF Dalton Hewitt (.414 BA, 28 runs, 14 doubles, 2 HR, 31 RBI).< span>

Although the Vianney seniors may garner most of the attention, it is their excellent underclassmen that will be the key to furthering their success.  The group is lead by Prep Baseball Report?s No. 1 sophomore, 3B Matt Brown (left), who hit .350 with 29 runs, 6 doubles, 6 HR, and 25 RBI, as a freshman on the Class 4 state champion, CBC Cadets. 

The talented Vianney team also has INF/OF Jake Walters (2 HR), the No. 7 junior in the state, and sophomore C Jake Klages (right).

For Edwardsville?s lofty baseball standards, last season was a mild disappointment. Coach Tim Funkhouser, whose squads are usually a factor in the state rankings, finished fourth in conference and got knocked out in regional play. Six starters return from that squad, led by 6-7 RHP/1B Zach Sedlacek (left, 4-1, 3.28 ERA), who showed big power potential in the summer. Senior 2B Jordan Barnett (.363 BA, 23 runs, 22 RBI, 8 doubles), junior SS Matthew Huelsmann (.356 BA, 43 runs, 21 RBI, 8 doubles, 10 SBs) and senior C Tyler Hasty (.341 BA, 16 RBI) comprise a solid middle defense. Senior OF Eddie Akers (.268 BA, 20 runs) and junior OF Derek Page (10 HR in summer) return in the outfield. While the Tigers have four returning pitchers, none of them won more than five games last season. Sedlacek will anchor the rotation, along with junior RHP Jevon Boyd, junior LHP Tylor Sanders and 6-foot-3 sophomore RHP Bryce Cantrall (4-0, 4.71 ERA).

 

Weather and Updates

The weather forecast for the weekend is as follows:

Thursday: Partly sunny, cooler; high of 53

Friday: Intervals of clouds and sun with a shower possible; breezy; high of 53

Saturday: Mostly cloudy and breezy with rain possible; high of 59

Stay up-to-date with any potential changes to the Border War schedule by following Prep Baseball Report on Twitter (@PrepBaseball).

GCS Ballpark, which is home of the Gateway Grizzlies, is located at 2301 Grizzlie Bear Blvd. in Sauget, Ill.