Top 10 Teams
1. St. Laurence (30-9): Vikings are deep and stacked with Division I recruits, including senior outfielder Luke Stulga (Illinois State) and junior second baseman Jameson Martin (Minnesota). Senior DJ Helwig (Notre Dame) and sophomore left-hander Joe Olson (Louisville) anchor experienced staff as every pitcher who won a game last season is back.
2. Lincoln-Way West (25-7-1): Warriors return most of team that won program’s first sectional championship, led by junior infielder/outfielder Cole Crafton (Louisville) and senior catcher Kaleb Wilkey. Seniors Reagan King (Triton), Colton Kachinsky (Western Illinois) and Tyler Koscinski (Aurora) return as top pitchers, while sophomores Conor Essenburg (Kansas State) and Lucas Acevedo (Illinois-Chicago) add to rotation.
3. Brother Rice (36-6): Star catcher Zion Rose, who transferred to IMG Academy in Florida, and talented senior class departed from Class 3A third-place state finisher. There’s still plenty of talent, though, including senior pitcher Cole Van Assen (Purdue), junior pitcher Casey Giemzik, senior first baseman Amir Gray (Purdue) and senior outfielder/catcher Bryce Nevils (Western Kentucky).
4. Lincoln-Way East (23-8): A large group of seniors — featuring pitcher/third baseman Zach Kwasny (Ball State), first baseman John Connors (John Logan) and pitcher Trevor Fishman (Wisconsin-Parkside) — is determined to go out with big postseason run. Junior shortstop Tyler Bell (Pittsburgh) and sophomore pitchers Jack Bauer (Virginia) and Aaron Scott (Illinois State) are talented.
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5. Providence (22-16): Seniors Ryan Hussey (Ohio State), Drew Zemaitis (Xavier) and AJ Vinci (St. Louis) lead deep pitching staff. Senior first baseman Gavin Gomez, coming off breakout season, will also contribute on mound. Keep an eye on sophomore infielder Nolan Galla (Xavier).
6. Joliet Catholic (26-10): Defending Class 2A state champions have some lineup holes to fill, but outfielder Trey Swiderski (Louisville) and second baseman Tommy Kemp are senior leaders. Pitching will be a strength, led by senior TJ Schlageter (Louisville) and juniors Jake Gimbel and Aidan Hayse (Tennessee).
7. Lemont (25-9): Experienced senior group will be led by infielder/pitcher Brandon Johnson (Lake Land), infielder/pitcher Patrick Gardner (Heartland), infielder/pitcher Dylan Swanstrom and outfielder Luke Wallace (Southwestern Iowa).
8. Lockport (34-4): There are big shoes to fill from last season, but seniors are ready to step up, led by infielder/pitcher Anthony Martinez (South Suburban), outfielder Joey Manzo, infielder Niko Mastoras (St. Xavier) and catcher Jake Schindler (McHenry). Senior Antonio Ferrara (Benedictine) adds to pitching depth.
9. Homewood-Flossmoor (24-12): Senior outfielder Dillon Head (Clemson) is the ultimate table-setter for lineup that will also rely on senior outfielder Jason Ballard and senior catcher Preston Lund (Christopher Newport). Senior lefties Vince Waterman (Kent State) and Breyan Brooks (Southern) anchor deep pitching staff.
10. Mount Carmel (24-13-1): Looking to reload with young team, Caravan will count on senior infielder Austin Mallee (Chipola) and senior outfielder Blainey Dowling (Eastern Illinois) to lead while hoping sophomore shortstop/pitcher Xavier Crowder and freshman infielder TJ McQuillan (Louisville) make early impacts.
25 Players to Watch
Xavier Aguilar, Bremen, senior, infielder/pitcher; Noah Caceres, Reavis, senior, catcher; John Connors, Lincoln-Way East, senior, first baseman; Cole Crafton, Lincoln-Way West, junior, infielder/outfielder; Alex Day, Andrew, senior, pitcher/infielder; Trent Dian, Oak Forest, senior, outfielder/pitcher; Blainey Dowling, Mount Carmel, senior, outfielder; Gavin Gomez, Providence, senior, infielder/pitcher; Amir Gray, Brother Rice, senior, first baseman; Justyn Hart, Marian Catholic, junior, infielder/pitcher; Dillon Head, Homewood-Flossmoor, senior, outfielder; DJ Helwig, St. Laurence, senior, pitcher; Jack Hughes, Evergreen Park, junior, infielder; Brandon Johnson, Lemont, senior, infielder/pitcher; Sir Jamison Jones, St. Rita, junior, catcher; Reagan King, Lincoln-Way West, senior, pitcher; Zach Kwasny, Lincoln-Way East, senior, infielder/pitcher; Nolan Maciejewski, Tinley Park, sophomore, outfielder/pitcher; Anthony Martinez, Lockport, senior, infielder/pitcher; Landon Mensik, Lincoln-Way Central, junior, shortstop; Ayham Salah, Oak Lawn, senior, outfielder; TJ Schlageter, Joliet Catholic, senior, pitcher; Cal Sefcik, Marist, senior, infielder; Luke Stulga, St. Laurence, senior, outfielder; Cole Van Assen, Brother Rice, senior, pitcher.
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.