Lake Zurich and Highland Park leap into the rankings behind defending Class 4A state champion Libertyville.
Top 10
With records through Sunday and previous rankings in parentheses.
1. Libertyville 5-3-1 (1): Chase Lockwood throws a five-hit shutout against McHenry in a rematch of the Class 4A state championship game as the Wildcats win again.
2. Grayslake Central 5-0 (3): Powering the Rams, Jack Velez is batting .571 with nine RBIs, and Charlie Surowiec is batting .500 with 10 runs scored.
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3. Stevenson 7-2 (4): UIC recruits Frank Costabile, who is batting .600 with four triples and a home run, and Ryan Harris, who is batting .478 with three doubles and a home run, show they can hit as well as pitch.
4. Wauconda 4-2 (5): Brody Rudolph is hitting .522 with a 1.419 OPS, a home run and four doubles for the Bulldogs.
5. Lakes 4-1-1 (6): Jacob Kane is hitting .417 with a .588 on-base percentage and seven runs scored for the Eagles.
6. Lake Zurich 4-1 (NR): Sparking the Bears, Cooper Kaczmarek is hitting .636 with a 1.659 OPS and a home run.
7. Warren 4-3 (7): Braxton Goodfellow hits .417 with six walks, six runs scored and two RBIs on the Blue Devils’ trip to Southern Illinois.
8. Highland Park 4-2 (NR): Loras commit Shamar Wilson has already hit two home runs and three doubles for the Giants.
9. Lake Forest 4-2 (8): Nate Brezak, who has a 1.00 ERA with 16 strikeouts, and Callum Morrison, who has a 2.00 ERA with 14 strikeouts, top the Scouts’ rotation.
10. Carmel 3-3 (9): Cameron Nero charges out of the gates, hitting .700 for the Corsairs.
Player of the week
Highland Park junior pitcher Simon Rose earns a save in a win over Packer Collegiate of New York and then strikes out 15, tying the team record for a seven-inning game, over 6 1/3 shutout innings in a win over Radnor of Pennsylvania two days later.
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.