The Illinois 2018 Prep Baseball Report First Team All-State squad features a talented group of prospects that helped their respective teams to successful seasons. Our All-State teams pull from the entire state, all classifications.

The players below, we believed, were the most dominant at their respective positions. Some positions were more loaded than others, especially pitchers and catchers this year. We took into account several different metrics: overall performance, statistics, and strength of schedule/competition.

The All-State teams are geared more towards statistical performance, otherwise they’d just be a direct reflection of our PBR Player Rankings, which rank players on pure ability/prospect status only. We’ve also strongly considered the defensive play of several players, something that gets thrown out the window at times during all-area or all-conference debates.

Over the next few days we will also unveil our second and third teams.

Without further ado, a look at the 2018 First Team All-State selections:

PITCHERS

Riley Gowens RHP / Libertyville, IL / 2018 Record IP H K BB ERA WHIP BAA 9-1 47 16 87 11 0.30 0.57 .106 Illinois commit. Was the ace of the Libertyville pitching staff, who finished the season 28-10 and No. 17 in the Power 25. Gowens was electric the spring working behind a fastball that climbed as high as 94 mph in one of his final starts. In 47 innings pitched Gowens gave up a miniscule 16 hits, two earned runs and struck out 87 batters. Gowens is ranked No. 13 in the Illinois 2018’ class.

McCade Brown RHP / Normal West, IL / 2018 Record IP H K BB ERA WHIP 8-1 57 23 117 37 1.23 1.05 Indiana commit. Brown, a 6-foot-6 right-hander has long been one of the more projectable arms in the 2018 class. Everything seemed to come together this spring for the ace of the Wildcat pitching staff. Brown, has one of the liveliest arms in the class and struck out an astounding 117 hitters on the spring. Brown routinely sits in the low 90’s with his fastball and his breaking ball has continued to progress into a swing-and-miss offering.

Jacob Maton RHP / Chatham-Glenwood , IL / 2018 Record IP H K BB ERA WHIP BAA 7-1 73 37 124 14 0.77 0.69 .145 Coastal Carolina commit. Maton had enormous shoes to fill in 2018 at the top of the rotation after Reid Detmers graduated from Glenwood. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound ace didn’t just take over the No. 1 duties, he thrived in the role. Maton put together one of the most statistically impressive seasons in the state this past season. In 73 innings, he allowed just eight earned runs and struck out a whopping 124 batters and walked just 14. He’s the top-ranked RHP in his state’s class and the No. 3-ranked prospect in Illinois overall.

Cole Kirschsieper LHP / Lincoln-Way East, IL / 2019 Record IP H K BB ERA WHIP BAA 10-2 70.1 42 89 17 1.09 0.84 .163 Illinois commit. Kirschsieper was one of the biggest reasons Lincoln-Way East won a school record 28 games and finished No. 14 in the year-end Power 25. The talented left-hander set a school record in wins (10) and strikeouts in a season with 89. Kirschsieper works fast and attacks hitters with a three-pitch repertoire. On the season Kirschsieper only walked 17 batters in 70.1 innings pitched. Kirschsieper and many of the other arms of staff will be back for head coach Eric Brauer next season.

 

CATCHER

Matt McCormick C / St. Laurence, IL / 2019 Ave H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB OBP OPS SLG .510 49 17 6 9 48 21 26 .657 1.75 1.09 West Virginia commit. Just last week, we announced that McCormick was this year’s PBR Illinois Player of the Year recipient. Naturally, the junior backstop found his way onto the First Team All-State list, too. McCormick may have been the most potent bat in all of the state in 2018. He slugged over 1.000 with the help of 17 doubles and nine homers – all while reaching base more than 65 percent of the time. His work at the plate and behind it was a huge part of the reason why St. Laurence earned its first Chicago Catholic League title since 2014. He’s the top-ranked catcher in his state’s 2019 class and is ranked No. 4 overall.

 

FIRST BASEMAN

Drake Westcott 1B / Edwardsville, IL / 2020 Ave 2B 3B HR RBI R .519 12 2 7 34 35 Louisville commit. Last season Westcott earned Second-Team All-State honors as a freshman and impressed once again in 2018. Westcott, one of the top 2020 power bats in the Midwest, tormented high school pitching all season long, despite only being a sophomore and getting pitched around on a regular basis. When Westcott did get pitches to hit he did not miss very often. Westcott hit .519 while hitting seven home runs and 12 doubles.

 

MIDDLE INFIELDERS

Branden Comia SS / Sandburg, IL / 2018 Ave 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K OBP POS Record IP SV K BB .404 8 1 6 29 40 30 19 .533 RHP 1-0 17 8 28 8 Illinois commit. Comia was honored with a Second Team All-State nomination in 2017 but as a senior this year, he took the next step and earned First Team honors all while helping his Sandburg team reach the State tournament. In addition to being named to the PBR Illinois First Team, Comia was also named to the All-South West Suburban Conference Team. The top-ranked shortstop in the 2018 Illinois class hit over .400 for the Eagles with eight doubles and six home runs to go along with his advanced defensive abilities in the middle of the infield. He was also used as the team’s closer and converted all eight of his save opportunities, striking out 28 batters in 17 innings.

Mason Hull SS / Effingham, IL / 2018 Ave 2B 3B HR RBI R BB OBP POS Record IP H K BB ERA .553 13 2 7 36 47 29 .669 RHP 4-1 38.2 30 55 14 2.53 Missouri State commit. Hull did it all this spring for an Effingham squad that went 25-6 on the season. Hull compiled video game type numbers at the plate, hitting .553 with seven home runs, 13 doubles, scored 47 runs and a .669 on base percentage. He is also one of the steadiest middle infield defenders in the state and saw some time on the mound as well. The right-hander picked up four wins and struck out 55 in 38.2 innings pitched.

 

THIRD BASEMAN

OUTFIELDERS

Alek Thomas OF / Mount Carmel , IL / 2018 Ave 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K OBP .423 7 4 10 43 58 21 5 .503 MLB Draft, Arizona Diamondbacks: Round 2, 63rd overall. Thomas’ high-profile high school career culminated in a second-round selection in the MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and officially signed last week and has since began his pro career. This is the third straight season Thomas has earned a spot on First Team All-State. This year, Illinois’ top overall prospect hit .423 and smacked 10 homers in the uber-competitive Chicago Catholic League – and struck out just five times all spring. He also gracefully roamed center field for Mount Carmel. Thomas’ all-around game made him one of the nation’s most athletic draft prospects and earned him the professional deal that lured him away from his commitment to Texas Christian.

Brooks Coetzee OF / Mahomet-Seymour, IL / 2018 Ave 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB .475 12 3 5 26 29 12 6 14 Notre Dame commit. Coetzee features game-changing ability all over the diamond. He was one of the top defensive center fielders in the state, covering ground with ease as well as possessing a strong arm (clocked as high as 91 mph from the outfield in the past). At the plate, the right-handed hitter, hit for average and power this spring. He added 14 stolen bases and walked twice as much as he struck out.

Zaid Walker OF / Homewood-Flossmoor , IL / 2018 Ave H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB OBP OPS SLG SB .432 41 11 2 12 49 32 10 .491 1.46 .970 11 Michigan State commit; MLB Draft, Cincinnati Reds: Round 36. Walker turned his tantalizing combination of strength and athleticism into a robust 2018 season and a First Team All-State nomination. The Homewood-Flossmoor outfielder slugged 12 homers, stole 11 bases, and maintained an OPS of 1.459 for the Vikings. Walker’s exceptional toolset equips him with a corner outfielder’s arm, the speed to cover plenty of ground, and a powerful bat with middle-of-the-order potential. He’ll be able to groom his enticing game at Michigan State next season.

 

UTILITY

Brady Miller RHP / Plainfield North, IL / 2018 Record IP H K BB ERA POS AVE 2B HR RBI R 11-1 63.2 46 71 20 1.43 1B .316 9 4 31 31 Western Michigan commit. Miller headlined arguably the deepest pitching staff in the state and helped lead Plainfield North to their first 4A State Title in school history. Miller, who was a three-sport standout, went 11-1 on the mound this spring. Miller started and got the win in the state semi-final win over Sandburg and capped off his impressive season with a home run in the state title game which turned out to be the game-winning run. The 6-foot-4, right-hander struck out 71 in 63.2 innings pitched and saved his best performances of the season for the impressive postseason run.

Andrew Wilhite SS / Stillman Valley, IL / 2018 Ave HR RBI R OBP OPS SLG POS Record H SV K BB ERA .443 12 57 51 .553 1.47 .922 RHP 9-1 55 1 120 6 0.93 Minnesota commit. Wilhite was a regular feature on Weekly Diamond Notes and was even named the PBR Illinois Player of the Week back at the start of May and finished the season as an All-Big Northern Conference selection. The Stillman Valley infielder smashed 12 homers and hit over .440 for the Cardinals and drove in 57 runs. On the mound he was equally as impressive. Wilhite, who has the ability to pitch right-handed and left-handed went 9-1 on the mound with a 0.93 ERA and struck out 120 batters. He was one of their most productive players all season long and it’s capped by his selection to this First Team All-State list.

 

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