Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 20 Neuqua Valley

March 5, 2019
By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 11, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2019 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, leading into a countdown through the official PBR Illinois Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a Preseason Questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2019 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Neuqua Valley
Preseason Rank:
2018 Record: 31-4
Conference: DuPage Valley Conference
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: James Thornton
Playoff Run: Sectional Finals; 11-3 loss to Plainfield North
2018 Final Rank: 5
Returning Starters: 2
Returning Pitchers: 4

TOP PLAYERS

NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POSITION	COMMITMENT
Landon Arney	IL	Neuqua Valley	2019	RHP	Triton JC
Jacob Karaba	IL	Neuqua Valley	2019	RHP	Lewis University
Justin Blazek	IL	Neuqua Valley	2019	3B	-
Casey Pickering	IL	Neuqua Valley	2019	RHP	-
Ethan Schreier	IL	Neuqua Valley	2019	OF	Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Anthony Sterchele	IL	Neuqua Valley	2019	RHP	Santa Fe
Nick Taylor	IL	Neuqua Valley	2019	SS	-
Ryan Auer	IL	Neuqua Valley	2020	LHP	-
Kevin Butler	IL	Neuqua Valley	2020	C	-
Nolan Clifford	IL	Neuqua Valley	2020	SS	Creighton
Michael Gould	IL	Neuqua Valley	2020	UTIL	-
Mark Gronowski	IL	Neuqua Valley	2020	OF
Mitchell Rokosz	IL	Neuqua Valley	2020	2B	-
Noah Schnell	IL	Neuqua Valley	2020	OF	-

KEY PLAYERS LOST

NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POSITION	COMMITMENT
Ricky Castro	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	RHP	Parkland JC
Andrew Churchman	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	RHP
Noah Ernst	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	C	Milwaukee School of Engin
Adam Graham	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	OF	Milwaukee School of Engin
Noah Herdman	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	3B	-
Justin Hicks	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	LHP	-
James Kulak	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	LHP	Purdue
Evan Ranneklev	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	OF	Illinois Wesleyan Univers
Jack Rigoni	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	OF	Southern Illinois-Edwards
Trevor Tesmond	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	OF	-
Jake Wenz	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	C	Wisconsin-Whitewater
Zach Wenz	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	RHP	-
Ryan Wheeler	IL	Neuqua Valley	2018	2B	-

STAT RAT

66-6-1. That is Neuqua’s record over the last two seasons. Over those two seasons (2017 and 2018), they made a trip to the supersectionals, sectional finals, and also inherited the No. 1 ranking in the Power 25 more than any other team over that span. Those 66 wins were thanks in large part to a incredibly talented and deep 2018 graduating class, which – obviously – is no longer in the dugout.

NEWCOMER TO WATCH

First-year Head Coach James Thornton. With the retirement of IHSBCA Hall-of-Fame inductee Robin Renner, James Thornton has been tabbed to take over the program. Renner has guided the perennial powerhouse since 1999 and has been the solitary head baseball coach the Neuqua Valley program has ever known. After 507 career wins, a 2007 state title, and two top-four finishes, Coach Renner finally decided to hang 'em up. Renner left a lasting impression on the program and Thornton will look to continue the tradition of quality baseball being played at Neuqua.

Thornton will take over a program looking to reload after losing a substantial amount of starters from last season’s 31-win team. For the Wildcats, there's always a steady flow talent refilling the starting nine, and that should make Thornton's life easier in his first spring at the steering wheel. It's going to be exciting to watch the new-look Wildcats jell this season, at the start of a new era.

X-FACTOR

Jacob Karaba. The talented senior right-hander was last year’s Newcomer to Watch in Neuqua’s 2018 Preseason Preview, but he's taking on an expanded role this spring. With the amount of depth and high-end talent in the starting rotation last year, Karaba was primarily used in relief. He was arguably the club’s most reliable bullpen arm and was extremely effective in that role, striking out 24 batters in 18.2 innings while collecting three saves. This year, however, Karaba will be leaned on as one of the Wildcats' top starters and will be given the ball in a number of critical contests, especially once conference play begins. How Karaba takes to his new role could play a huge role in Neuqua’s success, because they'll need a go-to option when May rolls around.

Jacob Karaba (6.12.18)

OUTLOOK

Neuqua Valley is arguably the one program in Illinois that lost the most talent to graduation last summer. From LHP James Kulak, to 3B Noah Herdman, OF Jack Rigoni, SS Ryan Wheeler… the list goes on and on. Another Neuqua Valley staple who is no longer around: their hall-of-fame head coach.

Fielding so many new faces, including one at the helm of their program, is uncharted territory for the Wildcats. The good news is Coach Thornton still has a number of talented Neuqua players walking the school's halls to pencil into his first lineup this spring.

When looking at this year’s roster, two senior right-handed pitchers stick out: the aforementioned Karaba and Anthony Sterchele. Both were key figures on last season’s 31-win club and will serve as the stabilizing force atop the rotation for the 2019 team. Sterchele, a Santa Fe JC commit, has an imposing fastball coming from his 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame. He's able to run it up to 90 mph and a couples it with a sharp slider. Although not built the same as Sterchele, Karaba features very similar stuff; a loose, quick arm, a fastball that sat 87-88 mph last summer, and a hard-biting slider that he throws with confidence. Karaba and Sterchele should give the Wildcats a formidable one-two punch to take on the DuPage Valley Conference.

Alongside the Karaba-Sterchele duo on the mound, look for fellow senior RHP/INF Casey Pickering and junior LHP Ryan Auer to log meaningful innings. Pickering, a Wisconsin-Stevens Point commit, is a strike-thrower who pitches in the low 80s. Last season, Pickering struck out 17 in 14.2 innings and sported a 1.43 ERA. Auer is a 6-foot-4, 165-pound projectable southpaw who understands how to pitch. A wild card to the depth of the staff is senior RHP Landen Arney. Arney, a Triton JC commit, is an undersized righty with a quick arm and a mid-80s fastball that could be a solid piece out of the bullpen, if needed.

Offensively, this is where the biggest question marks arise. The Wildcats return just two starters from last year’s club: INF Nick Taylor and OF Ethan Schreier. Taylor, a top-of-the order left-handed bat, will be relied upon heavily. Taylor was a DuPage Valley All-Conference second baseman last spring, after hitting .396 and scoring 35 runs. This season, he'll move over to shortstop where he should be plenty comfortable. Schreier, a Wisconsin-Oshkosh commit, will be penciled in to play center field and hit in the middle of the order. Schreier hit .344 with three home runs last spring.

Outside of Taylor and Schreier, it will be a bunch of fresh faces filling out the lineup card. Expect to see senior 1B/3B Justin Blazek and Pickering, as well as juniors, 2B Nolan Clifford (Creighton commit), UTIL Michael Gould, C Kevin Butler, INF Mitchell Rokosz and OF Mark Gronowski.

BOTTOM LINE

It is a new chapter for the Neuqua Valley baseball program. There's plenty of questions to answer, especially in the lineup where they'll be fielding more than a handful of fresh faces who lack the experience at the varsity level. However, Thornton will have plenty of talent and depth to work with in his first year at the head of the program, especially on the mound. And come playoff time, as most know, pitching and defense tend to be the recipe for success. A hunch tells me that Neuqua Valley will be the same team come playoff time – that is to say, a program no one is looking forward to scheduling in May and June.

Make sure to follow @PBRIllinois on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2019 season.