By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will count down the top 75 preseason teams every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

Team: Plainfield South
Preseason Rank: 20
2013 Record: 27-9
Conference: Southwest Prairie
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Phil Bodine
Playoff Run: Lost in sectionals
2013 Final Rank: Not Ranked (ranked for much of the season)

Returning Starters: 2
Returning Pitchers: 5

TOP PLAYERS
Trevor Henderson, LHP, 2014 - (Ball State)
Shane Ritter, RHP, 2015 (Iowa)
Ryan McQueen, RHP, 2014
Enrique Perez, RHP, 2014
Zach Hammaker, 1B/RHP, 2014
Marco Melgoza, RHP, 2015

X-FACTOR
Shane Ritter. While Trevor Henderson, who’s ranked No. 29 in Illinois’ 2014 class, is an established No. 1 for the Cougars, the athletic 6-foot-3, 180-pound Ritter has the stuff to become a bona fide No. 1 as well. Ritter is currently ranked No. 7 in Illinois’ 2015 class.

KEY PLAYERS LOST
C John McNulty (Coastal Carolina)
1B Victor Garcia (Texas Pan-America)

OUTLOOK
The Cougars have an abundance of pitching, and possess a dominant 1-2 duo with Henderson and Ritter. Both have the stuff to shut down any opponents. Both pitchers logged significant innings last year and they should build on last year’s successes. The Cougars surprised many last year when they remained in the Top 25 rankings for much of the season. They won’t sneak up on anyone this year, though. Coach Phil Bodine also has plenty of pitching depth. Look for big 6-foot-4, 235-pound Ryan McQueen, who’s also a standout quarterback, to open some eyes this spring. As good as the team’s pitchers are, Bodine has a lot of holes to plug in the field. He returns only two starters, and graduated much of his team’s run-producers. Plainfield South should push Southwest Prairie powers Minooka and Plainfield North for the conference crown this season.

BOTTOM LINE
With the Cougars’ pitching depth, they should be able to run out quality starting pitchers every game - which is crucial in the Southwest Prairie’s three-game series structure. No doubt they should be in every game, but whether their untested offense can produce any runs will be the deciding factor if they can make a conference championship run and beyond.

Make sure you follow @PBRillinois on Twitter for complete Illinois high school baseball coverage throughout the season.

Season Countdown

+ Preseason Team Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2015 Player Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2014 Player Rankings

+ June Event Schedule