Updated Illinois Power 25 Rankings

Today marks the sixth Power 25 update of the season after another busy week of games. 

With a 21-0 record, Edwardsville maintained the top spot in this update after two wins against Belleville West that included head coach Tim Funkhouser’s 700th career victory. 

There was some shuffling at the top, aside from the Tigers, as Saint Viator and Belleville East now occupy the second and third spot on our rankings, respectively. Both teams breached the 20-win mark with winning weeks and are amongst the state’s hottest programs right now. 

Both St. Laurence and Brother Rice fall a few spots in this update after suffering tough losses in the Chicago Catholic League, which may arguably be the state’s toughest conference. They each have plenty of firepower across their roster, however, and maintain status as top-five programs in the state despite their losses. 

The biggest risers in this update were Minooka and Evanston, who each climbed up five spots in the Power 25 and jumped into the top-15 for the first all spring in this update. 

Check out the rest of the movement in the Power 25 below.

CLIMBING

+ No. 2 Saint Viator (22-1): The Lions haven’t lost since April 21st, ripping off four straight wins this week. They started off on a positive note, defeating Niles Notre Dame on Monday via walk-off fashion thanks to an RBI single from INF Zan Von Schlegell (2023). A 10-1 win on Tuesday followed by an 18-6 offensive outburst set up a tight-knit 1-0 victory over Marist on Sunday. The Lions received a huge boost in that game from RHP Tony Pluta (2022; Arizona), who returned from injury and punched 10 batters out across 4 ⅓ innings of work. He then handed the ball off to RHP Casey Hintz (2022; Arizona), as the fellow Wildcats’ signee finished the game in scoreless fashion to secure Viator’s win. Pluta’s return elevates an already successful team to a new level and has them rising two spots in this week’s Power 25 update. 

+ No. 3 Belleville East (21-2): Another three-win week has the Lancers cruising, as Belleville East has now won 12 straight contests and climbs two spots in this update, sitting at third overall. The Lancers squeaked out an 11-9 victory over Gibault Catholic on Monday, following it up with a 14-10 win over Alton Marquette and 6-2 victory against Althoff to close the week. They’re firing on all cylinders right now, generating high-end production both on the mound and at the plate. This week is paramount to the Lancers’ success, as a two-game set with Edwardsville on Tuesday and Thursday is on the horizon. 

+ No. 6 St. Charles East (14-1-1): The Saints are absolutely rolling right now, cruising to four wins last week and extending their winning streak to 13. Pitching proved pivotal on Monday against Wheaton-Warrenville, with LHP Gavin Sitarz (2022; Michigan State) punching out 14 and allowing just one hit across six near perfect innings of work. From there on out it was the Saints’ offense that took the reins, as INF Jake Zitella (2023; Illinois), INF Seth Winkler, C AJ Gaca (2022; Carthage), OF Clay Jensen (2023), and Dominick LeBlanc all had impressive weeks at the plate. A three-game set with rival St. Charles North awaits the Saints this week, as they’ll look to continue their winning ways and, in turn, rise up our rankings as well. 

+ No. 9 Mundelein (16-3): After dropping out of the top-10 last week, the Mustangs jumped right back in after winning four games rather convincingly. They started things off with a sweep of Lake Zurich, outscoring the Bears 21-5 in the two-game set. Mundelein followed that up with an 11-1 victory over Deerfield and capped off the week with a 5-2 victory over Lane Tech. The Mustangs have an important conference series with Warren Township starting today, capping this week off with a game on Hersey this upcoming Saturday. 

+ No. 10 Lincoln-Way West (13-2-1): The Warriors have been climbing steadily over the past three weeks, jumping into the top-10 for the first time this season after three wins against quality opposition, further building out their resume. They started the week off with an 11-7 win over rival Lincoln-Way East, parlaying that momentum into a 5-3 win over Marist and defeating a tough Lemont squad 7-5 to wrap things up. OF Cole Crafton (2024; Louisville), C Kaleb Wilkey (2023), and C Harrison Scroggins (2022), amongst others, continue to pace the Warriors’ offense on a game-to-game basis. Another tough week awaits Lincoln-Way West, who draws Stagg, Homewood-Flossmoor, and Yorkville across four upcoming games. 

+ No. 12 Minooka (18-4): Four more wins has the Indians trending in the right direction, climbing up five spots and now itching everso closely to the top-10. They swept conference rival Oswego East this past week, riding a strong start by RHP Ryan Anderson (2024) and timely offense against RHP Ashton Izzi (Oswego East, 2022; Wichita State) to start things off. Sandwiched between that three-game set was a non-conference win over Plainfield South, in which the Indians rattled off seven runs across the final three frames to victory. They’re a potent unit offensively from top to bottom, anchored by C Ivan Dahlberg (Illinois-Springfield, 2022), OF Mitch Thomas (2022; Joliet JC), and C/3B Andrew Mack (2023). Minooka will start the week off with three games against Plainfield North, wrapping things up with a non-conference contest against Lockport. 

+ No. 13 Mount Carmel (17-6-1): Playing in the Chicago Catholic League is never easy, yet the Caravan took two contests against arguably the conference’s top two teams. They started the week off defeating Brother Rice, anchored by a quality outing by LHP Shane Curtin (2022; Creighton) and home runs from C Colin Horneman (2022; Lincoln Trail JC), OF Brandon Rogers (2022; Oklahoma) and OF Myles Supurgeci (2022). The Caravan dropped the second game against Brother Rice, but bounced back nicely on Thursday to up-end St. Laurence on the road, 5-3. Rogers and Horneman paced the offense again, while LHP Julien Hachem (2022; Oklahoma) quieted the potent Vikings’ lineup, allowing only an earned run through 5 ⅔ innings pitched, punching out six. They led St. Laurence 2-1 in the top of the fourth inning on Saturday prior to a weather delay, but the Caravan return to action on Monday with a non-conference game against Joliet Catholic, followed by two conference bouts against Marmion Academy. 

+ No. 14 O’Fallon (18-4): After losing both games to Belleville East last week, O’Fallon responded nicely with four wins, starting the week off with a major 3-2 conference victory over Freeburg. They won three straight games in three straight days over Granite City (10-3), Mater Dei (6-0), and Olney Richland County (11-0) to improve to 18-4 on the season. Things get tougher for the Panthers this upcoming week, drawing Nashville today and following it up with games against Collinsville, Quincy, and Sacred Heart-Griffin. 

+ No. 15 Evanston (14-3): The Wildkits stayed hot, bouncing back nicely after last Thursday’s loss to New Trier, sweeping Glenbrook South and winning a non-conference game against Niles North as well. Pitching continues to be a strength for Evanston, as they allowed only one run in across their first 14 innings of play this past week, blanking Glenbrook South in the first game of the series. 

+ No. 19 Normal University (16-5): After an up-and-down start to the season, the Pioneers appeared to have settled in comfortably, winning their last seven games and outscoring their opponents 41-2 this past week. RHP Matt Sauser (2023; Iowa) started the week off with a no-hitter on Tuesday, striking out 15 batters in the process, and RHP Jake Swartz (2022; Illinois) followed that up on Wednesday with five shutout innings, punching out nine of his own. U-High has four conference games this upcoming week, starting out with a two-game set against Springfield and finishing things off with Lanphier and Normal West. 

+ No. 20 Glenwood (18-4): The Titans climb up two spots in this week’s Power 25 update, improving their win total to 18 on the year with four important wins last week, now having won nine of their last 10. They started the week out with a sweep of conference foe Sacred-Heart Griffin, followed by a 12-0 victory over Lanphier and wrapping things up with a 7-0 win over Granite City. RHP Parker Detmers (2023; Louisville) twirled an absolute gem for the Titans in their opening act against Sacred-Heart, punching out 14 across 6 ⅓ scoreless innings, scattering three hits in total. INF Nolan McMasters (2022; Illinois-Springfield), OF Tyler Marconi (2022), and C Will Plattner (2022; Wabash Valley) continue to headline Glenwood’s offensive attack, operating as key threats perched atop this lineup. The Titans will square off in a two-game set against Decatur Eisenhower to start the week, traveling to Highland and Teutopolis this weekend to wrap things up. 

SINKING

+ No. 4 Brother Rice (20-4): The Crusaders have fallen a bit after a historically impressive start to the spring, dropping two close conference games against Mount Carmel and Providence Catholic last week. Even with those losses, however, the Crusaders bounced back nicely, earning splits against Mount Carmel and Providence following their losses. Their lineup’s ferocity, which features multiple Division I bats from top to bottom, showed in their wins, surging to a 15-run explosion last Tuesday and scoring eight runs on Thursday as well. This week will be a busy one for Brother Rice, as the Crusaders play a six-game schedule that features two games against St. Rita, two against Loyola Academy, and tough non-conference bouts with Lemont and Marist, respectively. 

+ No. 5 St. Laurence (20-3): After ascending to the second spot in last week’s update, the Vikings dropped three games last week, albeit against formidable opponents. They started things off with a tight-knit victory over Providence Catholic on Monday, but fell to the Celtics on Tuesday despite out-hitting them for their first loss of the season. Mount Carmel jumped on the Vikings early in their game on Thursday, ultimately holding that lead to victory. A late score cost them a win against Marist, capping off a three loss week for St. Laurence. With that being said, St. Laurence still features one of the state’s most dangerous lineups and a high-octane pitching staff capable of winning them games on their own as well. The Vikings will play Loyola Academy and St. Rita two times each this week, with two games against Brother Rice looming next week as Chicago Catholic league play continues. 

+ No. 16 Lincoln-Way East (14-5): The Griffins fall six spots in this update, largely due to their loss against rival Lincoln-Way West. They did respond to defeat nicely, however, shutting out Crete-Monee and De La Salle, scoring a combined 21 runs across those two games. RHP/3B Zachary Kwasny (2023) continues to pitch well for the Griffins, while 1B John Connors (2023) and OF Alex Stanwich (2022; Tennessee) had strong offensive weeks. Lincoln-Way East starts the week off with two games against Bolingbrook, squaring up against Providence Catholic this upcoming Saturday to end the week. 

+ No. 17 Libertyville (17-6): The Wildcats started the week off strong, sweeping Lake Forest in two close conference wins before losing to New Trier on Friday, 6-5. Libertyville does have some noteworthy wins on their resume, including a sweep of Mundelein and a non-conference win over Jacobs, but they are tied for the most losses of any team on the Power 25. The Wildcats start the week with two games against Zion-Benton, capping things off with an away game against Grayslake North. 

+ No. 18 Barrington (15-2-2): Barrington has been one of the more consistent teams on the Power 25, hovering around the same range throughout the spring. They started last week off with three straight wins, sweeping Schaumburg and up-ending Prospect after grabbing a late lead. A 2-1 loss to Hersey did withhold Barrington from a perfect week and caused them to slide four spots in this update, now slotted at No. 18. The Broncos will start this week with three conference games, two against Palatine and one with Buffalo Grove, before hosting Lake Forest on Saturday. 

NEW TO POWER 25

+ No. 21 Hononegah (12-1): Joining the Power 25 for the first time, Hononegah has continued their winning ways from last spring into this year. The Indians won five games last week, sweeping through two-game sets with Boylan Catholic and Belvidere, respectively, while also defeating Rockford Auburn rather handedly. They’re comfortably sitting atop the Northern Illinois conference, with games against Rockford Auburn and Belvidere North scheduled for this week. 

+ No. 24 Naperville Central (13-4): After dropping out last week, the Redhawks vault back into the Power 25 scene, now slotted at 24th on our latest update. They swept their rival Naperville North in a three game series, outscoring them 22-6 in the process, and were leading Oswego East prior to a weather cancellation. The Redhawks are led by several talented prospects, including C Colin Barczi (2023; Vanderbilt), who’s making a firm case as one of the state’s top performers this IHSA season. Naperville Central starts this next week out with three straight games against DeKalb, before facing York and Romeoville in non-conference duels to end it. 

+ No. 25 Maroa-Forsyth (20-0): The Trojans find themselves in the Power 25 for the first time this year despite one of the IHSA’s most impressive records and resumes. They’ve yet to lose a game and, for the most part, have dominated their opposition. Maroa-Forsyth has scored 10 or more runs in 13 of their 20 games, while also shutting out their opposition in nine of those contests. Three non-conference games against Sullivan, Tri-Valley, and Marshall await the Trojans, traveling to conference foe Riverton on Tuesday. 

DROPPED OUT

+ Nazareth (16-6)
+ Breese Central (22-3)
+ Triad (19-4)

JUST MISSED THE CUT

+ Riverside-Brookfield (18-2)
+ Loyola (14-4)
+ Paris (22-2)
+ Richmond-Burton (20-3)
+ Grayslake Central (18-3)
+ Willowbrook (16-3)
+ McHenry (14-5)
+ Nashville (21-4)
+ Mascoutah (17-5)
+ Mahomet-Seymour (14-3)
+ Hinsdale Central (12-5)

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