With another season coming to an end and the off-season nearly in full swing, our staff recently released one final update to the Illinois 2025 rankings before the calendar turns to the new year. Several of these prospects find themselves on our national rankings as well, while others used impressive all-around fall showings to ascend up our board. 

For a look at the complete rankings, click HERE. 

For now, let's take a look at some of the notable movements throughout the rankings. 

Top-10

Our Top-5 stays intact in this update, with LHP Cameron Appenzeller (Glenwood; Tennessee commit) leading the way, followed by a couple Prep Baseball All Americans in UTIL Jaden Fauske (Nazareth) and LHP Jack Bauer (Lincoln-Way East; Virginia commit), rounding out with LHP/1B Conor Essenburg (Lincoln-Way West; Kentucky commit) and C Quinn Schambow (Libertyville; Oklahoma State commit). 

Jumping up to No. 6 in this update we have RHP Brandon Shannon (McHenry; Louisville commit), with reports of him reaching up to 95 mph on the national circuit this fall. The ceiling is extremely high with Shannon, and it's no surprise that he’s been quickly gaining velocity over the last year. Expect to see his fastball continue to trend upwards as he continues to fill out his high-waisted 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame. 

SS Ethan Moore (Oak Park-River Forest; Tennessee commit) is jumping a couple spots in this update to No. 7. Being a switch-hitting shortstop, Moore’s profile is one of the more sought after and rare pairings, and he continues to impress our staff with each look. He continues to pack on strength to his 5-foot-10, 192-pound frame while still remaining athletic and bouncy on the infield. 

One of the best pure hitters in the state, C Enzo Infelise (Providence Catholic, Cincinnati commit) is sliding back in the Top-10 to No. 10. There is no shortage of hard contact when watching Infelise, who routinely was on the barrel throughout the summer circuit for our staff, most recently at the State Games when he finished 2-for-5 with a home run and a triple for the ProCase team. 

Outside the Top-10

Rising four spots to No. 14, RHP Luke Mensik (Lincoln-Way Central, Xavier) is an arm we would not be shocked to see in the low/mid-90s this coming spring. Already having been up to 91 mph in the past, Mensik’s innate ability to spin the baseball is the separator, routinely spinning his curveball at 2500-2600 rpm. 

A pair of southpaws that are seeing a bump in this update are Lucas Grant (Joliet Catholic; Purdue commit) and Joshua Holst (Libertyville, Air Force commit).

Rising to No. 16, Grant had a strong summer and it continued into the fall where we were able to catch him at Grand Park. Though the velocity was down a couple ticks due to the time of year (87-89 mph), his pitchability is the true separator along with his ability to command his arsenal. 

Jumping 18 spots to No. 23, Holst is a physical 6-foot-2, 205-pound workhorse that is a proven gamer. He fearlessly attacks hitters in the zone and will challenge with his upper-80s fastball, only to then break off a bullet slider or deceptive changeup to collect an ugly swing. 

A name that has been gaining some traction around the state, and for good reason, is OF Jacob Parr (Lemont; Ohio State commit). Parr was on a tear over the summer, swinging a hot bat each time our staff saw him across the midwest, and he did much of the same when we saw him in the fall. Now sitting at No. 35 in the state, he boasts a strong, 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame that has shown the ability to drive the ball hard to the gaps, especially the other way in recent looks, and he also is an above-average athlete for his size with a 6.94 in the 60. 

A new face in this update, OF Ari Fivelson (Hampshire; Bradley commit) slides in at No. 51. A smooth-swinging lefty, we saw Fivelson all over the barrel throughout the summer, even dating back to the spring, and there’s plenty more strength to come in his 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame. His swing is easy to dream on, and he already has a present ability to use the whole field.

One of the more premier defenders in the state, SS TJ Jakubowski (Huntley; Bradley commit) is hopping 22 spots to No. 64 in the state. A lanky, projectable left-handed hitting shortstop, Jakubowski possesses the ability to stick on the infield moving forward, and with a ton of projection in his 6-foot, 150-pound frame, he’s likely just starting to scratch the surface of his potential. 

RHP Dominic Panozzo (Bishop McNamara; Illinois State commit) exploded onto the scene in Rantoul this past fall, bumping a fastball up to 93 mph to pair with a swing and miss slider. He makes his debut at No. 70 in this update, and we are excited to see where his fastball velocity is in the spring after a full winter of training. 

One of the bigger jumps in this update, INF Tyler Trapp (Lane Tech) finds himself up 50 spots to No. 117. We were able to catch him at the Unsigned Senior Showcase in early October, and he showed noticeable added strength to his frame. The strength was clear in his round of BP, where he displayed an intentful, whippy swing from the right side while averaging 94 mph for his EV, maxing out at 101 mph while staying up the middle of the field. An above-average athlete with a 6.92 in the 60, Trapp has shown the ability to be able to play both the infield and outfield in the past. 

OF Jonathan Medina Jr. (St. Laurence, Lake Land commit) is rising 16 spots in this update to No. 159. His left/left profile makes him intriguing right out of the gate, but he also has shown the ability to be an above-average defender that can go get it in the outfield (6.75 runner). He has a simple, rhythmic left-handed swing that stays through the zone, and we expect him to be able to hit at the next level. 

Another Lake Land commit, RHP Obed Lopez (Harvest Christian) was a consistent winner on our fall tournament circuit. Making his rankings debut at No. 186, Lopez showed a quick arm with a fastball up to 88 mph and a sharp downer curveball in the mid-70s. 

A couple fall event standouts that are making their rankings debuts are 1B Danny Mackey III (Lincoln-Way East) and OF Monroe Evans (Morgan Park).

Slotting in at No. 270, Mackey is still uncommitted at this point, and there’s a lot to like in the long-levered first baseman. Listed at 6-foot-5, 173-pounds, Mackey has an easy, repeatable right-handed swing that should continue to trend up with added strength. On the other side of the ball, the big right-hander can work into the low-80s on the mound with a three-pitch mix. 

Evans, a recent Dillard University commit, is a twitchy right-handed hitter that stood out on multiple occasions this fall. He has an intentful and aggressive swing at the plate, reaching up to 101 mph for his max EV with a 377’ max distance. His BLAST metrics are equally, if not more impressive; averaging 81 mph for his bat-speed, 25 mph for his hand-speed and 26 Gs for his rotational acceleration. 

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