Prep Baseball Report

Illinois Fall Winners: Position Players


By: Gavin Smith
Area Scout

This fall, the PBR Illinois staff hosted multiple events at The MAX and Triton College. We greatly expanded our player base as a result, and this year's fall showcase calendar provided our staff an ample opportunity to deepen our knowledge on all of the state's current high school classes (2024-2027).

Now, with the off-season fully underway, our staff will break down some of the biggest winners from our fall events, beginning with the position players.

Learn more on 30+ names that impressed our staff this fall.

Note: Prospects are broken down by class and listed in no particular order.

2024s

Collin Severson OF / Sycamore , IL / 2024

From 9/26/23: “...is a wiry 5-foot-10, 165-pound athlete with quick twitch that showed in multiple ways in this workout. Severson ran the day’s second fastest 60 (6.78), reaching a peak speed of 20.5 mph with a 1.66 10-yard split. He showed an accurate barrel in BP, staying on it throughout his round while spraying line drives to all fields from a short, direct, and balanced right-handed swing. Severson’s speed plays naturally in the outfield - he’s a fast mover with athletic, tempo’d feet that work around the baseball, and he made a spectacular diving grab in left field during the gameplay portion of the event.”

Jake Stedman SS / 3B / Belleville West, IL / 2024

From 9/26/23: “A strong 5-foot-11, 185-pound athlete, Stedman has strong intentful hands that create noticeable bat speed, staying short and direct to the baseball while showing pull-side power throughout his round. Stedman cleared the left field wall twice, sending his furthest ball 360 feet, and he averaged 89.2 mph per batted ball, peaking at 93.1 mph. He worked on the barrel that way in-game, belting a double into the left-center gap. Stedman showed steady actions on the infield with a sure-handed glove and an accurate arm that touched 85 mph across, the highest mark of the event.”

MOBERLY CC COMMIT

Bryce Lemp OF / LHP / Collinsville, IL / 2024

From 9/26/23: “...is a strong 5-foot-11, 195-pound uncommitted left/left senior to follow from this event. A 6.94 runner, Lemp works uphill through the zone with intent to elevate the baseball and a pull-side approach, screaming a loud barrel that way in game, too.”

ST. CHARLES CC COMMIT

Noah Petersen C / Civic Memorial , IL / 2024

From 9/26/23: Petersen swung a strong, compact right-handed barrel that consistently worked to the middle of the field throughout his round of BP, recording the day’s second hardest hit ball (97.1 mph).”

LEWIS & CLARK CC COMMIT

Mason Taylor 2B / OF / O'Fallon, IL / 2024

From 9/26/23: “...is a left-handed hitter with a lean, wiry 5-foot-10, 155-pound frame to pair. Taylor ran a 6.85 60 on our lasers, reaching a peak run speed of 20.3 mph with a 1.69 10-yard split. His athleticism shows on the dirt, where Taylor plays light on his feet and gets around the baseball, working in rhythm throughout, with above-average actions for his age. Offensively, Taylor works uphill through the zone and used the whole field throughout his round.”

Jacob Armstrong 3B / RHP / Timothy Christian , IL / 2024

From 8/27/23: “...is a rising senior that gave an intriguing two-way look on Sunday. Armstrong stands at a long-levered 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame with plenty of room for added strength. Defensively, he stood out as one of the top infield defenders of the event. Armstrong moves with clean, smooth footwork, easy on the move, athletic actions and sure hands while topping at 81 mph. At the plate, he stays on-plane and flat through the zone from the right-side of the plate while creating occasional back spin off the bat while registering a peak exit velocity of 91 mph. On the mound, Armstrong operated from an athletic delivery and paired it with a loose arm action. His fastball sat primarily in the low-80s, T84 mph with an average of 18.6’’ of horizontal movement (2nd best in event). Armstrong also spun a quality slider which had 2500 RPMs with late bite. Two-way unsigned senior to know.” 

Wisconsin-Oshkosh commit

Aidan Calvey / OF / Minooka Community, IL / 2024

From 8/27/23: “...is a 2024 infielder who had a strong all-around showing at the event. Calvey has a 6-foot, 185-pound frame with strength throughout and a quiet, simple, right-handed swing that was consistently on time and on the barrel.”  

Goshen College commit

Dasaan Lee C / 3B / De La Salle, IL / 2024

From 10/1/23: “...has been trending up for much of the 2023 calendar year and continued on his upward trajectory at the event. The 6-foot,210-pound, broad-shouldered, right-handed hitter has a potent right-handed bat that was all over the barrel with authority once again. Lee lets the ball travel deep into the zone and stays on-plane with loose, strong hands and drove balls with natural lift to both gaps. Registered an average exit velocity of 91.1 mph, just four mph shy of his max of 95.4 mph, underscoring the amount of hard barrels he found throughout his round. He also launched his furthest batted ball 345’, had a top-three average bat speed of the event (73.2 mph), topped at 79 mph from behind the crouch and registered a low pop time of 2.08.”

Morton JC commit

Aidan Conners 3B / RHP / Hinsdale Central , IL / 2024

From 10/1/23: “...took one of the louder more intentful rounds of BP at the event. Despite inconsistent results, Conners swung with intent to do damage on every swing, has fast/strong hands, created advanced bat speed and launched his furthest batted ball 349’ with an average of 303’ off the bat. He also registered a max exit velocity of 91.4 mph and the top average hand speed of the event at 26.7 mph. The 6-foot, 185-pound, two-way prospect also ran a 7.22 60, was 83 mph across the infield and touched 81 mph on the mound with an above-average breaking ball.”

James Nydegger OF / Mount Carmel, IL / 2024

From 10/1/23: “...had a strong all-around showing at the event, highlighted by a 6.79 laser-timed 60, the best of the event. He also was an easy mover in the outfield and topped at 84 mph with a quick arm. Offensively, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound, right-handed hitter has quick hands, creates bat speed and made a lot of hard, lifted contact. Nydegger peaked at 92.8 mph off the bat and also registered a furthest batted ball of 312’. One to follow coming out of the event.” 

2025s

Greyson Rathgeb OF / OF / Edwardsville, IL / 2025

From 9/26/23: “...stands at a loose, projectable 6-foot-1, 175-pounds with plenty of room to fill out further. He took the best, most polished BP round we’ve seen from him yet at this event, working uphill through the zone with gap-to-gap feel and balance through contact. Rathgeb’s hardest barrel (92.3 mph) and furthest batted ball (348 ft.) were both personal bests of his at our events, and both of those metrics are likely to keep trending upward as he fills out further. In game, Rathgeb jumped all over an inner-half, first pitch 88 mph fastball and drove it down the left field line for a double. Rathgeb’s proven to be an asset defensively too, starting in center field for the 4A state champions this past spring, as a clean, free-flowing mover with above-average arm strength, topping at 88 mph on his hardest throw home.”

Cash Bailey 3B / 1B / Columbia, IL / 2025

From 9/26/23: “...led this event in a handful of batted ball categories. The strong-bodied 5-foot-9, 200-pound junior works short and direct to the baseball, generating easy bat speed both on average (73.6 mph) and at peak (79.5 mph). Bailey led the event in max exit velocity (98.8 mph), average exit velocity (91.8 mph), and average batted distance (319 ft.), finishing a few feet behind the event’s leader in peak batted distance (360 ft.), too.”

Bo Gomric SS / 2B / Althoff, IL / 2025

From 9/26/23: “...was a name that caught our eye during the IHSA season and at Creekside this summer, too. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound multi-sport (soccer) junior, Gomric ran the event’s fastest 60 time (6.75), reaching a peak speed of 21 mph during his sprint. It’s a loose, easy operation at the plate with a level right-handed swing that’s comfortable producing regular line drive contact, singling in-game at this event. Gomric plays with natural bounce on the infield, controlling his body on the move with soft, accurate hands and an arm capable of effectively working from multiple arm angles.”

Camden Cox OF / SS / O'Fallon, IL / 2025

From 9/26/23: “...has consistently proven to our staff that he’s able to consistently hit, doing so yet again at this event. A 6.90 runner, Cox worked gap-to-gap in BP from a naturally leveraged right-handed swing, showing barrel accuracy (70%) throughout. Cox has above-average bat strength for his age too, impacting the baseball comfortably both at peak (93.7 mph, 343 ft. max) and on average (88 mph). He put together arguably the day’s most competitive at-bats from top to bottom, barreling a hard inner-half heater for a loud single down the left field line in his first at-bat. Cox singled again in his next trip to the plate, and he worked a deep count in his final at-bat, spoiling pitch after pitch before turning around his hardest ball of the day for a lineout to left field.”

Alex Kiefer C / RHP / Mount Vernon, IL / 2025

From 9/26/23: “...is a switch-hitting backstop with a simple, controlled and similar swing from both sides of the plate that favored the pull-side. His arm plays accurate from the crouch with a quick release that stayed on the bag both in his workout and in between innings.”

Beni Espinosa SS / 2B / DePaul College Prep, IL / 2025

From 10/8/23: “To start, Espinosa put up some noteworthy numbers in the athletic testing portion of the event. He marked a 60-yard dash time of 7.26 and also reached a max jump height of 30.7”; both of which are intriguing given his age and his stronger 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame. During his BP round, Espinosa really turned heads with the ease and fluidity of his smooth right-handed swing. Metrically, his hardest hit ball of the day came off at 94.6 mph and he averaged 90.5 mph, speaking to just how much he was on the barrel throughout his round. Defensively, the middle infielder is an athletic mover with sure-handed actions and paired that with an accurate arm that has the ability to throw from multiple slots when needed.”

Jonathan Medina Jr OF / St. Laurence, IL / 2025

From 10/8/23: “...is an upside 5-foot-10, 160-pound outfield prospect to know following Sunday’s event at The MAX. Medina recorded the quickest 60-yard dash time of the event at 6.92, and also recorded a max jump height of 31.6”, which was good for second at this event. Offensively, Medina swings a simple and polished left-handed bat that shot the ball from gap-to-gap with ease. During his round, Medina produced exit velocities as high as 93.5 mph, while averaging 85.3 mph, both of which were some of the top of the event. While in the outfield, Medina is a quick mover and works through the ball, delivering throws up to 84 mph to home plate with accuracy.”

Aadden Guerrero SS / 2B / St. Laurence, IL / 2025

From 10/8/23: “After putting together a number of impressive performances across the summer circuit, highlighted by a standout one at the Illinois State games, INF Aadden Guerrero (St. Laurence, 2025) continued that trend during our time in McCook. Standing at an athletic 5-foot-10, 170-pounds, Guerrero started his day by registering a 6.98 in the 60-yard dash. At the plate, Guerrero features an aggressive but controlled right-handed swing that works direct to the ball and shoots it to all fields with intent. Throughout his round, Guerrero reached exit velocity highs of 90.1 mph and also averaged 86.2 mph. During the infield portion of the event, Guerrero’s athleticism was on full display, as he is a quick mover from side-to-side with sure-handed actions and an arm that topped at 84 mph across the diamond.” 

Benjamin Geary SS / 2B / St. Laurence , IL / 2025

From 8/27/23: "Geary has a 6-foot-1, 165-pound, long-limbed, upside frame and loose, athletic swing that works with fluidity throughout and ran a 7.19 60. Geary stayed inside the baseball and drove balls to the big part of the diamond. Geary was consistently on the barrel with an 83.3 mph average exit velocity and registered a 63.6% line-drive percentage during BP."

Justin Garcia Hernandez 3B / OF / St. Patrick, IL / 2025

From 8/27/23: “...is an incoming junior who stands at a physical 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame with strength throughout. Garcia-Hernandez displayed big bat strength throughout his round of BP resulting in one of the louder, more impressive rounds of the day. The right-handed hitter pairs a high leg kick with an aggressive approach to generate well above-average bat speed and a relatively flat path that generates leverage and back spin carry to the pull-side. Garcia Hernandez was at the top of multiple categories including peak exit velocity (103 mph) and peak distance (379 ft.). He also had the second-highest average exit velocity at 92.6 mph. In our second look at him this summer, Garcia Hernandez has shown big power in the bat that warrants a follow moving forward.”

2026s

Hunter Baugh SS / RHP / Edwardsville , IL / 2026

From 9/26/23: “...more than held his own against an older crop of competition. Baugh, who is one of the state’s top-ranked sophomores, has all sorts of upside at the plate. He consistently works on the barrel from a short, rhythmic right-handed swing that effectively covers the hitting zone. Baugh’s quality of contact metrics aren’t there right now, but his natural barrel feel and pure feel to hit are, and his power tool should only trend up as he continues to mature physically. Aside from his talents at the plate, Baugh’s glove may be his biggest asset, with natural actions on the infield that should keep him there moving forward. He’s a smooth, savvy defender that’s comfortable and controlled on the move, working quickly and accurately to release from a loose, fluid arm stroke. Baugh has the skill-set to be an asset in multiple ways on the diamond and he looks every bit the part of a high-end prospect in the state’s 2026 group.”

Tyler Townsend RHP / OF / Sycamore, IL / 2026

From 10/15/23: “...had one of the more impressive showings at the event both at the plate and on the mound. There’s no shortage of physicality with Townsend, who holds plenty of inherent strength within a 6-foot-1, 180-pound professional look. Townsend displayed the highest bat speed at the event (85.5 mph) with bat strength to pair, posting an average exit velocity of 89.3 mph, with a top exit velocity of 99.1 mph, which was also an event high. It’s an easy, balanced, and powerful right-handed swing that showed natural lift with gap-to-gap feel throughout his round. Townsend hopped on the mound and showed real two-way ability in front of our staff. He sat in the mid-80’s with his fastball, touching 86.7 mph on his firmest bullet, which paced all of the arms in attendance. Townsend complemented his fastball with a high-spin (avg. 2513 rpm) curveball that landed in the zone 60% of the time, and he completed his three-pitch mix with a fading changeup that played down in the zone. Already a name-to-know prospect to our staff, Townsend heads into the winter with plenty of positive momentum behind him.” 

Brett Tucker SS / RHP / Lemont, IL / 2026

From 10/15/23: “Currently a top-40 prospect in the state’s sophomore group, SS/ RHP Brett Tucker (Lemont, 2026) is a long, athletic 6-foot, 167-pound two-way standout from the event. Offensively from the right side, Tucker showed the ability to backspin and lift balls to the pull-side during his round of bp with a max exit velocity of 88.7 mph and a max distance of 308 feet. Tucker also had a max bat speed of 79.9 mph (avg. 75.4 mph) which was good for the third best mark of the event, and his hand speed metrics both at peak (27.3 mph) and average (26 mph) were both event highs. He hopped on the mound later on, touching 82.1 mph with his fastball while landing 66-69 mph curveball for strikes throughout his ‘pen.”

James Feigleson SS / 2B / St. Charles East, IL / 2026

From 10/15/23: “There’s plenty of physical upside with INF James Feigleson (St. Charles East, 2026), who’s listed at a lean and highly projectable 6-foot-2, 160-pounds. Feigleson showed well on both sides of the ball, starting at the plate, where his athletic right-handed swing produced natural lifted contact to the pull-side with jump off the barrel. Feigleson’s feet play with rhythm on the infield, working around the baseball right at him and on the move. He’s confident in his glove with soft hands at gather that work quick and clean to release, and his arm played loose across the diamond, touching 84 mph.” 

Johnny Andretich OF / 1B / Plainfield North, IL / 2026

From 10/15/23: “...is an athletic left/left prospect that showed well at the plate in Sunday’s look. Andretich worked on the barrel to the middle of the field, keeping a level barrel through the zone with strong hands to pair. Andretich also ran a 7.12 60 with quick, athletic feet from the outfield.”

Adam Swanson C / RHP / Ottawa Township, IL / 2026

From 10/15/23: “...is a strong, athletic 5-foot-9, 183-pound backstop to monitor going forward. Swanson posted the second-highest vertical jump for the event at 33”, the second-fastest 60-yard dash for the event at 6.84 seconds, and also reached the third-highest run speed at peak (19.9 mph). Swanson had a strong showing with the bat as well, flashing above-average bat speed (avg. 75.9 mph) and the second quickest hands at the dish (avg. 24 mph), allowing for hard, lifted contact from the right side (93.3 mph max EV, avg. 85.3 mph). Swanson was quick and clean behind the dish with a max velocity of 80 mph from the crouch with a pop time range of 1.95-2.01.” 

Trey Webster C / 3B / Brother Rice, IL / 2026

From 10/15/23: “...really looked the part at the plate, coming away from this event as a follow right-handed hitter in the state’s sophomore group. A physical athlete with strength throughout his frame, Webster’s hands work direct to contact with a flat barrel through the zone that routinely backspun hard contact gap-to-gap. He stayed balanced throughout with little to no effort exerted, using the whole field with above-average feel to hit, and he flashed inherent strength (T89.7 mph) that should trend up as he continues to mature physically.”

Dylan Kasaab C / Hinsdale Central, IL / 2026

From 8/27/23: “...is coming off a strong summer and he showed no slowing down at the Chicagoland Open. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound, physical right-handed hitter swings with controlled intent and well above-average bat speed for his age; averaged 80.9 mph, T84.1 mph bat speed according to Blast. Kassab stayed on the barrel with authority for much of his round with a highly-impressive 93.7 mph average exit velocity, 100% hard hit percentage and also launched his furthest batted ball 350’. The 7.08 runner (led the event) also got behind the plate and was on the bag out of the crouch at 71 mph and a low pop time of 2.11. Right-handed bat to follow closely in the 2026 class.”  

Ian Kelly OF / Huntley, IL / 2026

From 10/15/23: “Kelly, a 2022 Junior Future Games participant, measures in at an athletic 5-foot-10, 153-pounds. The L/R outfielder displayed strong, athletic hands during his bp round (avg. 23.1 mph) that worked the ball pull-side with some strength (92.5 mph max EV).”

Gabe Sanders LHP / OF / Yorkville, IL / 2026

From 10/15/23: “...showed to be an athletic southpaw to follow coming out of the event. Sanders ran the fastest 60-yard dash for the event at 6.83 seconds, clocking a peak speed of 20.3 mph. On the bump, Sanders sat 77-78 mph with his fastball that had arm-side run to it (avg. 14.9” HM), while showing a changeup that flashed downer action at 64-65 mph, and landing a 2/8 shaped curveball for strikes at the bottom of the zone.”

2027s

Sebastian Wilson OF / RHP / Lane Tech, IL / 2027

From 10/15/23: “...looks every bit the part of a high-end name in the state’s current freshman group. Built with strength on a 6-foot, 190-pound frame, Wilson ran one of the day’s fastest 60 times (6.85), reaching a peak speed of 20.6 mph in the process, which is a well above-average mark for his age. He paced all outfielders in throwing velocity, uncorking a 90 mph high, and all four of his throws during his workout would have comfortably led the event’s outfield crop. Offensively, Wilson repeatedly found the barrel from a powerful left-handed swing, working gap-to-gap comfortably throughout his round. He paced all position players in average exit velocity (92.2 mph), finishing second in both peak exit velocity (97.1 mph) and max batted distance (348 ft.). Wilson’s strength translated to the mound, where he ran his fastball up to 86.5 mph, which was the second firmest bullet on the day. Headed into his first year of high school baseball, Wilson figures to be a high-end name to follow in the Illinois’ 2027 class.”

Tennessee commit

James Obaldo 2B / SS / Fenwick, IL / 2027

From 10/15/23: “...came away from this event as one of its’ biggest winners, showing out as one of the top freshman prospects in attendance. Obaldo showed plenty of moxy and rhythm at the plate, finding the barrel consistently from a fluid right-handed swing that worked to all fields. His biggest asset may be defensively, where Obaldo has natural up-the-middle actions with footwork feel and an innate confidence in his glovework.”

Luca Agne SS / 2B / Plainfield North, IL / 2027

From 10/15/23: “...was another current freshman that showed well at the event. Agne’s defense stood out with his natural ability up the middle, showing soft hands, active feet, and a rhythmic play style that produced clean actions throughout his defensive workout. A switch-hitter, Agne swung it more naturally from the left side demonstrating twitchy hands that worked short to the ball with some quickness (23.5 mph max hand speed).”

Zane Schneider 3B / 1B / Lemont, IL / 2027

From 10/15/23: “...is another loose-bodied athlete to follow from this event, listed at 6-foot-3, 175-pounds with long, upside levers. Schneider’s movement patterns at his size impressed on the infield, as he moved in control laterally and covered ground with long, easy strides. His glove played low to the ground and out front over his body, showing soft hands that funneled into a clean transfer to release. At the plate, Schneider worked uphill to contact with intent to elevate, favoring the pull-side during his round.” 

Isaiah Martin SS / OF / Lane Tech, IL / 2027

From 10/15/23: “A member of Team Illinois at the Junior Future Games, INF/OF Isaiah Martin (Lane Tech, 2027) continues to show above-average athleticism for age, running a 6.97 60 at this event, reaching a peak speed of 19.9 mph with a 29 inch vertical jump, too. Martin has twitchy hands at the plate with a long right-handed barrel through the zone that flashed gap-to-gap feel in BP.”

For a look at all of our upcoming winter showcases, click HERE.

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