The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 11, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next two weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2024 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball 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 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: St. Laurence Vikings
Preseason Rank: No. 7
Head Coach: Pete Lotus
Classification: 3A
Conference: Chicago Catholic League - Blue
2023 Record (Finish): 30-9 (Won Regional and lost in Sectional Championship)
Key Players Lost: Luke Stulga (Illinois State), DJ Helwig (Notre Dame), Johnny Wendling (Illinois-Springfield), Jesse Contreras (Heartland), Michael Carrano (Parkland)

 

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ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Positional Starters: Five
No. of Returning Pitchers: Five
Team Strengths: Experience and depth on the mound with three returning starting pitchers. Return four players from the lineup that made significant contributions both offensively and defensively last year. Big game experience paired with some juniors and sophomores that have been extremely successful at the lower levels.

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X-FACTOR

After losing a handful of their run-producing bats from a season ago, INF Jameson Martin (2024; Minnesota commit) will be relied upon this coming spring to help glue together the offense. A recent winner from our ProCase, Martin boasts a polished right-handed swing that recorded a .385 batting average last season in 117 at-bats, also recording 10 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 36 RBIs and 48 runs scored. He'll help provide some defensive stability on the infield, as he's a smooth, confident defender that can pick it on the dirt. 

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NEWCOMER TO WATCH

OF Cory Les (2026) may not quite be considered a "newcomer" due to this brief time on varsity last season, but he will have a much larger role this time around with a projected starting role. Currently ranked No. 47 in the state, Les has a quiet, repeatable swing with strong hands and a direct path to the ball, creating exit velocities in the mid-90s in front of our staff. He has a chance to be a real impact bat for the Vikings this spring, and he will also help provide strong defense in the outfield.

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The Vikings will be a well-rounded club with a number of new faces, as well as key returning players, and there's plenty of depth to go around on both sides of the ball.

They're going to have a strong and deep starting rotation, led by three returning arms in LHP Joe Olson (2025; Louisville commit), RHP Kannen Mosher (2024) and RHP Declan Musil (2024). 

Olson looks to be the likely ace of the staff in '24, and he's exactly what an ace should look like. Currently ranked No. 21 in the state, he's got a power fastball that can get up to 88 mph from the left-side, setting up both a sharp curveball and a fading changeup - not to mention he has a tough mentality every time he steps on the mound. He'll be returning 39.2 innings to go along with a 1.59 ERA, a 6-2 record, 53 strikeouts and just 17 walks. 

Mosher is a senior right-hander who brings back quite a few valuable innings. Last season, Mosher tossed 25.2 innings to the tune of a 3.55 ERA, striking out 27 hitters along the way with 12 walks - while Musil returns 19.2 innings for the Vikings with a 3-1 record, 19 strikeouts and a 2.14 ERA. 

A young new face that will look to make an immediate impact on the mound for the Vikings will be RHP John Strzechowski (2026). Currently ranked No. 51 in the state, the right-hander has impressed our staff with a fastball up to 86 mph, playing with some carry and run while setting up a low-70s curveball and upper-70s changeup. 

Enrique Villanueva and Jozef Torres are two junior RHPs that will help add depth to the rotation, while the aforementioned Martin will also likely see a bulk of innings. 

Senior right-handers Andrew D'Amico, Jimmy Sloan, Michael Bielski and Ryan Seddon will help lock down the later innings of games - and they'll also be joined by LHP Connor Marino (2025), RHP Daniel Coyle (2026) and the aforementioned Les. 

Alongside Martin on the offensive side, INF Daniel Coyle (2026) returns some offensive success from a year ago. Currently ranked No. 17 in the state, Coyle recorded a .344 average during his freshman campaign in 96 at-bats, also collecting nine doubles along the way. The right-handed hitter is a confident presence in the box, and he has clear feel to hit that can work to the whole field. 

INF Ben Geary and 1B Connor Marino are two juniors who will help round out the infield for the Vikings, and they are two upside bats who have shown well in front of our staff in the past. 

Handling the pitching staff behind the plate will likely be C Matthew Carrano (2024; Parkland commit). Listed at 6-foot-1, 215-pounds, Carrano will be a physical presence in the lineup that will help supply some firepower. He's also a quality defender behind the plate, possessing a clean glove-to-hand operation that will help limit the run game. 

The aforementioned Cory Les will likely be joined by his brother Evan Les (2024; Illinois Wesleyan commit) in the outfield, and the left-handed hitter will supply depth to the lineup to pair with quality defense. 

Two more that will help out in the outfield will likely be Jon Medina (2025) and Ryan Seddon (2024; Evansville commit).

Seddon, Currently ranked No. 242 in the state, Seddon has displayed athleticism in the outfield with efficient routes and a quick first step. At the plate, the left-handed hitter has some rhythm in his operation with a whippy barrel, showing the ability to take the ball to the whole field. He too, returns some success at the plate from 2023, bringing back a .311 average in 74 at-bats with six doubles, two triples, one home run, 16 RBIs and 28 runs scored. 

Bottom Line

The Vikings may have lost a bit of production from a season ago on the offensive side, but with their key returners paired with some exciting new faces, their offense is still very much a dangerous one. The top end of their rotation will be led by three veteran arms in Olson, Mosher and Musil - and there's plenty of depth to back them up both in the rotation and who they'll trot out from the 'pen. Overall, its a well-rounded club that will be battle-tested come playoff time thanks to their tough schedule throughout the year. 

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Find more information on the 2024 St. Laurence program below:

+ Follow them on X: @stlbaseball1
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 homepage

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