Recruiting Roundup: Week of 11/6

Deegan Aeilts OF / C / Normal University, IL / 2025

KANKAKEE CC COMMIT

"OF Deegan Aeilts (Normal University, 2025) had one of the most impressive all-around performances at Tuesday’s Peoria Summer ID. Aeilts began the event, running the second fastest 60 time (6.93), a significant improvement since the last event he attended. He followed with a strong round of batting practice, showing a short and simple swing from the left-side of the plate. Defensively, Aeilts attacked the ball in-stride and showed a long, loose arm with quickness out front, recording the highest outfield velocity at the event (85 mph)." 

Conner Aumend OF / Edwardsville, IL / 2025

LEWIS & CLARK CC COMMIT

Darren Barnes 2B / SS / Batavia, IL / 2025

UPPER IOWA COMMIT

Positional Profile: 2B/SS
Body: 6-2, 180-pounds. Trim, loose-levered.
Hit: RHH. Tall, narrow setup, slightly open stance, small leg lift into long stride. Quick from launch, bat-speed with an uphill path and intent to lift. 65.5 mph bat speed with 15 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 90 max exit velocity, averaged 82.3 mph. 302’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 80 mph. Shorter arm path, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Clean footwork, steady hands, fields ball to body, moves well to both sides.
Run: 7.26 runner in the 60.

Anthony Batshon C / 1B / Lockport, IL / 2025

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN COMMIT

Dominic Battista OF / SS / Oswego East, IL / 2026

ILLINOIS-CHICAGO COMMIT

"OF Dominic Battista (Oswego East) continues to solidify himself as one of the state’s top prospects. An athletic build with more to come, Battista stands in a 5-foot-11, 168-pound frame. Ranked No. 27 in the state’s 2026 class, he began the event running a 6.75 60 time, a significant improvement since his last event. He had an impressive round of batting practice, showcasing a quiet approach with fluid pre-pitch movement, staying direct to the ball with a slightly uphill bat path. He recorded a max exit velocity of 97.6 mph (avg. 87.5 mph), while sending his farthest hit ball 381 feet. A strong defender in the outfield, Battista also displayed a strong arm on throws to home (T90 mph). He finished gameplay 4-for-7 with a home run, triple, two RBIs, three runs scored and two stolen bases. A high-level uncommitted prospect in the state’s incoming-junior class." 

Justin Canvin C / SS / Oak Lawn, IL / 2026

ILLINOIS-CHICAGO COMMIT

Positional Profile: C/SS
Body: 5-7, 159-pounds. Well-proportioned.
Hit: RHH. Wide, balanced setup, open front foot, works back to even with a short and simple stride, looks to stay short to the ball. Flat, direct bat path. Line drive approach. 65.5 mph bat speed with 15 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 91 max exit velocity, averaged 82.4 mph. 235’ max distance.
Arm: RH. C - 75 mph. Short, quick arm action, 3/4 release. Throws flash carry.
Defense: 2.04-2.10 pop times. Flexible one-knee setup, works up through the baseball, agile in the crouch. Quick transfers, feet work inline with the bag.
Run: 7.17 runner in the 60.

Angel Castro C / 1B / De La Salle, IL / 2025

TRITON JC COMMIT

"Angel Castro (De La Salle) was another catcher that stood out at the event. Castro stands in the box with a calm and confident approach. The 5-foot-8, 233-pound, right-handed hitter let the ball travel, stays balanced and easy and uses his heavy barrel to drive balls right back up the middle with authority. Castro averaged 89 mph off the bat, T96.9 with a max distance of 306 feet."

Jimmy Downs 3B / 1B / Kenwood Academy, IL / 2025

LAKE LAND JC COMMIT

"INF Jimmy Downs (Kenwood; Northern Illinois commit) continues to swing a heavy barrel from the right-side. Currently ranked No. 55 in the state, the right-handed hitter has some rhythm in his hands before firing through the zone with a slightly downhill path; producing loud results with a max EV of 100.8 mph and max distance of 341’. Proven in-game success in front of our staff."

Caden Earing RHP / SS / Mundelein, IL / 2025

ST. LOUIS COMMIT

Positional Profile: RHP/SS
Body: 5-11, 175-pounds. Lean build with strength.
Delivery: Repeatable delivery, controlled into a medium leg lift, tall/fall down the mound, works in-line.
Arm Action: RH. High 3/4 slot, loose easy arm.
FB: T87, 87-87 mph. Slight sink to fastball. T2197, 2091 average rpm.
SL: 76-77 mph. Above average action, 10/4 shape, has feel. T2492, 2399 average rpm.
CH: 80-82 mph. Deceptive arm action, gets sink action. Above average feel. T1586, 1543 average rpm.

Drew Eger LHP / Wheaton Warrenville South, IL / 2025

PARKLAND JC COMMIT 

Jaden Fauske C / 3B / Nazareth Academy , IL / 2025

LOUISIANA STATE COMMIT

"Fauske appears for a second consecutive year on our First Team All-State list after yet another impressive junior season. Currently hitting at a pace to break Nazareth’s school batting average record, he tallied 59 hits in 108 plate appearances, slashing a remarkable .546/.612/.824, including 38 singles, 15 doubles, 3 triples, and 3 home runs. Showing impressive plate discipline and a keen eye for the strike zone, he racked up 23 walks over only 9 strikeouts. Though he DH’d most of the season, Fauske played a major role en route to Nazareth’s undefeated regular season and final 37-1 record. Fauske is currently ranked No. 20 overall nationally and No. 2 in the Illinois 2025 class. Look for him to be one of the top high school draft prospects in the Midwest next spring."

Tristan Lakis RHP / Benet Academy, IL / 2025

WEBSTER UNIVERSITY COMMIT

"Uncommitted. 6-foot-1, 200-pounds. Threw well in relief for Benet, striking out three over 2 ⅓ scoreless innings of work, allowing only a hit. Tempo’d tall/fall type delivery, noticeable hip/shoulder separation at front footstrike, glove arm tucks. Throws with effort and intent. Long arm action, high ¾ finish. Relied mostly on his fastball, attacked hitters often. Touched 86, pitched at 82-85 mph, played straight."

Carter Lennington C / 1B / Minooka , IL / 2025

LINCOLN LAND JC COMMIT

"Uncommitted and currently ranked No. 166 in the state. Lennington was all over the barrel throughout the tournament, hitting a pair of homers in the first two games for Top Tier, and then adding onto it with a double on Saturday afternoon. Presents a 6-foot, 190-pound frame with apparent strength in the lower-half that he utilizes for power. Defensively, he presents a large target behind the plate and has flexibility in the hips, allowing him to get to pitches on both sides of the plate. Lennington also showed a visibly strong arm that played true and accurate."

Noah Martinez LHP / OF / Minooka, IL / 2025

UPPER IOWA COMMIT

"LHP Noah Martinez (Minooka, 2025) is a 5-foot-10, 140-pound, left-handed pitcher who moved fluidly down the mound throughout his bullpen. The arm works loose out of a ¾ to high ¾ slot, he topped at 81.7 (T82.5 in the past) with sink. His splitter showed as his potential best secondary offering playing around 70 mph, landing in the zone 67% of the time with action to the pitch and swing and miss potential." 

Matt Murphy RHP / OF / Mount Carmel, IL / 2025

LAKE LAND JC COMMIT

"Uncommitted. Got the start for Top Tier Nationals and tossed three scoreless innings. The athletic 6-foot-1, 185-pound righty featured a fastball/slider mix. He got ahead early in counts with his fastball that sat 83-85 mph (T86). He would then go to a 69-70 mph slider (2250+ rpm) to miss barrels and keep opposing hitters off his fastball. He turned in a final line of: 3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K." 

Karlos Otero SS / 2B / Romeoville, IL / 2025

LEWIS COMMIT

"INF Karlos Otero (Romeoville; Northern Illinois commit) continues to look the part as a high-end infield prospect in the state. He has fluid actions and footwork that allows him to cover ground easily to both sides of his glove, clean transfer with a smooth glove-to-hand, arm plays on the move and reached up to 86 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has a simple, athletic swing, looking to stay direct and on top of the baseball with a balanced finish; reaching up to 91.3 mph for his max EV. Quality athlete, recording a 6.79 in the 60 with a peak run speed of 20.6 mph, also recorded a 30” vertical jump."

Collin Roche C / 1B / Nazareth Academy, IL / 2025

HARPER JC COMMIT

"C Collin Roche (Nazareth) is another catcher to keep close tabs on from the event. A varsity starter since his sophomore season, Roche stands out behind the plate with clean, easy actions and a big arm that topped at 82 mph. His arm plays easy, accurate and with all kinds of carry to second base. Solid overall day; though the arm played really well from behind home. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound catcher showed easy bat strength in his right-handed swing launching his furthest batted ball 354 feet which easily led the event. Roche also recorded the third best average bat speed on the day at 69.9 mph."

Jonathon Rossi 3B / RHP / Benet Academy, IL / 2025

WEBSTER UNIVERSITY COMMIT

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
Body: 6-2, 200-pounds. Evenly proportioned frame, some present strength.
Hit: RHH. Starts on front toe, toe-taps into a medium stride, gains momentum towards the mound. Flat path, some quickness through the zone, looks to keep the ball on a line. 73 mph bat speed with 12 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 92 max exit velocity, averaged 86.2 mph. 321’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 77 mph. Short arm path, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Patient, two-hand gather out front, secures the ball into the glove.
Run: 7.79 runner in the 60. 

Owen Shissler LHP / OF / Dunlap, IL / 2025

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN COMMIT

"LHP Owen Shissler (Dunlap, 2025) showed feel for all three of his offerings in his ‘pen. He showed to be a clean mover at 5-foot-11, 185-pounds with each pitch coming out of the hand cleanly. He worked his fastball up to 83 mph, while mixing in a short curveball at 67-69 mph, and rounding things out with a 74-77 mph changeup that had arm-side fade and sink."

Enrique Villanueva C / RHP / St. Laurence, IL / 2025

SOUTH SUBURBAN JC COMMIT

Positional Profile: C/RHP
Body: 5-9, 204.2-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Open, wide setup, works back to center, leg-lift trigger. Level path, uses the whole field, hard contact pull-side. 68 mph bat speed with 11 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 93 max exit velocity, averaged 89.1 mph. 262’ max distance.
Arm: RH. C - 81 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: 1.88-2.01 pop times. Squatted stance, efficient jab step footwork, gains ground, quick transfer.
Run: 7.64 runner in the 60.