Chase
Knebel

Knebel earned Third-Team All-State honors last spring as a two-way and he’ll be one to watch yet again this spring; hitting .340 with six doubles, 38 RBIs and 16 runs scored - also while firing 69 innings on the mound with a perfect 11-0 record, 63 strikeouts against seven walks and a 0.31 ERA.

Verbally committed to Southwestern Illinois JC.

Positional Profile: LHP/1B
Body: 6-0, 175-pounds.
Delivery: Starts offset on the mound, simple, uptempo drop/drive delivery. Moves easy out of balance point, landing in-line with the plate.
Arm Action: LH. Long, loose arm action, low 3/4 arm slot with some deception.
FB: T83, 81-83 mph. T1962, 1919 average rpm.
CB: 61-63 mph. Short wrinkle that flashes bite, 1/7 shape, has advanced feel for the zone with the pitch. T1781, 1723 average rpm.
CH: 70-70 mph. T1843, 1787 average rpm.

1B/LHP Chase Knebel (Highland, 2025) was another two-way to show well at Saturday’s event. Knebel was on the barrel throughout his bp round from the left side of the dish, working with some of the quicker hands at the event (avg 23.2 mph), while posting a max EV of 89 mph. On the bump, Knebel showed some pitchability within his three-pitch mix. His fastball sat 81-82 mph (T83) with arm-side action (avg -16.9” HM), while his curveball had advanced feel for the zone (75%) at 61-62 mph, and he threw his arm-side fading changeup for strikes 67% of the time at 69-70 mph.

6-foot, 175-pounds. Was a winner from this past weekend despite not having much results to show for. Hitterish feel at the plate, short compact swing with barrel accuracy to pair with minimal swing-and-miss.

The sophomore threw a complete game against conference foe, Waterloo. Knebel struck out nine, walked none, allowed one earned run and six hits in their 4-3 victory. 

Athletic 5-foot-10, 160-pound with proportional strength presently. Hurled a complete game effort for the Bulldogs in a conference win, striking out nine and surrendering only an earned run, while walking none. Simple drop/drive delivery, works across body and repeated consistently. Short arm stroke, high ¾ slot. Natural arm-side run on his fastball, 77-80 mph, pounded the strike zone and challenged. Threw a fading changeup to both handed hitters consistently at 67-69 mph, grabbed whiffs and kept his opposition off balance.