Stevenson rolls into the top spot on a winning streak, and Libertyville’s Joshua Holst is the player of the week.
TOP 10
With records through Wednesday and previous rankings in parentheses.
1. Stevenson 21-8 (3)
Brandon Schultz and the well-tested Patriots have won nine in a row, with a key North Suburban Conference series against Libertyville and tough nonconference games to come.
2. Libertyville 20-7-1 (1)
Chase Lockwood throws a five-inning no-hitter with seven strikeouts and no walks in the Wildcats’ NSC win against Zion-Benton on Tuesday.
3. Mundelein 17-6 (2)
Caden Earing leads the charge in the Mustangs’ come-from-behind NSC win against Lake Zurich on Wednesday, going 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
4. Wauconda 18-8 (6)
Zac Johnson drills a two-run, go-ahead homer in the Northern Lake County Conference leader’s win against Antioch on Wednesday.
5. Grayslake Central 18-8 (4)
Jordon Dumas lowers his ERA to 1.20 in the Rams’ win against Richmond-Burton on Monday after Jacob Redker throw five scoreless innings and earns a save in NLCC wins against Lakes.
6. Lakes 16-7 (5)
The Eagles start their NLCC series against Grayslake North with a walk-off win on Wednesday.
7. Highland Park 17-9 (7)
Charlie Cohen goes 2-for-3 with three RBIs, almost all Illinois recruit Luke Weber needs, in the Giants’ Central Suburban North win against Niles West on Wednesday.
8. Grayslake North 16-10 (9)
The Knights had won 10 of 11 before the loss on Wednesday, when Tyler Morgan allowed just two earned runs.
9. Grant 15-9 (10)
Braden Otahal follows up his shutout against Antioch last week with another strong outing against Round Lake in NLCC action Wednesday.
10. Lake Zurich 12-11 (8)
It’s hard to find a more potent tandem than Ryan Kondrad and Owen Strahl, who have combined for 13 home runs, 52 RBIs and 34 runs scored.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior pitcher Joshua Holst, an Air Force commit who threw a one-hitter and struck out 17 during Libertyville’s 2-0 North Suburban Conference win against Zion-Benton on Monday, is also 7-for-13 with two doubles, two triples, a home run, eight RBIs and five runs scored in his past five games.
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.