Waubonsie Valley lands top spot, but don’t sleep on Hampshire or St. Charles East or Oswego.
Top 10 Teams
1. Waubonsie Valley (25-10)
Senior shortstop Owen Roberts (Indiana State) is one of the top two-way threats in the state. He hit .452 last season while also going 10-0 with a 1.10 ERA. Senior left-hander Seth Gilliland and top sophomore prospect Cole Ruggeri (Missouri) join Roberts in the rotation.
2. Hampshire (24-11)
Led by staff ace Calen Scheider (Bradley), Ari Fivelson (Bradley) and Anthony Karbowski (Louisville), the Whip-Purs look to be formidable. Scheider, a right-hander, and Karbowski, a lefty, each posted sub-2.00 ERAs last season and form an elite top of the rotation.
3. St. Charles East (14-14)
Coming off winning summer state championship, Saints are ascending. Two-way standout Joey Arend (Xavier) returns to patrol center field and be the ace of the pitching staff. Nathan Beers and Matt Steinberg (Manhattan) help form top three on the mound.
4. Oswego (19-13)
Panthers are led by one of the top juniors in the state in shortstop Kamrin Jenkins, a Missouri recruit. Easton Ruby and Gabriel Herrera are among the other top returnees for the Panthers, who bring back a ton of experience.
5. St. Charles North (28-5-1)
North Stars return only four players from team that won regional title, including three-star football recruit Keaton Reinke, who will play center field and lead pitching staff. Senior catcher Ty Heimbuch also is back, as is highly-touted sophomore pitcher Matt Ritchie and junior shortstop Mason Netcel.
6. Jacobs (22-13)
Shortstop Andrew Deegan (Belmont) is one of the top junior prospects in the state. He’ll anchor the offense, but the strength of the Golden Eagles will be on the mound. Eight pitchers with varsity innings return, led by Braden Behrens (Benedictine).
7. Oswego East (14-21)
The Wolves are young, but return some of the best young talent in the area. Shortstop Jacsen Tucker, one of the state’s top sophomores,cleads the way. Junior outfielders Dominic Battista (Illininois-Chicagp) and Niko Villacci also gained valuable experience last spring.
8. Burlington Central (25-10)
Rockets have to replace a ton of production but have several players poised to play in college. Gavin Bramer (East Connecticut State), Jake Johnson (Missouri Southern State), Zane Pollack (Chatham) and Chase Powrozek (Wisconsin-Parkside) lead the way.
9. Marmion (16-14)
Playing in one of the best conferences in the state, the Cadets will be battle-tested for the postseason. Led by standout senior catcher Ethan Flores, Marmion has nine key returnees, making them one of the most experienced teams in the area.
10. Harvest Christian (18-10)
Seniors Obed Lopez (Lake Land) and Ben Mitchell (Lake Land) return to lead the Lions, who lost last season in the sectional championship game. They will look to boost the rotation in the wake of a season-ending arm injury to Cade Adrian.
The 25 Players to Watch
- Joey Arend, St. Charles East, senior, outfielder/pitcher.
- Mason Atkins, West Aurora, junior, outfielder.
- Dominic Battista, Oswego East, junior, outfielder.
- Josh Colaizzi, Bartlett, junior, outfielder/pitcher.
- Brodie Curry, Aurora Central Catholic, junior, first baseman/pitcher.
- Andrew Deegan, Jacobs, junior, shortstop.
- Joe DuSell, St. Edward, senior, outfielder.
- Ari Fivelson, Hampshire, senior, outfielder.
- Ethan Flores, Marmion, senior, catcher.
- Nolan Hooper, Yorkville Christian, senior, pitcher.
- Kamrin Jenkins, Oswego, junior, shortstop.
- Jake Johnson, Burlington Central, senior, catcher.
- Anthony Karbowski, Hampshire, senior, pitcher/first baseman.
- Martin Ledbetter, Hinckley-Big Rock, senior, pitcher/catcher.
- Ben Mitchell, Harvest Christian, senior, catcher/pitcher.
- Austin Paskewic, Streamwood, senior, catcher/pitcher.
- Brandon Pelz, Bartlett, junior, pitcher/infielder.
- Jason Phillips, Plano, junior, pitcher/infielder.
- Keaton Reinke, St. Charles North, junior, outfielder/pitcher.
- Owen Roberts, Waubonsie Valley, senior, shortstop/pitcher.
- Gavin Rosengren, Batavia, senior, pitcher.
- Caleb Scheider, Hampshire, senior, pitcher/catcher.
- Connar Temple, Batavia, senior, pitcher.
- Jacsen Tucker, Oswego East, sophomore, shortstop.
- Jailen Veliz, Yorkville, junior, shortstop.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
