2025 Prep Baseball Illinois First Team All-State

Louisville commit Brandon Shannon has been dominant for McHenry this season. One of the top pitching prospects in the state, Shannon helped lead the Warriors to the 4A State Championship, capping off his impressive career with a win in the State Semifinals. The McHenry ace finished the season with an impressive 12-0 record on the mound, which included 111 strikeouts, 32 walks, eight earned runs, good for a 0.82 ERA, also recording a 0.951 WHIP on the season. Shannon’s fastball has been up to 96 mph this spring, also showing a mid-80s splitter, 79-82 mph slider, and a curveball that worked in the upper-70s. To add, Shannon broke the McHenry career wins record this season, which was previously held by Bobby Miller (Los Angeles Dodgers), Zach Badgley and Mark Badgley. 

Air Force commit Josh Holst had a dominant 2025 on both sides of the ball for the 4A State Champion Libertyville Wildcats. Not only was Holst the ace of the pitching staff in 2025, he was also a mainstay at the three-spot in the Libertyville lineup. Holst capped off his stellar 2025 campaign by getting the ball to start in the State Championship game and continued to lead on both sides of the ball, earning the win on the mound by tossing a complete game while also driving in three of Libertyville’s four runs scored in the contest. Holst finished the year by posting a 1.34 ERA over 73.1 IP, striking out 118 batters to just 25 walks over that span and also tallying a perfect 13-0 record along the way. Offensively, the left-handed hitter posted a .361 batting average, .432 on-base percentage, and drove in 43 runs while leaving the yard five times this past spring.

The Joliet Catholic product and Purdue commit earned the ESCC Pitcher of the Year after a dominant season. Grant’s strikeout-to-walk ratio was arguably one of the best in the state, striking out 116 while only walking 13. He tossed 66 ⅔ innings on the year, allowing 10 runs and 29 hits with a 1.05 ERA and a 0.63 WHIP. He’s long been one of the state’s top arms, and our staff was out to see him this spring where we saw him work his fastball up to 91 mph. He mixed in a slider in the low-80s with a bullet shape, and a change-up that keeps hitters off-balanced at 81-82 mph with fade.

The future Arizona State Sun Devil is another arm on this First-Team list who put up big numbers on both sides of the ball. Known for his pitching prowess, Musso allowed just eight runs (all earned) throughout the course of the season in 63.2 IP, good for a 0.88 ERA, while punching out 102 batters and only walking 19, tallying a 0.74 WHIP. Offensively he was equally impressive, putting up a .379/.554/.885 triple-slash, while tallying nine bombs, driving in 34, scoring 44 times, and walking (34) twice as much as he struck out (17). Musso routinely elevated his performances in the biggest games and he thrives for the moment. Made a legitimate case for Player Of The Year. 

Conor Essenburg earns First Team All-State honors after one of the more impressive seasons across the state. The Kentucky commit slashed .464/.591/.909 good for a 1.500 OPS, while hitting four triples, 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 49 RBI, 42 runs scored, 36 walks and eight stolen bases. He was also a force on the mound, going 5-0 in 44.2 innings pitched, striking out 94, walking 23, allowing six runs on the year (0.94 ERA), while also tallying a 0.92 WHIP. Essenburg broke the record numerous records at Lincoln-Way West – season home runs (10), career home runs (21), season RBI (49), career RBI (118), season runs scored (42), stolen bases in a career (35), most pitching wins in a season (10), career pitching wins (20), season strikeouts (102), career strikeouts (294).

Illinois State commit Brayden Zilis had an impressive season for Minooka, breaking the school’s single season home run record (12), also earning Southwest Prairie Conference MVP and Pitcher of the Year. At the plate, Zilis hit .378 with a .479 OBP, also slugging .788. He hit two triples on the year, nine doubles, 32 RBI, 44 runs scored, 26 walks, and a .970 fielding percentage. He was also a force on the mound, tossing 56.1 innings with a 9-1 record, with 92 strikeouts, 15 walks, 14 earned runs, a 1.74 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. It was an impressive all-around season for Zilis, earning himself back-to-back Prep Baseball Illinois First Team All-State honors.

Alabama commit Joe Chiarodo was stellar on both sides of the ball for the Edwardsville Tigers as he has been since an underclassmen. This year Chiarodo broke out as a position player that can do it all in center field. Chiarodo has a plus arm from the position and covers ground at an above-average clip as well. Offensively, Chiarodo batted .496, got on-base at a .558 clip, and posted a 1.372 OPS. He collected 56 hits, nine doubles, three triples, seven homers, 39 RBI, 35 runs scores, and was a perfect 14-for-14 on stolen base attempts. On the mound, he posted a 2.16 ERA over 48.2 IP, striking out 62, walking only nine batters, and scattering 35 hits while pitching against one of the harder schedules in the state. 

Blue had a strong season both at the plate and on the mound for O’Fallon, playing some of the best competition in the state throughout the year. Arguably his best outing of the year came in the playoffs where he took down Edwardsville striking out 13 and allowing one run in 6.2 innings pitched. The Cincinnati commit tossed 57.2 innings on the mound in total and tallied a 4-2 record. He struck out 105 batters, walked 21, allowed 18 runs, and tallied a 2.18 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. At the plate, he slashed .434/.533/.735, good for a 1.268 OP, while barrelling seven home runs, 11 doubles, 51 RBI, 30 runs scored, 16 walks and only eight strikeouts. He alo delivered numerous game-winning extra-base hits, including a grandlam to beat Morris, a three-run home run to beat Freeburg, a grand slam to beat Highland, a two-run double to beat Breese Central and a walkout RBI double to beat Edwardsville. Blue's two-way abilites was a huge factor in O'Fallon's 26-11 season.

The future Minnesota Golden Gopher exits Provi as one of the better players to wear the uniform, being a four-year varsity letterman, and leaving the program toward the top of various career leaderboards. O'Donnell repeats as a First Team All-State selection after earning the honors in 2024. His two-way abilities in 2025 helped Providence Catholic make a serious run at state. O’Donnell batted .439 with a .597 on-base percentage, while posting a 1.485 OPS. He hit 13 doubles, four triples, and nine home runs in 2025, while driving in 41, scoring 47 times, and stealing 15 bags. He also walked (31) more than he struck out (18), and put up a .919 fielding percentage. On the mound, he put together a 2.58 ERA over 46 innings, while pitching in one of the tougher conferences in the state (CCL Blue). O’Donnell would go on to strike out 61 batters and walk just nine over the course of the spring.

Bernreuter's spring campaign will be one to remember and he arguably did more for his future prospect status than anyone else in the class. The John A. Logan JC commit put up historic numbers and was instrumental in Triad's run to state. Bernreuter had 63 hits on the year, just one shy of the school record. On the season, Bernreuter hit .453 with a .518 OBP, .820 slugging, and 1.338 OPS, while swatting five home runs with nine triples, 18 doubles, 53 RBI, 53 runs scored and 16 walks. Not only was Bernreuter a force at the plate, but he also played an integral role on the mound. He tossed 37.2 innings, tallied a 4-1 record, struck out 72, walked 26 and allowed six runs (1.12 ERA). He also earned Co-Conference Player of the Year with Austin Musso, and Bernreuter helped lead Triad to a third place finish in the 3A State Finals.