2026 Rankings Update: Risers
April 17, 2025
Last week we made a much needed update to the Illinois 2026 Rankings after a long winter of preseason events and some early spring looks. With this update, there were plenty of notable changes with prospects rising in the rankings or entering for the first time.
With that, our staff wanted to take a look at some of the notable risers within the Top-100 of this recent update.
Click HERE to see the full 2026 Rankings, or click HERE to see the overall Prep Baseball 2026 Rankings.
RISERS
 |
Jack Slightom RHP / C / Lyons Township, IL / 2026Rankings StateRank: 9 / POS: 2
From 3/6/25: RHP Jack Slightom (Lyons Township, 2026) has continued to show to be a must-know name in the state’s junior class. He possesses an imposing and durable frame at 6-foot-3, 193-pounds. Slightom is a clean and controlled mover down the mound with a loose/clean arm action. His fastball has made a jump since we last saw him at the State Games, now sitting 90-91 mph (T92) with the pitch. His cutter played off his fastball well at 81-84 mph with an average of 4.7” of cut with some spin-feel (avg. 2293 rpm). He would then go to an 80-81 mph changeup that played with heavy fading action (avg. 17.6” HM). Slightom rounded out his arsenal with a 74-75 mph curveball with late vertical action. Slightom will be a name to continue to follow throughout the upcoming spring. |