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Aurora Preseason ID: Quick Hits

January 22, 2026
Illinois Scouting Staff

On Monday, January 19th, the Prep Baseball Illinois staff hosted the Aurora Preseason ID at the Sports Zone in Aurora, IL. This event marked the beginning of our long winter calendar and was a great way to kick things off, as over 50 players from around the state made the trip to showcase the gains they had made in the off-season. 

Today, we are taking a look at some of the players that stood out to our scouting staff, with reports and comments on their showings, below.

Position Players 

+ C Maddux Carson (Geneva, 2029) stood out as a freshman to follow closely in the coming years. The right-handed hitter stood out early in the day with an athletic swing and controlled aggression, working hard on the barrel pull-side with movement patterns to dream on. Carson was a standout defensively as well behind the dish. Posting advanced pop times for his age (1.95-2.09), with a clean and quick release, paired with directional footwork that works in-line toward his target. Receiving-wise, he works up through the baseball from a one-knee setup, showing soft hands. A sure-fire name to continue to monitor in the state’s 2029 class moving forward. 

+ C Waylon Marko (Hononegah, 2028) is another young backstop who showed well on the day. Having added noticeable strength to his 6-foot, 188-pound frame, Marko continues to raise his stock each time we see him. He took one of the loudest rounds of the day with exit velocities peaking around 101 mph, averaging 95 mph while also nearing 400’ for his max distance. He showed a mature ability to use the whole field, letting the ball travel and naturally lifting the ball to the biggest parts of the field. Marko made notable strides behind the plate as well. In nearly a year’s time, he has increased his velocity from the crouch by six mph (now 80 mph), as well as refined his pop time range (now 2.02-2.13). His arm works downhill out of the crouch, paired with some intent and carry to his throws. Marko presents a large target for his pitcher when receiving, operating from a relaxed one-knee stance, and working to present pitches.

+ C Isaiah Roundtree (Champaign Central, 2029) will be yet another catcher to follow in the coming years. The right-handed hitter opened some eyes right out of the gate with his bat speed, averaging the fourth highest with 74.2 mph despite being one of the youngest players there. The swing is athletic and twitchy, showing some pull-side intent with feel to work on the barrel with elevated contact. He also put together a mature showing during his defensive workout. His movements and how he carried himself behind the dish looked the part of a prospect who will be a high-follow moving forward. He showed a quick release (T2.15 pop time) paired with quality footwork that should allow him to control the running game as he continues to mature physically. When receiving, he works up through the baseball and works to present each pitch. 

+ INF Evan Jenks (Minooka, 2027) took one of the more impressive rounds of BP on the day, showcasing natural lift and easy power from his long-levered 6-foot-2, 176-pound frame. He syncs up well and uses his levers to his advantage, helping to create natural lift with loud results, leading the event with a 103 mph peak EV and max distance of 393’ - averaging just under 340’ throughout his round. Jenks tied for the strongest arm for infielders at the event (83 mph), while showing the ability to play through the ball with rangy movements up the middle.

+ C Oscar Alexander Jr. (West Aurora, 2027) rounds out our talented catching crop from the event, and he’s a projectable athlete with his best days still ahead. He took an eye-opening round of BP, showing an aggressive and intentful swing with a pull-side approach, showing clear bat-speed and strength that, when synced up, has a real chance to do damage, peaking at 102 mph for his EV with an average of 94 mph and max distance of 380’. Tying for the lowest pop time for the event (1.94), paired with the third-strongest arm from the crouch (77 mph), Alexander Jr. put together an all-around impressive showing defensively. He plays intently out of the crouch with directional footwork and an arm that works downhill and accurately. He also showed comfortable receiving actions while working to present pitches.

+ OF Nate Kaminski (Lincoln-Way East, 2027) continues to look the part as a projectable left-handed hitter in the state. He turned in one of the best 60-times of the day with a 7.11, but he’s been down to a 6.98 in the past. His round of BP was full of line drives, showing a simple and flat swing that stays balanced and uses the middle of the field (T94 mph EV). Defensively, he also showed well, playing with comfortable actions in the outfield while leading the event in outfield velocity at 87 mph. 

+ INF Jameson Hanlon (Newman Central Catholic, 2028) should be a name to monitor moving forward. The frame is projectable and athletic, standing at 5-foot-11, 160-pounds with wide shoulders and a narrow waist, looking to have more room to add strength in the coming years. The swing is controlled and simple, showing a balanced forward move while staying short and compact to the ball, working mostly pull-side with some natural lift (T350’).

+ OF Quinn Champion (Lyons Township, 2028) showed some quality all-around tools on the day. He was one of the best runners with a 7.09 in the 60, a number that should only continue to get better in the coming years - and he also took a clean round of BP while showing strong hands with bat-speed and an intentful swing, lifting the ball naturally pull-side (T95 mph EV; T346’). 

+ INF Andrew Miller (Conant, 2027) is a quality prospect who showed well on the day. The left-handed hitter showed a balanced and athletic operation with a controlled forward move, displaying a loose swing with length through the zone with an intent to elevate the baseball pull-side (T97 mph EV). 

+ 1B Joe Valenza (Plainfield North, 2027) really looked the part Monday and should only continue to become more intriguing as he continues to fill out. The frame immediately stands out at 6-foot-2, 194-pounds with wide, broad shoulders and plenty more room to add on strength. The left-handed hitter has an easy, longer swing with the ability to use the whole field, maintaining length through the zone and through impact. Valenza also showed an accurate arm on the infield while playing with steady hands at the first base position. 

+ INF Connor Lamb (Plainfield East, 2026) is an uncommitted senior to know from the day. There’s plenty more to come in his projectable frame, standing at 6-foot-1, 152-pounds. The right-handed hitter has an athletic swing that is simple and repeatable, showing a flat path with line drives and lifted contact to the middle/pull-side. Defensively, he showed athletic footwork and bouncy actions up the middle, while also looking comfortable on the double play turn. He turned in the second-strongest throw from across the infield (82 mph) while playing accurately.

+ CIF Carssen Leming (Rockford Boylan Catholic, 2028) took one of the louder rounds of BP on the day, especially out of the 2028 group. The right-handed hitter has a strong and simple swing, creating jump off the bat easily with some feel to use the whole field (T94 mph EV).

+ OF Seamus O’Meara (Nazareth Academy, 2027) had one of the louder all-around showings on the day. He turned in the third-best 60-time of the day with a 7.09 - and he paired it with the sixth-highest exit velocity on the day at 98 mph. The right-handed hitter displayed clear bat-speed in his round with an intentful swing, creating loud results to his pull-side with an average EV of 93 mph throughout his round.

+ INF Ty Lotus (2029) and INF Ryan Lotus (2027) are a pair of brothers at St. Laurence who showed well on the day.

Ty, a 5-foot-11, 189-pound right-handed hitter, looks to have a bright future ahead of him with a clean and upside swing, looking to project into more power. 

Ryan, a more compact left-handed hitter with a physical build, showed a clean and simple swing with a line-drive approach that should play in-game. 

INF RJ Halverson (Marmion Catholic, 2027), C Brock Zaremba (Lincoln-Way East, 2028), INF Drew Kirby (Paris, 2028), and INF Abdul-Matin Smith (Southland College Prep, 2027) are a handful of names that also deserve a mention from the day with strong showings. 

Two-Ways 

+ C/RHP Colin Ogden (Plainfield North, 2027) is a physical right-handed hitter to follow from the day with some loud tools across the board. Standing at 6-foot-4, 209-pounds, Ogden is broad-shouldered with clear strength throughout his build, helping to translate to a peak exit velocity of 102 mph in his round while averaging 91 mph. The swing is powerful and simple, creating length through the zone and through impact, with the ability to hit the ball hard to all fields. Behind the plate, Ogden showed to have the strongest arm for the event at 83 mph with carry and life to each throw. He plays with athletic footwork and quick trigger out of the crouch that produced an event-best pop time of 1.94. On the mound, Ogden showed a strong arm, sitting 82-85 mph with his fastball, topping out at 86 mph. His curveball played with a 12/6 shape, and his slider showed short, tight spin. 

Pitchers 

+ RHP Eastin McBroom (Newark, 2028) came away from Monday’s event a big winner for our staff. It’s easy to be intrigued by the upside of his frame, standing at 5-foot-10, 157-pounds with long, wiry levers. There’s clear athleticism in the movement patterns, moving down the mound with loose and controlled levers, paired with a long, clean, and loose arm action with minimal effort. McBroom showcased a five-pitch mix with true polish and distinguished shapes in each of those pitches, highly impressive for his age. He maintains arm speed on all of his offerings, showing a fastball that peaked at 81.4 mph. McBroom’s curveball sat in the low-70s range, and played with 11/5 shape with feel for the lower-half of the zone. The change-up played with fade, and he killed spin on his splitter that played with downer action through the zone. His slider showed sharp, horizontal action, with similar velocities as his curveball. McBroom emerged as a high-follow arm, leaving our event in Aurora.

+ RHP Nick Lozano (Geneva, 2028) made his Prep Baseball event debut on Monday, and was another sophomore arm that left a winner. He stands in a long, wiry frame at 6-foot, 163-pounds with plenty of room for added strength. He displayed a quiet delivery on the mound with minimal effort and a clean arm path with acceleration out front. His fastball sat 83-84 mph, while topping out at 84.9 mph. Lozano showed both a curveball and a slider, his curveball playing 12/6 shape and showing a late, sharp drop. His slider showed short, tight spin with more horizontal tendencies. He rounded out his four-pitch mix with a change-up that he threw hard, and played with heavy fade and downer action. Also a quarterback at Geneva, Lozano is a follow arm in the class.

+ RHP Zachary Westerberg (Lincoln-Way East, 2027) showcased the hardest fastball at the Aurora Preseason ID at 86.9 mph, sitting 83-86 mph throughout. He’s an up-tempo mover with a fast arm, showing a curveball with short 12/6 shape, and a slider with short, horizontal break.

+ RHP Matthew Castaneda (Prospect, 2027) gave an intriguing look in his ‘pen. Listed at 6-foot-2, 166-pounds, the right-hander has plenty more room to add strength to his lean frame in the coming years. He’s a loose and athletic mover on the mound, working slightly up-tempo while staying in-line with premium extension down the mound - averaging seven feet on his fastball. This extension helped his upper-70s fastball (T79 mph) play up, seeming much harder than the readings, while also playing with notable carry traits through the zone. To pair off the fastball, he showed a diving sinker in the low-70s, a developing cutter in the mid-70s, a straight changeup with some feel in the mid-70s, and a gradual 11/5 curveball in the upper-60s. 

+ LHP Nick Cali (Marmion Academy, 2027) is a left-hander to know from the day with a clean arm. The 6-foot, 167-pound southpaw showed a polished delivery with a drop/drive operation, staying in-line before coming through with a loose arm swing and ¾ release. The fastball played up to 81 mph, showing notable carry traits (18.3 IVB avg.). The slider showed sweeping action with over 16” of horizontal bite at times, playing around the zone at 66-68 mph. To round out his arsenal, he went to a sinker in the low-70s with up to 18” of run. 

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