It’s time to refresh the rankings after an eventful summer and a bit of fall action, and with that comes a substantial update in which we are expanding from only 10 names to 50.

There are obviously a large number of newcomers in this update and we won’t be able to touch on all of them, but for now we are talking through some of the most notable names we have seen in the past few months. 

The Top-10

Holding down our top position is still OF Carver Cohn (McHenry), who also comes in at No. 18 in the country. There is no shortage of athleticism and twitch in the switch-hitting center fielder, as he provides well above-average speed with a 6.64 in the 60, allowing him to cover all sorts of ground in the outfield with a quick first step and also cause havoc on the basepaths. He creates tremendous bat-speed from his 5-foot-9, 163-pound stature, averaging 74 mph while also averaging 24 mph for his hand-speed. The ball jumps off his bat with a peak EV of 100 mph from both sides, and the line-drive approach paired with his bat-to-ball skills makes him a pesky top of the order bat that can do damage at any time. 

Jumping up four spots to No. 2, RHP Dodger Friedrich (Lane Tech), is a must-know arm in the young 2028 group. He’s physically built at 6-foot-4, 216-pounds, and the present arm-strength really stands out with more still to come. A recent winner from the State Games, he showed a power arsenal with a fastball up to 91 mph, pairing with a sharp slider at 78-80 mph that collected whiffs in and under the zone with over 2,600 rpm. 

RHP/C Anderson Kaufman (Alton) comes in at No. 3, and he’s an extremely polished right-hander that also holds positional value behind the plate. He saw notable time on varsity this past spring and it's easy to see why, showing a polished three-pitch mix that he could throw for strikes. The fastball has been up to 87 mph in past looks, and he’ll also go to a slider/changeup whenever he wants to mix up the pace. On the other side of the ball, he’s an athletic right-handed hitter with strong defensive capabilities, reaching as low as 1.88 for his pop-time with a 95 mph peak EV to pair. 

RHP Jack Postma (Barrington) comes in at No. 4, and there’s plenty of ceiling to go along with his 6-foot-3, 186-pound frame. He’s an elastic mover with much more velocity still to come, and he’s already reaching up to 89 mph with the fastball. He’ll show a curveball in the 69-71 mph range and even flash a changeup at 72-75 mph, and he’s able to compete in the zone and control his levers extremely well. 

1B Quincy Fulton (Newton) rounds out the top-5, and they just don’t make many 16 year olds that are this athletic and physical at the same time. He’s muscle-bound with present strength at 6-foot-1, 211-pounds, and he’s also a 6.82 runner that has claimed 1A state titles in the 100M and 200M. He’s also a switch-hitter with premium bat-speed (75 mph average), and the ball jumps off his bat with natural lift and EVs over 100 mph. 

RHP/MIF Kanon Baxley (Kaneland) is an athletic two-way prospect jumping in at No. 6. The recent Super Sophomore standout will run his fastball up to 87 mph, but it’s the spin that really separates him, averaging over 3,000 rpm on his curveball with wipeout action. He’s also an athletic defender and 6.99 runner that handles the bat extremely well, having averaged 90 mph for his exit velocity with a peak of 99 mph in recent looks. 

RHP/INF James Sobkowiak (Downers Grove South) is rising a spot to No. 7, and it’s extremely warranted with strong looks over the summer. He’s a bulldog on the mound that goes right after hitters, working in the upper-80s with an athletic delivery and quick arm. He also handles the bat from the left side, working on the barrel with a flat swing and athletic movement patterns. On top of all that, he’s 6-foot-2, 160-pounds and QB1 for his varsity program as only a sophomore. 

LHP Collin Lawlor (Marist) is making his rankings debut at No. 8, and he’s another one that recently showed well at the Super Sophomore Games and even the State Games. Standing in at 6-foot, 174-pounds, the southpaw provides a deceptive look from a low slot, hiding the ball extremely well while creating natural sink on a fastball up to 84 mph. He was dominant on varsity this past spring as a freshman, and it’s easy to see why as he will throw both a curveball and a changeup for strikes. He also has a fluid and balanced left-handed swing that we have seen work on the barrel across our looks. 

OF/RHP Ryan Pipkins (Champaign Central) comes in at No. 9, and he’s a name that always seems to perform when he gets in front of us. He’s a polished left-handed hitter with present strength in the swing, standing 6-foot, 180-pounds with EVs in the upper-90s. He’s also an above-average athlete (6.77 60) that competes on the mound with a fastball up to 85 mph. 

MIF/OF Ryder Rennette (Dunlap) is another one making his rankings debut, and he’s rounding out the top-10 in the tenth position. He has a left-handed swing you can dream on that works on the barrel with length through the zone, showing a mature approach to the whole field with line-drives. 

Outside the Top-10

OF/LHP Josh Ouimette (Carmel) was a top performer from the Super Sophomore Games, and he’s coming in at No. 11 in this update. He was one of the more productive bats we had on the team, finishing 6-for-7 with three doubles, seven RBIs, six runs scored and four walks - and he has a fluid swing that works flat through the zone. He will also hop on the mound and work up to 85 mph from the left-side, showing confidence in all his off-speed offerings. 

Also a standout on the basketball court, 3B/RHP Brady Jones (Metamora) is a physical specimen at 6-foot-5, 195-pounds, and he’s making his debut at No. 12. He really looks the part in the box, and he has shown impressive power in-game as well as in-event, peaking at 95 mph for his EV. When he’s not hitting, you can find him on the mound where he will show an athletic delivery and fastball up to 86 mph. 

RHP/INF Austin Leipart (Providence Catholic) is making his debut at No. 16, and he came away one of the biggest winners from the Super Sophomore Games. He’s listed at 5-foot-11, 145-pounds, but there’s much more to come physically in his high-waisted frame. He has silky and easy movement patterns on the mound, and he’s already jumped six mph on the mound in a year as he tops out around 85 mph. He’s also a capable defender on the infield with soft hands with arm-strength to pair, and he has upside in his fluid right-handed swing. 

Immediately following Leipart in this update is RHP/INF Nic Bralts (Champaign Central) at No. 17. He provides a ton of intrigue on the mound with easy movement patterns and a clean arm, working up to 86 mph at the State Games with high spin (T2,452 rpm) and a curveball/slider/changeup mix. He also can handle the bat from the right side and run at an above-average clip (6.72 60). 

Three more names in a row that help cap off the top-20 are names that unsurprisingly showed well at the Super Sophomore Games.

No. 18 is RHP Connor Basinski (Columbia) is a 6-foot-3, 179-pound right-hander with more to dream on physically, and he bumped his fastball up to 88 mph with a four-pitch mix. 

No. 19 is MIF Kameron Cox (Montini), a name that saw a ton of time in a talented Montini lineup this past year. He’s one of the top defenders on the infield in the state, if not the best for his age, and he’s also coming into his own at the plate with a line-drive oriented swing. 

LHP Dylan Jones (Lemont) debuts at No. 20, and he showed well on a number of occasions throughout the summer. He’s extremely easy to dream on at 6-foot-2, 159-pounds, and he’ll work up to 86 mph with the fastball from a long and clean arm action.

C/OF Weston Wyzukovic (Libertyville) looks like the next talented catcher coming through for the reigning 4A State Champs, and he’s coming in at No. 26. He has one of the more polished bats in the state with impressive bat-to-ball skills and strength to pair, and he’s also a versatile defender that can catch and roam the outfield (6.93 60). 

Piggybacking off the aforementioned Dylan Jones, Lemont has another talented southpaw at their disposal in Nathan Zdenovec, and he’s debuting at No. 35. A standout from the tournament circuit, Zdenovec was playing up two years and still dominated, throwing a seven inning perfect game in Rantoul just a couple months back. He’s got polish to go along with a fastball in the low-80s, and he will be a real arm to keep tabs on. 

Holding down the No. 37 spot, C Isaiah Wolter (Oswego East) looks to have some of the loudest all-around tools in the state. He’s a 6.83 runner who punishes baseballs with a peak EV of 105 mph, and he also has a peak velocity of 80 mph down to second with a pop-time of 1.91 seconds. 

RHP/INF Kaeson Ernst (Warrensburg-Latham) will be a fun one to follow, and he’s debuting at No. 42. There’s a ton to dream on in his 6-foot-4, 175-pound frame, and he has fluid movement patterns on both sides of the ball with a fastball in the low-80s and clean right-handed stroke. 

Holding down the final spot in this update at No. 50 is RHP Jack McNamara (Brother Rice). Another physical specimen on this short list, McNamara comes in at 6-foot-5, 210-pounds to go along with a fastball up to 86 mph. He’s also a high-level tight end on the gridiron that is one of the top football prospects in the Midwest. 

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