After another busy winter with a number of Preseason ID events across the state taking place, along with the Preseason All-State: Upperclass, as well as the first couple weeks of the IHSA season, the 2026 rankings in Illinois deserved a shakeup. There were a number of players who made jumps over the winter and even into the first part of the spring season but many of the names at the top of the rankings remain the same.

The Top-10 stays largely unchanged with SS Ethan Bass (Glenbrook North; Wake Forest) continuing to hold down the top spot. Bass is a dynamic athlete that can play all over the diamond and hits for average and power with more to come as he adds strength to his upside, long-levered frame.

SS Landon Thome (Nazareth; Tennessee) jumped one spot and is the new No. 2 prospect in Illinois. All Thome has done is continue to get better and see his tools tick up over the last year or so. His left-handed bat is one of the best in the Midwest with a high-level feel to hit, advanced bat-to-ball skills and whole field power potential. Thome still seems to be a long way away from his ultimate ceiling.

CIF TJ McQuillan (Mount Carmel; Wake Forest) is another one of the top left-handed bats in the Midwest and comes in at No. 3 in the state. McQuillan has some of the best raw power in the class and routinely makes loud contact with feel to hit.

MIF Kamrin Jenkins (Oswego; Missouri), OF Nolan Ramoley (Brother Rice; Kentucky), MIF/RHP Jory Crocker (Willowbrook; Arizona), 1B Brody Landgraf (Columbia; Creighton) and RHP Connor Elenteny (Mount Carmel; Notre Dame) were all a part of Team Illinois at the 2024 Future Games and slide in at No. 4-No. 8, respectively.

The biggest jump at the top of the rankings comes from RHP Jack Slightom (Lyons Township). The uncommitted junior is the top prospect still on the board in Illinois at No. 9. Slightom has steadily seen his velocity and stuff tick up over the past year. He jumped into the rankings for the first time at No. 42 after a strong showing at last year's Illinois State Games and has only continued to skyrocket since. He is currently listed at broad-shouldered, 6-foot-3, 193.8-pounds with a young overall look and plenty more to come. His fastball sat 90-92 mph at this winter's Preseason All-State with all kinds of jump out of the hand and finish through the zone. On top of the velocity, Slightom has a starter profile with a four-pitch mix including an above-average cutter with late action. He is a name to know moving forward and it would not be a surprise to see him continue to move up this list in future updates.

RHP Paddy Roth (St. Patrick; Michigan State) rounds out the Top-10 in the state. Roth, another Future Games participant, is a high-level performer who was up to 93.4 mph at the Preseason All-State: Upperclass.

Looking just outside the Top-10, RHP Keaton Reinke (St. Charles North) and RHP Dylan Huff (Glenwood) are the top two uncommitted prospects at No. 11 and No. 13.

Reinke is a thoroughbred athlete who excels on the football field and has all kinds of upside on the mound. At 6-foot-4, 206-pounds, there is more development to come and he currently features a fastball at 91 mph with a well-above average top-to-bottom breaking ball that he is confident throwing in any count. There is plenty more to dream on with the multi-sport prospect.

Huff is another multi-sport athlete with all kinds of upside on the mound. Like Reinke, he represented Team Illinois at the 2024 Future Games and his best days are yet to come. Most recently we saw Huff sit comfortably in the upper-80s while mixing in a swing-and-miss slider with all kinds of late sweep and bite. Huff is also one of the better movers in the state and is a candidate to see a big velocity jump at some point soon.

ATH Gavin Michaels (Normal Community; Cincinnati), CF Cory Les (St. Laurence; Louisville), SS Lucas Simulick (Joliet Catholic; Eastern Illinois) and Dominic Battista (Oswego East; UIC) are four committed prospects all moving up in the rankings and all now sit in the Top-20.

Les has put together a couple of quality showings already this early spring. He has routinely shown he can handle hitting quality left-handed arms despite being a left-handed hitter himself. He also moves well for his physical frame and continues to boost his prospect status if he can profile as a true center fielder at the next level.

Chase Rhodes (Tremont; No. 30) and Tyler Townsend (Sycamore; No. 37) were two of the biggest uncommitted right-handed arms to rise. Both were highly-impressive at the Preseason All-State: Upperclass.

Preseason All-State Quick Hit: “RHP Chase Rhodes (Tremont, 2026) had a loud showing with one of the bigger fastballs of the day. The 6-foot-4, 192-pound right-hander has a strong, workhorse frame, and he is able to repeat his delivery well with some ease. His fastball played in the 91-92 mph range with quality feel for the zone, showing natural arm-side run with easy life out of the hand. He showed two different breaking balls - the first being a curveball with 12/6 shape and depth at 71-73 mph, and the second being a shorter lateral slider with good separation, 78 mph. His final offering was a changeup with above-average sinking action and feel for the zone, 77-79 mph.”

Preseason All-State Quick Hit: “Our staff got an updated look at RHP Tyler Townsend (Sycamore, 2026) over the weekend. The former Future Gamer has made noticeable strides since we last saw him, now standing at a physical and presently strong 6-foot-1, 200-pounds. Townsend started his pen sitting 90-92 mph (T93) with his fastball that showed carry at times. He had a strong feel for the zone (80% strikes) with his 77-79 mph slider that played sharp, spinning at an average of 2391 rpm. Townsend also pounded the zone (80% strikes) with an 81-84 mph changeup that played with sinking action, located at the bottom of the zone.”

RHP Caleb Cox (Lutheran) and LHP Sam Finn (Plainfield North) are the top two newcomers in the class, both now sitting in the Top-55.

Caleb Cox Peoria Preseason ID Quick Hit: “One of the biggest and most impressive takeaways from this event is RHP Caleb Cox (Lutheran HS, 2026). The right-hander displayed a lengthy 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame with a ton of projectability. On the mound, he topped 91 mph while averaging 89 mph. He complimented his firm fastball with a slider that shows heavy horizontal movement and a fading changeup that he has a feel for. He utilizes his long levers down the mound, showing looseness and athleticism throughout. Cox is definitely a name to watch this year, and we only expect his stock to rise moving forward.”

Sam Finn Kickoff Classic Scout Blog: “LHP Sam Finn, Plainfield North, 2026 Uncommitted. Sturdy and physically imposing 6-foot-3, 200-pounds. Got the ball to start for the Tigers and turned in a dominant performance. Simple/repeatable delivery down the mound with some athleticism to pair, tall/fall lower-half, front-side stays closed. Compact arm action, high ¾ slot with arm-speed out front. His fastball had a heavy finish to it, sitting 86-88 mph. Finn had immense feel for his 72-74 mph curveball that was sharp (2700+ rpm) with 1/7 shape, and induced whiffs. After allowing one baserunner in his first inning of work, he went on to retire the next nine batters in the order, with seven of those outs coming via strikeout. Finn will be a name to continue to follow throughout the spring. Line: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 9 K.”

Stay tuned in the coming days for a more in-depth look at the Illinois’ 2026 rankings, which should include a podcast where we go into more depth on the class as a whole.

CLICK HERE for the updated 2026 Illinois rankings.

RELATED CONTENT