On Nov. 12th, thousands of high school baseball players across the country signed to lock in their commitments to their respective schools, with hundreds of these signings hailing from Illinois.

Over the next few weeks, we will spend some time highlighting the names from Illinois that signed to play baseball at the Division I level. We’ll do so by breaking these names up by conference, continuing today with the Big East.

BUTLER

The Bulldogs were able to deepen their pitching depth by bringing in two talented southpaws in LHP Jacob Manos (Brother Rice) and LHP Rocco Szambelan (Joliet Catholic).

Manos, currently ranked No. 138 in the state, emerged as one of the standout performers at the Illinois State games, punching out four batters in two scoreless frames. With a long-levered 6-foot-3, 204-pound frame that still offers room to fill out, the left-hander projects as an arm to watch for Brother Rice this spring. He has shown swing-and-miss potential with his mid-to-upper-80s fastball that plays with carry at an IVB max of 18.5”. He pairs that with a mid-70s curveball and slider that both have spin rates in the 2200-2300 rpm range.

From 8/5/25: “LHP Jacob Manos (Brother Rice, 2026) was lights out in his two innings of work. Projectable, long-levered 6-foot-3, 204-pound frame. The left-hander operated primarily out of the stretch, utilizing a medium leg lift with tuck, into a drop-and-drive lower half, and a longer at the back, loose ¾ arm slot. Manos tossed two scoreless innings, only allowing two hits while collecting four strikeouts. His fastball played with some sink and sat 85-87 mph, touching 88 mph with an IVB max of 18.5” and a HM max of -17.7”. He also showed a curveball at 74-76 mph with a slurve profile, and a slider at 74-75 mph that flashed sweep with a 2,332 rpm max. An impressive performance from the uncommitted left-hander, who looks like he will play a key role in an already strong Brother Rice rotation.”

A player that has been a consistent performer in front of our staff since his freshman year, Szambelan is another impact arm that will be heading to Indianapolis in the Fall. Currently ranked the No. 55 player in the state, the trim 6-foot-3, 186-pound southpaw will be a valuable addition for the Bulldogs. His upper-80s fastball shows some arm-side life out of the hand, topping out at 90 mph in-event. He also employs a sharp breaking mid-70s slider that’s seen spin rates north of 2,400+ rpm, and an upper-70s changeup.

From 8/5/25: “LHP Rocco Szambelan (Joliet Catholic, 2026) stood out on the mound at the Illinois State Games with an impressive showing. The southpaw featured a running fastball that sat comfortably at 85-88 mph, touching 89 mph, and showed significant arm-side life with -16.7 inches of horizontal movement. He paired it effectively with a tight-breaking slider, which he consistently landed for strikes, demonstrating advanced feel for the pitch. Szambelan works with a loose, athletic delivery, featuring an easy leg lift and explosive finish through release.”

CREIGHTON

The reigning Big East champions are set to add some major thump to their roster with the addition of 1B Brody Landgraf (Columbia). The physical 6-foot-4, 231-pound first baseman is a standout three-sport athlete at Columbia, contributing on both sides of the ball in football and as a power forward on the basketball court. Coming in at No. 15 in the state and No. 298 nationally, the left handed hitter’s advanced hit tool stands out as a key part of his game. He is able control the barrel well to lace balls to all fields, with 98 mph being his max EV in-event with an average EV of 87 mph.

From 8/12/24: “Brody Landgraf (Columbia) proved to be a threat with the bat during his week at the Future Games. The big, 6-foot-4, 231-pound first baseman has all kinds of strength in his frame. His eye-opening performance came in the nightcap of Team Illinois’ final game on Saturday night, where he earned the Dicks Sporting Goods Player of the Game honors after going 4-for-4 with two RBI and two stolen bases. He took quality at-bats throughout the game, working counts, fouling off pitches, and creating tough outs for pitchers. Landgraf has power in his left-handed bat, showing the ability to barrel balls to the pull-side, and during Wednesday’s showcase, he posted a max exit velocity of 97.8 mph. He remains an uncommitted follow after the event.”

GEORGETOWN

The Hoyas landed just one Illinois product in this class, but it’s a quality one in SS Brady Holland (Mount Carmel). The right-hander has shown quality tools on both sides of the ball in-event and in-game. Currently ranked No. 136 in the state, the 5-foot-11, 168-pound shortstop still has a lot of room to grow into his frame. He has shown easy bat speed at the plate, posting a 96 mph max EV with a 91 mph average EV in-event. Defensively, Holland has shown confident actions up the middle with a steady glove and easy range.

From 5/14/25: “5-foot-11, 168-pound, athletically-built, right-handed hitting infielder. Started at second base and showed well in this look. Easy, confident actions on the infield, natural infielder that should stick on the dirt moving forward. Offensively, flashed easy whip in the barrel and finished 1-for-3 on the day. Grounded out hard to third base in his second at-bat. Also, lined an 84 mph fastball right back up the middle in his third at-bat. Seems like his best years are yet to come. Uncommitted middle infielder to know.”

Related Content