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 MAC.

BALL STATE

LHP Samuel Chin (St. Laurence) is a notable addition for the Cardinals and will help strengthen their pitching depth with his advanced pitchability. The left-hander is coming off a standout spring and summer where he earned Second Team All-CCL honors and shined as a Senior Future Games participant as well as at the Illinois State Games. Currently ranked No. 41 in the state, the long-levered 6-foot, 162-pound athlete still has tons of room to add on strength. Chin has consistently shown the ability to locate his mid-80s fastball with ease, topping out at 87 mph with carry and late run through the zone. He also employs a sharp slider with spin rates up to 2,800+ rpm and a 20.8” HM max, and a high-70s changeup that’s deceptive out of the hand.

From 5/15/25: “Uncommitted, currently ranked No. 42 in the state. 6-foot, 155-pound build, lean and wiry with plenty of room to add on strength. High-ceiling starter profile with three distinct pitches. Clean, easy mover, medium and up-tempo leg-lift with a slight coil into balance point, works in-line with a slightly uphill shoulder tilt down the mound, front foot lands closed, silky mover. Loose, full arm circle into a ¾ release. The fastball played 85-87 mph early on with carry, working it both in/out to either handed hitter. Showed feel for the curveball to land for strikes and below the zone, sharp 1/7 action with depth and some sweep at times, 72-74 mph. Changeup flashed hard and late dive with out-pitch potential, 81 mph, missed arm-side in-game. High-ceiling arm that is one of the top uncommitted southpaws in the state.”

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Dekalb continues to be a popular landing spot for in-state recruits, as the Huskies were able to bring in a pair of premier arms in RHP Caleb Cox (Springfield Lutheran) and LHP Devin De Loach (Crystal Lake South). 

Cox, a highly projectable 6-foot-5, 185-pound right-hander, possesses one of the top fastballs in the state, topping out at 93 mph in-event and sitting in the low-90s with arm-side run. He also features a sharp slider and a fading changeup that both generate consistent whiffs in-game. Currently ranked No. 30 in the state, Cox is also coming off a dominant spring season where he tallied 64 strikeouts in just 32.2 innings to finish with a 1.93 ERA. 

From 2/19/25: “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.”

De Loach, currently ranked No. 48 in the state, showcased plenty of swing-and-miss stuff at the Illinois State Games and appears to be an arm that can reliably eat innings for the Huskies. The sturdy 6-foot-2, 252-pound left-hander possesses a heavy sinking mid-to-upper-80s fastball with a 20.7” IVB max and an average of 18.5”. He also utilizes a tight slider and fading changeup to keep hitters off-balance. 

From 8/5/25: “LHP Devin De Loach (Crystal Lake South, 2026) is an uncommitted senior arm that showed some swing-and-miss stuff on the mound, collecting six whiffs through two innings. Sturdy 6-foot-2, 252-pound frame with strength present throughout. The left-hander worked out of a drop-and-drive delivery, exploding down the mound, with a strong ¾ arm action. De Loach was able to pound the zone with both of his pitches, effectively keeping hitters off-balance throughout his appearance. His fastball played with heavy arm-side run and sat 84-87 mph, topping 87.9 with a IVB max of 20.7” and an IVB average of 18.5”. He also utilized a tight slider at 78-80 mph that got hitters to chase multiple times.”

The Huskies were also able to bring in two-sport phenom OF Cole Latimer (Dekalb) who will be staying in Dekalb to play baseball while also serving on the football team as a quarterback. The long-levered 6-foot-3, 199-pound athlete boasts some of the best bat speed in the state, recording an 81.2 mph max bat speed in-event along with a 103.8 mph max EV. Defensively, he takes confident routes to the ball and shows a lively arm, reaching 92 mph from the outfield.  Latimer is also coming off a strong spring and summer circuit, earning DVC All-Conference honors and turning in an impressive performance at the Illinois State Games.

From 5/13/25: “Uncommitted and currently ranked No. 48 in the state. 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame with a long-levered build and plenty of room to add size. Latimer got the start in center field and hit second in the Barbs lineup. Offensively he had a hard ground ball through the left side of the infield for a single. Showed range and quality reads off the bat, arm plays well above-average with life and accuracy. High-follow uncommitted outfielder, also a QB1.”

Last but not least for the Huskies, they added SS Easton Newman (Deerfield), who has proven to be one of the top defensive shortstops in the state. The athletic 5-foot-8, 161-pound infielder displays fluid actions up the middle, a clean glove, and a strong arm across the diamond that has reached 88 mph in-event. Newman has also shown strong bat-to-ball skills in front of our staff, recording a 93.9 mph max exit velocity with an 88.6 mph average. Currently ranked No. 37 in the state, Newman will be another key addition for the Huskies. 

From 5/29/25: “Northern Illinois commit, currently ranked No. 36 in the state. Wiry 5-foot-8, 161-pound frame. Started a shortstop and batted in the three-hole for the Warriors in the 4A Deerfield Regional Semifinal. Newman continued to show well on both sides of the ball in Thursday’s game. Offensively, he worked from a wider setup with a medium stride, displaying loose hands and a line-drive approach. He found the barrel in two of his three at-bats, including a base hit up the middle that drove in the game’s first run. Defensively, he made several tough plays at shortstop, including a quick reaction on a bad hop read from a sharply hit grounder to make an out. Another impressive showing from the right-hander, who has put together a strong junior season for the Warriors.”

TOLEDO

The Rockets added just one Illinois prospect to this year’s class, but they made it count by signing former Future Gamer RHP Dylan Huff (Glenwood). Huff is another player who is a two-sport standout for his high school who plays on both sides of the ball for both baseball and football. This athleticism carries over to the mound where the long-levered 6-foot-3, 184-pound right-hander is able to move athletically down the mound. He is able to obtain some swing-and-miss with his cutting fastball that sits in the upper-80s and tops out at 90 mph. He also employs a high-spin curveball and slider with spin rates in the 2,300-2,400+ rpm range, and a deceptive changeup with arm-side run.

From 8/5/25: “RHP Dylan Huff (Glenwood, 2026) is an uncommitted, ranked No. 15 overall in the Illinois class of 2026, and a Future game alum. Huff gave one of the best looks on the mound on Wednesday afternoon. The lean and athletic, 6-foot-1, 177-pound frame had complete control of a three-pitch mix, keeping hitters off-balanced and collecting four strikeouts through two innings. The fastball was sitting 86-88 mph, with slight cutting action and 18.4 IVB. The slider was 74-77 mph, with a gyro profile and 2200 RPMs. The changeup was 77-79 mph with arm-side run. In-game, Huff was attacking the zone, able to generate soft contact outs while getting whiffs with the slider and working with a high pace on the mound. The right-hander works out of a controlled, staggered setup, drop and drive, working down the mound. The arm works clean, easy from the ¾ slot. A must-know arm in the Illinois class of 2026.”

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