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McHenry County JC 2026 Team Outlook

December 12, 2025
Clayton Hopfinger
IL/WI Staff

Program: McHenry County
Head Coach: Jared Wacker
NJCAA Region/Division: Region IV
Last Year’s Record: 39-20
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @McCoBaseball
2025-26 Schedule

After finishing the 2025 season with a 39-20 record and a second straight NJCAA Region 4 championship, McHenry County College will look to continue their run of dominance of the region. After putting together a dominant season at the plate last season, the Scots will need to rely on some new faces in the program to help bolster a lineup that lost over half of their regular bats in the lineup. Despite this, they bring back a familiar pitching staff and feature plenty of talented players that can step up in a big way, leading us to believe this could be another strong season for Coach Jared Wacker and the Scots.

Pitchers

McHenry County will be entering the 2026 season retaining a good chunk of their pitching staff, but they have already taken a hit before the season started. All-Region Selection So. Gabe Ness is out for the season due to injury, and will look to make a return next spring. Fortunately for McHenry, among those returning will be Bo Anderson, who logged a team best 2.34 ERA and was tied for the team lead in wins with six. He will undoubtedly be looked upon to lead the pitching staff that heads into a 2026 season with high expectations.

  • So. RHP Bo Anderson (Hortonville, WI) measures 6-foot, 220-pounds and tossed an intriguing bullpen at the scout day. The right-hander threw his fastball at 86-87 mph, held velo throughout with an avg. of 16 in. of IVB. Threw a curveball at 73-75 mph and a changeup at 82-83 mph with 14 in. of avg. IVB. Anderson has added velocity since last year's Scout Day.

 

Also offering options for the staff are So. RHP Jackson Prentice (Western Michigan) and So. LHP Caden Vogt. Both arms saw regular innings out of the bullpen while also getting the occasional start for the Scots in 2025. Vogt saw himself on the mound more than anyone on McHenry’s pitching staff last season, appearing in 16 outings with 39 IP and logging a 3.69 ERA. Prentice had 25 innings pitched in 2025, and has been up to 91 mph earlier this fall. Both arms will look to build off the success they had last year to help bolster a deep McHenry staff.

  • So. RHP Jackson Prentice (McHenry CC) sported a 3.60 ERA across 25 innings of work this past spring, and would show an upside look during his stint at the PUMA. The fastball would sit in the upper-80s-low-90s, topping out at 91 mph. Showed a deceptive low-80s changeup with arm-side fade and spin rates in the 1100 to 1300 rpm range. Showed fluid, repeatable actions on the mound with a controlled leg lift, an in-line lower-half, a 3/4s slot, and a full arm circle. 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame.

At our McHenry County Scout Day in September, freshman arm Kael Konrad stood out to our staff after posting some of the highest spin rates, featuring plenty of life in all three of his offerings. Konrad has a chance to make an impact for a strong McHenry staff right away. You can see our takeaway from Konrad at the McHenry Scout Day down below.

    • Fr. RHP Kael Konrad (Hortonville, WI) flashed some higher spin rates out of the bunch throughout his bullpen. The 5-foot-9, 174-pound right-hander was up to 86 mph with his fastball, sat in the mid 80s with an avg. spin rate of 2306 rpm and 22 in of avg. total movement. Konrad threw a sharp curveball at 74-76 mph with spin rates north of 2600 rpm (2584 avg.) and a changeup at 75-76 mph with 19 in. of avg. total movement.

    Other arms that have a chance to make an impact for the Scots are Fr.  WIlson Wemhoff, Fr. Josh Marzec, and So. Jackson King.  You can read more about each arm and their performance at the Puma Classic back in September.

    • Fr. RHP WIlson Wemhoff (McHenry County CC) a two-way standout in high school for Hampshire in Illinois, Wemhoff showed the early makings of an impact freshman arm for his McHenry County squad. The fastball would sit in the upper-80s-low-90s with carry up in the zone. Also showed a low-80s off-speed with arm-side fade and an upper-70s breaking ball with 10/4 shape. Strong 5-foot-11, 205-pound frame

    • Fr. RHP Josh Marzec (McHenry County CC) high school standout for Lake Zurich in Illinois, Marzec would emerge as a name to follow for professional and four-year evaluators alike, after showcasing an intriguing three-pitch mix. The fastball would sit in the 91-93 mph range with spin rates north of 2500 rpm, generating whiffs throughout his short stint. Flashed a promising downer breaking ball in the low-80s and a mid-80s changeup that tunneled well with the fastball. Simple mover on the mound who worked from a 3/4s release while showing some feel to repeat. 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame with room still to add.

    • So. RHP Jackson King (McHenry CC) would have an impressive showing during his two innings of work at the PUMA. The fastball would sit in the 88-90 mph range, topping out at 92 mph with swing-and-miss traits and ride that played well up in the zone. Also showed a 74-77 mph breaking ball with spin rates north of 2300 rpm and short, tight break. Showing a high, athletic leg lift while working from an over-the-top slot, King showed feel to repeat throughout, something that played in coordination with a present feel for the zone. Standing in a lean 6-foot-4, 210-pounds with present athleticism and levers, King should only add more strength. Name to follow for professional and four-year evaluators, as he is expected to be an impact arm for McHenry come springtime,

    Hitters

    On the opposite side of the ball, McHenry will be losing a large chunk of their production from last season, including three All-Region selections in Owen Nowak (Middle Tennessee State), Jackson Dibble (Southern Illinois), and Ryan Skwarek (Southern Indiana). Despite this, there is plenty of talent and opportunity within the program for multiple players to step up in a big way.

    Among the players returning for the Scots are Payton Sensabaugh and Kayden Berenz, who both put up strong numbers last season in their opportunities last season. Sensabaugh hit .333 in his 54 at-bats, with Kayden Berenz hitting .314 and also clubbing three home runs in his 70 at-bats. Both players will likely be looked upon in a big way to build upon their success of last season. Also returning for McHenry is Jaden Obaldo, who will be looking to build upon his limited opportunities last season. He showed well at the McHenry County Scout Day in September, posting the third-highest exit-velocity of the event.

    • So. INF Jaden Obaldo (Crystal Lake Central) measures 5-foot-10, 180-pounds with strength throughout the frame. Putting together one of the top BP rounds of the afternoon, Obaldo reached 101 mph EV, the third best of the day, and averaged 94 mph which was also the third best of the event. Displayed some bat speed in his round as well, averaging 73 mph. The RHH had a max distance of 368’. Also, ran a 7.14 60-yard time.


    With plenty of players exiting the program from last season, there may be plenty of opportunity for multiple freshman bats to get an opportunity to make an impact this season. At our McHenry Scout Day, there were plenty of freshman bats that put together a strong performance on the day. One of the strongest all-round performances of not just the from any of our JUCO Scout Days this Fall came from PJ Hamel, who showed well in all facets of the showcase, including an impressive 106 max EV during his round at the plate. Brock Iverson and Jacob Duvall both put together a strong performance, with each positing a max EV at 98 MPH. Zach Readdy could potentially see some time as well with some two-way potential for the Scots. Kayden Berenz was a standout from the Puma Classic from last September, leaving many of us eager to see how he can contribute for the Scots this spring. 

    • Fr. C/OF PJ Hamel (Arrowhead, WI) showcased the loudest BP round of the event. Hamel flashed all the tools last week, standing 6-foot-4, 210-pounds, ran a 6.93 60-yard time, threw 91 mph from the OF, and had a pop time range of 1.94-2.18 while throwing 83 mph from the chute. At the plate, peaked at 106 mph, averaged 97 mph, and had a max distance of 402’. Hard hit balls throughout and a bat speed avg. up to 77 mph, sent a number of balls deep over the left-field wall as well as the center-field wall. Displayed serious tools throughout the event.

    • Fr. 1B Brock Iverson (Cary-Grove) a 6-foot-3, 185-pound athletic RHH that showcased well at the Scout Day. Iverson has a lean frame with strength throughout. The first basemen ran a 6.72 60-yard dash. In his round of BP, had hard hit balls throughput, working line drives to the gaps. Iverson peaked at 98 mph EV with an average of 90 mph and had a max distance of 380’

    • Fr. OF Jacob Duvall (Cary-Grove) measures 6-foot-2, 200-pounds with strength throughout. After finishing up a solid senior season for the Trojans, Duvall continues to show well, putting together one of the most intriguing performances of the event. Duvall flashed athleticism right away, running a 6.75 6–yard dash to start the day. Defensively, topped 86 mph from the OF. In BP, topped 98 mph, averaged 86 mph, and had a max distance of 349’. The LHH worked the gaps and displayed some poolside power throughout.

    • RHP/INF Zach Readdy (McHenry) showed well on both sides of the ball at the event, standing 5-foot-11, 185-pounds. On the mound, the right-hander ran the fastball up to 87 mph with 13 in. of IVB avg. flashed a curveball at 73-74 mph with 10 in. of HM avg, and a changeup in the low 80s. At the plate, was up to 95 mph EV with an average of 85 mph, displayed some bat speed, averaged 73 mph. Also, ran a 7.05 60-yard time.

    A pair of transfers that look to make an impact right away to bolster the McHenry lineup are So. OF Sam Chapman and So. OF Kyle Larson. Larson, a transfer from Lake County, put together an impressive spring in 2025, earning second team all-conference. Chapman will join McHenry after a season at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and will look to make an impact right away for the Scots after a season at the D1 level.

    • So. OF Kyle Larson (Huntley) a transfer from College of Lake County put together an impressive performance at the event. The 6-foot, 190-pound left-hander started the event showcasing his athleticism, running a 6.82 60-yard time, one of the top times at the Scout Day. At the plate, had the second highest EV at 104 mph with an average of 90 mph and max distance of 380’. Showcases some bat speed throughout, averaging 71.5 mph. Larson is coming off a second team all-conference season in his freshman campaign at CLC.

    • So. OF Sam Chapman (Woodstock) listed at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds, Chapman attended SIUE last season and comes into a successful MCC program looking to make an impact. The LHH impressed throughout the workout. In BP, peaked his EV at 98 mph, averaging 89 mph, with a max distance of 339’. Defensively, showed a clean round and topped at 90 mph from the OF, the second highest velocity of the event. Also, ran a 7.03 60-yard dash to start the day. An overall impressive day for the sophomore.

    • So. C Kayden Berenz (McHenry County JC; Western Michigan commit) was a major winner from the PUMA classic, showcasing a strong right-handed bat and evident instincts behind the dish. A simple operation at the plate with some rhythm, Berenz consistently got into a position of launch with a slightly uphill bat path and hand speed. Defensively, showed quality receiving with confident hands and some present flexibility. High motor backstop with instincts that consistently showed up in gameplay.

    4-Year Commitments

    NAME CLASS POS COMMITMENT
    Kayden Berenz SO. C Western Michigan
    Kyle Larson SO. OF Central Michigan
    Bennett Wolfe SO. RHP Morehead State
    Bo Anderson SO. RHP Illinois-Springfield
    Jackson King SO. RHP Central Michigan
    Jackson Prentice SO. RHP Western Michigan

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