On Wednesday, February 19th, the Prep Baseball Illinois staff traveled down to Peoria, IL for the Peoria Preseason ID held at the Louisville Slugger Dome. This event is a great opportunity for our staff to get a look at players from the central part of the state, as well as the surrounding areas.

Today we are beginning our post-event rollout with a look at all the catchers from the day, along with a ranking of who our staff deemed as the top catching prospects.

TOP CATCHING PROSPECTS

1. Sam McCully, Normal West (IL), 2027
Positional Profile: C/1B
Body: 5-11, 175 pounds. Lean, well-proportioned frame with present strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Wide base, toe-tap into short stride. Fluid rhythm, loose, flat path, pull-side approach. 69.1 mph bat speed with 7g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 95 mph max exit velocity (84.5 avg.); 336-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 76 mph. Compact, 3/4 slot.
Defense: 2.01-2.19 pop time range; Flexible hips, smooth and easy mover. Athletic out of the crouch, feet work inline.
Athletic Testing: 7.76 runner in the 60-yard dash; 19.40-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 67.84 Edge Score.

2. Hudson Lovell, Morton (IL), 2027
Positional Profile: C/RHP
Body: 6-0, 190 pounds. Sturdy, well-proportioned frame.
Hit: RHH. Wide, balanced base, toe-tap stride. Strong hands, long and uphill bat path, gap-to-gap approach. 76.1 mph bat speed with 20g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 96 mph max exit velocity (81.2 avg.); 324-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 77 mph. Compact arm action, high ¾ slot.
Defense: 1.94-2.01 pop time range; Plays on his toes, flashes athleticism out of the crouch, steady transfers.
Athletic Testing: 7.54 runner in the 60-yard dash; 22.90-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 72.96 Edge Score.

3. Stephen Petri, Metamora (IL), 2026
Positional Profile: C/RHP
Body: 5-10, 195 pounds. Mature, lean frame.
Hit: RHH. Wide base, short and simple load. Stays through the zone, longer and flat path, creates backspin up the middle with some line-drives, repeats. 73.7 mph bat speed with 13g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 95 mph max exit velocity (86.3 avg.); 318-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 75 mph. Quick release, compact arm action, high ¾ slot, intentful.
Defense: 1.97-2.05 pop time range; Flexible hips, easy receiver. Intentful and athletic out of the crouch, feet work inline, quick/clean exchanges.
Athletic Testing: 7.15 runner in the 60-yard dash; 24.40-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 65.79 Edge Score.

BEST OF THE REST (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY)

Alfred Ayala, Galesburg (IL), 2026
Positional Profile: C/SS
Body: 5-9, 195 pounds. Well-proportioned frame with strength.
Hit: RHH. Wide, slightly open base, long knee-knock stride works back to even. Strong hands, looks to lift at times up the middle. 63.4 mph bat speed with 9g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 92 mph max exit velocity (72.5 avg.); 307-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 74 mph. INF - 79 mph. C: Compact/quick arm action, high ¾ slot. INF:
Defense: 2.10-2.18 pop time range; C: One-knee receiver, simple receiver. Quick and athletic out of the crouch, quick feet, clean exchanges. INF: Plays low to the ground, two-hand gather out front, secures into body.
Athletic Testing: 7.28 runner in the 60-yard dash; 20.00-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 70.4 Edge Score.

Ben Cronkhite, Metamora (IL), 2026
Positional Profile: C/RHP
Body: 5-11, 170 pounds. Lean, high-waisted frame with some present strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Open, balanced base with a slight bend, upright, toe-taps into small stride. Strong hands, works to lift the ball, pull-side approach, on the barrel some to the middle and pull-side. 66.3 mph bat speed with 12g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 87 mph max exit velocity (80.7 avg.); 334-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 72 mph. Quick release, compact, high ¾ slot.
Defense: 1.99-2.09 pop time range; Flexible hips, easy receiver. PLays on his toes, athletic out of the crouch, feet work inline, clean exchanges, soft blocker.
Athletic Testing: 7.79 runner in the 60-yard dash; -inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 67.33 Edge Score.

Layne Johnson, Brimfield (IL), 2026
Positional Profile: C/1B
Body: 6-1, 205 pounds. Strong, sturdy frame with some present strength throughout.
Hit: LHH. Balanced, open base with a slight bend, small stride. Simple and strong, compact, direct to the ball with a flat bat path, gap-to-gap approach. 67.1 mph bat speed with 11g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 93 mph max exit velocity (82 avg.); 268-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 74 mph. Quick release with intent, high ¾ slot.
Defense: 2.00-2.11 pop time range; Smooth receiver. Plays on his toes, some intent out of the crouch, steady footwork and exchanges.
Athletic Testing: 7.50 runner in the 60-yard dash; 20.20-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 71.05 Edge Score.

Tristan Pickford, Williamsville (IL), 2027
Positional Profile: C/1B
Body: 5-11, 180 pounds. Lean frame with some present strength throughout.
Hit: RHH. Wide base, small leg lift into small stride. Strong hands with intent to lift, pull-side approach. 62.5 mph bat speed with 10g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 83 mph max exit velocity (76.8 avg.); 299-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 63 mph. Compact arm action, high ¾ slot.
Defense: 2.40-2.51 pop time range; Flexible one-knee setup, easy receiver. Steady footwork, steady exchanges.
Athletic Testing: 7.69 runner in the 60-yard dash; 18.60-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 50.65 Edge Score.

Kaden Rickey, Washington (IL), 2026
Positional Profile: C/RHP
Body: 6-0, 190 pounds. Lean frame with present strength in the lower-half.
Hit: RHH. Wide base, works towards the plate, toe-tap into a small stride. Flat path, works on top of the baseball at times, flashed elevated contact to the pull-side. 71.4 mph bat speed with 15g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 93 mph max exit velocity (84.6 avg.); 351-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. C - 71 mph. Intentful, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: 2.08-2.22 pop time range; One-knee setup, works up through the baseball, loose-wristed, works to present the pitch. Quick out of the chute, feet work inline, steady exchanges.
Athletic Testing: 7.31 runner in the 60-yard dash; 21.80-inch max vertical jump.
Vizual Edge: 74.27 Edge Score.

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