Prep Baseball Illinois Player of the Week: Tristan Steger
April 14, 2026
The reigning 3A state champs are one of the hottest teams in the state right now, boasting a 12-1 record while coming off a perfect 4-0 week. Currently our No. 1 team in our Power 25, the Vikings are happy to have catcher Tristan Steger (2027; Kentucky) as a new addition to an already loaded roster. Steger has been one of the top hitters in the entire state so far this spring, coming off a week in which he went 10-for-13 with four home runs, a double, 12 RBIs, 10 runs scored and three walks - homering in each game they played on the week. For his efforts, Steger has been named this week’s Player of the Week.
Steger kicked things off in a 16-5 win over Leo on Monday, going 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, a run scored and two walks.
He kept rolling into Wednesday in an 18-3 win over Carmel Catholic, finishing 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and a run scored.
He really started to heat up on Friday, taking down Kentucky’s No. 2 team in the state, St. Xavier by the score of 11-7 - finishing a perfect 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored.
He capped things off with a perfect 3-for-3 day on Saturday, taking down Ballard (KY) 14-4 - collecting a home run, a double, two RBIs, a run scored and a walk.
Currently the No. 6 ranked player in the state, the left-handed hitter continues to raise his stock with elite bat-to-ball abilities and well above-average power. He’s currently hitting .568 on the year with seven home runs, 30 RBIs and 11 extra base hits - also only striking out four times in 52 plate appearances. Also a high-level defender, he’ll get his pop-time down around the 1.80 range in-event with a low-80s arm, also reaching well into the triple digits (106 mph) for his exit velocity. He’s making a real case for Player of the Year up to this point, and it will be fun to see how the rest of the spring will play out.
Scouting Report
Verbally committed to the University of Kentucky.
C Tristan Steger (St. Laurence, 2027) represented team IL at the 2025 Future Games a few weeks ago, and continues to display intriguing tools all around the field. At the plate, Steger shows a mature presence, battling through at-bats and displaying true feel for the barrel. Steger broke out at the FGs as a LHH catcher and continued his success at the State Games. Displayed advanced actions behind the plate as well, flashed a 1.98-2.08 pop time and tossed 77 mph from the chute in the showcase portion of the event.