The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 16, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next two weeks, leading up to opening day, we'll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2026 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 Rankings.
Perennially, we've submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we're using the detailed insight they've provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.
Our 2026 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Lockport Township Porters
Preseason Rank: No. 13
Head Coach: Scott Malinowski
Classification: 4A
Conference: SWSC
2025 Record (Finish): 24-14 (sectional semi-finalist)
Key Players Lost: Joey DalPonte, Logan Nagle, Bryce Flood, Justin VanderTuuk

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ROSTER PREVIEW

Returning Positional Starters: 7
Returning Starting Pitchers: 5
Returning Relief Pitchers: 2
Team Strengths: Pitching and Defense, Experience both on baseball field and as multi-sport athletes

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DATA CENTER

TEAM RANKS:

This data is sourced from the 2026 Illinois winter showcase circuit and the 2025 Illinois State Games, compiled by Prep Baseball. We took the top-three metrics recorded by players from each high school in the following categories. Here is how Lockport's top-three performers averaged across each category:

• Avg. Exit Velocity: 90.87 mph 
• Max Exit Velocity: 98.67 mph 
• Max FB Velocity: 89.33 mph (T-No. 15 in the state)
• Top 60-Yard: 6.97s

INDIVIDUAL DATA STAND-OUTS:

• Andrew Satunas (2026) - C - 5-9.9 , 186 lbs
  
  • bat speed: 77.6 mph (T-No. 21 in IL, T-No. 17 in 2026 class)
• Anthony Farina (2027) - LHP - 5-6.8 , 154 lbs
  
  • FB spin: 2284 rpm (92nd pctile. in IL, T-No. 20 in 2027 class)
• Ashton Boyajian (2027) - 1B/OF - 6-0.7 , 200 lbs
  
  • bat speed: 73.8 mph (89th pctile. in IL, 90th pctile. in 2027 class)
• Austin Bielski (2028) - C/OF - 5-7 , 186 lbs
  
  • rot. accel.: 19.0g (88th pctile. in IL, T-No. 24 in 2028 class)
• Austin Winge (2027) - RHP/OF - 5-9.7 , 175 lbs
  
  • max fastball: 93.0 mph (T-No. 16 in IL, T-No. 10 in 2027 class)
  • IVB (rise): 17.6 in (90th pctile. in IL, No. 21 in 2027 class)
  • FB spin: 2417 rpm (No. 9 in IL, No. 4 in 2027 class)
  • vert. jump: 28.2 in (95th pctile. in IL, 92nd pctile. in 2027 class)
• Drew Mandros (2029) - 3B/RHP - 5-11.9 , 175 lbs
  
  • bat speed: 73.3 mph (86th pctile. in IL, No. 7 in 2029 class)
  • IVB (rise): 17.4 in (89th pctile. in IL, No. 11 in 2029 class)
  • FB spin: 2122 rpm (74th pctile. in IL, No. 4 in 2029 class)
• Ethan Groenendal (2026) - RHP/RHP - 6-4 , 210 lbs
  
  • IVB (rise): 16.3 in (80th pctile. in IL, 81st pctile. in 2026 class)
• Frank Covelli Jr (2027) - C/3B - 6-0.1 , 177 lbs
  
  • max EV: 100.0 mph (85th pctile. in IL, 78th pctile. in 2027 class)
• Jake Manzo (2027) - OF/RHP - 5-9.2 , 156 lbs
  
  • vert. jump: 31.3 in (No. 4 in IL, No. 2 in 2027 class)
• Joseph Straub (2028) - C/1B - 5-10.6 , 187 lbs
  
  • avg EV: 90.7 mph (82nd pctile. in IL, 86th pctile. in 2028 class)
  • bat speed: 76.5 mph (97th pctile. in IL, No. 3 in 2028 class)
  • rot. accel.: 21.0g (94th pctile. in IL, T-No. 13 in 2028 class)
• Martin Kinnane (2026) - RHP/RHP - 6-4 , 173 lbs
  
  • IVB (rise): 17.4 in (89th pctile. in IL, No. 14 in 2026 class)
• Nick Moerman (2026) - OF/2B - 6-0 , 182 lbs
  
  • max EV: 99.0 mph (81st pctile. in IL, 71st pctile. in 2026 class)
  • avg EV: 92.1 mph (87th pctile. in IL, 78th pctile. in 2026 class)
  • bat speed: 76.2 mph (97th pctile. in IL, T-No. 22 in 2026 class)
  • rot. accel.: 19.0g (88th pctile. in IL, 78th pctile. in 2026 class)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.66s (97th pctile. in IL, No. 11 in 2026 class)
  • vert. jump: 30.8 in (T-No. 10 in IL, No. 3 in 2026 class)
• Ryan Dopke (2029) - C/SS - 5-6.5 , 137 lbs
  
  • bat speed: 70.0 mph (69th pctile. in IL, T-No. 16 in 2029 class)
• Trace Schaaf (2026) - LHP/1B - 6-4.4 , 176 lbs
  
  • CB spin: 2453 rpm (93rd pctile. in IL, T-No. 12 in 2026 class)

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X-FACTOR

C Andrew Satunas (2026; Grand Valley State) was a member of Team Heartland at the Prep Baseball Senior Future Games last summer, and will be relied upon to help navigate one of the better pitching staffs in the state. Last spring, before injury sidelined him toward the end of the year, the left-handed hitter put up a .380 batting average with two homers, driving in 23, while helping lead the pitching staff. If Satunas can pick up where he left off in 2025, it makes the Porters an even bigger threat in 2026.

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TEAM OUTLOOK

Lockport returns a wealth of experience from their 24-14 season that culminated with a regional championship and sectional semifinals appearance. The Porters have impressive depth throughout their roster, particularly within their pitching staff where they return 150-plus innings pitched from key contributors. The foundation of this team is built on an older roster paired with perhaps one of the strongest pitching staffs in the state.

The pitching staff should be the team's calling card this spring, led by LHP Anthony Farina (2027), who quietly compiled one of the most impressive sophomore campaigns in the state with a 2.26 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across 52.2 innings against top competition. RHP Austin Winge (2027) adds another elite arm after carrying a 0.00 ERA into the final week of last season as a dominant closer, while RHP Jack Schiek (2026; Purdue-Northwest) brings big-game experience from his appearances in DISW Championship and playoff games. The staff gets added depth from LHP Trace Schaaf (2026; Morton JC) and RHP Martin Kinnane (2026; Purdue-Northwest), both of whom pitched significant innings in high-leverage situations last spring. RHP Tommy Miller (2027) is another arm to know for the Porters, who showed well recently at our Preseason All-State: Upperclass. 

Offensively, the Porters return seven positional starters who gained valuable experience throughout the 2025 playoff run. C Andrew Satunas (2026; Grand Valley State) anchors the lineup after posting a .380 average with 23 RBIs, while OF/2B Nick Moerman (2026) led the team with three home runs and an impressive on-base percentage (.483). OF Adam Kozak (2026; Lewis) returns as one of the top leadoff hitters in the state and will play high-levelk defense for the Porters. OF David Kundrat (2026; Saint Xavier) provides defensive stability and consistent left-handed production in the lineup. The infield will see competition among several experienced options including the aforementioned SS/RHP Tommy Miller (2027). Coach Scott Malinowski, who reached his 100th career win last season in just his fourth year as head coach, emphasized the team's depth: "We are bringing back a great deal of experience both on the mound and at the plate, all of whom have played in very big games and moments. This is also one of the most athletic groups we have had, as we have close to 15 multi-sport athletes who have also played on big stages in their respective sports and know how to compete."

Within the Southwest Suburban Conference landscape, Lockport's pitching strength ranks them competitively with an average max fastball velocity in the upper-80s, positioning them well against conference opponents. The combination of returning experience, pitching depth, and multi-sport athleticism gives the Porters the foundation to build upon their successful 2025 campaign.

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BOTTOM LINE

With elite pitching depth and seven starters in the lineup, Lockport has the experience and talent to compete for a deep playoff run in 4A. The ceiling is high for this athletic, battle-tested group that knows how to perform in pressure situations.

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Find more information on the 2026 Lockport program below:

+ Follow them on X: @PorterBaseball
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 homepage

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