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: McHenry Warriors 
Preseason Rank: No. 14
Head Coach: Brian Rockweiler
Classification: 4A
Conference: Fox Valley
2025 Record: 36-5-1 (IHSA Class 4A State Runners-Up)
Key Players Lost: Brandon Shannon - Louisville, Bryson Elbrecht McHenry County College, Zach Readdy McHenry County, A.J. Chavera Rock Valley, Donovan Christman Morton College, Kyle Maness, Conner McLean College of Dupage football

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ROSTER PREVIEW

Returning Positional Starters: 5
Returning Starting Pitchers: 2
Returning Relief Pitchers: 3
Team Strengths: Our biggest team strength is our top 3 in our batting order. Cohn, Clements and Wasniewski. As a Freshman and two sophomores last year they were our top 3 hitters and carried us. I expect them to do the same this season. Not only are they potent bats, but are superb defensively as well. Cohn will anchor the outfield in CF, Clements the infield at SS and Wasniewski both at 3B and on the mound. We also return Kaden on the mound along with Senior Scotty Cole who threw over 30 Innings last year and was the winning pitcher in the Super Sectional. We also return starting RF Jeffry Schwab and Senior Nathan Niedhardt who had over 90 AB's last year. Mix in some talented Juniors and I feel we should have a really solid team again this year.

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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, and select national events, compiled by Prep Baseball. We took the top-three metrics recorded by players from each high school in the following categories. Here is how McHenry's top-three performers averaged across each category:

• Avg. Exit Velocity: 90.9 mph (No. 41 in the state)
• Max Exit Velocity: 102.67 mph (T-No. 12 in the state)
• Max FB Velocity: 89.0 mph (T-No. 19 in the state)
• Top 60-Yard: 6.68s (No. 7 in the state)

INDIVIDUAL DATA STAND-OUTS:

• Aidan Mueller (2027) - OF/OF - 6-3.7 , 174 lbs
  
  • 10-yd. split: 1.60s (95th pctile. in IL, 92nd pctile. in 2027 class)
  • vert. jump: 27.5 in (92nd pctile. in IL, 90th pctile. in 2027 class)
• Aiden Blanco (2029) - SS/LHP - 5-5 , 139 lbs
  
  • 60-yd. dash: 7.26s (54th pctile. in IL, No. 20 in 2029 class)
  • vert. jump: 24.0 in (70th pctile. in IL, No. 14 in 2029 class)
• Carver Cohn (2028) - OF/LHP - 5-9 , 163 lbs
  
  • max EV: 104.0 mph (96th pctile. in IL, T-No. 4 in 2028 class)
  • avg EV: 93.4 mph (91st pctile. in IL, No. 14 in 2028 class)
  • bat speed: 74.7 mph (92nd pctile. in IL, T-No. 16 in 2028 class)
  • rot. accel.: 18.0g (85th pctile. in IL, 87th pctile. in 2028 class)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.63s (T-No. 24 in IL, No. 3 in 2028 class)
  • 10-yd. split: 1.61s (93rd pctile. in IL, T-No. 8 in 2028 class)
  • vert. jump: 30.0 in (No. 19 in IL, No. 2 in 2028 class)
• Garet Lobbins (2027) - 1B/3B - 6-0 , 176 lbs
  
  • bat speed: 73.8 mph (89th pctile. in IL, 90th pctile. in 2027 class)
• Ian Boland (2027) - SS/RHP - 6-0.9 , 164 lbs
  
  • bat speed: 74.0 mph (90th pctile. in IL, 92nd pctile. in 2027 class)
  • CB spin: 2362 rpm (87th pctile. in IL, No. 23 in 2027 class)
• Kaden Wasniewski (2027) - RHP
  
  • max fastball: 95.0 mph (T-No. 4 in IL, T-No. 4 in 2027 class)
• Landon Clements (2027) - SS/2B - 6-1 , 168 lbs
  
  • 10-yd. split: 1.65s (84th pctile. in IL, 79th pctile. in 2027 class)
  • vert. jump: 26.7 in (89th pctile. in IL, 86th pctile. in 2027 class)
• Max Wiginton (2027) - 1B/RHP - 6-2.5 , 232 lbs
  
  • max EV: 103.0 mph (95th pctile. in IL, T-No. 25 in 2027 class)
  • avg EV: 90.9 mph (82nd pctile. in IL, 78th pctile. in 2027 class)
  • bat speed: 77.4 mph (No. 24 in IL, No. 5 in 2027 class)
  • rot. accel.: 18.0g (85th pctile. in IL, 84th pctile. in 2027 class)
• Ryan Blake (2027) - OF/OF - 5-10.1 , 172 lbs
  
  • vert. jump: 25.9 in (85th pctile. in IL, 79th pctile. in 2027 class)
• Ryan Carzoli (2028) - RHP/3B - 5-11.7 , 181 lbs
  
  • FB spin: 2333 rpm (95th pctile. in IL, No. 5 in 2028 class)
  • SL spin: 2130 rpm (57th pctile. in IL, No. 25 in 2028 class)
• Scott Cole (2026) - OF/RHP - 6-2.8 , 178 lbs
  
  • max EV: 101.0 mph (89th pctile. in IL, 83rd pctile. in 2026 class)
  • bat speed: 73.3 mph (86th pctile. in IL, 71st pctile. in 2026 class)
  • rot. accel.: 28.0g (No. 7 in IL, No. 5 in 2026 class)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.89s (85th pctile. in IL, 72nd pctile. in 2026 class)
  • 10-yd. split: 1.65s (84th pctile. in IL, 77th pctile. in 2026 class)
• Sean Blake (2029) - SS/3B - 6-03 , 159 lbs
  
  • bat speed: 71.6 mph (77th pctile. in IL, No. 12 in 2029 class)

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X-FACTOR

The Warriors enter the 2026 spring with the top-ranked players in our rankings for both the 2027 and 2028 classes: RHP/3B Kaden Wasniewski and OF Carver Cohn. Wasniewski, an LSU commit, will be a key contributor for McHenry both on the mound and at the plate. After missing the majority of last season on the mound, the All-American Game alum logged 27 innings, allowing nine earned runs while striking out 37 and walking 10. The right-hander’s fastball has been up to 95 mph and averages north of 2,600 rpm. He also shows feel for both offspeed pitches: a changeup in the mid-80s that averages around 15 inches of horizontal movement, and a sharp, low-80s slider with tight spin and 2,300+ rpm. At the plate, the right-handed hitter batted .331 with 39 hits, including nine doubles and three triples, while driving in 38 runs. He also went a perfect 20-for-20 on stolen base attempts. At the All-American Game, Wasniewski posted a 97 mph peak exit velocity and ran a 6.59 60-yard dash. His two-way ability makes Wasniewski the X-factor for the 4A runner-up McHenry Warriors heading into the 2026 season.

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The Warriors face a significant transition period after graduating key contributors from their historic 2025 campaign that culminated with a 36-5-1 record, which was a school record win total, and a runner-up finish in Class 4A. They lost ace Brandon Shannon (Louisville), who set new school single-season records with 12 wins and 111 strikeouts, along with closer Zach Readdy, who was credited with seven saves. However, the foundation remains strong with several returning standouts who set individual records during the magical 2025 run.

OF/LHP Carver Cohn (2028) leads the offense after setting a school record with 61 runs scored as just a freshman. Cohn posted a stellar .378 average (1.100 OPS) with four home runs and 18 stolen bases, establishing himself as the table-setter atop the order, momentum that earned him attention as one of the country's best '28 prospects. SS/2B Landon Clements (2027; Illinois-Chicago commit) follows, bringing consistency with a .333 average, 42 runs, and speed (20-for-20 in steal attempts). RHP/INF Kaden Wasniewski (2027; LSU) rounds out the vaunted top three, posting a .331 average with 38 RBIs while throwing 95 mph on the mound with some of the best secondaries in the state alongside it. Wasniewski also broke the career triples record with eight during his first two seasons on varsity, entering his junior campaign as a real Player of the Year contender.

The pitching staff's success will largely depend on expanded roles for returning arms. OF/RHP Scott Cole (2026) proved clutch in big moments, earning the Super Sectional victory, and must anchor a rotation that lost nearly 190 innings from graduation. Coach Brian Rockweiler acknowledged the challenge: "We feel that we will be able to compete with anyone. We return a pretty strong core of guys from last year. If we can replace the innings we lost from last year we have a chance to be really good."

The Warriors rank impressively within the Fox Valley Conference in most offensive categories based on showcase metrics.

SS/OF Jeffry Schwab (2026) returns after hitting .296 with 22 stolen bases, while 1B/RHP Max Wiginton (2027) provides both power potential and pitching depth. UTL/LHP Nathan Niedhardt (2026) is also back, returning 91 plate appearances from last year, as well as a .307 average, and he should be relied on to fill some of the innings lost on the mound to this year from last. The Warriors' showcase data reveals elite-level talent, particularly from Cohn's 104 mph exit velocity and Wasniewski's 95 mph fastball, suggesting the offensive firepower remains intact despite the graduation losses.

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BOTTOM LINE

McHenry has the offensive talent to make another deep postseason run, but their ceiling depends entirely on developing sufficient pitching depth to replace nearly 200 innings of production. The floor is still a conference title contender with that explosive top-three hitting combination.

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Find more information on the 2026 McHenry program below:

+ Follow them on social media: @mchenrybaseball
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 homepage

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