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: Marquette Academy Crusaders
Preseason Rank: No. 16
Head Coach: Todd Hopkins
Classification: 2A
Conference: Tri-County
2025 Record: 35-3 (Class 1A State Champions)
Key Players Lost: Sam Mitre (Parkland), Keaton Davis (Spoon River), Payton Gutierrez

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ROSTER PREVIEW

Returning Positional Starters: 7
Returning Starting Pitchers: 6
Returning Relief Pitchers: nan
Team Strengths: Experience and Pitching and Defense

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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 Marquette Academy's top-three performers averaged across each category:

• Avg. Exit Velocity: 91.8 mph
• Max Exit Velocity: 100.33 mph 
• Max FB Velocity: 88.67 mph 
• Top 60-Yard: 7.10s 

INDIVIDUAL DATA STAND-OUTS:

• Alec Novotney (2026) - RHP/SS - 5-11.3 , 193 lbs
  
  • CB spin: 2582 rpm (No. 14 in IL, No. 6 in 2026 class)
  • SL spin: 2612 rpm (No. 11 in IL, No. 8 in 2026 class)
• Easton DeBernardi (2027) - OF/RHP - 5-10.9 , 182 lbs
  
  • max EV: 102.0 mph (T-No. 74 in IL, T-No. 36 in 2027 class)
  • max fastball: 90.0 mph (T-No. 71 in IL, T-No. 32 in 2027 class)
  • FB spin: 2319 rpm (T-No. 36 in IL, T-No. 15 in 2027 class)
  • SL spin: 2271 rpm (T-No. 84 in IL, No. 31 in 2027 class)
• Grant Dose (2026) - OF/RHP - 5-6.6 , 188 lbs
  
  • max EV: 99.0 mph (T-No. 194 in IL, T-No. 59 in 2026 class)
  • avg EV: 93.3 mph (T-No. 95 in IL, T-No. 35 in 2026 class)
• Griffin Dobberstein (2027) - 3B/SS - 5-10.9 , 174 lbs
  
  • CB spin: 2305 rpm (No. 77 in IL, No. 28 in 2027 class)
  • 10-yd. split: 1.65s (T-No. 163 in IL, T-No. 79 in 2027 class)
• Jeffrey Haiduke (2028) - SS/3B - 5-10 , 157 lbs
  
  • vert. jump: 26.6 in (T-No. 114 in IL, T-No. 23 in 2028 class)
• Liam Muffler (2028) - OF - 5-11 , 157 lbs
  
  • vert. jump: 27.4 in (T-No. 77 in IL, No. 10 in 2028 class)

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X-FACTOR

RHP/SS Alec Novotney (2026; Valparaiso commit) has been a cornerstone of the Crusaders program for four years now, and he looks to close out his career on a high note this spring. The two-way senior put together one of the more dominant pitching seasons in the state last spring, going 9-0 across 58 innings with 114 strikeouts, six walks and just one earned run allowed. On the mound he sits 86-89 mph with his fastball, and has a curveball that averages 2,582 rpm and features sharp horizontal bite. He also mixes in a mid-to-upper-70s changeup to keep hitters off balance. At the plate he hit .405 with nine doubles, two triples, 20 RBI and 44 runs scored, and defensively, he's a confident, clean defender at shortstop with soft hands and easy actions. Novotney has always been a gamer, and with four years of varsity experience under his belt, he should be the leader this Crusaders group leans on all spring.

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TEAM OUTLOOK

Ottawa Marquette enters 2026 with back-to-back Class 1A state championships under their belt, now facing the challenge of replacing key offensive contributors while making the jump to 2A. Head coach Todd Hopkins, now with 685 career wins and three state titles, will look to the program's pitching depth to carry them through the transition. "We hope to compete and be playing our best baseball in May," Hopkins said.

The rotation is as deep as any in the state, led by RHP/SS Alec Novotney (2026; Valparaiso), who posted a 0.12 ERA across 58 innings with 114 strikeouts and just six walks a season ago. RHP/INF Griffin Dobberstein (2027) was equally impressive, going 8-1 with a 1.12 ERA across 50 innings and 67 strikeouts. RHP Anthony Couch (2026; Spoon River) went 6-2 with a 2.52 ERA and 75 strikeouts, while OF/RHP Easton DeBernardi (2027) struck out 45 over 27 innings and has been up to 90 mph with quality offspeed in front of our staff this winter. OF/RHP Grant Dose (2026; Morton) rounds out a rotation that returns six starters in total, giving the Crusaders as much pitching depth as any program in the state.

Offensively, the Crusaders will look to replace the production of Sam Mitre (Parkland JC), Keaton Davis (Spoon River JC) and Payton Gutierrez, who combined for some of the more impactful numbers in the lineup a season ago. Novotney returns as one of the more reliable bats in the order, hitting .405 with 11 extra base hits, 20 RBI and 44 runs scored last spring, while C Jaxson Higgins (2026) adds another proven presence after driving in 32 runs. Couch hit .370 with 10 doubles and 37 RBI, and Dose contributed a .301 average with six doubles and 20 RBI, giving the Crusaders two more proven bats returning to the lineup. Dobberstein hit .340 with 45 runs and 34 hits, and DeBernardi is an intriguing left-handed bat with easy power who's also a quality defender in the outfield. 3B Caden Durdan (2027) rounds out the junior class, hitting .309 with 13 RBI last season.

With seven returning position starters and one of the deeper rotations in the state, the Crusaders have the pieces to make another deep run despite the jump in classification.

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BOTTOM LINE

The Crusaders have the pitching depth and championship experience to compete for another state title despite moving up to Class 2A. How quickly they replace departed offensive production will determine if they can make another deep run in May.

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Find more information on the 2026 Marquette Academy program below:

+ Follow them on social media: @MarquetteBasbl4
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 homepage

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