The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 17, 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 2025 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 2025 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: St. Charles East Saints
Preseason Rank: No. 24
Head Coach: Derek Sutor
Classification: 4A
Conference: Dukane
2024 Record (Finish): 14-14 (Lost in Regional Final)
Key Players Lost: Jake Greenspan (All-Conference SS)

ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Positional Starters: 4
No. of Returning Starting Pitchers: 3 
No. of Returning Relief Pitchers: 2
Team Strengths: Strengths this year will start on the mound. They have a good four/five arms that could line up to be starters, but may also mix in coming out of the bullpen to keep the starting pitcher's pitch count down. They will be strong at the plate as well, as a good portion of their lineup saw a good amount of starting time throughout the 2024 season. Even though they have several starters coming back, they are still a young team, potentially opening up the season with six or seven position players being juniors or younger. They are looking to carry their success of winning the IHSBCA summer state tournament into the spring. 

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X-FACTOR

Few players in the state rival what OF/LHP Joey Arend (2025; Xavier commit) can do on both sides of the ball. A recent winner from our Preseason ProCase, He has true ace stuff on the mound with a heavy sinking fastball around the 88-89 mph mark to go along with a slider/changeup mix - coming off a spring campaign in which he had a 1.93 ERA in 32.2 innings, striking out 43. On the other side of the ball, Arend is a highly athletic L/L prospect that should help add some crucial depth to their outfield. He also will be a dangerous piece towards the middle/top of their lineup. 

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NEWCOMER TO WATCH

1B Dylan McCabe (2027) is a name our staff has become quite fond of, showing well multiple times on the showcase and tournament circuit, particularly this past winter at the Preseason All-State Underclass event. Currently ranked No. 32 in the state, McCabe got a taste of varsity last year as only a freshman, but he will be expected to take on a larger role this time around. Coach Sutor speaks very highly of his defense at first base, and he should be a key piece in their lineup as well - coming off a hot summer in which he earned MVP honors of the IHSBCA Summer Tournament, hitting .533 with four runs scored and six RBIs from the leadoff spot. 

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TEAM OUTLOOK

One thing you can never have too much of is pitching, and St. Charles East trots out numerous arms that would likely be aces at other programs. The aforementioned Joey Arend will undoubtedly be one of their biggest pieces on the bump, but look for RHP Matthew Steinberg (2025; Manhattan commit) to take on a large workload as well, giving the Saints a very intriguing 1-2 punch. 

Steinberg really burst onto the scene for us this past summer, showing well multiple times throughout the summer circuit and even into the fall. The Manhattan commit returns over 30 innings from a season ago, and his upper-80s fastball will help add some firepower to the rotation. 

RHP Nathan Moline (2026) looks to be a solid depth piece, having seen some notable time on varsity last spring with over 34 innings pitched and a 3-1 record. He will run his fastball in the mid-80s to pair with a slider and a changeup, and he has proven to be a strikethrower and limit walks. 

One more piece to note for the potential rotation is LHP Nathan Beers (2025; North Central commit). Another one of the Saints’ main arms from a year ago, the southpaw will surely look to build off his strong junior campaign - having limited opponents to a .234 batting average in 12 innings of work. 

The Saints look to have plenty of depth in their bullpen as well, headlined by 6-foot-4 right-hander Gavin Fuscone (2026), RHP Andrew Zolna (2025) and RHP Ben Solazzo (2025) - while Fuscone and Zolna will also look to be key pieces as position players, too. 

There are definitely some interesting pieces throughout the Saints’ lineup, with the aforementioned Arend and McCabe looking to lead the way. 

One name to watch is INF James Feigleson (2026), who saw quite a bit of time last year as a sophomore and was one of the team’s biggest producers - hitting his way to a .303 average in 66 at-bats. He’s an athletic and versatile prospect that should help add depth anywhere he plays from a defensive standpoint. 

Another underclassman to note that should make an impact is INF Andrew Evans (2027). The 6-foot, 161-pound sophomore really started to come into his own this past summer according to coach Sutor during their Summer State Title run, and they expect him to pick up where he left off. 

Some more names that we can expect to see for the Saints are INF Antonio Perez (2026) - a strong right-handed hitter that will add some thump to their lineup, INF Ryan McGrew (2025; Dominican commit) - another strong right-handed hitter, and Mason Daros (2026) - who they expect to man the pitching staff behind the plate. 

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BOTTOM LINE & DIRECTOR'S NOTE

The Saints have a deep pitching staff led by one of the top prospects in the entire state, and there is plenty of depth behind him with quality arms. The offense should also be a strong suit for them with some key returners, a couple of which being underclassmen that already have varsity experience under their belt. Things already appear to be heading in the right direction for the Saints, coming off a Summer State title, and we fully expect them to keep the momentum going into the spring. 

"There is always a plethora of talent coming out of the St. Charles area and this year the Saints jumped off the page as a team poised for a big spring." Drew Locascio

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Find more information on the 2025 St. Charles East program below:

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

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