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: Homewood-Flossmoor Vikings
Preseason Rank: No. 25
Head Coach: Marcus Rodgers
Classification: 4A
Conference: SWSC
2025 Record (Finish): 14-21 (5th in conference)

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ROSTER PREVIEW

Key Players Lost: Demir Heidelberg, Derrick Holmes, Mateo Munoz, Authur Stamps
No. of Returning Positional Starters: 3
No. of Returning Starting Pitchers: 95% of innings pitched
Team Strengths: Arms, Speed

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DATA CENTER

TEAM RANKS:

This data taken from the 2026 winter showcase circuit in Illinois as well as the 2025 Illinois State Games. We took the top-five metrics that players from each high school in the state recorded in the following stat categories. Here's how HF ranked among them, as well as inside the South West Suburban Conference:

+ Max EV: 99.2 mph, No. 18 in Illinois (No. 1 in conference)
+ Average EV: 92.7 mph, No. 11 in Illinois (No. 1 in conference)
+ Average Fastball Velocity: 86.4 mph, No. 16 in Illinois (No. 4 in conference)
+ 60-yd. Dash: 6.71 seconds, No. 2 in Illinois (No. 1 in conference)

INDIVIDUAL STAND-OUTS:

• Mikey Watson is a statistical unicorn, grading out as one of only three players in the Illinois database to record both a 101-plus mph max exit velocity and a sub-6.50 time in the 60-yard dash. His 6.49 time ranks No. 3 overall across Illinois. At the plate, he displays an elite blend of raw power and barrel consistency, posting a 101 mph max EV (top 11% in state data) alongside a 94.0 mph average EV (top 8%).

(Mikey Watson; Illinois State Games, 8/4/25)

• Backing Watson in this category are Calvin Stuckey Jr. (6.61 seconds, No. 18 overall in the state), Ashton Jones (6.69 seconds, top 5%), and Evan Bradford (6.78 seconds, top 10%).
• Here are the highest average EVs from the Vikings roster: Brock Hamilton (94.6 mph; top 7%), Bryce Gilmore (94.4 mph; top 7%), and Evan Bradford (90.8 mph; top 18%).
• The pitching staff is fronted by senior Henry Humes (T90 mph; top 8% in state data), Antonio Brown Jr. (T89 mph; top 14%), and projected two-way contributor and sophomore Brock Hamilton (88 mph; top 20%).
• Jalen Webb provides high-level explosiveness, and he recorded a peak vertical jump height of 30.8 inches, ranking No. 7 overall in the state. The roster features several high-end jumpers, underscoring the athleticism in the dugout: Watson (26.8 inches), Hamilton (26.7 inches), Jones (26.3 inches), and Stuckey Jr. (26.0 inches) all ranking within the top 15% of state data.

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X-FACTOR

RHP Henry Humes (2026; Northwestern commit) had one of the more polished looks of the winter in front of our staff at the Preseason ProCase in January. The 6-foot-6, 191-pound ace is currently ranked within the state's top 30 and will look to help lead a talented Vikings' squad in 2026. His arsenal is headlined by a fastball that has been up to 90.5 mph with more still to come there in the future, while also showing potent offspeed pitches. He has a 78-80 mph slider that he can control in the zone and use as an out-pitch vs. RHH, while also displaying a strong third offering in his 76-77 mph splitter that could be effective against both left-handed and right-handed hitters this spring.

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NEWCOMER TO WATCH

Referenced earlier for his outlier tools, INF Mikey Watson (2027; Illinois-Chicago commit) will look to make an immediate impact in his first year with the Vikings' program. He is a prospect that our staff has gotten extended looks on dating all the way back to 2023, and he has continued to excel and improve his game with each look. An athletic right-handed hitting shortstop, Watson will provide a fun spark near the top of the lineup while playing reliable defense up the middle for perhaps one of the better pitching staffs in the Chicagoland area.  

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The Homewood-Flossmoor Vikings enter the 2026 season looking to build on last year's campaign and a fifth-place finish in the SWSC. Head coach Marcus Rodgers points to “arms and speed” as the team's primary strengths, which will be critical in navigating a rigorous schedule that features early matchups against Mount Carmel, St. Laurence, and Lockport. Pitching will undoubtedly be the backbone of the squad, as Coach Rodgers confidently noted that 95% of his innings pitched from last year are back. Finding consistency at the plate and breaking in positional players with significant varsity experience will be the main challenge for the group.

Senior Henry Humes (Northwestern commit) will anchor the rotation alongside fellow seniors Antonio Brown Jr. (Purdue Northwest) and Chris Hicks (Caflin). The staff is incredibly deep and versatile, with Rodgers adding that when it comes to starting or relieving, “our guys do both.” Arms like Cormac Saunders, Jamir Scott (Rust College), Logan Sesol (Prairie State), Evan Bradford (Lake Land), and standout sophomore Brock Hamilton provide a wealth of reliable options to shut down opposing lineups in any situation.

Despite losing a few key contributors, the Vikings have an exciting core of position players ready to make an impact. The potential starting nine looks to feature dynamic junior Mikey Watson (UIC) and Ashton Jones up the middle. The outfield brings serious experience and athleticism with Bradford, Scott, and Christian Hudson looking to occupy the three spots.

Behind the dish, Coach Rodgers will have options for who helps manage the talent on the pitching staff in seniors Ryan Myers (Morehouse), Kamari Dawkins, and Donovan Philpott. Elsewhere on the infield, look for Jack Castady, the previously mentioned Hamilton, and senior Jhames Holley (Joliet Junior College) to help man the corners while also providing some thump in the middle of the lineup. With a deep, battle-tested pitching staff returning nearly all of its production, the Vikings have the tools and top-end talent to make plenty of noise this spring.

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BOTTOM LINE

We have seen in year's past that to be succesful at the 4A level, you need to have adequate pitching, and the Vikings on paper certainly seem to have more than enough pitching depth to be one of the tougher teams in the state. They will be young and unproven in certain parts of the lineup, but if those younger pieces can develop into their potential over the course of the spring, it will not shock our staff if Homewood-Flossmoor is making a deep postseason run in 2026.

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Find more information on the 2026 Homewood-Flossmoor High School program below:

+ Follow them on X: @HFHS_BASEBALL
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 homepage
+ Our interview with Homewood-Flossmoor Head Coach, Marcus Rodgers at the IHSBCA Convention:

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