Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Team Illinois Future Games: Final Day Recap

July 25, 2026
By: Tyler Defibaugh
Manager, Content & Operations/Area Scout

Team Illinois wrapped up gameplay in the 2026 Prep Baseball Future Games, losing to Team Missouri 4-1 in the morning, and then defeating Team Wisconsin 9-5 in the afternoon.

GAME TWO

The night before, the game began with RHP Jack Postma (Barrington, 2028) taking the mound for Team Illinois. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound clean mover sat 89-92 mph with his fastball in his lone inning of work that earned swing and miss. His secondary offerings included a 79-80 mph changeup and a slurve-type breaking ball at 77 mph. Postma is a high-follow name to know as August 1st nears.

With the game resuming in the morning, RHP Connor Basinski (Columbia, 2028) got the ball to start and showed well. At a high-waisted 6-foot-3, 195-pounds he sat 86-88 mph (T89) with his fastball, earning swing and miss in-zone. He then showed a 74-75 mph curveball with swing and miss ability, while rounding out his mix with a fading changeup at 79-80 mph. Basinski is one of the top arms in southern Illinois and will be one to continue to follow for years to come.

Next out of the ‘pen was LHP Luke Crowder (Benet, 2028), who not only was efficient but earned swing and miss throughout his two innings of work. A loose and athletic mover at 6-foot-3, 175-pounds, he exclusively used a fastball/slider mix; with his fastball showing armside run at 85-88 mph (T89), and going to a slurvy slider at 74-78 mph that shows out-pitch characteristics moving forward.

Closing things out for Team Illinois was RHP Kanon Baxley (Kaneland, 2028). An athletic mover at 5-foot-10, 170-pounds, he worked his fastball up to 89.2 mph while sitting 85-88 mph with the pitch. Baxley then showed a high-spin (T2702 rpm) breaking ball at 72-74 mph that he could land for strikes, and a 77-80 mph changeup that killed spin.

On offense in the first inning, the aforementioned Baxley was on the barrel for a 96 mph single and C Isaiah Wolter (Oswego East, 2028) tripled to centerfield score him and give Team Illinois their lone run of the game.

GAME THREE

Team Illinois had strong showings on both the mound and at the plate in the final game of the event.

RHP Dodger Friedrich (Lane Tech, 2028) started and provided a loud performance on the mound. At an imposing 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame he tossed in a heavy fastball at 89-93 mph, earning swings and misses in-zone, and showed a sweeping slider at 78-81 mph. Friedrich is another high-level name to continue to follow for years to come.

RHP Henry Murphy (Maine South, 2028) was next out of the ‘pen for Team Illinois and continued to show pitchability and mound presence. A loose mover at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds, he sat 86-88 mph with his fastball (2300+ rpm) and then went to a breaking ball at 68-72 mph (2300+ rpm) with nearly 14 inches of horizontal movement on average. Murphy would complete his arsenal with a 72-73 mph changeup.

Next out of the ‘pen was LHP Landon Ludwig (Ridgeview, 2028). At a high-waisted 6-foot-5, 190-pounds, he worked his fastball up to 89.6 mph while sitting 86-88 mph. He then showed a curveball at 75-76 mph, a changeup at 78-80 mph, and a cutter at 79 mph.

Closing things out for Team Illinois was RHP Nicholas Chiarodo (Edwardsville, 2028) who flashed feel for four pitches in his outing. At a loose-moving 5-foot-11, 154-pounds, he sat 88-90 mph with his fastball, then went to a high-spin curveball (2500+ rpm) at 72-74 mph and a high-spin cutter (2400+ rpm) at 76-77 mph. Chiarodo would turn over a 78 mph changeup to complete his arsenal.

Chiarodo was all over the barrel as well in the second game, notching two base hits in the contest.

OF Carver Cohn (McHenry, 2028) was also all over the barrel, collecting hits from both sides of the plate, while posting an EV of 98.4 mph.

INF Peter Pignatiello (Benet, 2028) also collected a hit in th final contest after having competitive at-bats throughout the event. Pignatiello showed the ability to play all over the infield throughout the week and is a name to continue to follow closely.

OF Jacob Hite (St. Laurence, 2028) showed well with the bat in both games on the final day, posting an EV of 100 mph on a single in the first game, and then later singling in the second game.

INF Ryder Rennette (Dunlap, 2028) was a big winner throughout the event, showcasing high bat-to-ball from the left side and playing quality defense on the infield.

OF Barrett Schifferdecker (Loyola, 2028) was one of the more interesting athletes on the Team Illinois roster and collected a single in the final game of gameplay. A two-sport athlete and a 6.71 runner in the past at a presently strong 6-foot-3, 199-pounds, Schifferdecker is a name to continue to follow closely over the following years.

C Isaiah Wolter (Oswego East, 2028) continued to hit the ball hard in the final game, swatting the hardest hit ball of the game with an EV of 99.8 mph for a double.

Team Illinois finishes the 2026 Prep Baseball Future Games with a final record of 2-1. Be on the look out for more Future Games follow-up content over the next week.

RELATED CONTENT