Picking Player of the Year is never an easy task, but we felt it was only right that Quinn Schambow, the best Illinois defensive catcher in recent memory, was most deserving after he helped lead Libertyville to their first state title in school history. 

To say that Shchambow had a memorable year would be an understatement. His shelves are littered with hardware from 2025, but not even just for baseball - as he was one of the top quarterbacks in the entire state who was named All-Area, and even up for Player of the Year from a couple different publications. The stats he put up on the gridiron are staggering, leading his team to a 9-1 record and North Suburban Conference Championship with 52 passing touchdowns to only five interceptions, 3,521 total passing yards, a 74% completion percentage and 147 QB rating - also earning 6A All-State honors and North Suburban Conference Player of the Year. 

It has been quite some time since we’ve seen a catcher with the defensive prowess of Schambow, drawing some in-house comparisons to Cooper Johnson (Carmel Catholic, 2026). The defense in and of itself makes him incredibly valuable, as he was manning and leading one of the most dominant pitching staffs of recent memory. His actions and instincts behind the plate are well beyond his years, but he is also a high-level prospect with the bat, hitting his way to a .449 average with 18 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 47 RBIs, 32 runs scored, 21 walks to only nine strikeouts and 27 stolen bases - also breaking the Libertyville single season doubles record and career triples record along the way. 

Though one of the top draft prospects in the Midwest, Schambow opted to attend Oklahoma State, where he was also named as one of the Top-100 incoming freshmen per D1 Baseball and Prep Baseball. He will be an incredibly fun one to follow in the coming years, and the future is bright for the Illinois 2025 Player of the Year. 

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