By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

A couple of weeks ago the Prep Baseball Report scouting staff rolled out our updated Illinois Class of 2017 rankings. You can read about the shuffled top ten and new ranked prospects HERE.

The last time we looked at the 2018 rankings in Illinois was the middle of August. A lot has happened since then, with several showcases, tournaments, fall games and camps. The new rankings have extended from 100 to 125 players with shakeups throughout.

The Top 10 remains largely intact with the only changes coming at the No. 9 and 10 spot. Two uncommitted, right-handed arms, emerged since the last update and now sit in those spots.

Ryan Vice (Lincoln-Way Central), who comes in at No. 9, has an impressive 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame and sat 87-90 mph at an event in October. Reports from a camp a couple of weeks later had Vice reaching as high as 92, 93 mph with his fastball. The breaking ball is still a work in progress but he clearly has one of the strongest arms in the class. Tylon Ross (Homewood-Flossmoor), a relative unknown before the fall, made a big jump in velocity and recently sat 86-89 mph at an event. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound, Ross, features a long, loose, quick arm and pounds the zone with his heavy fastball. He also has feel for a slider with tight, sharp action.

Alek Thomas (Mt. Carmel), Jacob Maton (Chatham-Glenwood) and Steven Sanchez (Mundelein) still sit atop the 2018 rankings in Illinois. Thomas, a three-sport high school star, is one of top uncommitted 2018 prospects in the country. Rumor has it, Thomas may be looking to play both football and baseball at the next level. Maton, a Coastal Carolina commit, is an athletic right-hander who comfortably sits in the upper 80’s, touching 90 with a wipeout breaking ball. 6-foot-8, 230-pound, Sanchez, is an imposing southpaw who can run his fastball up to 87 and spin a curveball for a strike. Sanchez, an Arkansas commit, may have the highest ceiling in the class.

A look at the Illinois Top 10:

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Alek Thomas	IL	Mount Carmel	2018	OF
2	Jacob Maton	IL	Chatham-Glenwood	2018	RHP	Coastal Carolina
3	Steven Sanchez	IL	Mundelein	2018	LHP	Arkansas
4	Zaid Walker	IL	Homewood-Flossmoor	2018	OF	Michigan State
5	Chase Stanke	IL	Marmion	2018	C	Arkansas
6	Jake Rosing	IL	Richmond Burton	2018	RHP	Louisville
7	Branden Comia	IL	Carl Sandburg	2018	SS	Illinois
8	Brooks Coetzee	IL	Mahomet-Seymour	2018	OF	Notre Dame
9	Ryan Vice	IL	Lincoln-Way Central	2018	RHP
10	Tylon Ross	IL	Homewood-Flossmoor	2018	RHP

CLICK HERE to see the updated Illinois Class of 2018 Rankings, extended to 125 prospects.

Over the next couple days we will highlight some of the biggest risers in our updated rankings, as well as prospects new to the rankings.

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