As we continue to sift through all of the information we collected during the spring and summer seasons, our staff turns its attention to the state’s 2025 rankings. Last week, we updated the 2024 rankings, and highlighted a handful of risers and newcomers in the class, too. 

You can find that full update by clicking HERE.

Below you’ll learn more about a few prospects inside the top 10, and we’ll also touch on a handful of other names-to-know scattered across our board. Continue reading to learn more about the state of the current sophomore class - a group that's shaping up nicely in the early goings.

THE TOP 10 

+ There’s a fresh face atop our 2025 board, and one that’s quickly ascending as an upper-tier prospect in the Midwest: LHP Jack Bauer (Lincoln-Way East). Bauer erupted at our Top Tier Scout Day this summer and followed that up with an eye-popping performance at The Rock. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound southpaw donned Team Illinois’ jersey at the PBR Future Games as an underclassman, running his fastball up to 90.4 mph, pitching in the upper-80s across two dominant looks. He then attended our Illinois State Games, where he bumped his fastball up a tick, peaking at 91.4 mph in his first inning of work. Though still developing consistency with his breaking ball, Bauer spins it at 2,400+ RPM on average, and his aptitude to spin at that level of raw spin right now suggests relative upside with the pitch moving forward. Bauer’s ease of operation, physical stature, and present loud arsenal all equates to a high ceiling on the mound moving forward. Bauer, the top uncommitted prospect in the class, should have a number of high-level programs to choose from down the road.

Jack Bauer

+ C/CIF Enzo Infelise (Providence Catholic) climbs a few spots as well, jumping up to No. 6 in the state after a strong summer that included an invitation to the PBR Future Games, where he was one of the top bats on the roster. A 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-handed bat, Infelise’s polished feel to hit with presence and strength in the bat make for an advanced offensive profile for his age. He looks to be one of the top bats in the class that should impact a middle-of-an-order moving forward.

Enzo Infelise

+ OF Ezra Essex (Marian Catholic) rises into the top-10 for the first time after standing out multiple times at PBR Tournaments this summer and catching our eyes at the Illinois State Games, too. Essex plays with a high-motor and, as a result, is capable of impacting the game in multiple areas. He’s a 6.57 runner that posts plus run times out of the box and seamlessly floats around the outfield with ease. Offensively, his knack for the barrel is evident and elevates that aforementioned run tool, especially as he continues to make contact at a high rate. Essex is one of the top uncommitted names in the state’s 2025 class. 

Ezra Essex

MORE NAMES TO KNOW

+ SS Jackson Natanek (Brother Rice) stays put just at No. 11 in the state after joining Team Illinois at the PBR Future Games, joining Infelise, as the only two 2025 position players on the roster. Natanek continues to profile as one of the top middle infielders in the state with a strong overall feel for the game, plenty of arm strength for shortstop and a repeatable, line-drive stroke at the plate with competitiveness and a mature approach. 

+ C/RHP Blaine Williams (Tremont; Illinois commit) made a push into the Top-15 in the state with his showings this summer. He is a weapon behind the plate, playing with a bounce in his step while showing a plus arm (85 mph from the crouch) that should stifle running games for years to come. That same arm plays well on the mound where he sits comfortably in the mid-to-upper 80’s.

+ One of the many new names and faces to the Illinois 2025 rankings is RHP/SS Lucas Acevedo (Lincoln-Way West), who slots in at No. 19. The recent UIC commit has a chance to be a two-way player at the next level, possessing a highly-athletic arm on the mound and clean right-handed swing. On the mound his arm works loose and quick with life out of the hand to go along with a high-spinning breaking ball that could be a true out-pitch down the road. 

+ Another new name, C/OF John McAuliffe (Marist) officially broke out at the Illinois State Games this August. McAuliffe made it impossible not to notice him, seemingly barreling up everything thrown his way into a gap; finished the tournament 5-for-8 with three loud doubles. The 6-foot, 175-pound, left-handed hitting showed arm strength behind the plate with on-the-bag accuracy, popping at 2.01-to-2.04 during his workout. He sits at No. 21 in the state.

John McAuliffe

+ Two upside right-handed arms, RHP Ryan Schaffnit (Morton) and RHP/1B Connor Blue (O’Fallon), come in at No. 23 and No. 24 on the list. Schaffnit, listed at 6-foot-5, 195-pounds, saw his velocity tick up this summer and is turning into one of the top follows out of Central Illinois. Blue has a 5-foot-11, 170-pound, strong-bodied frame and worked at 82-85 mph in his stint at the Illinois State Games while showing off an advanced slider with big horizontal movement and sharp spin; 2,372 average rpm. On top of his prowess on the mound, Blue swings a potent right-handed bat that stays on-plane and projects for more power to come down the road.

Ryan Schaffnit

+ A quartet of high-follow infielders to know in the Top-30 of the updated rankings are 3B/C Dominic Bonilla (Hope Academy), Brady Green (Oak Park-River Forest), DaMaurion Butler (Kenwood) and Ryne Dzierzynski (Grant). Bonilla broke out at the Illinois Summer Championships showing an advanced left-handed bat that should be followed closely moving forward. Green shined at the Illinois State Games making a number of impressive plays at shortstop while showing a compact, upside right-handed bat. Butler started at shortstop this past spring as a freshman and was on the barrel a number of times in our looks this summer. Dzierzynski has a balanced, highly-repeatable right-handed swing that profiles at the top of an order to go along with sound defensive actions. 

DaMaurion Butler

+ Two left/left outfielders who cracked the Top-50 to follow moving forward are Timmy Leark (Oak Park-River Forest) and Kolin Adams (Mount Carmel). Both have repeatable swings and above-average bat-to-ball skills with plenty more to come as they continue to physically develop.

+ A number of talented prospects just missed the top-50 but have bright futures and are on track to find their names on the ranking list in future updates; OF Wyatt Wawro (Downers Grove South), MIF Gavin Triezenberg (Brother Rice), RHP/C Noah Brandt (Somonauk), 3B/RHP Andrew Kouris (Nazareth), Charlie Meister (Hersey), RHP Daniel Kane (Oak Park-River Forest), OF/RHP Gavin Powels (Downers Grove South), LHP/OF Talan Hull (Galva), OF Chase Petersen (Glenbrook North), C/RHP Brandon Stinson (Kenwood), OF Lance Moon (Brother Rice), LHP/OF Remo Indomenico (St. Ignatius), among plenty of others. 

THE TOP 10

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Jack Bauer	IL	Lincoln-Way East	2025	LHP
2	Tanner Thomas	IL	Arcola	2025	RHP	Louisville
3	Ethan Moore	IL	Oak Park-River Forest	2025	SS	Louisville
4	Joe Olson	IL	St. Laurence	2025	LHP	Louisville
5	Jaden Fauske	IL	Nazareth Academy	2025	C	Louisville
6	Enzo Infelise	IL	Providence Catholic	2025	C/3B
7	Conor Essenburg	IL	Lincoln-Way West	2025	1B/LHP
8	Jack Wheeler	IL	Morris	2025	INF	Illinois
9	Ezra Essex	IL	Marian Catholic	2025	OF
10	Cody Freitas	IL	Bradley-Bourbonnais	2025	3B/RHP	Illinois State

**CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ILLINOIS 2025 RANKINGS**

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