Illinois State Games: Preview
August 4, 2023
Next week, Aug. 9 and 10, the PBR Illinois team is hosting the second annual Illinois State Games at the Rantoul Family Sports Complex in Rantoul, Ill. This is an invite-only event for all high school classes (2024-27), and gives our staff an ample look at the area's top players.
For a closer look at the showcase details and the technologies we'll have on-site to assist our in-person evaluation for all in attendance, click here. For a complete look at those registered to attend this event, view the most up-to-date version of the roster by clicking here.
EVENT HISTORY
This is our second year hosting the event, and it's already proven to be a successful event. Among the players in attendance at this event in 2022, there are already 103 commitments among them.
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Dominic Voegele RHP / SS / Columbia , IL / 2023Perhaps the most notable player from last year’s event was RHP Dominic Voegele (Columbia, 2023; Kansas). Drafted in the 20th round of this summer’s MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Voegele was one of six Illinois high-schoolers to be selected in the draft. From 5/27/23: “Kansas signee and amongst the top prospects in the state’s senior class, currently slotted at No. 9 overall. Athletic, well-proportioned 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame with lean strength and room to add more as he continues to mature physically. Took the mound for the Eagles in a Sectional Championship win, striking out 12 over 6 ⅔ innings of work, while allowing three runs against a top-ranked Father McGivney squad. Athletic and rhythmic tall/fall type delivery, stays connected to the rubber, works down the mound in line to target, repeats. Long and continuous arm path that finishes from a high ¾ slot, comes out clean with easy arm speed out front. Fastball sat at 91-94 mph, didn’t throw a fastball under 92 mph until the fifth inning, and touched 95 mph on the final bullet of the sixth inning. Plays straight, did flash late arm-side life at times in this look. Continues to spin the baseball at an advanced rate, utilized both of his breaking balls effectively in this look and threw them often with confidence. Curveball played at 78-82 mph with downer spin off an 11/5 plane, landed it for strikes with more depth and shape. Slider has more swing-and-miss traits at 81-84 mph with hard lateral break. Plays well off an arm-side fastball, comfortable spinning it for strikes while also spotting it out of the zone for whiffs. Also showed a firm changeup at 86-88 mph, using it mostly to left-handed hitters. Has a 1.16 ERA over 60 ⅓ innings at the time of this report, pitching to a perfect 9-0 record with 102 strikeouts to just 15 walks. Yet another dominant look at one of the state’s top arms, regardless of class, that continues to generate professional buzz each time he toes the rubber.” |
YEAR ONE COMMITMENT TRACKER
At the first-ever Illinois State Games in 2022, there were over 30 colleges in attendance: Augustana (IL), Butler, Concordia (WI), Danville Area CC, Davenport, Eastern Illinois, Elmhurst, Illinois-Champaign, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois-Springfield, Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan, John A. Logan JC, John Wood CC, Kankakee CC, Lake Land JC, Lewis, Lincoln Trail JC, Lindenwood, Maryville, McKendree, Missouri-St. Louis, North Park, Olive Harvey, Rose-Hulman, Southeast Missouri State, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Triton JC, Wabash Valley JC, Webster, Western Kentucky.
Click here to view commitments from the 2022 Illinois State Games participants.
We're looking forward to checking in on the next crop of talent from this event to earn next-level attention in the coming weeks, months, and years.
2023 ROSTER
This year's roster is already shaping up nicely, just like in years past. Some of the state’s top prospects from all classes are set to attend:
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Brendan Tunink OF / OF / Newman Central Catholic, IL / 2024From 6/03/23: “Notre Dame commit and ranked No. 9 in the state’s class of 2024. Stands at an athletic 5-foot-11, 180-pounds with noticeable upper-body strength. A standout for Team Illinois at the PBR Future Games in 2022, Tunink continued to find success all spring helping lead his team to an IHSA Final Four appearance. Hit third and started on the mound for the Comets. At the plate Tunink shows a quick and direct swing with an uphill path. Went 2-for-2 with an inside-the-park home run and three RBIs. On the mound, threw four innings, struck out six and allowed one hit. Tunink continued to show why he is one of the state’s top prospects this spring.” |
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Khamaree Thomas OF / LHP / Kenwood, IL / 2024
Rankings StateRank: 37 / POS: 6
From 3/21/23: “Michigan State commit. Currently ranked No. 27 in the Illinois’ 2024 class. 5-foot-8, 160-pounds, lean, athletic build. Started on the mound and batted leadoff. On the mound, starts slightly off-center facing with a smooth tall and fall delivery and easy actions down the mound. Thomas throws from a high ¾ slot with a short, plunging arm action and three pitch mix. He attacked hitters with a fastball, curveball and changeup combination. The fastball played with a late arm-side run, sat 77-79 mph. The curveball works well off the fastball with a 1/7 shape at 68-69 mph. The changeup held 72-73 mph and played with sinking action. Thomas went four innings with nine strikeouts, five hits allowed and gave up four runs. At the plate, sets up in a tall and open stance, with a short, twitchy left-handed swing, spray approach working the whole field; finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.” |
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Kenny Perez SS / 3B / De LaSalle , IL / 2024From 3/02/23: “Perez, a Cincinnati commit, continues to prove that he is one of the top defenders in the entire state, boasting all sorts of moxy and fluidness to his actions. His hands are confident through the ball with a quick double-play turn and he moves well laterally, better than his 7.10 60-time would indicate. Offensively, he showcased the same fluidity and comfort in the box that we have seen in the past while flashing some intent and power to the opposite field gap. Perez peaked at 98.7 mph off the bat, 89.8 mph average.” |
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Cooper Malamazian SS / RHP / Nazareth Academy, IL / 2024From 6/10/23: “Indiana commit. Ranked 11th for the class in Illinois, 323rd nationally. Powerful, agile 6-foot-1, 175 pound build, coordinated movements. Malamazian showed prompt instincts all weekend both in the batter box as well as at shortstop. Fast hands with twitch, short to the baseball with barrel length through the zone, level plane. Advanced defender at a premium infield position. Cut off a throw to second base and nabbed a would-be run at home in the first inning. Nimble feet, comfortable on the move, maintains rhythm and covers ground confidently. Soft clean funnels, accurate across the infield with the arm strength to stick on the left side. Trending upward as a high-end 2024 prospect in Illinois.” |
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Brayden Mazzacano OF / LHP / Schaumburg , IL / 2024From 2/17/23: “LHP/OF Brayden Mazzacano (Schaumburg, 2024; Illinois commit) opened our eyes last summer with his two-way abilities at a PBR At The Rock tournament. He committed shortly thereafter to Illinois and his prospect status does not look to be slowing down anytime soon. Currently the No. 12 ranked player in the class, Mazzacano, has some of the best two-way upside in the class. Offensively, he showed off a short, quick, twitchy left-handed swing, resulting in an event-best 92.4 mpg average exit velocity and T98.3, second-best. The 6.93 runner is also a natural in the outfield moving with quick, efficient feet, fluid actions and a strong arm that plays at 89 mph. That same arm strength plays just as well on the mound. He topped at 89 mph with the fastball and complimented it with a 75-78 mph slider that is thrown with feel/intent and a changeup that landed for strikes 60% of the time with an average of 15.7 inches of horizontal movement. He is a name to know in the 2024 class and looks to be just scratching the surface of his ceiling.” |
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Kyle Hartmann C / SS / Sycamore, IL / 2024
Rankings StateRank: 40 / POS: 4
From 6/05/23: “Uncommitted. Ranked No. 40 in Illinois’ class of 2024. Stands at an athletic 5-foot-10, 175-pounds with clear upper-body strength. Started behind the plate and batted cleanup for the Spartans in their Super-Sectional matchup. A right-handed hitter, hitterish at the plate with pop in the bat, made consistent contact with the ball throughout the game. Recorded two hits in the game - a double and an RBI single. His first at-bat was a well-hit fastball to deep left field, but produced a flyout. Defensively, natural leadership tendencies, controls the game. Quick transfer and strong arm on throws to second (1.94-2.03 in-event pop times), receives the ball with strong hands, moves athletically behind the plate, soft blocker. Uncommitted junior that has continued to show well this spring for our staff.” |
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Henry Brummel RHP / Pontiac, IL / 2024
Rankings StateRank: 52 / POS: 18
From 5/20/23: “Indiana commit. Ranked no. 52 in Illinois’ class of 2024. Stands at an athletic 6-foot-2, 165-pounds. Brummel threw two innings, struck out four, allowed no hits and no runs. Athletic action on the mound with a loose, clean arm. Worked quickly and prevented the opposition from scoring on offense, giving Pontiac a chance to win a regional final game despite being behind by two. Showed a three-pitch mix with the confidence to throw any pitch in any count. Fastball sat 90-92 mph with some sinking actions. Slider sat 75-78 mph with quality spin (2300-2400 RPM). His best offspeed in this look was his changeup which sat 78-81 mph with fading and downer action - resulted in multiple swing-and-misses. Brummel provided a quality look in this outing proving to be one of the top arms in the class.” |
For a full list of the prospects attending the event in Rantoul next week, click here.
EVENT CHECK-IN PROCESS
Because of the high number of prospects set to attend Tuesday and Wednesday’s event, it is imperative that you read our adjusted showcase itinerary below, which will allow our staff to swiftly and efficiently educate and evaluate the players set to attend.
Additionally, in an effort to continue and develop contactless check-in strategies, upon arrival, players will scan a QR Code with their smart phone camera that will lead them to a Google Form. On that Form, players will enter their name (matching the spelling on their PBR profile) and hit submit. Upon submission, players will be prompted to click a link that will direct them to their jersey color and number, located next to their registered name.
ITINERARY
+ Tuesday, August 8:
- Check-in: 9:00-9:15 AM - Position Player Check-in
- Workout: 9:45 AM - Position Player Workout (1st pitch of BP)
- 3:00 PM (gameplay): ProCase Team vs. Team 1
- 3:40 PM: Team 2 vs. Team 3
- 4:20 PM: Team 4 vs. Team 5
- 5:00 PM: Team 6 vs. Team 7
- 5:40 PM: Team 8 vs. Team 9
- 6:20 PM: Team 10 vs. Team 11
- 7:00 PM: Team 12 vs. Team 13
- 7:40 PM: Team 14 vs. Team 15
+ Wednesday, August 9:
- 9:00 AM: Team 1 vs. Team 2
- 9:40 AM: Team 3 vs. Team 4
- 10:20 AM: ProCase Team vs. Team 5
- 11:00 AM: Team 7 vs. Team 8
- 11:40 AM: Team 1 vs. Team 6
- 12:20 PM: Team 4 vs. Team 2
- 1:00 PM: ProCase Team vs. Team 3
- 1:40 PM: Team 5 vs. Team 8
- 2:20 PM: Team 12 vs. Team 14
- 3:00 PM: Team 9 vs. Team 15
- 3:40 PM: Team 10 vs. Team 13
- 4:20 PM: Team 7 vs. Team 11
- 5:00 PM: Team 6 vs. Team 12
- 5:40 PM: Team 9 vs. Team 14
- 6:20 PM: Team 10 vs Team 15
- 7:00 PM: Team 11 vs. Team 13
+ Rosters:
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Click here to view your team assignment.
MORE EVENT DETAILS
Click here to learn more about our tech partners that have enhanced our players showcase experience. Partners like TrackMan, Vizual Edge, and Blast Motion have helped both our in-event evaluation process, as well the compilation of our post-event scouting reports – and they're also a tool for our players to learn more about their measured and collected data, that can be applied to improve upon their game.
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