By Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director

Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will count down the Top 50 preseason teams every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

Team: Lockport                     
Preseason Rank: 9
2014 Record: 19-17
Conference: Southwest Suburban - Blue
IHSA Class: 4A  
Head Coach: Andy Satunas
Playoff Run: Lost to Class 4A State Champion Providence Catholic in the Lockport Regional
2014 Final Rank: NR
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 3

TOP PLAYERS
Name, Position, Class (College Commitment)
Cole Bellair, RHP, 2015 (Illinois)
Tyler Hair, SS, 2015 (Northern State)
Jeremy Quade, OF, 2015
Austin Moralis, LHP, 2015 (Heartland CC)
Jordan Johnston, RHP, 2015 (Marshall)
Davis Purviance, OF, 2015
Anthony Cocco, IF, 2016
Stephen Hill, IF, 2016
Joe McGuire, C/OF, 2016
Dylan Barthel, LHP, 2016
Joe Riordan, LHP, 2016

X-FACTOR
Lockport boasts three power arms and a pitching staff as deep as any in the state of Illinois with Bellair, Johnston, and Moralis on the mound. Bellair struck out 52 in 44.2 innings in 2014 with a 1.72 ERA and will be one of the top pitchers in Illinois. Moralis struck out 43 in 29 innings, and Johnston sat 88-91 mph at times in June when he came back from an ankle injury which caused him to miss his junior year.

NEWCOMER TO WATCH
2017 prospects INF/RHP Gavin Lovesky, RHP/1B Josh Baker, and C Nick Strysik all have Division-I potential and could make a contribution on the varsity level this season. Lovesky has shown 83-85 mph velocity on the mound, Baker recently sat in the 85-87 mph range and boast an intimidating 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame, and Strysik is an advanced hitter who continues to get better behind the plate with his catch-and-throw skills.

KEY PLAYER LOST
The loss of RHP’s Noah Masa (Illinois-Chicago) and Mike Formella (Concordia, IL) will be offset by the starting rotation and several talented underclass arms.

STAT RAT
The Porters finished 19-17 last season, due to a sluggish start with a majority of underclassmen playing, coupled with one of the toughest schedules in the state. They played their best baseball late in the season going 12-2 in conference play, winning the Southwest Suburban-Blue Conference title.

OUTLOOK
Lockport Head Coach Andy Satunas was excited about the upcoming campaign saying, “We are a very athletic and physical team. Our size and speed will allow us to compete with any team in the area. On the mound we bring back 3 senior pitchers who are power arms. We will compete in three tournaments this spring (Super Preps in Louisville KY, WJOL Tournament, and the Edwardsville Tigers Classic) against some of the best teams in the nation and the state of Illinois. With those tournaments, along with our rugged conference and non-conference schedule, we will be battle tested by the time the IHSA State Playoffs”. Jeremy Quade was the starting QB in football this fall, and has offers to play both spots in college. He impressed with his speed and hitting ability this summer. Davis Purviance hit towards the bottom of the order in the summer, and impressed as one of the fastest players we saw on the field in Illinois (reportedly a 6.7 runner).

BOTTOM LINE
With one of the top pitching staff’s in the state of Illinois, Lockport should compete for the Southwest Suburban-Blue crown once again. If unproven varsity hitters can step up, the Porters may be one of the frontrunners to make a run at a Class 4A State Championship in June.

Preseason Countdown

+ Top 50 Preseason Countdown Rankings

+ 2015 Schedules Released

+ Updated Illinois 2016 Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2015 Rankings

+ June Event Schedule