The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 13, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next two weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2023 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official PBR Illinois Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a Preseason Questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2023 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Naperville Central
Preseason Rank: No. 15
2022 Record: 22-7
Conference: DuPage Conference
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Mike Stock

Roster Preview

NAME	POS.	SCHOOL	CLASS	COMMITMENT
Colin Barczi	C	Naperville Central	2023	Vanderbilt
Michael Boyce	RHP	Naperville Central	2023	-
Jalen Chan	UTL	Naperville Central	2023	-
Gabe Dickerson	1B	Naperville Central	2023	-
Andrew Gallegos	1B	Naperville Central	2023	Parkland JC
Sean Lee	RHP	Naperville Central	2023	Milwaukee Area Technical
Cameron Lowman	OF/LHP	Naperville Central	2023
Christopher McCormack	RHP	Naperville Central	2023	Iowa Central CC
Charalambos Nicoloudes	3B	Naperville Central	2023	Illinois-Chicago
Ethan Recka	INF/OF	Naperville Central	2023	-
Luke Rue	RHP	Naperville Central	2023	-
Clay Schrader	OF	Naperville Central	2023	-
Bailey Sniadecki	OF	Naperville Central	2023	-
Nate Wyllie	RHP	Naperville Central	2023	-
Will Clermont	LHP	Naperville Central	2024	-
Jacob Gervase	INF	Naperville Central	2024	-
Michael Umbright	3B/RHP	Naperville Central	2024	-
Daniel Vogel	UTL	Naperville Central	2024	-
Chase Reeder	LHP	Naperville Central	2025	Illinois State

KEY PLAYERS LOST

+ RHP Charlie Diiulio (Augustana)
+ RHP Jack Skidmore (Lincoln Trail JC)

NEWCOMER TO WATCH

+ LHP Chase Reeder (2025) is a new face to know coming through the halls at Naperville Central. The talented sophomore left-hander recently committed to Illinois State and should have a chance to add quality depth to a strong crop of arms within this year’s staff. Reeder is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound upside southpaw that currently features a loose arm, three-pitch mix for strikes and a fastball that reaches into the upper-70’s and low-80s. Regardless of how much he actually gets to toe the rubber this spring, he will be a name to know moving forward.   

(Chase Reeder, 8/9/22)

STAT RAT

+ (2 DVC Player of The Year Awards): C Colin Barczi (2023; Vanderbilt) has been a force in the middle of the Redhawks lineup since his sophomore year, earning the DuPage Valley Player of the Year award for his past two seasons. His 2022 campaign was one to remember, slashing .482/.619/1.145 in 83 at-bats with eight doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 31 RBIs, 26 runs scored and 28 walks to only 12 strikeouts - later earning PBR Second-Team All-State honors. Few, if any players in the state resemble the pure bat-strength of Barczi, and he will be a formidable force in the lineup for the Redhawks once again as he will be looking to secure his third straight DVC Player of the Year award. 

(Colin Barczi, 2/5/23) 

X-FACTOR

+ One player that could make a massive impact on both sides of the ball for the Redhawks is RHP/3B Michael Umright (2024). Currently ranked No. 48 in the state, Umbright boasts a physical 6-foot-5, 223-pound frame with all sorts of power to his game. The right-handed hitter put on a show in BP at the Preseason All-State: Upperclass just a few weeks ago, reaching up to 100 mph for his max exit velocity and registering every ball he hit over 90 mph. 

From March 2, 2023: "[Umbright], who was making his PBR showcase debut, catches your attention initially thanks to his 6-foot-5, 223-pound, physical, well-proportioned build. He then proceeded to show off a simple, easy, highly-repeatable right-handed swing with well above-average strength attached to it, resulting in a 96.3 mph average exit velocity (T99.8 mph), good for second-best on the day. Umbright also ran a 7.31 60, showed steady infield actions and jumped on the mound where he worked from a ¾ slot and sat 87-89 mph with heavy running action.

The right-hander also will have a chance to see some significant time on the mound for the Redhawks, and we’ve heard recent reports that Umbright’s fastball has crept into the low 90s. If Umbright can perform like we know he can, we are looking at a two-way talent that can take this team to the next level.

OUTLOOK

One of the immediate strongpoints for Central that stands out is their offense. The aforementioned Barczi will be heavily complimented by SS Charalambos Nicoloudes (2023; Illinois-Chicago commit), 3B Umbright and 1B Gabe Dickerson (2023). Andrew Gallegos (2023; Parkland commit) can also play first base but should see most of his time at DH. All five of these infield bats return after starting and producing at an above-average clip in 2022. Outside of Barczi’s monster 2022 campaign, Gallegos hit .371 with five home runs, 13 extra-base hits, 22 walks, 25 RBIs and scored 29 runs in the regular season. Nicoloudes played a quality shortstop while hitting .293 with three home runs, 12 extra-base hits, 13 RBIs and 22 runs scored. 

Helping round out this veteran, experienced lineup are a trio of senior outfielders; Michael Boyce, Clay Schrader and Nate Wyllie. Boyce and Wyllie could also see plenty of innings on the mound, as they both feature fastballs that can climb into the upper-80s. Boyce also hit .333 with two home runs, 17 RBIs, 23 runs scored and seven stolen bases last season while Wyllie hit .338 (.414 with runners in scoring position) with 21 RBIs, 20 runs scored and eight stolen bases. Schrader is a highly-athletic center fielder that runs a 6.55 60 and has been up to 89 mph from the outfield.

On paper, Naperville Central boasts one of the more senior-laden, experienced crop of position players in the state with a high-level talent in Barczi leading the way.

On the mound, they do have some innings to fill with the departure of RHP Jack Skidmore (Lincoln Trail JC commit), who emerged as the ace of the staff over the 2022 season. Skidmore threw 36.1 innings and was 6-1 on the season.

Umbright, featured above as an X-Factor, should be one of a number of arms ready to step up and fill the void. As a sophomore he was not needed much on the mound and was able to focus on playing third base regularly. In the limited time he did spend on the mound, he flashed the upside of what he can be on the mound, striking out 21 hitters in 11.1 innings pitched. 

Outside of Umbright, senior RHP Chris McCormack (Iowa Central JC), is one arm who saw plenty of work in 2022 and is back ready to take on an even bigger role this season. McCormack has a lively, loose arm that worked in the mid-80s last year but it's his above-average breaking ball that is a difference maker. McCormack finished the 2022 regular season at 4-0 with a 2.21 ERA and three saves. He struck out 31 in 31.2 IP and walked 13 and was trending up in a look this summer as well. This is a Scout Blog entry from an outing last spring:

"Uncommitted. 6-foot-1, 160-pound, wiry, high-waisted, loose-bodied right-handed pitcher. Came out of the bullpen for Naperville Central and shut the door. McCormack did not allow a hit and struck out one over the final 1.1 innings of the game. Clean, easy arm and directional, repeatable delivery. McCormack sat 81-83, T84 while flashing an above-average curveball with tight spin and depth at 68 mph. He also showed feel at the bottom of the zone for a 78 mph changeup."

Sean Lee, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior right-hander committed to Milwaukee Area Tech and Luke Rue, another senior arm, should see some time on the mound this spring as well.

The Redhawks also have two young left-handed arms to know in Reeder (mentioned above) and junior Will Clermont. Clermont has a clean, quick arm and was pitching in the low-80s last spring with upside to his stuff. 

It may take some time to figure out the roles for the pitching staff throughout the season, especially with a few of them being two-way impacts - but there are plenty of quality names for the pitching to be one of the teams strengths towards the end of the season. 

BOTTOM LINE

The Redhawks sat in the Power 25 for much of the 2022 season and were upended early in the playoffs. There is plenty of unfinished business for this talented, senior-heavy squad. They have been one of the top teams in the conference over the last few seasons, featuring the DVC Player of the Year over the last two seasons in Colin Barczi. The playoffs have been unkind in recent years so we will see if Coach Mike Stock and these seniors have something different in store for the 2023 season and the road to Joliet.

Make sure to follow @PBRIllinois on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2022 season.

Find more information on the 2023 Redhawks below:

+ Team Website
+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter

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