ROSTER PREVIEW

KEY PLAYERS LOST

+ 3B/RHP Spencer Stearns (2022; SIU-Edwardsville)
+ C Grant Huebner (2022; St. Charles CC)
+ RHP/INF Gannon Burns (2022; Saint Xavier)
+ OF Jacoby Roberson (2022; Indiana Tech)
+ OF Cade Hardy (2022)
+ OF Adam Powell (2022)

X-FACTOR

Joe Chiarodo, RHP/OF, 2025, Alabama commit: Chiarodo played a brief role on both sides of the ball as a freshman last season for the state champions, flashing glimpses of a true upper-tier talent in the state’s 2025 class. He threw 15 ⅔ innings, pitching to a 1.34 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, while batting .296 with a .486 OBP over 27 at-bats, swiping six bags, too. Now, as a sophomore, Chiarodo is expected to take on a deeper two-way role for the Tigers. He’ll likely slot into their starting rotation on the mound while also seeing time at the plate, providing a dynamic impact for this team as a result. Our latest look at the Crimson Tide recruit came in the winter at the GBA Scout Day, where he came away as unquestionably the day’s biggest winner after an explosive showing:

“...added strength onto his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame since we saw him in the summer, particularly in the lower half and broadening his shoulders, too. He started his day by running a 6.87 in the 60-yard dash, getting off the line quickly (1.63 10-yard) and nearly reaching 20 mph at his peak run speed. He participated in his outfield workout afterwards, recording a 98 mph high from the outfield on his hardest throw, which may be amongst the highest marks in the Midwest, regardless of class. Chiarodo took the day’s loudest BP round, swinging an extremely quick right-handed barrel and generating plenty of authority with aggression out of his load. Both his max exit velocity (100.8 mph) and average exit velocity (94.9 mph) led the event, and his peak batted distance (369 ft.) wasn’t too far off of the event’s highest mark either. Chiarodo then toed the rubber and stole the show, repeating an athletic delivery with controlled violence downhill. He held upper-80s velocity throughout, topping at 90 mph twice, pounding the strike zone with plenty of polish. Chiarodo spun a firm upper-70s breaking ball with tight action and late spin off his fastball’s plane, and he also showed a low-80s cutter with late glove-side action. And, while he didn’t have his best feel for it in this ‘pen, Chiarodo’s changeup is a pitch we’ve been impressed with before, rounding out a highly advanced arsenal for someone his age. It was an extremely impressive showing from one of the top sophomores in Illinois that should certainly ride this momentum into his high school season as a key cog for the reigning state champions.”

Joseph Chiarodo

NEWCOMER TO WATCH 

Anthony Eberlin, RHP, 2026: Another huge standout from that aforementioned GBA Scout Day was, Eberlin seemingly appears to just be scratching the surface of what he’s capable of. With plenty to project on a 5-foot-10, 160-pound stature, Eberlin worked with minimal effort in all aspects of his operation, sitting at 85-88 mph with his fastball and throwing both of his secondary pitches for strikes with consistency. He’s another young arm in this deep Edwardsville pipeline that could see some run on varsity as a freshman and looks every bit the part of a high end name-to-know in the Illinois’ 2026 class. More on him from our up-close look:

“...came into this event as an unknown name to our staff and departed as one of the top pitching prospects we’ve seen to date in the Illinois’ 2026 group. At 5-foot-11, 160-pounds, Eberlin offers plenty of future projection, and he’s likely to grow even more while adding quality mass as physical maturity continues. He showed advanced polish on the mound for his age, working with tempo and repeating his delivery with a certain ease to him throughout. His last two fastballs topped at 88 mph, sitting at 85-87 mph prior from a short, quick, continuous right-handed arm that’s clean out front. Eberlin landed his breaking ball for strikes at 73-75 mph and he spotted a 79-82 mph changeup beneath the zone to the arm-side consistently. He’s advanced for his age already, and Eberlin’s next in line to be one of the premier arms in southern Illinois.”

Anthony Eberlin

STAT RAT

+ (715): The games that head coach Tim Funkhouser has won throughout his tenure at Edwardsville, dating back to the 1998-to-1999 season. The Tigers have won more than 30 games in 13 of those seasons, captured two state championships, and finished as runner-ups twice.

OUTLOOK

Winning has become the standard in Edwardsville, and the Tigers have made sure that the entire state knows about their victorious ways. They won the state championship in 2019 and capped off a 36-4 season last spring with yet another ring, defeating numerous powerhouse opponents en route. Multiple key pieces from that group graduated, but the Tigers always reload, and the infusion of talent joining this roster to compliment their returners have them pegged as the early favorites in 2023.

There will be some voids to fill offensively left behind via graduation, but the Tigers do return a steady crop of position players from their title team. Two big left-handed bats that return are 1B/OF Riley Iffrig (2023; Indiana State) and OF Caeleb Copeland (2022; St. Charles CC). Iffrig’s proven himself as an elite middle-of-the-order bat for the Tigers now in back-to-back seasons, and he’s coming off a .433/.550/.615 junior campaign, drawing more walks (20) than strikeouts (18) while driving home 32 runs. Copeland’s also been an offensive asset for Edwardsville dating back to his sophomore year, though he elevated his game to the next level in 2022. Over 102 at-bats, Copeland slashed .422/.516/.549, also walking (17) at a higher rate (14) than he struck out, chipping in some speed as well with 12 stolen bases. Both are staples within this lineup and provide not only production, but stability, for the Tigers on a game-to-game basis.

Edwardsville also returns a handful of players around the infield. They bring one of the best state’s up-the-middle duos back with INF Kayden Jennings (2023; Illinois-Springfield) and INF Cole Funkhouser (2023; Central Missouri) set to make up a large chunk of their innings at shortstop and second base, respectively. Jennings spent some time on the sideline with an injury last year, but he’s a true asset with the glove and a dynamic athlete that adds even more versatility to this lineup. Funkhouser’s a gamer in every sense of the word, bringing value in all aspects to the diamond on a game-to-game basis, and he’s clutched up for the Tigers throughout his career, including delivering the walk-off hit in last year’s Super Sectional against Plainfield North. 3B/RHP Andrew Hendrickson (2023; Lincoln Land CC) is another senior that should see more time throughout the spring, bringing more power to this lineup from a strong left-handed bat, and he’s also reportedly ticked up on the mound, pitching in the low-to-mid-80s with his fastball.

FINAL:

INF Cole Funkhouser (2023) delivers a walk-off base hit up the middle and sends @EvilleTigerBB to the 4A state playoffs. pic.twitter.com/B35H8Hyuqw

— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 6, 2022

Sticking with the offense, the Tigers will supplement their core returners with a young group of talented prospects. RHP/CIF Alec Marchetto (2024) is another two-way contributor to know on this roster. As a sophomore last spring, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Marchetto pitched to a 0.99 ERA over 35 ⅓ innings, striking out 42 while walking only 16. Aside from his prowess on the mound, Marchetto will see time at the plate, where he’s shown a strong right-handed swing to our scouts in the past. C/RHP Lucas Huebner (2024) will also work on both sides of the ball, seeing time behind the plate while also touching the rubber in relief on occasion. He’s a quality receiver that’s comfortable and experienced with the arms on this staff, while also bringing a mid-80s fastball to the slope with a true swing-and-miss splitter. The aforementioned Chiarodo brings a power and speed skill-set to this lineup, while INF Lucas Krebs (2025) is a sophomore to highlight jumping up to varsity for the first time. Krebs has upside to all facets of his game, presently swinging a fast right-handed swing with strength, and flashing arm strength across the infield that’ll play true from the left side.

Lucas Krebs

Moving to the mound, Edwardsville has an abundance of talented arms throughout the staff they’re comfortable deploying. Both Chiarodo and Marchetto proved themselves as underclassmen, and are back with the intention of taking on a larger, more integral role. A pair of talented uncommitted seniors that should log innings are LHP Logan Geggus (2023) and RHP Jake Holder (2023). Geggus, in particular, is a name we’ve heard plenty of positive reports on, and he was excellent for the Tigers over 20 innings last spring, striking out 27 batters with a 1.05 ERA. Highlighted above, Huebner, Hendrickson, and Eberlin are other options on the mound, too.

Lucas Huebner

A pair of sophomores that deepen this staff even more: RHP Tyler Powell (2025) and LHP Dax Dunnill (2025). Powell briefly saw time on varsity as a freshman in 2022 and he’s a competitive strike-thrower that showed polish for four pitches at an event in early February, holding 85-87 mph throughout. Dunnill’s added size and strength over the winter, now standing at a much more physical 6-foot-3, 205-pounds. He works from a tight ¾ arm window, pumping his fastball in the low-to-mid-80s, topping at 87 mph. Both are capable options offensively too, flashing bat strength in BP at our events in the past as well.

Tyler Powell

BOTTOM LINE

There’s no shortage of talent in all aspects of this Edwardsville roster, and they’re one of the more complete teams in the state, regardless of class. Their seniors are experienced and have a track record of winning, and the young talent that’ll join this team is ready to make an impact in 2023. They’re primed to defeat their title this spring and open the season as the top team on our preseason rankings. 

Make sure to follow @PBRIllinois on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2023 season.

Find more information on the 2023 Tigers below:

+ Team Website
+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter

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