Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 1 Marist

KEY PLAYERS LOST

Jack Anderson, OF (Kenyon College)
Nick Doman, C
Jack Trbovic, LHP

NEWCOMER

There are a number of underclassmen who could make their presence known for the RedHawks in 2019, and a few who’ve earned some playing time early in their high school careers already, but look for sophomore Jonny Crowel to begin his transition into this team’s everyday catcher come 2020. With Malley entrenched as the team’s starting backstop, Crowel might not have the starting gig yet, but he’s an above-average defender and receiver who has been making strides with the bat over the past couple months. He’s the No. 30-ranked sophomore in the 2021 class and has a chance to force his way into added playing time somewhere else on the infield.

Jonny Crowel (2.17.19)

X-FACTOR

Kendall Ewell (Eastern Kentucky) has long been one of the most raw, projectable, and interesting 2019 talents in the entire state. The outfielder was still putting things together during his junior spring for the RedHawks, so his statistics might not leap from the scorebook, but Ewell used the summer and fall to polish his game and no position player in the state has seen his stock rise more. At the PBR Fall Championships, made loud, hard contact at-bat after at-bat. His raw and one-of-a-kind talent is actualizing before our eyes.

He represented Illinois at February’s Super 60 showcase, where he came away from the event as one of the big winners, demonstrating an advanced combination of present tools and plenty of untapped projection that is sure to warrant scouts attention this spring. If he can continue to hone his skill set for Marist this spring, no team should have more home runs in 2019 than the RedHawks.

Kendal Ewell (2.3.19)

OUTLOOK

Marist was young and hungry in 2018 and it resulted in a sectional finals appearance and a runner-up finish in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. This spring, the RedHawks are returning a near-identical team to the dugout, including budding star senior outfielders Jason Hodges (Arkansas commit) and Ewell. The two carry with them serious power in their right-handed bats to go along with a feel for hitting – Hodges, namely, has made a name for himself this past summer and fall thanks to a few standout performances on the national scene – and they’ll be joined in the middle of the order once again by the left-handed hitting 1B Justin Janas (Illinois). Janas is a polished hitter who uses the entire field and routinely makes hard contact.

Jack Brannigan (Notre Dame) has a big role to fill on this team. He’ll most likely handle the team’s shortstop duties once again and when he’s not, he’ll be pitching. He’s always been an all-around, twitchy athlete, but what we saw from him on the mound at the PBR Fall Championships was on another level. There, he came out of the bullpen and pounded the strike zone with a fastball that touched 94 mph multiple times in his first inning of work. His power arm will be a valuable piece to the Marist staff when looking to close out games. He’s also a competitive, wiry-strong right-handed hitter that consistently puts the ball in play and uses his 6.68 speed to get on base. Once on base he is an aggressive, heady baserunner, always looking to take the extra base.

Backstop Max Malley (Evansville) and utilityman Ryan Doubek (Benedictine) join this abundantly talented 2019 class, enlisted to help Marist challenge for a state championship, what would be the program’s first since the 1978 spring season.

Sophomore Noah Smith (Louisville) basically started on varsity since day one as a freshman last spring and is a dynamic piece at Coach Sefcik’s disposal. Smith, one of the top sophomore prospects in the state, has a mature approach for his age and does everything well on the diamond. The 6-foot, 160-pound infielder, is a smooth defender with the ability to play any infield spot needed. Offensively, he has loose hands and works gap-to-gap. Expect to see Smith in the lineup and on the infield but at exactly what spot, remains to be seen.

There are a couple of juniors who could push Marist over the top, from contenders to state champions. Dane Thomas, a recent Wright State commit, should be first in line to occupy center field most days and be at or near the top of the lineup. As a sophomore last spring, Thomas was a regular and he saw a ton of at-bats on a potent offensive club. He’s a offensive catalyst and perfectly complements teammates like Hodges and Ewell, sandwiched in between them in the outfield. RHPs Caden Carr and Johnny Kubin are two juniors who will be tasked to throw a number of meaningful innings this spring. Both already have plenty of varsity experience under their belt, with Kubin seeing time as a freshman.

Joining Carr and Kubin and adding depth on the mound will be seniors 1B/RHP Justin Janas and RHP Matt Mirabella (Triton JC). Janas works mainly off a fastball/curveball combination and what he lacks in velocity, he makes up for with deception, mixing timing and location. Mirabella is long and lean at 6-foot-6, 165-pounds and worked in the low-80’s last spring. Coach Sefcik is not afraid to call up young talented prospects if he think they can help the team and they may have a few sleepers we are unaware of.

BOTTOM LINE

The story this year reads similarly as compared to this time last year: If Marist can assemble a pitching staff capable of keeping its high-powered offense within each ballgame they play, they can go the distance. The RedHawks are going to test the strength of their team early, as they’ll be headed to the National High School Invitational in Cary, N.C., in March. It’s a wonder how that experience affected the 2018 Mount Carmel team last spring, but Marist has a similar amount of offensive firepower as the Caravan did a season ago, though Mount Carmel had a few more experienced arms to lean on.

With that being said, Mount Carmel didn’t make it to state last spring, despite the loud bats they penciled in each game. In fact, both Marist and the Caravan ended their seasons in the sectional finals last year. It goes to show that it take more than fireworks to get to a state title game – but Marist won’t solely rely on its offense in 2019. The RedHawks’ lineup is among the finest in the state and they’re supported by a staff that has what it takes to carry them the 4A distance. This combination has Marist ranked at the top of the PBR Illinois Preseason Power 25.

Find more information on the 2019 RedHawks below:

+ Full Schedule
+ Team Website
+ GameChanger
+ Team Twitter

Make sure to follow @PBRIllinois on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2019 season.

PRESEASON POWER 25 COUNTDOWN