By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will count down the top 75 preseason teams every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

Team: Carmel Catholic
Preseason Rank: 14
2013 Record: 25-10
Conference: East Suburban Catholic
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Dann Giesey
Playoff Run: Lost in Regional Final (Stevenson)
2013 Final Rank: Not Ranked

Returning Starters: 3
Returning Pitchers: 5

TOP PLAYERS
Ian Kristan, C, 2014 (Bradley)
Quintin Sefcik, RHP/INF, 2014 (Illinois)
Dalton Wright, RHP, 2014
Nick Grandolfo, OF, 2014
Cal Coughlin, 3B/RHP, 2016
Joe Santoro, OF/LHP/RHP, 2016
Matt Skarzynski, LHP/OF, 2014
Cooper Johnson, C/3B, 2016
Jonas Lehman, RHP, 2015

X-FACTOR
Cal Coughlin. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound two-way talent is the No. 1-ranked 2016 prospect in Illinois. Coughlin missed much of last season and summer with an injury. Now healthy, Coughlin has the talent and potential to become an impact player, both at the plate and on the mound. At the Preseason All-State Showcase in February, Coughlin easily sat 90-92 mph with four-pitch feel, and showed power potential from both sides of the plate.   

NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Joe Santoro, OF/LHP/RHP, 2016 - Sophomore should impact the lineup with his left-handed bat and defensive prowess in the outfield. He also has the ability to impact on the mound, as he is an ambidextrous pitcher who was 83-84 from the left and right sides.

KEY PLAYERS LOST
Matt Ryan, RHP/INF (St. Louis)
Mike Stahoviak, INF (Illinois-Chicago)

STAT RAT
Dalton Wright, a 6-foot-5 right-hander, earned East Suburban Catholic Conference pitcher of the year after posting a 6-1 record as a junior last spring.

OUTLOOK
The Corsairs enjoyed an excellent season under first-year coach Dann Giesey, earning a share of the East Suburban Catholic Conference crown with Benet while winning 25 games. With five of their top six pitchers returning, along with several key starters back, Carmel should again vie for the tough ESCC crown. What’s more, the Corsairs feature a trio of high-level sophomore prospects (Cal Couglin, Cooper Johnson and Joe Santoro) who are all ranked among the top 25 in Illinois’ 2016 class. If the sophomores contribute to their abilities, then the Corsairs can be an extremely dangerous club. Even without them, they are in good shape. Left-handed hitting Ian Kristan, a Bradley recruit, is a middle of the lineup hitter, and two-way talent Quintin Sefcik is a three-year starter who can be dominating on the mound. Sefcik went 6-1 with a 1.95 ERA as a junior.

BOTTOM LINE
The Corsairs have an exciting blend of experienced seniors and extremely talented underclassmen. They have the pitching depth to withstand the rigors of the East Suburban Catholic, and a diverse offense that has a good mix of speed and power. Look for Carmel to compete for the conference crown and make a much more substantial playoff run than last year.

Make sure you follow @PBRillinois on Twitter for complete Illinois high school baseball coverage throughout the season.

Season Countdown

+ Preseason Team Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2016 Player Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2015 Player Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2014 Player Rankings

+ June Event Schedule