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: Plainfield North
Preseason Rank:
2013 Record: 17-15
Conference: Southwest Prairie
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: John Darlington
Playoff Run: Lost in Sectional Semifinals (Neuqua Valley)
2013 Final Rank: Not Ranked

Returning Starters: 4
Returning Pitchers: 4

TOP PLAYERS
Joe Callahan, RHP, 2014
Kyle Strepek, RHP/OF, 2015
Jack Bultler, 3B/1B, 2014
Matt Welch, OF, 2014
Jason Pacanowski, C, 2015
Bryan Van Duser, INF, 2015
Zack Martin, RHP, 2016
Zach Jarosz, SS/RHP, 2016

X-FACTOR
Joe Callahan. The Tigers will need Callahan to fill the role of ace if they are to compete with Minooka and Plainfield South in the Southwest Prairie. Callahan posted a 5-3 record as a junior last year.

NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Jason Pacanowski, C, 2015

KEY PLAYER LOST
Brendan Miller, RHP (SIU-Edwardsville)
Zach Trusk, C (Rose-Hulman)
Zack Zyburt, INF/RHP (Lee University)

STAT RAT
RHP Kyle Strepek posted a 4-3 record as a sophomore last season.

OUTLOOK
The Tigers were bit by the injury bug last season and suffered through an uncharacteristic mediocre season. Winning 30-plus games had become the norm for coach John Darlington in recent years. Although Plainfield North doesn’t have the same caliber of talent as they’ve had, they are always tough. Callahan and Strepek will need to carry the bulk of the innings, but look for hard-throwing 6-foot-4 sophomore Zack Martin to possibly make an impact. The Tigers have team speed, and Darlington’s squads are always hard-nosed and scrap. And they will need to scrap in the beefed up Southwest Prairie, which they have had a recent stranglehold on prior to Minooka knocking them off their perch last season.

BOTTOM LINE
For the first time in a while, Plainfield North is not the favorite in the Southwest Prairie. Minooka and Plainfield South should be the teams to beat. But to underestimate the Tigers would be a mistake. A program doesn’t win multiple 30-plus win seasons by accident and talent alone.

Season Countdown

+ Preseason Team Rankings

+ Updated Illinois 2014 Player Rankings

+ June Event Schedule

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