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: Limestone
Preseason Rank: 74
2013 Record: 25-9
Conference: Mid-Illini
IHSA Class: 3A
Head Coach: Derek Renz
Playoff Run: Lost in Regional Final (Peoria Notre Dame)
2013 Final Rank: Not Ranked
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 3

TOP PLAYERS
Name, Position, Class (College Commitment)
Dominic Johnson, C/DH, 2015
Cody Rupp, SS, 2014 (Concordia)
Sean Green, OF, 2014
Adam Schmitt, RHP/INF, 2014 (Concordia)
Calvin Peacock, RHP/UTIL, 2016
Tanner Rhoades, RHP, 2016
James Welton, OF, 2016
Bryce Meyer, LHP, 2016

X-FACTOR
Dominic Johnson. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound junior returns to power the middle of the lineup. As a sophomore, Johnson drove in 20 runs.

KEY PLAYER LOST
Zach Jewell, RHP (Illinois Central College)

STAT RAT
As a junior, SS Cody Rupp batted .374 with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, drove in 16 runs, scored 24 times and had a .468 on-base percentage.

OUTLOOK
The Rockets surprised many last season when they grabbed a share of the Mid-Illini Conference championship with state-ranked Metamora on the last regular-season game of the year. Five starters return from the 25-win team, but Limestone graduated all its conference starting pitchers, including staff ace Zach Jewell. Always a hard-nosed team, Limestone should be solid defensively, anchored by SS Cody Rupp. Pitching experience may be a concern. While coach Derek Renz has several capable arms, including several promising sophomores, most pitchers lack big-game experience.

BOTTOM LINE
Always one of the top teams in the Peoria area, Limestone will win its share of games this season. But the inexperienced pitching staff will need to grow up quickly if they are to compete with conference and area heavyweight Metamora.

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CLICK HERE To See the Preseason Team Rankings