By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will count down the Top 25 preseason teams every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

RHP Brenden Heiss

Team: Jacobs
Preseason Rank: 17
2015 Record: 29-11-1
Conference: Fox Valley Conference
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Jamie Murray
Playoff Run: 3rd in State
2015 Final Rank: 6

Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 5

TOP PLAYERS
Name, Position, Class (College Commitment)
Brenden Heiss, RHP, 2016 (Arkansas)
Mike Addante, CF, 2017 (Nebraska)
Casey Dennison, RHP/1B, 2016
Johnny Rohde, RHP, 2016 (Indiana Wesleyan)
Evan Liebau, RHP, 2016 (Judson)
Daniel Solomon, C/DH, 2016
Cameron Wilson, C/DH, 2016
Nate Meland, MIF, 2016
Time Randl, 3B, 2016
Stevie Krueger, OF, 2016
Bryce Pahl, OF/DH, 2016

X-FACTOR
Brenden Heiss. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Arkansas recruit possesses the most electric arm in the state. In the winter, the right-hander broke the Super 60 14-year record when his fastball topped out at 96 mph, while sitting 93-94. He also throws a sharp upper-70s slider. When he’s synched up, he could be the most unhittable pitcher in the state. If he throws consistent strikes, the Golden Eagles have a lockdown ace.

NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Ryan McGorrian. The junior 1B/DH features big power potential.

KEY PLAYERS LOST
OF/RHP Ryan Sargent (Ohio)
SS Matthew Kozlak (Roosevelt)
3B Owen Oreskovich (McHenry County College)

OUTLOOK
The Golden Eagles are coming off their first trip to the state tournament, finishing tied for third place in Class 4A with Oak Park. With six starters back in the fold, and a deep pitching staff, coach Jamie Murray once again has very high hopes to return to Joliet. Although they lost two-way standout Ryan Sargent, the Golden Eagles feature excellent pitching depth, headlined by hard-throwing RHP Brenden Heiss. Behind Heiss, RHP/1B Casey Dennison is a two-way standout, RHP Johnny Rohde can dial it up to 87-90, and RHP Evan Liebau also returns. Offensively, junior left-handed hitting OF Mike Addante, a Nebraska recruit, is a top-level run-producer at the top of the lineup, and also plays a stellar centerfield. Senior SS Nate Meland should assume shortstop responsibilities from Matt Kozlak.

BOTTOM LINE
The Golden Eagles have the pitching depth to make another deep postseason run. But a repeat trip to Joliet will hinge on how consistently productive the offense is throughout the season.

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

SEASON COUNTDOWN

+ Preseason Top 25 Team Countdown Previews 

+ Updated Illinois 2016 Rankings

+ Complete Illinois High School Schedules (Coming Soon)