With the conclusion of this weekend’s State Tournaments, we’ve finalized our Illinois Power 25 Final Team Rankings. Our rankings are not solely based on playoff outcomes, but rather an account of the entire season, including overall records, conference races, and in-season performances.

With this, the team atop our final rankings is no surprise. The Class 4A State champions, Providence Catholic, have earned their title as the No. 1 team. The Celtics capped off a dominant 26-8 regular season with a 7-win postseason run en route to their State championship title. The Celtics included postseason wins over Lincoln-Way West, Mt. Carmel, Edwardsville, and Conant, demonstrating their status as the state’s best. For this incredible season, it is no question that the now six-time State champions finish as the No. 1 team in our final Power 25 Team Rankings.

Finishing at No. 2 is Edwardsville. The 32-9 Tigers were looking likely to repeat for a third straight State championship until falling short to Providence Catholic in the State semi-final. Despite the power-house program’s 2-1 semi-final loss, the Tigers went on to win the third-place game against York by a score of 6-1.

Even without securing a third straight State championship, which would have been a fourth State title in five years, the 32-win Tigers summed up yet another incredible season by finishing as the Metro East conference champions and the Class 4A Third place team. Another season of Edwardsville dominance finds the Tigers as our No. 2 team in our final Power 25 Team Rankings.

Next up is Nazareth Academy. Although maybe disappointed with the ending of their season, Nazareth Academy finishes as the No. 3 team in our Power 25 Team Rankings. After winning back-to-back Class 3A State championships, the Roadrunners made their move to 4A and were undoubtedly the most dominant regular season team in the state, once again. With an unbelievable 34-0 record, and as champions of the East Suburban Catholic Conference, Nazareth Academy was seemingly invincible heading into the postseason.

A Regional championship followed their regular season dominance, but the Roadrunners' surge was ended by Mt. Carmel in a 5-3 Sectional final loss. The Sectional final loss was the only one of the Roadrunners' entire season. The loss brought Nazareth Academy’s final record to an extremely impressive 37-1, but it meant the end of their season.

Even with the Sectional championship loss, the 37-win dominance that the Roadrunners displayed throughout the season is telling of their rank amongst other 4A teams. After a one loss season, Nazareth Academy finishes without winning a third straight State title, but they do make their mark in class 4A as the No. 3 team in our final Power 25 Team Rankings.

Following at the No. 4 spot is Conant after a historic season. The Cougars ended the regular season with a 24-7 record and then confirmed their status as one of the state’s best by dominating the postseason and making their first ever State Final appearance. The Cougars then made the most of their first ever State appearance by triumphing over York in a dramatic 1-0 semi-final thriller. Conant fell short to Providence Catholic in a 4-1 loss, but history was still made as the Cougars finished the season as the Class 4A runner-ups. Finishing the season with a 30-8 record, conference champions, Class 4A runner-ups, and etching themselves into school history, the Conant Cougars finish an incredible season as our No. 4 team in our Power 25 Team Rankings.

Deserving of the No. 5 spot in our Power 25 are the York Dukes. York made it to a consecutive State final appearance by way of one of the most dominant pitching and defenses in the state. After finishing the regular season at 26-9, the Dukes made the State Final by beating teams such as McHenry and St. Charles North. With big wins and mound dominance, the York Dukes were proven as one of the state’s best.

York went on to lose to Conant in the State semi-final in a 1-0 nailbiter. They then lost to Edwardsville 6-1 in the State third place game. Without being able to avenge last year’s losses at State, the Dukes finished in the same position as a year ago, as the Class 4A fourth place team. Following such an impressive season and finishing with a 31-11 record, the York Dukes conclude the season as the No. 5 team in our Power 25 Team Rankings.

As all of our top five teams are in Class 4A, you may note the 3A State champion Crystal Lake Central, 2A state champion St. Anthony, and 1A State champion Marquette. You may also note the 3A runner-up Lemont, 2A runner-up Maroa-Forsyth, and 1A runner-up Altamont.

With that being said, take a look below at the state’s Top 5 teams after this season’s end.

No. 1 Providence Catholic (33-8)

Coach Mark Smith and the Celtics finished as 4A State champions. With dominant arms and an unbelievably dangerous lineup at the plate, the Celtics finished at 33-8 to win their sixth State championship.

The Celtics were electric offensively this spring. Enzo Infelise (Oklahoma; 2025) was an outstanding bat this season, with a .337 average, seven home runs and 31 RBI’s to help the Celtics. Cooper Eggert was dominant at the plate, leading the team with a .447 batting average, nine doubles and 25 RBI’s on the season. Nate O’Donnell (2025) was another key contributor, batting .434, leading the team with 11 home runs, 46 hits, 11 doubles, and 52 RBI’s in a stellar spring season.

The Celtics’ rotation of commanding pitchers was far too great for opposing offenses to handle. Cooper Eggert, the No. 6 ranked 2025 RHP in the state, was a force on the mound. With four wins, 45 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA, Eggert owned teams this spring. RHP Kasten Goebbert (2025) was another ace and reason for the Celtics success as the State champions. With a 6-0 record, 36 Ks and a 2.65 ERA, the Celtics were more than confident with him on the mound, as he proved to be a massive contributor. RHP Ethan Ganz (2024) in eight games then only let up two earned runs, giving him a 0.56 ERA. RHP Kyle Lipke boasted a 1.65 ERA on the season to go with three wins, adding yet another dominant arm to the rotation.

No. 2 Edwardsville (32-9)

Coach Funkhouser and the Edwardsville Tigers hoped to win a third consecutive State championship as they made yet another trip to Joliet this year. The 32-9 Tigers ended up losing a 2-1 nailbiter in the State semi-final to the eventual State champions, Providence Catholic.

Their offense was led all year by OF Joe Chiarodo (2025; Alabama), who led the team in batting average (.420) and doubles (13), as well as driving in 15 runs, and scoring 20 runs himself. SS Lucas Krebs (2025; Illinois) was another big producer at the plate this season, hitting .380 with nine doubles, two triples, two home runs, 34 RBI and 30 runs scored. INF Kolton Wright (2024) played a large role for their squad this season in the lead-off role, posting a .374 average with one triple, five doubles, 20 RBI and 39 runs scored. Uncommitted senior 1B Bryce Beyers was a power threat in the middle of the order, hitting a team high five home runs with 23 RBI. In the super-sectional game against Downers Grove North, Beyers led the Tigers to the win by going a perfect 3-for-3 with a three-run home run to push their offense past a talented Trojans team.

Pitching was a major strength of the team. The dominant innings for the Tigers came from the sophomore duo of RHP Chase Milburn and RHP Tony Eberlin (TCU). Heading into the state finals, Milburn was 9-0 with 49 strikeouts, 18 walks and a team leading 0.61 ERA. Eberlin finished the season at 7-1 with 53 strikeouts, a 2.89 ERA, and 46 innings pitched. Chiarodo was another important leader on the mound before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. Prior to the injury, Chiarodo was 4-1 with 51 strikeouts in 35 innings pitched.

Despite coming up short in the State semi-final, the Tigers still proved to be one of the strongest teams in Illinois through yet another dominant season. .

To read more about Edwardsville at the state finals, click here.

No. 3 Nazareth Academy (37-1)

The 2022 and 2023 back-to-back 3A State champions made their jump to 4A under head coach Lee Milano. In their first season in 4A, the Roadrunners were already an immediate State champion contender with an outstanding 37-1 record on the season. With a mix of dominant bats and arms, they were hopeful in finishing as 4A State champions.

Nazareth’s offense is relentless, with a majority of their lineup being made up of players from last year’s title team. Junior Jaden Fauske (2025; Louisville) led the way in hits (54), batting average (.557), RBIs (43), and contributed three home runs on the year. David Cox (Illinois-Chicago; 2024) was an extreme contributor to the Roadrunners offensive, posting a .446 batting average, eight home runs and 46 RBI’s. Cooper Malamazian (Indiana; 2024) was another massive threat this spring. Malamazian shined with a .396 batting average, 45 runs, 30 RBI’s, and four home runs this spring.

The talent on this Roadrunners’ squad translated to the mound, too. The Roadrunners had a plethora of arms at their disposal, any of whom could take the mound and dominate. The dominant duo was Luca Fiore (Illinois-Chicago; 2024) and David Cox. Fiore had an impressive spring with a 9-0 record, 53 punch outs and a 2.39 ERA. Cox also had an outstanding spring with a 5-0 record, 40 strikeouts, and a 1.17 ERA to lead the Roadrunners to success.

No. 4 Conant (30-8):

Under head coach Derek Fivelson, the Conant Cougars placed themselves in the state championship for the first time in their history. They were attempting to become the first team in the MSL division to win a state championship since 1997.

The strength of the 30-8 Cougars was their offense, with their team batting average on the season being .341. The Cougars were led by a trio of seniors in their final seasons. Jake Parpet (Heartland CC; 2024), Cooper Hanson ( 2024), and Matthew Maize (Parkland CC; 2024) destroyed offensively for the Cougars. Parpet led the Cougars in batting average (.409) and supplied massive power with 7 home runs, to go with his crucial 18 stolen bases on the basepaths. Hanson finished the season with a batting average of .398 and 14 stolen bases on the season. Then Maize led the Cougars in doubles with 13, and added five home runs with a .374 batting average.

The Cougars had even more bats that were key to their successful season. Jacob Szpiganowicz (uncommitted; 2026) brought plenty with the bat, posting a .371 batting average, 26 RBI’s, and 11 doubles on the season. Alex Martinez and Isaiah Rhodes were other massive contributors to the outstanding Cougars offense.

The two arms that made up a bulk of the Cougars mound dominance this season were Bryce Loeger (Dartmouth; 2024) and Franklin Kirchner (Uncommitted; 2025). Loeger hurled 70+ innings, finishing the season with a stellar 11-0 record and punching out 96 batters, all while posting a 1.00 ERA. Kirchner threw 65 innings for the Cougars, punching out 82 with a 2.13 ERA with his 9-1 record on the season.

No. 5 York (31-11):

The York Dukes made their way back to the state playoffs for a consecutive season. After losing in last year's semi-final against Edwardsville, the Dukes were looking for revenge with head coach Dave Kalal at the helm.

The York Dukes had a handful of dominant arms in their rotation, led by the more than dominant Ryan Sloan. The Gatorade Player of the Year and the No. 1 ranked player in the state posted an 0.18 ERA with 82 punch outs on the season. Apart from Sloan, Noah Hughes (Uncommitted; 2024), Chris Danko (Illinois State; 2024), and Jack Lawton (Uncommitted; 2024) were big arms on the mound for the Dukes. Hughes was 8-1 with 52 strikeouts and a 1.32 ERA on the season. Danko was extremely impressive this spring with 49 strikeouts and a 2.23 ERA. Following Danko, Lawton also had a stellar spring on the mound with a 4-1 record, 23 punch outs, and a 2.71 ERA.

Three bats that were outstanding for the Dukes offense were Josh Fleming (Uncommitted; 2025), Owen Chael (Uncommitted; 2025), and Drew Gami (Uncommitted; 2025). Fleming led the way this spring with a .352 batting average, 28 RBI’s, 11 doubles, and four home runs. Gami had an impressive spring with a .304 batting average, 30 runs scored and four doubles. To cap it off, Chael batted .301 this spring with three home runs and 27 RBI.

**CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE POWER 25 RANKINGS**

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