Top-10 Stories of 2023: No. 7 Another Successful Illinois State Games
December 21, 2023
On August 9th and 10th of this year, PBR Illinois hosted its second annual Illinois State Games at the Rantoul Family Sports Complex in Rantoul, Ill. This two-day, invite-only event has become our premier event in the state, consisting of a workout on the morning of Day One, followed by gameplay through the remainder of the day and all of Day Two. We nearly doubled the number of prospects in attendance from last year with 300 of the state’s best which was broken down into 16 teams, including a ProCase team. The lineups and rosters were assembled by our staff, and players played three simulated games against each other, with grad classes 2024 through 2027 being represented.
Following the event we chose the Diamond Krew Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Pitcher Award:
OF Gabe Vojak (Mascoutah, 2024) was named the Most Valuable Player of the event, committing to McKendree University shortly after. Here is what we had to say on Vojak’s performance:
From 8/8/23: “...is a scrappy L/L prospect to know from southern Illinois. Compact, strong frame, listed at 5-foot-10, 165-pounds. Was consistently on the barrel throughout the week, finishing 4-for-8 with a home run, double, three RBIs and four runs scored. Showed easy bat-strength in his flat stroke, taking his home run to the opposite field on a pitch up and away. Accurate reads in the outfield with a quick first step, 7.07 runner in the 60. Reached up to 84 mph from the OF in workouts. Hard-nosed kid that plays the game hard.”
OF Gabriel Vojak (@MHS19Baseball, 2024) puts and impressive swing on this one for an opposite field #PBRBombSquad.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 8, 2023
Scrappy LHH still on the market in IL. #ILStateGames | @PBR_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/xtAh7cVjno
RHP Paddy Roth (St. Patrick, 2026) was awarded the Most Valuable Pitcher, after a dominating three inning on the mound. Here is what our staff had to say about his performance:
From 8/8/23: “...was arguably the top performer on the mound at the Illinois State Games. Roth, who stands at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, threw three innings, struck out seven, walked one, allowed no earned runs, and two hits. He features a loose arm with acceleration out front and athletic actions down the mound. Roth’s fastball sat in the mid-80s, topping out at 88.7 mph. Sitting in the upper-70s, his changeup had an average of 16.4 in. of horizontal movement, and he showed the ability to use it effectively and land it for strikes. He rounded out his arsenal with a slider that sat 69-72 mph. Roth looks every bit the part of a high-end follow on the hill in the 2026 class.”
Last night, RHP Paddy Roth (St. Patrick, 2026; Illinois commit) looked the part of one of the state’s top arms.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2023
FB touched 88.7 mph early on & settled in the low-to-mid-80s.
Confidence in both a CH with late fade/depth & a BB in the low-70s. #ILStateGames pic.twitter.com/yi4SMHQ33k
The talent at the event was eye-opening, and we saw plenty of noteworthy metrics from the event.
- 90 commits
- 27 D1 commits
- 60+ arms over 85+
- 55 sub-7.0 60s
- 45+ Peak Exit Velocities of 96+
- 50+ INF velocities of 83+
- 21 OF velocities of 87+
- 12 Catcher velocities of 78+
- 10 sub-2.0 pop times
Shortly following the event we looked at some of the top performers by age class and compiled them into a “Takeaways” Story:
Throughout the course of the event, we were able to capture much of the action on social media. Below are some of the more noteworthy moments and prospects from the event:
RHP Henry Brummel (@PTHSbaseball, 2024; Indiana commit) gave yet another upside look to our staff, this time at the #ILStateGames.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2023
FB worked up to 92 mph, sat right at 89-91 mph. Feel for a downer CB at 71-74 mph. SL has sharp 10/4 action, 78-82 mph. Fading CH at 78-80 mph. pic.twitter.com/IMx8SkusNw
LHP Ethan Eberle (@NCIronBaseball, 2024) provided our staff with yet another quality look here at the #ILStateGames.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2023
Deceptive release, worked the FB up to 87 mph and pitched primarily in the mid-80s.
Confident in a sweeping BB in the low-70s.
Louisville commit. pic.twitter.com/bXTUiNBfk0
MIF Jailen Veliz (Yorkville) is a follow in the IL 2026 class.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 10, 2023
On the barrel a few times throughout the #ILStateGames from a short, compact RH swing.
5-foot-10, 155-pounds.
?: https://t.co/EfccybiFUn pic.twitter.com/ZALGKugnEh
OF/LHP Joey Arend (St. Charles East) continues to solidify himself as a high-end follow in the 2025 class.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 10, 2023
Two swings from last night; on the barrel with juice to LCF & a 2K single.
6-foot, 160-pounds. #ILStateGames
?: https://t.co/hr6F4caMa4 pic.twitter.com/P72Kf2wMUb
INF Cooper Malamazian (Nazareth Academy, 2024; Indiana commit) consistently elevated deep contact to the middle of the field; 350+ ft. max distance, 98 mph max EV.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 8, 2023
Fluid, balanced RH swing with easy strength.
6-foot-1, 180-pounds.
?: https://t.co/2pJbfQiaFm pic.twitter.com/teVzRQqAQ8
UTIL/LHP Brayden Mazzacano (@Saxon_Baseball, 2024) continues to prove his status as a premier two-way in IL.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2023
Hopped on the mound and cruised at 87-88 mph.
Also got a number of quality swings off from the left side of the plate.
Illinois commit.#ILStateGames pic.twitter.com/ylIecdY9lg
INF Isaac Flowers (Newton, 2024) is a name to know from the #ILStateGames.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2023
Ran a 6.74 60 time and recorded a max EV of 94.4 mph during the workout yesterday.
Was on the barrel in today’s game, sending a ball to LF for a 2B. ? pic.twitter.com/gyZBRmeV5e
MIF Drew Church (Montini, 2025) has shown a number of quality swings throughout gameplay, and barrels this one for a base-hit.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2023
Savvy defender up the middle that T87 mph across the infield during yesterday’s workout.#ILStateGames pic.twitter.com/oQDewtOegc
RHP Lance Kiesewetter (Henry-Senachwine, 2024) is a @PBR_Uncommitted name-to-know from the #ILStateGames.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 10, 2023
Showed a FB w/ carry that sat 84-86 mph, T86.5 mph. Mixed in a CB that had tight 11/5 shape; T2428 RPM.
Physical 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame.
?: https://t.co/Gh8C6ycaFk pic.twitter.com/ZOJydL8G6u
INF Jimmy Anderson (Joliet West, 2024; Heartland CC) has been a big winner from the #ILStateGames.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2023
Easy, balanced RH swing with all fields feel that singles here. ?
Smooth glove on the dirt that made an impressive back-hand play into the six hole, too. pic.twitter.com/ye1uTFzEcN
INF Jayden Patel (Lake Park, 2024) keeps hitting, picking up two more hits today.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) August 9, 2023
6-foot-2, 170-pound @PBR_Uncommitted LH bat with a big arm (T90 mph) across the diamond. #ILStateGames
?: https://t.co/6fF74UAon8 pic.twitter.com/wjofJ24JM4
To view the event’s stat leaderboards in their entirety, click here.
COMMITMENT TRACKER
At the second annual Illinois State Games, there were over 45 colleges in attendance: Augustana (IL), Ball State, Black Hawk JC, Butler, Eastern Illinois, Edgewood College, Elmhurst, Harper CC, Heartland CC, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan, John A. Logan JC, John Wood CC, Lake Land JC, Lewis, Lincoln Trail JC, Lindenwood, Maryville, McKendree, Missouri-St. Louis, Mizzou, North Central College, North Park, Northern Illinois, Parkland JC, Rose-Hulman, Saint Xavier, Southeast Missouri State, Southeastern (IL) CC, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Southwestern Illinois JC, Triton JC, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, Valparaiso, Wabash Valley JC, Webster, and Western Kentucky.
Below, we'll be keeping a running list of the players who attended State Games uncommitted, and have since made their commitment announcement.
| NAME | POSITION | HIGH SCHOOL | CLASS | COMMITMENT |
| Cameron Appenzeller | LHP | Chatham-Glenwood | 2025 | South Carolina |
| Joey Arend | OF/LHP | St. Charles East | 2025 | Xavier |
| John Balla | RHP | Hersey | 2024 | Southwestern Illinois JC |
| Zach Bava | C | Naperville North | 2025 | Illinois State |
| Frankie Bilecki | LHP | Marist | 2024 | Bucknell |
| Spencer Boudreau | RHP | Bradley Bourbonnais | 2024 | North Central College |
| Justin Butcher | INF | Taft | 2024 | Lake Michigan JC |
| Brendan Campbell | RHP/MIF | Bartlett | 2024 | Minnesota-Duluth |
| Ben Carnahan | RHP | Normal University | 2024 | John Wood CC |
| Joseph Catalano | RHP | Williamsville | 2024 | Kankakee CC |
| Conrad Charpentier | LHP | Routt Catholic | 2024 | Lincoln Land CC |
| Ryan Colucci | MIF | Lake Park | 2024 | Southwestern Illinois JC |
| Henrik Conniff | INF/RHP | New Trier | 2025 | Columbia |
| Thomas Corley | INF | Bolingbrook | 2024 | Olney Central JC |
| Bauer Dalke | RHP | Althoff Catholic | 2024 | Webster |
| Cody DelFavero | OF/LHP | Morris | 2024 | Parkland College |
| Tyler DeLuca | RHP | Minooka | 2024 | Saint Xavier |
| Jimmy Downs | CIF | Kenwood | 2025 | Northern Illinois |
| Gavin Duran | MIF | Harvest Christian | 2024 | John Wood CC |
| Ben Fawcett | RHP | Stevenson | 2024 | Mount Mercy |
| Luca Fiore | LHP | Nazareth Academy | 2024 | Illinois-Chicago |
| Isaac Flowers | INF | Newton Community | 2024 | Toledo |
| Nicholas Franklin | 1B/C | Father McGivney | 2024 | Longwood |
| Clay Gadbois | RHP | Kankakee | 2024 | Kankakee CC |
| Logan Gale | OF/LHP | Conant | 2024 | Parkland College |
| Casey Giemzik | RHP | Brother Rice | 2024 | Heartland CC |
| Ethan Godlewski | RHP | Lincoln-Way East | 2024 | Saint Xavier |
| Brady Green | MIF | Oak Park-River Forest | 2025 | Northern Illinois |
| Braden Grimm | RHP | Evanston | 2024 | Minnesota State |
| Ryan Groberski | INF | Lockport | 2024 | Triton JC |
| Joey Guiliano | MIF | Plainfield North | 2024 | Purdue-Northwest |
| Kaileb Hackman | INF | Normal Community | 2024 | Augustana College |
| Kyle Hartmann | C | Sycamore | 2024 | Western Kentucky |
| Mason Hartman | LHP | Collinsville | 2024 | Lewis & Clark CC |
| Owen Hawkins | C | Mattoon | 2024 | Lake Land JC |
| Demir Heidelberg | CIF | Homewood Flossmoor | 2025 | Eastern Michigan |
| Tyler Holman | RHP | Liberty (MO) | 2024 | Saint Louis |
| Jalen House | OF | Downers Grove South | 2024 | Northern Illinois |
| Max Kaplan | LHP | New Trier | 2024 | USC-Upstate |
| Cael Karczewski | MIF | Joliet West | 2024 | Jefferson County JC |
| Spencer Kennamann | RHP | Lakes Community | 2024 | North Iowa Area CC |
| Lance Kiesewetter | RHP | Henry-Senachwine | 2024 | Heartland CC |
| Drew Kleinheider | MIF | Father McGivney | 2025 | Saint Louis |
| Bryce Koch | RHP | Barrington | 2024 | Cincinnati |
| Cal Korosa | 1B/RHP | Lockport | 2024 | McHenry County CC |
| Tyler Ledvina | LHP | Lincoln-Way East | 2024 | Heartland CC |
| Dasaan Lee | C | De La Salle | 2024 | Morton College |
| Ben Llewellyn | RHP | Downers Grove North | 2024 | Minnesota State |
| Cole Lockwood | MIF | Libertyville | 2025 | Valparaiso |
| Andrew Lucas | INF | Oak Forest | 2024 | Roosevelt University |
| Gage Luttrell | RHP | Sacred Heart Griffin | 2024 | Southwestern Illinois JC |
| Wyatt Mammen | RHP | Lincoln | 2024 | St. Johns River State College |
| Cooper Marrs | OF | Riverside-Brookfield | 2024 | Denison University |
| Anthony Massa | INF | Lincoln-Way West | 2024 | Wisconsin-Platteville |
| Samuel McArthur | RHP | Champaign Central | 2024 | Illinois |
| Luke McClure | OF | Champaign Central | 2025 | Wright State |
| Ben Mitchell | C | Harvest Christian | 2025 | Bellarmine |
| Angel Mohammad | OF | Taft | 2024 | Morton College |
| Jackson Natanek | MIF/RHP | Brother Rice | 2025 | Illinois State |
| Aidan Nohava | INF | Brother Rice | 2025 | Eastern Michigan |
| Jaden Obaldo | INF | Crystal Lake Central | 2024 | McHenry County CC |
| Jake Parpet | C | Conant | 2024 | Heartland CC |
| Jayden Patel | INF | Lake Park | 2024 | Parkland College |
| Kenny Perez | INF | De La Salle | 2024 | Western Illinois |
| Peter Pipikios | OF/LHP | Neuqua Valley | 2024 | North Park |
| AJ Putty | CIF | Huntley | 2025 | Illinois |
| Nicholas Rayyan | RHP | Stevenson | 2024 | Benedictine University |
| Ty Reaka | LHP | Belleville East | 2024 | Kaskaskia JC |
| Parker Reinke | OF | St. Charles North | 2024 | Taylor University |
| Lucas Riebeling | RHP | Columbia | 2024 | Missouri S&T |
| Jack Roessler | 1B/RHP | Waterloo | 2024 | Morton College |
| Colin Ryder | 1B | St. Charles North | 2024 | Southwestern Illinois JC |
| Alexander Schiefer | RHP | Kaneland | 2024 | Saint Xavier |
| Toby Schriefer | RHP | Bradley Bourbonnais | 2024 | North Central College |
| Collin Senkpeil | C | Lincoln-Way Central | 2024 | South Suburban JC |
| Baker Shelhamer | 1B/OF | St. Rita | 2024 | Maryville |
| Jake Stedman | INF | Belleville West | 2024 | Moberly Area CC |
| Brock Suding | C | Tolono Unity | 2024 | Heartland CC |
| Noah Tomaras | C | Lemont | 2024 | Missouri-St. Louis |
| Jake Troyner | CIF | Joliet Catholic | 2024 | Illinois-Chicago |
| Devan Tupper | RHP | Normal University | 2024 | Eastern Illinois |
| Tyler Tylka | RHP | Wauconda | 2024 | Parkland College |
| Casey Tyrell | LHP | Joliet West | 2024 | IU-South Bend |
| Jackson Ugo | LHP | Andrew | 2024 | Murray State |
| Enrico Veach | INF | Springfield | 2024 | Wabash Valley JC |
| Parker Violett | OF | Kaneland | 2024 | Saint Xavier |
| Gabriel Vojak | OF | Mascoutah | 2024 | McKendree University |
| Jonah Weathers | UTIL | Marian Catholic | 2024 | John A. Logan JC |
| Jack Wilson | RHP | New Trier | 2024 | Webster University |
| Matthew Wnukowski | LHP | Tinley Park | 2024 | Southeast Missouri State |
| Max Woodward | RHP | Kaneland | 2024 | Morton College |