The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 11, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next two weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2024 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Mount Carmel Caravan
Preseason Rank: No. 17
Head Coach: Brian Hurry
Classification: 4A
Conference: CCL Blue
2023 Record (Finish): 20-14 (Regional Final)
Key Players Lost: RJ Bergren (Illinois-Springfield), Austin Mallee (Chipola), Joey Russo (Morton JC), Pat Hayes (Loras)

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ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Positional Starters: Five
No. of Returning Pitchers: Three
Team Strengths: Well-rounded.

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X-FACTOR

INF/OF TJ McQuillan (2026; Louisville commit) is an exciting young player to note for the Caravan entering 2024. Currently ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 102 nationally, McQuillan looks primed for a big sophomore season after batting .360 with five home runs as a freshman last season. McQuillan is a player our staff is very familiar with as he has participated in the Junior Future Games twice, while also participating in the Illinois State Games this past summer. We got another look at him just a couple weeks ago at our Preseason All-State: Underclass event where he again proved to be one of the premier players in the state: “[McQuillan] continues to trend in the right direction, putting up impressive metrics across the board. One of the first things that stands out is his 60-time, recording a 7.01 with a peak run speed of 19.9 mph, which is extremely impressive for his strong/durable stature. The left-handed hitter took arguably the most impressive round of BP on the day, averaging 98.4 mph for his EV while reaching up to 102.4 mph, delivering his furthest ball at 382’ which led the event. His BLAST metrics are off the charts, averaging 24.6 mph for his hand-speed (T25.6 mph), 77.1 mph for his bat-speed (T78.6 mph) and 32.1 G’s for his rotational acceleration (T37.2 G’s). He showed athletic footwork and soft hands both in the outfield and the infield, pairing with a strong arm from each position (T86 INF; T89 OF).”

3B/OF TJ McQuillan (Mount Carmel, 2026) showed off some huge LH power in BP today; five balls struck over 100.0 mph EV.

▪️102.4 max EV
▪️7.04 runner
▪️86 mph high on the INF

Louisville recruit#ILPAS24 | @ShooterHunt pic.twitter.com/sci0uTYJOZ

— Prep Baseball Illinois (@PrepBaseballIL) February 24, 2024

(TJ McQuillan)

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NEWCOMER TO WATCH

RHP Connor Elenteny (2026) is a rising sophomore in the state and will be new to the varsity scene for Mount Carmel in 2024. Currently ranked No. 20 in the state and projected to occupy one of the rotation spots, Elenteny looks to be another young, exciting piece for the Caravan entering the spring. Another recent participant of the Preseason All-State: Underclass, Elenteny had a stellar showing in his ‘pen at the event: “[Elenteny] is another young arm to know in the state. Currently ranked No. 20 in Illinois, Elenteny looks primed for a big spring after what he showed in his ‘pen on Saturday. He had advanced feel for the strike zone (75%) with his fastball, sitting 88-89 mph (T89.5) with 2-seam characteristics. He showed feel to spin the curveball (avg 2300+ rpm) that showed depth at 73-75 mph and was thrown with intent. Elenteny’s changeup played at the bottom of the zone at 77-79 mph with downer action at times.”

RHP Connor Elenteny (Mount Carmel, 2026) is another winner among the sophomores here today.

▪️FB: 88-89 mph; easy effort, carry/run traits
▪️CB: 74-75; plays sharp at 2,500 rpm
▪️CH: 77-78; late sink/fade#ILPAS24 | @ShooterHunt pic.twitter.com/nQ2qMK8Hz4

— Prep Baseball Illinois (@PrepBaseballIL) February 24, 2024

(Connor Elenteny)

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TEAM OUTLOOK

Mount Carmel brings back a well-rounded roster that won 20 games last year and finished as regional finalists. The Caravan are led by long-time head coach Brian Hurry, who is entering his 25th season at the helm. Youth is a common theme on the roster but there is plenty of talent to go around in each class entering 2024.

Pitching looks to be a real strength for Mount Carmel this season despite how young they will be. Two sophomores will spearhead the top of the rotation in LHP Ian Tosi (2026) and RHP Jake Matise (2026). Tosi is currently ranked No. 38 in the state and we recently saw him running his fastball up to 87 mph with substantial carry (avg. 20.5” IVB) through the zone, complemented by a changeup that has sink/run, and a curveball that flashed sharpness. Matise is currently ranked No. 76 in the state and was sitting in the low 80’s with his fastball when we last saw him, but we could see an uptick in his velocity this spring. Aside from the aforementioned Elenteny, two other potential starters to note for the Caravan are C/RHP Matt Murphy (2025) and LHP Aidan Murray (2024; Triton JC commit).

LHP Ian Tosi (Mount Carmel, 2026) impressed with three-pitch feel, including on a FB with hop through the zone.

▪️FB: 85-87 mph; 20-plus IVB, efficient spin
▪️CH: 73-74; runs/sinks
▪️CB: 66-67; flashed sharp, depth#ILPAS24 | @CaravanBaseball pic.twitter.com/1zybglRNtL

— Prep Baseball Illinois (@PrepBaseballIL) February 24, 2024

(Ian Tosi)

On offense the Caravan will be led by the previously mentioned McQuillan from a power perspective, but look for seniors INF Kevin Zanin (2024; Wisconsin-Stout commit), OF James Nydegger (2024; Southeastern CC commit), and OF Timmy Harrigan (2024; uncommitted) to help carry the load and provide stability within the lineup.

(James Nydegger)

The Caravan junior class is headlined by top-70 player in the state, OF/LHP Kolin Adams (2025), who has been known to be an advanced defender in centerfield in the past to pair with a steady bat that uses the whole field. Additionally, Adams is expected to be one of the main arms out of the bullpen for Mount Carmel this spring.

Also returning from the junior class is C/RHP Matt Murphy (2025), who will be expected to help manage the young pitching staff from behind the dish throughout the season while potentially occupying one of the rotation spots as well.

Another junior to follow this spring is RHP Andrew McCormick (2025) who impressed us last summer at the Top Tier Scout Day with his ability to fill the strike zone with all of his offerings.

(Kolin Adams)

A pair of sophomores will look to make big impacts this season in INF Joey Ireland (2026; Illinois commit) and OF Logan Fernandez (2026).

Ireland is currently ranked No. 5 in the state and No. 157 nationally and is a toolsy middle infielder that will look to build off his 2023 season that saw him appear in 11 games for the Caravan as a freshman.

Fernandez is currently ranked No. 50 in his class and is another newcomer to watch entering 2024 as he will look to occupy a starting spot in the Caravan outfield this season. Both Ireland and Fernandez were seen as big winners at our recent Preseason All-State: Underclass event and give coach Hurry more talent to build around for future years.

Some other underclassmen to note for Mount Carmel entering the spring are 1B Anthony Chavez (2026), C Mario Medina (2026), INF Pancho Vazquez (2026), and C/INF Christian Clark (2026).

(Joey Ireland)

Bottom Line

Overall, this is a younger team but they look to be well-rounded in all areas entering 2024. They have pitching depth and contributors from each class that should help provide stability from top to bottom. Their lineup also has a ton of intrigue with young guys like McQuillan, Ireland, and Fernandez to pair with veterans such as Zanin, Nydegger, Murphy, and Adams. Despite playing in a very competitive conference, look for Mount Carmel to be a strong team to follow throughout the upcoming season.

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Find more information on the 2024 Mount Carmel program below:

+ Follow them on X: @caravanbaseball
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Illinois Preseason Power 25 homepage

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