By Sean Duncan

The top senior prospects from Illinois, Indiana and Missouri will take center stage this Sunday, February 6, for the 9^th Annual Super 60 Pro Showcase at the Max-McCook Athletic & Exposition Center?s state-of-the-art 125,000 square-foot open turf facility in McCook, IL.  

Since the event?s inception in 2003, the Super 60 has become one of the most heavily scouted preseason events for potential draft picks. Last year, 45 professional scouts of all levels were in attendance. Over the last eight years, more than 90 players have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. 

This year?s event has the potential to be the best Super 60 yet, which would be a considerable feat given how impressive last year?s event was.  Exactly how impressive? Nineteen of the 25 pitchers dialed it up 86 mph or better, 10 of which were 88-plus. Fifteen players were 85-plus from their defensive positions, while four of the eight catchers had a top pop time of 1.9 or better. The event also featured impressive speed: 11 players ran sub-7 60s, five of which ran sub-6.8s. Offensively, many players put on eye-opening hitting performances.

The star of last year?s show was Minooka 6-foot-5 RHP Mike Foltynewicz, who sat at 92-93 mph with his fastball. Foltynewicz was selected No. 19 overall by the Houston Astros last June.  In 2009, Justin O?Connor, a SS/RHP/C from Cowan HS in Indiana, put forth the most impressive performance in Super 60 history when he was a junior. O?Connor, who later was selected No. 31 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays, broke Super 60 records by throwing 96 mph from shortstop, showing consistent 1.75 pop times behind the plate, and sitting at 93 mph on the mound.

Who will be this year?s show-stopper? There?s plenty to choose from. In Illinois, New Trier OF Charlie Tilson, who?s projected to be a top-round draft pick, heads the list. Other strong candidates include: Oak Forest OF Tim Barry, Teutopolis LHP Derek Thompson, Murphysboro LHP Dylan Craig, Mount Carmel LHP/1B Jeff Boehm, Harrisburg 3B Keelin Rasch, Wheaton North 1B/OF Jeff Schalk, St. Viator C Cory Kay, Lakes RHP Nick Hibbing, Mount Carmel RHP John Kravetz, Lake Forest MIF Chris Godinez, Harlan OF/RHP Dontrell Rush, Salt Fork LHP Joel Learnard, Lemont SS Kevin Goergen, Providence Catholic 3B Sam Travis, and Nazareth Academy RHP Ryan Powers to name a few.

The two top senior prospects in Missouri will also be in attendance: SS Johnny Eierman from Warsaw HS (signed at LSU) and OF Lance Jeffries from McCluer HS (signed at Iowa Western CC), along with the No. 1 sophomore in the Missouri, 3B Matt Brown from Vianney HS.

Indiana representatives include LHP/1B A.J. Reed (Terre Haute South HS), SS Max Kuhn (Zionsville HS) and SS Phil Mosley (Cathedral HS), and top-ranked sophomore RHP Zac Ryan (Andrean HS) will also be in attendance.

There will also be a handful of top Class of 2012 prospects: LHP Brett Lilek (Marian Catholic HS, IL), SS/RHP Ryan Koziol (Brother Rice HS, IL), C Blake Hickman (Simeon HS, IL), C Jason Goldstein (Highland Park HS, IL) and LHP Jordan Minch (Highland HS, IN), to name a few.

The event begins at 9 a.m. with position players. Pitchers will follow at around noon. The event should conclude around 3 p.m. The Max-McCook Athletic & Exposition Center, home of the Prep Baseball Report Academy, is located on the corner of 47th Avenue and Vernon Avenue in McCook (essentially LaGrange). Directions are available at www.max-mccook.com .