Inside the Numbers: Illinois' 2018 Early Signing Period
November 16, 2017
The early signing period has now concluded for the 2018 class, a class in which we have seen most of these players since the start of their freshman year. The 2018 class currently has an astounding 96 Division I commits. The 2017 class had 82 Division I commits at this time last year. As of right now there are 34 Division II commits.
For sake of consistencies from year to year our numbers will only breakdown Division I and II commits.
The high-end talent in this class is clear by the level of commitments, 11 of Illinois’ top prospects have committed to top 25 programs in the country (according to D1Baseball.com's 2017 final rankings).
No. 4 Texas Christian (1) - OF Alek Thomas (Mount Carmel)
No. 5 Louisville (2) - LHP Danny Zimmerman (Lincoln-Way East), RHP Jake Rosing (Richmond-Burton)
No. 15 Missouri State (5) - OF Dakota Kotowski (Providence Catholic), RHP Hayden Juenger (O’Fallon), LHP Ben Cruikshank (Belleville East), 1B Anthony Herron (Mount Carmel), INF Mason Hull (Effingham)
No. 16 Southern Miss (1) - RHP Tyler Stuart (Herscher)
No. 20 Arkansas (2) - LHP Steven Sanchez (Mundelein), LHP Caden Monke (Mount Olive)
Also, four of the five NCAA power conferences have nabbed Illinois high school prospects this year. Here is a look at the conference breakdown of early commits.
Power 5 conferences: (26 Total)
Big 10 - 17
SEC - 2
Big 12 - 1
ACC - 6
Pac 12 - 0
Other Division I conferences: (70 Total)
MAC - 16
Missouri Valley - 15
Ohio Valley - 10
Atlantic 10 - 6
Summit - 6
Big East - 4
American - 3
Horizon - 2
Patriot - 2
Atlantic Sun - 1
Conference USA - 1
Mountain West - 1
Southland - 1
Sun Belt - 1
SWAC - 1
D1 IN STATE: 28
D1 OUT OF STATE: 68
With Illinois being in the heart of Big 10 and Missouri Valley country it's no surprise to see the both conferences towards the top in total number of commitments. One trend that catches the eye, however, is the MAC conference having 16 commits from the state of Illinois. At this point last year, only six 2017s were committed to MAC schools. Another trend that has continued to increase over the last few year’s is the number of players leaving the state. Last year 62 % of the Division I players were committed to schools away from Illinois. This year over 70% are heading outside the Land of Lincoln.
When breaking down the commitments by state, Illinois schools lead the way by a large margin with 28 but 19 other states went into Illinois for players. Here's a look at the geographic breakdown of early Division I commits.
Illinois - 28
Indiana - 14
Michigan - 9
Missouri - 9
Ohio - 7
Tennessee - 5
Kentucky - 4
Minnesota - 3
Arkansas - 3
Kansas - 2
Nebraska - 2
Texas - 2
Maryland - 1
Pennsylvania - 1
South Carolina - 1
New Jersey - 1
Colorado - 1
North Carolina - 1
Mississippi - 1
D.C. - 1
DIVISION I
Name | School | Pos. | Commitment | Conference |
Tyler Acosta | Barrington | OF | Illinois | Big 10 |
Quinten Albrecht | Waterloo | C | Wichita State | American |
Jimmy Allen | Timothy Christian | SS | Western Michigan | MAC |
Jack Anderson | Glenbrook South | OF | Northern Illinois | MAC |
Nick Angel | Libertyville | OF | Dayton | Atlantic 10 |
Keegan Bates | Plainfield North | LHP | Valparaiso | Missouri Valley |
Paul Bergstrom | Notre Dame | LHP | Creighton | Big East |
Nick Bonk | Stevenson | OF | Northern Illinois | MAC |
Sam Butera | Niles West | RHP | St. Louis | Atlantic 10 |
Anthony Calarco | New Trier | 3B | Northwestern | Big 10 |
Mike Carey | Andrew | SS | Austin Peay | Ohio Valley |
Francois Castillo | Lake View | 3B | Eastern Illinois | Ohio Valley |
Jordan Cheek | Monmouth-Roseville | RHP | Western Illinois | Summit |
Brooks Coetzee | Mahomet-Seymour | OF | Notre Dame | ACC |
Branden Comia | Sandburg | SS | Illinois | Big 10 |
Ben Cruikshank | Belleville East | LHP | Missouri State | Missouri Valley |
Jonathan Cruz | Elgin | SS | Northern Illinois | MAC |
Gavin Doyle | Plainfield North | SS | Western Michigan | MAC |
Nicholas Drobushevich | Moline | OF | Northern Illinois | MAC |
Austin Ehren | Carmel Catholic | OF | Belmont | Ohio Valley |
Charlie Erler | Alton | RHP | Lipscomb | Atlantic Sun |
Colin Fields | Libertyville | RHP | Valparaiso | Missouri Valley |
Zach Fricke | Buffalo Grove | RHP | Valparaiso | Missouri Valley |
Ari Gordon | Stevenson | RHP | Bradley | Missouri Valley |
Riley Gowens | Libertyville | RHP | Illinois | Big 10 |
Jack Grace | Fenwick | OF | Creighton | Big East |
Steven Hamer | St. Charles North | OF | Miami (OH) | MAC |
Ryan Hampe | Sandburg | C | Illinois-Chicago | Horizon |
Andrew Hancock | Lincoln-Way Central | RHP | Evansville | Missouri Valley |
Patrick Hayes | Brother Rice | SS | Illinois State | Missouri Valley |
Erik Hedmark | Dundee Crown | LHP | Northern Illinois | MAC |
Anthony Herron Jr. | Mount Carmel | 1B | Missouri State | Missouri Valley |
Andrew Hoffmann | Plainfield East | RHP | Oakland | Horizon |
Jack Housinger | Stevenson | SS | Xavier | Big East |
Ryan Howe | Prospect | SS | Purdue | Big 10 |
Mason Hull | Effingham | SS | Missouri State | Missouri Valley |
Ryan Ignoffo | Cary-Grove | SS | Eastern Illinois | Ohio Valley |
Nick Jones | Providence Catholic | C | Memphis | America |
Sam Jones | Brother Rice | SS | Indiana | Big 10 |
Hayden Juenger | O'Fallon | RHP | Missouri State | Missouri Valley |
Jon Jungr | Yorkville | 3B | Eastern Illinois | Ohio Valley |
Jake Kapers | Mount Carmel | C | Valparaiso | Missouri Valley |
Jackson Kaplowitz | Notre Dame | SS | Xavier | Big East |
Jake Karczewski | Montini Catholic | SS | Navy | Patriot |
Evan Kiah | Stevenson | OF | Lafayette | Patriot |
Dakota Kotowski | Providence Catholic | OF | Missouri State | Missouri Valley |
James Kulak | Neuqua Valley | LHP | Purdue | Big 10 |
Hayden Laczynski | Minooka | SS | Western Illinois | Summit |
Caleb Larson | Wheaton Warrenville South | RHP | Illinois | Big 10 |
Nathan Lavender | El Paso | LHP | Illinois | Big 10 |
Nicholas Laxner | Huntley | RHP | Miami (OH) | MAC |
Cherokee LeBeau | Minooka | 3B | Oakland | Summit |
Brodie Lenon | Goreville | LHP | Murray State | Ohio Valley |
Christian Lucio | Mount Carmel | SS | Eastern Kentucky | Ohio Valley |
Jeffery Massey | Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep | RHP | Minnesota | Big 10 |
Jacob Maton | Chatham-Glenwood | RHP | Coastal Carolina | Sun Belt |
Cam McDonald | Hall | 3B | Illinois | Big 10 |
Paddy McKermitt | Burlington Central | 2B | Northern Illinois | MAC |
Brady Miller | Plainfield North | RHP | Western Michigan | MAC |
Caden Monke | Mount Olive | LHP | Arkansas | SEC |
Diego Munoz | Mount Carmel | 2B | Western Illinois | Summit |
Jacob Newman | Glenbrook South | RHP | Rutgers | Big 10 |
Camden Nisenson | Crystal Lake Central | OF | IPFW | Summit |
Joe Payton | Brother Rice | RHP | Central Michigan | MAC |
Malik Peters | Mount Carmel | SS | Northern Illinois | MAC |
Brandon Petkoff | Lincoln-Way East | SS | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | Southland |
Jacob Plastiak | Andrew | SS | Wichita State | American |
Alexander Pup | Fenwick | 2B | Air Force | Mountain West |
Cam Redding | New Trier | C | St. Louis | Atlantic 10 |
Trey Ricko | Plainfield South | RHP | Tennessee-Martin | Ohio Valley |
Jack Rigoni | Neuqua Valley | OF | Southern Illinois-Edwards | Ohio Valley |
Jordon Rogers | Simeon | C | Michigan | Big 10 |
Kyle Rosenfeld | Homeschool | LHP | Western Illinois | Summit |
Jake Rosing | Richmond Burton | RHP | Louisville | ACC |
Tylon Ross | Homewood-Flossmoor | RHP | Purdue | Big 10 |
Derek Salata | Nazareth | RHP | Illinois State | Missouri Valley |
Kyle Salley | Homewood-Flossmoor | LHP | Duke | ACC |
Steven Sanchez | Mundelein | LHP | Arkansas | SEC |
Brandon Simon | Gwendolyn Brooks | OF | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | SWAC |
Sean Sinisko | Geneva | LHP | Illinois State | Missouri Valley |
Chase Stanke | Marmion | C | Minnesota | Big 10 |
Easton Stewart | Carmi-White | SS | Evansville | Missouri Valley |
Blake Struble | Carrollton | LHP | Southern Illinois-Edwards | Ohio Valley |
Tyler Stuart | Herscher | RHP | Southern Miss | Conference USA |
Ryan Surin | Joliet Catholic | LHP | St. Louis | Atlantic 10 |
Evan Tenuta | Sandburg | RHP | Notre Dame | ACC |
Alek Thomas | Mount Carmel | OF | Texas Christian | Big 12 |
Trey Torain | Loyola | OF | George Washington | Atlantic 10 |
Aidan Tyrell | Joliet Catholic | LHP | Notre Dame | ACC |
Brant Vanaman | Hall | C | Kent State | MAC |
Ryan Vice | Lincoln-Way Central | RHP | Western Michigan | MAC |
Zaid Walker | Homewood-Flossmoor | OF | Michigan State | Big 10 |
Jay Ward | Carmel Catholic | LHP | Bowling Green State | MAC |
Clint Wells | Canton | C | Illinois State | Missouri Valley |
Andrew Wilhite | Stillman Valley | SS | Minnesota | Big 10 |
Scott Youngbrandt | Andrew | RHP | St. Louis | Atlantic 10 |
Danny Zimmerman | Lincoln-Way East | LHP | Louisville | ACC |
Not to be left out, but Division II programs from outside states have come into Illinois for players as well, just not quite to the level of the Division I schools. 14 of the 37 commits will be heading out of the state of Illinois.
Another stat that stood out is 32 of the 37 players are committed to schools in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Here's a look at the geographic breakdown of early Division II commits.
D2 IN STATE: 23
D2 OUT OF STATE: 14
Illinois – 23
Missouri – 7
Wisconsin - 3
North Carolina - 1
Tennessee - 1
Florida - 1
Michigan - 1
DIVISION II
Name | School | Pos. | Commitment | Conference |
Zach Aehlert | Lake Park | C | Belmont Abbey College | Conference Carolinas |
Brayden Arnold | O'Fallon | RHP | Maryville University | Great Lakes |
Nick Bacarella | Downers Grove North | LHP | Lewis University | Great Lakes |
Dan Balzhiser | Plainfield East | LHP | Wisconsin-Parkside | Great Lakes |
Brandon Bannon | Richmond Burton | C | Illinois-Springfield | Great Lakes |
Nick Beeler | Triad | 1B | McKendree University | Great Lakes |
Logan Boente | O'Fallon | RHP | McKendree University | Great Lakes |
Caden Clark | Civic Memorial | SS | McKendree University | Great Lakes |
Brendan Collins | St. Laurence | SS | Wisconsin-Parkside | Great Lakes |
Dalton Crowder | Plainfield East | OF | Lewis University | Great Lakes |
Anthony DeConcilis | Lake Park | SS | Illinois-Springfield | Great Lakes |
Nathan Deloian | Lincoln-Way West | LHP | Carson-Newman College | South Atlantic |
Juilan Everett | Lincoln-Way East | OF | Lewis University | Great Lakes |
Luke Faifer | Minooka | C | Maryville University | Great Lakes |
Rece Finck | Olympia | RHP | Illinois-Springfield | Great Lakes |
AJ Golembiewski | Marian Central Catholic | RHP | Illinois-Springfield | Great Lakes |
Hezekiah Goodman | Marion | LHP | Lindenwood University (MO | Mid-America |
Reid Hendrickson | Edwardsville | RHP | Central Missouri | Mid-America |
Tyler Horvath | Romeoville | LHP | Illinois-Springfield | Great Lakes |
Nick Huisman | Timothy Christian | RHP | Lewis University | Great Lakes |
Ryan Jemar | Bradley-Bourbonnais | RHP | Illinois-Springfield | Great Lakes |
Matt Johnston | Maine West | RHP | Illinois-Springfield | Great Lakes |
Reece Kulick | Litchfield | 3B | Missouri-St. Louis | Great Lakes |
Ryan Louck | Plainfield East | LHP | Maryville University | Great Lakes |
Seth Masters | Sandburg | LHP | Illinois-Springfield | Great Lakes |
Ian McMahon | Benton | LHP | Maryville University | Great Lakes |
Matt Piento | Lyons Township | LHP | Lewis University | Great Lakes |
Jaime Rivera | West Aurora | OF | McKendree University | Great Lakes |
Andrew Schimmoler | Oswego | RHP | Saint Leo | Sunshine State |
Jonah Smith | Mount Zion | LHP | Quincy University | Great Lakes |
Payton Sowa | Wheaton | RHP | Davenport University | Great Lakes |
Nick Stacey | Downers Grove South | LHP | Lewis University | Great Lakes |
Andrew Tenison | Sandburg | 3B | Lewis University | Great Lakes |
Noah Tyrrell | Crystal Lake South | 1B | Wisconsin-Parkside | Great Lakes |
Ryan Vogt | Trico | RHP | McKendree University | Great Lakes |
Mark Williams Jr. | Mount Carmel | OF | Lindenwood University (IL | Great Lakes |
Geoff Withers | Civic Memorial | RHP | McKendree University | Great Lakes |