By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

From top to bottom, Illinois’ Class of 2015 is shaping up to be one of the deepest and most talented groups of prospects the state has seen in recent memory. Whether or not this class has the draft cache of the 2014 class remains to be seen; however, this crop of juniors is remarkably deep.

And the list keeps getting deeper.

Over the last two-plus months, more and more players have emerged as high-level prospects, while others have made tremendous leaps in their games. The Prep Baseball Report scouting staff has had an extremely busy fall season, and our findings are all reflected in the updated and expanded Class of 2015 Illinois rankings.

For the first time in more than a year, there’s a new No. 1-ranked 2015 prospect. C/RHP/OF Nick Dalesandro (Joliet Catholic Academy HS) leapfrogs to the top spot, narrowly edging out SS Charlie Donovan (Westmont HS). Dalesandro, who previously held the No. 1 spot in the initial 2015 rankings nearly two years ago, is a multi-positional standout that can play three positions at the next level. Behind the plate, the Purdue recruit possesses a top-level arm and extremely athletic feet. Then again, on the mound, he pitches in the upper-80s, has been as high as 91, throws four pitches for strikes and, above all, is the ultimate competitor.

For the last eight months, the same names have dominated the top 10. A new prospect, however, has finally elbowed its way among an extremely talented and crowded field: RHP Shane Ritter (Plainfield South HS) jumps to No. 6 after an electric showing at October’s Class of 2015 Showcase. The highly projectable 6-foot-3, 175-pound Ritter should quickly become one of the more coveted prospects in the Midwest.

INF Tyler Halas (St. Rita HS) jumps five spots after the Tennessee recruit proved time and again this fall that he can barrel up nation’s best. RHP Steven Skolarz (Lincoln-Way West HS), a 6-foot-5, 225-pound Indiana recruit, also enjoyed an extremely productive fall.

Other risers in the 2015 rankings include: C Jesse Forestell (Homewood-Flossmoor HS), OF Ethan Skender (Metamora HS), OF Ryan Fish (Oak Park-River Forest HS), LHP Alex Weigand (Bradley-Bourbonnais HS), SS Nick Maton (Glenwood HS), SS Jason Sullivan (St. Francis HS), LHP Zak Devermann (Oswego East HS), RHP/3B Charlie Cerny (Bloomington HS), and RHP Austin Fancher (Moline HS), to name a few.

A look at the top 10:

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Nick Dalesandro	IL	Joliet Catholic Academy	2015	C	Purdue
2	Charlie Donovan	IL	Westmont	2015	SS	Michigan
3	Cole Daily	IL	Sacred Heart Griffin	2015	SS	Notre Dame
4	Kyle Ostrowski	IL	Lincoln-Way North	2015	LHP	Purdue
5	Trent Johnson	IL	Metamora	2015	RHP	Arizona
6	Shane Ritter	IL	Plainfield South	2015	RHP
7	Willie Bourbon	IL	Stevenson	2015	3B
8	Chris Botsoe	IL	Hinsdale Central	2015	OF	Louisville
9	Josh Stowers	IL	Mount Carmel	2015	OF	Louisville
10	Jeremy Orbik	IL	Homewood-Flossmoor	2015	RHP	Kentucky

CLICK HERE to View Illinois’ Top 150 2015 Rankings