Here are 10 baseball teams to watch around Springfield for the 2024 season
Last season, five high school baseball teams in The State Journal-Register coverage area won regional titles, including Jacksonville Routt, which lost to the eventual Class 1A state champs Waterloo Gibault in the Lincoln Land Community College Supersectional. Chatham Glenwood and Rochester both made the 3A Lincoln Sectional, Gillespie played for its first 2A sectional title since 2002 and Pawnee took the 1A Nokomis Regional for its first postseason hardware since 2014.
Those teams, plus many others, begin the spring season with dreams of deep postseason advancements. As the calendar turns from March to April, some teams have shown their dreams could come true.
This is a look at 10 area teams to watch in the 2024 season. The teams are listed in alphabetical order.
More: Here is the SJ-R's large school baseball team for 2023
More: Here is the SJ-R's small school baseball team for 2023
Chatham Glenwood
When fans of local high school baseball think of consistent winners in the area, Glenwood is one of the first programs which come to mind. The Titans aren’t just a perennial threat to win the Central State Eight Conference, but they are in a permanent category of state contenders. This year’s team might be young in certain positions, but they're not inexperienced. Sophomores Dylan Huff, Colten Knoedler and Michael Lucas will be expected to help the upperclassmen of Cam Appenzeller, Cru Erickson, Mason Marshall, Krayton Reincke and company. Marshall was leading the CS8 through March 30 with a .526 batting average (10-for-19).
Gillespie
The Miners didn’t experience a loss until losing to Quincy Notre Dame in the Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional championship a season ago. Despite graduation losses to The State Journal-Register's Small School Baseball Player of the Year Kamryn Link, as well as Colton Bultema, Chase Helvey and Bryan Jubelt, the Miners still roll out a formidable group with players including Bryce Buhs, Bryce Hohnsbehn, Jack Kaylor, Luke Schuckenbrock, Tristen Wargo, Carson Hailstone and Jesse Berry. The Miners ended March with a 7-3 record.
Jacksonville Routt
The Rockets have three seniors who are going to play college baseball: Shortstop Nolan Turner and pitcher Conrad Charpentier will go to Lincoln Land Community College while infielder Isaac Long will play at John Wood C.C. Coach Ryan Turner says his three juniors — pitcher and outfielder Eli Olson, outfielder Jace Lautemann and pitcher Brock Runyon — all either want to play at the next level or have the ability to do so. Routt sophomore Brady Turner, a left-handed pitcher and first baseman, has a strong arm to go with his bat, and Bryson Mossman, a sophomore outfielder, is, according to coach Turner, a “ball hawk” in the outfield who is hitting nearly .400 through 12 games. Routt got to the Class 1A Lincoln Land Supersectional a year ago and lost to Waterloo Gibault.
Litchfield
In just his second year on the job, coach Rocky Giannuzzi has the Purple Panthers 11-1 through 12 games, which included the program’s first 10-0 start in school history. Just two seasons ago, Litchfield won just three games before upping that to nine a year ago. Senior Drake Gasperson hit .500 (17-for-34) in his first 12 games after averaging .208 a year ago. Another senior, Ian Otto, batted .433 (13-for-30) after a .154 campaign last season. Five other players started with averages of .300 or better through 12 games — sophomore Mathew Bywater (.400), senior Carson Saathoff (.367), sophomore Max Leitschuh (.341), sophomore Ethan Saathoff (.324) and senior Tate Dobrinich (.324) — after having just two players hit above .300 the entire 2023 season. Litchfield is already guaranteed its first double-digit win season since the Panthers had 15 wins in 2014.
Mount Pulaski
Senior do-everything Landon Smith (pitcher, shortstop, third baseman and outfielder) is a remnant from the Hilltoppers’ Class 1A fourth-place finish in 2021. The Southwestern Illinois College recruit is 3-0 on the mound (4-1 last year with a 2.87 ERA and 41 strikeouts). Junior Chance Payne, a left-handed pitcher and first baseman, is 4-0 through Mt. Pulaski’s 8-0 start, and he batted .494 with 36 RBIs a year ago. Junior second baseman Liam Smith (.372, 29 RBIs) and sophomore pitcher/third baseman Luke Martin (.407, 33 RBIs) both look to improve on their eye-popping numbers from last season.
Pawnee
In Pawnee’s 8-3 start, two losses are to teams on this list: Routt and Mount Pulaski. Senior Tyler Surber is 3-0 on the mound, and Pawnee has wins from four other pitchers: Cory Banister, Jacob Butler, Coy Clarke and Caden Ward. Pawnee’s lineup is also deep, with key contributions already from second baseman Nick Rice, Butler, junior catcher Carson Wort, Surber, shortstop Trenton Hull, Caden Anderson, Carter Morell and Hunter Barber. Pawnee is looking for a second consecutive regional title after taking the Class 1A Nokomis Regional a year ago with much of the same team.
Pleasant Plains
Dave Greer is a local coaching legend with two state championships (Class A in 2000; Class 2A in 2014) and a pair of runner-up state trophies. The Cardinals have had a losing record just once since 1994 and got back in the 20-win territory last year for the first time since 2019. Through nine games, the 8-1 Cardinals are outscoring opponents 88-29 with a deep team full of experience. Senior Carter Durako, along with juniors Zach Ponce, Cooper Schallenberg, Charlie Severino and Trager Shultz, are just some of the mainstay names that have been vital for Plains’ improvement in each of the last two seasons.
Rochester
Under coach Matt Carlson, 20-win seasons are almost automatic for the Rockets. Through nine games, Rochester sits at 6-3 with four players hitting .300 or better (Parker Lyons, .357; Jack Swaney, .333 with 13 RBIs; Tyson Binion, .310; and Ajay Runkel, .308). A season ago, Rochester lost to Champaign Central 4-2 in a run to the Class 3A Lincoln Sectional title game. Eli Carlson (2-0, 1.50 ERA, 25 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched) and Swaney (2-0, 1.79 ERA, 21 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings pitched) have dominated on the mound.
Sacred Heart-Griffin
The 2024 Cyclones are off to a 10-0 start, including as the only 3-0 team in the Central State Eight Conference through Monday. Senior pitcher/shortstop Charlie Linderman, who will play next season at Heartland Community College, is back after earning the team’s “ace” status last year with a 2.87 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings pitched. He also batted .418 (38-for-91) with 28 RBIs as a junior. Senior pitcher Gage Luttrell will attend Southwestern Illinois College, and he sits at 2-0 after a 5-2 campaign in 2023. Senior outfielder Jake Kepler, an Air Force commit, Will Lance and junior outfielder/pitcher Andy Antonacci give SHG additional weapons. Pitcher Grant Blackburn is 3-0 for the Cyclones.
Williamsville
The reigning Sangamo Conference champions stand at 5-4, but the Bullets’ losses are to Class 3A and Central State Eight contenders Sacred Heart-Griffin and Chatham Glenwood (twice) and to Class 1A Mount Pulaski. Key contributors for Williamsville include senior pitcher/outfielder Joe Catalano, who will play at Kankakee Community College and struck out 60 batters with an 8-1 record last year; senior outfielder Kyle Carter, who will play at Frontier C.C.; and senior catcher Josh Cates.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Top 10 high school baseball teams around Springfield to watch in 2024
