After a month, who is defining the local baseball season?
Now that the 2023 high school baseball season in Illinois is just past the midway mark, conference races have come into clearer focus and the top players have begun to separate themselves.
Teams such as Carlinville, Chatham Glenwood, Gillespie, Jacksonville Routt, North Mac, Pleasant Plains, Rochester, Springfield High, Williamsville — to name just a few — are making cases that they might have what it takes to pick up some hardware come postseason time.
The State Journal-Register takes a look at some of the top individual performers so far among area teams. Here is our list of some of the best of the best, listed in alphabetical order:
Andrew Bailey and Evan Cooper, Mount Pulaski
These two Hilltoppers' senior pitchers are a combined 8-0. In 23 innings pitched, Cooper is 4-0 with a 1.826 ERA and has totaled 32 strikeouts compared to just three walks. Bailey, also 4-0, has a 1.050 ERA and has struck out 26 in 13 1/3 innings pitched. Bailey is hitting .442 (19-for-43) 13 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Cooper has a .370 average (20-for-54) with 19 RBIs and 28 runs scored.
Lucas Bixby, New Berlin
The Pretzels’ junior pitcher has 50 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings pitched. He’s also 2-1 with a 3.30 ERA. At the plate through 17 games, he is one of five Pretzels averaging over .300. He is .375 (18-for-48) with 13 RBIs. For those curious, Jacob Roberts leads the team in average at .432 (19-for-44).
Jaron Boggs, Havana
The Ducks’ junior shortstop is hitting a team-best .429 (18-for-42) and also leads the team with 16 stolen bases, four doubles and is tied for the team lead with two triples.
Kaden Brown, North Mac
In 26 2/3 innings pitched, Brown has a 0.52 ERA and has struck out 44 batters and issued just 19 walks for the 11-1 Panthers. He also leads the team with a .452 average (14-for-31), has 14 RBIs and 20 runs scored through 10 games.
Bryce Buhs, Gillespie
This junior is 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA in 22 innings pitched. Probably more impressive, however, is his 44 strikeouts compared to just the four walks he’s allowed. In the 73 at-bats against him, he’s given up just eight hits. He’s also capable at the plate with a .300 average (12-for-40) and 11 RBIs.
Griffin Burk and Ryne Crum, Springfield High
As the Senators have gotten off to an 11-4 start, this pair of seniors who helped the team win the 2021 Class 3A state baseball championship are batting .462 and .452, respectively. Burk, 18-for-39, has five doubles, two home runs and 16 RBIs through 15 games while Crum, 19-for-42, has seven doubles and 17 RBIs. Burk also has a 2.04 ERA and a 3-1 record in 24 IP with 25 strikeouts.
Eli Carlson and Jack Swaney, Rochester
The duo is hitting .438 (Carlson, 14-for-32) and .417 (Swaney, 20-for-48). Carlson has four doubles, one triple, three home runs, 18 RBIs and 19 runs scored. Swaney, a junior transfer from Springfield High, has seven doubles, two triples and one homer with 13 RBIs. Carlson leads the team with a 1.493 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Trey Carter, Williamsville
Thursday’s game against Pleasant Plains will be vital if the Bullets want to win the Sangamo Conference. But so far, things are looking good for Williamsville. After Wednesday’s win over Petersburg PORTA, the Bullets are 12-3 overall and 6-0 in the Sangamo. Carter has been a big reason for that. The senior is hitting .372 (16-for-43) through 15 games with 19 RBIs, 16 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and one home run. In 22 2/3 innings pitched, he’s 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA and has 28 strikeouts compared to just six walks. Teammate Joe Catalano is 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA.
Conrad Charpentier, Jacksonville Routt
The junior pitcher, first baseman and outfielder is 4-0 with a 1.22 ERA in 23 innings pitched. He has struck out 34 batters against six walks and allowed just 15 hits. At the plate, he’s hitting .375 (18-for-48) and 22 RBIs. It’s no wonder why the Rockets are outscoring opponents 248-66 through 20 games.
Kendall Davis and Trace Donnan, Petersburg PORTA
In 57 1/3 combined innings pitched, this duo has produced 81 strikeouts. Donnan is 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA in 29 1/3 IP has an impressive 34:5 strikeout-to-walk count. Davis is 1-1 in seven appearances and in 28 IP, he leads the team with 47 Ks and has a 2.50 ERA. Donnan also leads the Bluejays’ offense with a .318 average (21-for-66) through 20 games with 17 RBIs.
Parker Detmers, Chatham Glenwood
The University of Louisville-bound senior pitcher can also swing a bat pretty well. Through 12 games, he’s got a .500 average (12-for-24) with 11 RBIs and five doubles, one triple and three home runs. But the mound is where he dominates. Through four appearances and 15 1/3 innings pitched, Detmers was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He’s struck out 22 against four walks.
Lofty expectations, no burden for Glenwood baseball's Parker Detmers
Cru Erickson, Chatham Glenwood
The Titans’ outfielder leads the 2022 Class 3A state tournament runner-up Titans with a .519 batting average (14-for-27) through a 12-1 start. He also leads the team with 16 RBIs and has four doubles, one triple and one home run.
Marshall, Detmers carry Glenwood
Wyatt Fowler, Rushville-Industry
The Rockets’ junior shortstop has an impressive .551 batting average (27 of 49) through 14 games with an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.492. He has 13 extra-base hits with 10 doubles and three triples and has scored 14 runs. Sophomore Bennett Fretueg is also over .400 (417) and has 19 RBIs.
Phillips' homer caps wild 21-20 win for Rushville-Industry
Jackson Fricke, Mount Pulaski
The Hilltoppers' senior catcher seems to defy baseball logic. He is a staggering 27-for-38 for a whopping .711 batting average with a .782 on-base percentage and a jaw-dropping 1.966 on-base plus slugging percentage. He has seven doubles, one triple and three home runs and leads the 16-1 Hilltoppers with 25 RBIs. He's also walked 15 times against five strikeouts. Along with Evan Cooper and Andrew Bailey (listed above), junior Landon Smith is averaging .449, has 24 RBIs and a team-best five home runs. Mount Pulaski has won 14 games in a row before Monday's game against St. Joseph-Ogden.
Kaden Griffitts, Williamsville
The Bullets’ senior gets on base nearly 60% of the time, boosted by a .522 batting average (24-for-46). He’s driven in 14 runs, has scored 21 times and with six doubles, four triples and one home run, Griffitts has a slugging percentage of .891. He’s also the team’s most prolific base stealer with 11 stolen bases.
Carter Hood, Southeast
The Spartans have three hitters batting over .440 (Hood at .500, Matt Miller at .468 and Braxton Twist’s .449). Hood is 30-for-60 — so no small sample size — and has five doubles, three triples, 11 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
Shaun Jeffers, Riverton
The Hawks’ leading pitcher also leads the team in RBIs and home runs. On the mound, he’s 2-1 in 19 innings pitched with a 0.74 ERA and has 29 strikeouts compared to 16 walks. He’s .275 hitting (11-for-40) with 18 RBIs and his three home runs equates to 75% of the team’s total through 13 games.
Evan Kessler, Auburn
The sophomore catcher is one of two Trojans with a .400 or better batting average (he’s .400, 16-for-40 while Cash Dvorak leads the team through 14 games at .414, 12-for-29) and is one of three with an on-base percentage over .500 (he and Jed Ferguson sit at .510 while Zach Newbold’s is .520). Kessler has seven doubles, one triple and three home runs for a 1.360 on-base plus slugging percentage. He also leads the team with 18 RBIs.
Henry Kufa, Carlinville
The senior shortstop leads a loaded Cavaliers’ squad with a .574 batting average (26-for-45) through a 12-1 start. He has four doubles, three triples, three home runs and he has knocked in 21 runs. In 11 innings pitched, he’s 3-0 with a save and a 0.00 ERA. He sits down opposing hitters regularly with 27 strikeouts against three walks.
Kamryn Link, Gillespie
The Miners’ top three pitchers all have sub-1.00 ERAs. Link is 4-0 with a 0.97 ERA and in 21 2/3 innings pitched has 27 strikeouts against eight walks. He’s hitting .435 (20-for-46) with five home runs and 19 RBIs.
Sean Lowder and Cooper Schallenberg, Pleasant Plains
The two pitchers combined for an 8-0 record through the Cardinals’ first 18 games and had two-thirds of the team’s 12 total wins. Through 29 2/3 innings pitched, Lowder was 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA and recorded 20 strikeouts against eight walks. Schallenberg was also 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA. He had 19 strikeouts and allowed seven walks in 24 2/3 IP.
Ryan Oswald, Jacksonville Routt
Few teams are having a better season than the 19-1 Rockets and few players are having more of an impact than Oswald. Through 20 games, the senior infielder and pitcher leads Routt in average (.508, 32-for-63), RBIs (41), doubles (11) and home runs (four). In 24 innings pitched, Oswald carries a 1.17 ERA and a 4-0 record with 44 strikeouts against 20 walks. With sophomore outfielder Jace Lautemann’s 25 RBIs, the Rockets have two players with 66 combined runs knocked in through 20 games.
Landon Patton, Buffalo Tri-City
Through 13 games, the junior was leading the Tornadoes with 15 RBIs and six home runs. He also has a .429 average (18-for-42) and four doubles to go with that at the plate. On the mound, he’s 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA in 30 innings pitched and averages more than two strikeouts an inning with 67 total.
Zach Ponce, Pleasant Plains
Through 18 games, Ponce was one of four Cardinals batting .300 or better and he led them all at .370 (20-for-54). He also has 10 RBIs and six doubles and has just eight strikeouts in 64 plate appearances. The others over .300 were: Drew Green (.350, 14-for-40), Charlie Severino (.333, 20-for-60) and Trager Shultz (.316, 12-for-38).
Krayton Reincke, Chatham Glenwood
The top-three Glenwood hitters — Cru Erickson, Parker Detmers and Krayton Reincke — combine for a .500 average (42-for-84). Through 12 games, Reincke was just one hit below the mark at 16-for-33 (.485). He also has 12 RBIs, four doubles and two home runs.
Quin Saxer, Jacksonville
The senior leads the Crimsons at the plate and on the mound. As a pitcher, he’s 1-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 35 2/3 IP with 50 strikeouts against 11 walks. He’s batting .465 (20-for-43) with eight doubles, two triples and 14 RBIs.
Liam Tieman, Carlinville
The senior outfielder and pitcher was a major reason why the Cavaliers rattled off 12 straight wins to open the season. He’s hitting .500 (20-for-40) with 21 RBIs and five home runs through 13 games. He’s also 2-0 with a 2.62 ERA in 18 2/3 innings pitched. He’s struck out 36 and issued just eight walks. Carlinville also has three wins apiece from pitchers Sam Quarton and Ryenn Hart.
Tristen Wargo, Gillespie
The unbeaten Miners have three players batting over .400 but through 14 games, it’s Wargo alone on Mount .500 (26-for-52). He’s scored 23 times and has driven in six runs.
Kyle Weatherford, Athens
The Warriors’ junior infielder and pitcher is hitting .367 (18-for-49) and holds team highs with 17 RBIs and three home runs and through 14 games was tied for the team average lead with Carson Moscardelli. Weatherford also has 37 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings pitched.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Some of top baseball performers in Springfield area so far
