To my knowledge, this is by far the largest Illinois contingent to PG National, and an amazing accomplishment. What it tells me is that the travel ball and indoor training revolutions that started in Illinois in earnest in the mid-to-late 1990s (with CF Swingtown, Strikes) is beginning to bear fruit, at least at the individual level.
Although I'm out of baseball for a while now, it looks to me that players are bigger, stronger, and more advanced technically - due to the influences I cite - than even in my son's (1996-2005) era. I still don't think Illinois can consistently contend at the national 18U level with select squads composed of Florida, Texas, or California players in terms of Connie Mack or the like, mainly because those guys are outdoors 365 days of the year on grass fields. However, these PG National selections show that from the skills and abilities perspective, the North is closing the gap. Good luck!
