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Who are some of the top sophomores in the northern/NW Illinois area? I definitely know that were not going to be knowing about all of them quite yet before their varsity debuts, but I'm sure we all know of some.

My list is (that i know of)...
Jack Havey(P/1B)- Loyola Academy~~ my top 2009
Jerad Grundy (LHP)- Johnsburg~~ This kid can pitch
Brandon Duplessis(P)- Lockport
Niko Gomez(C)- St. Ignatius
Anthony Maldonado(SS)- Oak Park
Derek Brown(P/1B)-Woodstock
Craig Lipp(OF/P)- Huntley
Gage Ecklund(c/inf)- Marian-Central
Nolan Jacoby(c/inf)- Prairie Ridge
Joey Cecchi(IF/P) Romeoville
Johnny Amann(c/inf/p)- HD Jacobs
Ryan Crowley(P)- Morton West
Jordan Coffey (P)- Batavia
Justin Ringo and Jake Naumann of the Dupage DBacks are really good too.

The starters out of Barrington looked solid.

Just to name a few top sophs I've seen play from high school/travel baseball... any others that deserve recognition this early???
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All four of these kids listed below play for some very good Class A programs and they stood out as freshmen
Chris Razo, 6-foot-1 RHP-3B, Illinois Valley Central: went 13-1 with a 0.97 ERA, 93 strikeouts and 14 walks for Class A state champion IVC. Beat Driscoll in the semifinals.
Tanner Howell, 6-foot LHP-OF, Beardstown: Went 12-2 with a 2.00 ERA for Class A Supersectional qualifier.
John Blair, 6-foot-4 LHP-1B, Beardstown: Went 9-3 with a 0.73 ERA for the same supersectional qualifier as Howell.
Matt Frahm, 6-foot-4 RHP-SS, Olympia: Don't have numbers because Coach Smith doesn't believe in giving them out, but I watched him gas IVC's Zach McAllister up high in a sectional-title game.
Last edited by Ben_Diggle
There isn't a more polished 09 pitcher in the state than Razo from IVC. I'm sure there are a few kids that throw a little bit harder but he is by far the best. As a freshmen he went 13-1, with total control over his pitches.

The kid was unbelievably composed also. That was what impressed me the most about him. In the state semi-final he showed his patience and poise in some dangerous situations. Had he not, my team may have been playing in the title game that night instead of IVC. He worked his way out of a few jams to win that game.

He was by far the best pitcher we faced all year, regardless of what year he was. I think that is significant considering we play mostly AA schools throughout the year.
quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Diggle:
All four of these kids listed below play for some very good Class A programs and they stood out as freshmen
Chris Razo, 6-foot-1 RHP-3B, Illinois Valley Central: went 13-1 with a 0.97 ERA, 93 strikeouts and 14 walks for Class A state champion IVC. Beat Driscoll in the semifinals.
Tanner Howell, 6-foot LHP-OF, Beardstown: Went 12-2 with a 2.00 ERA for Class A Supersectional qualifier.
John Blair, 6-foot-4 LHP-1B, Beardstown: Went 9-3 with a 0.73 ERA for the same supersectional qualifier as Howell.
Matt Frahm, 6-foot-4 RHP-SS, Olympia: Don't have numbers because Coach Smith doesn't believe in giving them out, but I watched him gas IVC's Zach McAllister up high in a sectional-title game.

They sure do grow them big down there.
quote:
Originally posted by TPBulldogs35:
Lockport had a real good record too. 2 losses or somethin and like 30 wins. We (Sandburg) went 25-2. Lot of good teams and players that we faced. Duplessis from lockport, porter out of joliet, the catcher from LWE I forget the name. Tons more to name, but our year has a lot of talent.


Lockport broke the all time record for wins in a season for Freshmen and went 16 -0 in the summer to take the summer league championship agains Andrew.
Jack Havey 6'4" LHP Loyola is as good as I have ever seen at this age. He has already caught they eye of several pro scouts who have clocked him as high as 88 mph but consistantly at 84-87 mph. He has a great curve and outstanding control. This kid is a pitcher, not a thrower. He is an outstanding student and will more than likely attend college after high school. He potentially could be a high draft if he continues to develop. His brother Matt pitches for Northwestern. Tony Cogan (LHP); former Highland Park grad, Stanford alum, and former MLB pitcher with the Royals has already informed Stanford about this kid after seeing him in a workout at The North Shore Baseball Academy last winter. He will be able to pitch there according to Cogan. See link below for Travel Baseball Select USA 2006 ALL AMERICANS: Which includes Havey. Havey has also made the Bergen Beach Team.


http://travelballselect.com/_wsn/page6.html
Last edited by TT41

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