In our first edition of the 1A/2A watchlist, we took an in-depth look at some of the top teams all around the state of Illinois, noting some of their biggest wins, players, and making mention of their upcoming season. You can find that article by clicking HERE.

Throughout the rest of the season we will continue to do our best to check-in on some of the prominent 1A/2A programs, gather information, video, and compile our notes to help determine some of the best small school teams and players all across the state of Illinois.

1A/2A TEAMS TO FOLLOW

+ Monticello (22-0): The Sages check in at No. 15 in the Illinois Power 25 this week, up one spot from the week prior. Since our last update two weeks ago, the Sages have gone 8-0 and have outscored their opponents 67-13. They look every bit of one of the top teams in class 2A this year with all kinds of depth and a true ace in RHP Luke Teschke (2024; Illinois State). The Sages are in for a test on Monday as they face RHP Henry Brummel (2024; Indiana) of Pontiac.

+ Father McGivney (16-2): The Griffins have been rolling since our last update, going 6-1, and outscoring opponents 81-5, shutting out five teams in the process. Moving down to 1A this season, Father McGivney has a team that’s capable of winning the 1A State Title, and they look to be the favorites as we move closer to the IHSA playoffs.

+ St. Joseph-Ogden (19-2): The Spartans have won their last eight games, including an impressive win of Normal University. Our staff was on hand for that matchup, and you can find information regarding the game by clicking HERE, and to learn more about some of the standout prospects, click HERE. SJO is consistently one of the top 2A programs in the state, and they’ve been a premier program in Central Illinois for many years, and this year is no different. They have some challenging games ahead with Maroa-Forsyth (4/26) and No. 15 Monticello (4/29).

From Normal:

A big first inning has @SJOBaseball up 8-0. They record six hits in the hitting.

2B Luke Landrus (2024; Illinois) delivers this RBI single. 👇 pic.twitter.com/JyUbPmzx4S

— Prep Baseball Illinois (@PrepBaseballIL) April 12, 2024

+ Brimfield (12-1): The Indians have gone 7-1 since our last 1A/2A update with some impressive wins over Leo (7-4), Illini Bluffs (3-1) and Illini West (7-4). They’re a talented 1A group with quality arms and impressive bats, outscoring opponents 64-16 in their last eight games. They’re a team that looks capable of making a deep run in this year’s 1A state playoffs.

+ Ottawa Marquette (12-1): As mentioned in our previous story, the Crusaders are consistently one of the top baseball programs in class 1A. On the season, they’ve outscored their opponents 113-28, and they’ll look to continue this throughout the year. Marquette is a well-coached group, and they’ll likely continue to find success throughout the rest of the 2024 season.

+ Harvest Christian (9-4): The Lions have to be viewed as one of the top teams in Class 1A, boasting a roster that’s plenty physical and holds plenty of talent. They’re on a six game winning streak and, on the year, own a win over then ranked Stevenson. The top four bats in their lineup - CF/RHP Kaden Meeker (2024), INF Gavin Duran (2024; John Wood CC), CIF Benjamin Mitchell (2025; Bellarmine), and CIF Hayden Mosley (2024; Morton JC) - are all capable of doing damage in any given at-bat. Mosley, Meeker, Mitchell, and INF/RHP Obed Lopez (2025) are all having success on the mound as well.

+ Nashville (17-1): The Hornets suffered their only loss of the season to a talented DuQuoin team, losing 4-0. They’re a talented group that’s scored 173 runs on the year, and they look like there’s no slowing down. They’re scheduled to play DuQuoin on April 22nd, and this will determine the champions of the Southern Illinois River-to-River conference.

+ Effingham St. Anthony (13-1-1): The Bulldogs have gone 5-1 since our last update, with their only loss coming to University (13-3) out of Indiana. They’re yet another talented group that’s led by RHP/INF Brock Fearday (2025). At the plate, Fearday has a .478 batting average with two home runs, seven doubles and 17 RBIs. He’s also 5-0 on the mound with 26 strikeouts and a 2.17 ERA.

+ Mt. Pulaski (13-1): The Hilltoppers have scored 147 runs this season, and they’re 5-1 since our last update. They’ve continued to show well this year, and they look to be led by 1B/LHP Chance Payne (2025), INF/OF Landon Smith (2024), and INF Luke Martin (2026). They have some intriguing matchups on the horizon with Routt Catholic (4/23), Leroy (4/25), and Illini Bluffs (5/2).

+ Pleasant Plains (13-2): The Cardinals only loss since our last update was against a talented Maroa-Forsyth team, losing 10-2. They’ve put up double digit runs in eight of their 15 games, and they’ve shutout teams in four of those games. Trager Shultz (2025) is leading the way on offense with a .625 batting average, three extra base hits and 10 RBIs. Grady Grisham (2026) has shown well, too, posting a .366 batting average with seven extra base hits and 14 RBIs.

+ Zeigler-Royalton (17-1): The Tornadoes have won their last 16 games, with their only loss of the season coming against Sparta. They’ve outscored their opponents 174-58 this year, and they have some tests coming up in their schedule with two-game sets against Marissa/Coulterville and Goreville, and a game in early May against Edwards County.

+ DuQuoin (21-1): The Indians have won 20 games in a row, with their only loss of the season coming against a talented Marion team. They’ll look to win the Southern Illinois River-To-River conference on Monday in a matchup against a Nashville team that they beat last week (4-0). As mentioned in our first article, DuQuoin has a talented roster with plenty of firepower on both sides of the ball.

+ Wheaton Academy (15-1): The Warriors have continued to dominate this season, only losing their first game of the season to 3A St. Francis, in a close 10-7 game. They have a true ace in RHP Eric DeCosta (2024; Cincinnati), and he’ll look to lead them to a deep playoff run in 2024.

+ Manteno (12-0):  The Panthers have had an impressive season thus far in 2024, beating talented teams like Dwight, Kankakee, Milford and Clifton Central. They’re a talented 2A program that’s made some noise so far this year, and they’ll continue to be tested throughout the rest of the season with Pontiac, Coal City, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Wilmington and Morris all on their schedule moving forward.

OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH:

+ Maroa-Forsyth (15-3)
+ Columbia (15-4)
+ Routt Catholic (17-5)
+ Valmeyer (11-6)
+ Edwards County (14-4)
+ DePaul College Prep (9-7)
+ Teutopolis (13-6)
+ Hall (9-6)
+ Sherrard (14-1)
+ Eureka (11-2)
+ Bloomington Central Catholic (9-5)
+ Goreville (12-6)
+ Harrisburg (17-5)
+ Newman Central Catholic (9-4-1)
+ Illini Bluffs (8-4)
+ Richmond Burton (13-6)
+ Chicago Hope (13-6)
+ St Bede (12-7)
+ Althoff Catholic (11-4-1)
+ Gillespie (11-4)
+ Delavan (10-1-1)
+ Arcola (14-2)
+ Farina South Central (11-7-1)
+ Mateno (12-0)
+ Carmi-White County (14-4)
+ Southwestern (Piasa) (15-4)
+ Litchfield (16-4)
+ Byron (12-3-1)
+ Bishop McNamara (11-4)
+ Westmont (10-5-1)
+ Coal City (9-5)

IHSA PODCAST: Episode 4

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