The State Journal-Register’s coverage area had two teams advance to the Illinois High School Association baseball state tournament in 2025. Pawnee finished third in Class 1A, while Sacred Heart-Griffin came home with the Class 2A state championship.
And while several area teams are loaded and ready for deep runs of their own this season, there is an incredible assortment of talent among the area’s baseball teams.
Below is a list of some of the best performers of the 2026 high school baseball season, using stats found on GameChanger, MaxPreps or submitted by coaches. The players will be listed under team names.
Athens
Cole Ishmael/Wyatt Gleason
Ishmael is hitting .386 (22-for-57) with 13 RBIs and four home runs. Gleason, meanwhile, leads the Warriors’ pitching with a 2-3 record and 3.06 ERA through 32 innings pitched.
Auburn
Carter Smith/Tyler Brown
Smith is 4-2 with a 2.80 ERA in 25 innings pitched, while Brown is 1-2 but carries a 2.66 ERA.
Buffalo Tri-City
Owen Byerline
He’s carrying the Tornadoes with a .425 average, six doubles, four triples and 11 RBIs.
Carlinville
Noah Convery
The Cavaliers’ pitcher has struck out 37 in 28 1/3 innings pitched and has a 2-3 record with a 2.72 ERA.
Chatham Glenwood
Quinten Hale/Dylan Huff/Michael Lucas/Colten Knoedler
Hale leads the team through 20 games with a .396 batting average (21-for-53) with 16 RBIs and two home runs. Huff is just shy of Hale with a .395 average (17-for-43) and Lucas is sitting at .379 (22-for-58). Knoedler is hitting .304 with a team-high 19 RBIs. Huff is 3-0 with a 3.23 ERA in 26 innings pitched. Hale is 2-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 27 IP.
Gillespie
Braden Reich/Carson Hailstone/Nathan Haywood/Luke Schuckenbrock
Schuckenbrock is having a fantastic season on the mound with 0.78 ERA and a 5-1 record over 36 IP. He’s also struck out 33 compared to 11 walks. Reich is hitting .510 (25-for-49) 19 RBIs. Hailstone’s 21 RBIs leads the Miners while also hitting .383 and Haywood is hitting .365 with 20 RBIs.
Havana
Jack Turner/Carter Brooks
Brooks is 5-1 with one save and a 1.10 ERA through 38 1/3 IP. He’s also hitting .424 with five homers and 33 RBIs. Turner is hitting .426 (23-for-54).
Jacksonville
Jack Rohlk/Joe Reif/Nolan Peters/A.J. Charpentier
Rohlk, a freshman, is hitting .452 (33-for-73), which leads the team, and he and Peters (.397) are leading the Crimsons with 23 RBIs each. Reif’s .408 average is second and Charpentier is hitting .324 with 18 RBIs. Charpentier is 2-0 with a 3.47 ERA across 36 1/3 IP and has struck out 55.
Jacksonville Routt
Brady Turner/Bryson Mossman/Talon Thompson
Turner is sizzling with a .451 average (37-for-82) and has 12 doubles and 28 RBIs. He’s also the staff ace with a 4-2 record and 1.77 ERA and has posted 65 Ks in 35 2/3 IP. Mossman gives the Rockets two hitters over the .400 mark (.412, 33-for-80) and has 22 RBIs. Thompson is at .383 with 10 RBIs and eight doubles.
Lincoln
Grady Rutledge/Austin Lucas
Rutledge is carrying a .333 average (25-for-75) with 17 RBIs (five back of team leader, Owen Comstock). Lucas is hitting .313 (21-for-67) with 11 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
Litchfield
Ethan Saathoff/Mathew Bywater/Titan Hires
Despite the season-ending injury loss of Max Leitschuh, the Purple Panthers continue plugging along thanks to the production of these three. Saathoff has belted five home runs and 18 RBIs to go with his .308 average. Bywater is currently tied with Leitschuh for the team lead in average (.408), and has eight extra-base hits (including three triples and one homer). Bywater and Hires are both tied for the team lead in RBIs with 21 apiece. Saathoff is also 3-1 with a save to go alongside his 2.92 ERA across 26 1/3 IP.
Morrisonville
Mason Tryon/Luke Pope/Brody VanHooser
Tryon’s .431 average was barely leading teammates Pope and VanHooser (both had .425). Tryon, besides 12 RBIs, was 4-1 with one save and had allowed just nine hits and seven earned runs over 22 1/3 IP, in which he had 39 Ks and a 2.19 ERA. Pope has driven in 14 runs while VanHooser has knocked in 15. VanHooser is 5-0 on the mound with a 2.82 ERA and 33 Ks over 27 1/3 IP.
Mount Pulaski
Preston Cowan/Luke Martin/Chase Roberts
Cowan and Martin are racing to the finish line, neck and neck for the team lead in average. Cowan’s .346 ekes out Martin’s .340 … for now. Martin has 14 RBIs. Roberts is sitting at .302. Jaeden Jackson leads the team with 18 RBIs.
Nokomis
Levi German/Kannon Jonas/Izaak Doyen/Carter Wexstten
German is hitting a team-best .451 with 18 RBIs and is 2-1 with a 1.20 ERA and 24 Ks over 23 1/3 IP. Jonas has a .429 average and 15 RBIs and 16 stolen bases while striking out just five times. He’s 2-2 and has 25 Ks and a 1.48 ERA across 28 1/3 IP. Doyen has a .404 average and 15 RBIs while Wexstten is hitting .367.
North Mac
Camden Early/Luke Alexander/Collin Etter
Etter has yet to surrender an earned run through 18 1/3 innings (one start, six relief appearances, but has struck out 33 and walked nine). Early leads the Panthers with a .367 average and in 34 1/3 innings, he has a 2.85 ERA. Alexander sports a 0.98 ERA in 33 2/3 innings and he has 13 RBIs with a .277 average.
Pawnee
Hudson Wort/Gavin Greer/Carson Contreras/Carter Morell
Wort leads last year’s Class 1A third-place finishers with a .407 average, 10 doubles, one homer and 28 RBIs while Greer is hitting .400 with six doubles and 13 RBIs. On the mound, Greer is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA and has struck out 31 in 23 1/3 IP. Contreras and Morell both have a .333 average, three doubles and one homer while Contreras has 11 RBIs.
Pleasant Plains
Max Johnson/Drew Green
The freshman leads the Cardinals with a .473 average (26-for-55) with 10 RBIs. Green has more RBIs (19) than he does hits (18). Andrew Potthoff and Ian Behl both have driven in 18 runs. In 27 IP, Green is 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA with a team-best 36 Ks.
Rochester
Ajay Runkel/Sean Plessa/Sam Ferris
Plessa is batting .356 in 45 at-bats and has two homers. Runkel has three homers and 13 RBIs and is hitting .280. Ferris averages .340 and also has 13 RBIs. In seven starts, Runkel is 3-1 with a 4.37 ERA.
Sacred Heart-Griffin
Drew Ward/Ty Springer/Rowan Mizeur/Mikey Groesch/Will Pennell
Last year’s Class 2A state champions have two players hitting over .400 (Ward, .433 and Springer, .429 and both have 22 RBIs, along with Carson Butler). Mizeur is hitting .390 while Groesch is at .371 (two others, Austin Rutter and Butler are hitting .366 and .361, respectively). Pennell leads the SHG pitching staff with a 3-1 record through 31 2/3 innings, has 41 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA.
Springfield High
Jackson Jenkins/Brody Scheffler
Jenkins has a .436 average while Scheffler leads the Senators with 17 RBIs. Scheffler has also fanned 41 hitters across 29 2/3 innings.
Staunton
Carter Legendre/Matthew Overby
Legendre is hitting .434 in 76 at-bats with 27 RBIs. Overby’s hitting .382 in 68 ABs with 23 RBIs. Both Overby and Legendre have 11 doubles.
Williamsville
Collin Grosenheider/Brenton Trickey
Grosenheider’s .427 average (in 75 ABs) leads the Bullets and he has 17 RBIs to go with that. Trickey is hitting .378 with a team-best 19 RBIs.
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, ryan.mahan@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: The best Springfield-area baseball players in 2026 so far
Reporting by Ryan Mahan, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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