The ScoutConnect staff is once again updating our IHSA ‘Small School’ – 1A & 2 A – team rankings, with the third and fourth weeks of the Illinois high school baseball season under our belt. We did not update this list last week, due to rain, so this update will cover from Monday, March 31st to Saturday, April 12th.

As a reminder, teams taken into consideration are those that fall into our ‘Coverage Map’, which includes all of Southern Illinois, the Metro East area, Springfield, and up as high as Mt. Zion. This does not mean that our staff won’t provide coverage to all areas of the state, as well as Missouri, but for team rankings purposes, we will stick to all teams in 3A and 4A that fall underneath the Mt. Zion line.

We’ve detailed some movements inside our top-10, broke down a team that debuted for the first time, and touched on some teams who are next in line for the rankings. You can find all of that below.

THE TOP 10…

+ Expect Father McGivney (14-2) to hold onto the top spot for a large majority of the season, as the Griffins are absolutely rolling and look like an unstoppable force. They’re on a 12-game winning streak and recently broke an IHSA state record with their 46th consecutive home victory. 3B Justin Terhaar (2025; UMSL) is slashing .511/.614/.622 in 45 at-bats to pace the Griffins’ offense, while four different Father McGivney arms have thrown more than 11 innings with a sub-2.00 ERA: RHP Mason Holmes (2025; Hendrix College), RHP Isaac Wendler (2026), INF/RHP Kannon Kamp (2025; SIUE), and RHP Chase Kelley (2025; Spoon River JC). 

+ There is a new team at No. 2, as Sacred-Heart Griffin (12-2) bumps up one spot. The Cyclones only loss in the past two weeks came to Edwardsville, and they’ve picked up some key wins in that span. They swept Madison East (WI), took down conference foe Glenwood, defeated Springfield Southeast 9-1, and came back from behind to beat both Routt Catholic and Collinsville. The Cyclones have numerous talented names contributing from top to bottom, like RHP/INF Andy Antonacci (2025; Heartland CC), INF Carson Butler (2026), OF/RHP Drew Ward (2026), OF Ty Springer (2026), RHP Will Pennell (2026), INF Austin Rutter (2027), and C Mikey Groesch (2027). 

+ Teutopolis (12-1) is on the rise as well, climbing a few spots to No. 3 overall in this update. The Wooden Shoes have won 10 straight games, including six since our last update. In that span, they picked up signature wins over Mahomet-Seymour and Effingham, while also taking down Mater Dei, Richland County, Flora, and Salem. Teutopolis has a true ace in RHP Austin Borries (2026; Lindenwood), and names like CIF/RHP Mick Niebrugge (2025), RHP Gavin Addis (2026), C Jason Kreke (2026), and OF/LHP Davin Worman (2026) are all key contributors. 

+ St. Anthony (9-3) and Pleasant Plains (10-2) both drop a few spots this time around, occupying the No. 4 and No. 5 spots, respectively. The Bulldogs challenged themselves over these past two weeks, dropping games to ranked Mt. Zion, a tough Indiana program in Andrean, and Salem in 12 innings, with wins over Mahomet-Seymour and Mattoon. The Cardinals were rolling heading into Saturday’s double-header against Illini West and Bishop McNamara, two games they lost, having defeated Pittsfield, Olympia, Auburn, and Springfield prior to that. 

+ Nashville (11-0) rises up two spots to No. 6 overall, as the Hornets are the only unbeaten team left on these rankings. They’ve rolled through their opposition all season, having pitched five shutouts already, and have allowed less than two runs in seven of their 11 games. Since we last updated, Nashville has wins over New Athens, Anna-Jonesboro, Frankfort, Mater Dei, Benton, and two over Woodlawn. 

+ Breese Central (9-3) has bounced back nicely after a 3-3 start, rattling off six straight wins and climbing up one spot to No. 7 on this list. The Cougars have not allowed more than two runs in each of their last five games, which included wins over Okawville, Casey-Westfield, Farina South Central, and a sweep of Salem. Senior Benny Lehman (2025) is once again leading this offense, slashing .359/.490/.590 in 39 at-bats, and RHP Alex Athmer (2027) has been excellent on the mound, logging a 1.95 ERA in 14 ⅓ innings of work. 

+ Routt Catholic (7-3) has lost three straight games, falling a few spots to the eighth spot in this update. The Rockets opened up with two wins since our last update, defeating New Berlin and Brown County, before dropping close contests to Brown County, Calhoun, and Sacred-Heart Griffin. There’s still plenty of talent on this Routt Catholic club and our staff still firmly views them as a true title contender in 1A. 

+ Carterville (8-3) stays put at No. 9 after a 3-2 week. The Lions beat Sparta, Harrisburg, and Cape Girardeau Notre Dame (MO), with losses to Du Quoin and Tolono Unity. OF Aidan Swallers (2026) is hitting .515 on the season and has led this lineup all season, while RHP Parker Poole (2025; John A. Logan JC) recently turned in a strong start on the mound in a conference victory over Harrisburg. 

+ There is a new team in our rankings for the first time this season, as Roxana (11-2-1) jumps in at No. 10. The Shells have won four straight games, tossing three shutouts in that span, and their only loss since we last updated our rankings came in 2-0 fashion to Alton, who’s one of our top-ranked ‘Large Schools’. RHP/C Mason Crump (2026) has been getting it done on both sides of the ball, pitching to a 1.19 ERA over 17 ⅔ innings of work to pair with a .357/.471/.476 triple-slash. INF/RHP Dalton Carriker (2026) is another junior that’s performing on both sides of the ball early on, slashing .375/.444/.458 with a 0.89 ERA in 15 ⅔ innings. 

NEXT UP…

+ Zeigler-Royalton (13-2): If we had ranked 11 teams, the Tornadoes would have gotten in, as they went 5-1 since we last updated our list. Their only loss came to Marion, a 3-1 contest against a 3A school, and their wins came against Crab Orchard, Shawnee, Pinckneyville, while sweeping Trico. LHP Connor DeWeerdt (2025) has struck out 47 and walked just five over 25 ⅓ innings of work, and he’s also hitting .429 in 42 at-bats. 

+ North Clay (10-3): The Cardinals have won eight straight games, including six in a row since our last update. In that span, they’ve thrown three shutouts and allowed two or fewer runs in four of those six contests. RHP Jack Compton (2026) has been excellent on the hill for North Clay, punching out 35 with five walks over 24 ⅔ innings and a 1.42 ERA. 

+ Altamont (8-2): Last year’s 1A state runner-ups won four of their five games since our last update, including four in a row. Their one loss came to Farina South Central in extra innings, with wins over Cisne, Newton, Brownstown/St. Elmo, and Vandalia. 

+ Columbia (4-5): A preseason rank, the Eagles scuffled in the early going, despite playing one of the area’s toughest schedules, and fell out of our rankings last time around. They’re back on our radar now, taking wins over Gibault and Southwestern, and splitting a series against a tough Freeburg club. The Eagles have a talented group and one of the area’s top coaches in Neal O’Donnell, making them a club you can’t count out at any point this season. 

+ Du Quoin (8-8): Another preseason rank, Du Quoin has played a tough schedule to date and is coming off a 4-3 showing. Every game they’ve played against a quality opponent has been tightly contested, including their 5-1 win over Carterville on March 31st. Despite their record, the Indians have the arms and experience to continue making noise as the season rolls on. 

+ Arcola (7-0): The Purple Riders have not lost a game yet this season. They played just three games since we last updated our list, but they outscored their opponents 47-1 in that span. They haven’t had the toughest schedule to date, but Arcola is home to one of the area’s top two-way talents in RHP Tanner Thomas (2025; Louisville) and talented sophomore INF/RHP Brody Phillips (2027). 

Author: Diego