The ScoutConnect staff is once again updating our IHSA ‘Small School’ – 1A & 2A – team rankings with the sixth week of Illinois high school baseball season under our belt.
It’s a relatively quiet week on our top-10, with minimal movement, and only one new team debuting. Regardless, we’ve broken down what our fresh rankings look like below, and highlighted five teams that are on the outside looking in, though playing well.
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 1A and 2A that fall underneath the Mt. Zion line.
THE TOP 10…
+ Like they have all season, Father McGivney (20-2) holds on to the top spot on our rankings. The Griffins played four games last week, sweeping Metro East Lutheran (5-4, 20-4), beating Carterville 11-1, and defeating ‘Large School’ ranked Belleville East 12-1 on Saturday morning. Father McGivney has won 18 games in a row, having not lost since March 21st.
+ There is a new No. 2 this week, as Teutopolis (17-2) bumps up one spot. The Wooden Shoes fell to ranked St. Anthony (11-5) to start their week, but turned around and beat a ‘Large School’ ranked club in Mt. Zion (5-0) before defeating Gibault Catholic (8-6) and Freeburg (13-0) on Saturday morning.
+ Sacred-Heart Griffin (16-4) drops one spot in this update, now sitting at No. 3 on our list. The Cyclones dropped a conference game to ranked Rochester (11-3), but did win two games on the year, defeating the Rockets in a non-conference game and picking up a 2-0 win over Springfield on Wednesday.
The next six spots on our rankings all remain the same from last update. Below is how each team did this past week.
No. 4 Nashville (18-0)
+ Wins: Benton (11-0), Sparta (11-2), Pinckneyville (12-2)
+ Losses: None
No. 5 Pleasant Plains (18-3)
+ Wins: Pawnee (4-3), Athens (3-2), Riverton (8-3), Macomb (5-1), Eureka (2-1), Geneseo (5-1)
+ Losses: None
No. 6 St. Anthony (12-5)
+ Wins: No. 2 Teutpolis (11-5), Charleston (7-4), Mater Dei (9-7)
+ Losses: None
No. 7 Zeigler-Royalton/Christopher (20-3)
+ Wins: Frankfort (6-4), Goreville (7-3), Wayne City (11-2)
+ Losses: Goreville (10-0)
No. 8 Routt Catholic (13-6)
+ Wins: West Central (8-6), North Greene (14-1), Pleasant Hill (14-0), Macomb (10-0)
+ Losses: Rochester (5-1), Geneseo (5-4)
No. 9 Roxana (15-5-1)
+ Wins: Althoff Catholic (4-3), Breese Central (5-3)
+ Losses: Breese Central (7-2)
+ There is a new team debuting this week, as North Clay (14-4) cracks our rankings for the first time, slotting into the 10th spot. The Cardinals have won 12 of their last 13 games, their only loss in that span coming to a 3A Effingham club. They’re about to hit the toughest part of their schedule, as they’ll play Altamont, St. Anthony, and Teutopolis in the next two weeks.
NEXT UP…
+ Altamont (13-3): The Indians just missed the cut this past week, and they may have an entry path to the rankings should they beat North Clay this upcoming Thursday. They’re coming off three wins this past week and have lost just one game in the month of April.
+ Columbia (11-8): Though their record may not show it, the Eagles are a scrappy, competitive bunch that’s going to give whoever they play a tough out on any given day. They beat Alton Marquette and ranked O’Fallon last week, as well as swept Wood River, before falling to ranked Edwardsville on Friday night. The Eagles have a huge conference series with Breese Central set to kick off this week.
+ Du Quion (13-10): Another team that’s battle tested despite not having the gaudiest of records, Du Quoin has won four straight games, including a pair of victories over Frankfort and Steeleville (6-5) last week.
+ Litchfield (15-7): The Panthers won two games this week, beating Staunton (9-5) and Nokomis (4-1), while dropping an extra-innings affair with Pana (10-9).
+ Arcola (13-0): The Purple Riders keep on rolling, winning three games last week while allowing one run and scoring 38. They have scored more than eight runs in 11 of their 13 games, and have allowed a run or less in 10 of those contests.
