Last spring was nothing short of excellent for head coach Dave Causey in his first season at the helm of the storied O’Fallon Panthers’ program. They finished the year 25-11 and advanced further than any Panthers’ club has in the past several years, climbing the mountain that was defeating rival Edwardsville in a postseason game before eventually falling to state runner-up Normal Community in the sectional championship. 

Every successful team graduates key seniors, but this Panthers’ club is unique in the sense that a large majority of their key contributors from last year return, now as seniors. This is gearing up to be one of the top teams in the Metro East yet again, if not the state, and they’re more than capable of playing deep into the playoffs when May rolls around. 

THE PREVIEW…

Part of the reason we’re supremely confident the Panthers will be one of the area’s top teams in 2026 is the talent, experience, and amount of returners that fall inside this senior class. Six everyday position players from last year’s group return and a bulk of them play through the middle of the field, too. 

Replicating the success that standout 2025 grad Connor Blue (2025; Cincinnati) had on both sides of the ball last year won’t be easy for the Panthers, but it’s even more integral for them to find a way to recreate what he did on the offensive end; 1.268 OPS, 61 RBI, 29 XBH. 

That’ll start at the top of their lineup, and one name we’re expected to see hit at or near the leadoff spot is INF Carson Bauer (2026; Drury). The left-handed hitter had a strong junior campaign, hitting .310 with a .463 OBP and walking twice as much (20) as he punched out (10). His ability to put barrel to ball is advanced and he’s started to grow into more impact at the plate this winter. That type of offensive profile fits perfectly as a top-of-the-lineup table setter, and Bauer boosts his value to this club by being able to move around the infield defensively, whether at second base or shortstop. We’re expecting to see more of the same we’ve always seen from Bauer, who’s capable of concluding his high school career with an All-Conference type of season. 

Carson Bauer

Two other returners that each had more than 100 at-bats last spring are C Asher Cantu (2026) and UTL Brayden Robertson (2026; Illinois-Springfield). Still uncommitted, Cantu is a highly physical 6-foot-4, 225-pound left-handed hitter with above-average raw bat strength and slashed .317/.420/.505 with 21 RBI and 16 extra-base hits in 2025. Robertson’s emergence was one of the driving factors, in our opinion, behind the Panthers’ success last season. He hit .343 in 102 at-bats with a .947 OPS, homering three times and driving in 23 runs. He’s a chess piece defensively, able to play all three outfield spots or slide upward to second base as needed, and he can also pitch in a pinch. 

Asher Cantu

The depth of O’Fallon’s senior class extends further. CIF Cole Becker (2026; Central Alabama CC) is a strong, reliable right-handed hitting corner infielder that doesn’t strike out much and has flashed bat strength in our looks. Another Central Alabama CC commit, LHP/OF Anthony Perez (2026), is a highly talented two-way prospect with the ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball in any given moment. On the mound, Perez pitches in the mid-80s with feel for two secondaries (SL/CH) and can be a shutdown-type of arm when he’s in the zone. At the plate, it’s a clean, athletic left-handed swing that’ll flash strength off the barrel and he’s also able to track it down in the outfield.

Anthony Perez

RHP/OF Sam McCollum (2026; Drury) was an integral part of the Panthers’ bullpen last spring. In 17 appearances, 16 of which came in relief, McCollum hurled 30 innings to a 3.73 ERA, punching out 34. His bread-and-butter pitch is a hard, tight slider with swing-and-miss upside, and his fastball sits in the low-to-mid-80s, though we’ve seen him bump up to 88 mph in the past. Another arm that could factor into this mix is RHP Tyson Filyaw (2026; Drury), who’s working back up from injury but is a mid-to-upper-80s arm with a power slider when healthy.  RHP Kaleb Weber (2026) is another senior arm to know, pitching in the mid-80s with a big top-to-bottom breaking ball. 

Sam McCollum

After missing all of last spring due to an injury, RHP Dylan Jantz (2026; Kaskaskia) could finish his senior spring as one of the more important parts of this O’Fallon pitching staff. Toeing the rubber at a highly physical 6-foot-6, 220-pounds, Jantz pounded the strike zone in short spurts across multiple looks to our staff this past summer. His fastball played anywhere in the mid-to-upper-80s, coming out clean and living down in the zone with plane/tilt. He’d flash depth and sharp spin in a low-to-mid-70s breaking ball that would benefit from jumping up a few ticks in velocity, but his ability to land it in the zone allows the pitch to play up. Jantz’s arsenal plays perfectly in a high leverage role and gives coach Causey the ability to deploy yet another talented, veteran arm as he pleases. 

Dylan Jantz

Another potential ‘X-Factor’ of sorts for the Panthers is LHP Owen Stoffel. The uncommitted, high-academic left-hander continues to find a feel for himself on the mound, but has outlier stuff that will be hard to find in the area. He’s been up to 90.2 mph with his fastball, typically pitching in the mid-to-upper-80s from a lower launch angle and an average of seven feet of extension, per TrackMan. We’ve seen his changeup show natural fade/depth in the upper-70s in the past, and he’ll also spin a tight, short slider in the mid-to-upper-70s. All Stoffel needs is reps – the talent is undeniable – and if he’s in the zone consistently, the Panthers will have a true weapon at their disposal nestled within this pitching staff. 

Owen Stoffel

It’s a pretty senior heavy group of players for the Panthers, but other grad classes will certainly still contribute, particularly on the mound. Taking a look at their junior class, RHP/INF Liam Decker (2027) and RHP Landon Dippel (2027) both saw a brief taste of varsity action last spring. Decker, who’s plenty talented as a position player as well, pitched to a 1.14 ERA in 12 ⅓ innings of work. He’s a lean, wiry athlete with a fast arm that was up to 86 mph at one of our fall events, pitching in the mid-80s, and spins a big, bendy, top-to-bottom breaking ball off it. Dippel is stronger in stature, holding more physicality throughout his frame, and pitches downhill with a low-to-mid-80s fastball while also showing feel to land his breaking ball for strikes. 

Liam Decker

C/OF Luka Freidenberg (2027) is another junior for the Panthers that has shown well in past looks. Packed with strength in a compact, muscle-bound frame, Freidenberg, who has a football background, was a performer at one of our ScoutConnect summer tournaments, and he showed well at last year’s Winter Showcase, IL event. RHP Jonathon Caudle has also performed well in our looks, whether it be in a showcase setting or in-game. He pitches in the low-to-mid-80s and can consistently land his slider for strikes. 

Luka Freidenberg

Turning to their underclassmen, one huge reason the Panthers had as much success as they did last season were the contributions they received from RHP Will Vanderheyden (2028) as a freshman. In 24 ⅔ innings, across six starts, Vanderheyden posted a 2.84 ERA and pitched in some huge games, including two playoff starts. Though he’s likely taken a jump this winter, we saw Vanderheyden pitch in the low-80s throughout the spring season and at one of our summer showcases. He can throw both of his secondaries (CB/CH) for strikes and his ability to do so in any count ups his effectiveness as a whole. Gaining all that experience early into his high school career surely helped and Vanderheyden is expected to play a key role for this staff yet again in 2026. 

Will Vanderheyden

Another youngster to keep an eye on is OF/LHP Trey Hrasky (2028), who got some run on varsity towards the end of last season and could be a possible regular for the club in 2026. The younger brother of former Panthers’ shortstop Dane Hrasky (2025; Central Missouri), Hrasky is a highly athletic left-handed bat that consistently puts barrel to ball and can really, really run. He can flat-out go get it in the outfield and will eventually be a top-of-the-lineup bat for this Panthers’ team. As an arm, Hrasky pumps strikes from the left side, deepening what’s already the area’s most talented pitching staff even more so.  LHP Lavin Tull (2028) is another underclassmen to watch that could be an impact on the mound this spring. 

Trey Hrasky

Being on varsity, much less getting on the field, as a freshman at O’Fallon is really, really difficult. If there was one name to do it this year, keep an eye on OF/INF Jackson Parker (2029). Parker’s offensive profile for his age stands out, owning advanced bat-to-ball skills and present bat strength with obvious room for growth as he continues to get more physical. He may not join the club until later in the spring season, or right before the playoff run, but Parker lines up nicely to be one of the next top prospects to come out of O’Fallon. 

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