For the most part, last year’s Carterville team was fairly young, with a multitude of players returning from a group that finished over. 500 and pushed Du Quoin into extra innings in postseason play. Head coach Reid Cure and company have a group with talent that extends throughout multiple grad years and should be one of the top teams in the Southern Illinois River-to-River conference. 

Looking at their senior class, CIF/RHP Alex Lyell (2026; UHSP) figures to be a top contributor on both sides of the ball. A physical right-handed hitter, Lyell slashed .411/.461/.522 as an everyday regular last spring, driving in 28 runs, and also logged 17 innings on the mound. 

Alex Lyell

INF Drake Capie (2026) is another name to know who returns. The long-levered, athletic left-handed hitting senior who’s still uncommitted hit .333 in 75 at-bats last spring as the everyday second baseman for Carterville. He walked (16) more than twice as much as he struck out (7) and led the Lions in stolen base attempts with 18. 

Drake Capie

Setting the table at the top spot in this lineup, and through the middle in center field, is OF/LHP Aidan Swallers (2026). Swallers fits the mold of a scrappy, old-school type of hitter that doesn’t try to do too much at the plate and has a shorter, direct left-handed swing that can use the whole field. He’ll bunt, he’ll run, he’ll take the extra base, and he hit .388 in 2025 with a .490 OBP and a team-high 35 runs scored. On the mound, Swallers’ pounds the strike zone with some deception in his delivery, posting a 3.44 ERA in 20 ⅓ innings of work, walking just eight. 

Aidan Swallers

Turning to their junior group, MIF/OF Zach Snow (2027) will be a name to keep an eye on. Currently in the middle of basketball season, Snow saw success in spurts throughout his sophomore spring as an everyday regular. Consistency is the key for Snow in year three, but he’s a talented athlete that’s flashed at the plate when we’ve seen him and also has the ability to bounce around defensively, whether on the dirt or in the outfield. 

Zach Snow

Two other juniors of note are OF Camden Wright (2027) and CIF/RHP Aidan Gusta (2027). Wright is an above-average runner with a left/left profile that could see time in a corner outfield role. Gusta’s physicality stands out with easy right-handed bat strength that could translate to middle-of-the-order production with more consistency. 

How successful the Lions are this upcoming season could land on the shoulders of their underclassmen. Age and experience are crucial at the varsity level, but talent is too, and Carterville’s current crop of sophomores and freshmen have a surplus of that. 

It starts with RHP/1B Haiden Lange (2028), who’s one of the top arms in the state’s 2028 class and enters this season in pole position to take over the top spot of this Carterville pitching staff. Lange had a strong freshman year on the mound, pitching to a 3.34 ERA in 29 ⅓ innings, punching out 41 and walking just 15. We saw him bump sit in the mid-80s with his fastball last summer, showing two quality secondaries (SL/CH) off it, but the ceiling and upside are that of a true power arm with a fruitful future at the next level. A strong winter could have Lange sitting in the upper-80s, and climbing even higher, which would certainly bode well for not just his prospect status, but the production he can provide as the staff ace for the Lions. He’s proven he can produce at the plate too, hitting .333 last spring in 78 at-bats with six extra-base hits, and should be a central piece of this Lions’ offense in 2026. 

Haiden Lange

One name our staff was particularly high on last spring and summer was OF Gavin Johnson (2028). The long-levered, lean-limbed, and highly projectable left-handed hitter saw brief success as a freshman for Carterville in 2025, hitting .308 in 39 at-bats. Added strength will only add to Johnson’s impact at the plate, something we’re expecting to climb over the next few years, and he has the potential to build on his freshman year production plenty this upcoming spring. Two other sophomores that could factor into this mix are UTL Jack Dodson (2028) and RHP/INF Lukas Owens (2028) 

Gavin Johnson

Carterville has a trio of freshman names that could see time on varsity this spring. INF Brady Whorton (2029) will have an opportunity to compete for at-bats as a scrappy, competitive left-handed hitter with a clean swing and sure-handed actions on the infield. One name in this mix that we’ve heard plenty of positives on is LHP Jace Smothers (2029), an athletic, upside southpaw with a clean arm swing that can spin a breaking ball and has a fastball already creeping into the low-80s. OF Vermandis Miller (2029) rounds out this trio and will have an opportunity to compete for playing time early on at the varsity level.