Rochester finished the 2025 season with a 23-13-1 record, falling to Mt. Zion in their regional championship game. The Rockets spent a majority of last season inside our team rankings and, year over year, are one of the top teams in the Central State 8, which is one of the better conferences in Illinois. 

An interesting wrinkle to keep an eye on this year is Rochester will be participating in 2A when postseason play rolls around, bumping down from the 3A classification and adding yet another winning program to a deep, talented 2A landscape. 

Heading the charge for this Rockets’ club are a pair of all-conference senior honorees in CIF/RHP Ajay Runkel (2026; Illinois-Springfield) and CIF Jorey Myren (2026: Lincoln Land):

+ Runkel had an excellent year on both sides of the ball for Rochester and played a key role in their success last spring. At the plate, the highly physical right-handed hitter hit .392 in 97 at-bats with a 1.256 OPS, leaving the yard eight times and driving in a team-high 43 runs. That level of power in the heart of any lineup is a plus, but Runkel’s contributions on the mound are as impactful as what he can produce at the plate. He’ll maintain his spot at the top of Rochester’s pitching staff, posting a 2.49 ERA over 39 ⅓ innings in 2025, punching out 48 while walking just 15. His fastball plays in the mid-80s and he’s able to consistently land a bigger breaking ball with depth for strikes. 

Ajay Runkel

+ Myren’s physicality matches that of his counterpart and he comes with a strong football background, scoring eight touchdowns this past fall for a 12-2 team that made a run to the state championship game. When healthy, Myren figures to be one of this team’s top offensive pieces yet again. The switch-hitting middle-of-the-order threat led the Rockets’ offense with a .404 batting average, rounding out his triple-slash with a 1.242 OPS. He launched six home runs, doubled six times, and drove in 27 runs. Mostly known for what he can do at the plate, Myren jumped on the mound seven times for the Rockets last season, punching out 25 and walking only five over 17 ⅔ innings to a 1.98 ERA.  

Jorey Myren

The Rockets will rely plenty on their junior class, a group of names that were regular contributors to last spring’s team. C Sam Ferris (2027) will be their regular behind the plate and proved capable of being an impactful offensive piece in the middle of their lineup. In his sophomore spring, Ferris hit .375 with a 1.073 OPS and homered four times, bringing home 28 runs. He’s basically hit at every stop we’ve seen him and continues to make strides behind the plate, shaping him nicely into one of the likely major contributors to this club. 

Sam Ferris

Up the middle, two names to keep an eye on are INF Gibson Warren (2027) and OF Frank Stefano (2027). Both took their lumps as underclassmen at the varsity level, but they’re both above-average athletes that gained valuable experience throughout their sophomore springs and are primed for stronger years. 

Gibson Warren

On the hill, RHP Sean Plessa (2027) threw 31 ⅔ innings last spring over 11 appearances, striking out 29 with a 4.20 ERA. He’s a long-levered, lanky right-hander with a low-80s fastball that spins a big, bendy breaking ball off it and should see a similar workload, if not more, than what he saw in 2025. 

Sean Plessa

From an underclass standpoint, OF Reece Gade (2028) figures to factor into this mix after after seeing time as a freshman on varsity last season. In 55 at-bats, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound multi-sport athlete hit .291 with seven doubles and five stolen bases. Two other sophomores that could factor into the mix on varsity this spring are MIF Adam Anderson (2028) and MIF Will Ethell (2028).