With another week of the Illinois’ high school baseball season behind us, it’s time to update our ‘Small School’ rankings again. At ScoutConnect, we break our IHSA rankings into two different categories, grouping the 3A and 4A into a ‘Large’ school bucket, while doing the same for the 1A and 2A programs as ‘Small’ schools.

To see our rankings from a week ago, click HERE. 

It’s important to note that these rankings do not cover the entire state. Our coverage map extends from Peoria on down, and only teams that fall underneath the Peoria line on the state map will be included within our rankings all season long. It’s also important to note that these are just initial rankings, and they will fluctuate throughout as the season rolls on and gameplay starts.

Last week’s update was relatively quiet, but things have changed this week, with several movements throughout our board, including a new team debuting for the first time this season. All of that, and more, detailed below. 

AT THE TOP…

There’s no movement on our board within the top three, as St. Joseph-Ogden (12-1), Teutopolis (11-1), and Freeburg (10-2) are all staying put in their spots from a week ago:

+ No. 1 St. Joseph-Ogden: The Spartans continue to roll through their opposition, winning five games this week. They outscored their opponents 50-to-5, tossed three shutouts, and allowed no more than four runs in a single game setting. Right now, St. Joseph-Ogden is clearly the top 2A team in our coverage area and the top spot is theirs to lose. 

+ No. 2 Teutopolis: This Wooden Shoes’ pitching staff has them poised to be playing deep into the IHSA playoffs. On the season, the most runs they’ve allowed in a game is three, and they’ve held their opponents to a run or less in nine of their 12 games, four of those shutouts. They went undefeated this week, picking up five wins, including a signature rivalry 7-1 victory over Effingham. 

+ No. 3 Freeburg: The Midgets put together arguably the most impressive resume of any team on this list this past week. They started things off by taking down Waterloo (5-3), who’s No. 7 on our ‘Large School’ rankings, and swept a conference double-header against Columbia (13-8, 10-0) afterwards. To finish things off, Freeburg short gamed Alton (14-4), proving that this team can beat anyone on any given day. Their offense is plenty potent from top to bottom and they have a handful of quality arms that give this team a real chance to make a state run. 

MOVING UP…

+ Father McGivney (12-3) climbs up one spot and is now at No. 4 this update. The Griffins have won eight straight, including a five win week, in which they swept a conference series with Christ Our Rock Lutheran (14-2, 13-2) and went undefeated in the Pleasant Plains tournament. After dealing with some injuries and bumps in the early going, Father McGivney appears to be right back on track and once again looks like one of the top 2A teams in southern Illinois. 

+ Nashville (10-1) is also on the rise, bumping up a spot, now at No. 6. They won all three of their games this past week, defeating Anna-Jonesboro (12-0), Frankfort (2-1), and Mater Dei (5-4), and have won six straight, with their only loss on the year coming to No. 3 Freeburg. Staff ace Lucas Dunn (2026; Lake Land) is off to a ridiculous start, striking out 53 in 21 ⅓ innings. 

Four teams that made up the middle part of our list are each jumping up one spot in this update:

+ No. 8 Harrisburg (10-1): Make that eight straight wins for head coach Jay Thompson and company, as the Bulldogs are once again one of the top teams in southern Illinois. They played two games this week and won them both convincingly, taking down Massac County (21-4) and Hamilton County (17-0). 

+ No. 9 Monticello (14-0): The Sages remain undefeated after winning four games this week, most importantly a 9-7 rivalry win over ranked Tolono Unity. Things don’t appear to be slowing down for Monticello anytime soon, though they do have No. 1 St. Joseph-Ogden on the schedule in a few weeks. 

+ No. 10 Tremont (13-2): Tremont’s only loss this week came to No. 1 St. Joseph-Ogden, though they did win five other games, which warranted a bump up in our eyes. The Turks have a highly talented senior group, led by Griffin Meeker (2026; Heartland CC), Andrew Dawson (2026; Valparaiso), and Chase Rhoades (2026; John A. Logan). 

+ No. 11 Tolono Unity (8-2): A loss to Monticello this week was evened out by a Saturday sweep of Carterville, moving the Rockets up our board and the Lions down it as a result. Tolono Unity also beat Paxton-Buckley-Loda (8-2) and Okaw Valley (15-0) on the week. 

+ Also on the rise this week is Breese Central (11-2), as the Cougars went undefeated and jumped up one spot to No. 14. They beat Okawville (12-0), swept Salem (15-1, 15-0), took down Farina South Central (9-0), and ended the week with a 7-1 win over Casey-Westfield. Breese Central will face their toughest task of the season this coming week, as they’ll play No. 3 Freeburg twice in a conference set. 

STAYING PUT…

+ Outside of our top three, Roxana (10-1) is the only team from last week’s update that stayed put in their previous ranking. At No. 13, the Shells swept their conference series with East Alton Wood River (23-0, 20-1) and also beat Breese Mater Dei (5-3). 

DROPPING DOWN…

+ St. Anthony (9-2) is down one spot after a 3-1 week. The Bulldogs lost to Mahomet-Seymour (9-5), but rebounded nicely, taking games over Marshall (9-1), Farina South Central (11-1), and Mt. Zion (4-0). Even with the drop down on our list, we still view St. Anthony as one of the state’s top 2A clubs. 

+ Another central Illinois team falling in this update is Effingham, as the Hearts tick down one spot, now sitting at No. 7. Their only loss on the week came to rival Teutopolis (7-1), which came on Monday, though they bounced back to take a conference set over Charleston (4-2, 12-6) and also beat Dieterich (4-3). 

+ The biggest faller in this update is Carterville (13-3), who drops four spots and is now at No. 12. They started their week off beating Herrin (10-0) and Sparta (12-2) rather convincingly before dropping both of their games on Saturday to Tolono Unity (8-5, 9-3), which warranted their fall this week. With that being said, Carterville is still a top 2A team in southern Illinois in our eyes, and we expect the Lions to work their way back upward in a short time. 

WELCOME…

+ Jumping into the rankings for the first time at No. 15 is Newton (12-1), who we highlighted as the first team out last week and is now jumping in. The Eagles have not lost since ‘Opening Day’, rattling off 12 straight wins, with victories over Altamont (13-5), Shelbyville (7-5), and West Vigo (2-1) this past week. 

NEXT UP…

+ Gibault Catholic (8-7) fell off our board in this update, but that doesn’t mean we’re counting the Hawks out by any means. They play an incredibly difficult schedule and matched up last week against Waterloo and Mascoutah, two teams that are inside the top-10 of our ‘Large School’ rankings. Gibault’s record come season end may not be the flashiest, but they’ll definitely be battle tested, and we expect the Hawks to be playing late into the 1A playoffs. 

+ Another 1A powerhouse, Goreville (8-0) has gotten off to an undefeated season and is another team firmly on our radar. The Black Cats only played one game this week, beating Carbondale 7-2. 

+ Frankfort (4-6) is another team down in southern Illinois that’s catching our attention, despite their record. The Redbirds have played numerous talented teams on the season close, like Goreville, Nashville, and DuQuoin. 

+ Rochester (4-3) started the season off on our rankings and dropped off after a tough start, but that doesn’t mean the Rockets can be counted out. Now in 2A, they picked up a key conference win over Sacred-Heart Griffin last week, led by standout senior Ajay Runkel’s effort on the mound. As the season goes on, and the Rockets continue to get healthier, they’ll be a team to keep an eye out for in central Illinois.