As we enter the final month of the IHSA regular season, we’re updating our ‘Large School’ rankings for Illinois teams. 

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.

For a look at last week’s rankings, 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 

There’s some movement throughout our board this week, but it’s not a major update, and we don’t have any new teams jumping in, either. With that being said, continue reading below to learn more about the state of the Illinois baseball scene within our coverage area. 

AT THE TOP…

+ The top two teams in our rankings remain the same, with No. 1 Normal Community (20-2) maintaining their top spot from the jump, and No. 2 Triad (18-5) holding on to the jump they made a week ago. The Ironmen went 5-0, beating Champaign Centennial (19-2), sweeping Normal West (10-0, 7-1), as well as adding wins over Richwoods (7-0) and Moline (7-4). As for the Knights, they went 3-1 on the week, splitting their conference series with ranked Waterloo (7-1 W, 2-1 L), while also adding a ranked 10-0 win over Sacred-Heart Griffin, and taking down Collinsville 5-2. 

+ Dunlap (19-4) is a team that’s been steadily on the rise for about a month or so. The Eagles are at their highest point of the season in this update, bumping up a spot to No. 3 after sweeping a conference series with Canton (14-0, 3-2). 

+ Mascoutah (20-2) jumps up a spot to No. 5 after a 3-0 week. The Indians took both Mississippi Valley Conference games from Highland (15-0, 7-0) before beating ‘Small School’ ranked Freeburg 11-10 on Saturday. 

+ Normal U-High (20-3) and Sacred-Heart Griffin (16-6) are each falling a spot, respectively, in this update. The Pioneers did lose to the Cyclones 4-0 to start the week, but bounced back nicely, taking a 4-1 win over a tough Morton club, and are now at No. 4 on this week’s board. Sacred-Heart Griffin’s only win on the week came over U-High, though they dropped a 10-0 game at the hands of Triad on Friday afternoon. That, coupled with Mascoutah jumping up a spot, is why the Cyclones are falling down, now sitting at No. 6. 

STAYING PUT…

The next five teams on our board are all in the same spot as they were a week ago:

+ No. 7 Edwardsville: The Tigers won all three of their games this past week, kicking things off with a Southwestern Conference sweep of Belleville East (4-0, 6-1) before taking down a ranked opponent in East Peoria on Friday, 5-0. 

+ No. 8 Waterloo: A series split with Triad (2-1 W, 7-1 L), as well as a non-conference victory over Collinsville, has the Bulldogs staying put in the eighth spot in this week’s update. 

+ No. 9 O’Fallon: The Panthers won both of their Southwestern Conference games over Alton handedly, outscoring the Redbirds 25-to-5. 

+ No. 10 Washington: One of the Mid-Illini’s top teams, Washington continues to play one of the toughest schedules of any team on our rankings. They went 3-2 this week, splitting their conference set with East Peoria (8-3 W, 4-2 L). After that, the Panthers split a Friday double-header with Springfield (6-1 W, 4-1 L) before beating Galesburg 4-0 on Saturday. 

+ No. 11 Glenwood (17-3): The Titans took both of their games this week, beating Rochester (9-7) and Pawnee (11-1). They’ll have a challenging week upcoming, with Normal U-High, Sacred-Heart Griffin, Teutopolis, and Edwardsville all on the schedule. 

MOVING UP…

+ Morton (17-6) and Metamora (18-4) are each moving up two spots in this update, now at No. 12 and No. 13, respectively. The Potters went 3-1 on the week, sweeping Limestone (6-0, 5-2) and beating Illinois Valley Central (11-2) before dropping a contest to No. 4 Normal U-High 4-1. Metamora won all four of their games, sweeping Pekin (4-0, 6-1) while adding wins over Lincoln (12-3) and Champaign Central (5-2). 

FALLING DOWN…

+ East Peoria (14-8) and Mahomet-Seymour (16-6) are each down two spots in this update. The Raiders, who now sit at No. 14, went 1-2 on the week, splitting with Washington (4-2 W, 8-3 L) before dropping a Friday game to Edwardsville (5-0). As for Mahomet-Seymour, the Bulldogs had a 1-2 week as well, splitting their Apollo Conference set with Mt. Zion (5-4 W, 3-2 L) while also dropping a game to Rochester (5-3). 

NEXT UP…

+ The first team out in this update was Marion (15-6), as the Wildcats continue to add wins to their resume. They went 3-0 on the week, sweeping Centralia (1-0, 10-0) before beating Pinckneyville (6-1) to end the week. Belleville West (13-8-1) is another team from southern Illinois to keep an eye out for. The Maroons have quietly won five of their last six games, including a conference split with Edwardsville in that span, and they went 4-0 this past week.