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. 

There’s plenty of movement in this week’s update as we head into the final week of the regular season. We shuffled some things at the top, had a team debut for the first time, and more, which you can read about below. 

AT THE TOP…

+ The two top spots in our board remain unchanged, as they have for the past few weeks, with No. 1 St. Joseph-Ogden (30-2) and No. 2 Freeburg (23-8) staying put. The Spartans went 4-0 this week, beating Tri-Valley (5-2), East Peoria (6-5), Bishop McNamara (2-0), and Charleston (4-0). As for Freeburg, the Midgets went 3-1, dropping a 7-4 contest to ranked O’Fallon, while beating Marquette Catholic (12-2), Granite City (9-1), and Centralia (6-4). 

+ Up a spot each are Nashville (26-3) and Teutopolis (22-8), who sit at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Both teams went undefeated on the week and are heading into the final week of the regular season trending in the right direction. 

+ Rounding out the top five is Tolono Unity (19-7), who bumps down two spots in this update. The Rockets didn’t win a game this week, falling to Mt. Zion (6-5) and Charleston (6-5), both of whom are high quality 3A clubs that sit just outside of our ‘Large School’ rankings. The quality of opponents, and the tightness in score, is the reason why the Rockets didn’t fall further in this update. 

ON THE RISE…

+ Father McGivney (22-7) jumps up a spot, sitting at No. 6 this go around. They had an impressive week, taking down four quality opponents, with wins over Mt. Vernon (9-5), Civic Memorial (16-3), Metro East Lutheran (22-7), and Litchfield (10-0). Father McGivney has a tough test coming this week, as they’ll head to O’Fallon this coming Wednesday. 

+ Tremont (28-2) climbs up to their highest ranking of the spring, staking claim to the seventh spot in this update. The Turks have won 15 straight games and look every bit the part of a true contender from the central part of the state. 

+ Monticello (28-3) is up a spot this week as well, checking in at No. 8 after a 2-1 showing. They earned a quality win over ranked St. Anthony (7-0) and also took down Clinton (7-2) before dropping their last game of the week to ‘Large School’ ranked Champaign Central (7-0). 

+ The biggest riser of the week is Effingham (18-10), who climbs up three spots to No. 9 after a ‘City Series’ rivalry win over St. Anthony. The Hearts took two of three from their foes in the most anticipated matchup of the season for them and are rising up as a result. 

+ Towards the bottom of our board, Breese Central (24-8) jumps up a spot, now at No. 14, after a 3-1 week. They took down Red Bud (11-0), Waltonville (8-4), and North Clay (4-1) before dropping the last game of their week to Mater Dei (8-7). 

STAYING PUT…

+ Outside of the top two teams, the only club staying put in the same spot they were last week is Roxana (19-7). At No. 13, the Shells went 3-1 this past week, beating Gillespie (12-8), Wesclin (8-0), and Metro East Lutheran (15-11) before dropping a game on Friday to Collinsville (9-4). 

FALLING DOWN…

+ St. Anthony (17-9) is the biggest faller in this update, bumping down four spots, now sitting at No. 10. Outside of losing two of three games in the ‘City Series’ to rival Effingham, the Bulldogs also dropped a 7-0 game to Monticello. Even with the fall, however, St. Anthony’s still one of the top 2A teams in our eyes and heads into the postseason with a club capable of making a run. 

+ Carterville (23-7) and Harrisburg (25-5) are each dropping down a spot, but that’s a byproduct of Effingham climbing up, not them actually falling. Both teams had strong weeks and, in our opinion, are the top 2A teams in southern Illinois, aside from Nashville. 

+ DuQuoin (23-6) fell out of the rankings after a 3-1 week, but the Indians drop was more a result of another team jumping over them. They’re still a talented bunch with a top arm in RHP Cy Craft (2027) that can do some damage when the postseason rolls around. 

WELCOME…

+ Making their debut in our penultimate regular season update is North Clay (27-4), a 1A program with plenty of pedigree behind it that’s had an excellent spring to date. The Cardinals, who are just the second 1A club to debut in these rankings this spring, went 2-1 this week. They dropped a 4-1 game to Breese Central, while earning wins over Vandalia (2-1) and Mater Dei (10-0). 

NEXT UP…

+ Columbia (15-14): Just like they have all spring, the Eagles have hovered around our rankings despite not having the gaudiest of records. They went 2-2 this week, adding another impressive win to their resume when they went on the road and took down Edwardsville 10-9. This Eagles group is talented, battle tested, and will not be an easy out for anyone in the playoffs. 

+ Newton (22-6): Another central Illinois club that’s been on our radar throughout the spring, the Eagles went 2-2 this week. They beat Casey-Westfield (3-0) and Fairfield (8-2), dropping games to Edwards County (2-1) and Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg (3-0). 

+ Goreville (22-4): The Black Cats only loss this week came to ranked Harrisburg (10-1), as they added wins over Benton (2-1), Eldorado (11-1), and previously ranked DuQuoin (5-3). A program known for doing nothing but win over the past decade, Goreville once again looks like a 1A state championship contender.