Daily Chronicle 2025 All-Area Baseball Team

2025 Daily Chronicle Baseball Player of the Year

Martin Ledbetter, sr., C/P/1B, Hinckley-Big Rock

All-area first team

Davis Collie, Sycamore, sr., 1B

Collie hit .450 with seven home runs and 48 RBIs. He scored 35 times and had a .575 on-base percentage.

Nik Nelson, DeKalb, sr., 2B

Nelson hit .354 with three home runs, 23 RBIs and 42 runs scored. He had a 1.035 OPS and was all-conference in the DuPage Valley.

Preston Popovich, Kaneland, sr., 3B/SS/P

Popovich hit .402, drove in 30 runs and scored 35. He was also 4-1 with a 1.59 ERA, striking out 33 and walking 12 in 39 innings. He was all-conference in the Interstate 8 and voted the team’s MVP. He also was was honorable mention on the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State team.

Kanon Baxley, Kaneland, fr., SS/RHP

The freshman exploded onto the diamond, hitting .350 with two home runs, 50 runs scored and a 1.036 OPS. He also was 4-2 with a 2.31 ERA, striking out 34 and walking 13 in 27⅓ innings. He made the All-Interstate 8 team.

Jackson Kees, DeKalb, sr., SS/P

Kees hit .311 with 21 RBIs and scored 24 times. He also pitched 59⅓ innings, going 6-4 with a 1.77 ERA, striking out 84 and walking 17.

Skyler Janeski, Hinckley-Big Rock, jr., P/SS

Janeski put up huge numbers for the Royals, hitting .442 with four home runs and 30 stolen bases with an OPS of 1.244. He was also 4-0 with a 1.51 ERA, striking out 81 in 26 innings. He was a unanimous selection to the All-Little Ten team and was an All-Area first-teamer last year.

Aidan Whildin, Kaneland, jr., OF/DH

Whildin hit .398 with a home run, 37 runs and 28 RBIs while posting a 1.075 OPS. He was the team’s offensive MVP.

Cole Latimer, DeKalb, jr., CF

Latimer had a breakout year for the Barbs, hitting .433 with a 1.351 OPS. He blasted nine home runs, drove in 28 and scored 39 times. He also made one error all season and received honorable mention for the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State team.

Brodie Farrell, DeKalb, sr., LF/P

Farrell had a monster senior year for the Barbs on the hill and at the plate. He developed into the staff ace, going 7-0 with a 1.71 ERA, striking out 91 and walking 25 in 57⅓ innings. He also slugged the cover off the ball with a 1.104 OPS, .364 batting average, five home runs, 39 RBIs and 28 runs. He committed only one error and was an Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A All-State pick.

Nate Kleba, Genoa-Kingston, sr., CF/P

The four-year starter hit .352 with two home runs and drove in 17 runs while scoring 23. He also stole 14 bases and was 3-3 with a 4.16 ERA. He was a first-team selection in the Big Northern Conference.

Cal Harbecke, Sycamore, sr., P

With injuries to a couple of key arms, Harbecke got pressed into the role of ace, going 4-4 with a 3.44 ERA. He struck out 47 and walked 10 in 57 innings.

Tyler Lojko, Sycamore, sr., OF

The center fielder hit .337 with two home runs, 16 RBIs and 29 runs scored. He reached base at a .488 clip.

Second team

Jacob Orin, Hinckley-Big Rock, jr., IF/OF/C

Thomas Giebel, Hiawatha, sr., P/3B/SS

Ben Anderson, Sycamore, so., OF

Brady Alstott, Kaneland, jr., OF

Tony Villanueva, Kaneland, sr., CF

Evan Johnson, DeKalb, jr., RF

Tyler Townsend, Sycamore, jr., OF/DH/P

Hunter Kriese, DeKalb, jr., P

Justin Weissmann, Kaneland, sr., P

Kyle Prebil, Sycamore, sr., DH

Honorable mention

Hayden Foster, Kaneland, jr., P/3B/SS; Nick Cantrell, Genoa-Kingston, sr., IF/P; Blake Ides, Genoa-Kingston, so., C/IF/OF; Lukas Stubblefield, DeKalb, jr., P; Travis Herrmann, Hinckley-Big Rock, fr., OF/P; Max Hintzsche, Hinckley-Big Rock, sr., P/3B; Colten Sargent, Hinckley-Big Rock, fr., C/3B