2025 Daily Journal All-Area Baseball Team

The Daily Journal area’s 20 baseball teams combined to yield a sectional champion, three additional regional champions and three conference champions. Meet the players responsible for that success on this year’s Daily Journal All-Area Baseball Team.

First team

Jacob Lotz, Bishop McNamara, sr., P/2B

Lotz excelled at the plate and on the mound his senior season, hitting .402 with seven home runs and going 5-2 with a 1.75 ERA. He was an Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 2A All-State pick and was the Chicagoland Christian Conference Player of the year, helping the Fightin’ Irish go 27-8 (11-3) and win a regional title.

Dom Panozzo, Bishop McNamara, sr., P/OF

An Illinois State commit, Panozzo was one of the area’s most dominant pitchers. He had 99 strikeouts in 52 innings, going 8-2 with an ERA or 2.42. He was named first-team All-Chicagoland Christian Conference as he helped lead the Irish to their first conference title since 2022.

Kason Bynum, Bradley-Bourbonnais, sr., P/SS

The Boilermakers rallied in the postseason to pick up their second regional title in a row, and as the team’s senior shortstop, Bynum was key to their success. He hit .333 on the year from the leadoff spot and was named to the All-SouthWest Suburban Conference Team. The Boilermakers finished 18-19, their most wins since 2018.

Cody Freitas, Bradley-Bourbonnais, sr., P/3B

Freitas came up big for the Boilermakers again and again. In the Class 4A Normal Community West Regional championship, he allowed four hits and one run and drove in the eventual winning run to give the Boilermakers an upset 2-1 win over Minooka, one of the top teams in the state. He hit .343 with a team-high seven home runs and had a 2.50 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 43 innings. He was named the Daily Journal Player of the Year.

Mason Shaul, Bradley-Bourbonnais, sr., P/OF

Shaul served in the heart of the Boilermaker batting order and was one of the team’s most effective pitchers as a senior. He worked 27 innings with a 1.70 ERA while hitting .321 at the plate with 26 RBIs and 26 runs. Shaul was also one of the area’s top defensive players in center field.

Blake Chandler, Central, jr., P/SS

In his junior season, Chandler helped lead the Comets to a River Valley Conference title with both his bat and arm. He hit .316 with 24 runs and went 6-3 on the mound with an ERA of 2.71 and 72 strikeouts and 15 walks in 62 innings. He was named All-RVC for the third straight year and was the RVC Co-Player of the Year.

Lance Cuddy, Coal City, jr., P/OF

Cuddy helped lead the Coalers (23-12) to their most wins since 2019. He posted an OPS of 1.291 with seven home runs and 43 runs scored. On the mound, he had 86 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 50 ⅔ innings, finishing with an ERA of 2.76. He was an All-Illinois Central Eight selection for the second time.

Logan Egerton, Herscher, sr., DH

Egerton tied for the team lead with both his .417 average and 48 hits, while his 48 RBIs led the team by 17, and his OPS of 1.152 was the top mark on the Tigers. He was an All-ICE selection as Herscher went 29-8 overall and 11-3 in conference, finishing second.

Maddox Toepper, Manteno, jr., OF

With a .371 batting average, Toepper helped lead the Panthers (21-8) to a regional championship and their 13th 20-win season in the last 14 seasons. He had 32 runs and 24 RBIs and played errorless defense in left field, recording 47 putouts to go with a pair of assists.

Ruben Velasco, Peotone, sr., 3B

Velasco led the Blue Devils in batting average by nearly 100 points. He hit .451, collecting 32 hits and seven home runs to go with 27 RBIs. He also pitched the third-most innings on the team. Velasco will bring his explosive bat west as a Colorado-Colorado Springs commit.

Brandon Schoth, St. Anne-Donovan, jr., C

The Co-RVC Player of the Year, Schoth returned after missing the entire 2024 season with an injury to be the Cardinals’ top offensive threat. He slashed .419/.519/.532, leading St. Anne-Donovan in average by over 100 points.

Kyle Farrell, Wilmington, sr., P/2B

Farrell earned IHSBCA Class 2A All-State honorable-mention status this season, one in which he helped lead the Wildcats (24-9, 13-1 ICE) to a conference title and second straight sectional championship. He hit .230 with a pair of home runs. On the mound, he racked up 74 strikeouts in 58 ⅔ innings, posting an ERA or 1.55.

Ryan Kettman, Wilmington, jr., P/SS

An All-ICE selection in 2025, Kettman’s 0.72 ERA was the lowest on a team that featured two additional All-ICE and All-Area pitchers. He had allowed just 15 hits and four earned runs in 38 ⅔ innings while striking out 46 batters. He also hit .256 with three home runs and 23 RBIs.

Lucas Rink, Wilmington, sr., P/SS

Rink led the Wildcats with 65 innings, racking up 97 strikeouts while walking just 17 batters. He posted an ERA of 0.86 to lower his career ERA to 1.35 over 207 innings, notching 279 career strikeouts. He was selected to the IHSBCA Class 2A All-State team for the second time and All-ICE team for the third time. He also hit .333 with 20 RBIs.

Second team

Taylor Fuerst, Bishop McNamara, sr., SS

Callaghan O’Connor, Bishop McNamara, jr., P/3B

Eric Rainbolt, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Jr., 1B/P

Gabe McHugh, Coal City, Sr., IF

A.J. Wills, Coal City, Sr., P

Gaige Brown, Herscher, So., OF

Payten Young, Herscher, Sr., P/OF

Byron Wills, Kankakee, Sr., P/SS

Nolan Canfield, Manteno, Sr., P

Connor Harrod, Manteno, Jr., P/OF

Caleb Clutteur, Milford, Sr., P/OF/1B

Shane Cook, Momence, Sr., C

Landen Robinson, Reed-Custer, Sr., P/OF

Zach Ohlund, Wilmington, Jr., C

Honorable Mention

Santino Imhof, Beecher; Chase Maher, Beecher; Max Rohr, Bishop McNamara; Cayden Arbour, Bradley-Bourbonnais; Brayden Meents, Central; Derek Meier, Central; Jream Renteria, Cissna Park; Gavin Berger, Coal City; Ethan Olson, Coal City; Cole Hampson, Gardner-South Wilmington; Reed Millette, Gardner-South Wilmington; Dean Malkowski, Grant Park; Tanner Jones, Herscher; Izzy Alvarez, Iroquois West; Jacob Vinardi, Kankakee; Tyler Buehler, Manteno; Aiden Frerichs, Milford; Braeden Merrill, Momence; Joe Hasse, Peotone; Joe Bembenek, Reed-Custer; Alex Bielfeldt, Reed-Custer; Carter Ponton, St. Anne-Donovan; James Newell, Watseka; Dierks Giess, Wilmington; Cooper Holman, Wilmington