Before the prep baseball season begins Monday, check out some notable names from the Daily Journal area to keep an eye on.

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

O’Connor is set to toe the bump and man third base for the fourth time for the Fightin’ Irish this spring before joining another Fightin’ Irish squad at Notre Dame next year. In 10 appearances that totaled 41 innings, the 6-foot-7 pitcher was 4-0 with a 2.22 ERA and had 65 strikeouts to 10 walks in his junior campaign to help the Irish to a Class 2A Sweet 16 trip. He also hit .360 with 10 doubles, a triple, a home run, 28 runs and 28 RBIs for the defending All-City and Chicagoland Christian Conference champions.

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

Along with fellow senior Liam Martin, Rainbolt looks to give the Boilermakers one of the best one-two pitching punches around the area this spring. The southpaw had a 3.31 ERA over 27 innings last year, and also hit .313 with 15 doubles and a pair of homers for a Bradley-Bourbonnais squad that repeated as Class 4A Regional champions.

Blake Chandler, Clifton Central, sr., P/SS

Both of the River Valley Conference’s Co-Players of the Year are back this spring, including Chandler, a right-hander who kept hitters guessing all of 2025. He led the Comets to an RVC title behind a 6-3 record, 2.71 ERA, 72 strikeouts and 15 walks over 62 innings. At the dish, Chandler hit .316 and scored 24 runs.

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

Cuddy brings dual threat ability at the plate and on the mound that few others bring. He smashed seven home runs and posted a .422 average, adding 28 RBIs and 43 runs. Cuddy also posted a 6-3 record with a 2.76 ERA, 86 strikeouts and 11 walks over 50⅔ innings, helping Coal City to its highest win total in six years (23).

Jacob Vinardi, Kankakee, sr., P/1B

His 2-6 record last year is a bit deceiving, as the southpaw Vinardi was on the wrong end of several tough-luck decisions for the Kays. He had a 3.08 ERA and fanned 25 batters over 32 innings, including a no-hitter against Thornridge.

Brandon Schoth, St. Anne/Donnovan, sr., C

The other Co-RVC Player of the Year last spring, Schoth, was last year’s Daily Journal All-Area catcher. He hit .419, had an on-base percentage of .519 and slugged .532 at the heart of the St. Anne/Donovan lineup, helping the Cardinals to a 13-10 record, their most wins in at least a decade.

Ryan Kettman, Wilmington, sr., P/SS

Wilmington was one game away from a repeat trip to the Class 2A State Finals last season, and as the Wildcats look to make it two trips in three years, Kettman will once again remain the catalyst. Over 38⅔ innings last year, Kettman had a minuscule 0.72 ERA, struck out 46 and walked 18, one of three Wilmington pitchers to earn All-Area honors last year. He cooled off at the dish a bit in 2025 compared to his first two seasons, but still managed to hit .256 with three home runs, including a game-changing two-run blast in the Wildcats’ sectional semifinal win over Chicago Christian, and drove in 23.