The Bullpen

On this week’s episode of The Bullpen, we break down the Fighting Illini basketball teams first few games, the Chicago Bears win this weekend over the Giants, as well as other sports news. We then talk through the roster for the upcoming Preseason ProCase and spotlight infielders featured on the 2025 Event Leaderboard. From there, we cover recent commitments across the state before diving into The Hotlist, highlighting the top athletes in Illinois. We wrap things up with an early look ahead to the spring, discussing 2028 pitchers from the Illinois State Games, and debut our newest segment, #AskThePen, where we answer questions from parents and players.

Chapters:00:00 Intro01:50 Sports News20:54 Preseason Procase22:45 Commitments Around The State26:33 The Hotlist, Best Athletes34:56 Way Too Early Spring Outlook44:07 2028 Pitchers From Illinois State Games50:00 2025 Event Leaderboard55:06 #AskThePen, Questions From Parents/Players

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On this week’s episode of The Bullpen, we break down the World Series, Bears football, and other recent sports news. We then preview the upcoming Preseason ProCase and spotlight catchers featured on the 2025 Event Leaderboard. From there, we cover recent commitments across the state before diving into The Hotlist, highlighting the top two-way athletes in Illinois. We wrap things up with an early look ahead to the spring, discussing 2027 pitchers from the Illinois State Games, and debut our newest segment, #AskThePen, where we answer questions from parents and players.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:13 Baseball News

14:16 Preseason Procase

19:43 2025 Event Leaderboard

25:38 Commitments Around The State

28:02 The Hotlist, Best Two-Way Athletes

36:25 Way Too Early Spring Outlook

46:38 2027 Pitchers From Illinois State Games

51:39 #AskThePen, Questions From Parents/Players

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On this week’s episode of The Bullpen, we break down the latest news from around the baseball world. We discuss the Dodgers–Blue Jays matchup in the World Series, Josh Elander’s hiring as Tennessee’s new head coach, and standout performances from Illinois prospects in the Arizona Fall League. We also highlight recent in-state commitments and wrap up with a look at 2026 pitchers from the Illinois State Games, followed by an interview with Kaden Wasniewski — the No. 1 prospect in Illinois’ junior class.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:43 Baseball News

10:08 Josh Elander Named Tennessee HC

18:22 Arizona Fall League

24:02 Commitments Around The State

26:07 The Hotlist, Best Fastball In Illinois

39:07 2026 Pitchers From Illinois State Games

46:24 Kaden Wasniewski

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In this episode of The Bullpen, we open with baseball news and MLB Playoff updates, including rumors of Tony Vitello potentially leaving Tennessee for the San Francisco Giants, along with some Chicago Bears football talk. We then dive into recent commitments across Illinois before highlighting the best baserunners in the 2025 class during this week’s Hotlist segment. From there, we break down standout performers from the Underclass Showcase and wrap up with infielders to know from the Illinois State Games, organized by class.

Intro (00:00)

Baseball News (03:05)

Minor League Updates (17:21)

Commitments (24:03)

Hotlist, Best Baserunners of 2025 (26:53)

Underclass Showcase Winners (35:29)

2026 Infielders from the Illinois State Games (50:51)

2027 Outfielders from the Illinois State Games (55:29)

2028 Outfielders from the Illinois State Games (1:01:00)

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In this episode of The Bullpen, we break down the Cubs–Brewers series, where Milwaukee came out on top, and touch on the Bears’ Monday Night win and key storylines from the college football weekend. We then highlight Illinois prospects who stood out in the Minor Leagues, review recent in-state commitments, and discuss some of the biggest winners from our fall events. This week’s Hotlist segment spotlights the biggest riser in the 2025 class, and we close with a look at the Illinois State Games scouting reports, focusing on the outfield standouts.

Intro (00:00)

Baseball News (00:50)

Commitments (15:45)

Fall Event Winners (18:54)

Hotlist, Biggest Winners of 2025 (28:53)

2026 Outfielders from the Illinois State Games (39:48)

2027 Outfielders from the Illinois State Games (43:49)

2028 Outfielders from the Illinois State Games (47:09)

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On this episode of The Bullpen, we kick things off with news from around the sports world, including playoff baseball and college football. Later, Vinny Rottino, Prep Baseball Wisconsin Scouting Director and broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers, joins the show to break down the Cubs vs. Brewers NLDS matchup. We also discuss recent commitments across the state before diving into our recurring Hotlist segment. To wrap things up, we spotlight the Illinois State Games catchers that college programs need to know.

Intro: (00:00)

Sports News: (1:22)

Vinny Rottino Interview: (9:17)

Commitments: (47:23)

Hotlist: (58:51)

State Games 2026 Catchers: (1:05:00)

State Games 2027 Catchers: (1:09:05)

State Games 2028 Catchers: (1:14:35)

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On this week’s episode of The Bullpen, we’re joined by Shooter Hunt, Prep Baseball’s Vice President of Scouting, for an in-depth conversation on the state of amateur baseball. We also break down the start of the MLB playoffs, hear Peter Hamot’s takeaways from his trip to New York for the Ryder Cup, and dive into last weekend’s college football action. Plus, we run through recent commitments and wrap things up with our weekly Hotlist segment.

(43:17) - Shooter Hunt Interview

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On this week’s episode of The Bullpen, our staff dives into the latest sports news — from the Ryder Cup to the Chicago Cubs clinching a playoff spot, plus Illinois prospects making noise in pro ball. We break down commitments from the Illinois State Games and highlight other big names across the state, then recap the 3rd Annual Prep Baseball All-American Game. We close with takeaways from the Rock Fall Championships and the Prep Baseball Cup at LakePoint Sports in Georgia.

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On this episode of The Bullpen, we cover the latest Illinois baseball news, including Illinois preps making an impact in the big leagues, updates on the Chicago Cubs, and more. We also dive into the PUMA Classic, the premier JUCO scouting event, and the Grand Park Fall Championships. From there, we introduce our new segment, The Hotlist, spotlighting the top defender in the 2028 class. We wrap up with a look at the updated 2028 rankings and a few notable prospects who just missed the cut.

In our latest episode of The Bullpen, we kick things off with a look at the Chicago Bears’ upcoming season. From there, we dive into baseball news, including MLB updates on prospects from Illinois. We also provide the latest commitment updates from the Illinois State Games, spotlight 2027 prospects who emerged from the State Games and our summer events, and close with our newest segment inspired by Prep Baseball’s weekly national feature, The Hotlist.

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