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High School  | General | 2/24/2025

Ohio Valley Dream Team & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
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OHIO VALLEY REGION (IL, IN, KY, MI, OH)
The Ohio Valley Region has a fascinating collection of senior talent, including five Perfect Game All-Americans, along with one of the more impressive groups of multi-sport athletes that has ever been uncovered in a region.  The region is actually missing a couple of other players who pop up in other regions after transferring to Academies prior to their senior years.



Illinois stands out by having four left-handed pitchers, including Utility standout Joseph Dusell, on the team, one of the more notable talent concentrations of any state in the country this year.

Ohio’s Archbishop Moeller is the top ranked team in the PG Pre-Season Top 50 rankings, starting the year at ninth in the country with a line-up full of Division One athletes.  Brother Rice HS of Illinois is the next listed team at 25th in the country, while Edwardsville (IL) and Center Grove (IN) also garner Top 50 recognition at 43rd and 48th respectively.

C –  Owen Jenkins (Sr., Lexington Catholic HS, Ky.)

Jenkins is the top ranked catcher in the 2025 class and is ranked 18th overall.  He has a very unusual combination of speed and athleticism, including a 6.54 in the sixty, to go with a catcher’s traditional power bat/power arm tools.  A right-handed hitter, Jenkins hit .469-5-29 as a junior at Lexington Catholic High School and followed that up with a .432-4-9 line in 16 games of PG play last summer.  He is signed with Kentucky.

1B –   Mason Braun (Sr., Penn HS, Ind.)

Braun was on the only primary first baseman at the 2024 PG All-American Classic, although the 6-0/195 left-handed hitter is athletic enough to play corner outfield as well.  The 47th ranked player in the 2025 class, Braun is a very polished hitter who hit .490-1-15 with 16 walks in 27 games of PG play in 2024.  He is signed with Louisiana State.

MIF –   JD Stein (Sr., Carmel HS, Ind.)

Stein is a quick-twitch middle of the field athlete who really came on as a hitter last summer and fall, including a strong PG National performance and a dominant tournament at the WWBA World Championships where he hit .588 with 8 walks and 6 steals.  He is ranked 83rd nationally in the 2025 class and third in the state of Indiana and is signed with Wake Forest.

MIF –  Ethan Moore (Sr., Oak Park and River Forest HS, Ill.)

Moore is a strong and athletic switch-hitting middle infielder who is ranked 94th in the PG 2025 national class rankings.  His bat is his best and most projectable tool moving forward and he has very good agility defensively that might eventually move him to second base.  Moore is signed with Tennessee and bears a significant resemblance to 2024 Tennessee first round pick Christian Moore, who is no relation, at the same age.

3B –  Jaden Fauske (Sr., Nazareth Academy, Ill.)

Fauske is the 19th ranked player in the 2025 class and only one spot behind catcher Owen Jenkins as the top ranked senior prospect in the Ohio Valley Region.  He’s a versatile athlete who has played all over the diamond but who profiles best at third base in the future.  The Louisiana State signee’s best position, though, is left-handed hitter.  He has strength in his 6-3/210 build and a smooth swing with advanced barrel skills. 

OF –  Brandon Logan (Sr., Snider HS, Ind.)

Logan is one of the best athletes in the 2025 class nationally and is signed to play both football (safety) and baseball at Notre Dame after being first committed to baseball only at Vanderbilt.  He’s got 6.3 speed in the sixty and his football strength has added significantly to his bat speed and hitting ability on the baseball field.  He’s ranked 113rd overall in the 2025 national class rankings.

OF –  Nolan Ramoley (Jr., Brother Rice HS, Ill.)

Ramoley has an impressive combination of strength at 6-1/210 and speed, with a 6.52 sixty to his credit.  His right-handed power really showed up in games at PG events last summer and fall and projects as his best tool moving forward.  Ramoley is a Kentucky commit and the 199th ranked player in the 2026 class nationally.

OF –  Carson Liedel (Jr., Monroe HS, Mich.)

Liedel is a two-time PG Select Festival athlete who is one of the younger top prospects in the 2026 class and will play much of next summer at 16 years old.  He’s also one of the top two-way talents in the 2026 class, as highlighted at the 2024 WWBA 15U National Championships where he struck out 14 hitters in 7 innings, topping out at 91 mph, and hit .563 in 8 games.  A 6-0/190 right-handed hitter, Liedel is committed to Auburn.

LHP  Cameron Appenzeller (Sr., Glenwood HS, Ill.)

Appenzeller took a huge step forward in 2024 but the 6-5/180 southpaw remains one of the most projectable prep seniors in the country.  He was up to 95 mph at the PG All-American Classic to go with a very well tunneled low 80’s slider and mid-80’s change up.  Appenzeller struck out 74 hitters in 38 innings as a junior at Glenwood HS and is the 15th ranked player and second ranked left-hander in the 2025 class.  He is signed with Tennessee.

LHP   Jack Bauer (Sr., Lincoln Way East HS, Ill.)

Bauer can be one of the hardest pitchers in the country to hit when he’s in the strike zone.  The 6-3/190 left-hander has a multi-piece low ¾’s delivery that produces a lively fastball up to 95 mph, a huge sweeping slider that flashes 3,000+ rpm and a cutter/change up with late action.  The 81st ranked player in the 2025 class nationally, Bauer is signed with Virginia.

LHP  Conor Essenburg (Sr., Lincoln Way West HS, Ill.)

Essenburg is a two-way standout and should have a chance to play both ways in college at Kentucky.  He went 10-2 on the mound as a junior with 102 strikeouts in 52 innings, with a fastball that tops out at 94 mph to go with an upper 70’s curveball and change up.  Essenburg is also a strong right-handed hitting outfielder with lots of power in his bat.  He’s ranked 103rd nationally in the 2025 class.

RHP Blane Metz (Sr., Floyd Central HS, Ind.)

Metz was outstanding this fall at the PG Fall World Series and the WWBA World Championships, boosting him to a 51st overall ranking in the 2025 class.  He worked at 92-95 mph with an excellent change up and solid curveball at those two events and struck out 17 hitters in 9 innings while only allowing 3 hits.  He is signed with Indiana.

RHP  Shawn Sullivan (Jr., Walsh Jesuit HS, Ohio)

Sullivan is a 6-0/180 athlete with two-way potential but he stands out on mound with his electric arm strength and collection of swing and miss pitches.  He’s topped out at 95 mph at PG events and 97 mph at other national level events to go with a sharp mid to upper 70’s curveball and change up.  Sullivan struck out 46 hitters in 24 innings of work at 2024 PG tournaments, including 15 in 7 innings at the WWBA 16U National Championships.  He is committed to Alabama and is the 33rd ranked player in the 2026 class nationally.

UT –  Joseph Dusell (Sr., St. Edward Central Catholic HS, Ill.)

Dusell put on a show at the PG National Showcase last summer, running a 6.64 sixty, topping out at 92 mph with a tight slider on the mound and blasting a 108 EV home run at Chase Field.  It was a continuation of what he did in the spring when he hit .505 and struck out 73 hitters in 33 innings at St. Edward Central Catholic HS.  He is ranked 95th nationally in the PG rankings and is signed with Cincinnati.


Ohio Valley Region Top Tools


Best Hitter for Average: Jaden Fauske (Sr., Nazareth Academy, Ill.)

Fauske his .462-2-13 in PG play in 2024 in route to PG All-American honors but those numbers were dwarfed by his high school performance, which saw Fauske hit .546-45 with 15 doubles in leading Nazareth Academy to a 37-1 record.

Best Hitter for Power: Owen Jenkins (Sr., Lexington Catholic HS, Ky.)

Jenkins has made big league stadiums look small in batting practice and that power obviously translated very well into game action based on his 2024 performance numbers.  The 6-2/215 Jenkins is one of the strongest top prospects in the country.

Best Runner: Brandon Logan (Sr., Snider HS, Ind.)

Logan was running in the 6.3’s before his sophomore year and ran a 6.39 at the 2024 PG National Showcase.  He’s stolen 48 bases in his PG career while only being caught 4 times.

Best Defensive Catcher: Owen Jenkins (Sr., Lexington Catholic HS, Ky.)

Jenkins isn’t a completely polished catcher yet but his physical tools are so impressive that it will buy him time to keep improving his skills.  His lower half actions are flexible and quick despite his big build and he can throw with the best catchers in the high school ranks.

Best Defensive Infielder: Ethan Bass (Jr., Glenbrook North HS, Ill.)

Bass is very light on his feet and plays defense with rhythm and flair and the athleticism to make the spectacular play.  His arm strength isn’t top of the scale but he makes very accurate throws from all the arm angles on the move.  Bass’s offensive game took a step forward in 2024 as he added strength to his wiry 6-2/165 frame.  He’s committed to Wake Forest.

Best Defensive Outfielder: Brandon Logan (Sr., Snider HS, Ind.)

If you can be recruited to play safety at Notre Dame, the chances are good that he can run down balls in the gaps on a baseball field.  Logan also has a strong arm and threw 92 mph at the PG National Showcase.

Best Defensive Arm: Owen Jenkins (Sr., Lexington Catholic HS, Ky.)

Jenkins threw 85 mph from behind the plate at the PG National Showcase and does so from an over the top arm slot that creates very good on-line carry on his throws.

Best Fastball: Shawn Sullivan (Jr., Walsh Jesuit HS, Ohio)

Sullivan is a 6-0 right hander and his command of the strike zone can come and go but his arm strength and velocity is electric.  Topping out at 97 mph as a sophomore really stands out and Sullivan is young and athletic enough to continue to dream on.

Best Off-Speed Stuff: Blake Ilitch (Sr., Brother Rice HS, Mich.)

Ilitch has been in the national spotlight since before his high school days and has developed into a very polished right-hander who is ranked 144th in the 2025 class.  He works in the low 90’s and tops out at 94 mph on his fastball but frequently pitches backwards and uses his entire four pitch mix, which includes both a mid-70’s curveball and low-80’s slider and quality change up, to attack hitters.  Ilitch is signed with Mississippi.

Best Pitchability: Cameron Appenzeller (Sr., Glenwood HS, Ill.)

Appenzeller’s athleticism shines on the mound as he’s a strike thrower with all his pitches and he tunnels them all very well, creating deception to go with his raw stuff and command.

Best Multi-Sport Athlete: Matt Ponatoski (Jr., Archbishop Moeller HS, Ohio)

Ponatoski threw for 4.085 yards and 56 touchdowns (and only 3 interceptions) in leading Archbishop Moeller to the state finals last fall and has been offered by a Who’s Who of national football powers.  He’s also the 64th ranked junior shortstop in the 2026 class with a strong left-handed bat and a 92 mph fastball on the mound.   Brandon Logan is signed to play safety at Notre Dame, which speaks for itself. Cameron Appenzeller isn’t only a projectable power arm on the mound but he’s also the leading scorer on the Glenwood basketball team, with an impressive dunk highlight reel of note, along with being a two-handicap golfer on the conference champion golf team.  This Region is loaded with multi-sport athletes, needless to say.
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