2022 Chicago Jamboree

We hit a remarkable milestone this year in Chicago. The 11th Chicago Jamboree ended up being our 125th recruiting event in our eighteenth year of running events. It is crazy to think that our first event was held in Seattle in 2004 would result in all that we do today. And we are still excited. And we’re looking forward to what the next decade brings our way.

Once again we dodged the rain and ended up hosting a wonderful Chicago Jamboree. Right off the top, we want to thank Bill Conroy of the Beverly Bandits and Gerry Quinn of the Illinois Chill for all their help. It is always great to see them, and it is so easy to work with them year after year. It is also great to work with Clint who is in charge of the fields at Ackerman. Clint just does a great job. 

The 2002 roster turned out to be one of the best groups we have had in Chicago. Our previous events this year have received great reviews from our college coaches, and this one was no different. Many of them were raving about our pitching group. Nate Walker from Diamond Solutions backed that up with his Rapsodo numbers. He felt the pitching was collectively the best group he has seen.

The hitters also were exceptional. Many coaches commented on the large number of quality hitters in attendance. We will heartily agree with that assessment. The camp was loaded offensively. The catching was very good. The defenders were good as well. It all translated into a quality event for everyone. 

Today, we are comfortable saying that in the Midwest, pitching velocity is making a real comeback. Out of 26 pitchers, 16 of them threw 60 mph or higher. 2025 Saylor Timmerman, who we spotted in Colorado playing for Jill Harvey’s Sparks team, led the charge throwing 65 mph effortlessly. 2025 Sydney Rainford, attended our Chicago Tryout just a few weeks ago, pitched consistently at 64 mph. Both young pitchers are athletic and have a serious upside. Elena Krause, who is also in this deep 2025 Midwest class, continued to make a case for being one of the best “arms” in the country.  She has excellent spin and consistent 64 mph velocity. Add Abby Carr, Kylinn Stangl, Hailey Holtz, Riley O’Connell, Lisabella Dimitrijevic, Kierea Smits, and Hildie Dempsey into the mix, and every coach in the country should be traveling to the Midwest to chase pitching. 

And this wasn’t all. 2023s Macy Richardson and Addison Koth showed good velocity, good spin, and good command. 2024s Jacey Schuler and Ava Gusel were excellent. Both of them have pin point control and good command of their pitches. And finally 2026s Reese Mosolino and Piper Cavanaugh also showed tremendous potential. Reese is tall and strong and gets it to 64 mph right now. Piper can move it up and down and has an excellent change. Both of them have a chance to be high level recruits in the years to come.

We also have to mention a group of talented catchers. 2024 C Emma Kavanagh is one of the top catching prospects in the country and she moved her needle even further up the national ladder with her performance. Emma can swing it, and she can control the bases. Add to that a high level of athleticism, and she is certainly showing why her phone will be ringing early and often on September 1st. 2025s Kylee Jensen and Kelsey Sawvell are also good catchers who can really swing it. And 2026 Hayden Sujack is going to be one of her classes best players as well.

And finally, a few others who had special performances. 2023 Megan Malartsik (OF/1B) is right now exploding on the recruiting scene. Megan is a power slapper who came to Chattanooga and then backed up a great performance there with another outstanding outing. 2024 OF Camryn Lyons, showed a very good bat. She will hit for average and some power numbers at the next level. 2024 OF Brooke Kuczynski is a lefty who can hit pitches in all parts of the strike zone. She is going to be really good. 2025 Taylor Schafer (3B) is just going to be a monster hitter if she keeps working. And to close it all out, the 2026s and the lone 2027 all showed a tremendous upside. Kennedy Christopher, Ryleigh Kiel, Cassidy Jagielski, Molly Southall, Mackenzie Bacha, MaKayla Van Vossen, Ashlyn Kita, and Jessi Pontrelli (2027) all will be good college players if they keep working.

Thanks to everyone who attended this great event. We will really look forward to the Midwest Elite Camp that will be held at the Rosemont Dome in November.

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