Prep Baseball Report

Recapping Week One of the Fall Prospect Program at Saint Catharine College



st catharine

By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

Saturday, September 7 kicked off PBR Kentucky’s Fall Prospect Program at Saint Catharine College.   Edelen-Haydon Field played host to high school prospects from around the state looking for fall exposure and to put themselves on college radars, including several solid uncommitted seniors.  Several players impressed on the day that began with a showcase for position players and culminated with a nine-inning game.   The game ended in walk-off fashion as Andrew Kirkland delivered an RBI double to propel Team White to the 8-7 win.

CLICK HERE to view the measurables from the event.

Note: A few players that have registered for the entire program were unable to be in attendance.  Those players will be in action this Sunday at Morehead State University, in addition to several others who have registered for the Morehead week.

An in depth look at Week 1:

Sammy Holder (RHP, MIF, Lewis County HS, 2014) – The 5-foot-10, 165-pound hurler was impressive on the mound with an 83-86 mph fastball and very good command of his 66-69 mph curveball.  Holder showed 85 mph arm strength across the infield, ran a 7.40 60, and flashed bat speed with 90 mph exit velocity from the left side. He was 1-for-4 during game play with a single to left.

Dale Gumm (C/3B, John Hardin HS, 2014) – The 5-foot-10, 195-pound, left-handed hitting Gumm squared up everything in sight at the plate smoking a double to deep right field, a single to left-center, and a rocket line-drive out to right.  He registered 93 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Behind the plate, Gumm showed improved receiving and footwork behind the plate with 76 mph arm strength and pop times of 1.90-2.02.  He threw a runner out attempting to steal second base in game action.

Nathan Conrad (C/2B, Spencer County HS, 2015) – The 6-foot, 160-pounder showed 71 mph arm from the crouch and 80 across the infield with pop times ranging from 2.00-2.09.  He showed some bat speed with 86 mph exit velocity and showed the ability to make solid contact to all fields in game play with a single to left and a single to right in his 4 AB’s.

Andrew Kirkland (3B, Ballard HS, 2014) – The 5-foot-10, 211-pound Kirkland is coming off of labrum surgery and regaining his arm strength (76 mph across the IF) but he certainly impressed with his bat.  His walk-off RBI double was absolutely smoked to center field and he included another line-drive single on the day.  He generates plenty of bat speed with good use of his strong lower half.  He made a nice play on a slow roller during game play as well.

Graham Smith (C, Lexington Christian, 2014) – The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Smith showed 73 mph arm strength from the crouch.  He has a quick glove to hand transfer and solid footwork while registering pop times of 1.97-2.06.  Smith uses his strong frame to generate good bat speed (88 mph exit velocity) and collected two singles in game play.

Kyle Fisher (RHP/3B, Western Hills HS, 2014) – While Fisher didn’t show the velocity on the mound we saw from him in June (he threw the day before at a college camp), his fastball sat 80-82 with good command of his 69-71 mph curveball and 72 mph splitter.  He was impressive at the plate, registering a 93 mph exit velocity and collecting a single and double to deep center field in game action.

Cameron Planck (RHP/1B/OF, Rowan County HS, 2016 – The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Planck established himself as a definite arm to watch in the 2016 class.  He is long and loose, and his fastball sat 82-84 mph.  He showed a very good breaking ball with sharp 11/5 action at 72-74 mph.  Planck showed good bat speed at the plate (87 mph tee exit velocity) while collecting two singles in game action, ran a 7.50 60.

Ryan Tressler (RHP, Switzerland County HS, 2014) – This was the third time we have seen the 6-foot-5, 200 pound Tressler since late June, and he continues to progress each time.  The velocity is still the same at 81-83 mph but he has vastly improved his secondary pitches since we first saw him.  His curveball sat 66-8 mph with 11/5 action, but even more impressive was his 75 mph changeup that showed good run and sink thrown with good arm action.

Connor O’Neil (2B/OF, Lexington Catholic HS, 2015) - The 5-foot-11, 175-pound O’Neil showed the best exit velocity we have seen from him at 90 mph.  He ripped a 3-run double to deep left-center in game play.  He registered throws of 71 mph from the infield and 78 mph from the outfield.

Logan Banks (OF, Lexington Catholic HS, 2015) – The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Banks shows athleticism in the outfield with 81 mph arm strength.  He ran a 7.13 60 (7.00 previous event) and registered throws of 81 mph from the outfield.  He has good bat speed with quick hands and showed 86 mph exit velocity off the tee.

Mason Jeffries (3B, Collins HS, 2014) – The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Jeffries showed good arm strength across the field at 81 mph, 87 mph tee exit velocity, and ran a 7.60 60.  He uses his strong lower half to generate bat speed and collected a sharp single to left field in game action.

Daulton Mason (3B/RHP, Lewis County HS, 2014) – The 6-foot, 190-pound prospect shows good strength and registered a 90 mph tee exit velocity.  He shows good corner actions and 80 mph arm strength across the infield and ran a 7.41 60.  We saw better velocity from him on the mound a few weeks ago; on this occasion his fastball sat 78-80 mph with good command of a 70-71 mph curveball. 

Tyler Neeley (1B/OF, Trinity HS, 2015) – The 6-foot-2, 220-pound, physical prospect was the exit velocity champion of the day with 96 mph off the tee.  He runs well for his size (7.19) and showed 76 mph arm across the infield with good actions around the bag and 78 mph from the outfield.  Neeley generates big bat speed and showed the ability to make hard contact the other way with a double to right field in game play.

Davis Sims (3B, St. Mary HS, 2015) – The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Sims continues to show well defensively with soft hands, good corner actions, and 79 mph arm strength across the infield.  He showed bat speed with 87 mph tee exit velocity and stroked a solid single to left field in game action.

Colin Suttles (C, Dixie Heights HS, 2015) – At 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, Suttles showed good receiving and blocking skills with 71 mph arm strength from the crouch and pop times of 2.10-2.16.  He showed some bat speed with 84 mph exit velocity off the tee and went 1-for-4 in game play with a single to left field.

Cooper Warner (2B/SS, Trinity HS, 2015) – The 5-foot-9, 155-pound Warner showed solid infield actions and soft hands with 80 mph arm strength across the infield.  He ran a 7.51 60 and showed some bat speed with 84 mph exit velocity off the tee.  He is a line drive type hitter who displayed a solid round of batting practice barreling up several pitches.

Jared Slone (2B, SS, Ashland Blazer HS, 2014) – At 5-foot-8, 155-pounds Slone showed good hands and a quick exchange in the infield with 74 mph arm strength.  He ran a 7.50 60 and registered 79 mph tee exit velocity.  Slone showed some pop in his bat, smoking a double to deep left field in game action.

Alden Gatewood (OF, Franklin County HS, 2015) – The 5-foot-8, 145-pound Gatewood ran a 7.43 60 and registered 78 mph tee exit velocity.  He plays through the ball in the outfield with 67 mph arm strength.  He hits from a balanced setup with a short stride and shows good balance in his swing.

Austin Berleman (OF, Lakota West HS, 2014) – The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Berleman registered 82 mph tee exit velocity while running a 7.47 60 with 77 mph arm strength from the outfield.  He is a lined drive type hitter and made hard contact once in game play with a hard line out to center field.

Matthew Lee (3B/RHP, Franklin County HS, 2014) – The 6-foot-2, 158-pound Lee showed good speed with a 7.15 60 and bat speed with 84 mph tee exit velocity.  His throws across the infield registered at 65 mph.  On the mound, he showed a 69-72 mph fastball and 54 mph curveball to keep hitters off-balance.