Prep Baseball Report

Unsigned Senior: South Arkansas



By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas Scouting Director

A look at five unsigned seniors from South Arkansas

Ben Madison, RHP, Bauxite High School
The 6-foot 2, 175- pound right hander, has a lean frame that is very projectable. He has never concentrated solely on baseball. He also excels in both football and basketball. That being said, I believe that his best baseball is in front of him. He has a clean quick arm, with a fastball 87-90. He has a loose arm and an effortless delivery.  The curveball has 12/6 action (71-74) with good depth. The change up is serviceable but is still a work in progress.

J.P. Aiken, RHP/OF, Woodlawn High School
A 6-foot-3 190-pound right-handed pitcher/ outfielder, has a frame and body that makes any talent evaluator want to keep tabs on. He works from a High¾ arm slot, he possess quick but short arm action with little effort. His fastball sits 79-81 mph. He throws a curveball and change up for strikes. As a hitter he possess raw power producing exit velocity of 89 mph. The swing is rotational and slightly uphill with some swing in miss. Athletically he is solid running a 7.13 in the 60.

 Jake Bever, C, Camden Fairview High School
The 6-foot 200 pound catcher, has a solid frame and is has a strong upper body. He is an average athlete running a 7.38 in the 60. Bever is a strong armed catcher. He threw pop times ranging from 2.07-2.38. His arm is accurate with carry. His pop times will improve if he will clean up his foot work. He stands up instead of gaining ground toward second on his exchange. He received the ball deep and worked hard to block balls. He struggled to stay around balls that he attempted to block on the first base side. Offensively he starts from an athletic stance, from there he goes into a short stride with a short line drive swing. Bever maintains balance through his swing. Overall he has good bat speed registering 87 mph on our exit velocity testing. He stayed to the pull side during batting practice, attacking every pitch. I personally would like to see him use his lower half more and implement some sort of hand load. At this point his power comes from physical strength. A few mechanically fixes and Bever will be a solid doubles threat on a consistent basis.

Justin Pierce, LHP, Watson Chapel High School
Pierce is a crafty left-hander. He pitched with his fastball at 74-76 mph on both sides of the plate for strikes. He used his change- up in fastball counts, the velocity on the change up stayed at 68 mph. He pitches from a high 3/4 arm slot with average arm speed. His arm action is a little short as he rushes to get on time with his lower half. If he would find a balance point and drive his lower half to the plate I think you would see the arm action lengthen and become smoother. He mechanically has some cleaning up to do but he has consistently gotten hitters out during his high school career, winning a lot of games.

 Zachary Muldoon, RHP/C, Lake Hamilton High School
Muldoon is a 6-foot, 195-pound catcher, that blocks and receives well. His pop times ranged from 2.12-2.24, putting balls consistently on the bag. His arm strength is adequate, his time is hindered by the length of his release with an elongated arm circle. He moves fluidly around the plate out of a wide stance and a low base. Offensively, he had an exit velocity up to 86 mph during our testing. He starts with an athletic stance, and has a smooth load and a short stride. The lower half is sufficient, but it could be more explosive, as he has good balance. Muldoon keeps his hands inside the ball well and has average bat speed.

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