Prep Baseball Report

Arizona Playoffs: 6A Predictions


Brett Thorney
State Scouting Director

Projected Winner: Hamilton Huskies

It's no surprise that Hamilton is picked here with there strong tradition and 18-2 record this season. The Huskies seem to be clicking even more lately with some big wins against 6A playoff teams to end the regular season. In a single elimination format, it will be all hands on deck in every game which is a big reason why we pick Hamilton as our projected winner this year. They might have some of the most depth in the class and if they get into any trouble, there will surly be someone there to pick up the slack. Senior, Brock Selvidge (LSU Commit) will be a leader for this young squad as he has the most experience in big situations. He has thrown some stronger innings lately and will play a big role for the Huskies on both sides of the ball. Junior, Kole Klecker (GCU Commit) has also been a huge part of this teams success on the mound.. We also cant forget about Logan Saloman (Arizona State Commit) who returned to the mound late after recovering from an injury. Both typically starters, Klecker & Saloman provide high-end capability that could start or come in any given situation. The Huskies offense is strong top to bottom with a good combination of speed, power & consistency that they have shown throughout the regular season. 

Upset Alert: Red Mountain

Not sure this could even be called an upset as the Mountain Lions have been ranked No. 1 on our board for over half the season. We project that Hamilton & Red Mountain both make it to the semis and have another close battle as they did back in March. Top to bottom, Red Mountain seems to stack up the best with Hamiltons depth out of any other team in the state. Senior, RJ Elmore can pitch with anyone as he showed during the regular season with a 1.04 ERA with a 6-1 record. He also has some quality arms to back him up. Arizona commits, Ryan Campos & TJ Adams have been strong members of this offense for quite some time, both hitting over .450 on the season. Although, we did just receive word that Campos might be out due to a broken hand and its yet to be seen how this will affect the squad. The emergence of Rocco Acedo has also been huge for the Mountain Lions this year. Acedo went from being relatively under the radar to one of the top hitters in 6A, hitting .463 with 15 extra base hits on the season including 3 triples & 4 HRs.

Predictions:

+ Mountain Ridge & Liberty battle it out in the semis. Pitching has been strong for both teams throughout the year with the offenses being up and down at certain points. If things go as expected, we could see a repeat of Gray Bailey (UT-Arlington commit) versus Kaden Schiefelbein (Washington State commit) in a semi-final matchup. Liberty's hitters have been swinging hot bats in the 2nd half of the season which is why we give them the edge this time around but it could really go both ways. The winner of this matchup heads to the state championship.

+ Alhambra gets a big win in the first round with their ace, Daniel Avitia on the mound. If they can get past the 2nd round, they have some potential to turn some heads in the tournament. 

+ There are several teams that have plenty of talent that could make a run in this thing especially if they get hot. Chaparral & Brophy played two of the toughest schedules out there during the regular season and have way stronger teams than their records show. You also cant forget about teams like Basha,  Corona Del Sol & Queen Creek who really can beat anyone on any given day. Sandra Day O'Connor is a team that showed a little bit more consistency on the year. The Eagles have been towards the top of our board all season.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Arizona ProCase (Invite Only) AZ 05/23  
Arizona Prospect Preview AZ 05/23  
Top Prospect Games (Class of 2023) AZ 06/01 Cactus Shadows High School
Junior Future Games Trials (Makeup) AZ 06/09 Red Mountain High School
Mesa Position Player ID AZ 06/09 Red Mountain High School
Underclass Games (2024 & 2025 grads) AZ 06/16 Cactus Shadows High School
Top Prospect Games (Class of 2022) AZ 06/17 Central Arizona College
PBR Junior Future Games NATIONAL 07/28 LakePoint Sports

 

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