Prep Baseball Report

Lockport Preseason I.D.: Quick Hits


By Illinois Staff

On Monday, Feb. 17, the PBR Illinois team made its annual trip to the Bo Dome to host the Lockport Preseason I.D., the largest showcase on our calendar. Two-hundred prospects met us there, representing every high school level and all of whom are uncommitted.

In this post below, we’re taking a look at the day’s highlights across all levels. With so many prospects in attendance, there's a ton to break down. We had pop-up prospects break through, from freshmen to seniors. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks when we publish videos into player profiles and begin to roll out our position-by-position analysis. But for now, here’s a look at the biggest takeaways from Monday's event from Lockport.

INFIELD

At early glance, the infield crop may have been the deepest and most talented position at the event. The event featured an intriguing combination of defensive-minded middle infielders along with a couple of physical corner infield underclassmen who made some noise with their bats.

2021s

+ The top defensive round arguably belonged to 2021 MIF Matt Santarelli (Lockport). Santarelli has quick feet, plays with a high-motor, covers a lot of ground and has athletic actions. The 6-foot, 170-pound, athletically-built infielder also showed off soft, confident hands and a big arm that carried across the diamond at 88 mph. Offensively, Santarelli takes an aggressive swing and gets extension through the baseball. To top off his impressive performance, the athletic junior ran a 6.88 laser-timed 60.

+ Another junior who had a big day on the infield was Lemont product Austin Murray. Murray ran a 6.76 60, was 94 mph off the tee and 77 mph across the infield. Besides the raw numbers, Murray has fluid, clean footwork, smooth easy actions and plays through the baseball. At the plate, he has a quiet, easy right-handed swing and made consistent, hard gap-to-gap contact. 

+ MIF Matt Hannafin (Oak Forest, 2021) came away as a middle infielder to follow at his first-ever PBR event. Hannafin has a lean, 5-foot-11, 145-pound frame and smooth, athletic actions, soft hands and quick release with slick glove-to-hand abilities. Offensively, he has a loose, whippy right-handed swing with upside. 

+ Another infielder that showed the ability to stay on the dirt moving forward was Ryan O’Neil (Providence Catholic, 2021). O’Neil has a 5-foot-10, 175-pound build with a strong lower half and actions built for the middle infield. O’Neil has active feet, plays from the ground up and has sure-hands. He also showed a quick release on time and easy arm that plays true across the diamond. At the plate, he is a right-handed hitter with present twitch, uses the middle of the diamond and the ball jumps off the barrel at times. O’Neil should be a high-follow moving forward.

+ Another first-timer, in regards to PBR events, was left-handed hitting infielder Luke Kracik (Maine South, 2021). Kracik swings with intent, has present bat speed and stays short and level through the zone. Defensively, he took a steady round, showcasing sure-hands, clean release and the ability to throw from multiple angles. 

2022s

A handful of 2022s that look suited for the middle infield are Ryan Mrozek (Providence Catholic), Brendan Som (Niles West), Beau Polickey (Brother Rice), Tristan Head (Nazareth) and Randy Seymour (Lincoln-Way East). 

+ Mrozek, who profiles at second base, ran a 6.80 60 and the footspeed plays just as quick on the infield. Mrozek has a high-motor, ranges well to both sides and has steady hands. At the plate, he has a twitchy right-handed swing that works uphill. Som

+ Som, an athletically-built, 5-foot-10, 165-pound, right-handed hitter, has the look of an offensive second baseman. Som has a confident, hitterish look in the box, looks to do damage with every swing and has fast hands and pull-side approach. 

+ Polickey is a 6-foot, 145-pound right-handed hitter who fits the mold of a defensive-minded middle infielder. Polickey showcased some of the better actions on the day. He plays with fluid feet, smooth confident actions and body control on the move. His arm played accurate across the diamond and was strong enough to stick on the left-side. 

 + Head is a switch-hitter who handled the bat equally as well from both sides of the plate. It is a simple, barrel control approach with easy effort and minimal wasted movement. Defensively, he has soft hands, athletic actions and has a big arm (88 mph) fit for shortstop. 

+ Seymour has a long, projectable 6-foot-1, 145-pound frame and upside to his game. On the infield he is a natural defender with fluid actions and was comfortable playing on the move. At the plate he has a handsy right-handed swing that stays level and gets extension through the zone. 

A trio of 2022s; Collin Amsden (Marist) Jimmy Rolder (Marist) and Jack DiSano (Glenbrook South) stood out as corner infield candidates with physicality at the plate. 

+ Amsden has a 6-foot-1, 200-pound, strong, athletic build with plenty of room for continued physical development and ran a 7.20 laser-timed 60 (a .51 improvement from last year's event). A right-handed hitter, Amsden oozes physicality and power projection in the box. He has a long, fast bat and made a bunch of hard/loud contact, working gap-to-gap. Defensively, it remains to be seen if he can stick at third base but he has an easy arm that played with carry and accurately across the diamond. 

+ Rolder, another Marist product, has a similar profile to Rolder. Rolder is listed at 6-foot-2, 200-pounds and he also likes to show off his strength and physicality in the box. Rolder had some of the best pure bat speed on the day and when he syncs everything up there is big pull-power potential. It also remains to be seen where he ends up defensively but he runs a 7.37 and fits the mold of a corner infielder or outfielder.

+ It is hard to miss DiSano and his imposing, 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame, especially when he stands in the box. DiSano has an open setup from the right-side of the plate, has advanced bat strength and fast bat speed. DiSano stays flat through the zone, has a line-drive approach and made consistent, hard contact. Defensively, he worked out on the left-side of the diamond but given his extra-large frame, he profiles as a prototypical first baseman.

2023, 2024s

+ If you are looking for a fundamentally sound freshmen to follow as they physically mature in the next few years, look no further than SS John St. Clair (Plainfield North) and MIF Pierre Danet (Providence Catholic). St. Clair is listed at 5-foot-7, 130-pounds but has smooth, confident actions on the infield, plays with body control on the move, has soft hands, a feel for the left-side of the diamond and a highly-accurate arm. Offensively, he has an easy, simple and looks to control the barrel from the right-side of the plate. He stays short to the ball, repeats his swing and has a line-drive approach. Danet is built much the same way in stature and defensive actions. Danet has active, quick feet, natural infield actions, a smooth release and is comfortable changing his arm slot when necessary. At the plate, he has a rhythmic right-handed swing with athletic hands and works gap-to-gap.

+ Another freshman infielder who has the actions to play up the middle was Troy Stukenberg (Lyons Township). Stuckenberg was natural playing to his glove-side, showed off advanced glove-to-hand skills and made the run through play look easy; impressive for a 2023. At the plate, he has loose hands and uses the middle of the field.

+ Another 2023 from Plainfield North to keep an eye on moving forward is Ryan Nelson. Nelson stood out with a highly-repeatable, sound left-handed swing that should only continue to get better as he adds strength to his 5-foot-9, 130-pound, lean frame. Nelson is comfortable in the box, has loose, athletic hands and used the middle of the field. Defensively, he is a steady middle infield defender with body control for his age. 

+ Two underclassmen with physical swings and corner infield profiles were Dominick Agate (Providence Catholic, 2023) and Cash Campbell (Montini Catholic, 2024). Agate is a 6-foot, 170-pound, broad-shouldered, right-handed hitter with strength throughout his frame and his calling card is in the batter's box. Agate has a strong, fast bat, gap-to-gap approach with pull-side power soon to arrive. Campbell is one of the top left-handed bats we have seen to date in Illinois. Campbell has a 6-foot, 185-pound frame, loose, athletic, strong hands and an advanced feel in the box. He stays within himself, keeps the bat through the zone a long time and looks to elevate the baseball. Campbell is a name to follow closely moving forward. 

+ When talking about 2023s with highly-projectable frames and high-upside to their game, INF Josh Polubinski (Oswego East) jumps off the page. Polubinski is a right-handed hitter with a long-limbed, high-waisted, 6-foot-3, 165-pound frame with plenty of physical development to come. At the plate, he is short to the ball, stays flat through the zone and flashes twitchy, quick hands and fluid rhythm throughout. If Polubinski’s frame fills out the way it could, his calling may be at the hot corner where he has smooth actions, fluid footwork and an accurate arm that flashed carry. 

OUTFIELD

+ OF Mark Brannigan (Marist, 2021) took the top 60 time of the day at 6.68. He’s a lanky prospect at 6-foot-1, 160-pounds who projects well with lively quick twitch levers. His arm was just as impressive from the outfield at 91 mph taking the top honors there as well. Brannigan looks have similar premium athleticism to his older brother Jack (Marist, 2019, Notre Dame).

+ Brother Rice’s Andrew Ivy Jr. (2022) is a L/L outfielder at 5-foot-9, 135-pounds and moves like a centerfielder in the outfield. He has clean easy actions that float to the baseball and shows a similar ease in the batters box creating short compact bat speed. 

+ 2022 OF Ryan Snell (Benet Academy) showed a well rounded game. He showed strength in his arm in the outfield and in the batters box with hard physical contact 

TJ Schlageter (Joliet Catholic, 2023) was arguably the most impressive freshman outfielder of the bunch. Schlageter has natural athletic actions that work through the baseball and showed carry on an 80 mph arm that works loose and over the top playing with accuracy. He’s a L/L prospect who stands in a comfortable open setup and creates bat strength out of his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame.

CATCHERS

+ Manteno product Jack Snyder (2021) emerged as his first-ever PBR event as a backstop to follow moving forward. Snyder has a big arm (80 mph) from the crouch and recorded the low pop time from the event; 1.90. Snyder also flashed bat speed at the plate with twitch in his hands. 

+ One of the top catchers on the day, John-Michael Scumaci (Sandburg, 2022), was arguably the most intriguing defensive infielder as well. Scumaci floated around the infield, showcased advanced actions and made playing on the move look easy. Behind the plate, he is clean and athletic and his arm plays accurately. A right-handed hitter, Scumaci swings with intent and lift in his swing. 2021 multi-positional prospect to follow moving forward.

+ 6-foot-1, 195-pound Johnny Crowel (Marist, 2021) has been on our radar for some time now and also started behind the plate at times last spring as a sophomore for a loaded Redhawks squad. Defensively, he is directional out of the chute and has a traditional catcher arm action; working short and over-the-top and arm has true four-seam carry. His right-handed swing has made some gains since the last time we saw Crowel. Crowel consistently found the barrel with some natural lift in his swing and uses the big part of the diamond. 

+ A trio of 2023s who showed off above-average arms and sub 2.0 pop times were Andrew Mack (Minooka) Tyler Stack (Oswego) and Julian Sumner (Lyons Township). All three have strong frames, with room for added physicality and should be able to stick behind the plate.

PITCHERS

+ Unsigned Senior RHP Cameron Demos (Downers Grove North, 2020) led things off on the mound and set the bar with an impressive fastball that topped at 91 mph. Everything he throws is aggressive and with effort, including a late breaking curveball at 76-79 mph and a changeup at 83-85 mph. As one of the biggest arms on the market in the senior class he’ll likely garner plenty of attention this spring.

+ 2022 Tommy Boba (Wheaton Warrenville South) has clearly been putting in work this offseason. We saw the 6-foot-1, 195-pound righty back in late October sitting 80-82 mph and after a winter’s worth of off season work he’s now touching 88 mph, sitting 85-87 mph. He also showed above average feel for his age of multiple offspeed pitches, including a curveball, slider and changeup.

+ Two more 2022’s to keep an eye on are George Bilecki (Marist) and Lucas Pajeau (Lockport). Bilecki is a clean and easy southpaw with a long loose arm action sitting 80-81 mph. He shows plenty of upside working from a ¾ slot and feel for two secondary offerings. Pajeau, an RHP, showed similar velo out of a lively arm that produced even more from the outfield (91 mph) suggesting he’s an arm to keep close tabs on. 

+ A catcher by trade, Cain Headrick (Providence Catholic, 2021) put his arm strength to the test on the mound for the first time at a PBR event on Monday and raised some eyebrows. Headrick has always shown a strong arm out of the crouch and it translated to mound working 86-88 mph and topping at 89 mph. Give his secondary stuff time to catch up and Headrick could be serious follow on the mound as well this year.

+ 2021 LHP Evan Clark (Fenwick) may have been one of the bigger revelations of the day. A 6-foot, 160-pound LHP, Clark first showed off some arm strength in the outfield but really wowed our staff when he stepped on the mound and touched 89 mph right out of the gate. He works exclusively from the stretch and out of a ¾ slot that creates some tough angles as well. His fastball sat comfortably at 85-87 mph and showed a fading changeup at 73-75 mph as his best secondary offering. 

+ RHP Danny Durkin (Sandburg, 2021) is a 6-foot, 165-pound right-hander who showed well on the mound with a fastball that jumped up to 87 mph. Durkin also features a late breaking curveball at 72-74 mph. 

+ RHP Kyle Hussey (Providence Catholic, 2021) showed a tick harder fastball than he did earlier this winter at the Preseason All-State. Hussey reached 85 mph and showed a hard running changeup with a 12/6 curveball. 

+ The 2023 class is showing some early arms to follow and our Lockport Preseason I.D. brought a few more to the forefront. LHP Luke Brown (Plainfield North) led the way in that class sitting 82-84 mph out of a 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame. Brown has advanced arm strength and works downhill creating even more life on his fastball. At 6-foot-4, 210-pounds, Logan Barnett (Pontiac, 2023) impresses before he even throws a pitch. The righty featured a heavy, running fastball at 80-81 mph out of a long loose arm action that looks to project for more. 

+ Another pair of projectable right-handers in the 2023 class were Drew Zemaitis (Providence Catholic) and Kyler Kennen (Jacobs). Both are worth a follow, Zemaitis standing 6-foot-2, 185-pounds worked in the upper 70’s with very little effort. While Kennen is a 6-foot-3, 160-pound prospect who didn’t show quite the same velo but showcased an advanced changeup and projectable arm out of a ¾ slot. 

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