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East Georgia Rising Stars Preseason ID: Quick Hits

February 3, 2025
Prep Baseball Georgia
Staff

Flowery Branch, Ga - The Prep Baseball Georgia staff hosted the East Georgia Rising Stars Preseason ID at IVSA. This event was an opportunity to see a talented group of 2029-2030 players. These players went through extended pro-style workout that included batting practice using Trackman, ran the 30 yard dash using VALD Performance, and much more. Pitchers were able to throw short bullpens with Trackman. There were some players who showed up and continued to build off of prior performances, but there were also some new names who jumped onto our radar with a strong showing on Saturday. Later this week, we will break down the stat leaders from the more traditional categories in our statistical analysis. Today, we take a quick glance at some the top performers from the event on Saturday. Looking forward to watching these players grow and develop over the rest of their careers as they go into high school next year. 

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Quick Hits

Brayden Couch, RHP/OF, Cherokee Bluff, 2029
5-foot-9, 145-pounds. Quick, athletic and leaner build. A strong showing as the tools were visible immediately. Displayed momentum and an advanced middle-middle swing that collected hard contact to the opposite field with line drives with backspin. Surprising stuff on the mound as the fastball was lively, strong over the top arm action in the upper 70’s almost touching 80. One of the top outfield arms of the day as well with the ability to move with a wide range.

Frank Knowles III, OF/SS, Chattahoochee, 2029
5-foot-11, 157-pounds. Lean, high waisted with speed. One of the top names coming into the event as he flashed the hit tool with hard and loud barrels throughout his round. He showed a pull-side approach with a quick load and ability to get the bat head around with ease. A very quick and light 30-yard dash that showed speed with ease. Flashed his glovework with range and a strong arm with different arm angles on weak ground balls and showed good footwork with glove-side grounders.

Hudson Kemp, MIF/RHP, Cherokee Bluff, 2029
5-foot-11, 145-pounds. Athletic, lean build with a plethora of skills from the field and on the mound. Showed a nasty splitter, it had depth and good drop-off with the ability to manipulate. Fastball was lively with some arm-side run and a three-quarter arm slot, worked well from the stretch and wind-up. Legit curveball/slider combinations that show manipulation and ability to land. A name to know.

Landry Boling, RHP/3B, Home School, 2029
6-foot-2, 180-pounds. High waisted, leaner build with long arms. Exciting arm on the mound as the ball jumps out of his hand. Fastball was lively with a loud over the top arm action with a slight tilt. Curveball is still developing but a pitch that shows promise as the 12/6 breaker was working later during his session. Change-up showed dive and tumble on a righty with ability to feel. Put on an impressive round of batting practice with loud pull-side barrels and hard hitting line-drives up the middle. Going to be a fun player to watch as the arm continues to develop.

Andrew Nixon, C/SS, Harrison, 2029
5-foot-8, 127-pounds. Nixon showed off multiple tools on Saturday at the East Georgia Rising Stars ID. Players like Nixon are always exciting, showing athleticism at an early stage in their baseball career. He started the day off with an effortless line drive round of BP. He worked gap to gap with nearly half of his round being line drives. He then hopped behind the dish and showed advanced actions with easy catch and throw. He finished the day with a solid round of ground balls at shortstop with a smooth arm action and soft hands.

Chris Reed, SS/2B, Heritage, 2030
5-foot-7 143-pounds. Reed was one of the youngest players at the event, as a young 13 year old. He showed a strong round of BP with a max exit velocity of 83mph and an average distance of 236 ft, which led the event. The launch angle is advanced for his age and he does a great job getting the barrel to the ball and staying through it. He showed an effortless round in the infield with smooth, repeatable actions that are also advanced for his age.

Connor Cox, C, Cherokee Bluff, 2029
5-foot-8 150-pounds. Cox was another strong back stop on Saturday at the East Georgia Rising Stars ID. He had a smooth swing at the plate, connecting with the barrel throughout his round. The catch and throw behind the dish is advanced for his age, and will be one to watch as he heads into high school next year at Cherokee Bluff.

Caleb Sullivan, OF, Bufford, 2029
6-foot-1 168-pounds. Sullivan started off the day with an eye opening 30 yard dash at 3.74. This is above average at any age much less 14, and on top of that he posted a 1.55 10 yard split that is one of the best we have seen since tracking the 10 yard metric. The strong day continued with a good round of BP with a max exit velocity of 89.4. Sullivan is going to be the next ball hawk in CF at Buford high school with that kind of speed.

Xavier Rodriguez, C/3B, Archer, 2029
We first got the chance to see Rodriguez last March and were instantly impressed with the talent and makeup alike, fast forward to Saturday, and the 2029 backstop looks like one of the most advanced players in the class. Plenty physical already at 6-foot-0, 198-pounds with advanced strength throughout the frame and present above-average bat speed. The strides Rodriguez has made in less than a calendar year is nothing short of impressive. Max exit velocity went from 81.6 to 93.8 (Avg. 88.6) with ability to drive balls with carry across the field with consistency. Defensive profile potentially made even bigger strides, cutting his pop time from 2.37 to a consistent 2.05 with present top-of-the-class arm strength showing at 78 with accuracy. Ceiling is fairly substantial for Rodriguez and already looks the part before even getting to high school. Name to know in the class.

SHOWCASE DATE LOCATION
LakePoint Rising Stars ID (2029 and 2030 grads) 2/17 LakePoint Sports
Rising Stars: Preseason All-State 3/1 LakePoint Sports