Underclass Games: Preview

July 19, 2021
Taylor Castro
Illinois Staff

On Tuesday, July 20, the PBR Illinois staff will be hosting the Underclass Games at Triton College in River Grove. The invite-only event will feature top players from Illinois and Wisconsin in the Class of 2024.

For more information about the event, click here.

Last year's event for the Class of 2023 featured six players and counting who have committed to Division I schools. Catchers Ryan Bakes (Huntley HS, South Carolina commit) and TJ Schuyler (Antioch HS, Indiana commit) both stood out at last year's event and are two of the higher-ranked prospects in the 2023 class. Left/left outfielder, Dillon Head (Homewood-Flossmoor), was another one of the top prospects at last year's event and has since committed to Michigan. Head is one of the top athletes in the Midwest and was a mainstay in center field and at the top of the order for a talented Homewood-Flossmoor squad this past spring.

Dillon Head (4/30/21)

The complete roster from last year can be viewed here.

Looking at this year's roster, there should be plenty of high-end talent to keep an eye on. One of the biggest names heading to the event should be RHP Malachi Paplanus (Huntley, 2024). Paplanus got quality innings for the Red Raiders varsity this spring, who had one of the top pitching staffs in the state. Paplanus sits in the low-to-mid 80's, is a polished for his age, pounds the strike zone and features an above-average three-pitch mix.

Malachi Paplanus (3/13/21)

A number of intriguing bats should be attendance as well. Some names we have become familiar with are OF Mason Phillips (Oak Park-River Forest), 3B Cash Campbell (Montini), 1B Aren Robinson (Brookfield Central, WI), 1B Kelvin Jones Jr. (Home school), among a number of others.

CLICK HERE for a look at the most up-to-date version of the roster.

CHECK-IN TIMES:

+ All position players: 8:30-8:45 a.m.

+ Pitchers-only: 11:00 a.m. (30 minutes before game time)

ITINERARY:

POSITION PLAYERS

+ Pre-game workout: 9:00-11:15 a.m.

+ 60-yard dash

+ Offensive Evaluation

Mechanical evaluation
Live batting practice
Trackman ball flight analysis
BLAST swing analysis

+ Defensive Evaluation

Arm strength
Defensive mobility
Positional projectability

+ Vizual Edge vision testing

PITCHERS

+ Live Game (1 inning or 25 pitches)

Mechanical evaluation
Charting velocity and pitch action through Trackman data
PitchAI visualizations

GAME PLAY

+ Team 1 vs. Team 2: 11:30 a.m.

MORE EVENT DETAILS

Click here to learn more about our tech partners that have enhanced our players showcase experience. Partners TrackMan, Blast Motion, Driveline, and Vizual Edge will enhance the players’ data collection both in-event and post-event. These technologies will assist our evaluation process, while providing players with insight on their own skills in addition to areas of improvement for the betterment of their abilities.

CHECK-IN PROCESS

In an effort to continue and develop a simplified, contactless check-in process, upon arrival, players will scan a QR Code with their smart phone camera that will lead them to a Google Form. On that Form, players will enter their name (matching the spelling on their PBR profile) and hit submit. Upon submission, players will be prompted to click a link that will direct them to their jersey color and number, located next to their registered name. From there, players will be instructed to the area where they’ll pick up their designated jersey color and number.