Prep Baseball Report

Unsigned Senior Showcase: Quick Look



By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

The Unsigned Senior Showcase took place yesterday January 24th at The MAX in McCook, IL. The open event was the last Unsigned Senior Showcase for 2016 graduates. Over 40 college coaches came out to scout the action.  

Many of the seniors in attendance showed improved measurables from the previous time we had seen them. For example, 6-foot-3 RHP Noah Dressler (Mascoutah HS), sat 78-81 mph at an event this past July and yesterday sat an easy 83-85 mph. Another senior who made a jump was MIF Malik Coupet (Homewood-Flossmoor HS). Coupet ran a 6.85 60 at the event on Sunday and his previous best time was a 7.02. OF/3B Luke Ketchum (Springfield HS) hadn’t been to an event in a few years and he improved his stats tremendously Sunday. Yesterday he ran a 7.11 60, was 82 mph from the outfield and registered an exit velocity of 82 mph.

Wisconsin made its presence felt on Sunday. An arm from the Badger state was one of the biggest surprises from the event. Sunday was the first time anyone from the Prep Baseball Report had laid eyes on 6-foot-2, 195-pound RHP Anthony Laughlin (Gibraltar HS, WI). The physical-framed righty touched 86 on the warmup mound and sat 84-85 mph during his bullpen. Laughlin possesses a quick arm and a firm breaking ball. Should garner some attention this spring as he looks to be one of the top uncommitted right-handed pitchers in Wisconsin.

Another arm from Wisconsin who impressed was RHP Jon-Anthony Caban (St. Thomas More HS, WI) ranked No. 71 in Wisconsin. The thick-bodied 6-foot-3, 215-pound right hander sat 84-85 mph with a loose arm action.

Colleges still in the market for a catcher need to look at Jett Wedekind (Princeton HS). Wedekind flashed big arm strength clocked at 80 mph from the crouch. His pop times ranged from 2.01-2.11, he ran a 7.14 60 and registered an 87 mph exit velocity.

MIF Jack Lombardi (Loyola HS) and OF/2B Kelly Lane (Gwendolyn Brooks HS) also showed well Sunday. Lombardi ran a 7.13 60, registered a 90 mph exit velocity and took one of the better rounds of batting practice routinely barreling baseballs to both gaps. 6-foot-2, 175-pound athletically built Lane flashed a short stroke and bat speed at the plate. He also ran a 7.17 60 and registered an exit velocity of 86 mph.

There were a number of other prospects worth noting and stay tuned tomorrow for the overall stat story from the event. Also, in the next few weeks we will begin to roll out our position analysis from the event. CLICK HERE for the complete roster from the event.

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