On Wednesday, Apr. 3, the Prep Baseball Illinois staff hosted the McCook Rising Stars ID at The MAX in McCook, Ill. This event served as an open identifier into the state's 2028 and 2029 graduates, providing our staff an early look at the area's top players as they continue to progress as prospects.

These early Rising Stars events also serve as key identifiers for future invite-only events, including the Prep Baseball Junior Future Games. 

Today we take a look at a couple of the standouts, as well as breakdown the top statistical performers from the day with our “Statistical Analysis” below.

TAKEAWAYS

+ One of the more impressive looks on the day was from switch hitting 1B Quincy Fulton (Newton, 2028). Listed at 6-foot-2, 205-pounds, Fulton is physically advanced for his age with plenty of present strength throughout. Also a standout on the basketball court and in track, he’s an above-average athlete for his impressive size with a 7.24 in the 60. He has a loose, controlled swing from both sides of the plate, working with minimal perceived effort to create a max exit velocity of 96.8 mph with a whole field approach from both sides. He moves well around the bag at first base, and also showed confidence on short-hops and receiving throws from across the diamond.

+ INF/RHP Alex Govoni (Loyola Academy, 2028) looked to be an intriguing two-way prospect from the event. He has an upside frame that measures in at 5-foot-11, 165-pounds, and there’s plenty of room to fill out in the coming years. The right-handed hitter displayed loose, athletic hands throughout his round, staying through the zone with a flat path while staying through the ball the other way and utilizing the whole field, maxing out at 89.7 for his EV. He has soft hands and fluid actions on the infield that pair with a strong arm, reaching up to 81 mph across the diamond. He’s a quality athlete with a 7.25 in the 60, and his athleticism easily transferred over to the mound where he ran his fastball up to 76.5 mph.

+ INF Gavin Jones (Bishop McNamara, 2028) looks the part of a left-handed hitting infield prospect to follow throughout his prep career. He has an athletic and projectable frame at 5-foot-10, 160-pounds, and we can expect him to fill out throughout the coming years. At the plate, the left-handed hitter has an upside swing with loose hands and a flat path that gets extension through the zone, working up to 86.5 mph for his max EV. He’s a natural defender on the infield with comfortable and fluid actions, and his arm is plenty strong for his age with a 77 mph top across the infield. His arm-strength showed on the mound as well, where he topped his fastball out at 79 mph, and both his curveball and slider played with over 2,400 rpm.

+ OF/RHP Paulie Hobbs (Hanover Central, 2029) will be a name to follow in the Indiana 2029 class. He has a physically mature frame, but still has room to develop and fill out in the coming years, coming in at 5-foot-10, 170-pounds. He has well above-average arm-strength, topping out at 80.6 mph on the mound and 82 mph from the outfield. His right-handed swing has some present strength as well, reaching up to 85.2 mph for his max EV.

+ RHP Austin Leipart (Providence Catholic, 2028) is an upside arm to follow in the coming years. He moves well down the mound with a loose, projectable operation, pairing with a quick arm that indicates more in the tank. He worked his fastball up to 79 mph, setting up a slider at 67-69 mph with fastball intent and changeup at 69-72 mph.

STAT STORY

FASTBALL VELOCITY (MAX)

FASTBALL SPIN RATE (AVG.)

60-YARD DASH

EXIT VELOCITY (MAX)

TOP INFIELD VELOCITY

TOP OUTFIELD VELOCITY

TOP CATCHER VELOCITY

TOP POP TIMES

+ CLICK HERE for a look at the complete statistics from the event.

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