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Quick Hits: Northern Indiana Preseason ID

February 12, 2025
Cooper Trinkle
Indiana Scouting Director

Our second stop on our Preseason ID tour took us to Mishawaka this past Sunday. The event was held at the Mishawaka Fieldhouse, a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose facilty where 70-plus prospects from the northern part of the state showcased their abilities in front of our staff. Several players showed well for themselves, with a mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen receiving recognition below. 

Find the full stat breakdown, here. 

Upperclass Standouts

+ '26 RHP Noah Sena (Valparaiso) was featured recently on our Preseason ID watchlist, and our predictions of his fastball ticking up after the offseason came to fruition at this event. The long-limbed, wiry, 5-foot-11, 160 pound righty pitched at 86-88 in his bullpen, a +4 tick from the end of 2024. He comes to a tall balance point before an intentful, drop and drive delivery and triggers his long, loose arm swing with a glove pat at the top of his lift. The arm works with whip and above average arm speed to a 3/4 arm angle at release. The fastball played with some arm-side run, tunneling with a tight (2400s) slider that played with sweep, thrown firmer at 77-78 mph. His 73-75 mph curveball played with two-plane shape and he showed a serviceable changeup at 78-80 mph. Sena has shown growth in each of his last two events, warranting a spring follow as Sena will mix into Valpo's staff - one of the more talented pitching rotations in the state. 

+ A pair of junior infielders stood out above the rest in '26 SS Brody Cashen (Penn) and '26 3B/SS Garrett Pieri (Lakeland). Cashen, an athletic-looking, 6-foot shortstop - showed best in the defensive evals with soft hands and above average arm strength across. It is a simple operation for Cashen in the right-handed batter's box, showing minimal load in the hands with a shorter stride and repeatable moves throughout.

- Pieri swung one of the more explosive bats at the event, reaching a peak exit of 96 mph, and averaging 90-plus, both event bests. The swing works on-plane with accuracy, and allowed for backspun balls elevated to the big part of the field. On the dirt, Pieri showed above average actions with fringy arm strength to pair. 

+ Two athletic, projectable bodies caught my attention at this event - OF/RHP Jackson Ice (Garrett) and 1B Jayce Richards (Carroll). Ice was the best runner at this event, turning in a 7.06. The 6-foot-4, 180 pounder then showed a long-levered, upward stroke that showed feel to elevate. His exits reached 92.7, and should climb with plenty of room for projection in the frame. His ceiling appears highest on the bump, where he showed a rawer, step-and-throw delivery with a low 80s fastball (T 83). The arm swing is loose and uninterrupted, while he lands cross-strided to create some funk. Ice gained nearly 7-feet of extension on his fastball, while mixing with a 68-71 mph curveball and 76-78 mph split.

- Richards was very solid offensively - reaching a peak exit of 94.2 mph. There is some rawness to the projectable, 6-foot-4, 180 pounders' swing, though he shows good rotational capabilites with some strength already present. 

 + '26 RHP Jacob Snyder (St. Joe) tossed a well-executed bullpen. Stocky and compact at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Snyder sat 84-85 on a fastball that showed some jump out the hand, stemming from Snyder's quicker arm speed. His secondaries were my favorite part of his arsenal, specifically a near-plus right-handed change that played with 17" of arm side run and dove late. He manipulated spin with two breaking balls - his slider played with sweep, plus perceived rise from his lower release height, and his curveballs spun a bit softer - though showed bigger shape and more depth. Snyder is a strike-thrower that fills the zone with four pitches.

- '26 RHP Myles Jones (Concord) was another that I'll keep tabs on, standing at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds with an 81-83 mph fastball at this event. There is room for projection in the frame for strength gains to be made that should play up the velocity. His fastball comes from a higher, wide slot and plays with arm side tilt and run. 

+ Three junior catchers showed best amongst their peers and are highlighted below :

- '26 C Alex Kridler (Concord) : Fast right-handed bat reached a peak exit of 95 mph. His hand speed was one of the best of the day, with the bat working on a more-level plane. Defensively, showcased the best arm from the crouch of the event (78 mph) with an event-best pop of 1.95.

- '26 C/INF Ryder Richard (Brandywine, Michigan) : Took one of the better BP rounds of the day. Loose, well-sequenced right-handed swing produced easy lift and a peak exit of 92.7 mph. He had the third-highest average exit of the day, speaking to his accuracy. Richard was 77 from the crouch with pops ranging from 2.11 to 2.19.

- '26 C/INF Zack Rouch (Bremen) : An undersized, compact backstop that shows energy each time we see him. He is a switch-hitter with a short, on-plane swing that plays with accuracy. His exits reached up to 90 mph and he showed the ability to spray line drives from each side. Rouch provides a high-contact bat with fundamental actions behind the plate. He is a sure-handed receiver with average arm strength from the crouch (70 mph).

Underclass Standouts

+ '28 SS Colin Hamel (John Glenn) was my favorite underclass position player of the day. Showing as one of the best defensive shortstops at the event, despite being one of the youngest, his long, wiry, 6-foot, 150 pound frame and infield actions look the part of a guy that can stick there long term, and his 81 mph arm across is an above average tool for the age. Offensively, Hamel showed some twitch in his right-handed bat with a more-direct bat path. He is an above average runner for the age (7.3), and strength gains / maturity will pay dividends to the overall toolset. Hamel is slated to see significant varsity time as a frosh and is a good '28 follow moving forward. 

+ '27 SS AJ LaSane (St. Joe) showed well, especially in the right-handed batter's box, finishing near the top of several metric categories. The stocky, 5-foot-11, 180 pound infielder showed, a short, direct, accurate right-handed swing that worked to the top of the ball to produce backspin. There is looseness and athleticism to the operation to go along with repeatable patterns. LaSane reached a peak of 93.3 mph, averaging nearly 88 - good for second at the event. He kept ball flights low, with more than half of his batted balls struck on a line. LaSane had the best average bat speed of any hitter at this event, as well.

- '27 OF/RHP John Gutierrez (Penn) was another underclassman who stood out. Gutierrez turned in a 7.11 60-yard dash, with a solid arm from the outfield (85 mph). He is a wiry, 5-foot-11, 160 pounder with a natural right-handed swing, working short with loose wrists and getting through the ball to extension for a peak of 90 mph. Strength gains will pay dividends, though the present tools and athleticism stood out at this event. 

+ My favorite underclass arm of the day was '29 RHP Brody Bienz (Constantine, Michigan). The athletic, 6-foot, 165 pounder showed well as a shortstop, showcasing above average actions and arm strength across while also posting a 90 mph exit with a loose-wristed right-handed swing. I was most impressed on the bump, where the Michigan native pitched up to 81 mph from a 4'6" release height and gained over 6-feet of extension. He is an athletic mover with a short, loose arm that plays with quickness. Bienz mixed with a slider and change, both in the upper-60s.

'28 RHP Dominik Loveless (Penn) was a standout as well. The 6-foot-1, 172 pounder worked in-line with a balanced delivery and his loose arm worked to a higher 3/4 slot. His fastball touched 81, showing some carry as well as arm-side run. His slider worked a 67-70 mph and showed big-shaped, sweep - this pitch likely tightens as he learns to throw it firmer. Loveless rounded out his arsenal with a 73-74 mph change that he killed spin on (1300s).