Razorbacks Scout Day : Quick Hits
October 23, 2024
On Sunday, October 20th, the Prep Baseball Indiana staff traveled to Evansville, Indiana to host the annual Razorbacks Scout Day. Nearly forty prospects from Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois showcased their abilities in a pro-style workout, all members of the Razorbacks organization. Read along to find the players that stood out most, along with a full statistical analysis at this link.
Top Prospect
Peyton Gray 3B / RHP / Hertige Hills , IN / 2026+ Gray was the best prospect in attendance bringing athleticism to pair with his physical, 6-foot-3, 195 pound frame and strong toolset. He ran better than we've seen previously, turning in a 6.87 60-yard dash before showing off a short, simple swing that plays with strength and translates to production during game looks. There is developing pull-side juice that adds excitement, but his best trait is his ability to catch and throw the baseball. Gray is a no-doubt, left-side defender at the next level with plus arm strength (92 mph) that pairs with super reliable hands. The Western Kentucky recruit can quick release, throw from multiple arm slots, and the added athleticism allows for above average range at short. Gray brings a strong mix of usable tools presently, with more to dream on, that pairs with the competitive, hard-nosed makeup that is expected from a small town, dual-sport, southern Indiana kid.
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'27 Bats
+ A pair of '27 bats stood out during batting practice in OF's AJ Baggett (Evansville North, Indiana) and AJ Hogart (University Heights, Kentucky). Baggett, a member of Team Indiana at this years Midwest Super Sophomore Games, showed off a sweet left-handed stroke during batting practice with developing barrel strength that led to a peak exit velocity of 93.3 mph. I love the way he coils into his back-side with control before delivering an on-plane barrel that creates hard contact through the middle of the diamond. He shows above average arm strength, and the upside he has as a 6-foot-1 southpaw is also interesting.
‘27 OF/1B/LHP AJ Baggett (@AJBaggs2027)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 20, 2024
6’1” 165
Max EV - 93.3 mph#BacksScout24 pic.twitter.com/hlcVTz4Ou0
+ '27 OF AJ Hogart showed off the biggest strength in batting practice of any prospect of the day with his best ball leaving the bat at 98-plus mph. He takes up the box with a physical, 6-foot-2, 205 pound frame that checks boxes immediately, and turns the barrel on a loose, upward plane. Hogart showed the ability to drive the ball deep to all parts of the field and profiles as a run-producer moving forward.
‘27 OF AJ Hogart (@AHogart)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 20, 2024
6’2” 205
Max EV - 98.1 mph#BacksScout24 || @PrepbaseballKY pic.twitter.com/UCb9hdYSc9
Unsigned Seniors
+ A pair of unsigned seniors from the Bluegrass State showed as two of the top recruitable players in attendance, '25 RHP Nathan Howard (Greenwood, Kentucky) and '25 C/RHP Foster Whisman (Shelby County, Kentucky). Howard brought a durable, 6-foot-1, 200 pound frame to combine with a well-sequenced delivery, clean arm action, and above average stuff and command. He was able to command all of his pitches for strikes, boasting an 86-88 mph fastball, two tightly-spun breaking balls in the mid-70s, and a 79-81 mph changeup. Howard's ease of operation, and starters' mix, creates a solid uncommitted senior prospect that should be a great late-addition to a recruiting class.
‘25 RHP Nathan Howard (@Nathanh1714)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 20, 2024
6’1” 200
FB 86-88
SL 73-75 (-2.9” IVB, -9” HZ)
CB 71-74 (2300s)
CH 79-81#BacksScout24 || @PrepbaseballKY pic.twitter.com/JAjQGnRNma
+ A former Future Gamer out of Kentucky, Whisman showed off big arm strength from the crouch that also translates to the bump. Standing at a sturdy, 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Whisman reached 80 mph from the crouch, translating to pops ranging from 1.86 to 2.01, and also hopped on the bump to pitch at 85-87 with an above average breaking ball. Offensively, the primary backstop showed off the ability to compress and backspin the baseball with a more-direct path that allows him to leverage the ball at the front of the zone. *Whisman committed to Frontier CC shortly after this event.*
‘25 C Foster Whisman (@foster_whisman)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 20, 2024
6’2” 195
Max EV - 94.3 mph
Catcher Velocity / Pops - 80 mph / 1.86 - 2.01#BacksScout24 || @PrepbaseballKY pic.twitter.com/OzOCmx07KV
Junior Follows
+ A trio of '26s provided quality looks on the bump in Jaiden Miles (University Heights, Kentucky), Cam Truxal (Gibson Southern, Indiana), and Josh Pace (University Heights, Kentucky). Miles was my favorite prospect of the group, toeing the rubber with a strong, 6-foot-2, 185 pound frame. Miles is a short-strider that lived 84-86 on a really solid sinker, playing with significant arm-side life. His sinker tunneled with a sharp, 75-77 mph slider and faded, upper-70s change, an arsenal that should generate tons of groundball contact.
‘26 Jaiden Miles (@JaidenMiles21)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 21, 2024
6’2” 185
FB 84-86 (16.7” HZ)
SL 75-77 (-9.6” HZ)
CH 77-79#BacksScout24 || @PrepbaseballKY https://t.co/d4fBjwSkKb pic.twitter.com/Z5Aspig7Mf
+ Truxal and Pace stood out for very differing reasons. Truxal, a wiry, undersized, 5-foot-10 southpaw, showed polish with command of all of his pitches and a low ease of operation. He pitched with a low-80s fastball that played with ride/run properties, while showing feel to manipulate shape and command a tightly-spun, low-70s breaking ball. Pace, on the other hand, showed raw arm strength with a fastball that worked up to 87. He has room for growth with body comp improvements and delivery refinements, but showed feel for a two-plane shaped, low-70s breaking ball that he could land.
+ '26 UTL Cadence Gibson (University Heights, Kentucky) showed well in all facets with tons of twitch in the undersized, 5-foot-8 frame. He blazed a 6.76 60-yard dash before showcasing a simple, twitchy swing that produced more impact than the frame suggests. He gets into his bat speed quickly and shows repeatable moves that should lead to in-game success. The arm is an above average tool that he showed off from the outfield, and on the dirt as a rangy middle infielder.
‘26 UTL Cadence Gibson (@CSGibson18)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 20, 2024
5’8” 150
Max EV - 90.9 mph
60 - 6.76
Outfield Velocity - 85 mph#BacksScout24 || @PrepbaseballKY pic.twitter.com/n1bPeO1ilz
+ Two pop-up prospects from this event were '27 OF Cole Kuzma (South Warren, Kentucky) and '26 CF Ryan Luckey (University Heights, Kentucky). Kuzma, a strong, compact, 5-foot-9 outfielder, showed bat speed and gap-to-gap strength throughout a consistent round of batting practice, reaching a peak exit velocity of 95 mph to go along with a 7.0 60-time. Luckey provides a CF look, burning a 6.76 60-yard dash before providing a tablesetters' look offensively with his lean, 5-foot-9 frame. Luckey showed twitch at the plate, reaching a peak exit velocity of 89 mph, and delievered the barrel on a level plane that should optimize contact.
‘27 OF Cole Kuzma (KY)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 20, 2024
5’8” 175
Max EV - 95 mph
60 - 7.09#BacksScout24 || @PrepbaseballKY pic.twitter.com/vONHoTuF4M
‘26 CF Ryan Luckey (KY)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 20, 2024
5’9” 150
Max EV - 89 mph
60 - 6.76
Outfield Velocity - 85 mph#BacksScout24 || @PrepbaseballKY pic.twitter.com/AqV9zhHb4J
Two More Notable Players
‘27 SS Landon McCutchan (Evansville Reitz)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 20, 2024
6’2” 180
Max EV - 85.1 mph #BacksScout24 pic.twitter.com/a0A0eITEvh
‘27 C Courtland Gibson (KY)
— Prep Baseball Indiana Scouting Coverage (@PrepBaseINScout) October 20, 2024
5’7” 145
Max EV - 85.2 mph
60 - 7.06
Catcher Velocity - 75 mph#BacksScout24 || @PrepbaseballKY pic.twitter.com/yatvT1srXp