Prep Baseball Report

KY College Prospect Showcase: Third Base Analysis



By Chris Fuller and PBR Kentucky Staff

More than 70 players convened at Bellarmine University on July 15 for the Kentucky College Prospect Showcase.  The following is a look at the group of third basemen who participated in the event.  Among the group, Ryne Smith recorded the top infield velocity at 77 mph, Jake Koerner recorded the highest exit velocity at 90 mph, and Ben Kopriva recorded the top 60-yard dash at 7.14.

Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Jack Biernesser, RHP/3B, R/R, St. Xavier HS, 2017
5-foot-11, 165-pound prospect shows capable hands defensively and developing arm strength at 73 mph across the infield.  At the plate, hits from a narrow setup with a longer stride, long swing path, line drive type hitter, ran 7.58 60 yard dash, registered 64 mph tee exit velocity, should continue to show improvements in offensive game and bat speed with added strength.

Jake Koerner, 3B/RHP, R/R, Butler HS, 2015
6-foot,180-pound prospect showed some improvement in arm strength and bat speed from previous event, shows soft hands with good lateral movement, has the ability to throw from multiple arm angles, reached a top velocity of 76 mph across the infield with a quick exchange. At the plate, hits from a slightly open setup and squares front side with a short stride, generates lower half torque in swing, swing path creates some lift, ran 7.53 60 yard dash, showed bat speed with 90 mph tee exit velocity.

Ben Kopriva, 3B, R/R, Trinity HS, 2016
5-foot-11, 176-pound prospect shows good lateral movement and soft hands, displays good body control with the ability to throw from multiple arm angles on the move, gets rid of the ball with short arm action through high ¾ slot, accurate throws reached a top velocity of 72 mph across the infield.  At the plate, hits from an open stance with a long stride, line drive type hitter with a level swing path, ran 7.14 60 yard dash, 81 mph tee exit velocity.

Hunter Jaco, RHP/3B, R/R, Marshall County HS, 2015
6-foot, 170-pound prospect has soft hands and gets rid of the baseball with a quick exchange and short arm action across the infield, reached a top velocity of 71 mph across the infield (72 at previous event).  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, good balance, line drive type hitter with gap to gap approach, ran 7.78 60 yard dash, 77 mph tee exit velocity.

Luke Sivori, 3B, R/R, DeSales HS, 2015
5-foot-11, 175-pound prospect shows some lateral movement with capable hands, throws throught a ¾ arm slot across the infield, reached a top velocity of 70 mph.  At the plate, hits from an open stance with a long stride, line drive type hitter with a pull approach, long/level swing path,  ran a 7.28 60-yard dash, 76 mph exit velocity off the tee.

Ryne Smith, 3B, R/R, Butler HS, 2015
5-foot-9, 215-pound prospect shows some agility and lateral movement for size, hands are soft, accurate arm across the infield with a top velocity of 77 mph.  At the plate, hits from a tall and balanced stance with a short stride, uses strong lower half well, squared the ball up well in his round with some gap power, ran 8.01 60 yard dash, registered 85 mph tee exit velocity.

Hamilton Young, RHP/3B, Danville HS, 2016
5-foot-10, 195-pound prospect shows average hands defensively, gets rid of the ball quickly with short arm action, reached a top velocity of 75 mph across the infield, showed decent body control and the ability to throw on the move on slow roller.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a medium stride, incorporates strong lower half in swing, line drive type hitter with pull tendencies, ran 7.91 60 yard dash, registered 80 mph tee exit velocity.