Northern Louisiana Preseason I.D.: Infielder/Outfielder Analysis

Brennan Surles OF / Neville, LA / 2022

Athletic 5’10” 165 lbs. frame with room to add strength.  Present strength in the lower half.  Good overall athlete that posted a 6.91 in the 60.  Starts in a balanced and athletic set-up with hands held at shoulder height.  Uses a modified leg kick before launching.  Pushed the bat through the zone at times.  Bat path was flat with slightly uphill extension.  Produced a max exit velocity of 88 mph.  Showed good reads in the OF with athletic footwork moving through the baseball.  Short and quick arm action, releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 78 mph.

Nolan Norris OF / West Monroe, LA / 2023

Athletic and lean 5’11” 170 lbs. frame with plenty of room to add strength.  Starts in a slightly open, balanced and athletic stance.  Brings his hands down to just below shoulder length using a “hover” load and stride.  Bat path was flat with extension working uphill through the ball to the opposite field gap.  Max exit velocity of 84 mph, +4 mph from his previous personal best.  Good reads and jumps in the OF with athletic footwork moving through the baseball.  Long and loose arm action, releasing the ball from a high ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 70 mph.

Landon Schmitz OF / Kinder , LA / 2023

Athletic and wiry 5’11” 170 lbs. frame. Excellent runner that posted a 6.69 60 on a cold day.  Upright and slightly open stance at the plate.  Rhythm in his hands above shoulder height, working them to just below his back shoulder with a simple load and stride.  Stride length was a little short at times, causing him to come out of his back side.  Twitchiness in his swing with some present pull side power.  Produced a max exit velocity of 83 mph.  Athletic actions in the OF, catching the ball with one hand before using a long arm action to release the ball from a ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 82 mph.  Follow in the 2023 class.

Caleb Ross 3B / West Monroe, LA / 2022

Athletic and physical 5’11” 170 lbs. frame with present strength in the lower half.  Good athlete who posted a 7.19 in the 60.  Starts in a slightly wide and balanced stance with his back foot pointed slightly outward, before using a simple load and stride.  Present pull side strength in the swing.  Direct bat path, uses his hands to hit more than the lower half.  Max exit velocity of 89 mph. 

William Perkins OF / Sterlington , LA / 2021

Physical 5’11” 187 lbs. frame.  One of the biggest winners of the day that started his day off by running a 6.60 in the 60 on a cold and rainy day.  Really good jumps and reads in the OF.  Athletic footwork moving through the baseball with a quick arm action produced a positional velocity of 95 mph, a personal best.  Balanced and athletic stance at the plate, using a simple load and stride before launching.  Plus bat speed.  Stays in his lower half and behind the baseball with uphill extension that produced a max exit velocity of 99 mph.  Launched several balls out to the pull side.  One of the top, if not, the top uncommitted position player in Louisiana.

Grant Edmondson OF / West Monroe, LA / 2024

Tall and projectable 6’0” 155 lbs. frame. Wide shoulders and narrow hip build that will continue to fill out as he matures.  Starts in a balanced and athletic stance.  Quiet hands with no movement just below shoulder height.  Uses a “toe-tap” load to get back to center.  Barrel stays flat behind the ball with uphill extension to the opposite field gap.  Max exit velocity of 80 mph.  Attacked the ball aggressively in the OF, using a long arm action to release the ball from a high ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 72 mph.  Throws were accurate to home plate.  Good runner as well that recorded a 7.13 in the 60.

Zachary Adams OF / Sulphur, LA / 2023

Tall and lean 6’0” 165 lbs. frame with room to add strength as he matures.  Starts in a tall and squared off stance with his hands held above shoulder height.  Simple load and stride to get back to center.  Hands dropped at times.  Flat bat path with slightly uphill extension produced a max exit velocity of 82 mph.  Quiet approach to the ball in the OF.  Long arm action releasing the ball from an over the top arm slot produced a positional velocity of 76 mph.  Also, a good athlete that posted a 7.28 in the 60.

Jackson Ford OF / Holy Savior Menard, LA / 2022

Athletic 6’0” 170 lbs. frame with plenty of room to add strength.  Started his day off by posting a personal best 6.90 in the 60.  Starts in a balanced and athletic stance, bringin his hands back behind his back shoulder before launching.  Stayed behind the ball well with a flat bat path and good extension through the ball.  Squared balls up consistently to the middle of the field.  Max exit velocity of 90 mph.  Athletic actions in the OF, moved through the baseball using a long arm action to release the ball from an over the top arm slot produced a positional velocity of 75 mph.  One to follow in the 2022 class.

Brayden Kuriger C / St. Amant, LA / 2022

Physical and tall 6’0” 175 lbs. frame with some room to add strength. Starts in a slightly open, balanced and athletic stance with rhythm in his hands.  Modified leg kick load and stride.  Aggressive hacks during BP round.  Present pull side power.  Slightly uphill bat path with good extension produced a max exit velocity of 88 mph.  Did a good job of positioning his body during the OF portion of the day.  Athletic actions moving through the ball using a short and quick arm action, releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 84 mph.  Throws had backspin and carry.  7.05 in the 60 on a cold day.  One to follow in the 2022 class.

Griffin Cooley OF / Kinder, LA / 2023

Athletic 6’1” 170 lbs. frame. Cooley showed up more physical since the last time we saw him.  Good athlete that posted a 6.90 in the 60.  LHH begins from a slightly open, athletic, and balanced set up, bringing his hands back behind his back shoulder using a simple load and stride.  Maintained a good stride length with minimal head movement.  Flat bat path with uphill extension.  Showed off more power than we’ve seen in the past, as evidenced by his 92 mph exit velocity, a +10 mph jump from a year ago.  Natural defender in the OF with athletic actions and good footwork.  Long and loose arm action, releasing the ball from a high ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 82 mph.  Throws were accurate to home plate.  A high follow in the 2023 class.

Clay Benson OF / Sterlington, LA / 2021

Wiry and athletic 6’2” 180 lbs. frame that will continue to fill out.  Posted a personal best 6.85 in the 60.  LHH starts from an upright, balanced, and athletic stance with a simple load and stride.  Easy bat speed.  Minimal effort in the swing with present gap to gap power.  Natural lift in the swing with uphill extension produced a max exit velocity of 92 mph.  Athletic actions as he approached the ball in the OF with controlled footwork moving through the baseball.  Long and quick arm action, releasing the ball from a high ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 86 mph.  One of the top uncommitted 2021’s in the state.

Michael Plummer OF / Neville, LA / 2023

Harland Zeb Ruddell OF / Neville, LA / 2022

Athletic and wiry 6’0” 198 lbs. frame. The LSU commit is coming off of Tommy John surgery last year.  Posted a personal best 6.69 in the 60.  LHH begins in an upright, balanced an athletic set-up with minimal movement before the front heel strikes.  Super aggressive swings during BP with easy bat speed that produced a max exit velocity of 98 mph.  Slightly uphill bat path with uphill extension through the baseball.  Flashed the ability to drive balls to all fields.  One of the top players in the 2022 class in Louisiana.

Blayne McFerren SS / Calvary Baptist, LA / 2024

Athletic and twitchy 5’9” 135 lbs. frame that will continue to develop as he matures.  High baseball IQ on the dirt.  Good first step to position his feet and body to catch good hops.  Athletic footwork moving through the baseball, using a short arm action, releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 73 mph.  RHH hits from a slightly wide, balanced, and athletic stance, using a leg kick to get back to center.  Good lower half rotation created a flat bat path with slightly uphill extension through the baseball.  Consistently squared balls up during BP.  Max exit velocity of 81 mph.  Posted a 7.34 in the 60.  One to follow in the 2024 class.

Carter Wells SS / Parkway , LA / 2024

Athletic 5’9” 140 lbs. frame that will continue to add strength.  Good overall athlete that recorded a 7.32 in the 60.  Starts in a taller stance with rhythm in his hands, using a leg kick to get back to center.  Stride length was a little short at times causing him to use more of his upper half in his swing.  Showed quick hands to the point of contact working uphill through the baseball producing a max exit velocity of 79 mph.  Caught the ball a little deep at times during infield play.  Showed good lateral movement, releasing the ball from a high ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 72 mph.

Cason Clemons SS / Glenbrook, LA / 2023

 Physical and athletic 5’9” 148 lbs. frame with some present strength in the lower half.  Begins in a tall, squared off stance with his hands held above shoulder height.  Used both a toe-tap and “hover” load and stride.  Direct bat path; too steep at times causing him to clip the bottom of half of the ball during BP rounds.  Showed some present strength in the hands that resulted in a max exit velocity of 84 mph.  Raw athletic ability was put on display during INF portion of the day, as he showed good range on a ball to his left, spinning around making an accurate throw to 1B.  Aggressive throws, releasing the ball from a high ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 81 mph.  Also, ran a 7.30 in the 60.

Jake Smith SS / Rosepine, LA / 2023

Athletic 5’10” 150 lbs. frame. Wide shoulders, narrow hips with plenty of room to add strength.  RHH begins in a taller, balanced stance with his hands held just above shoulder height.  Uses a leg kick to get back to center.  Attacks the ball aggressively using his lower half, staying behind the baseball with present gap to gap power.  Consistently squared up balls during BP and produced a max exit velocity of 83 mph.  Excellent first step on the dirt, positions his body well with quiet and soft hands and releases the ball from a high ¾ arm slot that produced a positional velocity of 79 mph.  Throws were accurate to 1B with backspin and carry.  7.63 in the 60.  High follow in the 2023 class.

Alex Dupuy SS / Natchitoches Central , LA / 2023

Athletic 5’11” 160 lbs. frame. Dupuy showed up more physical since the last time we saw him.  Begins in a tall, squared off stance with quiet rhythm in his hands, using a leg kick load to get back to center.  Drives his back knee into the ground to create power.  Direct bat path with slightly uphill extension and present gap to gap power.  Max exit velocity of 81 mph.  Showed active feet in the infield.  Did a really good job of positioning his body on the right side of every ball to work through it with momentum to his target.  Low ¾ release produced a positional velocity of 82 mph.  Recorded a 7.20 in the 60.  High follow in the 2023 class.

Hayden Kibbe SS / Dutchtown , LA / 2021

Athletic and compact 5’9” 177 lbs. frame. Starts in a balanced, athletic, and slightly open stance with some weight pre-loaded into the back hip.  Simple and easy load and stride.  Good BP round.  Flat bat path with flat extension helped him square balls up to all fields on a line.  Max exit velocity of 88 mph.  Athletic actions in the infield with smooth footwork.  Short and quick arm action, releasing the ball from a high ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 79 mph.  Good athlete that posted a 7.15 in the 60. 

Jackson Cowan 3B / West Monroe , LA / 2023

Physical 6’1” 185 lbs. frame with present lower half strength.  LHH hits from an upright, balanced and athletic stance with minimal movement.  Stride length was a little short at times, causing his front side to collapse.  Uphill bat path and extension resulted in a max exit velocity of 87 mph.  Present gap to gap power.  Average footwork and hands on the dirt.  Long arm action, releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot produced a positional velocity of 75 mph.  Also, posted a 7.28 in the 60.

Jackson Legg 1B / Calvary Baptist, LA / 2023

Physical 6’3” 190 lbs. frame. Starts on the right side of the rubber and stays there throughout his up tempo windup.  Straight line delivery finishing with hips and shoulders square to his target.  Whippy arm action, releasing the ball from a ¾ arm slot produced a max FB velocity of 77 mph, sitting 74-76 mph with an average spin rate of 1596 RPM per Trackman.  Landed his “1-7” shaped breaking ball consistently for strikes at 63-65 mph with average spin and depth.  CH sat 66-67 mph and looked to be his best off speed offering with late fade down in the zone.  Posted a 7.50 in the 60.  Physical LHH who stays behind the ball a long time with a flat bat path and level extension through the baseball that produced a max exit velocity of 88 mph.  Moved well laterally during the INF portion of the day, using a short arm action to produce a 69 mph positional velocity.  One of the top 1B in the 2023 class in the state.