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PBR Louisiana Uncommitted Scout Blog

April 26, 2023
Alex Armand
Louisiana Scouting Director

The 2023 LHSAA regular season is now complete, as we are now in playoff mode with the second round of the playoffs beginning this week.  Throughout the high school season, we have seen prospects from every part of the state, both uncommitted and committed.  Today's scout blog focuses on the uncommitted prospects that we saw during the regular season.  There's a mix of prospects in the 2023-2026 classes from every part of the state.  We'll update this uncommitted scout blog again after the playoffs are complete, ahead of the busy summer season.  

 

+ 2025 SS Brock Davis (Live Oak HS)

Davis is another former Jr. Future Gamer, who we've continued to track closely throughout his young high school career.  During pre-game in and out, the uncommitted shortstop continued to show soft hands and smooth actions on the dirt with a quick release and accurate throws across the diamond.  The arm strength is average, but he makes up for it with his footwork and a good internal clock.  Offensively, he's made some nice adjustments to his stance and set-up, since we last saw him over the summer at our Top Prospect Games.  He's ditched the "no-stride" load and stood up taller on Saturday with a simple load and stride, reaching out with his front foot to be on time.  This new, more rhythmic set-up seemed to free up his hands to really work and it seemed to allow his backside to really get through.  In what was a tough left on left matchup, Davis singled through the four hole in his first at-bat for a single, before catching another barrel in a later at-bat, that resulted in a ground ball out to the shortstop, although it was hit right on the nose.  Davis finished his day going 1-2 with a RBI, R, and a BB.  

 

 

+ 2024 RHP Quinn Smith (Lutcher HS)

Projectable 6'4" 180 lbs. frame with a lot of room to continue to fill out.  The uncommitted right-handed hurler was a winner from our Hammond Preseason ID, where he worked his FB up to 91 mph.  Again, we were only able to get a quick look at Smith last Thursday, seeing him work a clean 1st inning against Franklinton.  He didn't have his best stuff, working primarily in the 83-86 mph range with his FB, topping out at 87 mph, but the arm works and it's a pretty clean path.  His CH looks to be the better secondary offering, as of now, as his CB is still a work in progress.  Smith finished the outing giving up 1 run on 3 hits with 8 strikeouts.

 

+ 2024 SS Ryder Molea (St. Amant HS)

Molea was the everyday SS for the Gators last spring, as they finished just one game shy of winning a state title.  Now a veteran, we were excited to get to see Molea for the first time in his junior campaign.  Hitting out of the leadoff spot, he took really good at-bats all night, and handled 90+ mph velocity well.  It's a simple swing from the right side with an inside-out path to contact, working mostly up the middle and to the opposite field gap.  Defensively is where the uncommitted SS really impressed.  On a hard ground ball up the middle, late in the game, Molea made a really nice one-handed play up the middle and fired a strike to 1st base for the out.  This wasn't an "easy" play and he made it look relatively easy.  Molea is a really good uncommitted middle infielder to continue to follow for the rest of the spring.

 

+ 2024 C Trent Laporte (St. Amant HS)

Arguably, the most enjoyable prospect to watch last Thursday night was Laporte.  An uncommitted backstop, he isn't the biggest guy on the field, but he plays big and makes his presence felt.  An excellent receiver, especially on pitches down in the zone and away to right-handed hitters, Laporte stole calls all night for the Gators.  He also showed a "blue-collar" style of play behind the play, as he worked to block every pitch and did so.  On throw downs to the 2nd base bag, he showed an above average arm with carry and a quick transfer, as he nailed down a would be base stealer early in the game, that pretty much shut down the Fontainebleau running game for the night.  Lastly, hitting out of the two-hole, he also collected a big triple to RF to lead off the 7th inning, that started a Gators rally.  

 

+ 2024 LHP Layne Swanson (St. Amant HS)

The Most Valuable Player of last Thursday night's Game of the Week was definitely junior Layne Swanson.  A primary outfielder, the southpaw took the ball for the Gators and delivered a masterful performance.  His stuff wasn't overpowering, as he worked his FB up to 81 mph early and ended up sitting 77-80 mph, but he was super effective and competed like a bulldog.  Swanson was able to throw his FB, CB, and CH for strikes in any count, and was able to pitch to all quadrants.  The uncommitted prospect ended up going 6 innings for St. Amant giving up only 2 hits and 0 runs, while striking out 10.

 

+ 2024 RHP Austin Rylee (St. Amant HS)

Long and lean 6'2" 170 lbs. frame with more strength on the way.  One of the biggest questions coming into the year for St. Amant, would be how they would replace Jacob Mayers, who is now excelling at Nicholls State as a freshman.  If Rylee continues to throw like he did last Thursday night, then the Gators should be just fine.  The uncommitted RHP came in relief to start the 7th inning for the Gators and looked really good.  He worked his FB in the 85-88 mph range and did an excellent job of locating, especially down in the zone and to his glove side.  He also flashed a much improved "11-5" shaped 72-74 mph CB with late bite, and he was able to land it for strikes, as well as swing and miss.  This St. Amant team should only continue to get better as the season moves along, especially with senior Dallis Moran coming back soon from a minor injury and junior Lawson Bourgeois coming back from basketball, and when you add a guy like Rylee to the mix, they may be well on their way to make another return trip to the state tournament in May.

 

 

+ 2025 MIF Brock Laird (Natchitoches Central HS)

Athletic and twitchy 5'10" 170 lbs. frame with some present physicality.  The uncommitted prospect was playing second base in this look against Westlake HS with senior Alex Dupuy (LSU-E recruit) holding down the shortstop position.  During pregame in & out, Laird moved really well, showing range to both his left and right with a quick release and the ability to throw from different arm angles.  In the game, he and Dupuy turned a nice 6-4-3 double play to end an inning.  At the plate, he took a couple of really good at-bats and showed the ability to hit the ball the other way.  With a runner on 2nd and 0 outs in the 1st inning, Laird, who was hitting out of the 3-hole, was really letting the ball travel and get deep and he smoked a FB to RF for a single.  Although just a single, he showed the ability to control the bat head and hit behind the runner to get his job done.  In his last at-bat, he barreled another FB, that burned the RF for a triple, to finish his night 2-4 with a 3B and a RBI.  Laird continues to trend up with each look and has cemented himself as one of the top uncommitted MIF's in the state and a high-follow moving forward.

 

+ 2025 LHP Ross Lindsey (Natchitoches Central HS)

6'0" 175 lbs. with some lower-half strength.  The uncommitted southpaw was a member of our Jr. Future Games a couple of summer's ago and this is the first time that we had the chance to see him since our Top Prospect Games last summer.  Lindsey starts in the middle of the rubber and works to the 3B side throughout a very slow and controlled delivery with a high, up, down, and out leg kick, turning his front shoulder in to hide the baseball.  He uses a short arm action and releases the ball from an over the top slot.  Lindsey ranged 81-84 mph with his FB, which had some cutting action at times.  We feel that lengthening his stride a bit will create more momentum before foot strike and would allow him to get in his legs more naturally, which would allow him to stay behind the baseball longer and create better extension over his front side.  His 68-70 mph CB had a big "1-7" shape with average spin and depth, and he also flashed a firmer 76-77 mph CH.  On the night, Lindsey threw 4 innings giving up 2 H, 1 R, and 0 ER with 3 BB and 8 K's.  He certainly needs to cut down on the free passes and pound the zone a little more, but he's a young left-hander with an athletic delivery and clean arm path, so there is a lot to like about where he could be in two years before he has to step foot on a college campus. 

 

+ 2026 SS Cole Guidroz (Central BR HS)

The uncommitted freshman infielder definitely caught our eye last Tuesday night and was hitting out of the leadoff spot and playing shortstop for the Wildcats.  During pre-game in and out, Guidroz moved around athletically and received the baseball with soft hands before making accurate throws across the infield with backspin and carry.  At the plate, he's got a simple set-up with a slightly wider base and little movement, which allows him to repeat his swing well.  Guidroz finished the night 1-5, but never looked overmatched.  He's a prospect that recruiters should circle to see this spring and this coming summer.

 

+ 2025 SS Case McCoy (Dutchtown HS)

Athletic 6'0" 170 lbs. frame; McCoy was another underclass prospect that impressed at last Tuesday's Game of the Week between the Griffins and the Wildcats.  Defensively, McCoy looked the part at the shortstop position, as his feet and hands worked in rhythm.  For a sophomore, he also seemed to be one of Dutchtown's vocal leaders on the field, almost like a quarterback on the gridiron.  Offensively, he finished the night going 1-5, collecting a single, but he took really competitive quality at-bats all evening off of Central's best 3 arms.  One of those at-bats came in the 6th inning, when the score was still tied at 1-1, and after fighting off several tough pitches, he led the inning off with a line drive opposite field single.  McCoy is a good uncommitted 2025 middle infielder in the state to continue to follow moving forward.

 

+ 2025 LHP Cole Flanagan (Sam Houston HS)

Durable and physical 6'0" 205 lbs. frame.  The uncommitted southpaw was faced with the biggest test of his young career last Thursday against district rival Barbe, and he turned in a really good performance.  Flanagan worked his FB up to 85 mph early and sat 81-84 mph throughout the contest with classic left-handed arm-side sink and run.  His 74-76 mph CH, however, was the difference maker for him, especially to right-handed hitters, as he was able to land it consistently to his arm-side, and he didn't miss up in the zone with it.  The breaking ball is still a work in progress at 68-71 mph and it shows decent shape, but just needs to be thrown firmer.  In a losing effort, Flanagan turned in a quality outing by going 6 innings and giving up only 4 H and 1 ER with 2 BB and 3 K's. 

 

+ 2026 OF/RHP J.D. Alexander (Barbe HS)

Projectable 6'3" 175 lbs. frame with room to continue to fill out; Alexander is the state's 2nd ranked prospect in the 2026 class and on Thursday night, he made a statement as to why.  We had the opportunity to get a quick look at him during his opening day start on the mound for the Bucs, where the freshman worked his FB up to 89 mph.  Last Thursday night, however, we were excited to get to see him in the box, in a big-time matchup against district rival Sam Houston.  Hitting out of the 5 hole as the designated hitter, Alexander worked to a full count in his first at-bat, before striking out looking on a really good pitch on the outer-half.  After that first at-bat, we wanted to see how the "young buc" responded the rest of the game.  He worked the count to 3-2 again in his second at-bat, before flying out deep to the opposite field, putting a really good swing on the ball, which now brings us to his final at-bat.  In the top of the 7th, with the Bucs leading 2-1, he took the first pitch of the at-bat for a strike, bringing the count to 0-1.  He then got a FB on the inner-half of the plate and unloaded on it for a solo HR to deep RCF, which put Barbe up for good at 3-1, to finish his night 1-3.  Alexander showed the ability to "flush" the strikeout in his first at-bat, which is often times hard for young prospects.  There's real power and bat speed in his bat and his stuff on the mound is impressive as well, which is why he's one of the top prospects in the state and the country. 

 

 

+ 2025 MIF Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur HS)

Athletic 5'10 155 lbs. frame with room to add more strength; Beddoe is part of one of the more talented teams in Class 5A this season at Sulphur HS.  In this look, the uncommitted MIF started at 2nd base, against a strong St. Thomas More squad, with senior LHP Thomas Couvillon, a University of Louisiana recruit, on the mound.  In Beddoe's first at-bat, there was a runner on 2nd base with 1 out, and he swung through the first two mid-upper 80's FB.  With 2 strikes, Beddoe shortened up and made a nice adjustment to hit a hanging breaking ball on a line for a RBI single to CF.  In his second at-bat, he found himself again with a runner on 2nd and 2 outs, and this time he got himself in a 2-0 count and barreled a FB to CF for another RBI single.  Beddoe finished the day going 2-4 with 2 RBI and a R.  His set-up is simple, resting the bat on his shoulders, while sinking into his lower-half and using a simple load and stride.  The bat path is direct to the ball and he stays on plane through extension, which allowed him to handle the velocity that he saw on Monday evening.  The Sulphur product is another good looking uncommitted 2025 MIF to continue to follow going forward.

 

+ 2026 OF Seth DeGeorge (Parkview Baptist HS)

Hitting out of the two-hole in last week's Game of the Week against Live Oak, DeGeorge left us wanting to see more of him after Thursday night.  The uncommitted freshman has a simple set-up in the box with his hands held above shoulder height, using a simple load and stride to get to center.  In his first at-bat, he hit a dribbler in front of home plate, almost like a swinging bunt, and showed good speed down the line, as he turned in a H-1st time of 4.27.  He then collected a pull-side single in his second at-bat, and turned in another 4.30 H-1st time.  DeGeorge finished the night going 1-3 with two runs scored and two stolen bases.  

 

 

+ 2023 OF Amahri Jackson (Pineville HS)

Athletic 5'10" 165 lbs. frame with a strong lower-half.  Jackson is one of the state's top uncommitted prospects in the senior class, so we were excited to get to see him last Thursday in our Game of the Week against Alexandria HS.  Facing a 87-90 mph southpaw, Jackson didn't seemed fazed at the plate.  In his first at-bat, he drilled a single back up the middle.  He just missed a couple of pitches in his second and third at-bats that resulted in fly outs, before catching another barrel in his last at-bat that was unfortunately caught by a diving centerfielder.  Jackson's takes were confident, he showed good strike zone awareness, and was also able to recognize spin early.  When you add that with his athleticism and his ability to play a premium position in centerfield, we feel that he's going to make a college program really happy in the near future.

 

 

+ 2023 OF John Barajas (Alexandria Sr. HS)

The fun part about our job is seeing guys that we've never heard of before who make an impact on the games that we see, and that's exactly what Barajas did.  The LHH starts in an upright and open stance with good rhythm in his hands before using a leg kick load and stride.  Even with the leg kick, he was able to take pitches confidently and showed good strike zone awareness.  In his first at-bat, he grounded out to the shortstop, but showed his speed as he clocked in at a 4.09 down the line.  He then worked a six pitch walk in his second at-bat.  In his third at-bat, he just missed a 1-0 FB flying out deep to the opposite field, before catching a loud barrel in his last at-bat that was hit on a line right at the centerfielder.  The stat line for Barajas read 0-3 with a BB and a run scored on the night, but there was no denying the present bat speed and bat to ball skills.  College programs looking for an uncommitted outfielder in the 2023 class should strongly consider giving Barajas a look.

 

+ 2025 OF/C William Patrick (St. Frederick HS)

Athletic and projectable 6'2" 185 lbs. frame.  Patrick was a member of our Future Games team last summer and is currently the top ranked uncommitted prospect in the state's 2025 class.  He missed a couple of weeks of the regular season prior to our look at him last Tuesday against Ouachita Christian.  At last summer's Future Games, Patrick roamed the outfield, but in this look we had the opportunity to see him get behind the plate, which was very interesting.  For not catching everyday, he looked comfortable in the crouch, receiving the ball well and creating a small target for pitchers thanks to his hip mobility and athleticism.  In between innings, we had him at a 2.05 pop time on target to the second base bag.  At the plate, he didn't collect a hit on the night, but in his second at-bat he squared a ball up into a stiff wind in RF that was caught by the right fielder.  He once again showed his high level athleticism and the fact that he showed the ability to catch, should only make him more intriguing to college recruiters at the next level.

 

+ 2024 C Zach White (Ouachita Christian HS)

Athletic 6'0" 185 lbs. frame with a physical lower-half.  White was another former Future Gamer who we had the opportunity to see last week.  Behind the plate, he once again showed that he can defend.  He received and blocked the ball extremely well and even made a couple of nice plays on foul balls behind the plate.  Offensively, he didn't collect a hit on the night, but he took good competitive at-bats and showed a good understanding of the strike zone, as he didn't chase at any pitches out of the zone.  In his third at-bat, he put a good swing on a FB up in the zone, just missing it, for a deep fly out to LF.  White is a vocal leader on the field as well, which adds to the reasons why he's the top uncommitted backstop in the state's 2024 class.

 

+ 2025 RHP Aiden Melna (St. Frederick HS)

Durable 5'10" 205 lbs. frame.  This was our first look at the uncommitted right-handed hurler from St. Frederick and he turned in a quality outing for the Warriors.  Melna operates on the 1B side of the rubber and stays there throughout a controlled and repeatable delivery, using a short and compact arm stroke, releasing the ball from a low 3/4-3/4 arm slot.  His FB sat 83-86 mph and got up to 87 mph with some arm-side run.  He also flashed a sharp 78-82 mph SL that was particularly good when he got his fingertips on top of the baseball.  Melna's misses, in general, were usually to the arm-side and up in the zone.  When he he stayed on-line and on top of the baseball, he was effective and saw in zone swings and misses on both his FB and his SL.  He's a guy that we'll definitely continue to monitor moving forward.

 

+ 2025 1B/RHP Ashton Bultron (Sam Houston HS)

Physical 5'11" 198 lbs. frame.  Bultron has been a steady performer for the Broncos this year during his sophomore campaign, and he delivered most likely his biggest hit of the year last Saturday.  The Broncos were down 2-0 heading to the top of the 4th inning and had only mustered one hit off of LSU recruit Jake Brown.  In the top of the 4th, Sam Houston got a leadoff single and then sacrifice bunted him over to 2B to put Bultron up with 1 out.  After taking a first pitch FB for a ball, Bultron got himself in a hitter's count and belted a high FB for a no-doubt homerun to LF, which tied the game at 2-2.  He finished the day 1-3 with the HR and 2 RBI. 

 

+ 2024 INF Bryce Fontenot (Sulphur HS)

Athletic 5'9" 165 lbs. frame.  Fontenot packs a punch in a smaller frame and continues to produce at a high level for Sulphur.  He walked on four straight pitches in his first at-bat and then smoked an opposite field line drive right at the right fielder, and then grounded into a fielder's choice in his third at-bat.  In the bottom of the 6th, with Sulphur leading 5-2, Fontenot came up for his fourth at-bat and delivered in a big way.  With runners on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out, Fontenot belted a 3 run HR to left field to put the dagger in the Broncos.  He finished the game 1-3 with the HR, 2 R, and 3 RBI, bringing his season homerun total to 7.  Fontenot has also showed positional versatility this season for the Tors, doing a good job at both third base and second base, which should only help him with college recruiters, as he heads into a big summer. 

 

+ 2024 MIF Hudson Brignac (Benton HS)

Athletic 5'8" 150 lbs. frame with room to add strength.  Benton has been playing good baseball as of late and they'll head down to Sam Houston HS for their second round match with the Broncos.  We had the opportunity to see Brignac during Week 1 of the high school regular season against the defending Class 5A State Champion West Monroe Rebels.  Not the biggest guy in terms of stature, but he made a big impact on the game.  Early in the matchup, he executed a slash attempt to perfection, which resulted in a single back up the middle.  He came around to score to give Benton a 2-1 lead in the 3rd inning.  In the 7th, he delivered arguably the biggest hit of the game with a 2 out, 2 RBI single to RF, to put the Tigers up 4-2.  Brignac is a good runner (6.89 60), a solid defender, and handles the bat well.

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Lake Charles Rising Stars ID LA 05/20 Barbe High School - Lake Charles, LA
Lake Charles Summer Open LA 05/21 Barbe High School - Lake Charles, LA
Monroe Summer Open LA 05/30 Sterlington Sports Complex - Sterlington, LA
New Orleans Summer Open LA 06/06 Tulane University
Louisiana Top Prospect Games (Invite-Only) LA 06/13 University of Louisiana - Lafayette
East Texas Summer Open LA 06/14 Tyler Junior College (Mike Carter Field) - Tyler, TX
Baton Rouge Summer Open LA 06/20 Zachary High School - Zachary, LA
Gulf Coast Open LA 07/11 Mississippi Gulf Coast CC - Perkinston, MS
Gulf Coast Rising Stars ID LA 07/11 Mississippi Gulf Coast CC - Perkinston, MS
PBR Junior Future Games NATIONAL 07/25 LakePoint
2023 PBR Future Games (Louisiana Invite) LA 07/26 LakePoint Sports - Emerson, GA

 

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