Prep Baseball Report

Flashback - History of Western Ohio Winter Showcase



By JD Heilmann and Dylan Hefflinger
Ohio Director of Scouting and Ohio Editor in Chief/NW Scout

Throughout the month we will be recapping each of our showcases in 2014 with the top performers, commitments from participants, top statistical analysis based on numerous categories, and prospects to keep your eye on. To start we look at the Western Ohio Winter Showcase that was on January 19th at Apex Sports Complex in Lima.

To sign up for an upcoming event please click here.

Top Performers - Western Ohio Winter Showcase


Tyler Jones, RHP, Bellefontaine, 2016

Tyler JonesRanking: 43rd in 2016 class
Scouting Report: 6-foot-3, 170-pounds with a projectable long lanky frame. The right-hander uses long/loose arm action through a 3/4 to low-3/4 slot. Noticeably quick arm speed. Offers three different pitches which all show substantial movement. The arm slot combined with the arm speed makes his 81-84 mph fastball difficult to square up; also shows some late life in the zone. His 67-70 mph breaking ball has good shape with some depth. Also showed the ability to mix in a 72-74 mph changeup thrown at near fastball arm speed with some fade. The ability is there with this right-handed pitching prospect. He does tend land closed causing some command issues as he throws across his body.

Kody King, RHP, Fairview HS, 2016
Kody KingRanking: 77th in 2016 class
Scouting Report: 6-foot, 220-pounds with a big stocky frame. Throws through a 3/4 arm slot with somewhat loose arm action. Rhythm is a bit choppy as he pauses at the top of his balance point. Displayed four different pitches. Fastball sat 81-83 mph and reached up to 84 a few times. Showed some decent feel for his 68-71 mph slider, that displays some sharp late breaking action. Used a 74-76 mph changeup thrown with fastball arm speed. Also threw a 74-75 mph cutter that showed some impressive movement. Keeping overall fluidity with his lower half should easily allow him to pick up a couple mph in velocity.


Derek Knisely, C, Bryan HS, 2015

Derek KniselyRanking: 136th in 2015 class
Scouting Report: 5-foot-11, 190 pounds with a strong, athletic frame. Behind the plate, he displays good overall arm strength and a quick transfer. Topped out at 77 mph. Recorded pop time splits between 2.01-2.12. Ran a 5.32 40-yard dash time. At the plate, the left handed hitter uses an open set-up with short stride. Tends to drop hands in load. Shows some good overall pull power. Will continue to improve at the plate as he works on fully using his lower half. Reached a top exit velocity of 84 mph off the tee.



Mitch Cromley, RHP, Bowling Green HS, 2015
Mitch CromleyRanking: 168th in 2015 class
Scouting Report: 6-foot-2, 210-pounds with a big solid frame. Cromley is deceptive on the mound as he uses an orthodox pitching style. Throws through a high-3/4 arm slot with long and somewhat loose arm action. Some rhythm throughout delivery. Displayed good command of his 80-83 mph fastball that shows slight running action. Worked in a hard 72 mph slider which displayed some sharpness. His 67-68 mph sinker could potentially be his best as it offers some late diving action. Best thing about his delivery is he is able to hide the ball making it hard for the batter to pick up out of his hand.


Prospect to keep eye on


Jaret Montenery, MIF, Spencerville HS, 2018

Jaret MonteneryScouting Report: 5-foot-5, 130-pounds with a slim athletic frame. A switch-hitting middle infielder. Ran a 5.31 40-yard dash time. Throws through a high-3/4 slot with short arm action. Actions in the field do not say he is an 8th grader. Displays smooth/soft hands, while attacking and playing through the baseball. Also, shows accuracy in throws across the field, while topping out at 73 mph. At the plate, his right-handed stance uses a balance, crouched base with short stride. His left-handed stance uses a tall, narrow setup with short early stride. The early stride tends to break up overall fluidness of swing. Consistently showed the ability to spray linedrives to all parts of the field from both sides of the plate. As his body matures, he will add more strength, and create some jump off his bat. Reached a top exit velocity of 72 mph.

Players who earned Top Prospect Games, Future Games, or Underclass Games Invites Based On Performance At Showcase

Commitments From Western Ohio Winter Showcase

Top Statistical Categories

  • Top Fastball: 84 mph - Kody King, RHP, Fairview HS, 2016
  • Top Pop Time: 2.01 - Derek Knisely, C, Bryan HS, 2015
  • Top Catcher Velocity: 74 mph - Derek Knisely, C, Bryan HS, 2015 & Nate Schroer C/RHP, Wapakoneta HS, 2017
  • Top INF Velocity: 76 mph - Tyler Jones, RHP/IF, Bellefontaine HS, 2016
  • Top OF Velocity: 80 mph - Jack Schaller, OF/IF/RHP, Bowling Green HS, 2016
  • Top Exit Velocity: 89 mph - Tyler Hill, C, Fairfield Union HS, 2015
  • Top 40-Yard Dash: 4.84 - Matt Entsminger, Bellefontaine, 2015

2014 WESTERN OHIO WINTER SHOWCASE PARTICIPANTS AND COMPLETE RESULTS