By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The Kentucky Fall Prospect Program allowed players to showcase their abilities through pre-game infield/outfield, batting practice, and game play at five stops across the state (St. Catharine College, Morehead State University, Spalding University, Western Kentucky University, University of Kentucky).  Players were also timed in the 60-yard dash at St. Catharine and Spalding, and home to first base times were recorded at the other locations.

Several of the players in the program participated in all five weeks, while others registered on an individual week basis.

Since the end of the program, four players who participated have made their college choices:

Aaron Ochsenbein, 2014 RHP, Paul Laurence Dunbar HS – Eastern Kentucky
Kipp Moore, 2014 SS, Shelby County HS – Murray State
Sammy Holder, 2014 RHP/SS, Lewis County HS – Kentucky Wesleyan
Caleb Bruner, 2015 RHP, Logan County HS – Morehead State

Today we recap the unsigned seniors that took part in the Fall Prospect Program.

Ben Alexander, 2B/RHP, Lexington Catholic HS
Alexander is a 5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect.  He participated during Week 3 of the Fall Program at Spalding and ran a 7.53 60-yard dash.  He showed soft hands defensively with 71 mph arm strength across the infield.  On the mound, he pitched 3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit, pounding the strike zone with all of his pitches.  Throwing from a high ¾ arm slot, his fastball sat 73-75 mph with some arm-side run, and his 65-68 mph curveball showed 11/5 action. He showed good hand quickness at the plate in consistently squaring the ball up in batting practice, went 0-for-4 in game play.

Slone Alley, RHP, Boyd County HS
Alley is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-hander who throws from an over-the-top arm slot with a 70-72 mph fastball.  He showed good command of his 59-61 mph curveball with gradual 12/6 action.  He pitched in Week 2 at Morehead State and allowed 2 earned runs in 3 innings of work, throws a lot of strikes.

Austin Berleman, OF, Lakota West HS (OH)
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound OF participated in 3 of the 5 weeks of the program going 2-for-15 with an RBI.  He ran a 7.47 60 yard dash, showed a 79 mph arm from the outfield, and registered an 82 mph exit velocity off the tee.  He takes good routes to balls in the outfield and plays well through the baseball.

Herbert Dennis, LHP, Northwest HS (TN)
Dennis is a 5-foot-9, 155-pound LHP who uses short arm action through a ¾ to at times low ¾ arm slot.  He falls off hard at times to the third base side, and his fastball sat 68-73 mph.  His curveball showed some sweeping action and varied between 57-62 mph.  Dennis pitched during Week 4 at Western Kentucky and allowed 2 runs in his 3 innings of work, retiring the side in order his last 2 innings.

Justin Eden, OF/RHP, Collins HS
Eden is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound prospect who participated in the final week of the Fall Program at the University of Kentucky.  He showed solid outfield actions and a clean transfer on a solid throw to the plate from left field in game action.  He registered a 75 mph exit velocity off the tee and went 2-for-6 in game play, using his speed (4.47 down the line) to beat out two infield singles.  On the mound, he used long arm action through a ¾ arm slot, occasionally dropping down to a low ¾ slot, fastball sat 75-77 mph and 64-65 mph curveball shows 11/5 action.  He struggled with command initially, but quickly settled down to throw 2 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts.

Quinton Edwards, 2B, Christian Academy Of Louisville
Edwards is a 5-foot-9, 153-pound prospect who participated in Week 3 of the Fall Program at Spalding.  He displayed soft hands in the infield with 69 mph arm strength, and he ran a 7.52 60-yard dash.  At the plate, the line-drive type hitter registered a 75 mph exit velocity off the tee and went 1-for-3 in game action with a solid single up the middle.

Kyle Fisher, RHP Western Hills HS
While the 6-foot-3, 230-pound right-hander’s velocity was down a tick from where it was in the summer, Fisher threw well throughout the program.  He pounded the zone consistently with an 80-84 mph fastball and sharp curveball, and his splitter is a very effective pitch thrown with good arm action that displays late sinking action.  At the Top Prospect Games in June, Fisher’s fastball topped at 86 mph.

Mason Forbes, OF, Ryle HS
Forbes is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound OF with an athletic build and room to fill on his frame.  He participated in Week 2 at Morehead State, and as he has done each time we have seen him, he showed very good bat speed and the ability to drive the baseball.  He finished the day going 2-for-6 with a triple and 2 RBI’s, and uses his 6.85 speed well on the bases.  He has shown an 87 mph arm from the OF and 90 mph exit velocity off the tee.

Hayden Ford, 1B/OF, St. Xavier HS
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Ford has a good combination of power and speed in his game.  He ran a 6.85 60-yard dash in June and shows good defensive skills at first base, while also being athletic enough to play a corner outfield spot with 81 mph arm strength.  He participated during Week 2 at Morehead State and had an offensive day to remember.  Ford put his power on display by going 5-for-5 with 2 doubles, a triple, a home run, and 4 RBI’s.  He generates good bat speed, as evidenced by his 90 mph exit velocity off the tee.

Dale Gumm, C/3B, John Hardin HS
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Gumm is making the transition to being primarily a catcher and showed improved receiving and footwork behind the dish.  He showed 76 mph arm strength from the crouch with pop times ranging from 1.90-2.02.  He generates plenty of bat speed as evidenced by his 93 mph exit velocity off the tee.  The left-handed hitter was one of the top hitters during the 5 week program, going 10-for-23 with 2 doubles, a triple, and 5 RBI’s.  He showed the ability to make hard contact to all fields.

Jesse James, OF, East Carter HS
James has a 6-foot, 150-pound frame with lanky build and participated in Week 2 and Week 3 of the Fall Program.  He showed good actions in the outfield with an athletic arm at 79 mph with some carry.  James ran a 7.03 60-yard dash, and registered an 81 mph exit velocity off the tee.  He went 3-for-8 with a double and showed the ability to make hard contact to all fields.

Mason Jeffries, 3B, Collins HS
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound 3B showed solid defensive abilities throughout the program with 81 mph arm strength across the infield.  He flashed some bat speed with an 87 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Jeffries collected 3 hits, including a double, in the 4 weeks he participated in the program.  He hit into some bad luck that included hard line drive outs on a few occasions.

Alex Jones, C, Ballard HS
Jones is a 6-foot-2, 165-pound catcher with an athletic frame and room to fill.  He sets up well behind the plate and shows solid receiving and blocking skills with 71 mph arm strength from the crouch.  His pop times ranged from 2.04-2.18.  Jones ran a 7.19 60-yard dash and registered a 76 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Jones went 4-for-13 with a mid to opposite field approach in his 3 weeks in the program and showed good base running skills by stealing a few bases with very good jumps and reads on pitchers.

Andrew Kirkland, 3B, Ballard HS
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Kirkland is back on the field after a labrum injury prevented him from playing last spring.  He ran a 7.80 60 yard dash, showed a 77 mph arm across the infield, and uses his strong lower half well to generate bat speed as evidenced by his 91 mph tee exit velocity.  He went 7-for-21 with 2 doubles, a triple, and 5 RBI during the program and made several hard outs as well.  Defensively, he showed the ability to make plays on the move with an accurate arm across the infield.

Tyler Krauth, RHP, Bullitt East HS
Krauth is a 6-foot-4, 175-pound RHP with a long/lanky frame who participated in Week 3 of the Fall Program at Spalding.  He uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot and produced a 75-77 mph fastball that was mainly straight.  His curveball sat 63-66 mph with 11/5 action, and he showed better feel for it as he got deeper into his outing.  He throws a 69-70 mph changeup with good arm action that had some fade and sink to it.  Krauth allowed 1 run on 1 hit in his 3 innings of work.

Matthew Lee, 3B/OF/RHP, Franklin County HS
Lee is a 6-foot-2, 158-pound prospect who participated in the entire 5 week program.  He ran a 7.15 60-yard dash with 69 mph arm strength across the infield, and 74 mph from the outfield.  Lee showed some bat speed with an 84 mph exit velocity off the tee.  He collected 3 hits during the five weeks, including 2 opposite field doubles.

Daulton Mason, 3B/RHP, Lewis County HS
The 6-foot, 190-pound Mason is a solid two-way prospect.  He showed good corner actions and 80 mph arm strength across the infield with a 7.41 60 time.  He has a strong frame, and he uses it to generate good bat speed through the zone (91 mph exit velocity off the tee).  During his 4 weeks of the program, Mason went 6-for-16 with a double and 3 RBI’s.  On the mound, he displayed a jump in velocity from the beginning of the program to the end.  The final week at UK, Mason’s fastball sat 83-84 and touched 85, and his 72-73 mph curveball showed late-breaking action. 

Billy McCoy, RHP, Boyd County HS
6-foot, 185-pound pitcher used long arm action through a high ¾ arm a lot to produce a fastball that sat 79-82 mph, topping at 83.  His 65-67 mph curveball showed 11/5 action, and he showed good command of his 69-70 mph changeup that had good sink and fade.  He participated in Week 2 at Morehead State, making one mistake pitch in his outing, a 3-run HR by Haden Ford, but racked up 5 strikeouts in his 3 innings of work.

Paul Miller, SS/RHP, Collins HS
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Miller participated in the final week of the Fall Program at UK and put on an offensive show.  He went 6-for-6 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI’s that included a barrage of line drives to all parts of the field.  He showed good infield actions with soft hands and 83 mph arm strength across the infield.  He has been impressive at both events he has attended.  On the mound, Miller showed good command using long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot.  His arm is quick, and his fastball sat 79-82 mph with tight spin and 11/5 action on his 67-69 mph curveball. 

Nick Nonos, 1B, Ballard HS
Nonos, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound 1B, shows good feet around the bag defensively.  The left-handed hitter participated in 4 weeks of the Fall Program, and went 6-for-18 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI’s.  Nonos ran a 7.70 60-yard dash and flashed his bat speed with a 93 mph exit velocity off the tee.  He shows a sound approach at the plate with the ability to drive the ball the other way, as one of his doubles was to left field and the other to left-center.

Robby Skarvan, LHP, St. Xavier HS,
Skarvan is a 6-foot, 175-pound LHP with room to add to his frame.  He participated in the final week of the Fall Program at the University of Kentucky and showed long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot that produced a 78-81 mph fastball with good arm-side run.  His breaking ball varied between 68-72 mph with tight spin and 1/7 action.  He struggled with command early but settled down and struck out 3 in his 2 innings of work while allowing 3 runs, throws from the stretch only, projectable arm.

Jared Slone, 2B, Ashland Blazer HS
The 5-foot-8, 155-pound Slone ran a 7.50 60 yard dash and showed moderate bat speed with an 80 mph exit velocity off the tee.  Defensively, he showed soft hands with a quick exchange and 75 mph arm strength across the infield.  He showed some pop in his bat with a double to deep left field in Week 1, and finished 3-for-12 with an RBI in his 3 weeks in the program. 

Jacob Smiley, OF/LHP, South Warren HS
The 6-foot-1, 182-pound Smiley participated in Week 4 at Western Kentucky and pitched 3 shutout innings.  He uses short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot.  His fastball sat good arm-side run at 78-80 mph, and he showed good command of his 65-67 mpg curveball with 1/7 action, also throws a 73-75 mph slider, and changeup shows some run and sink at 70-71 mph.  In the outfield he shows athletic actions and plays through the ball well with 81 mph arm strength.  The left-handed hitter got sown the first base line in 4.43 seconds.

Graham Smith, C/1B, Lexington Christian Academy
Smith has a strong 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame and showed the ability to handle duties behind the plate and at first base.  Behind the plate, he showed solid receiving skills with a quick glove to hand exchange and 73 mph arm strength from the crouch.  His pop times ranged from 1.97-2.06.  Smith registered an 89 mph exit velocity off the tee and consistently made hard contact throughout the program, going 10-for-22 with a double, triple, and 4 RBI’s.

Reed Spata, SS, Scott County HS
The 5-foot-11, 178-pound Spata has been impressive each time we have seen him, and Week 2 at Morehead State was no exception.  He displayed soft hands with good lateral movement and an 83 mph arm across the infield.  He ran a 4.44 down the first base line from the right side.  Spata continued to show pop in his bat on the heels of launching a long home run at the Unsigned Senior Games.  He went 2-for-5 with two doubles and lined out hard in one other trip to the plate. 

Ryan Tressler, RHP, Switzerland County HS (IN)
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Tressler showed big improvement in his secondary stuff since we first saw him during the summer.  His fastball sat 81-83 mph and his curveball showed much sharper 11/5 action at 69-71 mph.  He displayed a very good changeup thrown with good arm action that showed good arm-side run and sink.

Christian Wichman, C/OF, Columbus East HS (IN)
Wichman is a 5-foot-9, 175-pound athletic prospect capable of playing behind the plate as well as in the outfield.  He participated in Week 4 at Western Kentucky going 2-for-6 with a double and displayed very good athleticism and blocking skills behind the dish.  His pop times ranged from 2.02-2.08 with 73 mph arm strength from the crouch.  He also showed a 78 mph arm from the outfield.

Ian Woodall, C, Logan County HS
Woodall is a 5-foot-10, 190-pound catcher with a strong frame who participated in Week 4 at Western Kentucky.  He is solid behind the plate, showing good receiving and blocking skills and 75 mph arm strength from the crouch.  His pop times at 2 events have ranged from 1.9-2.05 with most throws right at the 2.00 mark.  Offensively, he shows the ability to use his strong lower half to create bat speed with a 92 mph exit velocity off the tee.