Best of the West Qualifier: Quick Hits
September 14, 2023
Last weekend our staff was on-hand in Mississauga as we hosted the 2023 Best of the West Qualifier Tournament with the HPP Tigers, Ontario Nationals, Ottawa Nepean Canadians and Brampton Royals on-hand to compete for a bid in the 2024 Best of the West Tournament in Kamloops.
The HPP Tigers ultimately earned the invite to Kamloops, going 5-0 in the entirety of the tournament culminating with a victory over the Nationals in the final game. We had plenty of talent on-hand from all teams in attendance and we begin to break it all down below with scouting notes and video on ten standouts from the three days.
For complete tournament results, click here.
BEST OF THE WEST QUALIFIER: QUICK HITS
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Josiah Romeo RHP / 3B / Mayfield Secondary School, ON / 20252025 RHP/INF Josiah Romeo got the ball in the championship game and was dominant during his four innings of work (4-inning mercy). 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander sat 87-88 T89 with the fastball and featured a slider at 78-79mph. Romeo continues to impress on the mound each time we see him and he swung the bat extremely well on the weekend picking up several extra-base hits including a HR.
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Thomas Hanger SS / 2B / Humberside Collegiate, ON / 2025Rankings StateRank: 44 / POS: 11
2025 SS Thomas Hanger was one of the top offensive producers on the weekend out of the leadoff spot for the HPP Tigers. 5-foot-9, 170-pound left-hander works gap-to-gap and consistently puts the ball in play with the ability to move himself around the bases. Also showed well all weekend long at the shortstop position with range, hands and the ability to create outs on tough plays. Hanger does a lot of things right on the baseball field and it shows in tournament-style play.
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Adyn Schell 3B / RHP / Martingrove CI , ON / 2025Rankings StateRank: 6 / POS: 1
2025 INF/RHP Adyn Schell (Missouri State) continues to be one of the top hitters everywhere we see him and that was the case once again this weekend in Mississauga. Present strength from the left-side at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds and consistently puts up quality AB’s and generates hard contact. One of the top 2025 hitters in the country and looks the part each time out.
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Jackson Tjart OF / OF / Resurrection Catholic, ON / 2025‘24 OF Jackson Tjart was one of the hitters for the Ontario Nationals in the tournament and was consistently reaching base via base hit. 5-foot-8, 160-pound left-handed hitter with wide stance and ability to hit to all fields. Tjart kickstarted the Nats offence all weekend long with evident bat-to-ball skills.
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Carson Colvin RHP / 1B / Nepean , ON / 20242024 RHP Carson Colvin got the ball in the semi-finals for ONC and kept the Ontario Nationals in-check during his complete-game performance. Projectable 6-foot, 185-pound right-hander and the fastball sat 81-83mph while generating a ton of swing/miss, especially when working up in the zone. Pairs it with a slider at 70-71mph and flashed the occasional splitter at 76mph. Colvin pounded the zone throughout his outing, allowed minimal barrels and there looks to be plenty more in the tank.
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Andrew Bishop 1B / 3B / Resurrection Catholic, ON / 2024Rankings StateRank: 36 / POS: 2
2024 CINF Andrew Bishop was one of the Nats top hitters in Mississauga and was a force in the middle of the order with his ability to drive the ball for extra-bases. There’s plenty to like with the 6-foot-4, 205-pound left-handed hitter and he impressed last month at the PBR Eastern Canada ProCase. The hit tool has really come a long way over the past year which has allowed him to tap into his power in-game.
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Jackson Sheehy C / RHP / St James Catholic, ON / 2024Rankings StateRank: 46 / POS: 6
2024 C/RHP Jackson Sheehy continues to flash upside on both sides of the ball and was able to make an impact in all areas of the game for the Nationals in the tournament. The strong left-handed hitter seemed to come up with big extra-base hits every time his team needed it and he also hurled a complete game shutout against the Brampton Royals with his fastball sitting 83-85 T86, picking up 11 punchouts. Sheehy has really impressed over the past month at several events, including the PBR Eastern Canada ProCase, and his overall game continues to trend upwards.
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Luca Alagheband LHP / Crescent, ON / 2024Rankings StateRank: 43 / POS: 6
2024 LHP Luca Alagheband (Harvard) was one of the top arms from the HPP Tigers to take the mound on the weekend and was dominant in his appearance out of the bullpen. Big, proportionate frame at 6-foot-3, 200-pounds and was attacking hitters with a two-pitch mix. The fastball sat 83-86mph and worked up in the zone with it, generating swings/misses. Paired it with a curveball 74-75mph with a sweepy look to it. A good showing from the Harvard commit to start the fall season.
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Brody Middlehurst OF / RHP / N/A, ON / 20242024 RHP/OF Brody Middlehurst was one of the top arms to take the mound for Brampton at the the tournament. Came out of the bullpen pounding the zone with his fastball and slider with the two playing well off each other. The fastball sat 80-82mph from a ¾ arm-slot while the breaking ball was 69-71mph. An arm out of the Royals who was able to generate outs on the weekend and would definitely be a good fit with certain collegiate programs south of the border.
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Sawyer Brandino RHP / Carleton Place, ON / 2025Rankings StateRank: 50 / POS: 18
2025 RHP Sawyer Brandino has been one of the main attractions on ONC’s roster over the past year and continues to live up to that hype when we see him. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound right-hander attacked hitters with the fastball, sitting 84-85mph, and it may have been the best we’ve seen his breaking ball despite not needing it much during his appearance out of the bullpen. Curveball sat 68-69mph with heavy downward action and was tough on hitters with similar arm-slot/arm speed as fastball. An intriguing arm out of Ottawa who really seems to be putting thing together on the mound as we close out the year.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| 2023 Ontario Nationals Scout Day | ON | 09/16 | Tip O'Neil Park |
| 2023 EBLO Scout Day | ON | 09/17 | Flower City Community Campus Park |
| 2023 North Toronto Scout Day | ON | 09/18 | Sentinel Park |
| 2023 Tecumseh/Riverside Scout Day | ON | 09/20 | Lacasse Park |
| 2023 Markham Mariners Scout Day | ON | 09/24 | Cornell Park |
| 2023 Barrie Scout Day | ON | 09/25 | Vintage Throne Stadium |
| 2023 Midwestern Ontario BearCats Scout Day | ON | 09/27 | Lions Park |
| 2023 Toronto Fall Open ID | ON | 10/02 | Connorvale Park |
| 2023 Ontario Freshman Free I | ON | 10/05 | Dan Lang Field |
| 2023 Ontario Freshman Free II | ON | 10/06 | Dan Lang Field |
| 2023 Ontario Royals Scout Day | ON | 10/09 | King's Christian Collegiate |
| 2023 Saskatchewan Fall Open ID (Session 1) | ON | 10/21 | Gordie Howe Sports Complex (Saskatoon) |
| 2023 Saskatchewan Freshman Free | ON | 10/22 | Gordie Howe Sports Complex |
| 2023 Sudbury Voyageurs Scout Day | ON | 11/04 | The Baseball Academy |
| Improve My Profile with Game Video (Ontario) | ON | 08/29 | Ontario |
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