Draft League Scouting Notes - June 10

Williamsport @ State College

Thursday’s contest between the Crosscutters and Spikes featured a strong pitching matchup in Williamsport starter RHP Chase Costello (Stetson) going up against State College’s RHP Griffin Miller (Dyersburg State). The Crosscutters held a 3-2 lead entering the 8th inning before the two offenses erupted to score seven runs over the final two frames, with Williamsport fending off a late Spikes rally to claim a 7-5 victory. 

Costello has been one of the better arms we’ve seen early on in the Draft League and he looked the part again Thursday, picking up the victory in his second straight five-inning start. The fastball sat 93-94 T95 early on and he finished his outing sitting 91-93. Costello continues to get swing and miss on his fastball, especially when working up in the zone, and he couples his heater with a good changeup that he’s comfortable using in any count. He did not allow an earned run and surrendered just five hits in the outing, walking one and striking out three.

Miller was just as sharp early on and had the fastball to match Costello’s, sitting 93-94 and topping out at 95 early in the outing. He generated a mix of strikeouts and ground balls, punching out three in the first two innings while getting a ground ball double play. Despite allowing ten baserunners, the Oklahoma commit was able to work out of several jams. 

SS Myles Austin (Chipola) stood out on all sides of the ball. Offensively, he scored two runs and reached base three times from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a walk. His athleticism was evident at shortstop and especially on the bases. Austin drew lots of attention from the pitchers all night and moved up to second base on a failed pickoff attempt, following it up with a steal of third base.

The big hit on the night for the Spikes came off the bat of CIF Marques Paige (Northwestern Oklahoma State) in the 9th inning as he drove his league-leading third home run to the opposite field to cut the Cutters’ lead in half. The ball came off the bat at 103 mph and was marked at 391 feet. Paige has hit all three of his dingers in the last four games - a stretch during which the right-handed hitter has showcased as much power to the big part of the ballpark as any player in the League. 

Another major standout for State College was 3B Zion Pettigraw (Illinois - Springfield) who picked up three singles on the evening and looked the part at third base as well. The final player to enter the game for the Spikes deserves some attention as well. LHP Beau Balado (Nicholls St.) recorded four his six outs via the strikeouts in his Draft League debut, scattering a hit and a walk over two innings. RHP Drew Garrett (Eastern Kentucky) came on with one out in the ninth and struck out both batters he faced. He sat 93-95 mph, pairing his heater with an impressive breaking ball at 78 mph in the appearance.

The Crosscutters had three players pick up multiple base hits. Two of them are recent additions to the squad in OF Dakota Kotowski (Missouri State) and SS Michael Turconi (Wake Forest). Kotowski scored two runs and went 2-for-4 with a double that came off the bat at 99 mph as well as a stolen base. Turconi also scored two runs in the victory and plated a run with a 92-mph double.

Another offensive standout on the evening was INF/OF Trey Steffler (Missouri Baptist), who’s been a nice surprise early on in the Draft League. Steffler ripped a two-run double down the right-field line in the third to give the Crosscutters the lead and finished 1-for-3 with two runs scored. UTL Noah Hemphill (Missouri Baptist) tallied a team-high three hits including a pair of RBI knocks. 

Making his Draft League debut for the Crosscutters, Tyler Bosma (Miami Ohio), a 6-foot-6 lefty, allowed just one hit, one walk and struck out one over two innings of work. Bosma sat 89-90 and topped out at 92, working with a changeup and curveball which he had no issues locating.

RHP Ben Terwilliger (Barry) looked good in his one inning of work, sitting 91-92 with a lot of swing and miss on the fastball. He allowed just one hit and one run (unearned) while striking out two. Terwilliger was relieved by RHP Owen Holt (Alvin CC), who was very impressive despite allowing the home run to Paige. His fastball sat 91-94 while touching 95 and was extremely tough to hit up in the zone. Spikes hitters had similar issues with Holt’s slider. Together, the two pitches netted Holt three strikeouts in the frame.

Frederick @ Trenton

Trenton’s offense erupted for 14 runs on 12 hits including a pair of home runs Thursday in a 14-5 win over the Keys. INF/UTL Jordan Hollins (Ottawa University, Ariz.) gave the Thunder their first lead of the day in the fourth inning via his first Draft League homer -- a 367-foot solo shot to left field that had an exit velocity of 89 mph. He went on to add an RBI double in the sixth and plated a run with a groundout two innings later to finish 2-for-5 at the plate.

3B Daniel Harris IV (Eastern Kentucky) flashed some impressive bat speed and easy pop in the sixth when he laced a hanging breaking ball down the left-field line for a two-run homer. The ball came off Harris’ bat at 108 mph with a 17-degree launch angle, traveling 384 feet. He scored a team-high three runs in the contest, finishing 1-for-4. 

CIF T.J. Rumfield (Virginia Tech) and OF Shane Marshall (Binghamton) each recorded an extra-base hit in a multihit effort for the Thunder. Rumfield went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, while Marshall tripled to straightaway center field and scored a pair of runs while going 2-for-5 from the bottom of the lineup. 

Thunder starter RHP Alec Huertas (Long Island) set the tone Thursday by posting three one-run frames out of the gate. He operated mainly with a two-pitch mix, pairing an 88-91 mph (T91.8) fastball with a solid changeup in the low 80s. Fellow Long Island righty Josh Loeschorn also featured an 89-91 mph fastball, working two scoreless innings in relief of Huertas. RHP Rob Griswold, yet another Long Island, followed with two scoreless frames of his own. Both hurlers allowed just one hit in their respective appearances. 

3B Kevin Jimenez (New Mexico St.) and C Brendon Tinsman (Wake Forest) combined to drive in three runs on four hits from the third and fourth spots in the Keys’ lineup. Jimenez reached base three times from the three-hole, going 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, while Tinsman belted his first Draft League homer and scored a pair of runs in a 2-for-5 showing. Tinsman’s homer, a two-run shot, traveled 355 feet after leaving his bat at 96 mph.

OF Max Ryerson (Gulf Coast State College) also collected a pair of hits including a double in the contest. OF Dominic Collie (Weber International) coaxed three walks from the leadoff spot, finishing 1-for-2 with a double. 

Keys starter RHP Brock Gilliam (Washburn) did his part to keep Trenton’s offense in check by allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits with three strikeouts in 3.1 innings. He posted a 25.8% whiff rate with his 89-92 mph (T92.6) fastball and 50% whiff rate with his low-80s changeup, throwing the two offerings with 65 of his 75 total pitches. LHP Shane Barringer (Bellarmine) ran his heater up to 94.8 mph and spun his slider north of 2500 rpm in relief of Gilliam. RHP Anthony DeFrancesco (Arizona Christian) once again flashed elite spin rates with his slider, spinning it up to 2830+ in the outing. 

Mahoning Valley @ West Virginia

RHP Deylen Miley (Bellarmine) is quickly emerging as one of the Draft League’s more dominant hurlers. He went the distance in a rain-shortened game Thursday, firing five innings of two-hit ball while racking up nine strikeouts against a solid Black Bears offense. Miley did most of his work with his fastball and slider, using the two pitches to induce 12 total swinging strikes in the outing. He sat 91-94 (T94.2) and recorded a 34% CSW% with his heater, throwing the pitch at a 69.7-percent clip. Miley also posted a 62.5% whiff rate with his mid-80s slider (8 swings/5 whiffs) and mixed in an occasional curveball and changeup. Overall, Miley has piled up 18 strikeouts over his first nine innings in the Draft League, allowing just a pair of hits and three walks. 

3B Jarrod Belbin (Western Arizona) paced Mahoning Valley’s offense Thursday with a three-RBI performance. With a pair of RBI groundouts already under his belt, Belbin extended the Scrappers’ lead in the sixth inning with his first Draft League homer -- a 393-foot solo shot that had a 100-mph exit velocity.

SS Jalen Jones (SWIC) hit a 98-mph RBI triple in the third inning and scored three batters later on Belbin’s groundout. INF Brendan Comia (Illinois) scored the Scrappers’ first run of the game after hitting a one-double in the first. 

Black Bears starter RHP Ga’Von Wray, a Georgia Southern commit, allowed three runs on two hits and three walks in three innings but once again showcased a deep arsenal from a highly projectable frame. His bumped 92.4 mph in the outing and induced at least one whiff apiece using his cutter, curveball and changeup. LHP Peyton Alford (Virginia Tech) surrendered a homer to Belbin but was otherwise sharp, striking out five over three innings in his Draft League debut. The southpaw posted a 56.2% whiff rate and 45.9% CSW% with his fastball, sitting 92-93 mph (T93.9) with average IVB of 20 inches. Alford also mixed in a changeup and curveball, spinning the latter up to 2500. 

Wabash Valley standouts Ryan McCoy and Freylin Minyety recorded the Black Bears’ two hits on the night. McCoy picked up his second triple (98 mph exit velo) of the young season in the fourth inning but ultimately was stranded on base. Minyety never advanced beyond first base after opening the fifth with a leadoff single.