MD/DE Scout Blog: Landon at St. Albans (DC)
May 11, 2022
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Tuesday night featured a huge matchup in the IAC Semi-Finals as Landon made the trip to DC to take on St. Albans for a shot at the Conference Championship Game. Pitching was at a premium in this one, as Landon turned the ball to Sam Rosand (Virginia) and St. Albans turned to their uncommitted Junior standout Owen Basso.
Runs and traffic on the bases was limited in this one, as Rosand (Virginia) and Basso went toe-to-toe in one of the better pitching matchups that we have seen this Spring. St. Albans struck first in the second inning, scoring on a bases loaded wild pitch to take a 1-0 early lead. Landon would struggle to find consistent hits throughout the middle innings, as Basso was just about as lights out as you can be. Heading to the top of the seventh, St. Albans still commanded a 1-0 lead, with Basso heading back out to look for the complete game shutout. After a leadoff single from Sophomore outfielder Jay Adams, Basso induced an infield pop out to record the first out, before hitting Landon's John Wyatt with a slider. With runners on first and second with one out, St. Albans coach RJ Johnsen turned to Senior righty Jeff Davis (Mount St. Mary's) to try to find the final two outs and secure the win. After a wild pitch to put runners on second and third, Davis (Mount St. Mary's) struck a batter out for the second out of the inning. With two outs and a 2-1 count, Freshman middle infielder Ben Pollack delivered the biggest hit of Landon's season as he drove an outside fastball down the right field line for a two RBI double, giving Landon the lead. Senior righty Robbie Lee (Denison) would come in and slam the door in the seventh for the Bears, as they took the game 2-1.
Landon
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Jay Adams OF / Landon, MD / 2024
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Robbie Lee RHP / 3B / Landon, MD / 2022Arms were at a premium in the game between Landon and St. Albans, and not many were quite as effective and dominant as the Denison University commit. Lee possesses a long, strong frame, working out a shorter side-step delivery with fast, up-tempo pace. The confidence on the bump jumps out to you, consistently attacking hitters with long, loose arm action out of a three-quarter slot. The arm works quick and clean through release, mixing the fastball/curveball arsenal effectively and efficiently. The fastball comes out of the hand extremely well, mixing to both sides of the plate with feel to the arm side at 86-87, topping out at 88. The most impressive pitch however was a bigger, tight 11/5 curveball that was thrown in any count for strikes consistently at 72-74. Came in to slam the door for Landon in the bottom of the seventh, working a clean inning, striking out two and picking up the save.
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Ben Pollack 2B / SS / Landon, MD / 2025
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Sam Rosand RHP / 3B / Landon, MD / 2025My second time seeing in-game action from the physical University of Virginia commit, and the Freshman did not disappoint. Works out of a shorter side-step delivery, differentiating the build-ups and manipulating the hitters timing, consistently working into a tall balance point. Works out of a full arm circle delivery with quick arm action from a high three-quarter slot, working with intent down the bump with plenty of lower half drive. The arm works quick, getting over the front side well with strong feel for the four pitch mix. The fastball explodes out of the hand with feel for the bottom part of the zone, occasionally rising the fastball to miss bats at the top of the zone at 86-88, topping out at 90. The curveball showed bigger 11/5 shape with some depth at 70-71, mixing a tight slider with more 10/4 shape at 73-75. The changeup was thrown sparingly, but showed feel for the bottom of the zone with some late dive action at 72-74. Battled through some adversity throughout, but always came through with a big pitch when needed, working six innings, giving up five hits, striking out five and giving up just one unearned run.
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St. Albans
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Owen Basso RHP / SS / St. Albans, VA / 2023One of the more electric uncommitted arms that I’ve seen this year, Basso possesses an athletic, wiry frame with room to add strength and fill out. Pitching out of the stretch, Basso works into a slow build up into a tall balance point, working down the hill with pace from a whippy side arm slot. The arm works quick through release, showcasing the ability to throw his four pitch arsenal in any count for strikes. The fastball comes out of the hand well, showcasing occasional arm side run with feel to both sides of the plate at 87-88, topping out at 90, eventually settling in at 85-87. The curveball was thrown sparingly, showcasing bigger 12/6 shape at 70-72. The slider and changeup proved to be the most effective secondary pitches, working the slider in any count for strikes with exceptional feel for the zone, showcasing tight 10/4 shape with some late depth at 75-77. The changeup was thrown with confidence mostly to right-handed hitters, showcasing late fade and dive action down at 76-78. Worked six plus innings of work, giving up just two hits while striking out seven.
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Jeffrey Davis RHP / St. Albans, VA / 2022An arm that I really liked was the Senior Mount St. Mary’s commit. Possesses an athletic, solid frame, working with pace down the bump with a full arm circle delivery. The fastball came out of the hand well, showcasing feel for the glove side at 86-88 for consistent strikes. The curveball was sharp and showcased tight 10/4 shape with harder downward action at 72-74. Both pitches were thrown for strikes, mixing locations and working all quadrants of the zone effectively.
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Zack Lubar SS / 3B / St. Albans, VA / 2022
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