Prep Baseball Report

Northeast CC JUCO Scout Day: Take Aways


Brian Feekin
Nebraska Scouting Director

The Northeast CC Scout Day, the only Jr. College Scout Day of the fall in Nebraska, was a great success. The Hawks demonstrated why they are turning into a  perennial power house at the NJCAA Division II level. They ran out a number of strong arms, some high-end athletes and impressive hitters. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STATS FROM THE SCOUT DAY

Position Players 

Zane Zielinski looks to be a spark plug for the Hawks both offensively and defensively at the shortstop position in the 2022 season after a strong freshman campaign where he hit .383 with 74 hits and walked more times than he struck out in 61 games. 6-foot-2, 175 pound with a lean athletic frame flashed some high level tools across the board, 6.8 60 yard dash while topping out at 90 mph across the infield with accuracy & carry. He has the athleticism, foot speed, and lateral quickness to cover plenty of ground to both his glove and back side. His silky smooth hands further enhance his defensive profile. Zielinkski should be on several Division I radars as the fall and spring campaigns roll on.

Sam Manwarren carried a majority of the load behind the plate has freshman for the Hawks in 2021. Manwarren is a proportionally strong, barrel-chested athlete that offers middle-of-the-order upside at the plate. As a freshman he hit .309 with 6 HRs while driving in 38s runs. He wields a potent right-handed stroke with both bat speed and bat strength, shows the ability to manage a variety of arms behind the plate. 

The Hawks have an intriguing group of athletes with outfielders Maximo De Leon, Cooper Whitt, Houston Fogelstrom and freshman Harrison Taubert. Whitt had the best year offensively out of the group of returners where he slashed a line of .315/.388/.530 in 59 games. Taubert, a freshman from Wyoming is an explosive athlete who should develop quickly at the college level as he shift his attention to baseball. 

Pitchers 

Preston Tenney led the Hawks in innings in 2020 and  should play a big role again this spring.  At 6-foot, 165-pound,  lean build with well-proportioned strength and room for more to come. Athletic, tall and drop and drive delivery, was able repeat and pounded the zone throughout his bullpen session. Clean, loose arm action, over-the-top slot. Fastball worked 88-89 mostly straight with feel for the zone and occasional ride. Tenney has true feel for four pitches with the possibility of some developing into plus down the road; starter profile projection.

The Hawks also return low 90s arm Christian Carew for his 2nd season. Carew was ranked #97 in the Colorado 2020 ranking and has blossomed into a legitimate prospect at the college level. At 6-foot-6, 225 pounds Carew repeats well working down the mound from a low 3/4 slot. The fastball has natural run to his arm side and pairs well with his slider he spins a high level (2446 RPMs) and low spin change up with dying fade action. 


 

Matt Dreher was a relatively unknown prospects coming out of high school in Blair, Nebraska but has seen huge strides and poses some of the best overrall "stuff" for the Hawks. A 6-foot, 180-pound frame, Dreher has seen his velocity climb from the mid-80’s in the fall of 2020 to the low-90’s at the Scout Day. Delivery works efficiently down the mound with a loose/extremely quick arm action that plays from a ¾ arm slot. Fastball worked 91-92 mph with late tail and life through the zone; averaged 2471 rpm. The breaking ball has a chance to play at a high level if in the strike zone. Electric arm  with swing and miss potential in the backend of the bullpen.