Prep Baseball Report

Pre-Season Underclass II: Class of 2014 Results



By Chris Valentine and Roger Janeway

The Class of 2014 showed extremely well at the Pre-Season Underclass in Dayton. It has become clear that the Inaugural Underclass Games at OSU will feature an abundance of talented, future college prospects from the Classes of 2014 and 2015. Below, we recap the participants from last Saturday's events.

To view the complete results from the event, CLICK HERE.
To view the Class of 2015 player analysis, CLICK HERE.

1. Evan White, LHP/1B, Gahanna-Lincoln HS, 2014
Very nice projectable 6-foot-3, 185-pound body, smooth actions and shows baseball sense. Runs 5.08 40-yard dash. Offensively is a switch-hitter, upright stance with good load and controlled upper-cut. Short into the zone (76 bat velo) with long finish. Squares barrel on ball with good lower half. Power potential with increased strength. Good defensive ability. Shows good feet, hands, and lateral range at 1B. Could easily be a corner outfielder as well. On the hill, he has good delivery with moderate arm through 3/4 slot. Fastball is 81-84 with some life; slurvy bite breaker (68-69) and feel for change (69-71). Solid D-1 two-way player.

2. Nick Longo, OF, St. Ignatius HS, 2014
Athletic, quick twitched 5-foot-9, 160-pound player with good baseball sense and skills. Ran 5.0 flat 40 yard (concrete) and shows good defensive ability. Good balance and hands with solid ML average 89 mph over the top arm strength. The lefty hitter shows good ability with the bat. Slight open stance, has good load and directional path to hitting zone. Solid contact with 80 mph bat speed. Will increase power with enhancement of lower body torque. Good baseball kid and a solid D-1 player.

3. Kyle Casserly, LHP/OF, Pickerington Central HS, 2014
Good athletic 6-foot-2, 185-pound body. Has excellent raw skills and offers two-shot potential. Ran solid 4.95 40-yard dash. Defensively works better as an OF, shows good balance and hands with 79 mph arm strength across the diamond. Lefty bat shows some balance in swing with good load and bat speed  (84 bat velo) into zone. Will increase power potential with improved lower half. Good delivery on the mound with some life in 81-84 mph fastball; spins curveball with some feel (63-65 mph) and decent sell on change at 79-81 mph.

4. Tavin Howard, OF, Columbus Briggs HS, 2014
An electric player who is just surfacing his ability. Athletic 5-foot-10, 170-pound body that will get stronger. His bat is his best asset. Has balanced stance with good hand load, squares barrel on ball with good finish and lower body torque. Excellent bat speed (85 bat velo), when he connects the sound is different from others. Ran 5.02 40 yard dash (concrete surface). Good defensive skills, shows balance and hands with 77 mph arm strength. Has potential to be a 5-tool kid. On the mound, he uses a slow, deliberate delivery. His fastball sits 73-76 mph with some arm side run. His curveball sits at 61-63 mph and shows some small bite to it. His changeup ranges from 62-68 mph, but he slows down his arm speed. Definite D-1 projection as an outfielder.
 
5. Marcus Gunter, OF/RHP, Keystone HS, 2014
This 6-foot-1, 175-pound two-shot player has solid physical projection in body strength and shows baseball skill. Ran a 5.09 40-yard dash. Defensively, shows good feet and hands, athletic actions with solid major league arm strength (89 mph). With the bat, the righty hitter showed good load and compact swing into zone (81 mph bat velo) with good finish. His bat power will increase with improved lower body torque. Pitching wise, good delivery with quick arm upper 3/4 slot. Fastball was 82-84 with some life, had downward spin on curve (67-69) and arm side run on change (73-76. Solid D-1 two way player.
 
6. Ty Suntken, INF/RHP, Wauseon HS, 2014
Shows good baseball sense and skills on his smallish 5-foot-10, 170-pound body. Ran 5.06 40-yard dash. Defensively, looks like 3B/2B type infielder that could move easily to the outfield. Good actions, shows sound lateral movement and hands with 83 mph arm strength from all angles. The righty hitter has an upright stance with a somewhat low hand trigger, but has good bat speed (86 bat velo). Gets good hand extension with finish and lower body torque. On the bump, has quick 3/4 arm with some late life on 81-83 FB. Good arm action on 72-73 change up but needs to improve feel on curve. Good D-1 two shot
 
7. Justin Childers, SS, Pickerington North HS, 2014
Solid infielder with strong 6-foot-2, 185-pound body. Good raw skills, ran impressive 4.9 40 yard dash (concrete) and shows 76 mph arm strength from all angles. Good lateral feet and hands defensively, projects more 3B/2B type but is able shortstop. Has breakable habit of patting his glove at times before throwing. Could also be an OF candidate if desired. Upright righty stance offensively, has good load and bat speed (85 mph) into zone with finish. Has short, quick path with long finish. Squares ball well with good lower half, power hitter type.  Solid D-1 candidate.

8. Matt Mulholland, LHP/1B, Marysville HS, 2014
Southpaw shows very good pitchability and control with his moderate arm speed 3/4 slot. Good delivery and has ability to spot all his stuff. Doesn't offer a lot of projection on his 5-foot-11, 185-pound body, but has obvious strength. Fastball shows some occasional late run action at 79-82 mph; locates downward tilt curve (68-70 mph) on both corners and good arm action on change (73-74). Good finesse type. Shows good infield ability with sound hands and feet and 80 mph arm strength across the diamond. Lefty contact hitter has closed stance but shows some bat speed (76 bat velo). Will be good college hurler.

9. Justin Mott, C/RHP, Amherst Steele HS, 2014

Very active 5-foot-8, 145-pound receiver. Will have to gain body strength to achieve durability on the next level. Shows very good catching skills. Blocks well laterally and accepts ball. Good release (76 mph velo) with a 1.94-2.01 pop time. Seems to take charge well. This right-handed hitter shows some bat speed (77 mph) into zone, swing is tad long but makes contact. Would like to see compact his load a bit more with some increase lower half torque. On the mound, the righty uses quick arm action through a high 3/4 arm slot. He shows a heavy 80-83 mph fastball with some sink. His curveball sits 65-67 and shows sharp 12/6 breaking action. His knuckle ball fluctuates between 57-66 mph and shows some tumble. 
 
10. Kyle Davis, 3B, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, 2014
Good physical projectability on this 6-foot, 183-pound athlete. Shows obvious strength potential. Projects as solid 3B/2B offensive infielder type. Ran 5.22 40 yard dash. This right-handed bat showed good stance balance with good load and squares barrel well on ball. Has 84 mph bat speed and finish and good lower half torque. Will be future power bat. Defensively, shows good hands and lateral movement. Has 77 mph arm strength from all angles. Solid D-1 projection.
 
11. Tyrell Harris,  OF, Columbus Briggs HS, 2014
Athletic 6-foot, 175-pound body with physical projection. Has good raw skills. Ran 5.02 40-yard dash. Projects better as an outfielder. Shows good feet and lateral movement defensively with 80 mph arm strength. Righty ba that uses open stance and lower hand trigger. Contact type with 75 mph bat speed. Gets good lower half torque.  Very good athleticism and his game will improve with maturity. D-1 athlete. On the mound, he uses a slow rhythm with quick arm action through a high 3/4 arm slot. His fastball sits 74-77 mph and shows natural cutting action. His curveball fluctuates between 66-70 mph and shows sharp 11/5 breaking action. His changeup is flat and sits between 70-72 mph. 

12. Jarett Peters, C, Bloom Carroll, 2014
5-foot-11, 175-pound catching prospect with solid, athletic build. Registered a 4.90 40-yard dash on concrete surface. From the crouch, he showed a quick, clean transfer, accurate throws and pop times ranging from 2.01-2.12. His top velocity was 71 mph. At the plate, he uses a slightly open crouch with a short stride and explosive lower half. He shows a fluid rhythm to his swing and slight uphill path to the ball. He is an outstanding athlete and definite follow as he improves his physical strength.

13. Jacob Nicewaner, 3B/C, Tecumseh HS, 2014
Strong 6-0, 185-pound body. Worked out at various position but projects best as a corner infielder. Ran 5.37 in the 40-yard dash (concrete). Bat is best tool. Switch hitter shows good base and load and squares barrel well on ball with 82 mph bat speed. With improved lower half torque, he should project home run power. At the corner spot, shows lateral feet and hands with 76 mph arm strength. As a catcher, blocks well laterally, but needs to enhance glove to hand exchange (2.13-2.15 pop). On the mound, he shows moderate arm speed through a high 3/4 arm slot. Fastball sits 76-77 mph; curveball sits 62-63 mph; and changeup sits at 70 mph.
 
14. Jarrod Houchin, 3B/RHP, Bellefontaine HS, 2014
Two shot potential. This 5-foot-10, 160-pound player currently projects best as an offensive 3B/2B type on next level. Ran a good 5.04 40 yard on concrete. Solid infield skills with good feet and hands. Showed good range with a solid 77 mph arm from all angles. The right-handed bat shows potential with good hand load and bat speed (79 mph) into the zone. His power projection will come with added physical strength and enhancement of lower body torque. On the hill, he has 3/4 moderate arm with 77-78 fastball. 
 
15. Frank Cioffi, RHP, Walsh Jesuit HS, 2014
Tall, lanky 6-foot-3, 170-pound body with physical projection. Young man has good delivery, gets arm extensions with moderate arm speed through upper 3/4 slot. Shows good control of all pitches. Fastball shows some late life ranging 80-82 mph. Showed some feel on downward tilt breaking ball (73-74) and excellent arm action and run on his change-up (73-74). With an increase of arm strength on his fastball, he could climb the charts into a D-1 hurler.   

16. Jordan Elam, OF/RHP, Bethel, 2014
6-foot, 180-pound two-way prospect with athletic, solid build. Right now, likely projects as a corner outfielder at the next level. Registered a 5.5 40-yard dash. From the outfield, he uses short arm action through a ¾ arm slot to reach a top velocity of 77 mph. He plays through the ball and uses a quick, clean exchange. At the plate, he uses a slightly open stance with a long stride. He uses an explosive lower half and quick bat speed (80 mph).  On the mound, the right-hander uses moderate arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. His fastball is straight and sits 78-79 mph; curveball shows some spin and sits 66-68 mph; and his changeup shows some sink and sits at 70 mph.

17. Casey Gose, INF/OF, Genoa HS, 2014
Excellent athleticism describes this 5-foot-9, 150-pound player who possesses solid raw skills. Ran an outstanding 4.85 40-yard dash on concrete. Defensively can easily project as outfielder or middle infielder. Shows excellent lateral mobility and good hands with 78-80 mph arm strength. Would like to see master one position to maximize ability. Right-handed hitter needs some work at the dish. Open stance. Needs to improve low hand trigger and lower half torque which will improve bat speed  (69 mph).  

18. Nate Arnett, 3B/RHP, Valley, 2014
6-foot-1, 195-pound prospect with solid, athletic build. Registered a 5.16 40-yard dash time on concrete surface. Across the infield, he reached a top velocity of 75 mph using short arm action. He needs to improve his glove work and hands. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows some pop in his swing along with some serious bat speed (88 mph). He will become an even more effective hitter by better incorporating his lower half. On the mound, the right-hander shows a 75-78 mph fastball with some arm side run. His curveball sits 65-68 mph and shows some small bite with 11/5 action. His 67-68 mph changeup is thrown near fastball arm speed.

19. Casey Tyler, OF/LHP, Logan Elm, 2014
6-foot-1, 150-pound two-way prospect with lanky build. Registered a 5.39 40-yard dash. From the outfield, he shows quick, short arm action through a high ¾ slot to reach a top velocity of 84 mph. At the plate, the left-handed hitter starts with an open stance. He needs to consistently square up his front side, which will aid his bat speed and path to the ball. On the mound, he shows some potential with moderate arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. His fastball shows some arm side run and sits 79-81 mph. His curveball has some downward break and sits 67-68 mph. He shows some feel for a developing 68 mph changeup.

20. Kyle Holdsworth, IF, Walsh Jesuit, 2014
5-foot-10, 160-pound prospect with thin, athletic build. Registered a 5.39 40-yard dash. In the field, he shows fluid footwork with a quick, clean exchange. He uses short arm action through a ¾ arm slot to reach a top velocity of 71 mph across the infield. Likely projects as a second baseman at the next level. At the plate, he uses a slightly open stance. He shows some good bat speed (78 mph) with a line drive type swing. He needs to consistently square up his front side and shorten his path to the ball as he can get long at times.


Best of the Rest 

Austin Franz, LHP, New Albany, 2014
6-foot-3, 155-pound prospect with a tall, lanky frame. Uses moderate arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. Fastball is straight and sits 72-74 mph. Curveball shows downward spin and sits 59-62 mph. Changeup is 63-66 mph.

Bubba Cantrell, OF/LHP, Tecumseh, 2014
5-foot-7, 155-pound prospect with athletic, solid build. Registered a 5.22 40-yard dash. Best suited for the outfield. Reached a top velocity of 78 mph from the outfield with short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. Quick and clean exchange. At the plate, the left-handed hitter shows a balanced, athletic setup. He shows good bat speed (75 mph) with pull tendencies in his swing. On the mound, the southpaw uses a slow rhythm with quick arm speed through a high ¾ arm slot. His fastball sits 76-78 mph. His curveball sits 63-65 mph and shows effective 1/7 breaking action. His changeup is still developing as it sits at 68 mph.

Blake Swanger, RHP/OF, CHCA, 2014
6-foot-2, 165-pound prospect with tall, athletic build. Registered a 5.00 40-yard dash. From the outfield, he reached a top velocity of 78 mph. Displayed long arm action through a high ¾ slot. Uses quick and clean exchange. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses an open stance with a short stride. He takes a short, level path to the ball that produces a line drive type swing. On the mound, the righty uses moderate arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. His fastball is straight and sits 80-81 mph. His curveball shows some spin and sits at 67 mph. His straight changeup sits at 67-68 mph.

Brady Knittel, IF, West Portsmouth, 2014
Short, soft build. Registered 5.88 40-yard dash. In the infield, he shows average hands and needs to improve his foot speed and lateral movement. He reached a top velocity of 66 mph across the infield with short arm action. At the plate, he uses a slightly closed stance that limits the use of his lower half. Needs to continue developing his skills and physical strength.

Braydon Focht, RHP, Northmont, 2014
6-foot, 160-pound right-handed pitcher that uses quick arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. His fastball is straight and sits 79-80 mph. His curveball shows some downward spin and sits 64-66 mph. His changeup tends to be flat and sits 74-75 mph.

Brian Bullock, P/OF, Loveland, 2014
5-foot-11, 185-pound prospect with thick, solid build. Registered a 5.39 40-yard dash. Shows the athleticism to play a corner outfield position or potentially third base. Shows fluid footwork with a quick, clean exchange. Reached a top velocity of 82 mph with long arm action through a high ¾ slot. At the plate, the right-handed hitter takes a short, slightly uphill path to the ball. He shows the potential for pull power. On the mound, the righty uses moderate arm speed through a high ¾ arm slot. His fastball shows late life and sits 79-81 mph. His curveball shows downward spin and sits 67-68 mph. His changeup is thrown with decent arm speed and sits 73-74 mph.

Chris Rice, 3B/RHP, Mason, 2014
6-foot-3, 185-pound prospect with tall, thin frame. Registered a 5.42 40-yard dash. In the field, he shows average hands and footwork. He needs to improve the speed of his exchange and transfer. He uses short arm action through an over the top slot to reach a top velocity of 74 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows some potential. He uses a tall, upright stance with a short stride. He shows average bat speed with line drive production. He will improve his consistency and power by staying on his backside as he has a tendency to dive at the baseball. On the mound, the righty uses a 74-76 mph fastball with some sink. His curveball sits at 63-64 mph with sharp 11/5 breaking action. He lacks complete command of a 66-67 mph changeup that shows the occasional fade.

Derek Varner, MIF, Turpin, 2014
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound prospect has a solid, athletic build. Registered a 5.47 40-yard dash. He shows athletic actions in the field with good hands and a quick, clean exchange. He reached a top velocity of 79 mph across the infield with short arm action. At the plate, he uses a slightly open stance with a short stride. At times, he doesn’t close up the front side, which leads to some mechanical issues. When he puts it all together, he shows some good bat speed (79 mph) and line drive production.

Doug Compton, OF/RHP, Summit Country Day, 2014
5-foot-11, 155-pound prospect with short, thin frame. Registered a 5.14 40-yard dash. From the outfield, he reached a top velocity of 72 mph with short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. At the plate, he uses a balanced setup and excellent use of his lower half. He produces consistent line drives with pull tendencies. At times, his path to the ball can get long.

Garrett Levine, 1B/RHP, Columbus Academy, 2014
5-foot-11, 185-pound prospect with thick frame. Registered a 5.73 40-yard dash. In the infield, he reached a top velocity of 73 mph with an over the top arm slot. At the plate, he uses a slight crouch and shows inside/out tendencies with his swing. On the mound, the right-hander uses moderate arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. He shows a straight 76-77 mph fastball along with a 63 mph curveball with some spin and a 68-70 mph changeup with occasional run.

Graham Oberer, C, Northmont, 2014
6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect with thick build. Registered a 5.7 40-yard dash. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 64 mph and pop times ranging from 2.28-2.58. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a slightly open stance with a medium size stride. He takes a long path to the ball that produces a slappy, contact type swing.

Greg Suber, RHP/C, Delaware Hayes, 2014
6-foot-1, 200-pound prospect with big, soft frame. Registered a 5.81 40-yard dash. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 68 mph with pop times ranging from 2.21-2.38. At the plate, he starts with an open stance and a short stride. He shows average bat speed (70 mph) with a short, slightly uphill bat path and pull tendencies. On the mound, he displays average arm speed and short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. His fastball is straight and sits at 70-74 mph. His curveball lacks effective break and sits at 66 mph. His changeup is his best off-speed pitch. It is thrown near fastball arm speed and sits at 68-69 mph.

Hunter Clanin, C/RHP, Bishop Ready, 2014
6-foot-2, 165-pound prospect with tall, athletic build. Registered a 5.06 40-yard dash on concrete surface. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 73 mph and 1.94-2.05 pop time with a slingy, low ¾ arm slot. At the plate, he sets up in a slight crouch. He has a tendency to open his front side early, which leads to some mechanical issues. He shows an uphill bat path with pull tendencies. On the mound, he uses moderate arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. Fastball is straight and sits 76-78 mph. He lacks command of 61-62 mph curveball and his changeup registers at 69 mph. Also, he uses a 64-66 mph knuckle ball that shows some tumble.

Jack Goodwin, 3B, Rock Hill, 2014
5-foot-11, 185-pound prospect with solid, athletic build. He registered a 5.2 40-yard dash. In the field, he shows average hands and footwork, but uses a quick, clean transfer. He reached a top velocity of 71 mph across the infield using short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a slightly open stance with an explosive lower half. He takes a short, quick slightly uphill path to the ball.

Jacob Gwinner, LHP/1B, Harrison, 2014
6-foot, 160-pound two-way prospect with thin frame. He uses moderate arm speed through a ¾ arm slot. His fastball sits 71-72 mph; curveball sits 61 mph; and changeup ranges from 67-70 mph.

Joey Ludwig, OF/LHP, Moeller, 2014
5-foot-10, 180-pound two way prospect. Registered a 5.2 40-yard dash. Likely projects as a pitcher at the next level, but didn’t throw at this event. From the outfield, he uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot to reach a top velocity of 76 mph. At the plate, the left-handed hitter uses an open stance along with a short, compact swing. He shows a slight, uphill path to the ball and line drive production to all fields.

Josh Mack, MIF, Firestone, 2014
5-foot-9, 145-pound prospect with small, athletic frame. Registered a 5.36 40-yard dash. In the infield, he uses long arm action through an over the top arm slot to reach a top velocity of 70 mph. Displays good range with quick footwork and above average hands. Needs to quick his exchange and transfer. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a slightly open stance with a short stride. The contact hitter shows a fluid rhythm to his swing. Will improve as a hitter by using his lower half and becoming physically stronger.

Matthew Wargacki, C, Springboro, 2014
6-foot, 170-pound prospect with athletic frame. Registered a 5.02 40-yard dash on concrete surface. From the crouch, he registered pop times ranging from 2.3-2.42. He showed long arm action and reached a top velocity of 65 mph. At the plate, the contact hitter takes a short, level path to the ball. Needs to improve use of lower half to develop better torque within his swing.

Nathan Parks, OF, Jackson, 2014
5-foot-6,  160-pound prospect with small, athletic frame. Registered a 5.06 40-yard dash time. From the crouch, he reached a top velocity of 70 mph. His pop times ranged from 2.00-2.32 seconds. At the plate, the right-handed hitter displays a short, compact swing with a sight uphill bat path.

Nick Burton, 2B, Bellefontaine, 2014
5-foot-9, 145-pound prospect. Registered 5.14 40-yard dash time. In the field, he uses short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot to reach a top velocity of 72 mph. He shows soft hands, but needs to keep improving his foot speed. At the plate, he starts with a slightly closed stance. He displays good torque with his lower half. He gets good extension at contact and produces consistent line drives.

Ryan Cox, MIF, Moeller, 2014
5-foot-6, 150-pound prospect with short, athletic frame. Registered a 5.02 40-yard dash time on concrete. In the field, he shows smooth, athletic actions. He has fluid footwork and a quick transfer that helps lead to a top velocity of 73 mph across the infield. At the plate, the right-handed hitter starts with an open stance. His swing is hindered at times by the inability to close up the front side. With some minor adjustments, he could be a solid, contact hitter.

Ryan Langhorst, RHP, Lakota West, 2014
5-foot-7, 140-pound prospect. Displays moderate arm speed and long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot. Fastball sits 72-74 mph and shows some sink. Curveball sits at 65 mph and shows late 11/5 breaking action. Changeup may be his best pitch. He throws it near fastball arm speed. The pitch sits at 67-68 mph and shows good fading action. With additional maturation and physical development, he could be an interesting follow.

Tim Hoppe, C, Clyde Green Springs, 2014
5-foot-11, 160-pound prospect. Registered 5.1 40-yard dash time. From the crouch, he registered a top velocity of 71 mph while consistently putting his throws on the bag. His pop time ranged from 2.02 to 2.06. Solid catch and receive type guy right now. At the plate, he starts with a closed setup. During his load, he has a tendency to bar his front arm, which adds length to his swing and forces him to inside/out the baseball.

Trent Kaltenbach, C, Jonathan Alder, 2014
5-foot-10, 160-pound prospect with solid, athletic build. Registered a 5.01 40-yard dash time on concrete surface. From the crouch, he uses a low ¾ arm slot to reach a top velocity of 67 mph. His pop times ranged from 2.24-2.25. At the plate, he starts with a slightly open stance. He gets good torque with his lower half. He takes a short, slightly uphill path to the baseball that leads to a line drive type swing with pull tendencies.

Tristan Ball, IF, Edison, 2014
6-foot, 155-pound prospect with strong, muscular frame. Registered a 5.41 40-yard dash time. In the field, he shows average hands and needs to improve his footwork. He threw a top velocity of 67 mph across the infield using short arm action through a high ¾ slot. At the plate, he uses a balanced, athletic setup. He takes a short, uphill path to the ball and shows the potential for pull power.

Tyler Elgin, MIF/OF, Grove City Christian, 2014
5-foot-6, 115-pound prospect with small, athletic frame. Registered a 5.61 40-yard dash time. From the outfield, he used long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot to reach a top velocity of 67 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter uses a balanced setup with a smooth rhythm to his swing. He is a contact hitter that should add additional power as he physically develops.

Underclass games OH