By Doug Hall
Tennessee Director of Scouting

Though our first event in Tennessee took place on August 24, we had the opportunity to see many players from the 2016 class during the summer travel ball season.  That continued this fall as we continued to scout tournaments in the state while also seeing a number of Class of 2016 players at our fall events.  Thus, we release our initial Class of 2016 player rankings.  The initial rankings include our top 25 players in the state and will be updated and expanded as we continue to compile more information and see more players from the class at our winter events.

Sevier County RHP Zach Linginfelter sits at the top of the class after an extremely impressive summer and fall.  The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Tennessee recruit dominated top competition while pitching for Team Elite Prime.  Linginfelter features a low-90’s fastball to go along with a power breaking ball and effective changeup.  With his size and dominant stuff, Linginfelter should have no problem drawing the attention of numerous pro scouts over the next 18 months. 

Briarcrest Christian Catcher Thomas Dillard checks in at No.2.  Switch-hitting catchers are a rarity, but Dillard provides big power from both sides of the plate and is one of the top offensive prospects in the country in the 2016 class.  The physically mature 6-foot, 220-pound Ole Miss recruit features an extremely strong lower half, and he creates tremendous bat speed and torque in his swing.  Dillard is a legitimate power threat to all fields from both sides of the plate.

Duncan Pence, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound SS from Farragut HS occupies the No. 3 spot.  Pence, a Tennessee recruit, put on a show as a member of Team Select at the PBR Future Games in August.  On workout day, Pence ran a 7.06 60-yard dash, showed 84 mph arm strength across the infield, and 94 mph exit velocity off the tee in addition to taking arguably the best two rounds of batting practice of the day.  Pence followed that up by earning MVP honors at the event going 4-for-7 with two doubles, two walks, three RBI, four runs scored, and a stolen base. 

CLICK HERE to view the entire top 25.

Here is a look at the top 10.

Rank	Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
1	Zach Linginfelter	TN	Sevier County	2016	RHP	Tennessee
2	Thomas Dillard	TN	Briarcrest Christian	2016	C	Mississippi
3	Duncan Pence	TN	Farragut	2016	SS	Tennessee
4	Tyler Thompson	TN	Hardin Valley Academy	2016	RHP
5	Korey Bell	TN	Brentwood	2016	RHP
6	Tucker Pate	TN	Karns	2016	C	Austin Peay State
7	Conrad Ray	TN	Houston	2016	RHP	Arkansas State
8	Jack Kenley	TN	Houston	2016	SS	Arkansas
9	Devante Matthews	TN	Sevier	2016	RHP
10	Will Heflin	TN	Morristown West	2016	LHP	Tennessee