Under Armour Classic: Day 2 Notebook

By PBR Staff

BRADENTON, FL – The Louisiana Knights didn’t enter the inaugural Under Armour Classic with the biggest name or the most tradition of the loaded 12-team field.

But the Knights certainly made a splash at IMG Academy after it strung together three impressive wins to advance to Sunday’s championship game.

The Knights, perhaps the youngest team with multiple 2019 prospects, showed its ability – and resiliency – when it rallied to upend the GRB Rays, 4-3, in the second semifinal game Saturday evening to punch their ticket to the championship game. The Knights will face MSI-Bubba in the title game at noon Sunday.

The Knights, whose 3-1 record includes victories over the Elite Squad and Toronto Mets, dug themselves a quick 2-0 deficit in the first inning against GRB (2-2). Trailing 3-1 heading into the fourth, the Knights pushed three runs across to take a 4-3 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. 2019 C Kade Shannon (Oak Grove HS, MS) ripped a run-scoring double to left-center in the inning, and 2019 2B Wyatt Verret (Franklinton HS, LA) delivered the decisive blow with the game-winning single up the middle that plated 2019 OF Nick Vitale (St. Paul HS, LA).

2018 OF/RHP Logan Stevens (Northlake Christian HS, LA), who’s having a big tournament at the plate, made the lead stand up as he pitched three innings of scoreless relief with his 83-85 mph fastball and mid-70s slider.

The GRB Rays, based in Wisconsin, was a dark-horse to advance to the championship bracket after they rallied from a 6-0 deficit to upend previously unbeaten FTB, 7-6, in the bottom of the seventh of the final pool-play game. The Rays rode that momentum into the game against the Knights, jumping to a 2-0 advantage thanks to the scorching hot bat of 2018 C Stephen Lund, who smoked another double to right field. Lund, a Gonzaga recruit, finished 2-for-3.

Other game highlights:

+ GRB 2018 RHP Jack Brown (Eau Claire Memorial HS, WI) was one of the day’s biggest surprises. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound wiry right-hander came in relief pumping 85-88 mph fastballs from the stretch, then the following inning he pitched at predominately 87-89. Brown has a quick, whippy arm, working from a high-3/4 slot and slightly across his body. Although he threw mostly fastballs, he also flashed a promising mid-70s slider.

+ Keep an eye on 2018 Lee Blosser (Jesuit HS, LA), a 6-foot-4, 212-pound left-hander who started for the Knights. Although he struggled with the strike pitch at times, the arm works and he flashed promise with his 83-85 mph fastball early on. When he begins to consistently sync up his delivery, Blosser could see a velocity spike in the coming years.

+ Although it was previously been mentioned, it bears repeating: Lund, a physical 6-foot, 193-pound right-handed hitter, barreled baseballs all tournament long, with multiple extra-base hits.

- Sean Duncan

MSI-Bubba 3, Elite Squad 1

MSI-Bubba moved on to the championship of the Under Armour Classic behind a strong performance from 2018 LHP Joe LaFiora (Neumann Goretti HS, PA). He tossed six innings, allowing just one run on seven hits and a walk while striking out four. MSI-Bubba took a third inning 1-0 lead behind an RBI fielder’s choice from 2018 C Hunter McGarvey (LaSalle HS, PA) and never looked back. MSI-Bubba extended their lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning with an RBI triple from 2018 1B Hunter Hall (Oxford HS, PA). Elite Squad was able to scratch out a run and threatened to rally a couple times, but MSI-Bubba capitalized on mistakes and got clutch outs when they needed them.

+ LaFiora commanded his fastball to both sides of the plate at 77-80 mph while also keeping the Elite Squad hitters off balance with a 72-mph slider.

+ 2018 3B Justin Meyer (The Haverford School, PA) has a compact quick swing with a good approach. He led the game off with a double and had two more hard line drives in the game.

+ 2018 2B Bryce Cunningham (Springside Chestnut HIll Academy, PA) showed good actions at second as well as a balanced set-up and a quick, level swing while staying on a breaking ball early and driving a fastball up the middle for a hit in his last at-bat.

+ 2018 OF Cory Acton (Westminster Academy, FL) continued to show an advanced approach, good lower half and good path to the ball, producing two more hits and an RBI.

+ 2018 OF Ty Crittenberger (Cardinal Gibbons HS, FL) is an athletic outfielder with a level line-drive swing, which led to a 2-for-2 day with two singles. Crittenberger also showed his athleticism on the bases, stealing second.

+ 2018 RHP Trevor Kniskern (Pompano Beach HS,FL) was 85-87 mph with the fastball showing a quick arm with occasional late action. Kniskern was very competitive, throwing a lot of strikes and working down in the zone. The breaking ball ranged from 70-72 mph with late depth when he stayed on top with extension.

FTB 6, Virginia Cardinals 6

The Virginia Cardinals took a 3-0 lead, which included a solo home run from SS Gregory Ryan (Benedictine College Prep, VA), but 1B/RHP Travis Lane (Phillips Academy, MA) knotted things up with a bases-clearing double. Both teams went back and forth and finished in a tie when the game was called due to the time limit.

+ 2018 SS Gregory Ryan (Benedictine College Prep, VA) has a lean, athletic build and displayed some quick hands with a confident approach at the plate. He consistently squares the ball up and showed gap-to-gap potential with the ability to drive the ball. His home run cleared the wall in left-center field. He also had a line-drive single to right. He is committed to Pittsburgh.

+ 2018 OF Michael Peterson (Prince George HS, VA) is lean and athletic with a medium build. He’s balanced in the box and showed good bat speed with the ability to use the whole field. He was also aggressive on the base paths. He singled into left field and had a hard tiple in the right-center gap.

+ 2017 3B Tyler Butler (Manchester HS, VA) stood out in the game with the ability to make some consistent contact. He showed a good approach with an RBI single into right field and a line-drive double into the right-center field gap. He also stole a couple of bases, showing good awareness on the base paths.

+ 2018 1B/RHP Travis Lane (Phillips Academy, MA) is balanced in the box with some strength in his swing from the left side. Has has collected multiple extra-base hits this weekend and added another one today in his bases-clearing triple deep into the left-center field gap. A Boston College recruit, he’s a confident hitter.

+ 2018 OF Jacob Young (Ponte Vedra HS, FL) has stood out all weekend with hits in multiple games. He takes smart at-bats and delivered a key sacrifice fly late in the game. Defensively, he can track the ball in the outfield.

Titans Baseball (GA) 5, Toronto Mets 3

Down 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh the Toronto Mets scored twice but the comeback fell short as Titans Baseball held on for a 5-2 win.

+ Titans Baseball 2017 RHP Nolan Donley (Cherokee HS, GA) struck out 10 in five innings giving up one run on three hits and no walks. The 6-foot, 180-pound righty showed an athletic delivery and quick arm throwing from a ¾ slot with some effort. His fastball was clocked at 81-85 mph with sinking action to it. He also showed feel for a 72-76 mph breaking ball with sharpness. Donley used a 74-75 mph change-up effectively to both right-handed and left-handed hitters keeping it below the zone for several swinging strikes.

+ We only saw a quick glimpse of Titan Baseball 2018 RHP Austin Hunter (Roswell HS, GA) as he came in with runners on in the seventh to record the final three outs of the game, however the thin 5-foot-9, 160-pound right-hander showed a simple delivery and quick, clean arm action throwing an 83-85 mph fastball, topping out at 87. Hunter also showed a controllable breaking ball with 11/5 shape at 64-65 mph throwing the only three that were called for strikes.

+ OF Khary Lewis (Hillgrove HS, GA) of Titans Baseball lead the offense going 3-for-3 with a pair of base hits to center field and an infield single.

Ohio Elite 3, Dulins Dodgers 2

Ohio Elite pulled out the victory with a bang when Dulins appeared as though it would tie the game, at the minimum, in the seventh when it put runners on first and third with one out. Blake Miller did his job, it seemed, by lofting a ball to right field for a sacrifice fly. Or so it seemed. 2018 OF Tristin Siemer made the catch and proceeded to fire a strike to the catcher on a fly to get the runner at the plate and end the game.

+ 2018 C Mitchell Smith (Bishop Ready HS, OH) is swinging one of the hotter bats of the tournament. The solidly built 6-foot, 180-pounder finished 2-for-3 with deep run-scoring triple to right-center field. He also had a run-scoring single in the first inning and his only out was barreled up to centerfield. For good measure, he also threw out a runner at third base in the first inning.

+ 2018 SS Zach Dezenzo (Marlington HS, OH), an athletic 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-handed hitter, went 2-for-2 with a double to centerfield, a walk and a run scored.

+ 2018 LHP Evan Taylor (Florence HS, AL) came in relief for Dulins and showed an easy 81-83 mph fastball with arm-side run. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has long limbs and has a loose, easy arm, short and athletic arm action.

+ 2018 OF Jaylon Wilbon (St. Benedict HS, TN) is a high-motor right-handed hitting outfielder who showed off his top-level athleticism. The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder had three singles, including one that he beat out on a chopper, running a 4.15 down the line.

GRB Rays 7, FTB 6

GRB was down 6-0 and started a rally in the fourth inning that was capped by a walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh. 2018 C Connor Manthey (Columbus HS, WI) chopped a single passed the third baseman with the bases loaded and two outs.

+ 2018 OF Brady Schipper (Stoughton HS, WI) delivered a two-run double in the sixth. Schipper is an athletic outfielder with a compact swing.

+ 2018 C Connor Manthey (Columbus HS,WI) is a solid defensive catcher with a short, compact swing. He had two hits, including the game winner.

+ 2018 RHP Cedric Girard (Oregon HS, WI) was erratic throughout his outing, but showed a loose and quick arm with a fastball ranging from 85-86 mph. The 6-foot-2, 158-pound righty is lanky and projectable and will be interesting to follow despite struggling today.

+ 2018 OF Jacob Young (Ponte Vedra HS, FL) continued to hit with two more singles as well as two runs batted in. The athletic outfielder continues to impress with his consistent, quality at-bats.

+ 2019 RHP Dylan Delucia (Mainland HS, FL) was 82-83 mph with the fastball and commanded it to both sides of the plate. He has a clean arm action while working down in the zone. His breaking ball ranged from 72-73 with tight spin and depth. His changeup was 73-74 with late aciton.

Dulins Dodgers 10, North East Baseball 2

The Dulins Dodgers jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first and never looked back on their way to a 10-2 win over North East Baseball on Saturday.

+ Alabama commit 2018 LHP Ryan Weathers (Loretta HS, TN) threw five strong innings giving up one run on two hits, a walk while striking out seven. The physical 6-foot-1, 195-pound lefty worked 86-88 mph with his fastball in the first inning, touching 91. Early in the game he threw a heavy dose of fastballs with arm-side run while occasionally mixing in a 71-73 mph controllable breaking ball. Towards the end of the game he flashed a 74-75 mph change-up. Weathers features a simple delivery with body control while throwing with an easy arm from a ¾ slot.

+ Dulins was lead offensively by Vanderbilt commit 2018 IF Tate Kolwyk (Arlington HS, TN) who went 2-for-4 with a single, triple, stolen base and two runs scored.

+ 2018 OF Eli Davis (Brighton HS, TN) also plated two runs including a drag bunt base hit and triple while stealing a base for the Dodgers.

+ Dulins 2018 Hunter Goodman (Arlington HS, TN) chipped in with an infield single and single to centerfield in his final two at-bats while also scoring a run.

+ 2018 C Chase Phillips (St. Benedict HS, TN) reached base three times in three plate appearances with a pair of walks and single to left field while also stealing a base.

Elite Squad 6, Ohio Elite 1

Elite Squad came away with a 6-1 victory behind a strong performance from their starter, 2018 RHP Alex Rao (Oxbridge Academy, FL). He threw five shutout innings with eight strikeouts and allowed two hits. Elite Squad received production from up and down their lineup as 2018 MIF Alexandro Bello (Hiahleah Educational Academy, FL), 2018 OF Tyler Crittenberger (Cardinal Gibbons HS, FL), and 2019 1B/RHP Triston Casas (American Heritage HS, FL) combined to drive in three runs on the day.

+ 2018 RHP Alex Rao (Oxbridge Academy, FL) has a strong, durable build on a large 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame. His fastball mostly sat 84-85 mph, touching 88, while he mixed in in a 69-71 mph curveball. He seemed to get stronger as the game went on and at one point struck out five batters in a row.

+ 2018 MIF Alexandro Bello (Hiahleah Educational Academy, FL) has a live, compact body on a smaller frame with a scrappy approach to the game. He takes good at-bats, fouls off tough pitches, and showed the ability to hit line drives to all parts of the field.

+ 2018 OF Ty Crittenberger (Cardinal Gibbons HS, FL) Has an athletic, lean build who is quiet in the box with a wider stance. He had a strong RBI single into right field and showed some good plate discipline.

+ 2019 1B/RHP Triston Casas (American Heritage HS, FL) has a physical, athletic build on a 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame. He continues to show why he is one of the top hitters in the country with a quick bat, aggressive approach, and the ability to consistently make hard contact from the left hand side. He went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and a triple. He is committed to Miami.

+ 2018 3B Kevin Maura (Gulliver Prep, FL) has a projectable, athletic build and continued to hit the ball well, going 2-for-3 with two singles. He has a short, quick swing and uses all parts of the field.

+ 2018 RHP Nick Thwaits (Fort Recovery, OH) is lean and projectable with some athleticism. He uses a short, quick arm action and sat 87-89 with some run on his fastball. He also had some good spin on his 76-77 curveball.

+ 2018 SS Zach Dezenzo (Marlington HS, OH) is tall and lean with a projectable frame. He has a short, quick swing and had a hard line-drive single into right field. He showed good actions, athleticism and an accurate arm from shortstop.

Titans Baseball (GA) 2, MSI Bubba 0

Titans Baseball scored a run in the first and another in the fifth and that’s all they would need as they captured a 2-0 win over MSI Bubba on Saturday after noon.

+ Titans Baseball 2017 RHP Ethan Myers (King’s Academy, GA) threw six shutout innings giving up just one hit, one walk while striking out seven.

+ 2018 RHP Jack Ryan (Briar Cliff HS, NY) threw six solid innings for MSI Bubba in the loss holding Titans Baseball to two runs. The 6-foot-1, 155-pound righty has an easy, athletic delivery working 81-82 mph with a sinking fastball, topping out at 84. He also mixed in a 72-73 mph controllable curveball and 68-69 mph change-up.

Top Tier 7, North East Baseball 2

Top Tier plated two runs in both the first and second innings to build a four-run lead on their way to a 7-2 win over North East Baseball on Saturday.

+ 2018 RHP Sammy Butera (Niles West HS, IL) threw four shutout innings in the start for Top Tier. The 6-foot, 175-pound righty works fast and showed a fastball with mostly arm-side run at 84-86 mph, topping out at 87. He also features a 71-72 mph breaking ball and 77-79 mph change-up.

+ Top Tier 2018 IF Andrew Hoffman (Plainfield East HS, IL) went 2-for-3 with a pair of opposite field singles.

+ Arkansas commit C Chase Stanke (Marmion HS, IL) collected two hits in three at-bats including a double down the right field line and an infield single.

Top Tier 5, Virginia Cardinals 1

2018 OF/1B Dakota Kotowski (Providence Catholic HS, IL) led the way for Top Tier, going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a run and was hit by a pitch. The physical 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-handed hitter has continued to show himself as one of the better power bats in the tournament. He keyed a two-run fifth inning when he crushed a two-run double to deep left-center field. 2018 RHP Brandon McPherson (Marmion HS, IL) pitched five solid innings to earn the victory behind his 81-83 mph fastball that topped at 85.

+ Top Tier 2018 OF Austin Ehrens (Carmel Catholic, IL) had a pair of hits and a run in the lead-off spot.

+ 2018 SS Gregory Ryan (Benedictine College Prep, VA), a Pitt recruit, has showed well all tournament long. The athletic 6-foot, 170-pound right-handed hitter ripped a double to left field, walked and scored a run against Top Tier.

+ 2018 3B Scott McDonough (Mills Godwin HS, VA), a rangy 6-foot-3, 190-pounder, showed a strong arm at third base and also went 1-for-2 while reaching base three times in the game.

Louisiana Knights 6, Toronto Mets 0

The Louisiana Knights, led offensively by 2018 OF Logan Stevens, defeated the Toronto Mets by a score of 6-0.

+ 2018 SS Jordin LaBruzza (John Curtis HS, LA) got the scoring started for the Knights with an RBI single to left field.

+ 2019 INF Carson Byrd (Spanish Fort HS, AL) added a hard double down the left field line.

+ 2019 SS KC Hunt (Ramapo HS, NJ) continued to show a loose swing and barrel control, scorching a single into the right-center gap.

+ 2018 OF Logan Stevens (Northlake Christian HS, LA) was the big producer on the day with a hard single and a big two-run home run. The left-handed hitter has had an outstanding weekend, consistently making hard contact from a balanced, athletic set-up and a simple, easy stroke.

+ 2018 RHP Austin Frierson (Pearl River HS, LA) got the start and went a strong four innings, allowing no runs and sat 80-82 mph with his fastball.

+ 2018 RHP JC Parker (Thompson HS, AL) closed it out for the Knights, throwing lots of strikes from a low-3/4 arm slot with an 80-82 mph fastball.

+ 2017 RHP Hayden Malenfant (Sinclair SS, ON) got the start for the Mets and sat 83-85 mph. He has a good frame, the arm works and he lands open, falling off to the first base side. His breaking ball was 69-70 mph and the changeup was 75-76 mph.

+ 2017 SS Dondrae Bremner (Bill Caruthers SS, ON) has an athletic, rangy frame and showed a loose left-handed swing with some bat speed. Defensively, he flashed actions and solid arm strength across the diamond.

+ 2018 1B Dawson Walters (Bylth Academy, ON), who stands at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds showed strength at contact from the right side. Despite being caught out on his front foot, he hit a hard double to straight away center.

+ 2018 IF Daniel Carinici (Pickering HS, ON) showed bat speed from the right side, which resulted in a hard single and hard line drive out to left field.

More Under Armour Classic Content

+ Day 1 Notebook
+ The Rode Show
+ Schedule and Rosters