TX Summer Championships Top Prospects - Part 2
June 15, 2022
TEXAS - We kicked off our summer tournament schedule down in Houston for the Texas Summer Championships this past weekend and the competition and talent was even better than expected. With many of the top teams from across the state in the 2024 and 2025 classes, our staff was able to see some familiar faces as well as some players that we hadn't seen before. 36 teams went at it over 4 days, with the NTX Longhorns winning each age group. As we go through each team, we will highlight players that stood out over the weekend and caught our scouts eyes. Lets take a look at part 2 of 4 as we break down the Texas Summer Championships.
+ PART 1
DFW Twins
+ Ryan Jones - 3B - 2024 - Aledo - Uncommitted
Standing 6-foot-2, 190-pounds Jones is a sweet lefty swinging third baseman that flat out hits. Jones hit the ball hard all weekend to all fields. The athletic third baseman has a balanced setup with natural rhythm in the hands to start his swing. One of the more impressive things about Jones is his ability to hit the ball middle in with authority to left center field. It may look like he is beat on a pitch but he is on plane so early in his swing that he is able to still drive that pitch with authority. Jones already has some present strength but there is still plenty of room for him to fill out and physically mature even more. The athletic left handed hitter will be a hot name this summer among college coaches.
+ Drew Roberts - SS - 2024 - Keller - Uncommitted
6-foot, 180-pounds showed natural athleticism around the ball at SS all weekend. Roberts put multiple good swings on the ball over the course of 4 games resulting in a .250 batting average with a couple hard hit balls that didnt result in a hit. Roberts will continue to add strength and would only think that would allow him to hit for more juice as he gets older. Roberts doubles as a football player at Keller and he plays like it on the baseball diamond. Definitely a name to follow with the Twins.
+ Charlie Anderson - CF - 2024 - Trinity Valley - Uncommitted
Standing 6-foot-3, 180-pounds, Anderson is a rangy, good looking center fielder with lots of athleticism in the actions. Anderson didn’t have the results at the plate on the weekend but showed a lot to love from his flat left handed stroke. Anderson drove a ball to left field that was up in the zone and he stayed flat to it and backspun it with authority right at the left fielder. In a short look Anderson was impressive athletically and should be a guy that enjoys lots of success over the summer.
+ Jackson Burns - RHP - 2024 - Southwest Christian - Uncommitted
Standing 6-foot-4, 200-pounds, burns shows you a lot to like moving forward. Burns didnt have his sharpest outing on the day but showed enough to make you want to see it again. His fastball worked from 84-87 mph with slight cut, and breaking ball was 67-68 mph. The changeup was used as the third pitch at 76 mph. Burns throws with a long arm path in the back and releases from a high ¾ slot with a loose finish at the end. The athletic right hander will be an arm to add to the list to follow this summer.
Dallas Patriots - Brooks
+ Jordan Stribling - LHP - 2024 - Highland Park - Uncommitted
The imposing 6-foot-5 lefthander was as advertised in his first outing since the high school season. Pitching at 88-91 mph with more control over command, Stribling creates tough angles with the FB when down in the zone as well as being able to elevate and stay above the barrel. The breaking ball still has room for improvement but will show some shape at 72-73 mph. Overall Stribling still has plenty of room for development and to refine his craft on the mound but the ceiling is extremely high.
+ Wyatt Sanford - SS - 2024 - Frisco Independence - Texas A&M
Standing 6-foot, 160-pounds the Texas A&M commit shined all weekend on both sides of the ball. The athletic shortstop is as polished of a defender as youll find. Sanfords footwork and foot speed allow him to move in all directions with ease. On thursday, Sandford made one of the better plays Ive ever seen from a HS shortstop when he played through a ball on a slow roller, caught it on the correct hop off the inside of his left foot and the ball was out of his hand with something on it from a low slot in the blink of an eye. In the box Sanford hit .600 on the weekend with two triples, showing added strength and bat speed from the Future Games last summer. Sanfords stroke is buttery smooth showing the ability to drop the head and drive the ball to RF as well as showing the ability to drive a ball with backspin to left field. It will be fun to follow along with Sanford’s career as he continues to improve each time our staff sees him.
+ AJ Ripley - LHP - 2024 - J.J Pearce - Uncommitted
Ripley caught our eye last year in this same tournament, and he was nothing short of impressive once again. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound left hander pounded the strike zone at 81-84 mph with the fastball and 68-71mph with the curveball. Ripley hides the ball well throughout his delivery getting 10 swings and misses, 5 in the zone and 5 out of the strike zone, in his 3 innings of work on the day. The fastball and breaking ball tunnel well together coming out of the same slot and staying on the same plane for a long time. Ripley’s stuff doesnt scream electric but the amount of swing and miss he got was impressive to say the least.
Twelve 2024 Black
+ Eduardo Tamez - SS - 2024 - Episcopal - Uncommitted
Tamez stood out on a talented Twelve Black team over the weekend. The athletic shortstop makes all the plays he is supposed to make up the middle of the field and showed plenty to like with the bat even though the results werent always there at the plate. Tamez has a balanced setup with a simple load allowing him to repeat his best swings. There is still plenty of room for added strength and with time the bat will add more power. Tamez does all the things youd like to see from a middle infielder.
+ Brock DeYoung - CF/MIF - 2024 - Cinco Ranch - Uncommitted
DeYoung is simply the guy that makes the Twelve Black team go. A bit undersized per the roster but you cant miss the way he plays on the field. DeYoung was out in center field most of the weekend because thats where the team needed him at the time, but he is more than capable on the infield dirt as well. Deyoung packs a surprising punch with the bat showing the ability to drive the ball to both gaps for extra bases on the weekend. On the base path, he is a pest that is looking to take the extra base at all times. It was great to see him compete and play the game hard and the right way all weekend. There is a lot to like about the ultimate utility player for the Twelve Black team.
+ James Rheaume - RHP/1B/3B/OF - 2024 - Strake Jesuit - Uncommitted
Standing 6-foot-3, 190-pounds, Rheaume shows you a lot to like on the mound now and even more down the road. The lean right hander throws with a short path from an over the top slot and hides the ball fairly well getting weak contact and some ugly swings. The fastball worked from 82-88 mph but sat mostly in the 84-87 mph range. The fastball shows some arm side action to it at its best and can create a tough angle down in the zone for hitters. The breaking ball shape plays well with the fastball at 70 mph right now and surely will get harder with time. Rheaume swung the bat pretty well too from the left side on the weekend getting a tough RBI against a quality left handed arm in the semi final game against Hunter Pence. All in all, Rheaume shows a lot to like and will be a quality arm all summer for the Twelve.
+ Jordan Coronado - OF/RHP - 2024 - Anderson-Shiro - Uncommitted
Stoutly built at 6-foot-1, 205-pounds, the physical left handed hitter put quality swings on the ball all weekend hitting at a .333 clip with 3 RBIs in 4 games. Starting from a balanced setup with a simple load, Coronado showed bat control when facing a tough left handed arm with two strikes, as well as the ability to drive the ball when in a hitters count to the pull side gap. He started the semi final game on the mound and didnt have the best results but showed something there to follow this summer. Coronado ran the fastball up to 88 and sat mostly 84-87 mph but showed a breaking ball that had shape and promise if he is able to command it in the zone a bit better. In my first look at the talented two way player I walked away impressed and wanting to see him more as the summer progresses.
+ Sean Gardiner - MIF - 2024 - Port Neches Grove - Uncommitted
Gardiner put together quality at bats all weekend long. The undersized middle infielder seemed to always work the count and fight off tough pitches to eventually get hits, work a walk, or hit the ball hard. Gardiner is another one of the Twelve Black players that doesnt try to do too much in the box but simply puts the barrel on the ball. The middle infielder played the game with a bounce in his step and did a lot of the little things on the field that you like to see.
+ Cooper Markle - C - 2024 - Katy Tompkins - Uncommitted
Catching is still fairly new to Markle but he showed a lot to like about his natural ability behind the plate over the weekend. Markle received the ball with soft hands and loose wrists, and showed the ability to stick tough pitches down in the zone. There is still plenty of room to develop as a backstop but at first glance, I walked away impressed and curious to see what it will look like later in the summer. Markle has a smooth left handed stroke that should translate to hitting at a high clip with some power as he adds strength to the frame.
NTX Longhorns 2025
+ Luke Billings - C/RHP - 2025 - Prosper - Tennessee
The #1 player in Texas and #11 player overall showed why he is worthy of that ranking over the weekend. The Tennessee commit did a little bit of everything over the 4 days that ended with him starting the championship game on the mound. On the mound, he was 85-87 T88. He also flashed an above average slider that he was throwing in the mid 70’s with high spin. He was able to get swing and misses on the pitch in and out of the strike zone. He also flashes a Change Up that has potential. Offensively, Billings showed his power potential with a double deep into the Left Center gap to help his team win the championship game. Billings has true 2 way ability and continues to elevate his game.
+ Nick Wesloski - RHP/OF - 2025 - McKinney Boyd - Uncommitted
One of the more intriguing arms on the weekend was Wesloski. The first thing that sticks out is his frame. Has long limbs and a frame that looks like a future workhorse. He was 81-85 in relief of the championship game. The velocity was easy and I expect some big velo jumps in the near future. He has some sinking action and arm side run to the fastball and is tough to elevate. He also showed a slider that had good shape that he got swing and miss with.
+ Brody Mattox - 3B - 2025 - Prosper - Uncommitted
One of the better offensive performances on the weekend belongs to Mattox. He had multiple hard hit balls and had 3 doubles on the weekend. He is in the box looking to damage with every swing, but does a good job of staying balanced and under control. He also quiets down with 2 strikes and becomes more contact oriented. Mattox also looked good with the glove at 3rd. He showed soft hands and a quick release. The Jr. Future Games Alum continues to improve his game and hits every time we see him.
+ Jody Murillo - LHP/1B - 2025 - Denton Guyer - Uncommitted
One of the better pitching performances of the weekend was Murillo’s relief outing on the 1st night. He came in and was dominant to secure a Longhorns win. He was an elite strike thrower and was able to throw all 3 pitches for strikes. He featured a 79-81 mph fastball he throws with good tilt and commanded all 4 quadrants. He has a short arm swing and hides the ball well. He also showed a mid 60’s CB that he threw for a strike and buried in the dirt. He also kept RHH’s honest with a CH that he threw with good arm speed.
+ Jack Jones - SS/3B - 2025 - Prosper - Uncommitted
Jones put together some good swings on the weekend and had multiple rbi hits. The first thing you notice about Jones is the physicality. He has the look of a future power hitting Corner infielder. He has a quiet setup without a lot of wasted movement. He showed the ability to hit the ball with authority to the RC gap with a line drive double. There are a lot of tools in his game, it will be fun to see how he progresses.
+ Patrick Crayton Jr.- MIF - 2025 - Hebron - Uncommitted
Crayton keeps getting better every time we see him. He showed well on both sides of the ball. At the plate, while he didn’t have a lot to show for it, Crayton squared up multiple balls to deep Centerfield at Rice Friday night. And with his frame, as he continues to fill out and mature, it’s easy to dream on his power potential. At short, he showed off easy arm strength by making multiple throws from deep in the 6 spot and making them with minimal effort. He also made some good plays around the bag turning an unassisted double play on his own. There is a lot to like in Crayton’s current game, but there is a lot more to come and will be fun to follow.
+ Reese Ogden - C - 2025 - Lovejoy - Uncommitted
The imposing left handed hitter has as much juice as anyone that played over the weekend in both age groups. With a balanced and simple setup the big left hander has minimal movement pre swing and is able to generate natural power without trying too hard. There is a bit of natural lift in the swing which is fine as he continues to add strength, many balls will wind up over the fence for home runs instead of doubles now. Ogden is an interesting player to follow from the talented 2025 Longhorns group.
Hunter Pence James 2024 Pitchers
+ Cooper Schwank - RHP - 2024 - Foster - Uncommitted
Schwank was quite impressive in his one outing over the Texas Summer Championships. Going 6 innings and striking out 8 while walking 1, the uncommitted right hander shows a lot to like moving forward. Schwank throws from a ¾ slot with a long path and a quick arm, with natural deception to hide the ball well. The fastball worked from 85-87 mph topping at 88 mph with the breaking ball at 74-76 mph with more slider shape than curveball shape. Schwank is an interesting uncommitted arm to follow this summer on the talented Hunter Pence -James team.
+ Kai Parker - RHP - 2024 - The Woodlands Christian - Uncommitted
Parker made two appearances in the tournament, once coming in relief and the starting the championship game. He sat 82-85 consistently and touched 86-87 in the two outings, with command to both sides and getting some swing/miss at top of the zone. BB was 69-73 and then 72-75, landing for strikes in both outings with glove-side depth. Overall, Parker continues to improve each time we see him.
+ Chase Batten - LHP - 2024 - Foster - Arizona State
The 2021 Future Games alum didnt necessarily have his best outing but was still able to impress with his development as a pitcher. The fastball worked 83-87 mph, CB was 73-75 mph, and CH was 76-77 mph. Early in the game, Batten used more of a 3 pitch mix relying more on his FB/CB with an occasional CH but he wasnt sharp and had to make an adjustment to go deep into the game. He did just that relying more on the FB/CH combo and allowed him to get quick cheap outs on weak contact early in the counts after the first inning. Batten has a natural rhythm to the delivery with a long path behind him showing the hitters a funky look from the left side. As he continues to develop as a pitcher, one would think there is still more velo to come and the secondary stuff will only get sharper.
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