Top Prospect Games South Texas Quick Hits: Pitchers
July 5, 2023
On June 27, the PBR Texas team hosted the Top Prospect Games: South Texas at Texas A&M. The event was invite-only and featured quality prospects from all HS classes. The day consisted of a showcase portion, followed by gameplay. Today, we take a look at some of the pitchers that stood out on the day.
Quick Hits
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Nick Bowman RHP / OF / Rains ISD, TX / 2024The athletic East Texas two way product put on a show all day, and hopped on the mound to start game 2 and was just as impressive. Bowman topped out at 88.1 during his outing, but that was after doing the showcase earlier in the day. There is more in the tank, and he has been into the low 90’s. It is an athletic delivery, he brings the hands over the head out of the wind up, and throws from a high ¾ slot. His favorite secondary pitch is his breaking ball that he throws in the low 70’s. Has good shape to the pitch,and it can probably make another jump if he starts to throw it with more power. He flashes a changeup as well. Bowman does it all at Rains HS, and is ultra athletic. Once he gets into college and gets on a consistent pitching program, Bowman could make some big jumps. |
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Donnie Edgar RHP / OF / Saginaw, TX / 2024I was excited to see Edgar after impressing in January and a really good HS season. The righty from Saginaw got things started during gameplay and featured a fastball that sat in the mid 80’s and topped out at 87.1 mph. Edgar has an athletic delivery with a clean arm, and still has a lot of good weight to put on. I expect his velocity could take a big jump with a good fall in the weight room. He showed good shape to his low 70’s breaking ball. He kept it down the entire outing and generated some swings and misses on the pitch. I really liked his changeup as well. He throws it with good arm speed and you can tell he really has confidence in the pitch. He threw a couple nice ones right on right that really showed the potential of the pitch. Overall, Edgar had a really solid day, and there is more coming for the rising senior from Saginaw. |
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Hagen Tijerina LHP / 1B / Mabank, TX / 2024Rankings StateRank: 171 / POS: 17
One of the more intriguing arms in College Station was Tijerina, the 6’5 LHP from Mabank. There is a lot to like here, and his best baseball is still in front of him. Tijerina also stars as Mabank’s QB in the fall, so baseball doesn’t get his full attention right now. His fastball sat in the low 80’s topping out at 84. There is a lot more there and with some mechanical tweaks, Tijerina could see some big jumps. He paired his fastball with a low 70’s breaking ball that had a short, late break to it. It has the ability to get both righties and lefties out, and as he throws it with more power, it could become a real weapon for him. Tijerina has the frame and athleticism to make some big jumps, and is a fierce competitor on the mound. |
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Brandon Stewart RHP / 3B / Sweeny, TX / 2024One of the standouts on the mound was Stewart. The physical 6 '1 righty from Sweeny was a strike thrower who missed a lot of bats. Stewart was up to 86, and got to both sides of the plate with consistency. I think there is another velo jump coming for Stewart, and I think he will pitch in the upper 80’s next spring. He showed good command of his breaking ball as well. He spun it north of 2500 rpm’s, and showed the ability to drop it in for a strike or bury it in the dirt for a put away pitch. Stewart showed good pitch ability on the day, and performs well every time we see him. |
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Mason Kinchen LHP / OF / Grand Oaks , TX / 2025Kinchen had arguably the top outing on the mound for the day. The Lefty from Grand Oaks filled up the strike zone from a tough angle with a 3 pitch mix and dominated. Kinchen has a fast pace delivery and then throws from a low ¾ slot that makes for some uncomfortable ab’s. His fastball sat 85-86, and really played up when he could get to the glove side and bury it on the righties hands. He showed the ability to back foot the slider and dropped multiple backdoor ones for strikes as well. He sprinkled in a couple nice changeups as well. Kinchen had a very impressive day, and should garner some attention at the beginning of next month. |
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Joseph Perillo LHP / 1B / Porter, TX / 2025Perillo is another Lefty that continues to make strides everytime I see him. Perillo continues to clean up his mechanics, and his stuff and consistency have really begun to take off. The rising Jr. sat 84-86 and topped out at 87. The fastball has good life on it with good ASR, it is all about him being consistently in the zone with the pitch. He threw an improved slider as well that was 72-74 that really played against lefties. When it was right, it was a true swing and miss pitch. Perillo continues to get better, and as the command continues to tighten up, his stock will continue to rise. |
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Harper Heathcott LHP / 1B / Lake Creek, TX / 2026Heathcott was a name I kept hearing about, so I was excited to get my first in person viewing. The talented Lefty has had a big summer, and he continued to shine at A&M. Heathcott was one of the younger arms in attendance, but showed great poise and mound presence. His fastball worked in the low 80’s from a very low effort delivery. He showed good strike throwing ability and the ability to work the entire zone. He complimented the fastball with an upper 60’s breaking ball. It had the right shape, and as he gets stronger and throws it with more power, it has the potential to be a real put away pitch. Heathcott was uber impressive on the day, and will be one to follow closely moving forward. |
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Josiah Rojas 1B / LHP / The Colony, TX / 2026Rankings StateRank: 62 / POS: 4
Rojas is considered more of a hitter, but after his outing on the mound at A&M, I think we start to consider him a legit two way prospect. The LHP from The Colony had a really good day overall, and was particularly sharp on the mound. He operated in the low 80’s with his fastball, topping out at 83.5 mph. The fastball seemed to play up on the hitters, as they weren’t getting good swings on the pitch. He also featured a big breaking ball that he would drop in for a strike or generate weak contact with. Rojas has clean mechanics with minimal effort and the stuff should continue to make jumps. With him and HS teammate Trey Rangel on staff, The Colony has quite the 1, 2 punch moving forward. |
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Caden Stambolis RHP / Katy Taylor, TX / 2026Rankings StateRank: 85 / POS: 16
Another name I was excited to see in person again was Stambolis. The rising Sophomore from Katy Taylor had one of the best outings on the mound the entire day. His fastball sat 82-84 and topped out at 85 mph. That is a 3 mph increase from when we saw him in January. He filled up the zone with his heater, throwins 71% strikes with the pitch and worked all 4 quadrants of the plate with purpose. He also threw a quality changeup to lefties that generated a couple swing and misses and a quality breaking ball. The breaking ball will continue to get better as he throws it with more power. Stambolis pitched with great poise and maturity and will be one to watch closely moving forward. |
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Cole Johnson LHP / 1B / Pieper, TX / 2026Rankings StateRank: 77 / POS: 6
Another 2026 who really stood out was Johnson. He stood out in his bullpen in San Antonio to begin June, but he impressed even more at A&M against some quality hitters. The Lefty from Peiper had a new velo PR, maxing out at 83.2 on the fastball. He pitched aggressively and confidently with the pitch, and it is only going to continue to get better. He throws a quality changeup to back up the fastball. He throws it with the same arm speed and conviction as his fastball and generates a lot of weak swings on the pitch. His breaking ball continues to get better and it is showing better depth. He can drop it into lefties or back foot it to a RHH. Johnson continues to impress with each viewing, and I’m excited to see the gains he makes next time. |
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Zachary Pearrow OF / LHP / Waxahachie, TX / 2024The rising senior from Waxahachie showed well down in College Station, as we have come to expect from the Lefty. Pearrow knows how to pitch and seems to have a plan of what he is trying to execute everytime I see him. His fastball sat in the low 80’s topping out at 84. It has good life on it and plays up in the zone. The fastball is tough to get on top of and square up. He also threw a curveball that he threw to both lefties and righties. He threw under the hands of righties and generated weak contact, and used it as a put away pitch against lefties. He throws a changeup to righties as well, where he starts it on the outside corner and tries to get the hitter to expand off the plate. Pearrow knows how to pitch, and he gets outs everytime we see him. |
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Cody Palacios OF / RHP / Magnolia West, TX / 2025Rankings StateRank: 113 / POS: 22
Palacios is known more of a position player, but the Magnolia West product was impressive on the mound. Palacios is a good athlete, and it shows on the mound. He has a simple, athletic delivery that he repeats well and lets him fill up the strike zone. The fastball sat in the mid 80’s and topped out at 87. He threw a curveball as his primary secondary offering, giving a nice wrinkle. Palacios is a good mover down the mound, and had a really good day overall. |
UPCOMING EVENTS
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| West Texas Summer Open | TX | 07/11 | Abilene Christian University - Crutcher Scott Field |
| Top Prospect Games: North Texas (Invite-Only) | TX | 07/17 | Texas Christian University |
| PBR Junior Future Games | NATIONAL | 07/25 | LakePoint |
| North Texas Senior Games | TX | 08/01 | Tyler Junior College (Mike Carter Field) - Tyler, TX |
| Dallas Summer Open | TX | 08/02 | Lake Dallas High School - Corinth, TX |
| South Texas Senior Games | TX | 08/09 | Blinn College - Brenham, TX |
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