Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

TX Scout Blog: Week 8 Games

April 18, 2024
PBR TX Scouting Staff

The Texas Scout Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the Prep Baseball Scouting Staff during the season. This running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects, and anything else that is notable. We will provide a wide range of information, including player evaluations, Video, Stats, and more. Below are the standout players from week 8 of the TX HS Baseball Season.

WEEK 8 SCOUT BLOG

+ 2025 SS Kayson Cunningham - SA Johnson - Texas Tech Commit

Cunningham continues to shine every time we go to see him. The #1 2025 in Texas, Kayson may be the best pure hitter in the class regardless of class. He can go foul line to foul line and is now starting to really backspin balls to the pull side. His barrel is in the zone for a long time and his barrel to ball skills continue to shine.  Cunningham has the arm and foot speed of a shortstop, and his glove work is always fun to watch. Cunningham plays with great bounce and energy, and you can tell he has fun when he steps between the lines.  As we get closer to the summer, Cunningham will start to gain more attention as it gets closer to the 25’s turn.

+ 2025 RHP Aiden Barrientes - Katy - TCU Commit

The Katy Jr. and one of the top arms in the ‘25 class made a brief appearance when I was there.  He showed an upper 80’s fastball that topped out at 91. He also flashed some high spin breaking balls that have a chance to be a real difference maker. Barrientes shows good mound presence on the mound and repeats his mechanics well. He has a stronger lower half and should be able to eat up innings at the next level. Shows the ability to be a consistent strike thrower and can win in the zone. He is part of a deep pitching staff at Katy.

+ 2025 SS Lucas Franco - Cinco Ranch - TCU Commit

Staying with the 2025 class, I saw Franco last week as well. The future Horned Frog and #3 player in Texas had some barrels and shows some of the best actions at the hot corner in the state.  Franco’s frame really stands out when you first see him. He has a high waist, and you can envision him gaining a lot of good weight and strength. He has good rhythm in the box from the left side, and shows the ability to use the whole field. I feel like the swing is most geared towards hard contact from gap to gap, but as he matures I think the power potential is there.  He takes a very mature infield, with everything being done fundamentally sound. He has good feet, and a strong arm. Elite prospect with big upside.

+ 2025 LHP Xavier Mitchell - Prestonwood Christian - Texas Commit

Another 2025, this time on the mound. The future Longhorn got the start for Prestonwood in a big district game against Jon Paull II. The lefty ran his fastball up to 92, and after a little command issue early in the game, he settled in and dominated in the middle innings. He can spin it as well, and the breaker has good shape. He shows the feel to back foot it as well to righties.  Mitchell has a very projectable frame, and it’s easy to envision him adding more velo as he gets older. 

+ 2026 RHP/1B Trent Vilade - Prestonwood Christian

I have seen Vilade a hand few of times this spring, and I come away more impressed each time. The two way talent showed his offensive game on Friday night. The 6 '3 sophomore got some good swings off against a quality arm and showed the ability to drive the ball with authority to the back side. He has a great frame, and while there is some present strength now, there is a lot more coming. He is still growing into his body, and that makes it exciting on what he will become once he has more strength and body control. Vilade has also been into the low 90’s this spring and is part of a talented rotation.  Vilade continues to have a monster spring.

+ 2024 OF Christian Hallmark - Brandeis - Navarro JC Commit

The Navarro JC recruit was a lot of fun to watch play and compete last week. The CF made his presence felt on both sides of the ball. He hit a big 3B in the game that got Brandeis back in the game. He kept the game close early in the game, when he made a diving catch and threw a guy out at home from CF.  Hallmark has good speed, can defend and shows some gap power at the plate. He plays with energy and a toughness that every college coach seeks.

+ 2025 LHP/OF Taylor Tracey - Dripping Springs - Tennessee Commit

Tracey has been coming out of the bullpen for the Tigers this year and I was able to see him come in and shut the door in the 7th. He needed only 14 pitches and used mostly the FB at 87-88 and ran it up to 90 on the final pitch that resulted in a strikeout. It was a quick, 3 up, 3 down inning for the Tennessee commit, needing only 14 pitches. He struck out 2 and sealed the deal on the Tigers win over Lake Travis. He looks to be healthy and this is great news for Dripping Springs as they look toward the playoffs coming up in a few weeks. Tracey also had an RBI single through the left side in this game.

+ 2025 RHP Cooper Rummel - Dripping Springs - Texas Commit

Rummel got the start for Dripping Springs in a big district matchup last week vs Lake Travis. The big righty looked up for the challenge from the start. I have seen Rummel many times since he was a freshman, and this was the most confidence I have witnessed from him. He went 6 scoreless innings, allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 9. The FB was 89-93 and was mostly 92-93 through the first 3 innings. He throws two slightly different breaking balls, a CB at 75-76 and a SL at 79-81. Both pitches are effective when he trusts them, which he did for the most part in this outing. I still believe that Rummel has only scratched the surface on the pitcher that he can become as he continues to gain experience in big games. The Texas commit is not done getting better.

+ 2025 UTL Dom Hurley - Dripping Springs - Uncommitted

Hurley has a sturdy build and hits out of the 4-hole for Dripping Springs. He made his presence known early in this game, turning around a 92 mph FB to drive in a run on a sharp line drive single to LF in the bottom of the 1st. This set the tone for the game, and the Tigers went on to win 3-0. Hurley takes aggressive hacks in the box and is a key piece in the middle of the order.

+ 2024 RHP Kadyn Leon - Lake Travis - Uncommitted

Althought Leon didn’t have his best start overall, the stuff is very apparent. The Righty was 89-92 and touched 93 with the FB. He throws his breaking ball hard and with conviction, running it up into the low 80’s consistently. When Leon pitches ahead, he is a tough AB, but in this game, he got behind in the count a little too often. The uncommitted Senior will be a solid addition to a pitching staff at the next level.

+ 2025 OF Jack Tyndall - Dripping Springs - Uncommitted

I noticed Tyndall a few weeks ago against Westlake and was looking forward to seeing him again. He went hitless in the game I saw last week, but made a game saving catch in LF. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, the Tigers held a 3-0 lead. A ball was smoked into the LCF gap, and Tyndall somehow tracked it down and made a diving catch. If he had not made the grab, the game would have been tied with Lake Travis on the front foot. The Athleticism is apparent when you see Tyndall float around in the OF.

+ 2024 LHP/1B Wyatt Gatlin - Lake Travis

Gatlin came on for the final 2 innings and the lefty worked efficiently for the Cavs. The FB was mostly 83-85 and he ran it up to 86 a few times. The CB was 69-72. He pounded the zone and didn’t allow any free passes while striking out 4. He kept Lake Travis in the game, getting them back in the dugout to try and score runs. He threw 23 strikes on 33 pitches.



UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Houston Rising Stars ID TX 05/07 The John Cooper School
2024 TX Rising Stars Games (Invite-Only) TX 05/18 Prestonwood Christian Academy - Plano, TX
Dallas Summer ID TX 05/28 Lake Dallas High School - Corinth, TX
Austin Summer ID TX 06/04 Liberty Hill High School - Liberty Hill, TX
San Antonio Summer ID TX 06/05 Cornerstone Christian High School - San Antonio, TX
Top Prospect Games: San Marcos (Invite-Only) TX 06/18 Texas State University - San Marcos, TX
Houston Summer ID TX 06/19 Rice University - Houston, TX
Top Prospect Games: College Station (Invite-Only) TX 06/25 Texas A&M University - College Station, TX
Top Prospect Games: Fort Worth (Invite-Only) TX 06/25 Texas Christian University - Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Summer ID TX 07/02 Weatherford College - Weatherford, TX
Top Prospect Games: Dallas (Invite-Only) TX 07/08 Dallas Baptist University - Dallas, TX
Future Games (Class of 2026/27) NATIONAL 07/24 LakePoint Sports
Junior Future Games (Class of 2028/29) NATIONAL 07/24 LakePoint Sports
Senior Future Games (Class of 2025) NATIONAL 07/24 LakePoint Sports
North Texas Senior Games TX 08/06 Weatherford College - Weatherford, TX



RELATED CONTENT