2025 Preseason All-State: Quick Hits ~ Catchers
March 1, 2025
This past Saturday, February 22nd, the Prep Baseball Utah staff hosted it's marquee showcase of the preseason with the annual Utah Preseason All-State at Crimson Cliffs HS, in Washington, Utah. This event continues to serve as the top preseason high school event in the State. This event featured 115 of the top prospects in the 2025 - 2028 classes and featured a strong crop of both committed and uncommitted upperclassmen, as well as several of the premier unsigned underclassmen ready to open their recruitment this upcoming summer.
Preseason All-State events allow top players in each region to showcase their offseason gains ahead of the high school season with an updated profile, completed with a new headshots, updated metrics through out tech partners TrackMan, Blast Motion, VALD Performance, Vizual Edge and more. These events also serve as identifiers for Invite-Only events in Utah such as the Preseason All-State, Top Prospect Games and Utah State Games, as well as national events such as the Future Games, Senior Future Games and West Coast Games.
The past few days, we broke down the top measurable data performers from the event with our Statistical Analysis, Positional Data Dive and Pitching Data Dive articles. Now, we will take a further in-depth look at some of the players in our "Quick Hits" breakdowns, starting withn the Infielders with the help of our tech partnerships, broke down below:
For complete event results and post event content: click here.
To register for the Utah Rising Stars ID (Apr. 12), click here.
Catchers (Lucky Seven)
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James Hallows C / 1B / Woods Cross, UT / 2026Rankings StateRank: 18 / POS: 2
Scouting Report: 2/22/25 Positional Profile: C/1B A fun find at the Preseason ID in January with the EV power and cannon for an arm. Repeated that performance t the Preseason All-State and once gain left the yard with solid to hard contact and once again showing the bazooka of an arm. Body: 5-11, 206-pounds. Med frame with catcher type build thickness throughout. Country farm boy strong Hit: RHH. Upright even prop stance with a high bat over the back shoulder Slightly uphill and shows a fair to avg on-linwe plane, that needs to use his legs to move up and down vertically with the body to get on plane 76.1 mph bat speed with 12 G's of rotational acceleration. Power: 101 max exit velocity, averaged 94.0 mph. 334' max distance. Solid to plus raw power and the ball jumps on a line and features backspin to the alleys Arm: RH. C-81 mph. Quick exchange with God given arm strength. Accurate and throws carry through the bag with consistent 1.85-1.95 throws. Defense: 1.85-2.00 pop times. Need to see more of him in game situations, and will ge that in couple of weeks in preseason tournaments ATH: 7.66 runner in the 60. Runs like a catcher and will be a station to station type Vizual Edge: 73.61 Edge Score |
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Jakob DeVries C / RHP / Park City, UT / 2025Rankings StateRank: 40 / POS: 5
Committed: Lassen College
Scouting Report: 2/22/25 Positional Profile: C/RHP A former Future Games and West Coast Games alum that has really developed over the last 2 years into Lassen College, CA commit and has pull side power and can catch/throw solid avg Body: 6-0, 166.2-pounds. Lean skinny twitchy build that has an active lower 1/2 and moves well side to sid Hit: RHH. Semi-squat crouched stance with his bat at flatter lay down on the shoulder with a solid load and separation to get into a sound position to hit Power: 100 max exit velocity, averaged 91.5 mph. 343' max distance. Pull side LD juice with loft at times on pitches spinning and up. Twitchy strength Arm: RH. C-83 mph. Quick exchanges with a fast quick fluid on line arm Defense: 1.85-2.03 pop times. Frames with an extended glove and just needs one tweak to lock in solid receiving skills. Quick to drop and block and comes out of the shoot well for quick exchanges ATH: 7.19 runner in the 60. Runs avg at 7.19 for a catcher and can go 1st to 3rd and reads balls in the dirt in game action Vizual Edge: 87.41 Edge Score |
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Abe Wilson C / SS / Skyline, UT / 2027Rankings StateRank: 18 / POS: 3
Scouting Report: 2/22/25 Positional Profile: C/SS A recommended player by his coach that recommended Luke Taylor. Can run for a catcher and for any position. A developing bat with pull side juice and signifies the catch/throw phrase Body: 6-0, 167-pounds. A young sophomore, with a lean twitchy athletic build that projects physically and shows a base of movement patterns to improve and develop further Hit: RHH. Semi squat with an even prop stance and the bat held semi flat over the back shoulder. Looks to be turning a corner confidence wise and look for a big year with the bat Flat bat, allows for a drop into the zone type barrel lag that allows for consistent contact 65.3 mph bat speed with 9 G's of rotational acceleration. Power: 97 max exit velocity, averaged 86.6 mph. 319' max distance. Latent pull side power and splits the gaps right now and shows backspin carry on a line Arm: RH. C-80 mph. INF-81 mph. Defense: 1.85-2.20 pop times. Solid catch/throw with consistent 1.9 times and an avg big league arm. Need to see catch a full game to assess the receiving skills and how he works with pitchers ATH: 6.95 runner in the 60. Runs well for a catcher at 6.95 and has an active lower 1/2. Vizual Edge: 78 Edge Score |
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Tavake Wolfgramm C / OF / Pleasant Grove, UT / 2028Rankings StateRank: 7 / POS: 1
Scouting Report: 2/22/25 Positional Profile: C/OF Tavake comes from bloodlines, as his brother Tua was a star at Pleasant Grove and was a member of Team Utah at the '23 Future Games and subsequently committed to BYU, where he is a freshman UTL player looking to make and gain his mark Body: 5-8, 150-pounds. Med thin athletic frame with considerable room to project. With room for another 30-35 Lbs of added strength and maturity to come. Hit: LHH. Upright narrow even prop stances, with the ability to be on time and uses his setup to roll under pitches with his back left shoulder to generate leverage. An on-plane plane of attack with his bat circle to create a backspin type effect with all fields use and hits it where it's pitched 67.2 mph bat speed with 19 G's of rotational acceleration. Power: 90 max exit velocity, averaged 73.3 mph. 340' max distance. Gap power now and able to drive the ball to the RCF alley and into the RF corner. With physical maturity shows the instincts to hit and find the barrel. More over the fence type production as he physically develops Arm: RH. C-77 mph. OF-80 mph. Arm plays at multiple spots and shows defensive versatility. Full complete fluid arm circle with quick feet and fluid exchange Defense: 1.95-2.08 pop times. Frames well for a 15 year old and will only get better as his baseball IQ marinates. Shows the tendency to really get rid of the ball quickly to make up for a lack of pure arm strength. Quick fluid exchange with his back side coming through for proper arm ext out front ATH: 7.16 runner in the 60. Running similar to his brother at the same time…Tua went from 7.4 to 6.6/60's and made some of the biggest tool growths of any player of the past 4+ years Vizual Edge: 77.32 Edge Score |
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Aaron Costello C / RHP / North Sanpete, UT / 2026Rankings StateRank: 38 / POS: 6
Scouting Report: 2/22/25 Positional Profile: C/RHP A small town kid who has really improved his game as he's been filling out and maturing. The LHH bat behind the plate is a commodity and the catch/throw skills have really jumped Body: 5-11, 180-pounds. Well prop with a chance to be strong with strong gym work. Base it's there to add another 10-15 Lbs of lean muscle Hit: LHH. Crouched bent over the plate and gets to near separation and should really stretch out the rubber band. Slightly uphill LD contact bat that has had some swing and miss in his past. The swing looks more efficient than last look 69.7 mph bat speed with 12 G's of rotational acceleration. Power: 92 max exit velocity, averaged 86.2 mph. 343' max distance. Lacks HR power and the strength needed and to impact the baseball to and through the gaps is more to his potential Arm: RH. C-77 mph. INF-79 mph. Defense: 1.96-2.01 pop times. Has come a long way and is getting his body to receive and be quiet with strong throws has made improvements ATH: 7.70 runner in the 60. Runs like a catcher and should look to loosen up the hips not on for his base running, but the added benefit side to side as a catcher Vizual Edge: 63.95 Edge Score |
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Kazon Hawes C / OF / Bear River, UT / 2027Scouting Report: 2/22/25 Positional Profile: C/OF The son of highly successful Bear River HS head coach, Donald Hawes, who was an everyday catcher at Utah and played in the Reds organization. Kazon is schooled in the fundamentals and gets the proper coaching to make natural marked improvements over the next 3 seasons. Will get his shot to win the job behind the plate in '27 Body: 5-8, 166-pounds. Smal framed but stout and put together. Young catchers build that projects Lb for Lb strong Hit: RHH. Conventional setup to hit with an all fields approach. On-Plane flatter stroke to drive the gaps for a contact oriented game. 67.5 mph bat speed with 21 G's of rotational acceleration. Power: 93 max exit velocity, averaged 87.5 mph. 332' max distance. 92 EV is a good place to be in right now for the rising sophomore. Impacts the ball on a line to LCF and the pull side Arm: RH. C-72 mph. Defense: 1.95-2.05 pop times. The arm strength will continue to improve as he projects strength at maturity. The quick feet and exchange allows for the arm to continue to improve. The lower 1/2 allows for quicker pops and reactions behind the plate and they are there and in place right now ATH: 7.53 runner in the 60. Runs about where a catcher would be at this age. Can see with proper speed work, a 7.1-7.2 respectable time and the increased twitch on the bases Vizual Edge: 52.16 Edge Score |
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Dane Morphy C / SS / Bingham, UT / 2027Rankings StateRank: 24 / POS: 6
Scouting Report: 2/22/25 Positional Profile: C/SS Looks to be the Miners everyday guys this year. If not real soon. Has the mechanics behind the plate to make an impact. The catch/throw skills are vastly improved and is coming into his own to be the guy in the future Body: 5-10, 155-pounds. The body has jumped with age and maturity. Really small in the past and now 5-10 155 and growing. Lean athletic frame to build another 20-25 Lbs if he gets after it in the gym. Hit: RHH. Conventional and classic with a simple weight transfer to get into a solid position to hit Flatter LD stroke that needs to add weight and strength to really control the bat head to manipulate the swing around the zone 64.3 mph bat speed with 5 G's of rotational acceleration. Power: 86 max exit velocity, averaged 84.3 mph. 312' max distance. Drives the ball on a line to the gaps and hard pull shots through the 6 hole. Strength and maturity will come into play he continues to get stronger Arm: RH. C-74 mph. Quick feet and gets into the proper position and setup to throw. Solid pop times and the catch/throw tools are coming now Defense: 1.93-2.03 pop times. Strong setup with a semi-wide base. Athletic movement patters allow for side to side and the ability to drop/block and recover nicely. Soft hands to receive and loves the position and the nuances that come with it ATH: 7.38 runner in the 60. Runs okay for a catcher and could see a 7.0 in his future with strong lower 1/2 increased development Vizual Edge: 78.94 Edge Score |
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SCOUTING DIRECTOR (BIO)
Scholzen comes to Prep Baseball after serving 9 years as the "Four Corners" Scouting Supervisor with the Milwaukee Brewers (2011-2020). Prior to his run with the Brewers, Scholzen worked for the Los Angeles Angels for 11 years (1999-2010), serving in the same capacity as the "Four Corners" Scouting Supervisor (UT, WY, So-ID, Las Vegas, AZ, CO, NM and El Paso). Scholzen received a 2002 World Series ring for his contributions as a scout with the Angels.
With the Angels, Scholzen created an Angels Scout Team, in which he coached the following MLB players: Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, Greg Bird, Tyler Wagner, Aaron Blair, Joey Rickard, Donn Roach, Johnny Field, Taylor Cole, Andy Burns and Paul Sewald to name a few.
During his run with the the Angels, Scholzen also served as the hitting coach for the Angels rookie ball affiliate in the Pioneer League, the Orem Owlz, helping guide the Owlz to the 2005 and 2007 Pioneer League titles, which earned Jeff two more championship rings.
In Scholzen's 20 year scouting career, he was credited with the signing of 6 MLB players starting with:
Brandon Wood, SS, Angels 2003, 1st Rd ~ Efren Navarro, 1B, Angels 2007, 50th Rd ~ Donn Roach, RHP, Angels 2010, 3rd Rd ~ Tyler Wagner, RHP, Brewers 2012, 4th Rd ~ Payton Henry, C, Brewers 2016, 6th Rd ~ Ryan Aguilar, 1B/OF - Brewers 2017, 31st Rd ~ Scholzen also had an additional 3 players added to various clubs 40 man MLB rosters over the years.
2019 (14th Rd) draft pick, RHP-Paxton Schultz from Utah Valley U, is currently in AAA (Buffalo Bisons) with the Toronto Blue Jays, and former 40 man Brewers rostered RHP (Utah Tech) Dylan File, just recently signed a AAA contract with the Seattle Mariners.
Prior to becoming a professional scout, Scholzen served as the head coach at Southern Utah University between 1993-1997. At the time, Scholzen was the youngest Division I head coach in the country, when he was first hired at 24 years old. The Southern Utah baseball program was dropped after the 2012 season. While coaching at Southern Utah, Scholzen served as the hitting coach for the Alaska Goldpanners in 1995, as they won the Alaska League Championship. Scholzen also recruited and coached World Series RHP-Ryan Jensen of the San Francisco Giants, who would earn a top 5 finish for NL Rookie of the Year in 2002. Scholzen and Jensen had the unique opportunity, to be on opposing sides of the ledger, when Scholzen's Angels and Jensen's Giants squared off in the 2002 MLB Fall Classic.
Scholzen also had the pleasure of coaching Jensen's roommate and back up catcher, Kyle Turner who has worked in professional/major league baseball for 24 years. Kyle currently is in his 14th season with the big league Kansas City Royals and serves as the clubs Head Athletic Trainer. Turner was instramental, while a young player for Scholzen at Southern Utah, in introducing Scholzen to his first wife, the late Heidi Dalton Scholzen, who passed away in December of 2014. A native of Utah, Scholzen played at Hurricane HS and was twice named 1st team All-State and an AAU HM All-American, before moving on to Utah Valley CC and Eastern Oregon University, earning All-Conference honors on three separate occasions. Scholzen played in the Angels’ organization in 1991.
Scholzen was married to his late wife Heidi for 20 years and their union produced four children - McKyla 28, Miranda 25, McKenzie 23 and the couples only son, Grant Scholzen 19, played 2B/3B at D1 WCC school, the U of the Pacific (Pacific Tigers) on scholarship, in 2024 and transferred to Salt Lake CC.
After Heidi's passing in 2014, Scholzen married Cami Macias Scholzen, a widow herself and the same age as Heidi and the couple now have been married 9 years. Between both families, Jeff has 3 grandchildren and 5 step grandchildren (8 total). The Scholzen's reside in Hurricane, UT in the bottom left SW corner of the state, near the most iconic and scenic national parks in the country.