2027 Utah Top 10 Prospects (First Look)
December 17, 2023
The first edition of the Top 10 prospects for the class of 2027 from the Beehive State is a really strong initial group of young 14/15 year old prospects that will be fluid and ever changing as the next calendar year ensues. This group was formulated and evaluated by our Prep Baseball staff, along with a poll of 4-5 trusted travel ball coaches and organizations.
We held the annual 2023 Rising Stars ID last June at “The Hive” Juab HS Fieldhouse in Nephi, Utah, where over 40 rising freshman we’re scrutinized and combed through in making this list, but what was surprising, was after consulting with many travel ball coaches and orgs, the vast majority of the top players were in attendance and then other top 2027’s attended the GBG Utah Scout Day at the end of September as well.
The names that stood out were followed through social media and other outlets, and this past week a poll was taken to nominate not only top players from those teams, but coaches were asked to recommend players from outside their respective teams/orgs. The players were then checked for multiple nominations and then finally cross checked with our Prep Baseball player profiles, videos of those players, scouting reports written by state director and former 20 year MLB scout Jeff Scholzen. Data from our various national brand tech partners, Trackman Baseball, Blast Motion and Swift Performance were also used to put the final pieces of the puzzle together in coming up with a workable, yet strong Top 10 to promote moving forward as we enter the 2024 UHSAA spring baseball season.
Now with any top 10 list, as players develop within this list, as well as players not on this list, and more importantly other players are discovered through our ‘24 event season, this list will change and may change quite a bit, as players are tracked during the upcoming HS season. Players will rise, fall out and subsequently enter the updated looks at the Top 10 in the coming months. These are the realities of initial Top 10 rankings as players are entering their first HS season. But once games are played, the summer showcase event season kicks into high gear and dozens and dozens of new players are ranked, top players will hold serve, but others will fall and newcomers will rise!
So players if you didn’t make this ranking, it behooves you to make yourself known, market and attract attention by getting in front of our Utah staff, so the state as well as the national baseball community are aware of your talents and skills, to become recognized and promoted throughout your HS careers. It’s up to YOU and no one else to put yourself on the state and national radar. Our excellent staff of former college and professional baseball players, who are the state’s biggest HS baseball coaching names and have won numerous state titles, state coach of the year awards and are connected, as well as embedded in State Director Jeff Scholzen’s vast network of trusted sources to identify the best crop of top HS baseball talent.
By getting in front of our staff, you’ll have the opportunity to be marketed and promoted through our vast nationally acclaimed multi-media, social media and online content platforms, to college and professional scouts, to put you squarely in the crosshairs for future invite only state events, regional as well as prestigious national events, that are seen and recruited by hundreds upon hundreds of top D1, D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO head coaches and recruiting coordinators!
With that said we present the first look at the Prep Baseball Utah Top 10 Prospects for the class of 2027…Enjoy!
2027 Top 10 Prospects
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Sam Dart LHP / 1B / Spanish Fork, UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 1 / POS: 1
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Ryder Huntsman SS / RHP / Pleasant Grove , UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 2 / POS: 1
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Cooper Goff OF / Mountain Ridge, UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 3 / POS: 1
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Committed:  |
Porter Campbell OF / LHP / Pine View, UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 4 / POS: 2
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Kulani Matsuoka (Roberts) C / OF / Hurricane, UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 5 / POS: 1
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Kayden Lambson RHP / 3B / Spanish Fork, UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 6 / POS: 1
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Pratt Morley 2B / RHP / Spanish Fork , UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 7 / POS: 1
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Beckham Rowley LHP / 1B / Stansbury, UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 8 / POS: 2
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Trent Chris LHP / 1B / Snow Canyon, UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 9 / POS: 3
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Tosh Schneider SS / 2B / Pleasant Grove, UT / 2027
Rankings State Rank: 10 / POS: 2
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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, 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. Currently 2019 (14th Rd) draft pick, RHP-Paxton Schultz from Utah Valley U, is currently in AAA with the Toronto Blue Jays, and is a phone call away.
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, and also recruited and coached World Series RHP-Ryan Jensen of the San Francisco Giants, who would finish with a top 5 finish for NL Rookie of the Year. 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 27, Miranda 24, McKenzie 22 and the couples only son, Grant Scholzen 18, who is a freshman 2B at D1 WCC school, the U of the Pacific (Pacific Tigers) on scholarship. After Heidi's passing in 2014, Scholzen married Cami Macias Scholzen, a widow herself and the same age as Heidi and the couple have now been married 8 years. Between both families, Jeff has 3 grandchildren and 5 step grandchildren (8 total) and 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.