VA/DC Scout Blog: John Battle at Abingdon

Elijah Childress 3B / RHP / John Battle, VA / 2025

Childress continues to have flashes in the two games I have seen him. It is a good, athletic body with proportional lean strength. Childress started at shortstop. He shows average to slightly above average arm strength and lateral range. Hands are average and probably has more third base/second base projection long term, but more than adequate high school shortstop. Has a knack for the barrel at the plate and some adjustability in the swing. Made a two strike adjustment in his second at bat and reached after battling a negative count. In his third at bat Childress hit a RBI single to left field. Like the upside here for the Battle sophomore. 

Porter Gobble RHP / SS / John Battle , VA / 2025

Like Hankins we got a good look at Gobble a few weeks back, but it was good to get some extended looks on the mound on Tuesday. The sophomore right hander was 84-86 in the first and then faded a bit in the second and beyond. He settled more so in the 81-83 range and in the 80-82 range from the stretch. The breaking ball varied in shapes at times, with some showing shorter shape and some having a bigger slurve look at 72-74 mph. Gobble is a strike thrower and is going to stay in the zone. He had some issues in the middle innings finishing counts and with his solid feel for his secondary that will get better as he matures and adds strength. 

Evan Hankins LHP / 1B / John Battle, VA / 2025

Although we touched on Hankins a few weeks back after his game at LCA, he got a few more opportunities with pitches in the zone tonight. The first pitch he saw, he did not miss. Got a first pitch fastball and deposited it way over the fence in right center. In his second at bat he chased a few changeups down and out of the zone while in plus and even counts. In Hankins third at bat, he got another pitch to handle and had a hard hit ball back up the middle that was a fielders choice. In six-plus at bats, I can probably count on one hand how many fastballs I have seen Hankins get and he has not missed many of them. Depending on the situation teams are not going to give in to this power threat and he will need to continue to grow in terms of patience and zone discipline, which is something that comes with time and maturity. He does not chase often and he has shown good patience early in game and early in counts, but will need to continue to do so once counts tighten. The Tennessee commit also came on in relief for two batters where he walked the first and struck out the second. Was 86-88, which is where I saw him a few weeks back, and threw a really good 77 mph slider versus a left hander, whom he struck out. 

Noah Sills RHP / John Battle, VA / 2024

Short outing for Sills. Lower three-quarter slot, low 80's fastball with some run, and showed two breaking balls in his outing. Sweeping slider at 72-74 mph and a gradual curveball at 67 mph. Attacks the zone, slot has a chance to play, and is an interesting uncommitted junior right hander.

Landon Greer 1B / 3B / Abingdon, VA / 2023

‘23 Landon Greer with the walkoff winner at @AtownBSBL

Gets a breaking ball inner half and turns on it scoring Ferguson’s pinch runner.

Falcons win 7-6 after trailing 6-2 in the 5th. @PBRVirginiaDC #PBRIsThere pic.twitter.com/ww6UgLcDLE

— Jason Burton (@ksallday19) April 12, 2023

Jett Humphreys RHP / 3B / Abingdon, VA / 2025

This was my first time getting to see Humphreys on the mound, as last year he manned shortstop while Ethan Gibson was on the mound. The one thing that stood out about the sophomore is he competes. He found some bats/barrels early, but never backed down on the mound and seemed to get stronger as he got into the outing. The fastball sat 83-86 in the first two innings and was hovering 83-84 in the fifth and sixth. The slider was the go to early on, sitting at 76-78 mph with downer action and above average spin that hovered between 2340-2506 RPM. Later in the game he used a 69-70 mph 11/5 curveball to give a different look and showed a decent feel for the pitch. In addition to those three pitches, he showed a changeup which he used mostly on left handers that had some late sink to it and got chases down. Even more impressive than his competitiveness on the mound was the ability to barrel up baseballs at the plate. Had a flyout to deep center in the first, followed up by a two RBI double in his second at bat, and a two run homerun in his third. Loud contact, accurate barrel, and some middle of the order juice. Was definitely a good look at an uncommitted 2025 that has a chance to make some moves in the next few months.

Landon Turman CF / Abingdon, VA / 2026

Nothing much to add here outside of Turman is one of a handful of very intriguing underclassmen for the Falcons. Long thin frame, room to add strength, and hits from the left side (always a bonus). Average runner that will get better over time as he continues to mature and add strength to the frame. Compact swing and contact bat right now. Had a groundout to the right side and a pop out to shortstop on the night. Like the upside here for the young outfielder. 

Aidan Woods 1B / RHP / Abingdon , VA / 2026

Very limited look of Woods, as I only got to see a pinch hit at bat. Obviously the first thing that stands out with the Abingdon freshman is the size. Listed at 6-foot-6, 265-pounds. It is an XL frame with first base and middle of the order profile. Has had some run production for the Falcons this spring and will be one to watch long term.