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PBR at The Rock 16U: Quick Hits Day 3

July 20, 2019
By Wisconsin Staff

Today marked the first day of the 16U PBR at The Rock Championship in Franklin, Wis. The four-day tournament features 35 of the best travel programs at the 16U age level across the Midwest. Throughout this week, our the PBR Wisconsin and Illinois teams will be compiling end-of-day notes in a Quick Hits format, to provide you with the most impressive takeaways from that day’s action. You can find the Day One and Day Two notes linked here and here. Day Three's are below.

QUICK HITS

+ ISA Stars and Windy City played to a 2-2 tie Saturday morning, thanks in large part to the starting pitching on both sides. ISA went with 6-foot-2 165-pound right-hander Aaron Rice (Brillion, 2021) who sat 84-85 mph early on with a 12/6 curveball at 64-68. Rice was countered by Windy City's Daniel Reischl (Loyola Academy, 2021). Reischl stands 6-foot-2, 175-pounds and used a lively fastball with finish at 83-84 mph, touching 85 mph.

+ Windy City got another stellar performance in their second game on Saturday, courtesy of Ryan Smith (Nazareth Academy, IL, 2021). He put together arguably the strongest outing of the tournament thus far. Smith took the mound for Windy City in their second game of the day and was absolutely electric, tossing a quick complete-game shutout while striking out 14 against Indiana Landsharks. Smith works at a rapid pace and has a full arsenal, mixing in a couple different fastballs, two separate breaking balls, a changeup, and even a knuckleball. He has a live, loose arm that primarily sat in the 83-85 mph range, touching 87 mph twice in the third, but he would often opt to dial it back to generate more lateral movement and sink. It was a dominant look at a high-follow in the 2021 class.

+ And Antoine Harris (Montini Catholic, 2021) starred yet again for Windy City at the plate. He was red-hot on Friday and carried that momentum over to Day Three action. The strong, right-handed-hitting outfielder went 2-for-3 out of the three-hole for Windy City in their second game of the day, driving in their only two runs in a 2-0 victory over Indiana Landsharks. Harris crushed a home run over the tall fence on Fenway in his first at-bat and followed that up with a clutch two-strike, RBI double to the wall in his next at-bat. Harris swings a quick bat with strong hands and has some serious power potential who’s been trending way, way up ever since helping his high school win its first-ever state title.

+ RHP Tyler Bittman (Arrowhead, 2021) battled a talented NorthStar Navy squad, as well as an illness, but was still effective enough to limit them to just three runs in his four-plus innings. He was sitting 78-81 mph through the first couple of innings, keeping NorthStar off balance with a 11/5 breaking ball that flashed late action. His illness clearly affected his stamina, but not his ability to locate. At the plate, Screaming Eagles' backstop Anthony Tomczak (Muskego, 2021) reached base three times, a pair of sound singles and a well-earned walk, and was also a reliable receiver for Bittman and Isaiah Cerfus (Union Grove, 2021), who came in to relieve Bittman and earned the win in this one.

+ A strong pitching performance by LHP Connor Corrigan (Benet Academy, 2021) helped propel 29ers Baseball to a 6-3 victory over Edge Baseball. The big, physical left-handed Corrigan went the distance, striking out eight and only allowed one free pass. Corrigan’s fastball primarily played between 75-77 mph and worked almost exclusively down in the zone with some run. He showed confidence in his ability to throw his breaking balls, featuring both a slider and a curveball. The slider ranged between 66-68 mph with tight break, thrown from the same arm slot as his fastball. Corrigan’s imposing frame suggests that there’s more left in the tank as he continues to mature.

+ MN Starters’ three-hole bat, Dustan Green (Prior Lake, MN, 2021), had a big day at the plate for his squad while showcasing his gap-to-gap abilities in the batter’s box. He finished Saturday 2-for-3 with a line-drive single the opposite way to right, and he also slugged a three-run homer over the left field fence at Routine Field. In his last at-bat, he laced his third barreled ball of the day to center field where it was fumbled, allowing the game’s tying and winning runs to score, earning Starters the victory. 

+ Brady Hoppert (Martin Luther, 2021), a 6-foot-2, 160-pound right-hander with projection, overwhelmed MASH Cardinal in his start for Rocket Baseball on Saturday. He tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing only three hits, one walk, and he struck out 10. Hoppert started the game sitting 78-80 mph, touching 82 mph, with feel for a curveball that effectively dodged barrels all game.

+ Bobby Atkinson (St. Rita, 2021) and Kyle Walters (Minooka, 2021) played pivotal roles in Illinois Dynasty’s 6-1 win over Top Tier Americans in the nightcap at Routine Field. Atkinson provided the offense for Dynasty, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two extra-base hits. The left-handed-hitting Atkinson swings a quick bat with some serious pop. Walters starred for Dynasty on the mound, starting the game and going the distance, striking out six. He featured a fastball that topped out at 85 mph, sat between 82-84 mph and showed the ability to spot it up on either part of the plate. Walters also showed off an 11/5 curveball that he used sparingly, but played at 73-74 mph. Both are interesting follows in the Illinois 2021 class. 

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