Cole
Van Assen

Headed to Purdue in the fall, Van Assen finds himself on our first team yet again, earning these same honors last year as the ace of Brother Rice’s state playoffs squad. His frontline status didn’t change, and Van Assen took the rubber in each big game for a Crusaders squad that found themselves playing in this year’s 4A state championship game. His last career start helped Brother Rice get there - a magnificent complete game shutout of New Trier where he held the Trevians to two hits and struck out nine. He’s one of the higher pitchability arms in the state, turning to any offering in his four-pitch arsenal in all counts to any given hitter. On the year, Van Assen went 10-4 with a 1.77 ERA and he struck out 90 over 78 innings pitched. 

Purdue signee, currently the No. 21 overall prospect in the Illinois’ 2023 class and is a PBR Future Games alum. 6-foot-3, 205 pound frame, long-limbed, rounded shoulders. Dominated for Brother Rice in this look, tossing a complete game shutout to put the Crusaders into the IHSA 4A state championship, punching out now and surrendering only two hits. Smooth and simple mover, strides short to the plate. Clear mound presence to him, confident. Long arm action, finishes out of a loose ¾ slot with arm speed out front. Van Assen showed a five-pitch mix. Fastball was mid-to-upper 80s and touched 90 mph multiple times. Cutter sat 84-86 mph, rapid movement to miss barrels. Slider showed exceptionally well, high 70s, touching 80 mph, sharp and consistent movement, thrown in all counts. Effective curveball at 74-76 mph with 11/5 movement. Change-up deceptive out of the hand, thrown mostly to lefties, 79-84 mph. 

Purdue commit, currently ranked No. 21 in the Illinois’ 2023 class. 6-foot-3, 205-pound, long-levered, high-waisted, right-handed pitcher. Got the start on the mound and went six innings, scattering eight hits, three earned runs, struck out six and did not walk a batter. Comfortable and in control on the mound, slows the game down and keeps a low-pulse. Showed a three-pitch mix throughout, working with a fastball/curveball mix early and mixing in his changeup as the outing went along. Fastball plays clean and easy out of the hand, sat 88-89, topping at 90 early before settling at 86-88 by the fifth inning. Fastball works towards the bottom of the zone, plays heavy with late run at times. Curveball worked off an 11/5 plane with depth and tight spin at times; can land it for strikes and drop it below the zone for swing-and-miss; 77-79 mph. Changeup plays with feel and fade at 79 mph. 

Purdue commit. Currently ranked No. 21 in the state. Lean, upside build standing 6-foot-3, 205-pounds with room to fill out. Van Assen impressed over his four innings of work, allowing just one run on three hits to pair with seven strikeouts and two walks. The slender right-hander has a simple delivery that he repeats consistently, moving into a medium balance point and tall/fall lower-half that works in-line with the plate. His arm works with a short/repeatable circle, playing from a ¾ release. Van Assen cruised with his fastball right at 89 mph early on, struggling to command it some but settled in nicely throughout his outing with control to the glove side. He often went to a 76-78 mph curveball as his secondary, playing with sharp action off an 11/5 plane, missing barrels under the zone with depth. He also showed early confidence in a changeup at 80-81 mph, throwing in any count early in the game. Polished right-hander with above-average pitchability, impressive first look for the Crusaders’ ace of the staff. 

Uncommitted, ranked No. 30 in the Illinois’ 2023 class. Athletic, 6-foot-3 170-pound frame, plenty of room for continued development. Looks to be one of the more polished right-handed arms in the Illinois 2023 class. Started on the mound for Brother Rice going four scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Clean arm action plays from a ¾ slot. Repeatable, fluid delivery. Leg-lift is athletic and gets to a good/strong balance point. Body stays under control going down the mound. Strides in-line with the plate, repeats. Fastball worked at 83-85 mph with sink and feel for the corners of the zone. Curveball was his go-to secondary pitch; sat 71-74 mph with sharp slurvy shape, showed the ability to throw it in any count. Featured a changeup at 77 mph with the same arm action as his fastball and kept down in the zone. Follow right-handed arm in the Illinois’ 2023 class.

Positional Profile: RHP/3B
Body: 6-3, 165-pounds.
Delivery: Easy, polished, tall and fall delivery, fluid rhythm, short stride, repeatable, works in line with target, level shoulders.
Arm Action: RH. Short, quick arm action, high 3/4 arm slot.
FB: T84, 83-84 mph. Slight run, advanced command for bottom of zone. T2000, 1924 average rpm.
SL: 72-74 mph. Advanced 10/4 shape, sharp action, feel for strikes. T1998, 1924 average rpm.
CH: 73-74 mph. Sink/fade action, strikes at bottom of zone. T1795, 1690 average rpm.

Uncommitted. 6-foot-4, 165-pound, long-limbed, high-waisted, projectable right-handed pitcher. Continues to improve and impress everytime we see him. Arm plays clean and compact, highly-repeatable, low-effort delivery. Advanced polish for his age; controls the game, poised on the mound, rarely shows emotion, mixes timing and looks with runners on base, does not lose stuff out of the stretch. High-volume of strikes, four-pitch mix, works down in the zone, both sides of the plate with his fastball. Fastball works mostly straight, occasional angle and late run, 82-84 mph in the early going. Slider was go-to secondary offering on this day; feel for the zone, manipulates pitch and location depending on count. Comfortable throwing his changeup to right or left handed batters. Late sinking action, maintains arm speed, sat in the low-70’s. Polished 2023 right-handed pitcher with upside.

6-foot-4, 165-pound, long-limbed, projectable right-handed pitcher. Took the tough loss in the semi-final game for Cangelosi Sparks 2023's. Clean, easy arm, threw a high-volume of strikes and competed throughout. Went 5.1 innings pitched, scattered six hits, no earned runs, walked two and struck out three. Follow 2023 right-handed arm.