Contributing: Jordan Stroschein

It comes as little surprise when saying Cole Turney (2017, Richmond, Texas) knows how to hit and the combination of speed speed and strength in his lefthanded swing ranks amongst the best in the country regardless of age. Strongly built at a listed 6-foot-1, 195-pounds and already committed to the University of Arkansas, Turney connected for one of the harder hit balls of the tournament on opening night that put his prowess for hitting on full display. With a rather simple approach in the box Turney was able to work the count full in his first at-bat of the tournament before he saw an outer half fastball before and squared it up for a line drive double down the left field line.

Trevis Sundgren (2017, Silsbee, Texas) came into the game in a relief role for the Beaumont Gladiators and impressed with the ease and low effort in which he was able to create his velocity. Committed to the University of Houston, Sundgren worked comfortably in the 86-88 mph range with his fastball from a compact arm action while generating steady downhill plane and short running life to his arm side. He did a nice job of filling up the strike zone and as he continues to fill out his 6-foot frame and incorporate additional lower half into his drive Sundgren should see another tick or two on his fastball. While working steadily off his fastball the righthanded Sundgren also mixed in an 11-to-5 curveball that flashed late and tight bite away from righthanded hitters.



He may just be entering his sophomore year of high school but Mason Englert (2018, Forney, Texas) already has his commitment to Texas A&M secured and has continued to makes strides each time he’s taken the mound out a Perfect Game event. Englert stands with a long and loose 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame on the mound and will surely continue to gain strength over the next three years which in turn will add to his already impressive repertoire on the mound.

The future Aggie worked the first 4 1/3 innings for the Houston Banditos before giving way to another young and highly talented arm and showed the ability to pound the lower quadrants of the strike zone while missing several bats en route to nine strikeouts. With a rather short stride down the mound, Englert did an excellent job of working over his front side which in turn created consistent and hard sinking life on his fastball that sat in the 85-88 mph range throughout, both out of the stretch and windup. Englert remained in control from the start to finish showing the ability to locate to either side of the plate while living down in the zone.

Englert began the afternoon by mixing in a 68-71 mph curveball that showed 12-to-6 shape and solid depth but slowly gave way to a slider in the 77-80 mph that proved to be a put away pitch for the remainder of the game. With a bases loaded, no out situation in the fourth Englert went to work and struck out the next three batters to thwart the threat based off the strength and comfort of his short tilting slider.



It may have only been a 1 2/3 innings look but young righthander Matthew Thompson (2019, Cypress, Texas) made a lasting impression on those who were looking on. Listed a 6-foot-2, 173-pounds Thompson projects very well physically as you’d expect for a player just entering his freshman year, sporting broad and angular shoulders with long, loose limbs and a high waist.

With a full arm action through the back side working to a three-quarters arm slot, Thompson sat comfortably in the 85-87 mph range, touching an 88 with a relatively low effort release. More impressive than the velocity – which is amongst the tops in a tournament with players who are three years older – was Thompson’s ability to consistently live down in the zone, rarely locating a pitch higher than the knees. The ball comes out of his hand clean and loose and by working on top of the ball Thompson was able to create steady sink on his fastball. With added strength and continued incorporation of his lower half it’s easy to envision more velocity on its way. He worked primarily off his fastball throughout, once flashing a changeup at 76 mph and followed that offering with a slider, also at 76 mph, that featured short and late tilt showing quality potential.



The first pitch out of Shane Baz’s (2017, Cypress, Texas) hand came across at 92 mph and set the tone for the rest of the outing as the uncommitted 6-foot-3 righthander sat comfortably within the 88-92 mph, once touching a 93 in the third inning. With a plus-athletic and projectable frame Baz works with a short and compact arm action, showing good arm speed through the back before coming to a high three-quarters release point.

Baz is able to create his big fastball velocity rather easily and projects to throw even harder moving forward. He showed the ability to work to either side of the plate regardless a righthanded or lefthanded hitter and showed rather consistent cutting life to his heater. He also displayed a feel for his curveball as he showed the ability to add and subtract to the pitch, showing a softer version early in the count and a harder, late downward type in the 77-79 mph with sharp depth.



Owen Meaney (2018, Houston, Texas) will immediately catch your attention with his long 6-foot-4, 200-pound build and he has the upside on the mound that one won’t forget. Despite his age and length of his levers Meaney showed coordination and was able to create big extension out front at release which gave his 85-89 mph fastball some extra late life and sink the last few feet towards the plate. Though there were a couple of defensive miscues behind him Meaney was able to create consistent ground ball contact due to that previously mentioned sink while maintaining his velocity out of the stretch. His low-70s breaking ball is still developing at this point but his changeup is a quality offering at present and projects to be a solid offering moving forward. He does a nice job of maintaining his arm slot and arm action on his changeup, mimicking his fastball with late life at 77-79 mph. It was a quick one inning look but Meaney has all the makings of being a high-end arm.

Riley King (2016, Bedford, Texas) is one of several athletic and versatile players in the Dallas Patriots Stout lineup and showed well at both middle infield positions during my looks throughout the weekend. Listed at 5-foot-9, 150-pound King turned a very athletic double play with double play partner Brayden Cook early in the tournament, each showing soft and quick hands with sound footwork to turn two for the Patriots. King again showed off those quick hands during their Sunday morning game while playing second base with the ball coming out of his glove as quickly as he received it. He also showed a nice feel for the barrel from the right side, first lining a single into the opposite field before pulling a double down the left field line.

The power in Ronald Washington’s (2017, Houston, Texas) righthanded swing is far from a mystery as his exploits have been well documented over the last couple of summers. With a strong and physical 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame the University of Texas commit showed a solid contact approach throughout the weekend, picking up a couple of line drive singles to all parts of the field with hard jump off the barrel.

Beau Orlando (2016, Houston, Texas) and Robert Bullard (2016, Missouri City, Texas) are two uncommitted seniors who impressed throughout the weekend on both sides of the ball. Orlando, a strong 5-foot-10, 190-pound broad shouldered catcher was able to find the head of the barrel throughout the weekend, steadily connecting for hard line drive contact to the middle and pull side parts of the field. He does a nice job of receiving behind the plate and delivered consistent pop times in the low-2.0s in between innings.

Bullard is a quick-twitch center fielder who moves well on his feet defensively, showing a sound first step which helps him to cover ground to either side. Along with the range he shows solid arm strength from a short and quick arm action with good carry out of his hand. A lefthanded hitter who’s situated at the top of the lineup, Bullard put some strength on display as he turned on a lefthanded fastball and put it over the right field fence for a solo home run.

Phillip Ahern (2016, Austin, Texas) proved to be in complete control throughout his five innings on the mound for the Texas Drillers, a team who has done nothing but hit the ball hard throughout the weekend. An uncommitted 6-foot-1 lefthander, Ahern worked comfortably in the 79-84 mph range throughout while consistently pounding the strike zone to either side of the plate. His arm action is quick through the back side and he’ll occasionally drop down a tick lower to give hitters a different look while still showing a feel for the strike zone. The Texas native consistently mixed in a low-70s breaking ball and exhibited a strong feel, serving as his out pitch that he used to pick up several of his ten strikeouts. Though he wasn’t able to cap off his perfect game in the last inning, Ahern was able to complete the no-hitter and appeared to be in complete control throughout.

Committed to Louisiana Tech, righthander Tyler Folis (2016, Sulphur Springs, Texas) showed a quick arm that helped produce a fastball up to 88 mph while working steadily in the mid-80s with heavy life down in the zone. With a slight pause at the top of his delivery Folis was able to create consistent downhill plane to his fastball which created steady ground ball contact early on. The ball comes out of his hand cleanly and showed the ability to fill up the strike zone while showing a feel for his low-70s breaking ball that continued to develop throughout his outing.

Jaxon Williams (2016, Rosenberg, Texas) is another University of Arkansas on the South Texas Sliders and has performed well throughout the tournament, both defensively and with his righthanded stick. He may not be the biggest listed at 5-foot-9, 160-pounds but he’s full of twitch and athleticism, both of which allow him to make every play up the middle smooth and easy with plenty of arm strength across. Williams has displayed a sound approach in the box throughout the weekend as well as he’s showed a willingness to take his walks but was also looking to get the barrel to the ball. He did just that as he turned on a 90 mph inner half fastball which he drove into the left-center field gap for a two base hit.

Jordan Westburg (2017, New Branunfels, Texas) also impressed with his righthanded swing for the Sliders and projects well as he continues to fill out his 6-foot-1 frame. He already shows nice bat speed coming through the zone and twice ended games with due to run rules with well struck balls, the first a double to deep center field that hopped up against the wall and a hard line drive single that he pulled through the left side.

Jordan Powell (2017, Montgomery, Texas) is a young, projectable righthander who’s listed at 5-foot-11, 170-pounds and will continue to add onto an already impressive repertoire with continued strength gains. During his few innings on the mound the uncommitted Powell came out attacking with a fastball that sat in the 84-88 mph range, peaking at 89 mph from a short and fast arm action. Beginning his delivery with a high leg lift, Powell does a nice job of staying online with his lower half and showed the ability to work both sides of the plate with relative ease on his arm action at release. Powell’s heater featured riding life when up in zone and in on righthanded hitter’s hands and he did a nice job of mixing in a short and tight 11-to-5 curveball in the 69-72 mph range.

Jacob Wyeth (2017, Austin, Texas) and Brad Demco (2016, Austin, Texas) are two well known players in the state of Texas and both are ranked within the top 300 of their respective classes and each put their righthanded strength on display in the tournament. Wyeth, an uncommitted catcher, wasted little time showing off his abilities with the bat as he kept his weight back well on a breaking ball and drove it deep over the left field wall for a home run in one of his first at-bats of the tournament. Demco waited a little longer to hit his as the Sam Houston State commit connected for his during the Prospect National Team’s Sunday morning game a couple of pitches are just hooking one foul over the left field fence. He did a nice jo fob staying short and direct to he ball and exhibited solid bat speed through the zone.

The Tomball Tornados sent two projectable arms to the mound during the opening day who showed interesting potential with 6-foot-7 righthander Christopher Patterson (2016, Houston, Texas) and lefthanded Dominic Robinson (2016, Tomball, Texas).

Patterson quickly stands out for his height and long levers and shows a sound fastball that worked in the 83-86 mph range, peaking at 87 mph from a full and loose arm action. He remains quick through the back and comes out of his hand cleanly and should project for continued velocity with better use of his lower half in his delivery. He does a nice job of getting on top of his fastball for a player of his height and showed both a breaking ball in the low-70s and a changeup in the 75-78 mph range. A strongly built 6-foot-1, 184-pound lefthander, Robinson is also uncommitted and like Patterson he ran his fastball up to 87 mph. Sitting in the low- to mid-80s with his heater, Robinson showed the ability to create extension out front on his fastball. His arm action is relatively short through the back and though his front side opens early at times he was able to throw strikes while mixing in a breaking ball in the low-70s.

A 6-foot-3, 180-pound righthander for the North Texas Longhorns, Troy Watson (2016, Gunter, Texas) impressed with some of the best velocity of the tournament. With a loose and whippy arm action and a low three-quarters arm slot Watson worked in the 87-90 mph range early on, topping 91 mph with sound running life to his arm side. Striking out five in his 4.2 innings of work the Northern Colorado commit also featured a breaking ball in the 71-74 mph range.

The Texas Drillers have been able to outscore their opponents en route to a 5-0 record and a championship birth, allowing just a single run which came in their semifinal 10-1 victory. Two of the bats that have helped pace the offense are situated in the middle of their order in third baseman Mitchell Caskey (2016, Houston, Texas) and center fielder Christian Long (2016, Houston, Texas).

Listed at 6-foot-1, 190-pounds Caskey is able to use his strength to create solid bat speed through the zone while showing a strong approach in the box. A righthanded hitter, Caskey is one of several Driller bats hitting over .400 in the tournament and leads the team with eight RBI, three of which came on an impressive two-strike swing where he drove an outer half fastball to the opposite field gap for a three base hit.

Long is full of athleticism and moves well on his feet, listed at 6-foot-1, 198-pounds with present strength throughout his frame. Like Caskey above, Long showed an advanced approach in the box and creates noteworthy bat speed with a simple and repeatable swing. He moves well in center field and from base to base and displayed solid arm strength on with a short and quick arm action.

Marcelo Perez (2018, Laredo, Texas) might not be the biggest listed at 5-foot-9, 165-pounds but he’s full of twitch and athleticism, something that bodes well to his all around game. A righthanded hitter, Perez showed a consistent feel for the barrel which resulted in hard contact with sound balance through his swing. Defensively his actions are loose in center field and is able to track balls with ease and a sound first step.

Uncommitted lefthanded pitcher Myles A. Campbell (2016, Houston, Texas) did a nice job of keeping hitters off balance in his five innings of work, striking out nine Houston Banditos hitters. Although he ultimately took the loss, Campbell showed a lot of projectablity. The 6’-foot-1, 185-pound lefty showed a loose and quick arm coming from a three quarters arm slot with good running life on his fastball. Campbell’s fastball sat in the 82-85 mph range, topping 86 mph, and should continue to add velocity as he fills out and adds more strength. Just like his fastball, Campbell’s breaking ball had good life out of his hand. Good depth combined with sharpness, Campbell was able to backdoor righthanded hitters for strikes on a consistent basis. His control was as good as his stuff, surrendering just a sole walk in his entire outing.

University of Texas commit Richard Gilbert (2017, San Antonio, Texas) allowed just one hit in his 6 1/3 innings of work. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound lefthander throws from a three-quarters arm slot with late running life on his fastball that sat in the 84-86 mph range in the first inning. Gilbert’s ability to spot up both his fastball and breaking ball made sitting down seven batters a fairly easy task. Gilbert showed a quick arm and very good extension in his easy delivery. He also has a very projectable frame with long limbs, broad shoulders, and a strong lower half that should lead to more velocity as he continues to fill out.