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Tournaments  | Story | 9/15/2018

Midwest Under Notes: Days 1-2

Kevin Schuver
Taylor Weber
Photo: Andrue Henry (Perfect Game)

2018 Midwest Underclass Qualifier Daily Leaders

Lou Collier/ DB A’s got thing going the right way Friday night with a 9-1 win over the Nebraska Prospects White. Isaiah Coupet (2020, Homewood, Ill.) toed the rubber and received the win for the A’s. Coupet, the fourth-ranked 2020 lefthanded pitcher in the state of Illinois, turn in an absolute gem. The uncommitted prospect worked five innings, allowing only one run on four hits and struck out 11 batters. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound pitching prospect displayed a repeatable delivery that had some deception due to the up-tempo pace at release. He created good downhill plane with some late running action in the mid-80s, topping out at 86 mph.

Coupet consistently attacked hitters early in counts with the ability to spot his fastball to each edge of the plate with relative ease and looked to utilize his breaking ball as an out pitch late in counts showing 1-to-7 shape with tight spin and good depth. The 2020 grad created a lot of swings and misses and induced weak contact with both his fastball and breaking ball offerings. One of the Illinois native’s best weapons was his ability to consistently pound the strike zone. Coupet finished his five innings with a strike percentage just under 70 percent. When the lefthander did find any trouble, he was able to collect himself and make big pitches. Coupet projects to continue to add strength and velocity and proved to be a pitching prospect to follow closely.

Isaiah’s young brother, Gallien Coupet (2021, Homewood, Ill.) played sparkplug for the A’s offense. The No. 4 2021 middle infielder in the state of Illinois displayed a quick barrel through the zone with an excellent feel for the zone. The 5-foot-8, 148-pounder drew first blood in game one, singling sharply up the middle in the top of the second inning. Gallien’s high-level barrel control and contact skills are only half the problem for opposing defenses. Once on base, the 2021 grad ceased every opportunity to take the extra base which led to the defense making errors and eventually producing extra runs. Gallien’s displayed a high effort motor that proved to be a valuable asset both offensively and defensively for the A’s on Friday evening.

Chicago White Sox ACE 2020 picked up two wins on Saturday defeating BTL Hornets (Mojica/Jones) 2-1 and Peak Performance Prospect Gold 9-2. Chicago White Sox ACE 2020 receive good at-bats up and down the lineup throughout the day, but three players stood out for the squad.

The leadoff hitter and center fielder Tre Hondras (2020, South Holland, Ill.)has a very athletic 6-foot, 175-pound frame. Hondras shows play making tools on both sides of the ball, showing the power to drive the gaps and the speed to take away hits in the gaps defensively. The uncommitted prospect is currently ranked 362nd nationally and 10th overall in the state of Illinois. Hondras displayed present bat speed through the zone with a smooth, fluid barrel plane. The 2020 grads stats do not jump off the page in his first two games, but he has created hard, loud contact to all parts of the field in each game. Hondras has the athleticism and strength that can change the outcome of a game both offensively and defensively.

Jeremy Figueroa (2020, Chicago, Ill.) served as the team’s shortstop and two-hole hitter. The 5-foot-7, 132-pound infielder brings a ton of energy to the field. Figueroa displayed very clean, polished actions defensively. The 2020 grad needs to continue to develop arm strength to stay on the left side of the infield, but projects to be a high-level defender at second base presently. Offensively, Figueroa showed tremendous barrel control with the ability to hit to all fields. The Illinois native proved to be a tough out each time he stepped to the plate and fits perfectly near the top of the order for the White Sox ACE 2020 team.

Perhaps showing the purest gap-to-gap pop was Chicago White Sox ACE 2020 left fielder Andrew Etter (2020, Dyer, Ind). The 6-foot-1, 170-pound outfielder presently shows wiry strength throughout his build, but shows plenty of space to continue to add strength while maintaining athleticism. Etter utilized a smooth, naturally leveraged swing plane that generated very good backspin with carry off the barrel. The Indiana native consistently drove the baseball to the middle of the field and displayed the present strength to split the gaps with ease. The uncommitted prospect maintains his plane through the zone well that allows for the barrel to spend extra time through before getting to finish. Even when off balance, Etter showed the threat to barrel the baseball and drive it with authority.

Round 1 of bracket play featured the No. 11 seed, Cangelosi Sparks 2021 Black, vs. the No. 6 seed, Lou Collier/DB A’s, at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Ryan Kraft (2021, New Lenox, Ill.) got the starting nod and turned in four solid innings of work. The third-ranked lefthanded pitcher in the class of 2021 from the state of Illinois displayed a smooth, repeatable arm action that generated good downhill plane through the zone. The University of Indiana commit consistently worked ahead in the count to each edge of the plate with a fastball that worked into the low-80s. Krafts also displayed very good feel for a 1-to-7 breaking ball that flashed as a potential swing-and-miss pitch. The 2021 grad was able to keep the A’s hitters off balance throughout the first four innings, striking out seven batters while allowing only two hits.

Landen Looper (2021, Frankfort, Ill.) came on in relief in the bottom of the fifth and picked up right where Kraft left off. Looper, a University of Louisville commit, aggressively attacked the strike zone with a heavy fastball that sat in the mid-80s. The 6-foot-1 righthander consistently induced weak ground ball contact from a high three-quarters slot that produced very good downward tilt through the hitting zone. Looper flashed the ability to change speeds with a shorter breaking ball, but primarily depended upon his fastball to get ahead and put away hitters. The currently ranked No. 2 2021 righthanded pitcher in the state of Illinois worked  the final three innings, striking out three batters.

Looper also showed promising two-way potential at the plate with a smooth, naturally leveraged barrel plane through extension. The 2021 grad flashed very quick hands through the zone with ability to deliver the bat head to contact with authority. Looper finished 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs.

Matt Maloney (2021, Mokena, Ill.) also picked up three hits for the Cangelosi Sparks 2021 Black. The 5-foot-10, 140-pound uncommitted shortstop utilized a high contact approach with present bat speed while showing excellent balance in his swing, allowing him to hit pitches located to all parts of the zone to all fields. Maloney finished the first round of bracket play going 3-for-4 with a double and one RBI.

– Kevin Schuver



Things start out on the right foot for Iowa Select Black 2020 as Tyler Tscherter (2020 Reinbeck, Iowa) took the mound in game one of the tournament. Tscherter is 6-foot-1, 150-pound righthanded pitcher/shortstop with a very athletic frame. His arm action in back is about as clean as it gets with solid fluidity to his delivery. He’s able to run the fastball up to 86 miles per hour with sharp life late through the zone. He mixes in a hard curveball with a lot of depth to it. Tscherter showed a high amount of swing-and-miss stuff, collecting three strikeouts in his two innings of work.

The 2020 grad also performed well at the plate going 3-for-3 in the leadoff spot scoring a run as well as driving one in. He creates hard contact with easy control of the barrel through the zone. He displays quick hands as well as strength at the point of contact.

Tyler Dahm (2020 Coralville, Iowa) got the scoring start for the Select Black squad right off the bat with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. The ball left the yard in a hurry headed straight for the scoreboard in left-center field. Dahm doesn’t display a ton of strength in his build standing at just 5-foot-10 and weighing in at 145-pounds. However, he does create a lot of leverage with the bat which allows him to drive the ball to the gaps with authority.

Shining on the defensive side of the ball for Select was shortstop Aidan Stewart (2020 Flossmoor, Ill.). Stewart is another player with an athletic and projectable frame at 6-foot-5, 175-pounds. The shortstop shows excellent range no matter which way he’s moving but he is especially good when charging, as he made several nice plays to get his pitchers out of jams late in the game. He’s got strong carry across the field while remaining accurate to the bag.

Taking the mound in a night game for Iowa Sticks Scout was 6-foot-3, 185-pound righty Easton Johnson (2021 Gilbert, Iowa). Johnson is already at a matured frame for his 2021 age and he can get his fastball up to 85 with life. He will mix in a sharp two-plane curveball in the mid-60s as well that can get some swing and miss. Where Johnson struggles a bit is command of the pitches as he walked a few batters in his four innings of work. However, with development Johnson shows the potential to be a reliable pitcher as he dials in throughout the years.

29ers Baseball Black started off day two with a big 9-1 win thanks to a big game from leadoff hitter Brandon Micetich (2020 Joliet, Ill.). The 6-foot-1, 175-pound shortstop has a solid high contact approach at the plate which is a perfect approach for him as he’s able to control the barrel of the bat really well. The lefthanded hitter has a lot of fluidity in his swing with a quick barrel through the zone which can allow him to create carry off the bat when squared. This really showed up on a triple of the wall in right field.

It was a tough day for Team Wooten as they lost a lead early in the game and ultimately suffered an 11-9 loss. Sam Hunt (2021 Minneapolis, Minn.) really stood out for Wooten in their loss. He has an advanced frame at 6-foot-2, 195-pounds with tons of present strength throughout. The Vanderbilt commit utilizes his strength well at the plate as he drifts to contact with an elevated path to the ball. He went 1-for-3 in the game with a single into right field.

After their two big wins in pool play the Cangelosi Sparks 2020 Black seem to be one of the favorites to take the tournament. Through their two pool play games four separate players homered. In their game one 14-0 win, Anthony Fornero (2020 Lemont, Ill.) led the way driving in five runs. The 6-foot, 170-pounder has a fluid swing and looks to elevate the ball. He was able to get ahold of a pitch and drive it over the fence for a grand slam that put the game away.

Also homering in the first game was Danny Wuestenfeld (2020 Plainfield, Ill.). Wuestenfeld is another strong swinging righthander that looks to work to the pull side. He’s a bit more of a contact-oriented hitter but he’s strong enough to get solid drive on the ball when squaring it up. Wuestenfeld makes consistent solid contact and really gave his team a spark at the bottom of the order.

In Cangelosi’s second game they had two more hitters go deep in their 11-0 victory. The leadoff hitter Jake Donahue (2020 Joliet, Ill.) started the game off with a bang as he took the second pitch he saw deep down the left field line for a solo shot. He has quick hands which allowed him to get to the pitch and pull it with big jump.

After Donahue sparked his team, Ben Vitas (2020 Shorewood, Ill.) would also hit a big blast to straightaway center field in the second inning. Vitas is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound middle infielder who displayed a nice ability to handle the bat. He generates some barrel turn and creates backspin on the ball which allows him to drive it to the deep parts of the field. Vitas would finish the day 2-for-4 and scored twice.

In the first round of the playoffs Iowa Sticks Scout got off to a good start with two runs in the first inning. This was led by yet another leadoff hitter in Sam Petersen (2021 Huxley, Iowa) who hit a solo shot down the left field line that stayed fair just long enough. Petersen isn’t a prototypical power hitter but his quick bat helps generate some loud jump off the barrel. He utilizes a line drive path through the zone and drifts into contact very well.

Andrue Henry (2020 Dubuque, Iowa) for Iowa Select Black 2020 responded with a screaming line drive off the bat in the bottom half of the first inning. The ball shot into the left-center field gap for a two-run double. Henry has a lot of strength in his build and uses it well with strong hands at the point of contact. He swings with a slightly elevated path and knows his role is to be the banger in the lineup that drives in runs. After Henry’s big hit Select never looked back on their way to a 16-5 win.

– Taylor Weber
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