16u WWBA Day 1 notes

Editor's note: Perfect Game recognizes that there are dozens of standout performers at this year's 16u WWBA National Championship. The thoughts provided below are first-hand observations from Scouting Coordinator Jheremy Brown during the event's first day.

As is with the start of any tournament, the first day is when teams try to make an impression and jump to the top of their pools, which means they usually throw their ace on the mound.

With a double header yesterday, the Midland Tomahawks sent out two projectable lefthanded pitchers in 6-foot-4, 190-pound Dion Henderson (2016, Dearborn, Mich.) and 6-foot-4, 200-pound Nick Bennett (2016, Cincinnati, Ohio).

Henderson started game one for the Tomahawks and threw a complete game, five-inning shutout in a run rule shortened game. Committed to the University of Kentucky, Henderson shows a long arm action in the back but does a nice job of getting on top of the ball from his high three-quarters arm slot and locating knee high to both sides. Although his fastball can be pretty true at times, he creates a difficult angle for opposing hitters from the first base side and mixes in a cutter in the mid- to upper-80s to give batters a different look.

His arm action is loose and he throws with minimal effort, working primarily in the 86-89 mph range, touching 90 throughout his outing. Even with all the moving parts in his delivery, Henderson was able to create some deception and repeat his delivery well. Henderson was able to also throw his curveball for strikes consistently, showing 1-to-7 shape and depth to it in the 63-67 mph range.




Bennett is an uncommitted rising junior from Ohio and like Henderson has some funk in his delivery but repeats it well and it doesn’t impede his ability to throw strikes. With a short arm action in the back, Bennett releases the ball cleanly at a nice angle, working in the 84-87 mph range, topping at 88. With his height, ability to hide the ball throughout his delivery and feel for the strike zone, facing Bennett makes for an uncomfortable at bat.

To go with his fastball, Bennett showed an excellent feel for his curveball which features depth and the ability to throw it for strikes to both sides of the plate. Working it in the 70-72 mph range, Bennett wasn’t afraid to double up on the pitch, or even triple up in any given at-bat.