As
Jeff
Dahn noted, the 2015 16u BCS Finals came to an end on Tuesday as
Chain National defeated Team Elite Prime 2-0 in a tightly-contested,
well-played championship game.
D.L.
Hall (2017, Valdosta, Ga.)
starred in the Championship game, as the lefty threw a complete game,
struck out eight hitters and allowed just four hits against an
extremely potent Team Elite Prime offensive attack.
Earlier
in the tournament, Hall flashed swing-and-miss stuff in a
fastball that registered as high as 91 mph and a sharp breaking ball.
However, the Junior National Showcase participant was not as
efficient or sharp as he typically has been, and he was relieved
after four innings of work. He saved his best for the Championship
Game, however, as Hall consistently worked in the 88-91 mph range
with his fastball and touched 93 a handful of times. Aside from the
slight uptick in velocity, Hall showed better command of the pitch,
and he was able to work down in the strike zone more consistently.
Furthermore, while there’s still a fair amount of energy and moving
parts in his delivery, Hall displayed a better feel for repeating his
mechanics and staying online to the plate. As it was earlier in the
tournament, Hall’s breaking ball flashed sharp bite and
swing-and-miss potential when he’s able to extend and work over his
frontside.
Chain
National was able to advance to and win the final due in large part
to the pitching performance of Anthony Locey
(2016, Columbus, Ga.). Locey started for Chain in their
semifinal matchup against FTB Pride, and he was dominant. The Georgia
Southern commit hit 94 mph on the radar gun at the National Showcase
in late June, and he was clocked as high as 95 mph earlier in this
tournament.
The
strong-bodied and physical 6-foot-3, 225-pound righty brought the
heat again on Tuesday. He consistently threw his fastball in the
90-93 mph range over the course of his seven innings, sitting very
comfortably in the 90-91 velocity band before ramping up for more
heat and registering as high as 94 a dozen times, and 95 and a
tournament-high 96 mph one time each. Aside from the notable
velocity, Locey’s fastball was tough to hit because of the downhill
plane, good angle, and arm-side life that he was able to generate
from his high three-quarters arm slot and deep release. Locey showed
solid command of the pitch, and was able to locate to the low and
glove-side quadrant quite consistently.
He
also showed a biting breaking ball, with varied tilt between a
12-to-6 shape with downer action and more of an 11-to-5 hammer with
some more finish to his glove side. While a few of the offerings had
some looseness to them, both breaking ball varieties had very good
depth, changed hitters’ eye levels, and flashed above average
potential. It was largely on the quality of his fastball/breaking
ball combination that Locey was able to excel, as he was able to
strikeout 11 and allow just one hit over his seven innings.
Another
physical righthander took to the mound on Tuesday, as Team Elite
Prime’s Nicholas Storz
(2017, Brooklyn, N.Y.) started opposite D.L. Hall in the
Championship game. Storz is an imposing figure and the 6-foot-6,
245-pound righty has made strides since he started pitching just over
a year ago. A Junior National Showcase participant, Storz threw
three solid innings. Working from a three-quarters arm slot, Storz
does a nice job of repeating his mechanics for someone of his size,
age and experience. He ran his fastball up to 91 mph, and more
consistently sat in the 85-88 mph range, but the pitch flashes good
arm-side run and late life, especially when located down by the
knees. He also showed a quality slider with good glove-side slice and
mild depth that flashed later, hard break in the mid-70s and worked
in a handful of changeups in the 79-81 mph range.
Despite
falling to Elite Prime in the semifinals early Tuesday morning,
Brant Hurter (2017, Canton,
Ga.) pitched well for 643 DP Cougars Sterling. Even at
6-foot-6, 230-pounds Hurter is still growing and developing strength,
and there is some room to project even more onto his large frame.
Hurter has a deceptive hip turn delivery and he does a good job of
hiding the ball despite his long, loose arm action, so everything
appears to get on hitters quickly. He did a solid job of locating
his 81-84 mph fastball down in the strike zone and showed the ability
to work to both sides of the plate successfully. While his fastball
is a solid pitch in its own right, Hurter’s off-speed offerings
were extremely effective. Hurter showed very good feel for his 68-72
mph breaking ball and located the sweeping, 2-to-8 pitch to near
perfection, with an advanced feel to both throw the pitch to the
backfoot and backdoor of righthanded hitters. He also did well to
work in a 71-75 mph fading changeup.