2011 National Underclass Session 1

12/4/2011 7:17:19 PM

SS Connor Heady continued his very impressive showcase by going 2-2 with a triple and a home run for Columbia Blue.  Heady ran a 6.57 in the second chance 60 after running a 6.60 the first time and also threw 87 mph both off the mound and from shortstop in drills.  Heady doesn't look like he has the type of power he has shown here, as he has a slender 6-0/160 frame, but the ball really carries well off his bat.

SS Brock Hartley (2013, Phoenix, AZ), who had a home run in the first game of the day Sunday, had a line drive double this game to continue his hot hotting.  Hartley also threw a scoreless inning with 2 K's, topping out at 82 mph

SS Sebastian Zawada (2013, Tucson, AZ) continued to make an impression with the bat as well, going 2-2 with an Rbi single and a double that registered 92 mph off the bat.

12/4/2011 7:06:17 PM

SS Brock Hartley (2013, Phoenix, AZ) only had one swing in the game but he made the best of it, knocking a low 80's fastball on the inside half over the left field fence for a home run.  Hartley is a strong 6-3/185 athlete who showed the same type of strength in his swing during batting practice.

SS Connor Heady (2013, Prospect, KY) got what ended up as an outstanding day off to a good start (more on that later) with a hard hit double.

RHP Austin Schnabel (2013, Scottsdale, AZ) has a slender and loose 6-4/165 build and a low effort delivery he repeats very well.  He topped out at 82 mph with a 71 mph curveball and if anything, threw too many strikes with his fastball.  He should keep getting better.

SS Bryce Pulver (2015, Des Moines, WA), who went 2-2 in the other Maroon game on Sunday, had a double and scored a run in 2 trips to the plate.

SS Brandon Rodriguez (2013, Loveland, CO) had a 2 run single following Pulver's double in the second inning.

12/4/2011 6:53:40 PM

C Max Schuman (2013, Scottsdale, AZ) continued to crush the ball virtually every at bat, going 2-2 with a double and an Rbi.  Schuman's bat stays on the plane of the ball a long time and everything seems to be a hard line drive, often to a gap.

IF Bryce Pulver (2015, Des Moines, WA) is the youngest player here and has a ways to go with his run/throw tools but you could tell in batting practice that he was a confident hitter with potential once he starts getting some strength.  He also went 2-2 and scored a run.

RHP Ryan Castellani (2014, Phoenix, AZ) is a sophomore to keep a close eye one.  The 6-4/185 athlete is very projectable and was up to 87 mph on his fastball with a long, loose arm action.  His 72 mph curveball showed good downer shape and nice depth.

RHP Taylor Stokes (2013, Los Angeles, CA) struck out the side his first two innings, pitching between 82-84 mph with an upper 60's curveball, an upper 70's cutter and a nice change up.

SS Sebastian Zawada (2013, Tucson, AZ) and 1B Michael Lucero (2013, Scottsdale, AZ) both had hard hit doubles for Navy.

12/3/2011 6:49:49 PM

-Dillon Bigcrane Jackson (2013, LHP, 1B, OF, Chaparral HS, Scottsdale, AZ) had a solid day at the plate and on the mound. Jackson had his FB topping out at 84 mph, and sitting at 81-84 maintaining that throughout the whole game complimenting that with a 72 mph CB that had a hard bite. Jackson had an effortless arm action, with good command, kept hitters off balance, and liked to work fast. At the plate Jackson showed off his confident approach with a  short compact swing and line-drive swing plane.

-Riley Ottesen (2013, RHP, SS, American Fork HS, Highland, UT) had a good game on the mound topping his FB out at 86 mph with a range from 83-85. He complimented that with a 73 mph CB, and 79 mph Cutter. Riley showed a balanced online delivery, with some late life on his FB which helped create plenty of broken bats during the game for the opposition.

-Gerard Hernandez (2014, OF, North Canyon HS, Phoenix, AZ) Showed us his plus bat speed and aggressive approach at the plate going 1-2 in the game with a hard hit single that jumped off his bat at 95 mph.

-Max Schuman (2013, C, Arcadia HS, Scottsdale, AZ) followed up his BP session with a good showing at the plate in the game going 1-2. He displayed his aggressive approach and short compact swing making consistent hard contact with his good BS.

12/3/2011 6:43:59 PM

Columbia Blue threw two of the most interesting arms of the day in their final game with RHP Cameron Brockhoff (2013, Wakeland HS, Frisco, TX) and RHP Connor Heady (2013, North Oldham HS, Prospect, KY).

Brockhoff has simple mechanics and the ball comes out of his hand very easily. He maintained velocity on his fastball sitting 83-85 and touching 87. He experimented with two breaking pitches, a cutter and a curveball with both pitches at 72-74. Brockhoff's arm action suggests that a true slider may be the pitch that ends up as his out pitch as he works on getting a feel for his off-speed stuff. His fastball had sneaky velocity and was very rarely squared up by Navy hitters.

Heady, after blazing to a sub 6.6 sixty yard dash topped at 87, sitting 83-85. The Kentucky commit is a lean athlete with loose easy arm action from a low 3/4 slot. He is raw with his mechanics and will benefit from more extension as well as better balance at the top of his motion. His off-speed offering was a 75-78 mph slider slurvy, horizontal break.

Navy RHP Justin Schander (2013, Perry HS, Gilbert, AZ) struck out seven in four innings as he was around the zone with a fastball that topped at 80, a curveball at 62-64 and a changeup at 72.

RHP Jensen Kirch (2013, North Central HS, Indianapolis, IN) is a very projectable player who has potential as a SS. He topped at 74-76 on the mound from a side arm slot, although he didn't show much deception or an off-speed pitch from that slot.

12/3/2011 6:31:31 PM

Navy RHP Graham Spraker (2013, Mountain View HS, Tuscon, AZ) threw four innings topping at 84 while sitting 82-83 on a fastball that showed riding life. He is a lean, lanky athlete with easy arm action and good command. Spraker's curveball at 69-71 had good spin and has a chance to be a good #3 pitch if he can show better command of it.

RHP Austin Zwart (2014, Mingus Union, Cottonwood, AZ) threw the final frame topping at 77 with a 61-63 mph curveball with 11/5 break.

Navy OF Kenny Meimerstorf (2013, Bishop Gorman HS, Henderson, NV) followed up a very good workout by showing good actions at the plate with loose athletic swings and bat speed.

Maroon starter RHP Jacob Englehart (2014, Evergreen, CO HS) is an athletic hurler who was up to 81 from a over the top slot and a slow tempo delivery. Engelhart had good command of his fastball and a 67 mph curveball. Englehart will gain more velocity with additional use of his lower half in his delivery.

Brandon Rodriguez (2013, Trinity Christian HS, Loveland, CO) showed very strong IF actions during the workout and was up to 82 on the mound. He hides the ball well and easily repeats his motion, complimenting his fastball with a 74-76 mph curveball and 74 mph changeup.

Maroon Max Schuman (2013, Arcadia HS, Scottsdale, AZ) has an uber-aggressive approach at the plate and seems to square nearly every ball he swings at. One line drive registered 93 off the bat.

12/3/2011 3:28:10 PM

60

SS Connor Heady                        6.60
OF Kenneth Meimerstorf             6.99
RHP Jacob Englehart                   7.07
RHP Ryan Castellani                    7.14
C Andrew Solomon                      7.14


Catcher's Velocity

Ethan Rosehill                            76 mph
Max Schuman                             75 mph
Jacob Garcia                               74 mph


Catcher's Pop Time

Andrew Solomon                         1.98
Harry Wadley                              1.98
Jacob Garcia                                2.00
Max Schuman                              2.00
Daniel Beebe                               2.00


Outfield Velocity

Jonas Garcia                               87 mph
Ethan Rosehill                             85 mph
Kenneth Meimerstorf                  84 mph
Gerard Hernandez                      83 mph
Ryan Castellani                           83 mph
Cameron Brockhoff                     83 mph


Infield Velocity (including 1B)

Connor Heady                            87 mph
Riley Ottesen                             83 mph
Sebastian Zawada                     81 mph
Cameron Brockhoff                     81 mph

12/3/2011 3:02:26 PM

A pair of young left handed sluggers stood out in BP for the Columbia Blue, Maroon and Navy teams at the National Underclass Session 1.

C Max Schuman (2013/Arcadia HS, Scottsdale, AZ):  Schuman showed us a taste of his hitting potential in November but solidified his prospect status today.  He pulls the ball very hard and consistently from a spread, balanced stance and launched a couple of balls over the right field fence.

OF Gerard Hernandez (2014/North Canyon HS, Phoenix, AZ):  Hernandez is just out of football and didn't have the consistency that Schuman showed in his swing mechanics but hit the ball just as hard and far on a couple of occasions.  He's a confident hitter with big time power potential.

RHP Kenneth Meimerstorf (2013/Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas, NV):  Meimerstorf has nice right handed swing mechanics, swings hard and has solid bat speed.  He drove the ball up the gaps consistently and projects to get stronger.

OF Sam Welton(2013/Pinnacle HS, Scottsdale, AZ):  Welton has a very projectable 6-3/180 build and pulls the ball hard.  He has some mechanical adjustments he could make but the bat speed and swing path are there.

SS Connor Heady (2013/North Oldham HS, Prospect, KY):  Heady doesn't have a textbook swing but he generates bat speed and has loose extension out front that gave him more lift and carry than one would have expected.

SS Brock Hartley (2013/Pinnacle HS, Scottsdale, AZ):  The 6-3/185 Hartley and his high school teammate Sam Welton (above) make a talented pair of teammates.  Hartley has very good raw strength and when he learns to use his lower half better he could be a monster from the right side.

RHP/OF Ryan Castellani (2014/Brophy College Prep, Phoenix, AZ):  It's always impressive when a hitter knocks the first pitch he sees in BP out of the park.  Castellani puts severe topspin on the ball but he has bat speed and the ball jumps hard.