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College  | Recruiting  | 11/29/2022

Uncommitted Gems: Deep South

Tim Redding      Troy Sutherland     
Photo: Konnor Griffin (Perfect Game)
Jase Phillips, RHP/OF, Ooltewah, Tenn.
Class of 2023 | PG Rank: 500

Phillips has a longer frame with broad shoulders and room to fill out and add strength. As a primary right-handed pitcher, he starts with a sidestep into a leg lift at the belt. Long and loose arm action and lands online. Jase releases from a high three-quarter arm slot and the baseball comes out clean. His fastball was up to 89 mph and sat in the 85-88 mph range. His changeup is a good complementary pitch showing some good sinking life. Phillips also has a short-breaking slider. Arm strength plays from his secondary position in the outfield. Jase is a right-handed hitter with a full swing path and big rotation through contact. He gets a high handset with a high back elbow and can lift to generate carry. It will be fun to watch where Jase ends up at the next level as he is sure to be a good player and contribute in any situation when given the opportunity.



Sam Thomas, RHP/OF, Bartlett, Tenn.
Class of 2023 | PG Rank: 500

Thomas is an all-around type of player that can help on both sides of the ball. With a medium build and athletic frame, he still has room for added strength and development. Sam’s fastball reached 88 mph this past summer and he has shown in events the ability to be effective both starting and coming into the game in relief. With his speed, Thomas has a good feel for patrolling the outfield and knows his surroundings well. He has good arm actions and accuracy to the bases on throws. Offensively, Sam can get hot and have some good stretches. His speed again makes him a threat on the bases. When he gets some balls into the gaps, he is going to stretch doubles into triples.

Chris Smith, RHP, Bartlett, Tenn.
Class of 2023 | PG Rank: 500

Smith is a right-handed pitcher with a medium build and lean frame. He works from a stretch-only delivery with a leg lift to balance, quick pause on his back leg, and a quick arm that gets long through the back up to an extended three-quarter arm slot release. Last recorded, his fastball topped out at 93 mph at a Perfect Game event back in the end of May 2021. His fastball has life through the zone. Chris does a good job with mixing in a breaking ball to keep hitters at bay. As a top arm from the mound in his state and class, Chris will surely be an impact arm for whoever he chooses to contribute to.

Jayden Adcox, C/OF/RHP, Forest, Miss.
Class of 2023 | PG Rank: 500

Adcox is a primary catcher with good strength throughout the build. He sits in an upright stance, rocking into his throws with some quickness out of the crouch and into a taller throwing position. Jayden’s arm strength stands out behind the dish, recording a 2.03 second pop time with proper actions. His ability in the outfield allows him to be versatile as he has a longer arm action with accuracy and carry to the bases. Works from a clean delivery on the mound. His arm works quick through the back to a three-quarters arm slot, and the fastball shows some arm-side run when working at the bottom of the zone and topping out at 87 mph. He has spun some breaking balls effectively with 12-6 shape and later bite. The changeup rounds out the three-pitch mix with separation off the fastball in the low-70s. Adcox is a right-handed hitter with a square setup and uses a small stride to get to a strong base. Ball comes off the barrel well with big jump to the pull side. He hit just under .450 this summer in PG events (13 games, 27 at-bats). As a potential two-way player, Jayden could be a unique addition to any program.

Konnor Griffin, OF, Florence, Miss.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 2

Griffin possesses a lean, athletic build that is very projectable for the future. He has run the 60 in 6.75 seconds. As a primary outfielder, he takes efficient routes to balls and shows very advanced arm strength. At the plate, he does a nice job of consistently getting extended out front and shows solid bat speed through the zone. He hit .400 over the summer in Perfect Game events while showing some pull-side strength and the ability to make contact as he only struck out twice in 37 plate appearances. On the mound, he throws out of a high three-quarter arm slot with a medium arm circle that is fluid and loose. His fastball has topped out at 93 mph and seems to play above that due to the riding action it has through the zone. His slider flashes a two-plane break with tightness and late bite that he has feel for landing in the zone. Griffin’s curveball has a deeper 11/5 shape and some bite. He does a nice job of maintaining his fastball arm speed when throwing his fading changeup. As the No. 2 overall player in his class, Konnor is more than likely to be a household name soon, either at a college program or professional organization.

Dalton Meadows, RHP, McCall Creek, Miss.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 201

Meadows has an extra-large, athletic frame with broad shoulders and present strength to his frame, with additional room to fill moving forward. As a primary right-handed pitcher, sidestep moving into delivery with a leg lift past belt, shows arm speed through the backside working to a higher three-quarters release, can continue to incorporate additional lower half into drive. Fastball topped out at 91 mph this year and shows short life through the zone and the ability to attack hitters up while maintaining life, pitched to contact and worked around the zone. Dalton’s slider has worked up to 78 mph, and at times he tends to get around it, but flashes occasional depth to it. He is currently ranked as the No. 1 right-handed pitcher for the 2024 class in the state of Mississippi.

Caden Shanks, SSRHP, Cookeville, Tenn.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 306

Shanks is a switch-hitting middle infielder that moves well on his feet. His ceiling may however come from the mound, with a fastball that is up to 88 mph. While he does a good job filling up the strike zone, his quick arm projects that more velocity could be coming his way with added strength and maturity. His summer stats in PG events this year were remarkable, as he allowed only 2 earned runs while yielding only 18 baserunners (9 hits, 9 walks) in 15 innings pitched and struck out 25 batters.

Hunter McLemore, RHP, Henderson, Tenn.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 494

McLemore has a tall and lean build with plenty of projection. Hunter is a primary right-handed pitcher who shows solid extension out front and looseness in the arm. This summer was a big breakthrough for McLemore, as he averaged just under 2 strikeouts per inning pitched and his fastball reached the 90 mph mark. The curveball has a nice downward bite with some finish late and he also shows a fading changeup to give the hitters another weapon to worry about. Offensively, Hunter isn’t an easy out as he shows a good ability to put barrel to baseball and his contact to swing-and-miss ratio is extremely low in that he only struck out 4 times in 64 plate appearances. He has the ability to show some pull-side strength with a small, upward path through contact.

Reagan McCluskey, C, Brentwood, Tenn.
Class of 2025 | PG Rank: 182

McCluskey has a big and strong, physical build. Right-handed hitter, hits from a well-timed hanging leg lift with a rotational swing. He turns his hips hard and creates good bat speed and has lots of strength in his hands at contact. McCluskey has a slight upward swing through the zone that with development and strength will provide more power to his offensive output. Reagan has polished footwork and lower-half mechanics behind the plate defensively. He comes out of his crouch well and gets on top of his throws, which allow him to make accurate throws. He has been clocked at a 2.01 game pop on a caught stealing.

Cooper Waddle, OF/LHP, Golden, Miss.
Class of 2025 | PG Rank: 225

Waddle is a super-talented two-way prospect that ran his fastball up to 91 mph this past summer with some electric arm speed and usually pitched comfortably in the 84-87 mph range. The arm speed allows for Waddle to generate tons of RPMs on the breaking ball and bodes well for continued velocity as he physically matures. There is still plenty of time to develop consistency in the strike zone and when that time hits, he could potentially be a top arm in the country. Cooper has some ability as a hitter and defender in the outfield. Waddle was a two-time all-tournament team player during some of Perfect Game’s biggest national-level tourneys in 2022.

-Tim Redding

Luis Castillo, OF, Talbott, Tenn.
Class of 2023 | PG Rank: 296

Castillo is a name that really jumps off the page when making an uncommitted list. The tools are present for a corner mold. Big juice and a big arm. The impact and consistent exit velocity numbers have impressed many of the scouting staff. In the outfield, produces velocities well into the mid-90s. Whoever lands him in the late 2023 go-around can expect big time run production and some lofty power numbers to go along with it.

Stone McCaughey, RHP, Hernando, Miss.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 319

The wiry 2024 right-hander has drawn lots of attention from top-notch programs. Yet he remains uncommitted. The stuff is off the charts. Up-tempo, high-effort delivery with a lively heater that he runs well into the low-90s. Slider is an exploding banger with tons of late bite to it. Plays extremely well off the fastball plane. The present arm speed and not overly-developed frame leaves lots of projection for prospective collegiate programs.

Ian Herrington, RHP, Meridian, Miss.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 478

Tough to get more projectable than Herrington with his 6-foot-4 frame. Long, loose arm action produces upper-80s velocity with downward approach angle to it that adds deception. Overhand breaker is ultra depthy with 11-5, bordering 12-6 type shape. Tunnels the mix well. Trending the right direction heading into a crucial junior year campaign. The lengthy right-hander boasts a sparkling 0.80 ERA and 0.56 WHIP in 36 innings over the course 2022 Perfect Game events. 

Hallas Lawson, C, Hernando, Miss.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 500

Lawson is a gut feel type guy for me personally. Advanced defensive actions behind the plate with a prototypical catcher's build. The high quality bat-to-ball skills for someone with such legit power potential are really exciting traits that Lawson brings to a program. Short, compact bat path with present strength in the hands. Handles off-speed well.

Thomas Mitchell, RHP, Hernando, Miss.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 500

The stocky right-hander has been a riser over the course of 2022. Now running the fastball into the low-90s to pair with a sharp slider and power fade change piece. Operation is smooth, letting the ball really jump out of the hand. Displays conviction to both sides of the plate with the fastball. Gained 7 mph from last October. Lots of projectability left in the body, can't wait to see what it looks like by summer 2023.

Bailey Thorne, 3B/RHP, Phenix City, Ala.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 248

Significant two-way upside is what Thorne brings to the table for any program looking to bring him aboard. On the mound, he is a quick worker with an upper-80s fastball he utilizes to induce frequent ground balls. Breaker shows sharpness with quality depth to it. At the plate, sturdy build that use the lowers well to generate lots of pull-side power. High quality barrel skills. Not an overly big sample size in 2022 PG events, but left the yard twice with a batting average a tick shy of .300.

Darian Johnson, RHP, Hornlake, Miss.
Class of 2024 | PG Rank: 500

Johnson has done nothing but impress in recent outings. Up-tempo worker with athletic actions down the slope. Medium to long fluid arm stroke creates deceptive upper-80s to low-90s velocity. Fastball shows lots of arm-side life with occasional sink to it. Breaking ball is the only question mark, but there’s been times where it has been very sharp and biting. When he gains a consistent feel for that, there could be a number of lights-out performances in 2023. Can't imagine he will be a part of the uncommitted group much longer.

Gray Eubanks, 3B, Huntingdon, Tenn.
Class of 2025 | PG Rank: 216

The instincts on this sophomore infielder really stand out. The feel for the barrel is spectacular. Haven’t seen many at-bats where he doesn’t barrel something up. Quick, active hands play to an all-fields, line drive approach. Not afraid to turn and launch on elevated mistakes. Position flexibility is another valuable tool he brings forward, body profiles a bit more up the middle but has played a textbook hot corner at times. Good athlete with tons of room left for growth. Multi-sport athlete.

Clayton Kimball, OF, Zachary, La.
Class of 2025 | PG Rank: 494

Kimball is someone I've kept an eye on since an early summer look. The body really stands out with tall structure and lean muscle mass. Athletic mover in the outfield with enough range to remain up the middle. At the plate however is where he does damage. The swing is simple and rhythmic, producing easy power. Lofted bat path with all-fields juice. Expect some gaudy exit velocity numbers in future showings. Multi-sport athlete. Quarterback.

-Troy Sutherland
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