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.