Day 1 Notes

Uncommitted 2017 righthanded pitcher and catcher Morgan Copeland (Loganville, Ga.) helped earn the Game on Red Devils a spot in the playoffs due in large part to his performance in Saturday night’s action. Morgan features a thicker frame at 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, but still has room to add muscle and strength. At the plate he showed off a swing with linear plane and some lift to go with present raw power to launch a grand slam into the parking lot. He keeps his hands back and displays good balance throughout his swing. Copeland also impressed on the mound, using a three-quarters slot to produce a 88-91 mph fastball. He didn’t show a breaking ball in his one inning of relief, but was able to overpower opposing hitters. He located well and with its slight arm-side run it proved to be an effective offering.

Righthander John Flowers from Orange Park, Fla. also opened eyes in his start for Dynasty Baseball on Saturday. Flowers has an extremely athletic and projectable frame of 6-foot-3, 175-pounds. He uses a low three-quarters slot from the right side and generated good sinking action on his fastball that topped out at 89 mph. He sat more comfortably in the 84-88 mph range, but did well to keep it low in the zone. Flowers also mixed in a tight, sweeping low-70s slider that he went to with two strikes. Throughout his delivery, Flowers remained very balanced and online. He landed in a good position to throw and showed off his athleticism with a couple of nice plays in the field.

Team Elite Prime 17u in their second pool play game on Saturday came in with a stacked roster and started Vanderbilt commit, righthander Weston Bizzle, from Memphis, Tenn. Bizzle stands at 5-foot-11, 195-pounds and uses every inch of it in his delivery. He comes sharply downhill with a high three-quarters slot and uses a heavy fastball that sat between 85-87 mph and topped out at 88. Bizzle’s best pitch he threw was his power 12-to-6 breaking ball that showed good late bite and generated lots of weak contact. Early in the count he pounded the bottom of the zone and then showed the ability to elevate his fastball or burry his curve for a swinging strike. For all of the movement in Bizzle’s delivery he remained online and was able to repeat his delivery well. The Vandy commit continues to impress following a dominant summer.

Playing behind Bizzle and leading off for Team Elite Prime 17u was 2017 shortstop Ivan Johnson from Atlanta, GA. Johnson, a Georgia commit, really impressed at the plate and in the field. He possesses a highly athletic shortstop frame at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds and moves well. He laced a triple to left-center showing a good, line drive swing and the ability to generate backspin. Johnson showed impressive barrel control and bat speed as he routinely made hard contact. On the bases, Johnson showed off quick twitch instincts that allowed him to take the extra base at ease. In the field, Johnson made every play at short, including a nice play on a slow roller. He showed good arm strength and solid footwork with an easy throwing motion. Johnson should be another part to a strong recruiting class for the Bulldogs.

Ole Miss commit, Golston Gillespie, a 2017 grad from Hull, Ga. was another member of the loaded 17u Prime team. Gillespie hit not one, but two homers for Team Elite including a walkoff grand slam. Johnson is listed at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds and looks every bit of it. With his present size and strength,he showed off impressive raw power at the plate as well as the ability to drive the ball the other way. He easily generates back spin off the barrel and has good bat speed. He has a smooth and level swing with some natural uppercut that allows him to crush pitcher’s mistakes.

In Sunday’s action, Team Elite Prime 18u threw righthander Christian Ryder, a 2016 grad from Acworth, Ga. Ryder has a verbal commitment to Georgia and has a tall, athletic build at 6-foot-4, 185-pounds with plenty of room to fill and add muscle. He uses a high three-quarters slot and gets downhill easily with his long limbs. His fastball sat between 87-89 mph with good arm-side movement and given his current build and projection going forward, it’s easy to see him add a couple of ticks to his fastball. He also featured a tight, two-plane breaking ball that served as a good secondary offering and set-up pitch to his fastball. His mechanics were clean and he stayed online with little fall off through his delivery.

First baseman and lefthanded pitcher Vinnie Pasquantino of the Old Dominion Hitters 17u impressed at the plate Sunday as well. Pasquantino, an Old Dominion University commit, from Moseley, Va. has a good, strong frame at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. He used a leg kick trigger and an open stance and showed a strong ability to barrel up the baseball and drive it. At the plate, Pasquantino showed a good feel for hitting and quick hands through the zone. He showed a linear swing at the plate, but his strength and balance allowed him to drive the ball out to all fields.

For the Stars Baseball Marucci Prime, righthander Owen Griffith from Aiken, S.C. shined on the mound in their Quarterfinal matchup. Griffith stands 6-foot-1, 180-pounds with a lean, athletic frame that should fill out a little bit more. On the mound, he showed a loose, effortless arm action and a high three-quarters slot. He threw his fastball between 85-89 mph and hit 90 mph on several different pitches. He got downhill well and saw good sinking action on his fastball. He paired that pitch with a power breaking ball that showed good depth and late 11-to-5 break. He also mixed in an 80 mph changeup that had good fade and completed his true, three-pitch mix. He was very balanced through his delivery and landed in a good position to field. Griffith is verbally committed to Clemson.