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High School  | General | 3/1/2017

Regional HS Preview: Great Plains

David Rawnsley
Photo: Perfect Game



For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2017 high school baseball preview content, the Dream Team is available for free. The region top tools can be viewed with an Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.




2017 Perfect Game High School Preview Index

Great Plains Region: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

The strength of the Great Plains Region continues to be in its pitching, with Perfect Game All-American Caleb Sloan of Colorado and fast-rising Minnesota native Sam Carlson leading a very impressive group of pitchers. And that is unlikely to change looking forward to next year, either. In addition to two juniors already on the 2017 All-Region Team – Colorado's Cole Winn and Iowa's Ian Bedell – a rotation composed of 2018 grads Colby Gomes (Nebraska), Liam Henry (Kansas), Clayton Nettleton (Iowa), Luke Patzner (Iowa) and Connor Van Scoyoc (Iowa) would look almost as strong.

It is also a particularly strong year for the state of Colorado, which leads this eight-state region with five All-Region selections, including three juniors in Winn, first baseman Justin Olson and outfielder Tanner O'Tremba. Missouri is close behind with four All-Region players.


Great Plains Region Dream Team 

C – Casey Opitz, Sr., Heritage (Colo.)
Opitz is listed at 5-foot-11, 175-pounds but has a strong and athletic body that should hold up well to the rigors of catching. He's a 6.88 runner who is very quick and athletic defensively behind the plate and has thrown out 16 of 24 runners attempting to steal over the past two springs. At the plate Opitz is a switch hitter with bat speed from both sides of the plate and a strong middle-of-the-field approach. He is signed with Arkansas.

1B – Justin Olson, Jr., Pine Creek (Colo.)
Olson is a primary outfielder but he has experience at first base and the 6-foot-3, 215-pound lefthanded hitting slugger projects there at the next level. A Kentucky commit, Olson led the state of Colorado with nine home runs in 19 games as a sophomore and has a very strong and aggressive power-oriented lefthanded swing.

MIF – Mark Vierling, Sr., Christian Brothers (Mo.)
The younger brother of Notre Dame two-way standout Matt Vierling, Mark Vierling is a different type of athlete with a quick and agile middle infielder's build and the speed (6.73 in the 60-yard dash) and big infield arm strength. A righthanded hitter with plenty of raw bat speed, Vierling hit .313-2-21 with 29 runs scored last spring. He is signed with Missouri.

MIF – Brett Hammit, Jr., Nixa (Mo.)
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Hammit has some of the best righthanded power in the 2018 class nationally, with very good raw bat speed and a swing that has the right plane for launching balls to the pull side. While he is a shortstop now with plenty of left side infield arm strength, he projects to eventually move to third base as he continues to fill out and get stronger. Hammit is a Nebraska commit.

3B – Cam McMillan, Jr., St. Thomas Aquinas (Mo.)
McMillan played on the JV team at St.Thomas Aquinas last spring but all the scouts who flocked to that school to see eventual fourth overall pick (Rockies) Riley Pint throw knew about the 6-foot-5, 200-pound infielder. McMillan stood out for his physical stature and huge power potential on the summer circuit and should be an explosive force this spring.

OF – Christian Franklin, Jr., Rockhurst (Kan.)
Franklin is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound live-bodied athlete who ranks 60th in the 2018 Perfect Game class rankings. His best tool is his righthanded bat speed and he has a fluid and easy swing and more power than you'd expect from a player his size and age. He's committed to Arkansas.

OF – Blake Rohm, Sr., Broomfield (Colo.)
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Rohn is one of the most projectable athletes in the region and could make a big leap forward this spring both as a righthanded hitting outfielder and as a loose-armed pitcher. His swing is notably short for a player his height and his present line drive swing could develop plenty of power down the road when he starts to fill out physically. Rohm will be crossing the country to attend Virginia next year.

OF – Tanner O'Tremba, Jr, Cherry Creek (Colo.)
Marc Johnson has been the head baseball coach at Cherry Creek High School in suburban Denver for 45 years and has a history of turning out high-level prospects in addition to state championship teams. The righthanded hitting O'Tremba appears to be the latest after he hit .493-6-34 and being named All-State as a sophomore. He has committed to Texas Tech.

UT – Shay Schanaman, Jr., Grand Island (Neb.)
As usual, the Great Plains Region has no shortage of multi-position players, with All-Region pitcher Sam Carlson being one of the most notable. A pair of 2018 Nebraska products, both of whom are committed to the Cornhuskers, definitely stand out, though. Schanaman has a strong middle infielder’s build with plenty of power at the plate and gets the nod as the first teamer due to his present skills on the mound, which includes a lively 90 mph fastball and nice slider. But fellow Nebraskan Colby Gomes already tops out at 92 mph with more to come and is a surprisingly athletic shortstop despite his 6-foot-5 height.

P – Sam Carlson, Sr., Burnsville (Minn.)
Carlson gains many comparisons to former Florida All-American and fellow Minnesota native Logan Shore and it is no surprise that Carlson is also signed with the Gators. Based on how Carlson threw in the fall, however, he might not reach campus. Carlson is now the 27th ranked player in the 2017 class after seeing his velocity jump 4-6 mph over the past year up to 92-94 mph to go with his already polished secondary pitches and command.

P – Caleb Sloan, Sr, Regis Jesuit (Colo.)
Sloan is a rare back and throw power righthander with a big and strong 6-foot-3, 215-pound build. Despite his pretty mature size and strength, his arm is so fast and loose that many scouts believe he will continue to gain velocity over his current 91-94 mph fastball, a pitch that he does a good job of spotting to both sides of the plate. Sloan's mid-80s slider gets good depth for a power pitch with that type of velocity and he also has some developing feel for a changeup. He's signed with TCU.

P – Jackson Rutledge, Sr., Rockwood Summit (Mo.)
Rutledge is a extra large 6-foot-7, 240-pound righthander who has drawn comparisons to former big leaguer Scott Elarton for his size and arm action. He pounds the ball downhill from a high three-quarters arm slot and gets very good plane on a 90-94 mph fastball as his best pitch. Rutledge has thrown both a slider and a curveball, with the slider showing more potential, and he also throws a solid changeup. He's currently ranked 180th in the PG 2017 class rankings and is signed with Arkansas.

P – Cole Winn, Jr., Silver Creek, (Colo.)
Winn has quickly moved to 31st in the PG 2018 class rankings as he's seen his fastball increase almost 10 miles per hour between the fall of 2015 and the fall of 2016. He went 6-1, 2.77 with 78 strikeouts in 48 innings for Silver Creek High School as a sophomore but his real debut for the national scouting community was at the 2016 WWBA World Championship in October, where he turned in a dominating performance for the Astros Scout Team, working 89-93 mph with his fastball and a hard 77 mph curveball.

P – Ian Bedell, Jr., Davenport Central (Iowa)
Bedell is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound righthander with a quick and projectable arm that comes through from a three-quarters to mid three-quarters arm slot that creates angle and deception to his pitches, along with big running action on a 88-91 mph fastball. Bedell's 73 mph curveball, with lots of sweeping depth, and upper-70s changeup are also quality pitches he can throw for strikes. He's committed to Missouri.


Great Plains Region Top Tools

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