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High School  | General  | 2/22/2018

Regional HS Preview: Mid-Atlantic

David Rawnsley     
Photo: Perfect Game



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2018 Perfect Game High School Preview Index


Top 10 Mid-Atlantic Region High Schools
Rk. Nat'l School '17 Rec. '17 Finish
1 18 Riverdale Baptist (Md.) 30-1 MPSSAA Freelance
2 19 Northwestern (S.C.) 29-4 SCHSL 5A State Champs
3 21 T.C. Roberson (N.C.) 31-3 NCSHAA 4A State Champs
4 26 New Hanover (N.C.) 25-5 NCSHAA 4A State Finals
5 NR Miller (Va.) 27-5 VISAA Division 2 State Champs
6 NR DeMatha Catholic (Md.) 23-10 MD Private State Champs
7 NR Lake Norman (N.C.) 26-5 NCSHAA 4A State Semifinals
8 NR Cape Henlopen (Del.) 8-7-1 No Playoffs
9 NR T.L. Hanna (S.C.) 16-11 SCHSL District Championships
10 NR JL Mann (S.C.) 6-16 No Playoffs

Nat’l denotes rank on the Preseason National High School Top 50

Mid-Atlantic Region: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia

North Carolina is usually the bell weather state of the Mid-Atlantic Region and they enjoyed a banner year in 2017, when two high schoolers, lefthander McKenzie Gore and outfielder Austin Beck, went third and sixth overall in the draft. The state will have to reload for a year, but North Carolina's 2019 class is looking extremely strong and placed four juniors on the All-Region team, including Top 25 prospects in righthander Brennan Malone, lefthander Chris Villaman and standout two-way talent Isaiah Bennett. In fact, juniors make up half of the 14 players on the 2018 Mid-Atlantic All-Region team.

Five states are represented on the team as well, and three of those states – Maryland, South Carolina and North Carolina – also have teams ranked in the top 26 in the Perfect Game Top 50 Preseason rankings. Maryland's Riverdale Baptist checks in at No. 18 overall, followed immediately by Northwestern High School in South Carolina at 19. Two North Carolina schools, T.C. Roberson (21) and New Hanover (26) round out the top teams in the region.




Mid-Atlantic Region High School Dream Team

C – Adam Hackenberg, Sr., The Miller School, Palmyra (Va.)
Hackenburg is the younger brother of New York Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg, and although he looks like a football player with an extremely strong 6-foot-2, 225-pound build, he's strictly a baseball player. The righthanded hitter hit .446-6-41 with 12 doubles last year at The Miller School and had a very strong summer and fall season. Just as impressively, Hackenberg threw out 14 of 19 runners attempting to steal last spring and has one of the strongest throwing arms in the impressive 2018 catching class. He is signed with Clemson.

1B – Dylan Rogers, Jr., Dorman HS, Spartanburg (S.C.)
Rogers is a big and strong 6-foot-2, 195-pound lefthanded hitter who plays both outfield and first base but is especially good defensively at first, with fluid actions and soft hands. His big tools are on offense, where he takes a very aggressive swing with plus raw bat speed and lots of power projection. Rogers is also a two-way prospect with a mid-80s fastball on the mound. He has a verbal commitment to Kentucky.

MIF – Thomas Keehn, Jr., DeMatha Catholic HS, Highland (Md.)
Keehn is a strong-bodied, 6-foot-1, 200-pound athlete with two-way potential at the college level and tools across the board. He's a sub-7.0 runner in the 60-yard dash with a strong righthanded swing at the plate that projects power and a very strong infield throwing arm. A two-year starter at DeMatha Catholic, Keehn hit .318-3-13 with 12 stolen bases as a sophomore while going 6-2, 0.94 in 52 innings on the mound. He's the 86th-ranked player in the PG 2019 class rankings and is committed to Duke.

MIF – C.J. Neese Jr., Jr., Grimsley HS, Greensboro (N.C.)
Neese has a very similar profile to his fellow All-Region middle infielder, Thomas Keehn, as a talented junior two-way talent, albeit with a completely different 6-foot-4, 175-pound build. Neese is especially talented on defense, with very smooth and athletic actions through the ball that bely his long and lean build, plus a very strong throwing arm that can also produce upper-80s fastballs. Neese is verbally committed to North Carolina State and is the 118th-ranked player in the PG 2019 national class rankings.

3B – James Parker, Sr., T.L. Hanna HS, Anderson (S.C)
Parker's father, Tim, was a third round draft choice as a righthanded pitcher by the Cubs in 1990 out of Clemson and quickly reached Double-A before injuring his arm. His son choose to stay in the infield, where he's a strong 6-foot-2, 190-pound righthanded hitter who plays shortstop currently but projects more as a third baseman as he physically matures. The younger Parker, predictably, is signed with Clemson.

OF – Xavier Bussey, Sr., Garner HS, Garner (N.C.)
Bussey was originally classified with the 2019 class but changed to the 2018 draft class during the fall and will be a player the scouting community will have to catch up quickly. He's a very strong, broad-shouldered athlete with outstanding speed and quickness and also runs track in the springs for Garner High School. A righthanded hitter and lefthanded thrower, Bussey's second best tool behind his speed is his plus righthanded bat speed. He is signed with South Carolina.

OF – Austin Elliott, Sr., Cape Henlopen HS, Milton (Del.)
A big and strong 6-foot-2, 195-pound athlete, Elliott has been an impact player at Cape Henlopen High School since he was named All-State as a freshman. He has classic right field tools, with a strong righthanded swing and an outstanding arm that also makes him a potential two-way player at the college level. Elliott is the 166th player in the PG national class rankings and is signed with North Carolina.

OF – Liam Deegan, Jr., Godwin HS, Richmond (Va.)
Deegan is a physically impressive 6-foot-3, 200-pound junior who plays both third base and outfield but projects as a likely outfielder at the next level. He's a right handed hitter with explosive hands at the plate and outstanding power potential with present lift in his swing. Deegan is the 125th-ranked player in the PG 2019 national class rankings and is committed to Virginia.

UT – Isaiah Bennett, Jr., Pine Forest HS, Fayetteville (N.C.)
Bennett is primary righthanded pitcher with a very slender and athletic 6-foot-1 build. He's a three-pitch starter who works in the 90-92 mph range with his fastball and complements it with a very good curveball and changeup combination. Bennett is also a speedy center fielder with 6.6 speed and plays both ways for both Pine Forest High School and for 5-Star National. Bennett is also one of the best soccer players in North Carolina, although he's announced he won't play as a senior to concentrate on baseball. In three years on the soccer pitch, Bennett has scored 66 goals in 50 games, including 30 as a junior. He is the 16th-ranked player in the 2019 PG class rankings and is verbally committed to North Carolina.

SP – Justin Jarvis, Sr., Lake Norman HS, Mooresville (N.C.)
Jarvis had to travel to the Rocky Mountain Showcase last May to earn an invitation to the PG National Showcase but used that as a springboard to national exposure throughout the summer and fall and eventually a No. 48 ranking in the PG national rankings. Jarvis is a very projectable 6-foot-3, 170-pound athlete with a smooth delivery and very fast arm that produces a fastball up to 94 mph to go with a big-breaking downer curveball and a firm changeup. He went 4-3, 1.39 as a junior with 63 strikeouts in 35 innings and is signed with UNC-Wilmington.

SP – Garrett McDaniels, Sr., Pee Dee Academy, Nichols (S.C.)
McDaniels is a slender, live-boded 6-foot-2, 170-pound southpaw with a very fast left arm and one of the best sliders in the 2018 class nationally. He works down in the zone consistently with an 88-91 mph fastball but his big swing-and-miss pitch is an upper-70s slider that is very sharp and late. McDaniels, who is signed with Coastal Carolina, headlines a strong group of South Carolina lefthanders that also includes Clemson signee Nate Lamb and South Carolina signee Josiah Sightler.

SP – Brennan Malone, Jr., Porter Ridge HS, Thomasville (N.C.)
Malone is a big and strong 6-foot-4, 210-pound righthander who is ranked fifth overall in the PG class of 2019 national rankings. His best pitch is an overpowering present plus fastball but he's shown signs of being a three-pitch starter prospect with an upper-70s downer curveball from a high three-quarters release point and a promising low-80s changeup. He is verbally committed to North Carolina.

SP – Chris Villaman, Jr., Ledford (N.C.)
Villaman was one of the top performers in the state of North Carolina as a sophomore, garnering All-State honors while going 10-1, 0.50 on the mound with 130 strikeouts in 69 innings while also hitting .432 with six home runs. A North Carolina State commit, Villaman has an easy athletic delivery and a very good three-pitch mix he commands well, highlighted by a fastball that will reach 92 mph. He is ranked 23rd in the PG class of 2019 national rankings.

SP – Owen White, Sr., Jesse Carson HS, Mt. Ulla (N.C.)
White has long intrigued scouts with his potential on the mound, in part because he's a three-sport athlete who is a legit two-way prospect on the baseball field. While he's been able to touch 93-94 mph with his fastball since between his sophomore and junior years, White has significantly improved his consistency and ability to pitch as he gains more mound time and was one of the top pitching prospects at the highly scouted 2017 WWBA World Championship while pitching for the South Charlotte Panthers. White has been a three-year starter on both sides of the ball for Jesse Carson High School, going 22-8, 1.06 over that time, including 8-1, 0.33 as a junior, and also hit .473-2-22. He is signed with South Carolina.


Mid-Atlantic Region Top Tools 


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