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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/26/2019

17U South: Day 4-5 Scout Notes

Nate Schweers      Andrew Jenkins     
Photo: Justin Lange (Perfect Game)

17u WWBA South National Championship: Day 1 Scout Notes | Day 2 Scout Notes | Day 3 Scout Notes

Monday and Tuesday’s action at the WWBA 17u South National Championship was full of excitement, and there were some performances that were noteworthy.




Justin Barry-Smith (2021, The Woodlands, Texas) had a strong start for Texas Twelve Gold, tossing five scoreless innings and striking out four. Barry-Smith used a heavy dose of the fastball at 84-88 mph with good downward plane. The righty showed good feel for a slider with sweeping 10-to-4 shape and late break in the upper-70s, and he was able to pair that well with a fading changeup in the low-80s. Barry-Smith also flashed some consistency with a curveball with 11-to-5 shape, but the slider was his better pitch on Monday. Barry-Smith has an athletic and projectable frame, repeating his delivery well to throw consistent, quality strikes from a high three-quarters slot. The pitchability that Barry-Smith possesses makes him an intriguing arm to watch grow and develop.

Keegan Turner (2019, Liberty, Texas) had a good day at the plate on Monday, going 2-for-3 with a walk and hard-hit single through the middle of the field. Turner has a physical, 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame, and the right-handed hitter uses a strong lower half to fire his hips well to the point of contact. The primary third baseman made a couple nice plays in the field and will be attending Western Texas College to play his college baseball this fall.

Zachary Easterling (2020, Spring, Texas) is an interesting arm to keep an eye on in the 2020 class. The Texas A&M commit was wild at times on Monday, but featured a fast arm up to 88 mph. When on time and extended over the front side, Easterling does a great job of getting the fastball to both sides of the plate with some late run to the arm side. With a tall and slender 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame, Easterling has plenty of room to fill out and add strength. As he develops better command and feel for the breaking ball, Easterling could really come into his own on the mound.

Chris Binegar (2021, Allen, Texas) had a quick one-inning appearance for the Dallas Redhawks on Monday, recording one strikeout. At 6-foot-2, 170-pounds, Binegar has an athletic frame with room to fill out as he continues develop. The righty works from an over the top slot, and has a quick, compact arm stroke. Binegar’s fastball sat in the mid-80s up to 87 mph on Monday, flashing good feel for a curveball with 11-to-5 shape at 71-74 mph. There are some things to clean up in the lower half when it comes to his linear direction, but Binegar is another arm to keep an eye on in the 2021 class.

Dylan Hill (2020, Garland, Texas) was lights out coming out of the bullpen for the Dallas Redhawks on Monday. The 6-foot-4, 191-pound righthander struck out three in his one inning of work, picking up the save. Hill had a lively fastball at 87-90 mph on Monday, showing the ability to execute it for strikes to both sides of the plate. Hill has a clean and efficient delivery, creating good linear direction down the mound with a quick and compact arm stroke. Hill has good feel for a mid-70s slider, and the ability to throw it as a combo with the fastball was impressive to watch.




Justin Lange (2020, Llano, Texas) showed a lot of things to like on the mound Tuesday. Following up his relief appearance earlier in the week, Lange featured a lively fastball at 89-92, touching 93 mph in his start. As pointed out earlier in the week, Lange has a quick arm and has good linear direction at foot strike, allowing for an easy delivery from a mid three-quarters slot. Lange has good feel for a slider in the upper-70s, showing it both as a strike and put-away pitch in the dirt. Lange, who is a Dallas Baptist commit, has the projectability to be a big name to watch over the next year.

Bristol Carson (2020, Corinth, Texas) was 2-for-3 in Tuesday’s contest, recording two doubles and one RBI. Carlson has an athletic, 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame with room to fill out and add more strength. Carlson has some present bat speed at the plate, showing the ability to get his hands extended and drive the baseball.

Josh Pernetti (2020, Ceres, Calif.) had a strong Tuesday at the plate for PNT 17U, going 2-for-3 with one RBI. In Pernetti’s first at-bat, he was able use his present bat speed to go up in the zone and drive a pitch to right field for a single. The lefthanded hitter followed that up with a run-scoring double to the gap in left in his second at-bat. Pernetti has a physical build at 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, and he uses his lower half well, firing his hips and getting his hands extended at the point of contact.

During Tuesday night’s playoff action, the stars started to shine a little bigger and brighter, bringing a handful of impact performances. Pryce Powell (2020, Katy, Texas) was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and one RBI on Tuesday night. Powell, who has excellent speed and an athletic frame, has some present bat speed that allows him to get his hands extended and drive the baseball. Powell has some raw athleticism that will develop nicely as he continues to add strength.

Connor Kaiser (2020, College Station, Texas) had the biggest at-bat of the game for Texas Twelve Gold. Kaiser drove a ball deep over the head of the right fielder in extra innings for a three-run double, breaking the tie in the top of the eighth inning. Kaiser flashes some timely power from the left side of the plate.

Cyrus Twaddle (2020, Houston, Texas) did a little bit of everything for Adidas Baseball National Team 2020 – Ina on Tuesday night. Twaddle started the game, giving his team a chance to win with a 3 2/3 inning, zero earned run performance. Twaddle also contributed at the plate, driving a no-doubt two-run home run deep over the wall in left field to give his team a 4-0 lead at the time. Twaddle has a lean frame but flashes big power when he can get his hands extended.

Kaden deBerardinis (2020, Conroe, Texas) is a heady baseball player that makes things go at the top of the lineup for Adidas Baseball National Team 2020 – Ina. Though deBerardinis had only one base hit to his name on Tuesday night, the lefthanded hitter constantly puts together quality at-bats in the leadoff spot. The center fielder has great speed both in the outfield and on the base paths, and he is one of those players you just love to have on your team. Constantly wreaking havoc on the bases, deBerardinis works his way into scoring position often to allow the power in the middle of the order to drive him in.

– Nate Schweers


Sam Houston State commit Dakota Palmer (2020, Guy, Texas) started on the mound for South Texas Sliders 17u Mayer. The 6-foot, 200-pound lefthanded pitcher has a large frame, square shoulders and showed present strength throughout. He had an easy and loose arm action with a short circle in the back, a simple delivery, stayed closed and got downhill. Palmer showed advanced command to both sides of the plate with two pitches, induced ground balls and kept hitters off balance during his outing with his curveball. He knows how to pitch, is very poised on the mound and fills up the zone consistently.

Kauner Porter (2020, Cibolo, Texas) came out of the bullpen for South Texas Sliders 17u Mayer. He showcased an athletic frame with long limbs and a high waist. His delivery was easy, had slight drop-and-drive towards the plate and created good angle. The Lamar commit lived primary off his fastball that had sinking, arm0side run at 85-88 mph and flashed a late-biting slider with depth in the mid-70s. Standing at 6-foot-3, Porter is a very projectable righthanded pitcher, his command and velocity should continue to improve in the future.

Stix 2020 Davenport continued to impress at the 2019 WWBA 17u South National Championship with a roster loaded full of talent. Tulane commit Blake Mahmood (2020, Eden Prairie, Minn.) is a righthanded pitcher who got the start on the mound against Dallas Patriots 2020 Stout. Pitching primary out of the stretch, he had a high three-quarters arm slot, a high hand-set and leg kick into his delivery. His fastball had heavy run that sat in the mid- to upper-80s, he maintained velocity well into the later innings and produced weak contact and ground balls during his outing. He has a medium frame with room to fill out, should add strength down the road and will be a nice addition to the Tulane pitching staff.

Jalon Mack (2020, Dallas, Texas) is listed as a primary shortstop as the 6-foot, 182-pound switch-hitting infielder impressed at the plate for Stix 2020 Davenport. Taking the majority of his at-bats from the left side, he had very quick hands, created lift in his swing and showed pull-side pop. Mack crushed a home run to right field and a hit double off the right-center fielder gap wall, and he also displayed good speed on the bases. Playing second base, he uses good footwork with soft hands and above average arm strength with the skills to play at the next level. He is a very talented player as this uncommitted prospect will quickly catch the attention of many college coaches across the country.

One of the fastest players in the tournament is New Mexico commit Kameron Weil (2020, Arlington, Texas). Weil is a quick-twitch outfielder for Stix 2020 Davenport and he had a medium, athletic frame with plenty of room to fill out. The speedy lefthanded hitting outfielder employs a sound approach at the plate with present bat speed and did a good job of getting his hands extended at the point of contact. In the outfield, he made good reads and showed the ability to track down balls deep in the gap with his game-changing speed. His arm strength will improve once he adds strength to his frame, making him a very intriguing prospect in the future for New Mexico.

Texas A&M commit Robert Antonetti (2020, Colleyville, Texas) is a 5-foot-10, 185-pound primary catcher who also played outfield for Stix 2020 Davenport. The lefthanded hitting catcher has quick hands, an aggressive approach and made loud contact at the plate. He showed off his power with a home run to right field on an inside fastball that jumped off his bat at a very high exit velocity. Antonetti displayed good arm strength, carry and accurate throws behind the dish as well as in the outfield. He projects well at the next level and it will be interesting to see how he develops and grows during his career at Texas A&M.

Uncommitted Stoney Rhodes (2020, Kerrville, Texas) is listed as a primary shortstop for South Texas Sliders 17u Lynch. He started on the mound against a very talented Dallas Patriots 17u Stout offense and was dominant during his outing. His fastball sat 82-84 mph, topping out at 85 mph and worked it in and out very efficiently. Rhodes flashed a slider at 77 mph that he was able to throw for a strike in any count. His delivery was very simple and messed with timing out of the windup to keep hitters guessing all game. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, struck seven and allowed zero earned runs. This prospect has a very good feel on the mound and with added velocity Rhodes could turn in to high-level player.

– Andrew Jenkins
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