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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/28/2019

18U Summer Showdown Notes

Drew Wesolowski      Brian Treadway      Colton Olinger      Matthew Arietta     
Photo: Bryce Miller (Perfect Game)


Bryce Miller (2020, Franklin, Wis.) made the long haul down from Wisconsin this week and he has made the most out of his opportunities with his team, winning the championship. He showed a larger frame with a stocky, strong lower half build. The catcher did a great job behind plate with soft hands while showing mature mechanics. He went on to throw out a stealing runner as well as back-pick a runner at first base during the playoffs. With his raw tools, he projects well behind the plate. Miller also produced at the plate this week. He showed a slightly spread out stance with his upper half leaning in on the plate. The uncommitted righthanded hitter showed great pop when he gets extended. He hammered a fastball deep into the left-center gap while driving a run late in the playoffs. That same game he went on to battle a 10-pitch at-bat before drawing a walk. With his skillset already starting to show, he should be a very interesting following as he enters his senior year of high school.

Colin Hageman (2020, Janesville, Wis.) is another member of the GRB Rays team who made the trip down from his native state of Wisconsin. He showcased a medium frame with an athletic, lean build and a mature body type. The fast-twitch type shortstop flashed some serious range this week making play after play. He did a great job of working around and then through the baseball before showing off his accurate arm across the diamond. With his quick feet helping him get in position, he made a rangy play to his backhand side before making a great off-balance throw to get the runner. Hageman also showed a big bat during his play this week. He did a great job of creating separation while transferring weight into a balanced hitting position. The righthanded hitter showed quick hands while creating bat lag before getting extended out front. He drove one deep to left field that went over the fence on a line for a solo shot in the playoffs. Keep an eye out on this uncommitted prospect throughout the summer as he continues to show a mature skill-set with a very projectable, athletic frame.

Tyler Shultz (2019, Acworth, Ga.) is a Birmingham-Southern College commit who had a great week of play. He flashed a medium frame with a lean, athletic build. The center fielder proved to be one of the better defensive outfielders with mature instincts and leadership type presence. He did a good job of making rangy plays look easy with good jumps. Although his speed is not top tier, his reads proved to make up for it. With stellar defense, he also got it done at the plate. The righthanded hitter showed a smooth swing with a linear swing path. He took a short and simple type approach while he peppered the baseball around the diamond. Late in the playoffs, he pulled an inside fastball deep to left-center off the wall for a double. He later went on to single to right field and went on to steal a base soon thereafter. Again, his instincts proving to be impressive in all facets of the game. Shultz showed that he is a college-ready ball player as he looks forward to stepping onto Birmingham-Southern’s College campus this fall.

-Drew Wesolowski

Henry Litman (2018, Marietta, Ga.) is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound righthanded pitcher. Starting the game for 643 DP Cougars 18U Beasley, Litman began strong and never looked back. Throwing an assortment of pitches, the righthander kept hitters guessing, resulting in only two hits in just under six innings pitched. He threw from a low three-quarters arm slot, which generated deception and was especially difficult to hit with his slider. Litman’s slider would come out of the hand looking like a fastball but would then have a sharp sweeping motion to it that was hard for the hitters to pick up or making solid contact with. Working efficiently and keeping his pitch count under control, Litman made short work of everyone that came up to the plate. With not overpowering velocity, the Marietta native relied on movement of his pitches which worked in his favor as he tallied seven strikeouts in the winning effort.

Nick Block (2019, Woodstock, Ga.) is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound outfielder. Taking the field in right field, Block showed most of his talent at the plate in the win for Barrett Braves 18U. In his first at-bat, Block showed immense power by hitting one of the pitches that came his way deep over the left field fence. Later in the game, the Walters State CC commit showed off that power again by taking another pitch to the opposite side for another no-doubt home run. An aggressive hitter, the Woodstock native looks to hit each time he goes up to the plate and multiple times put the first pitch he saw into play. At the plate, Block has a straight-up stance and takes a small stride as the pitch is coming in. His hands drop low into the zone and has a quick path to the ball that is very smooth. He fields his position alright but has a strong accurate arm that keeps runners at bay.

Jonathan Hemings (2019, Duluth, Ga.) is a 6-foot-2, 225-pound corner infielder. Starting at third base, Hemmings controlled the hot corner well and made accurate throws across the infield each time he had the opportunity. At the plate, the lefthanded batter showed off the power he had by sending two home runs over the right field fence. The one at bat that he didn’t do that, he still took a pitch to right field for a base hit. With a bit of an open stance, the Duluth native is able to time his pitches correctly with a small stride back to the pitcher. He keeps his hands in the zone and has a compact swing with a tendency to pull the ball into right field.

-Brian Treadway

Lucas Martino (2020, Charlotte, N.C.), a UNC-Charlotte commit, proved his defensive versatility throughout the tournament. Listed as a primary first baseman, Martino showcased his ability in right field with his strong arm and ability to run down fly balls. His large frame and offensive ability should allow him to stay in the lineup moving forward whether it be at first or in the outfield. At the plate his lefthanded swing starts with an upright balanced stance and high hands. His quiet stride and load allow him to track the ball well with the ability to see it deep and drive the ball from left-center to the right field line with authority. His smooth swing path creates good lift on the ball through his loft and high finish while generating a lot of power from his lower half. His 6-foot-3, 250-pound frame already shows good strength while projecting for even more to come as he continues to mature.

Lujames Groover III (2020, Marrow, Ga.) is an interesting prospect based on his great athleticism and large frame. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound middle infielder has the ability to play anywhere on the infield with his plus range and great arm strength. On top of this, his feel for the game and high baseball IQ allow him to put himself in position to make plays at a high level. At the plate he showed great bat control barreling up the ball all weekend. He starts with a narrow, open base, and high hands. From there his low leg kick and hand load create good separation. His compact bat path works well to the inside part of the ball allowing him to spray the ball to all fields. When on time he showed some pull-side power with a line drive double to left field. His long frame while already showing present strength project well moving forward to continue to fill out as he matures.

It might be hard to find anyone playing in the 18U Summer Showdown who enjoys playing the game more than Luis Angarita (2021, Miami, Fla.). The switch-hitting middle infielder provided a spark for his Ninth Inning Royals 17U Bartlewski all week. Defensively at second base, Angarita displayed great range with good first-step quickness going both to his glove side and up the middle countless times to help out his pitching staff. At the plate, his quick compact swing and great hand-eye coordination allows him to barrel up the ball at a high rate. He starts with balanced stance and high hands. His level bat path plays to his line drive approach allowing him to stay gap-to-gap while collecting hit after hit. His 5-foot-8, 160-pound frame has plenty of fast-twitch athletic ability with the ability to continue to fill out as he matures.



Tristan Moore (2020, St. Thomas, V.I.) is a lengthy lefthanded pitcher who displayed a great feel for the mound. His calm presence and even-keel demeanor allow him to stay focused and command the zone with his low-80s fastball that topped out at 85 mph and a curveball that showed sharp bite. His deliberate delivery is easily repeatable and allows him to work down the mound while staying on line. He repeats his high three-quarter arm slot with both offering making it tough for hitters to pick up out of the hand. His ability to land his curveball that showed 2-7 shape to both sides of the plate helped keep hitters off balance throughout his four innings of work while striking out seven. His 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame projects well moving forward as he continues to add strength while filling out.

-Colton Olinger

Tyler Freas (2019, Woodstock, Ga.) is a 5-foot-11, 155-pound center fielder from Etowah High School in his hometown. Freas has an athletic build yet is lean and wiry with some room to fill. At the plate, Tyler sets up with a slightly open stance and hands high near his ear. Freas uses a slow, steady bat waggle for timing, and consistently loaded his weight back while simultaneously lifting his front leg in a large, deep leg lift. Freas showed the ability to generate plenty of torque while he fires his hips upon his front foot landing and gets his hands-on plane with the pitch. Freas displayed good vision this morning at Aviation as he consistently kept his bat quick through the hitting zone with good feel for the barrel. When all was said and done, Freas ended the day 2-for-3 with a home run to the pull-side alley, and a RBI. Freas’ second hit came on an infield single to shortstop where Tyler showed the ability to get out of the box well and stay light on his feet. Speed translates to the outfield where we saw Freas make a couple plays in center field for his club, Barrett Braves 18U. In center field, Freas has good range, anticipation, and first-step quickness which helped him track down a deep out in the gap. Overall, Freas is a very tool-studded ballplayer who plays with confidence and lets his ability talk for him. Mature feel for the game and it showed as he was able to help his club in all aspects this morning.

Darian Howard (2019, Atlanta, Ga.) is a 6-foot, 208-pound corner outfielder from Pace Academy in his hometown of Atlanta. Darian has a physically mature frame with a strong build. At the plate this morning at Aviation, Howard continued his current trend of capitalizing against opposing pitching as he is hitting a red-hot .533 in Perfect Game tournaments this season. At the plate, Darian sets up with an open stance and hands near his ear. Upon release, Howard uses a large step to square and loads his hands outside his chest. He does a nice job staying inside the ball and shooting his barrel through the zone for consistent hard contact to the pull side. On the day, Howard ended with a stat line that read 2-for-2 with a single and a double, a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI. Despite his large frame, Howard showed good athleticism both on the bases and in left field today. He moves well on the bases with good instincts and showed to be a sure-handed defender in left making all plays hit his way. Howard is a good athlete who plays with confidence and trusts his current abilities during both phases of the game. Lastly, Howard has earned the opportunity to continue his baseball career at Wallace CC-Dothan in the fall. Exciting player to follow into the next chapter of his career.

Jacob Jonas (2020, Loganville, Ga.) is a 5-foot-11, 160-pound athletic, utility-type ball player who got the start for his club, Renz Baseball Academy this morning at Aviation. Jonas has good size and strength to his current build and showed tools all over the field this morning helping lead his team to a win in all facets. On the mound, Jonas delivers from the first base side of the rubber from an even-tempo paced windup and good, free-and-easy arm action that delivers his repertoire from a high three-quarters slot. Jonas trusts his stuff on the mound and used a two-pitch mix of a fastball (70-75 mph) and a curveball (63-68 mph). Fastball is heavy through the zone with some tail and his curveball has more of a slurve shape currently yet he showed the ability to have good control of his pitches regularly filling up the zone as he went along during his three-inning start where he allowed two hits, a run, and struck out one. Jonas’ ability to pitch to contact allowed his team to get out to an early lead and never look back, earning Jonas the win on the afternoon. Jacob also helped his case as he hit fourth in the RBA lineup this morning going 2-for-3 with a double. To make matters even sweeter, Jonas’ double came with the bases loaded and went all the way to the wall in the pull-side gap, clearing the bases. He’d contribute to the score once again in a later at-bat giving him a total of four RBI on the day. Jonas will begin his senior year in the fall at Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Sky is the limit for this very talented young prospect. Very exciting player to watch play the game.

Harrison Morton (2019, Suwanee, Ga.) is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound utility-type ball player who recently graduated from North Gwinnett High School this past spring. The athletic prospect has good size and strength to his current build and showed his present abilities all over the field on Monday at Aviation as he single-handedly led his team to a victory with a productive day at the plate and on the mound. Morton’s final box score read 2-for-3 with a double and four RBI, ultimately the difference in Renz Baseball Academy’s 7-3 victory. At the plate, Morton showed good presence in the box, and showed good aggression in each at-bat. He has a no-fear approach at the plate, and obvious strength which generates good bat speed and resulted in consistent hard contact to the gaps. Morton is a good athlete with powerful strides out of the box and on the basepaths. Also came in to close down the seventh for his club in a non-save situation and recorded two of the three outs via the strikeout. Morton has good rhythm and timing to his delivery and has a long, almost tense arm action that he delivers from a high three-quarters slot. Morton used his two-pitch mix of a fastball (82-85 mph, 86 mph max) and a curveball (71-72 mph) to generate a lot of swing and miss in his short outing. Fastball is mostly straight, yet has some riding life through the zone. He showcased the ability to pound the zone with his fastball often getting ahead of his opponent. Harrison’s curveball was (72-73 mph) with 11/5 shape and good depth and bite. Harrison had a good sell with his curveball that made the offering even more effective. Overall, very exciting player to watch in all facets of the game. Solid competitor that plays hard and with intensity regardless of what he is called on to do for his club. Good prospect to monitor for the rest of the summer season.

-Matt Arietta
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