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Tournaments  | Story | 7/16/2019

Midwest Invitational Scout Notes

Taylor Weber
Ben Milks
Sam Bornstein
Photo: Tyler Peck (Perfect Game)

The 17U Midwest Invitational at Prospect Meadows got off to a good start for the 29ers Baseball ’21 Black as they grabbed a 2-0 victory to set the tone for the tournament ahead. On the mound for the 29ers was projectable righthander Zach Carpita (2021, Taylor Ridge, Ill.). At 6-foot, 180-pounds the righty shows solid projection on the bump. He got things going early with a quick four-pitch strikeout in the top of the first on a good curveball through an 11-to-5 shape and solid depth to the pitch. After giving up one of two hits throughout the game to the next batter, Carpita ended the first unscathed. He would give up the second hit in the bottom of the second and from there it was smooth sailing to a complete game shutout, racking up eight strikeouts. Carpita is able to keep his delivery mechanics repeatable as he works exclusively out of the stretch. He works through a three-quarters slot with good arm speed into the release. His fastball shows hard downward angle topping out at 79 mph with more to come.

Doing a lot of the damage for the 29ers was leadoff hitter Carter Markham (2021, Eldridge, Iowa). Markham is a solid and athletic hitter from the right side with a thick lower half that he utilizes well in his swing. He’s aggressive on pitches in the zone and works through a linear, flat barrel path staying on plane for an extended time. He led the game off with a hard line drive into left field for a base hit. He would then get himself into scoring position with his speed, swiping second and later scoring on a base hit. Markham was outstanding throughout the weekend with four multi-hit games and finishing the tournament for a whopping 11-for-18 (.611).



Jack Lausch (2022, Chicago, Ill.) took the mound in the second slot of day one for the Cangelosi Sparks 15u Black team and helped propel them to a 6-0 victory. Lausch is a lean 6-foot-2 righthander with plenty of room to fill out the frame. He utilizes an ultra-short and compact arm action into a release at a three-quarters slot. He really works to the arm side with the fastball showing sharp running life, touching 84 mph and sitting around 80-82 throughout his three innings of work. Where he really stands out is the amount of deception he can create with that short action as the ball comes out of the hand nicely and gets on hitters quick. He flashed a good breaking ball that showed slider-type shape at times through the zone. Lausch allowed just one batter to reach through the first three innings.

Driving in a couple of runs for the Sparks was the five-hole hitter William Flanigan (2022 Lagrange, Ill.). Flanigan keeps things simple in the box with a compact path through a line drive plane. He works through a fluid swing path that plays well for his age. He was able to capitalize in the first inning with two outs, knocking in a couple of runs with a double deep into the pull-side gap.

The Sparks team was fun to watch throughout the tournament and Jayden Comia(2022, Orland Park, Ill.) was another standout player on day two of the event. Comia, who was the MVP of a Freshman WWBA tournament roughly a year ago, performed well yet again at this PG tournament. He’s a very athletic 5-foot-8 and knows how to handle the barrel. Comia drove in a couple of runs in during a 6-2 victory. He drove in the final run of a three-run inning that started with the Sparks being down 1-0 early. He really connected with a ball driven into left field for a single. He would later drive in another teammate on another hard hit ball to the center field fence for an easy double.

Blake Read (2021, Muskego, Wis.) took the mound for the Hitters 2021, a solid ball club out of Wisconsin. Read really impressed on the mound as a 6-foot-3 lefty with an easy delivery. He stands to continue to add to his already solid frame moving forward. He works quickly and with a smooth tempo from an extended three-quarters slot. He repeats his mechanics and was able to keep his pitches around the zone with ease. His fastball shows some plane to the plate with a bit of heaviness out of the hand at 83 mph. He would also mix in a tight spinner later in counts that was very difficult for hitters to pick up. The Hitters team needed a big win to get the momentum going into the final day and make a run and Read put them in a solid position to do just that. He worked 5 1/3 innings allowing just a single run and left the game with a 3-1 lead that eventually would finish as a 3-3 tie.

– Taylor Weber


Dillon Hansen (2021, Deephaven, Minn.) Enjoyed a loud weekend at the plate collecting five hits, including one double and one triple. The athletic 2021 grad showed a slightly elevated barrel plane through the zone with the ability to drive the ball to the pull side with good jump off the barrel when squared and on time.

Utilizing a very aggressive approach at the plate for Hitters 2021 16u was Luke Nowak (2021, Menomonee Falls, Wis.). Nowak flashed quick hands through the zone with good barrel control creating consistently driven contact through the weekend collecting five base hits. He showed some pull-side power, ambushing a first-pitch fastball for a loud triple.

An athletic 2021 grad, Will Rogers (2021, Shoreview, Minn.) showed impressive bat speed through the zone with the ability to create power to and through both gaps in the outfield. Rogers was able to collect five hits on the weekend including three extra-base knocks, all to the left-center field gap. On the mound Rogers showed athletic actions working down the mound. The righty features a heavy fastball up to 84 mph and a sharp slider at 69 mph creating a lot of swings and misses.

Ryan Radek (2021 Naperville, Ill.) was impressive at the plate over the weekend showing consistent pop into and through the gaps in the outfield while collecting three extra-base hits on the weekend. Radek employs a slightly elevated barrel path to the baseball with good strength at contact creating good jump off the barrel when on time and squared. He also drove in four runs on the weekend and made multiple heads up plays on the basepaths as well.

Carter Markham (2021 Eldridge, Iowa) was almost impossible to get out this weekend for the 29ers Black 16u. Markham collected 11 hits to go along with three walks, five RBI and five runs scored. Markham features a strong barrel at contact with good bat speed through the zone and athleticism throughout the swing. He displayed gap-to-gap power multiple times throughout the weekend which was most apparent on a very loud triple into the left-center field gap. Markham also showed athleticism on the bases stealing four bags.

Tucker Novotny (2021, Cottage Grove, Minn.) showed a line drive barrel path through the zone with rotational upper half actions and good barrel speed. He displayed the present ability to drive the ball to the pull side to go along with some gap-to-gap power when on time and squared, best evidenced on a loud double into center field.

– Ben Milks


Dominic Ferrari (2021, Rock Island, IL) was awarded event MVP honors after a strong performance on the last day of the tournament. He launched a walk-off three-run home run to send his team to the championship game and continued delivering in the title game. Ferrari has a big athletic frame and touched 81 mph on the mound. Despite a long swing, he makes up for it with great bad speed and by keeping his barrel in the zone.

Tyler Peck (2021, Oak Creek, Wis.) showed repeatable, compact mechanics with a fastball that touched 84 mph and had a little cut action to it. Peck has a smooth arm with a lower half that works well. He pitched six shutout innings.

Kade Bowar (2021, Burnsville, Wis.) pitched a two-hit shutout and threw his fastball up to 79 mph. The righthanded pitcher throws across his body and occasionally throws off the timing of hitters by slowing his delivery down and hesitating his legs.

Dillon Hanson (2021, Deephaven, Minn.) has smooth mechanics that will work at the next level. His fastball touches 82 mph from a three-quarters arm slot with a fast arm and short arm circle. Hanson showed great poise, even when his defense made him work a little extra harder.

Riley Richard (2021, Kieler, Wis.) stands on the middle of the rubber and throws a 75 mph fastball from a high three-quarters arm slot, which creates some deception. Richard has great separation in his upper and lower halves. He struck out nine over seven innings while only allowing one run.

Brynden Cleveland (2021, Crestwood, Ill.) was one of this weekend’s top performers, collecting seven hits and reaching base 13 times. He has a strong, athletic build and is looking to steal as soon as he gets on base. He stands up in the box and won’t be fooled by the same pitch twice.

Julius Sanchez (2022, Lasalle, Ill.) was very impressive for his young age. He sat 80-82 mph with his fastball in the early innings before slowing down to 78-80 mph towards the end of his outing. The pitch topped out at 84 mph and has great arm-side run to it. Sanchez features a fast arm, smooth mechanics and a wipeout slider that batters failed to make contact with.

– Sam Bornstein
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