THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Summer Collegiate  | Story | 10/18/2012

Jayhawk League Prospect Reports

Photo: Jayhawk League
Official League Website
Jayhawk League top 20 prospects (list)
Perfect Game Summer Collegiate top prospect coverage

The Wichita-based National Baseball Congress staged its 78
th
 annual World Series this summer, and perhaps more than ever became a showcase for Jayhawk League teams. Five of the league’s six teams wangled an invitation to the 32-team event, and all five managed to finish among the top 10 entrants although none advanced to the championship game.

The regular-season champion Hays Larks made the most-spirited run towards a 10
th
 title overall for the Jayhawk League since its formation in 1976, running off six straight wins after an opening-round loss before finishing third. Among its victims in the double-elimination event were the Santa Barbara (Calif.) Foresters, who went on to win their second straight NBC title.

It’s unclear whether the admirable showing of Hays and the remaining Jayhawk teams spoke more to the strength of those clubs, their traditional “home-field advantage” or an increasingly watered-down NBC field, but the talent that played in the league this summer appeared to be as strong as in any season in recent memory.

Hays, which has never won an NBC title but finished second four times (most recently as 2007), boasted the top prospect in the Jayhawk League for the second straight season. This year, that player was Nebraska rising sophomore outfielder Austin Darby; a year ago, it was another outfielder Aaron Cornell, who was in the process of transferring from Eastern Oklahoma JC to Oklahoma State. Cornell played sparingly last spring for the Cowboys and the fact that he ranks only No. 13 on the accompanying list of this year’s Top 20 Prospects, in a return engagement to the league, points to the upgrade in talent from 2011.

No more an authority than Hays manager Frank Leo, who has coached the Larks off and on since 1975 (including continuously since 1994), says the position talent in the league was superior to what it has been in recent years, but there may not have been the depth of pitching.

The Dodge City A’s, coached by former big leaguer Phil Stephenson (younger brother of Wichita State coaching legend Gene Stephenson), were responsible for much of the league’s surge in talent, contributing three of the top five prospects. The A’s had been a perennial doormat since joining the league in 2007, but finished second to Hays and a representative seventh in the NBC World Series.

FAST FACTS

Year League Established:
1976.
States Represented in League: Kansas.
No. of Teams in League: 6 (6 in 2011).
Regular-Season Champion: Hays Larks (23-11; 35-13 overall).
Post-Season Champion: NONE. Dodge City A’s, El Dorado Broncos, Hays Larks, Haysville Heat and Liberal Bee Jays represented league in National Baseball Congress World Series, Wichita, Kan.
Teams, PG CrossChecker Summer 50/Final Ranking: No. 32 Hays Larks; No. 48 Dodge City A’s.
No. 1 Prospect, 2011 (per PG CrossChecker): Aaron Cornell, of, Hays Larks (Oklahoma State; returned to Hays in 2012).
First 2011 Player Selected, 2012 Draft: Zeb Sneed, rhp, Haysville Heat (Northwest Nazarene, Idaho; drafted by Royals/12th round).

BATTING LEADERS (League games only)

Batting Average:
Taylor Drake, 3b, Dodge City A’s (.421).
Home Runs: Zair Koeiman, 2b, Hays Larks; Ryan Busboom, 1b, Hays Larks (7).
RBIs: Taylor Drake, 3b, Dodge City A’s (35).

PITCHING LEADERS (League games only)

Wins:
Justin Ziegler, rhp, Hays Larks (5).
ERA: Blake Johnston, rhp, Hays Larks (1.13).
Strikeouts: Justin Ziegler, rhp, Hays Larks (47).

BEST TOOLS

Best Athlete:
Tim Anderson, ss/of, Dodge City A’s
Best Hitter: Austin Darby, of, Hays Larks
Best Power: Taylor Drake, 3b/1b, Dodge City A’s
Fastest Base Runner: Tim Anderson, ss/of, Dodge City A’s
Best Defensive Player: Tyler Baker, c, Liberal Beejays
Best Velocity: Colton Reavis, rhp, Hays Larks
Best Breaking Ball: Derek Thompson, lhp, Derby Twins
Best Command: Derek Thompson, lhp, Derby Twins

TOP 20 PROSPECTS

1. AUSTIN DARBY, of, Hays Larks (Nebraska/SO in 2013)
SCOUTING PROFILE: Not only has the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Darby earned the distinction of being the Jayhawk League’s top prospect, but he was also selected the league’s player of the year after hitting .393-7-47 overall with 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts for league champion Hays. Darby is surprisingly polished considering his age and Colorado upbringing, and gave a strong indication of his athleticism and blossoming talent by hitting .324-2-15 as a first-year player last spring at Nebraska that earned him Big 10 all-freshman honors. He simply built off that performance during the summer, customarily hitting in the 4-hole for Hays. Not only is he a run producer with easy and significant raw power potential from the left side, but showcases above-average speed on the bases. He has a compact stroke, sound idea of the strike zone and solid overall approach to hitting, but just needs to curb his tendency to chase pitches and swing-and-miss at an unacceptable rate. That should come with experience and enable him to become a complete offensive player. Darby has all the other ingredients to evolve into a legitimate five-tool talent as he is a sound defender in right field and can handle center field in a pinch, though a slightly below-average arm, the one shortcoming in his game, may ultimately relegate him to left field.

This is PG 'DiamondKast' Level content.
You must be either an DiamondKast, Crosschecker Rankings & Scouting Reports, or Scout subscriber to read the rest.

Sign in Subscribe Now

Summer Collegiate | Story | 9/26/2023

Cape Cod: Best of the Rest

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Cape Cod Top 100 Prospect List | Cape Cod Top 2025 Prospects * indicates draft eligible sophomore ^ indicates incoming transfer Name Pos. Team School Hometown State Andrew Sundean C Hyannis UCF Lakeland FL Bradke Lohry^ IF Hyannis Tennessee Trinity FL Cam Schuelke^ RHP Hyannis Mississippi State Dorr MI Carter Lovasz RHP Hyannis William & Mary Midlothian VA Colby Shelton*^ IF Falmouth Florida Lithia FL Colin Tuft^ OF Orleans Tulane Vienna VA Daniel Corona^ IF Cotuit Missouri Brooklyn NY Derek Clark^ LHP Orleans West Virginia Petersburg MI Duce Gourson IF Falmouth UCLA San Diego CA Eddie Micheletti OF Orleans George Washington Wilmington DE Enzo Apodada^ OF YD Baylor Scottsdale CA Evan Truitt RHP Orleans Charleston Southern Berlin MD Finnegan Wall RHP YD UC Irvine Hesperia CA Garrett Coe RHP Falmouth Uconn Lakeside CT Ian Petrutz OF Bourne Maryland Mantua NJ Jakob Christian^ 1B YD...
General | General | 11/6/2026

Class of 2028 Rankings Update

Article Image
Tournaments | Story | 11/6/2026

National All State Preview: Week 1

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
This weekend, teams from all around the country in the 10U, 12U and 14U divisions will converge on the Houston area for the 2026 PG National All-State Select Championships. The 10U division will have 22 teams, 12U will have 23 and 14U will have 22. All ages have many different states represented - from Hawaii, to the Pacific Northwest, to Arizona, to New England, to Carolina to Florida and many more. “National All-State brings together the best players in the country across Houston,” national crosschecker and northeast scouting director, John McAdams, said. “It’s a fun atmosphere for ultimate bragging rights amongst all the regions the PG platform reaches domestically while serving as a good litmus test for myself, Jheremy Brown and Tyler Russo to see the players. We get another glimpse at the end of the year as we start to formulate our initial thoughts on the...
Draft | Rankings | 11/6/2026

2027 MLB Draft Board Update: Top 200

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
PG Draft Content Hub With the fall season winding down and the winter months approaching, it is time for another draft board update.  After getting more live looks and gathering information from the fall action across the country, we have expanded the board to a Top-200. The class continues to feature an intriguing mix of arms from both the prep and college ranks, along with an enticing position player pool.  There is still plenty of time for new names to emerge and established prospects to continue to improve their draft stock, but here is where things stand as we head into the winter.  * denotes draft eligible sophomore Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment 1 Dylan Seward H SS S-R Norco Eastvale CA Tennessee 2 Brendan Lawson C SS L-R Florida Toronto ON 3 Dax Whitney C RHP R-R Oregon State Blackfoot ID 4 Tomas Valincius C LHP L-L Mississippi State...
College | Story | 11/6/2026

College Fall Notebook: November 6

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Virginia Cavaliers  2026 In Review:  Under the leadership of first year Head Coach Chris Pollard, the Cavaliers won 37 games which was the second most victories by a first-year coach in program history.  Virginia went (37-23) finishing tied for 8th in the ACC and earned an at-large bid to the Hattiesburg Regional.  They fielded a talented offense that averaged over 8-runs per game, highlighted by AJ Gracia and Eric Becker who were both selected on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft.  While the defensive squad wasn’t quite as elite as usual, they were ultra-competitive on the mound with a strong rotation and lock down bullpen.  With plenty of talent returning for Pollard and his staff in ’27, they should be a force on a national level once again.  Impact Returners:    Senior Antonio Perrotta (.266/.459/.431, 5 HR, 6 2B, 24 RBI) experienced...
General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 70

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
That Off-Season Program Wasn't Built for Your Son. It Was Built for Nobody. The Harsh Reality of Skill Development · Part 2 of 5 Somewhere right now, a pitcher is starting a twelve-week off-season program. It came from his travel team. Or a trainer. Or a big leaguer's Instagram. It has phases and a logo, and every kid in the building got the same one. Here is the harsh reality. That program was written before anybody looked at your son. It doesn't know he exists. It was built for the average pitcher... and the average pitcher does not exist. A Template Fixes Somebody's Problem. Maybe Not His. Every pitcher who is stuck is stuck for a reason. We call that reason his constraint... the thing that is actually limiting him right now. For one kid it is strength. For the next it is mobility. For the next it is a mechanical inefficiency, or an arm that isn't recovering, or a body that...
General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 69

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
Your Son's April Arm Injury is Being Scheduled Right Now   The Harsh Reality of Skill Development - Part 1 of 5 Let me start this series with something most people in baseball won't say out loud. In my experience, a great many of the arm problems we will see next April are being set up right now... in October, November and December. Not necessarily because a young pitcher is throwing too much. Often it's because of what happens when he stops. Here is the pattern. I have watched it for more than thirty years. The fall season ends. The arm is tired, so the family does what seems like the responsible thing.  They shut it down. No throwing. For a lot of kids, no anything. Weeks go by. The holidays come and go. Then somebody looks at a calendar in January and realizes tryouts are three weeks away. Suddenly, an arm that has done nothing since October is asked to go from zero to game...
High School | Rankings | 11/4/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Risers

Kyler Peterson
Article Image
Complete Class of 2027 Rankings With the end of the summer and fall seasons behind us, it was time for a quick refresh of the 2027 class rankings. Below you'll be able to read about some of the biggest risers up the board, led by North Carolina outfielder John Hucko who jumped more than 110 spots to now sit at No. 20 overall.  John Hucko, OF, Charlotte, N.C. Previous Rank: 132 | Current Rank: 20 Hucko makes a huge leap into the top-20 players in the class after a dominating showing in Jupiter. It’s as good of a left-handed swing as you’ll come across with pretty easy impact to all parts. He’s a supreme athlete with all the tools to play center long term and is a present plus runner. Hucko is a name that cemented his prospect status in Jupiter and will be a name to follow for next year’s MLB Draft. Elyjah Mason, SS, Lake Forest, Calif. Previous Rank: 71 |...
General | General | 11/3/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Update

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Press Release | Press Release | 11/2/2026

PG Partners Up with Minority Prospects

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME ANNOUNCES MEDIA RIGHTS PARTNERSHIP WITH MINORITY PROSPECTS   Sanford, Florida (Monday, November 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a media rights partnership with Minority Prospects, the Atlanta-based organization that has become the largest platform in the world for minority baseball and softball prospects. The partnership kicked off last month at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., Perfect Game's premier fall event, where Minority Prospects produced content featuring some of the nation's top amateur players in front of college coaches, professional scouts and MLB legends. Under the agreement, Minority...
Draft | Story | 10/30/2026

2027 Draft Preview: Prep Middle Infielders

Ryan Miller
Article Image
2027 MLB Draft Profile Preview: Collegiate Right-Handed Pitchers | Collegiate Left-Handed Pitchers The premium profile in each class often are prep middle infielders, a sought-after group with the athletic ability to stick on the dirt or land throughout the diamond long term. This demographic has produced the superstars of today’s game and therefore are selected in prime spots while demanding high-end signing bonuses. This group features a mix of loud tools, high level projection, and impact defenders. Below we break down at the top prep middle infielder in the 2027 cycle.  ‘27 SS Dylan Seward (CA)- liftoff from the No. 1 player in the class. A solo blast to RCF to extend the lead for @TheCanesBB #WWBA @California_PG @Vol_Baseball commit https://t.co/lJjNg6T7PS — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 27, 2026 SS Dylan Seward, Norco (CA)  The Southern...
Loading more articles...