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College  | Story  | 2/18/2018

Purdue, WMU square off in Georgia

Photo: Purdue Athletics



Opening day heat from McClanahan | Baum, Tar Heels even series | Perfect Game College Player Database

During the season Perfect Game scouts will be traveling to some of the top series to watch the very best players in college baseball. Those observations, captured with both written notes and video, will be shared in the College Player Database as linked above, notes that can also be accessed on the players' individual PG profile pages. Throughout the season select reports will be shared in feature format to promote the players, the teams and college baseball as a whole.


Nick Dalesandro, C/OF, Purdue



Dalesandro has a slender, 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame that carries a decent amount of strength to it. At the plate he exhibited very good barrel control and overall feel, and took a professional round of BP, getting good extension through the ball with quick hands and a very smooth approach. He also displayed nice oppo-field pop, hitting a homer in BP to right field as a righthanded hitter. In the games it looks as though Dalesandro pressed a bit, although he showed a good feel for strike zone and made consistent barrel contact despite going just 1-for-6 (with a pair of walks) in the team’s doubleheader against Western Michigan.

In the first of those two games Dalesandro served as Purdue’s catcher and he looked very strong defensively, blocking everything well back to the plate with solid overall tools. He made catching look easy even with the velocity he handled with very solid catch-and-throw skills, online carry and accurate throws and frequently threw behind runners on base. His athleticism allows him to play the outfield as well, starting in left field in the second game of the doubleheader where he showed average speed and more than enough arm strength.


Jacson McGowan, 1B, Purdue



Junior first baseman Jacson McGowan took an impressive round of BP, and he was able to carry that success over to Saturday’s games against Western Michigan, hitting a home run in each of Purdue’s 5-1 victories. He generates very good bat speed and creates loud contact, swinging the bat with intent as shown by the 103.4 mph exit velocity per TrackMan on one of his home runs. McGowan has a bigger, 6-foot-2, 212-pound frame with quick hands and lift in his swing. The ball jumps off his bat, producing a 6.45-second hang time on one of his deep bombs to left field in batting practice. Overall he went 3-for-8 in the two games and also showed well defensively, making a couple of nice picks at first base, and he added a third home run in Sunday's game.


Ben Nisle, OF, Purdue

Nisle really impressed in batting practice, showing raw power and making the ballpark look small. He hit a no-doubt home run in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Western Michigan to left field, showing great barrel control with lift and extension. According to TrackMan the ball traveled 356.4 feet and had an exit velocity of 100.5 mph. A freshman with an already-strong 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame, Nisle has huge upside with the best raw power on the Purdue roster, showing great bat speed, a level plane with lift, a quiet lower half and a very good overall approach with clear awareness of the strike zone as he doesn’t chase bad pitches. There’s some quick-twitch ability, and while he only went 1-for-7 in two games on Saturday it wouldn’t be surprising to see him lead the Big Ten in home runs at some point during his college career given how well he barreled up the ball consistently and made loud contact.


Tanner Andrews, RHP, Purdue



Senior righthander Tanner Andrews has a tall, well-proportioned and strong 6-foot-3, 220-pound build. He showed a quick arm with extension and generated 94-96 mph velocity, touching 97 with arm-side run and a long arm action back with a short arm circle. He stays online in his delivery with an over-the-top delivery while incorporating his lower half nicely into his delivery. Andrews’ changeup sat in the low-80s with some slight fading action and his slider was a few ticks higher at 84-87 mph with 10-to-4 shape. 

The results matched his stuff as Andrews threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just five hits while striking out nine without walking a single batter, using just 79 pitches in the process. A sleeper coming into the season, Andrews could be a very appealing senior sign that is going to generate a lot more looks after throwing with the velocity he displayed with his body and overall build as he has more than enough stuff to throw in a big league bullpen.


Ryan Beard, LHP, Purdue

At 6-foot-4, 215-pounds, Purdue lefthander Ryan Beard has a tall, athletic and well-proportioned build. He creates good deception and a little bit of funk from his three-quarters delivery, and his 85-88 mph fastball has good arm-side run with some sinking action to it at times. Beard’s slider is a big sweeper with tight spin thrown in the 73-75 mph range and he throws the pitch to both left and righthanded hitters. He attacks the zone with both pitches looking to induce early contact, although he did leave some hittable pitches up in the zone as a result. When he locates down in the zone he’s able to manufacture ground ball outs. Beard started Sunday’s game against Western Michigan, his first appearance at the Division I level after going 6-3 with a 1.04 ERA a year ago at Southern Idaho.


Nate Grys, OF, Western Michigan

Western Michigan outfielder Nate Grys showed great pop in BP, and during one of the games he had a hard-hit single that had a 105.7 mph exit speed as recorded by TrackMan. Overall he had a lot of loud contact, with quick hands that generated very good bat speed. Grys also displayed good extension through the ball with lift, making loud contact all day. While his swing is a little longer his bat speed, and hand speed, make up for it, with a level swing plane and intent to make an impact on the baseball. Grys hits from an open stance and load up well and on time.


Nic Laio, RHP, Western Michigan



Junior righthander Nic Laio started the second game of Western Michigan’s doubleheader against Purdue, showing good arm speed and command of his pitches, which included a 91-93 mph fastball that he spotted to both sides of the plate with good extension to homeplate. He flashed a changeup with good sink and maintained his arm speed well on the pitch, thrown consistently at 84 mph. His slider has 10-to-4 shape thrown in the upper-70s and he has enough comfort with the pitch to throw it to both right and lefthanded hitters. A legitimate pro prospect that looks to have the best arm on the Western Michigan staff, Laio works quickly and pitches to contact, letting his defense work behind him. He has a tall and lean, 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame with long limbs and throws from a high three-quarters arm action. Laio does throw across across his body some as some mechanical adjustments could be made.


Connor Smith, SS, Western Michigan

Smith struggled some at the plate in Western Michigan’s two games against Purdue on Saturday, but he did have an in-game single in which he showed a good line drive swing plane and the ability to go with the pitch and hit it hard. In Sunday's game he reached on a sacrifice bunt, deadening the ball perfectly and showing good wheels down the line to bear the throw. He’s a good looking athlete at 5-foot-10, 175-pounds with good actions on the infield and is an above average runner.
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