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Tournaments  | Story  | 7/12/2018

17u BCS: Day 4 Scout Notes

Photo: Keniel Carrion (Perfect Game)

17u BCS National Championship: Event Page | Daily Leaders
Daily Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

On the final day of pool play in the 17u BCS National Championship the Fla Baseball Association Upperclass was able to down Team Elite 17u Select by a score of 4-3. Doing most of the damage for Team Elite offensively was No. 3 hitter Jacob Hennen (2019 Buford, Ga.). Hennen is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound righthanded hitter with an easy rotational shift into contact. He utilizes strong hands through the zone which allows him to generate some bat whip. He drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the first to give Team Elite the early lead and would later drive in the tying run late in the game on a well hit ball into left field. Hennen allows himself to use his swing path to get some pull side jump while turning the barrel out front.

Defensively for Team Elite, Mason Smith (2019 Lynn Haven, Fla.) played a solid center field. Standing at an athletic 6-foot, 170-pounds, Smith moves well in the outfield and cover ground to balls hit to both sides. He showed a quick transfer with above average arm strength when throwing out the then-tying run at the plate in the second inning. Smith also batted leadoff and got the game off to a good start slapping a ball into left field. He would later score after stealing second and advancing to third on the Hennen sacrifice fly.

On the mound for Fla Baseball was two-way player Bronson Farah (2020 Jacksonville, Fla.). Farah hit in the two-hole and worked a five-pitch walk in his first at-bat. Later in the third he would drive a ball to deep left field that would score a run on the sacrifice fly, and in his third and final at-bat he would drive a hard liner into left. On the mound Farah would throw six innings of two hit baseball for his team. He generates some arm speed when coming to the plate and stays around the zone well with a heavy fastball that got up to 84 mph. On occasion Farah would open up a little early causing him to miss to the arm side but he showed that he could be effectively wild as he was able to get outs.

Batting fifth for Fla Baseball was 6-foot-2, 205-pound Sebastian Rothman (2019 Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.). Rothman has present strength in his build and incorporates it well in his swing. He makes consistent hard contact with a lifted plane through the zone looking to elevate the ball. He was 1-for-3 at the plate with a double and a run score. Rothman would also come in to close out the game in the seventh. His fastball was well commanded at 85 mph and he mixed in a solid 10-to-4 sweeping curveball making quick work of his inning.

Also providing a bit of offense for Fla Baseball was 6-foot-2, 165-pound outfielder Adam Gregory (2018 Saint Johns, Fla.). Gregory showed off some exceptional speed both on the bases as well as in the outfield. He covers ground while playing centerfield and has smooth mechanics through the baseball. He reached base twice and drove in a run, beating out an infield hit in the bottom of the fifth to go up by a run.

Securing the walk-off victory for Fla. Baseball was 6-foot-4, 190-pound Brian Veniard (2019 Jacksonville, Fla.). Veniard is a primary pitcher though in this game he helped his team with the bat. In the bottom of the seventh he drove in the winning run on a hard hit ball deep into the right center field gap. Earlier in the game he would get his first RBI on a line drive to left field. He’s a smooth swinger and really gets some jump off the barrel. He has solid gap-to-gap power and gets natural lift through contact.

Diamond Elite 2019 was able to remain undefeated in the tournament with a 6-1 win over Banditos Florida Prospects 17u. Leading the way offensively for Diamond Elite was John Heltebran (2019 Ashburn, Va.). Heltebran is a free swinger who looks to jump on early mistakes. He keeps his hands tucked in and has a bit of an inside-out swing path. This allows him to get good drive up the middle and into the opposite field where his two hits went. He has a line drive approach and drove two hard balls into right field for a couple of hits and three RBI.

Batting one spot ahead of Heltebran was 6-foot, 185-pound righthanded hitter Joe Vogatsky (2020 Warrenton, Va.). Vogatsky has some strength in his lower half and he’s able to pair that well with quick hands through the zone. This really helps him generate high amounts of hard contact to the pull side of the field. He smacked a loud line drive into left field that plated a run. Vogatsky still has some room to add more strength and could develop into a pull side power threat.




Hitting in the two-hole for Diamond Elite is 6-foot, 175-pound lefthanded bat in Nick Connolly (2019 Leesburg, Va.). Connolly took four plate appearances in the game and reached all four times with a couple of walks and two hits. He’s got a high contact approach and puts the barrel on the ball with consistency. He keeps his swing short and compact with a middle-of-the-field to pull-side approach. He scored two of the six runs in the win.

Playing solid defense and provide yet more offense for Diamond Elite was first baseman Trey Ferraro (2019 Leesburg, Va.). Ferraro is an athletic player who can move well around the bag. He’s got a solid glove over at first and plays the position with a lot of brains. He showed an ability to pick tough throws and save some balls from getting past him. Ferraro also has some present strength and can generate good lift off the barrel. He singled on a rocket up the middle.




Doing a lot of the heavy lifting and taking the mound for Diamond Elite was the 22nd overall ranked pitcher in the class, Nate Savino (2020 Sterling, Va.). Savino is 6-foot-3, 195-pound lefthander with long arms and a good presence on the mound. He goes after hitters early and works well getting quick outs. His longest inning lasted just 14 pitches. He has a long and loose arm action with a three-quarters slot. He is smooth paced with a balanced delivery and easy repeatability. Savino adds a lot of life on his fastball that he can run into the zone or be effective when running it out. His curveball shows good two-plane actions with real hard bite late. He maintains the velocity well topping out at 93 mph and still hitting it in the seventh inning. The Virginia commit collected 10 strikeouts in his seven-inning, one-run outing.

Providing what little offense the Banditos could muster was Anthony Arencibia (2019 Davie, Fla.). Arencibia isn’t a power potential hitter standing at just 5-foot-7, 150-pounds but what he does is put his bat to the ball consistently. He has good feel for the barrel and some hand speed through the zone. This allowed him to catch up on the high velocity he faced. He went 2-for-2 in the game and collected the sole walk in the game for the Banditos.




Keniel Carrion (2019 Carolina, Puerto Rico) led the Miami Jays Prospects Puerto Rico to their fourth win with his bat as well as on the mound. He’s a slender righthanded pitcher standing at 6-foot and weighing 160-pounds. He’s got a sound delivery with a clean arm action releasing form a three-quarters slot. He generates good plane on the fastball topping out at 85 mph. He can pound the zone effectively, hitting the edges with ease. He also flashed a tight curveball with short and sudden depth that he was able to continually bury and generate swings and misses. Carrion is also a solid leadoff batter as he has good feel for the barrel and can put balls in play. His good speed allows him to attack pitches with a ground ball to line drive approach.

Luke Broussard (2019 Austin, Texas) provided the only run for Austin Boom in the game against the Jays. He’s a strong hitter and can utilize well in his lifted swing. He looks to generate leverage out front with a pull side approach and gets loud jump off the barrel when squared. He had an RBI double in the third inning that carried well and hit off of the bottom fence in straightaway left field. At 6-foot-2, 190-pounds, Broussard has a lot of power potential in his game.

– Taylor Weber

Dunbar HS was the site for a final pool play game that featured solid performances by two Rawlings Stealth Underclass players. Carmine Lane (2019, Lake Worth, Fla.) is the gifted and productive three-hole hitter for the Boynton Beach-based Rawlings club. The South Florida commit is a very patient and accomplished hitter who understands the strike zone and hunts fastballs he can drive. He is very strong through his shoulders and hands and his flatter bat path allows him to drive pitches from gap-to-gap. The rising senior at American Heritage HS is also a plus runner who has great instincts on the basepaths. Defensively, the solidly built, 6-foot-1, 185-pound third baseman has a shortstops’ range and very strong and accurate arm.

Florida Gulf Coast commit Jacob Lojewski (2019, West Palm Beach, Fla.) is the very talented shortstop for Rawlings Stealth. Lojewsky, who is a senior-to-be at American Heritage HS is an accomplished defender who understands positioning and uses very quick feet, soft hands and a very loose and accurate throwing motion to make all the plays at a very tough and demanding position. He is a gifted offensive player who hits cleanup for Rawlings. He has an even stance and a quiet approach. He is very strong through his shoulders and forearms and uses a powerful lower half to generate plus power. He can drive the ball with authority to all parts of the field.

Team Elite – Nation played a very important ballgame Thursday morning at Dunbar HS that would ultimately determine whether or not they would advance to the 17u BCS playoffs. Deion Walker (2019, Marietta, Ga.) was a one-man wrecking crew for Team Elite. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound rising senior at Hillgrove HS was the starting and winning pitcher and a key cog in the Team Elite offense. The lanky righthander has a mechanically sound and repeatable motion. His loose arm action allows the taller Walker to pitch down the slope and pound the strike zone. His fastball was a late, sinking mover at the plate and was routinely clocked between 83 and 86 mph. His sharp breaking, 12-to-6 curveball (71-72 mph), was a very effective secondary pitch for the tall, athletic Georgian. At the plate, Walker was also a force. Hitting out of a slightly open stance, he drove the ball with authority up the middle and to the pull side. He is a very easy and advanced runner who chews up ground with a long and smooth stride.

– Jerry Miller
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