2/11/2016 8:12:05 PM
The Georgia Highlands Chargers took to LakePoint on Thursday afternoon to start off their busy weekend of action with a doubleheader against the Chattanooga State CC Tigers. The Tigers earned a victory in the first game, 4-1, with Highlands earning a split of the series with a 3-2 walk-off win in game two.
Some of the standouts from today's action were:
Fr. RHP Andy Rivera, Chattanooga State CC
Rivera has medium frame with long limbs and worked from a low three-quarters arm slot on the mound. He utilized a long arm action and quick circle with an online delivery on the mound. He mixed his pitches well and kept hitters off balance at the plate with a fastball, changeup, and slurve offering. Rivera's fastball topped out at 88 mph in the first inning with good armside life and held his velocity throughout his seven innings on the mound in the 84-86 mph range. His changeup was the better of his two off-speed pitches, showing deceptive fade with the ability to keep it low in the zone and hitting 80 mph. His slurve offering was short breaking at 75 mph, but inconsistent and was occasionally left up in the zone.
For 2/11's video of Rivera, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbeeNsQ6LE
Fr. RHP Hugo Casilla, Chattanooga State CC
Casilla looks his listed 5-foot-10 on the mound, but uses it to his advantage. The freshman right-hander worked efficiently and quickly on the mound with a long arm action and big circle. Working from a three quarters arm slot, he generated extension down the mound. He threw a straight fastball that topped out at 87 mph and sat comfortably between 84-86 mph throughout his start. What he did well with his fastball was fill the zone and change the eye level of hitters. He worked the pitch very well with his big breaking 70 mph 12-6 curveball. The pitched showed excellent depth and Casilla routinely threw the pitch for a called strike. He occasionally mixed in a changeup that showed slight fade, but needed polish.
For 2/11's video of Casilla, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llOqs0zBA9g
So. 1B Zach McCrum, Georgia Highalnds
The big right-hander looks every bit of his listed 6-foot-4 235 pound frame. With very clear present strength and raw power, McCrum lifted a towering 348 foot home run to left that had an exit speed of 97.7 mph, per TrackMan. He has the natural ability to generate backspin in his swing, with present bat speed and lift. McCrum utilizes a patient approach at the plate and has shown the ability to recognize spin and wait for his pitch, much like tonight.
For 2/11's video of McCrum, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uOMJEX9QJ0
So. LHP Tristan Roberts, Georgia Highlands
The 6-foot-1 190 pound Roberts took the mound to start game two for Highlands. Roberts showed a loose, short arm action with a sharp downhill drive towards the plate. Using an online delivery and three quarter arm slot, he showed good pitchibility and an aggressive mentality on the mound. Roberts utilized a fastball that touched 90 mph in the first inning with good armside life that had heavy action, generating a lot of ground balls. With the heaviness of the pitch, he worked out of any jams with relative ease thanks to the help of his infield. He also mixed in a 1-7 shaped curveball that flashed depth, but was slow breaking. He also flashed a changeup, but did not use it outside of warm-ups.
For 2/11's video of Roberts, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uOMJEX9QJ0
So. OF Brandon Etheridge, Georgia Highlands
Etheridge impressed in all three facets of the game on Thursday. He started by making a very impressive catch on a line drive to the left-center gap to prevent a run from scoring. He showed a strong arm from the outfield as well, holding would be challenging runners in place. At the plate, he utilized a short, level swing to the ball and present bat speed. He also displayed good speed with a 4.32 time from home to first base.