Grant, OR vs Golden, CO

Chris Fernandes caught some attention when he laced a line drive over the right fielders head for what would of been an easy triple if he wasn't restricted by base-runners in front of him.  Fernandes has explosive speed out of the box and on the bases displayed when he came flying in to score from second base after a dribbler was mishandled during an exchange between the pitcher and catcher. His aggressive style of play doesn't over compensate for his plate discipline and good plate awareness.

Luke Caruthers may have not had his best outing as he struggled with command combined with the defense behind him, he did show some good projectablity in his 6-4 --- pound frame. His long limbs generated good extension out front and when he was able to command his pitches, he flashed signs of effectiveness. His fastball sat in the low 80s with more to come as he further cleans up his mechanics.

 West Albany, OR vs. Boulder Creek, AZ

Jacob Miller had two strong innings of work before losing some velocity and command into the third.  Miller’s breaking ball was practically untouchable showing sharp, late break with great command.  Combined with his 80-81 MPH fastball, the Boulder Creek was initially kept off balance before eventually finding barrels.

Senior Mitchell Allen, a San Diego State University commit, made the biggest splash offensively exploding on an 0-1 fastball left over the plate for a no-doubt grand slam to left field.   Allen is listed at 6-2, 205 lbs. and shows physicality throughout his build.  His present strength and power was shown in how well the baseball carried off his barrel, even in at bats he didn’t completely connect.

 Rogers, AR vs. Central, Catholic, OR

Left-handed pitcher and Arkansas signee, Harrison Heffley, tossed four strong innings as Rogers HS collected another win in Arizona.  Heffley has a long, lean build with tons of projectablity off the mound.  He displayed a three-pitch mix with excellent feel for his curveball, which showed good depth and solid break.  His fastball sat in the 81-84 MPH with some arm side run and all signs point to more velocity come as he continues to put on additional strength.  Heffley has an old school windup that begins with a long, separating arm swing meeting again above his head into a small hip coil into his delivery.  His long arm action stays loose throughout with good flexibility throughout his body.  He works the third base side of the mound and lands slightly closed off with a tendency to work the outer half of the plate.   His changeup is developing and flashes the potential to be a good future third pitch.  He also struck out eight batters.

Leadoff hitter, junior Grayson Lee, had a nice day at the plate consistently hitting the baseball hard all afternoon.  Lee starts with a tall, upright stance with a calm approach.  He had three RBI’s through the first four at bats including an exit velocity of 88 MPH off the bat on his triple to left-center field.

Following Lee in the order was senior infielder Jay Young who drove in the first run of the day with a triple of his own to right center field.  Young has good barrel control and looks to get it moving through the zone quickly.  He is a high-energy player with good athleticism that plays the game hard and is not afraid to give up his body to help his club. 

Lake Oswego, OR vs. Valley Vista, AZ

It was quite the pitching duel between the two teams in a ballpark packed with scouts across the west coast.  Oregon State commit Mitchell Verburg fastball topped 91 MPH while mixing in a curveball that actually worked to be his strikeout pitch to multiple hitters.  Verburg works from a high three-quarter arm slot with very good arm speed and good downhill plane to the plate.  His two-pitch mix managed just one hit until the final inning in which Valley Vista was able to string together enough to pull out the victory.  Verburg did an excellent job competing on the mound and going deep into the ball game for his squad.  He struck out seven hitters on the day.

The winning pitcher, Dylan Chelini, was a bulldog tonight pounding the strike zone with his low 80’s fastball while showing good command of his off-speed arsenal as well.  Chelini struck out 11 Lake Oswego hitters in his complete game victory while only walking one hitter and giving up one earned run. 

With two outs in the bottom of the seven, there was a chance Chelini could of picked up a loss, which many could argue, neither pitcher deserved.  A 2 RBI double from Bradley Steube for a walk off victory was the final stamp on a fantastic game.  

ThunderRidge, CO vs. Knight, CA.

About a dozen scouts settled in for this one, all there to see 2016 RHP Jake Eissler throw. Eissler is ranked 4th among pitchers in the state of Colorado, and is signed to TCU. He was absolutely dominant on this day, working in the 87-90 MPH range for the entirety of his seven innings on the mound, racking up 15 strikeouts, allowing only two base hits and zero walks. He commanded his fastball very well, staying down in the zone for strikes one and two and then often elevating the fastball to the letters to get a swinging strike three. He showed a solid curveball early on, but realized he didn't really need it after the 2nd inning and was at least 90% fastballs the rest of the way. The arm action, while highlighted by a bit of a hook in the arm circle, is mostly quick and clean; and the ball jumps out of his hand. He gets downhill well and extends out front, creating a difficult downward plane on the pitch. He wasted zero time, with several 10-12 pitch innings, really attacking the opposing hitters and doing an outstanding job throughout.