3/31/16

The Rawlings Select Classic #3 got underway on Thursday with the first round of bracket play coming to a close. The top ranked team in the event, Archbishop Moeller, was upset in the first round, despite showing a pair of quality arms. 

The first arm the Crusaders sent out was left-hander and Louisville commit, Nick Bennett. Bennett has a lanky frame that really projects well as he's listed at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds with plenty of room to fill out. He showed a short, compact arm action on the mound with good angle and present arm speed from a three-quarter slot. He was very stiff at all points in his delivery, cutting off his extension out in front, landing on a stiff front leg. His fastball worked between 88-91 mph and touched 92 mph with slight arm-side life. The pitch played better when placed low in the zone as it straightened out often when left up. Bennett also showed the ability to generate slight cut to his fastball when he tried to work glove-side. As he learns to incorporate his lower half more consistently, the Louisville commit should see his fastball improve. Bennett also showed a curveball on the mound with 1-7 shape that flashed depth and sharpness. He also showed the ability to throw the pitch for strikes and play it off of his fastball. He occasionally lowered his slot and the pitch and saw the shape drop with it to a 2-8 with less consistency. On the day, he did well to limit loud contact and showed a strong ability to miss barrels. 

For video of Bennett, please follow this link.

Advancing out of the first round was the Grandview Wolves who trotted out right-handed starter Grant Schroeder who is committed to Arkansas State. Schroeder tossed a shutout for the Wolves working from a three-quarter arm slot with good present arm speed. He had slight trouble repeating his delivery, but was still effective on the mound in missing barrels. He stands at a projectable 6-foot-2, 180 pounds with plenty of room to continue to add strength. Schroeder's fastball worked 82-86 mph and touched 87 with arm side life. He struggled getting the ball over to his glove-side, often pulling off and leading towards command issues. He did show curveball with depth at 73 mph that he was able to throw for strikes and also showed a changeup at 77 mph. His arm action really just worked on the mound and there is reason to believe more velocity is coming. 

Playing shortstop behind Schroeder in the field was Ty Smith for Grandview. The senior committed to Ohio University showed prowess defensively and at the plate. He showed smooth fielding actions going to his left with a nice back hand play and a strong arm across the field. He has good size at 6-foot, 180 pounds and should be able to remain at the position going forward. Smith at the plate showed surprising strength for his size with the ability to drive the ball. He has good bat speed with a line drive plane and can generate backspin with natural lift in his swing. 

Kicking off the 2:30PM time slot were the Valdosta Wildcats and right-hander Seth Shuman. Shuman stands at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds with some present strength in his frame. With a long, loose arm action, he got downhill with an efficient motion. He showed a very quick arm from a three-quarter slot with fairly consistent drive from his lower-half. His fastball worked 85-88 mph and touched 89 with consistent arm-side life. He did very well to pound the lower third of the zone and keep the Prairie View hitters off balance with his fastball and curveball. His breaker hit 76 mph showing consistent tight spin and working as a swing and miss offering. On the whole, he struck out nine batters over seven shutout innings with 18 swings and misses. 

Archbishop McNicholas earned a hard fought win over Greenbrier Christian Academy. Starting pitcher Sam Browning tossed a complete game shutout with seven strikeouts only allowing five hits. His fastball worked 82-85 mph and touched 86 with a very repeatable delivery that allowed him to fill the zone. He kept hitters off balance with a 76 mph slider that he showed impressive feel for with good tilt and late bite. At the plate, he also impressed roping a double to the gap late in the game. 

The last big arm of the day was another one from Archbishop Moeller, this one being Notre Dame commit, Cameron Junker. The right-hander worked aggressively downhill on the mound with good arm speed from a three-quarter arm slot. Junker stands at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds with lots of present strength in his very physical frame. He had a lot of trouble repeating his release point and was also inconsistent in his drive towards the plate. When he completed his drive he got good extension down the mound and landed mostly on-line or very slightly closed when trying to get glove-side. His fastball worked 86-88 mph and touched 89 with a very subtle arm-side wiggle. His release point woes really hampered his command as he walked five batters on the day. He showed some feel for a 11-5 shaped curveball with good, late bite. The pitch was best when he kept it low in the zone and got on top of it. He showed a changeup at 85 mph, but really slowed his arm for the pitch removing almost all deception. What did help him limit damage on the mound was the angle he created towards the plate and the slight wiggle on his fastball. It helped him generate a large number of ground balls throughout his start.