2/22/2017 9:19:18 PM
Bryan College and Toccoa Falls squared off for a double header on Wednesday at Perfect Game Park at Lakepoint. Bryan won both games and showed players who had intriguing skill sets.
The 3-hole hitter for the Lions, and former Los Angeles Angels draftee in 2012, Justin Morhardt (2017 Elig., Winstead, Conn.) had a strong day at the plate and smoked the ball in almost every plate appearance. Morhardt has a strong, physical frame with muscular build throughout his listed frame of 6-foot-3, 220-pounds. He keeps his hands close to his body and then separates into a deeper hand load as the pitch comes in. Morhardt creates leverage throughout the swing with a line drive/flyball approach and looks to hit the ball for power. The lower half is very strong and he does a good job at shifting his weight through the point of contact to generate power. He hits from both sides of the plate but presently the lefthanded swing is more fluid. Morhardt had a number of extra base-hits on the afternoon but none was more impressive than his no doubt, walk-off shot to deep right field, that traveled an estimated 355 feet, to win the first game of the doubleheader.
The Lions had an impressive effort from the back end of the bullpen to close out the second game and sweep the double header. Righthanders Brandon Marklund (2017 Elig., North Vancouver, Canada) and Chad Burrows (2017 Elig., Nassau, Bahamas) both reached 90 mph and helped quell the opposing offense.
Marklund came in late in the game and immediately made his presence known with a fastball in the low-90s. The pitch sat from 90-93 mph and had late life to it. He stands at a lean 6-foot-1, 185-pounds with remaining room on his frame to fill out. An avid collector of maple leafs according to his bio, he throws from a three-quarter arm slot with good arm speed on his delivery. The arm action has some violence to it but he is able to repeat his delivery well. Marklund did not throw a lot of pitches but the majority of the pitches were fastballs located to the glove side and showed a feel to command the pitch well. He also mixed in a couple of changeups in the low-80s with not much depth but similar arm speed to his fastball.
Closing out the game was the 6-foot-4, 240-pound senior closer for the lions Chad Burrows. The physical righthander attacked hitters with fastballs that were mostly straight and sat from 87-90 mph. The arm action was full throughout the back and slightly rigid with a soft stab in the back. Burrows has a high leg lift and hides the ball well making his overall delivery a bit deceptive, especially to same-handed hitters. He worked the fastball to both sides of the plate and got downhill occasionally. There was not much lower-half involvement but he filled up the strike zone and closed out the victory with an uneventful top of the seventh inning.
The Cartersville Hurricanes and Walton Raiders squared off in a highly-anticipated matchup between two of the top programs in the state. Cartersville came away with a big 10-1 victory on Wednesday night and their big batters were the primary reason for the victory.
One of the more dangerous hitters for the 2018 class collected another deep home run as Devin Warner (Euharlee, Ga.) helped the Hurricanes pile on their lead. A switch-hitter, Warner took all of his at-bats from the left side on Wednesday and in the past Warner has been more of a power threat from the left side. The Auburn commit has tremendous bat speed and his hands explode directly to the ball upon his swing. The swing is leveraged for power and overall the swing is very smooth. Warner's listed frame of 6-foot-2, 205-pounds makes him an extremely physical prospect and gives him tremendous raw power. He shifts well into contact with strong use of his lower half and hips. Warner took a hanging breaking pitch and deposited the pitch deep into the night and over the right field wall. He remains one of the top power hitters for the class and continues to hit home runs in big situations.
Warner's teammate and starting catcher on Wednesday Jonathan Martin (2019, Cartersville, Ga.) was the first Hurricane to hit a home run on the evening. Martin took a fastball and carried it over the left-centerfield wall to put the finishing touches on Cartersville's four-run top of the first. The Alabama commit has a shorter, more compact swing path with some bat speed throughout the zone and more of a line drive approach. The swing incorporates an inside hand path with a small stride toward the pitcher and the ability to hit the ball hard out in front. Martin can add depth to an already dangerous Cartersville lineup and if he can hit the ball with home run power he could develop into one of the top hitters in the state. Cartersville routed the Raiders by a score of 10-1 and showed that the Hurricanes are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the state, especially if they continue to hit like they did on Wednesday night.