4/10/2017 8:36:59 PM
Monday's action at PG Park saw the Tennessee-based Knoxville Christian take on Next Level Academy in a doubleheader.
One of the top players for the class of 2018, and ranked no. 76 nationally, Ryder Green (2018, Knoxville, Tenn.) performed well both at the plate and on the mound. Players for both teams ran a 60-yard dash before the game, and Green recorded a blistering 6.5 second time. The athleticism and speed out defensively where his athletic versatility allows him to play both shortstop and centerfield successfully. A premier hitting talent at the plate, Green put on a show during batting practice routinely hitting home runs well out of the park and one even over the scoreboard in left-centerfield. The swing itself is loose and easy with explosiveness in the hands. The Vanderbilt commit showed the ability to impact the ball with very good strength out in front and it showed in-game. Green had a triple and a long home run during the second game of the doubleheader.
On the mound, Green had a rocky start but after the first inning he was able to right the ship. The arm action was mostly clean with a small hook in the back and attacked hitters primarily with his explosive fastball. Green sat 89-91 mph with the pitch that had late life to it. He was able to work the pitch effectively to both sides of the plate and wasn't afraid to throw the pitch up and inside to righthanded hitters. The curveball flashed sharpness and he showed the ability to throw it for strikes and for swings and misses.
Infielder Jerry Hammons (2018, Cookeville, Tenn.) also showed interesting potential and hitting tools throughout the event. Going nearly home run-for-home run with Green, Hammons showed immense raw power by sending balls out of the yard with relative ease. His physicality stood out with present strength and size throughout his 6-foot, 215-pound frame. The BP swing was much longer and home run-oriented than the in-game swing. There is an exaggerated hitch in the load but he is strong enough to bring the bat through the hitting zone quickly creating good bat speed. The hitting tools are legitimate and as he continues to refine and develop his mechanics, Hammons has a solid future at the plate with the ability to drive the ball loud and far.
First baseman and righthanded hitter Cedric Clark (2018, Conyers, Ga.) started things off in the bottom of the first inning of game one with a screaming line drive that traveled for a long home run. The ball came off the bat at 101.9 mph and traveled an estimated 388 feet. Clark has an immense, physical frame with strength throughout his body at a listed 6-foot, 235-pounds. The swing itself is pretty simple and he showed the ability to create topspin on the ball. He elevated quickly through the swing and took a pitch that was about at his head and drove it over the fence. Clark added multiple more hits throughout the day including an RBI double later in the day.