2/9/2018 12:00:00 AM
The #3 team in the JUCO rankings made their way to PG Park South at Lakepoint as the Walters State Senators played a double header against Georgia Highlands. The Senators ran away with game one and the Chargers were able to hold on for a one-run victory to split the doubleheader.
Shortstop Hunter Wolfe (2018 Elig., Kingsport, Tenn.) is one of the most toolsy prospects in the junior college ranks and comes in ranked no. 5 in the
JUCO Top 150 Draft Prospects . Wolfe is extremely athletic and has very natural, athletic actions over at shortstop. He reads the ball well and can work through throws with his footwork showing soft hands and making a number of impressive plays. Wolfe is an excellent runner, timed at 4.07 and 4.12 seconds to first base from the right side, and would grade out as a plus-plus tool that is likely his carrying tool. Wolfe hits in the middle of the order for the Senators and shows a very compact swing and does a good job at getting the bat head out in front. He has more power than one would gather from first glance as his second swing of the game he launched a no-doubt, three-run shot deep to the pull side. The approach is more of a line drive one but he showed that he can get into a mistake pitch. Wolfe's carrying tool is his 70 run tool, however he has a good collection of skills, bat-to-ball and defensive prowess, to be worthy of a high draft selection. He is certainly athletic enough to even move to centerfield in pro ball if he can't stick at shortstop.
Wolfe's teammate Hayden Lehman (2018 Elig., Marietta, Ga.) got the start for the Senators and twirled himself a strong game. Lehman tossed six shutout innings while only allowing four hits on the afternoon and showed a deep repertoire as well. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound righthander is very physical and looks to be filled out with present strength. The arm action is compact and repeatable from a tight arm slot but he gets downhill very consistently and easily. The South Carolina commit attacked with fastballs early on and sat in the 89-92 mph range in the first couple of innings. The slider was his best offspeed offering on the day as the pitch sat in the 80-82 mph range early on and showed average more than a handful of times. He showed four pitches which included a hard, straight changeup in the mid-80s and a curveball that he could land for strikes and functioned best as a change of pace pitch. Lehman has a good frame and repertoire to be a starter at the next level with his slider projecting very well.
Redshirt freshman Alex Haynes (2018 Elig., Knoxville, Tenn.) closed out the first game in the ninth inning and showed off a power fastball. The righthander starts from the stretch on the mound with a very simple leg lift above the belt as he drives toward the plate and fires his pitches in. Haynes attacked hitters with his fastball that was up to 94 mph and sat comfortably in the 92-94 mph range. The pitch was mostly straight but came out of the hand cleanly. He walked one batter and threw two curveballs, both at 73 mph, with 10/4 shape and both for strikes; Haynes also flashed a changeup in warm ups.
Sophomore Dylan Harris (2018 Elig., Knoxville, Tenn.) had a very strong showing in all facets of the game during the doubleheader. Harris is committed to North Carolina and fits the profile of a speedy leadoff type of player. Harris was timed at 4.25 seconds to first from the left side and gets a good burst out of the box upon contact. The swing itself is more of a short, contact-oriented swing and can create line drive contact to all fields. What stands out about Harris' ability in the box are his bat-to-ball skills. He makes contact a lot and has a very patient approach as he walked 35 times a season ago and walked more than he struck out. The speed allows him to play centerfield and he plays the position excellently. There isn't a ton of arm strength to the profile, however he covers ground exceptionally well in the outfield with quick and correct reads on fly balls that show off his instincts.
Lefthander Kevin Barham (2018 Elig., Conyers, Ga.) came in for a relief appearance during game two and showed off an intriguing tool set. The lefty is lean and lanky with still some room for strength on the frame with an element of funk to the overall delivery. Barham's arm action is very online and when combined with the multiple moving parts of the delivery allows him to hide the ball and for his stuff to play up. Barham didn't show any offspeed pitches during the game on Friday, however he worked his fastball, which sat 89-91 mph in the first before settling in the upper-80s, to both sides of the plate and threw a lot of strikes.
Matthew Norton (2018 Elig., Peachtree City, Ga.) closed out the win for the Chargers and worked in the clutch for two strikeouts to seal the one-run victory. Norton is big and physical with a compact arm stroke and generates pretty solid downhill plane. Norton's best pitch of the evening was his power curveball which was up to 80 mph with biting downward life. The pitch was buried in the dirt for a couple of strikeouts to end the game and clinch the win.