JJ Darst (2025 C, Mason, OH) was impressive in his opportunities at the plate this morning, tallying two hits in three chances.  Darst is a strong player for his age and uses his quick bat speed to take advantage of pitches on the inner half, looking to drive the ball to left, which he was able to do today.

Vincent Pezzuolo (2026 3B, Bessemer, PA) has a nice, simple swing at the plate which allows him to be efficient.  He was able to utilize that swing and crush a ball to left that burnt the outfielder, resulting in a triple for Pezzuolo.  

Gaige Stuckey (2025 LHP, Chillicothe, OH) continued his impressive weekend at the plate today, recording a pair of hits including a triple to the right-center field gap.  Stuckey is an athlete that does not try to do too much with pitches, driving the ball where it is pitched.  On his triple he did a great job of letting the pitch get deep and driving it to the opposite field gap.

Adam Urban (2025 MIF, Wauwatosa, WI) is a player with a taller frame that has some natural loft on his hits due to his swing path.  He keeps it simple and looks to hit the ball hard wherever the pitcher offers it.  He has plenty of room to add strength with his current frame, so look for him to drive balls deep into gaps as he matures.  He also threw an inning during the contest, striking out two of the five batters he faced.  Urban sat 75-79 mph with his fastball that had a lot of arm side run.  He also utilized a 61 mph curveball to keep opposing hitters off balance.

Rilee Hutchinson (2025 3B, Coshocton, OH) did a nice job staying within himself at the plate, earning a walk in his first at bat and crushing a ball deep to the right-center field gap for a triple.  Hutchinson has a tall frame with a lot of room to add power as he matures.  He does a nice job letting pitches on the outer half get deep, resulting in hard hit balls to the opposite side of the field.

Kolton Smittle (2025 3B, Lawrence, PA) was effective today in his one inning on the mound.  Smittle sat 65-71 mph with his heater, but hit was his curveball that earned him two strikeouts in the four batters he faced.  His curve was 59 mph and has nice 12-6 break, causing batters to swing over top of it.

Jack O'Keefe (2025 OF, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI) is an aggressive hitter that looks to take advantage of offerings that creep over the inner half of the plate.  This approach worked well today, as he was able to square up a ball in his first at-bat that ended in an RBI double.  O'Keefe has a quick bat which allows him to cover the inner half of the plate well.

Tucker Wilburn (2025 3B, West Chester, OH) was able to take advantage of a mistake this morning, driving it deep over the center fielder's head and cruising around the bases for a triple.  Wilburn is a high waisted athlete that will utilize his quick bat to make extra base hits the norm as he continues to mature.  He has excellent barrel control allowing him to drive pitches, no matter where they are located.

Kyle Anderson (2025 C, Camden, OH) filled up the zone in the inning he pitched on the mound.  He attacked hitters early and often, working ahead in counts and punching out two of the three batters he faced.  He did not mess around with off-speed, only throwing the heater that sat 75-77.  With the development of a secondary pitch, Anderson is going to be a tough challenge for opposing hitters as he continues to mature.

Kolton Smittle (2025 3B, Lawrence, PA) features quick hands at the plate to go along with a solid frame.  He utilized both of these features today to turn on a ball down the line and ended up with a triple.  Smittle looks to punish anything left over the inner half of the plate.

Gianni Lora (2025 RHP, Liberty Township, OH) is an athletic player that has quick movements around the diamond.  He took advantages of his at-bats today, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of singles.  He was also able to put himself in scoring position after the last single by stealing second a few pitches later.

Gaige Stuckey (2025 LHP, Chillicothe, OH) was stellar on the mound today, striking out five in his three innings of work, including all three batters he faced in his second inning.  Stuckey has a slender frame with a lot of room to add strength and sat 73-74 mph and mixed in a curveball with sharp break that was 64 mph that was extremely effective.  He was a standout plate, drilling a triple to left field in his second at-bat.

Henry Isaac (2025 OF, Loveland, OH) showed nice barrel control today, crushing a mistake and earning himself an RBI on a triple in his first at bat.  Isaac has a good frame with room to add strength, look for him to continue to drive pitches for extra base hits as he matures given his present bat skills.

Adam Urban (2025 MIF, Wauwatosa, WI) is not afraid to use all parts of the park at the plate and it paid off today as he ripped a double in his second at-bat today.  He has a nice frame with plenty of room to continue to add strength as he continues to develop.

Alex Pierce (2025 RHP, Sterling Heights, MI) was dominate on the mound in his outing, tossing three innings, striking out eight total batters.  He fires from a 3/4 slot and sat 78-80 mph with his firm fastball for his age, and utilized an impressive 73 mph change up that the bottom dropped out of and had nice fade.  He also flashed a curveball that was 67 mph.  Look for Pierce to be a problem for opposing hitters in years to come, especially as he fine tunes his breaking balls with age.

Tucker Wilburn (2025 3B, West Chester, OH) impressed during his one inning of work on the mound, striking out two while facing the minimum amount.  He used his quick arm action to sit 79-80 mph with his fastball, which he used exclusively.  The strikeout totals should continue to add up for Wilburn, especially when he develops and utilizes a secondary offering, as he throws hard for his age.

Carter Christenson (2025 SS, Cincinnati, OH) is an athletic middle infielder who hits from a comfortable set up with a simple and under control swing approach.  He repeats his timing well and barreled up most pitches while showing some pull side power.

Ryan Petras (2025 SS, Bethel Park, PA) has an inside swing approach that he executes very well and very consistently.  He filled up the middle of the field with firm line drives his entire round.

Tucker Wilburn (2025, 3B, West Chester, OH) has good strength in his 6-0/157 frame and nice hand quickness to go with it.  His right-handed swing approach can be a bit busy and timing intensive but he was on every ball and drove some deep to left centerfield to show his power potential.

Alex Pierce (2025 RHP, Sterling Heights, MI) is another big eighth grader at 6-1/195 and his strength shows well in his ability to drive the ball deep into the outfield.  His swing approach is directional and simple and should work well in games.

Gianni Lora (2025 RHP, Liberty Township, OH) is another primary pitcher who shows talent as a hitter.  He has very fast hands and hit some hard pull line drives when he was on time.

Kolton Smittle (2025 3B, Lawrence, PA) has a strong 5-9/170 build that looks like it's seen the football field and he uses that strength well with an aggressive right handed swing and present gap to gap power.  He gets into his back hip well and showed his bat speed consistently.

Joey Watts (2025 3B, Cincinnati, OH) has good strength in his 6-0/160 build and showed a nice and short right-handed swing and the ability to hit the ball hard all over the field.

Adam Urban (2025 MIF, Wauwatosa, WI) has a smooth left-handed swing and really does a good job of syncing up his hips and lower half with his hands.  He has a chance to really develop some big power down the road with these swing mechanics as he gets stronger.

Gage Tewell (2025 OF, Lexington, KY) has nice strength at a well proportioned 5-10/185 and is another hitter who gets into his strong lower half well to help generate bat speed.  He made lots of solid pull line drive contact for most of his round and then opened up his swing late to show more lift and power.

Henry Isaac (2025 OF, Loveland, OH) hits from a spread stance with a short swing that really highlights his quick hands and ability to barrel up balls.

JJ Darst (2025 C, Mason, OH) is a hometown player from here in Mason, Ohio and was one of the strongest players at the event.  He hits with intent with an aggressive right handed swing and the ball came off his barrel as hard as anyone's today.

Hayden Petrey (2025 C, South Lebanon, OH) is another catcher from the local area who showed well during batting practice.  He has a simple swing approach that was well timed and showed plenty of ability to drive the ball up the left centerfield gap.