On Saturday, February 15th, the ScoutConnect staff hosted its inaugural Winter Showcase at the SportsBarn East in Wood River, Illinois.

This event was for high school graduates representing the 2025-to-2028 grad classes and offered participants an opportunity to get in front of our staff while also getting an updated look at their metrics with TrackMan, Rapsodo, Blast Motion, and VALD. Additionally, participants will receive an edited recruiting video shortly after the event that will include everything they participated in at the event. More than 130 players registered for this event. 

To learn more about ScoutConnect, like our brand, what we offer, and more, click HERE. For all of the data collected at this event, click HERE. 

To host all of our data and video, ScoutConnect uses a third party platform called Virtual Combine, an industry staple as far as player recruiting goes. By signing up for a ScoutConnect event, players receive the free version of a Virtual Combine profile, essentially serving as an individual’s recruiting resume. For more information about Virtual Combine, click HERE.

In the coming days our staff will continue to roll out as much content as possible from this event, starting with these ‘Scout Notes’ stories. We’ve grouped the players up by grad year and we’ll kick things off with the 2026s today, as the 2027 and 2028 stories are next up on the docket. 

For now, continue reading below to learn more about an abundance of 2026 grads, all of whom are uncommitted, that caught our staff’s attention at this year’s Winter Showcase. 

SCOUT NOTES: 2026 GRADS

+ The day’s top uncommitted junior in attendance was RHP Gage Brownell (Schuyler County, 2026), who first popped onto our radar after a stellar showing at our Fall Classic Tournament in September. A 6-foot-3, 190-pound multi-sport (basketball) athlete, Brownell was in the zone with a fastball that sat 89 mph, peaking at 89.4 mph, and played with hard run, averaging 15.8” of horizontal movement. Off that, Brownell ripped off a slider with hard tilt at 78-79 mph that averaged -18.3” of horizontal movement on average. He showed the ability to land it for strikes but also consistently spot it to the glove side for swing-and-miss. Brownell is a high-ceiling arm that should be considered a must-follow this spring and summer. 

+ CIF Cooper Montgomery (St. Dominic, 2026) has long been a favorite of our staff, dating back to a standout showing at our Fall College Camp last September and in two different tournament looks as well. Last Saturday was no different for Montgomery, as he was all over the barrel in BP from a fast, physical left-handed stroke. He posted the second-highest average exit velocity of the day (92.16 mph), squaring his hardest ball up at 99.9 mph, which was also the day’s second firmest mark. Additionally, Montgomery also created some of the day’s furthest contact, averaging 278.56 feet per batted ball with a max mark at 338.4 feet, per TrackMan. Everything in Montgomery’s profile screams middle-of-the-order bat at the next level and his premium bat strength, paired with his sheer feel to hit, should have him firmly on college coaches’ radar entering the spring and summer seasons. 

+ RHP Dylan Huff (Glenwood, 2026) is one of the top uncommitted junior arms in Illinois. A lean, lanky 6-foot-3, 175-pound athlete, Huff works so free and easy on the mound with a loose, fast arm to boot. His fastball averaged 87.6 mph, peaking at 88.2 mph, and played on both corners of the plate with plenty to project on from a velocity standpoint. Off that, Huff spun a true swing-and-miss slider that played with tight spin and late tunnel at 77-78 mph, averaging 2504 RPM. He also showed a straight changeup at 81-83 mph that has flashed above-average action at time and played down in the zone in this look. Huff figures to be a popular name on college coach radars this spring and summer.

+ Another impressive uncommitted junior from Missouri was OF Cooper DeManuele (Francis Howell Central, 2026), who’s hard to miss at a highly physical 6-foot-3, 205-pounds. At that size, DeManuele turned in one of the day’s fastest 60 times (6.85) on our VALD timing gates. He took a loud round of BP from a long, leveraged left-handed swing that stays on plane, producing above-average batted ball data on average (92.05 mph) and at peak (97.5 mph). Defensively, DeManuele moved comfortably around the outfield with the athleticism to play all three outfield spots, and he’s a name that college coaches should keep close tabs on throughout his junior year. 

+ C Braden Fournie (Belleville West, 2026) was an unquestioned standout from this event and has been trending up in a big way throughout this winter. Fournie has packed on considerable strength to his frame, adding muscle mass throughout to bulk up to 5-foot-11, 180-pounds. That has resulted in a boost in bat speed and overall bat strength as he impacted the baseball at a much higher rate than when we saw him at our event in the fall. Last September, Fournie posted a peak exit velocity of 89 mph and his furthest ball traveled 289.2 feet – both on TrackMan. This past weekend, the right-handed hitting catcher squared his hardest ball up at 96.9 mph and drove his furthest ball 368 feet, which led all players in attendance. Fournie has always been a stellar defender behind the plate and his round of catcher defense was among the day’s most impressive. He was up to 82 mph from the crouch, without a single throw registering under 80 mph, and he was all over the bag, popping in the 1.82-to-1.91 range. 

+ Another standout backstop, who continues to become a fan favorite of our staff, was C Maxx Grieme (Taylorville, 2026). Grieme has also tacked on notable muscle mass this winter, particularly to his upper body, now standing at a more physical 5-foot-10, 185-pounds. Grieme generates big bat speed out of his load, getting his barrel through the hitting zone on a short, uphill trajectory. Though he’s aggressive, it’s controlled, and it allows Grieme to routinely elevate the baseball gap-to-gap with authority. He juiced his firmest ball up at 98.3 mph in this look and had multiple 95+ mph barrels throughout his round. Grieme’s juice translates behind the dish, where he was around the bag on all four of his throws with pop times in the 1.81-to-1.90 range and 81 mph arm strength. 

+ One of the event’s top two-way talents was INF/RHP Hunter Baugh (Edwardsville, 2026), who’s also one of the area’s top uncommitted juniors. Baugh’s polish at the plate stands out right away, as he controls his barrel to work off it constantly while covering the plate and spraying line drives to all fields. He’ll continue to add bat strength as he tacks on weight to his frame, though he peaked at 91.4 mph in this look, averaging 86.3 mph per batted ball – even more of an indictment of his ability to work on the barrel consistently. Baugh’s able to play multiple spots on the infield, though he’s best at either up-the-middle spot, where his hands, ability to play on the mound, and instincts are all advanced for his age. Baugh also strung together one of the event’s most polished looks on the mound, working free and easy without much effort to his operation. He pumped his fastball at 84-86 mph, spotting it in all three quadrants, while consistently landing his breaking ball and changeup in the strike zone. 

+ RHP Logan Hickman (Alton, 2026) has been a huge arrow-up prospect on the mound this off-season. A lanky, long-limbed 6-foot-2, 185-pound athlete with plenty of physical upside, Hickman’s an athletic mover that bumped his fastball up to 88, pitching at 86-87 mph, and threw it for strikes often. He flashed sharp spin on a 73-74 mph curveball that averaged 2600+ RPM and turned over a 79-80 mph changeup with low vertical break (1.9”) and high horizontal break (15”) on average. 

+ Another highly physical athlete to keep an eye on from this event is 6-foot-3, 195-pound RHP/OF Tyson Filyaw (O’Fallon, 2026). Filyaw is a high intent mover with loud stuff to match his frame, pumping his fastball for strikes at 87-88, peaking at 89 mph at his best. His secondaries both stood out; he showed advanced feel for a hard-diving changeup in the upper-70s that averaged more than 20 inches of horizontal movement and ripped off a 72-73 mph breaking ball that he landed around the zone as he went on. At the plate, Filyaw had some of the day’s highest average bat speed (74.6 mph) and regularly produced impact at a high rate (89.03 mph avg EV) with a peak exit velocity at 94.9 mph. 

+ RHP Paxson Schnieders (Mehlville, 2026) came away from this event as one of its biggest winners and has been on an upward trajectory the entire winter. A strong, physical 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-hander, Schnieders averaged 88.3 mph on his fastball, peaking at 89.4 mph, and it’s a pitch that played with real jump out the hand and life at the top of the zone. His best pitch is a 78-79 mph slider he threw with conviction and intent, averaging 2750 RPM and peaking at 2826 RPM. Schnieders rounded out his arsenal with a changeup at 83-84 mph that played straight. 

+ LHP Brady Turner (Routt Catholic, 2026) provided a highly intriguing look in his bullpen at this event. Turner, who’s in the middle of basketball season, jumped on the mound and showed a fluid, athletic delivery with a compact arm stroke. His fastball sat 83-85 mph, peaking at 85.7 mph, with more to come as he continues to fill out his long, lean stature. Turner spun one of the day’s better breaking balls, ripping off a sharp 68-69 mph offering with big depth at 2400+ RPM on average, eclipsing the 2600 RPM mark at peak. Turner rounded out his arsenal with a 71-72 mph changeup that he killed spin and lift on, spotting it to the arm-side corner of the zone with some fade. 

+ RHP/1B Isaac Wendler (Father McGivney, 2026) showed well on both sides of the ball at this event. Wendler pounded the strike zone with an 86-87 mph fastball, topping at 88.2 mph on his last bullet. Wendler spins a 70-72 mph curveball with big depth that he’s able to land for strikes and he pulled the string on a 76-77 mph changeup that he kept in the lower-half of the strike zone. At the plate Wendler has strong hands that work long and uphill through the zone with gap-to-gap feel, though most of his power comes to the pull-side. His hardest ball came off his barrel at 92.3 mph and he averaged 86.2 mph per batted ball. 

+ RHP Sam McCollum (O’Fallon, 2026) is another uncommitted junior with arm strength to follow from this event, pitching in the mid-80s with his fastball and peaking at 88.5 mph on his firmest bullet. Packed with strength on a 6-foot, 185-pound frame, McCollum has advanced feel to spin a 75-76 mph slider that has consistently been his bread-and-butter pitch, and he showed polish with a fading upper-70s changeup in this ‘pen as well. 

+ RHP Blaine Eddington (Macomb, 2026) has taken a jump in stuff since we saw him in the fall and put together one of the event’s more intriguing bullpens. The 6-foot, 175-pound right-hander pitched at 85-86, peaking at 86.7 mph, from a fast, athletic, and loose ¾ arm slot. Both of Eddington’s secondary offerings were impressive; he spun a sharp slider with hard two-plane break at 76-78 mph, averaging -14.7 inches of horizontal movement on the pitch, and he threw a hard-running 79-80 mph changeup with 3.2 inches of vertical break and 19 inches of horizontal movement on average. 

+ LHP Daniel Bergner (CBC, 2026) is another name that impressed at our fall camp last September and also showed well at the SportsBarn last weekend. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound southpaw works from a true ¾ slot and creates deception on the backside with a tight, compact arm stroke. His fastball plays as a true two-seam at 82-83 mph with -17.9” of horizontal movement on average and he splits the plate with a big sweeping slider at 74-75 mph, which he is an improvement from the upper-60s velocity band that pitch was playing in the last time we saw him. 

+ MIF/OF Carson Twellman (Troy Buchanan, 2026) packs loud tools into a compact, athletic 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame. Twellman ran the fastest 60-yard dash of the event (6.80), tied for the event lead in throwing velocity from the outfield (91 mph), and he led all infielders with an 89 mph max across the diamond, too. With that, Twellman also had the highest average rotational acceleration of the day (25.6 g), amongst 2026 grads, and his on-plane efficiency (88%) was the highest as well. At the plate, Twellman sprayed line drives throughout his round from a long, level right-handed swing that worked mostly on top of the baseball. He should be a big piece to a talented Trojans’ club this upcoming MSHSAA season. 

+ All MIF Luke Schuckenbrock (Gillespie, 2026) does when we see him is show well in all aspects of his game, and Saturday’s look was no different for the uncommitted junior from Gillespie. Schuckenbrock ran a 6.98 60 on our lasers and took a polished round of BP, spraying line drives back up the middle of the field from a simple, athletic, and controlled right-handed stroke. His calling card has always been his glove, however, where Schuckenbrock has the glovework, footwork, and instincts to stick, and play multiple spots, at the next level. 

+ One big winner from this event was MIF/RHP Ty Etcheson (Father McGivney, 2026), who’s grown a few inches and started to further develop physically since we last saw him in the fall, now standing at 6-foot-1, 158-pounds. Etcheson ran one of the event’s fastest 60 times (6.87) and also had one of the livelier arms across the infield, peaking at 87 mph across the diamond. At the plate, Etcheson sprayed line drives, mostly to the opposite field, throughout his round from a short, direct, and inside-out swing that averaged 24.9 mph of hand speed. After working out as a position player, Etcheson jumped on the mound and sat 83-85 mph with his fastball while spinning a low-70s curveball that showed big depth. 

+ C/1B Asher Cantu (O’Fallon, 2026) has considerably improved this winter, cleaning up some things in his all-around offensive operation that have resulted in a cleaner, more balanced look at the plate. A highly physical 6-foot-4, 220-pound left-handed hitter, Cantu produced the highest exit velocity of the entire event (101.1 mph) and also posted one of the day’s highest average exit velocities (92.45 mph) as well. He was all over the right-center gap, elevating the baseball to the field’s deepest parts both on average (254.96 ft.) and at peak (349.1 ft.). Cantu has always had arm strength from behind the plate, he tied for the event-best mark at 82 mph, but he’s getting the ball out quicker now, recording a top pop time of 1.96 seconds. 

+ 1B Noah Convery (Carlinville, 2026) looks the part of a physical left-handed bat with middle-of-the-order potential. Convery, who was the first hitter of the day, took one of the event’s more polished, and authoritative, rounds of BP. It’s a simple, quiet, controlled operation that doesn’t have much added movement and works directly to contact with jump off the barrel. He averaged 88.16 mph per batted ball, peaking at 95 mph, and drove multiple balls deep to right-center field, including his furthest at 347.9 feet, per TrackMan. 

+ OF Caleb Papenberg (Waterloo, 2026) is a highly intriguing 6-foot-3, 190-pound left-handed hitter to follow from this event. Papenberg has raw strength in his hands that work with some length to contact on a level path through the hitting zone. He squared his hardest ball up at 93 mph, and his furthest ball traveled 325 feet, both of which are numbers that we fully expect to continue to climb as he tacks on more strength to his frame. At his size, Papenberg is a 7.29 runner and was up to 88 mph from the outfield, which was one of the event’s highest marks. 

+ A switch-hitter, MIF Jorey Myren (Rochester, 2026) does not get cheated from either side of the plate, getting off aggressive hacks from the regular in both of his BP rounds. Myren led the entire event in average bat speed (76.6 mph) and was also near the top of the leaderboard in average hand speed (22.9 mph). Most of Myren’s loudest swings came from the left side, including his 100.1 mph max EV and the 346 foot barrel he drove into the right-center gap. 

+ OF/LHP Ben Sink (Father McGivney, 2026) is a compact left/left athlete that turned in a strong showing on both sides of the ball. Sink’s swing works on more of an uphill angle to contact and he was best off the barrel to the pull-side in this look. He ran a 7.04 60 this winter, which was an improvement on what we saw from him at our fall event, and he also peaked at 91 mph from the outfield, which tied for the event lead. Sink jumped on the mound afterward and pitched in the low-80s, topping at 84 mph, while spinning a low-70s slider with big horizontal action (-15.23”) and also showing a 76-77 mph changeup. 

+ UTL Carson Butler (Sacred Heart-Griffin, 2026) really looks the part in a uniform, standing at 6-foot-1, 180-pounds with present lean strength and plenty room for more. Butler works in rhythm at the plate, controlling his levers well while working uphill to contact from a fluid right-handed swing. He elevated one of the day’s furthest barrels (348.2 ft.) and also produced some of the deepest batted ball contact on average (265.13 ft.) on the day. Butler also peaked at 85 mph from the outfield, and the infield, and he pitched in the low-80s on the mound, too. 

+ Another left-handed hitter that came away from this event as a follow was OF Daniel Enlow (Meridian, 2026). Enlow repeated a simple, athletic swing throughout BP, controlling his barrel and spraying line drives to the middle/pull-side of the field as he went on. While his exit velocity numbers don’t jump off the page, Enlow’s frame offers plenty of projection and room to add mass, and his ability to impact the baseball should only climb as he tacks on strength. 

+ OF Kolt Hopper (St. Dominic, 2026) had some of the more impressive batted ball data from the event. To start, Hopper generated some of the highest average bat speed (75.3 mph) of the day, parlaying that into loud contact on average (87.66 mph) and at peak (94.9 mph). His average batted distance (286.2 ft.) per batted ball was the highest mark amongst 2026s and his furthest ball traveled 349.5 feet. Hopper also ran a 6.90 60 and was 81 mph from the outfield. 

+ UTL Drew Ward (Sacred Heart-Griffin, 2026) was an all-around winner from last weekend’s event, showing well in multiple aspects of the workout. He showed polish at the plate with an athletic right-handed swing that doesn’t have much added movement and works direct to contact. He backspun baseballs back up the middle of the field off the barrel, averaging 87.05 mph per batted ball with a 93.1 mph max mark. Additionally, Ward ran a 7.21 in the 60-yard dash, peaked at 88 mph from the outfield, and showed clean infield actions with an arm that was able to play from multiple angles, topping at 83 mph. He jumped on the mound afterward and pitched in the low-80s, touching 84.4 mph, while spinning a tight, two-plane slider in the mid-70s. 

+ LHP/OF Reid Neumayer (Belleville East, 2026) is an athletic left-hander that pumped his fastball at 83-85 mph for strikes in his ‘pen. The 5-foot-10, 167-pound southpaw consistently landed a 75-76 mph slider with tight spin for strikes and he faded a changeup to the arm-side at 77-78 mph that played as his best pitch in this look. Neumayer also ran a 6.99 60-yard dash and sprayed line drives off from a flat left-handed barrel in BP. 

+ There’s a lot to like with MIF Carson Bauer (O’Fallon, 2026), who’s a high-academic uncommitted left-handed bat to follow from this event. Bauer doesn’t try to do too much at the plate, staying inside the baseball from a short, compact swing that’s able to work to all fields. He’ll continue to add impact and bat speed as he fills out his lean levers, though he’s already trending up in the latter regard, averaging 71.1 mph of bat speed in BP, which was amongst the event’s leaders for the 2026 class. Bauer ran a 7.06 60-yard dash and was 85 mph across the infield while showing smooth, controlled, and clean infield actions. 

+ Two physical right-handed bats to keep an eye on from the Springfield area are CIF Ajay Runkel (Rochester, 2026) and INF AJ Ozier (Springfield, 2026). Runkel has a strong right-handed swing that looks to elevate the baseball, lifting the baseball mostly to the pull-side in BP. He also pitched in the low-80s on the mound and landed a low-70s breaking ball with depth for strikes. Ozier really looks the part in a uniform and gets his barrel going with effort out of his load. He works long and uphill to contact and flashed loud contact off the barrel to the left-center gap. 

+ C Cole Erwin (Brashear, 2026) and C Colten Knoedler (Glenwood, 2026) were two other catchers that impressed at this event, particularly on the defensive end. Erwin flashed juice at the plate from a fast right-handed swing that worked mostly on top of the baseball, squaring his hardest ball up at 95 mph. His hardest throw from the crouch was 81 mph with his quickest pop checking in at 2.01 seconds. Knoedler, who’s also the starting quarterback at Chatham, is one of the premium defenders behind the plate in the class. He can really stick it and his catch-and-throw was impressive in his workout, topping at 77 mph with a 2.01 top pop time. Perhaps the biggest takeaway with him was the improvements he made at the plate, cleaning up his right-handed swing and backspinning baseballs on the regular to the middle/pull-side of the field with more authority than before – 93.4 mph max EV, 325.2 foot peak batted distance. 

+ MIF Travis Hill (Fort Zumwalt East, 2026) is a strong, athletic, and compact athlete that showed well on both sides of the ball in this look. Hill has loose hands at the plate and uses a leg kick to get himself on time, hitting in rhythm throughout his round. He works on top of the baseball, spraying line drives back up the middle of the field on repeat as he went on. Defensively, Hill played well on the move, working out front and quick to release from a short, compact arm stroke. 

+ OF Jack Puent (Alton, 2026) holds strength and physicality in a broad 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame. The left-handed hitter favored the pull-side in BP and worked on top of the baseball with strong hands to pair. He ran a 7.02 60-yard dash, an impressive mark at his size, and peaked at 89 mph from the outfield, too. Puent pitched at 82-83 mph with his fastball and showed a curveball/changeup mix. 

+ OF Brayden Robertson (O’Fallon, 2026) swings a loose, fluid right-handed swing that was on the barrel often throughout his round, as indicated by his average exit velocity (87.1 mph) and peak exit velocity (89.2 mph) being nearly identical. Robertson ran a 7.09 60-yard dash, which is faster than we’ve seen from him in the past, and was up to 88 mph from the outfield while also pitching in the low-80s on the mound. 

+ C/RHP Mason Crump (Roxana, 2026) backspun baseballs back up the middle of the field from a strong, compact right-handed stroke in BP. Crump was up to 81 mph from the crouch in his defensive workout and worked around the strike zone with an 82-83 mph fastball in his ‘pen. He’s able to flip in a 68-69 mph curveball for strikes and has complete feel for a 76-78 mph changeup. 

+ INF Scott Phelps (Father McGivney, 2026) looks to have added strength throughout the winter, now standing at 5-foot-11, 170-pounds. The left-handed hitting infielder has more athleticism and intent at the plate than we’ve seen from him in the past, working on the barrel to the pull-side throughout his round. 

+ MIF Dalton Carriker (Roxana, 2026) and MIF Braxton Yates (Triad, 2026) are two sub-7.00 runners in the 60 that showed clean actions on the infield, and they both backspun line drives back up the middle of the field in their respective BP rounds. 

+ At 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, RHP Bryce Wieter (Breese Central, 2026) is a multi-sport athlete that will be one to follow for the Cougars this spring season. Wieter, who’s a regular contributor for Breese Central’s 25-5 basketball team, pitched at 81-83 mph with his fastball from a short, athletic arm stroke. He also spun a 70-72 mph curveball and threw a changeup at 77-78 mph. 

+ CIF/RHP Nasir Fares (Belleville East, 2026) and RHP/1B Grayson Yank (Triad, 2026) are a pair of physical right-handed bats that also showed well on the mound at this event. Fares produced one of the event’s deepest batted balls (340 ft.) and pitched in the low-80s on the mound with his fastball. Yank’s 96.8 mph max exit velocity was amongst the event leaders and he also pitched in the low-80s with his fastball while showing above-average feel to spin a low-70s slider. 

+ 1B/LHP Drake Curry (Greenville, 2026) flashed intrigue both at the plate and on the mound at this event. A strong, compact athlete that duels as a football standout for Greenville, Curry has a quiet, simple left-handed swing with strong hands that work direct to contact. He was on the barrel often to the pull-side, averaging 84.95 mph per batted ball with a 90 mph max exit velocity and 334 ft. peak batted distance. His fastball played at 80-81 mph and he spun a low-70s curveball at 2450+ RPM on average. 

+ OF Carson Parrill (Collinsville, 2026), INF Daulton Nunes (Glenwood, 2026), RHP/INF Conrad Lindhorst (Waterloo, 2026), OF/RHP Brayden Carter (Hamilton), and INF Mathew Bywater (Litchfield, 2026) are all uncommitted juniors that also showed well at this year’s Winter Showcase.