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.
Last week, our staff rolled out our ‘Scout Notes’ for the 2026 grads in attendance, which you can find by clicking HERE. We’ll turn our attention to the 2027 grads that caught our staff’s eye on February 15th today, and you can find a multitude of notes on uncommitted sophomores from this event below.
SCOUT NOTES: 2027 GRADS
+ RHP Darren Klein (Mascoutah, 2027) has done nothing but trend up in a major way this winter and came away from this event as the top 2027 prospect in attendance. Klein has a long track record of in-game dominance, as evidenced by the 54 ⅓ IP with a 1.16 ERA and 34 strikeouts to five walks he posted as a freshman on varsity for Mascoutah last season. This winter, Klein’s tacked on notable muscle mass to his frame, filling out his upper-half especially to now stand at a much more physical 6-foot-1 stature. It’s an easy, smooth, and controlled operation with a clean, compact arm stroke that filled up the strike zone with an 85-87 mph fastball in this look, though that number will almost certainly climb up by spring’s end. The separator for him is the feel he has for his secondaries, both offerings that are above-average, starting with a sharp, swing-and-miss slider at 76-77 mph that averaged -17.9” of horizontal movement. The polish he has for his changeup stands out – he’s able to put the pitch where he wants on either corner, in the zone’s lower quadrant, at 80-81 mph with natural fade from the same arm slot as his fastball. Klein’s primed for a huge season for the Indians and is a name that every prospective college coach needs to know about.
+ C/RHP Dominic Pandolfo (Fort Zumwalt East, 2027) had the loudest showing on both sides of the ball in the entire event. The 6-foot, 210-pound sophomore got off a multitude of aggressive hacks in BP, working mostly to the pull-side with jump off the barrel. He posted a 92.23 mph average exit velocity – one of the day’s firmest numbers – and peaked at 97.3 mph, which led all of the 2027 grads in attendance. To add onto his raw power, Pandolfo’s furthest batted ball traveled 354.2 feet, which also was amongst the day’s leaders, and was at the top of his respective grad class, too. His strength showed on the defensive end, peaking at 80 mph from behind the plate with a peak pop time at 1.85 seconds. Afterwards, Pandolfo jumped on the mound and sat 87-89, touching 89.9 mph on his fastest bullet, with a hard, sharp two-plane slider at 78-79 mph that averaged 2400+ RPM. Pandolfo is a must-follow uncommitted two-way sophomore that’s primed for a big spring with Fort Zumwalt East.
+ Effingham has produced a multitude of high-end talents over the past several years, and OF/LHP Carter Braddy (2027) lines up nicely to be the next up in that group. A long, lean-limbed athlete with plenty of projection to come ran a 7.17 60 with swift, athletic strides that suggest that number should only continue to lower over the next few years. Braddy took a highly intriguing round of BP, showing loose, fluid hands and a whippy left-handed barrel that worked uphill to contact to the deepest parts of the right-center field gap. He’s already showing above-average raw power for his age, squaring his hardest ball up at 95.2 mph, with an average mark at 84.33 mph, per TrackMan. Braddy was near the top of the event’s leaderboard in peak throwing velocity from the outfield (89 mph) and that arm talent surely translates to the mound, where his prospect status is just as intriguing as his bat. Braddy’s athletic downhill with a loose, fluid arm stroke, pitching in the low-80s, topping at 83.6 mph. The separator for him is a touch-and-feel changeup with natural fade that he’s able to consistently spot on the arm-side corner at 76-77 mph, and he also throws a tight slider with some sweep in the low-70s. Braddy appears to be on the precipice of a big breakout and he’s certainly a name to follow this upcoming spring and summer.
+ UTL Michael Wolff (Fort Zumwalt West, 2027) is one of the top sophomores in the St. Louis’ area. Wolff packs strength in a compact, muscle-bound frame that holds athleticism too, as he ran the fastest 60-yard dash (6.96) of any 2027 grad at this event. He creates bat speed while staying flat through the zone with jump off the barrel when he finds it. Wolff was 86 mph at peak from the outfield, topped at 84 mph across the infield, and his fastball sat 84-85 mph on the mound, too.
+ Another upside sophomore to emerge as a follow from this event is 6-foot-2, 190-pound RHP Braylen Brown (Staunton, 2027). Brown’s lanky, long-limbed frame offer intrigue, especially as he continues to fill out and become more physical in the coming years. His fastball sat 85-86, touching 87 mph, though he’s been firmer this winter, climbing up to 89 mph. He spins the fastball at 2500+ RPM on average, backspinning it up in the zone at its best, and he spins a low-70s curveball at upwards of 2600+ RPM at peak. Brown’s changeup flashed above-average as well, playing at 78-79 mph and averaging 16+ inches of run in this ‘pen. An upside arm with a considerable ceiling, Brown will be one to watch this spring when he’s on the mound for Staunton.
+ RHP Liam Scaiefe (Freeburg, 2027) is hard to miss on the mound, toeing the rubber at 6-foot-4, 190-pounds. Scaiefe controls his advanced frame down the mound well for his age and his arm works free on the backside, traveling on a short, compact path. He threw his fastball for strikes at 84-85, touching 85.7 mph, and he threw a tight slider at 72-73 mph that tunnels well off his heater. Scaiefe also showed feel for a 78-79 mph changeup with big horizontal action, 22.2” on average, to round out a three-pitch arsenal, all of which he’s able to throw for strikes.
+ Another Freeburg standout from this event was C/INF/RHP Beau Breyman (2027), who’s been a favorite of our staff for some time now. A strong, compact 5-foot-10, 180-pound athlete, Breyman showed a leveraged right-handed swing with juice off the barrel when he found out in this BP look. His hardest ball registered at 94.3 mph in BP, per TrackMan, with three other batted balls at 92+ mph in this particular sample. Breyman’s standout tool is his catch-and-throw behind the plate, working quick to release with 76 mph arm strength at peak and a top pop time of 1.99 seconds. He showed sure-handed actions on the infield too, taking reps there after his workout behind the plate, and he pitched in the low-80s on the mound while landing a CB/SL mix for strikes in his bullpen.
+ One of the day’s biggest winners was RHP Alex Athmer (Breese Central, 2027), who offers all sorts of upside in a long, lean-limbed, high-waisted frame. Athmer, who also plays football and basketball, controls his levers well down the mound with a clean, continuous arm path to pair. His fastball sat 84-85 mph and for strikes in this look, and it’s easy to project that velocity band continuing to climb as he adds more mass. He consistently threw his changeup for strikes at 78-79 mph and landed a tightly spun slider at 71-72 mph around the zone as he went on, too.
+ INF/RHP Brody Hasquin (Triad, 2027) really impressed our staff on both sides of the ball at this event. Hasquin’s athletic background is surely impressive, as he’s likely to be the Knights’ starting quarterback next season and is also a contributor on Triad’s 24-win basketball team as a sophomore. From a baseball side, Hasquin wields a heavy right-handed barrel with inherent bat strength that was on the barrel often, averaging 86.7 mph per batted ball and reaching a peak exit velocity of 92.9 mph. His pitch-ability on the mound stood out too, pumping his fastball for strikes to both corners of the plate at 81-82 mph. Hasquin mixed in a firm cutter with subtle action at 77-78 mph and also landed a low-70s breaking ball with more arch to it for strikes. To round out his four-pitch mix, Hasquin pulled the string on a 74-75 mph changeup that he threw in the lower quadrant of the strike zone to the plate’s arm-side corner.
+ There’s a lot to like on both sides of the ball with the lean, athletic, and upside 5-foot-11, 165-pound OF/LHP Mathew Crownhart (Home School, 2027). Crownhart’s round of BP was highly impressive, showing fast, loose hands that consistently repeated a clean, level left-handed stroke. He found the barrel often to the pull-side gap and, while his exit velocity marks weren’t eye-popping, Crownhart’s repeatability paired with his physical projection suggest all of those numbers will continue to climb. He’s a follow on the mound too, pitching at 81-82 mph with his fastball while showing late arm-side dive on a 71-72 mph changeup that has the makings of a potential above-average pitch.
+ 1B/C Keegan Seipp (Triad, 2027) continues to show he’s one of the more physical left-handed bats in the area. Seipp’s batted ball data at peak was near the day’s highest ends, regardless of class, with a 95.4 mph max exit velocity and 352.9 foot max batted ball, while his 251.23 ft. average batted distance was also one of the event’s best marks. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound slugger should have the opportunity to factor into a Triad lineup this spring that is expected to be one of the Metro East’s deepest groups.
+ Another physical sophomore bat to follow from this event was CIF Ayden Peterson (Wesclin, 2027). The 5-foot-11, 210-pound right-handed hitter worked mostly to the pull-side in BP and generated some of the day’s highest bat speed (73 mph) on average. Peterson averaged 89.06 mph per batted ball, peaking at 96.8 mph, and his furthest ball traveled 328.3 feet, per TrackMan.
+ RHP Kevin Morgan (Fort Zumwalt East, 2027) is a physical athlete with power stuff that has the potential to be an impact arm for the Lions this upcoming season. Morgan’s fastball played heavy with hard horizontal action on average (16.6”) at 83-84 mph. A week later, our staff saw Morgan pump his fastball at 85-86, touching 86.9 mph, at a different event. Morgan He threw a 73-74 mph changeup that played off his fastball to the arm-side of the plate and also showed an upper-60s breaking ball to round out his pitch mix.
+ MIF Gabe James (Mascoutah, 2027) was a big winner from this event and has all sorts of upside in a lanky, lean-levered 6-foot-1, 160-pound frame. James works upright at the plate with a high hand start, drifting forward to contact with a long barrel path that sprayed line drives to all fields as he went on. Defensively, he’s a clean, athletic mover with sure-handed actions and a clean transfer that worked quick to release.
+ C Noah Schuler (Timberland, 2027) left a positive impression on our staff with his performance at the plate, as well as defensively. He swings an athletic right-handed bat that was best when it was short and flat through the zone, allowing him to backspin line drives, though he did work uphill to contact at times. Schuler found the barrel with consistency, averaging 82.8 mph per batted ball with a max mark at 89.7 mph. Defensively, Schuler’s hardest throw from the chute came in at 76 mph and his quickest pop time was 2.05 seconds.
+ C Ben Tillman (Collinsville, 2027) saw regular playing time behind the dish for the Kahoks as a freshman last spring and has made noticeable strides in all areas of his game from then to now. At the plate, Tillman’s aggressive out of his load and favors the pull-side producing some of his best batted balls that way throughout his round from a leveraged, uphill right-handed stroke. His catch-and-throw from behind the plate was better than we’d seen before, working quicker to release with an uptick in arm strength (75 mph) and his quickness to the bag (2.02 seconds).
+ RHP/OF Nathan Klucker (Triad, 2027) was plenty successful for the Knights as a freshman on varsity last season, posting a 1.03 ERA over 40 ⅔ innings of work with 29 punchouts and just 14 walks. He’s a pitchability arm with a ride (16” avg) and run (14” avg) fastball that was up to 81 mph at this event. Off that, Klucker will mix in a short, tight 65-66 mph breaking ball and he will also turn over a low spin (1222 RPM avg) changeup in the low-70s. As a position player, Klucker’s hardest batted ball came off his bat at 92.8 mph and he was up to 85 mph from the outfield.
+ There’s a lot of intriguing data at the plate with OF Parker Wells (Belleville West, 2027). A right-handed hitter, Wells had the highest average bat speed (73.3 mph) of all the sophomores that attended this event, and his average hand speed mark (21.9 mph) was near the top of the leaderboard for 2027 grads. He showed bat strength at the plate, launching his furthest ball 347.2 feet, while averaging 84.86 mph per batted ball and peaking at 91.6 mph.
+ INF Joe Stephan (Alton Marquette, 2027) was another sophomore that showed notable bat speed, averaging 71.3 mph on our Blast Motion sensors throughout his round. Stephan’s average exit velocity was 84.5 mph, with a max mark at 91.8 mph, and he showed clean glove-to-hand actions on the infield while working quick to release from a short ¾ arm path.
+ MIF Kannon Seipp (Triad, 2027) sprayed line drives to the middle-pull side of the field throughout his BP round from a quick, level right-handed swing that works out of a barrel-tip load. Seipp plays low to the ground on the infield and has active feet, working out front at gather with steady hands to pair.
+ INF Jacoby Danco (Father McGivney, 2027) showed strong hands at the plate and backspun line drives back up the middle of the field in BP. The physical right-hander pitched in the low-80s on the mound, touching 83.2 mph on his hardest bullet.
+ RHP Aiden Dunlap (O’Fallon, 2027) worked mostly on the corners and down in the zone with a fastball that sat 81-82 mph in his bullpen. Dunlap spun a short wrinkle breaking ball at 71-72 mph and he also turned over a 74-76 mph changeup with low spin (1202 RPM avg) and low lift (7.5” VB avg).
+ Two high school teammates that are prospects to follow and are capable of contributing to Freeburg’s varsity club this spring are INF Dane Johnson (2027) and LHP Jonathan Barlow (2027). Johnson has strong hands at the plate that work flat and on top of the baseball to contact. He had one of the day’s highest average exit velocities (88.76 mph) and how close his average mark was to his peak number (92.1 mph) is an indication of his ability to find the barrel consistently. There’s plenty to project on the mound with Barlow, who’s a free and easy mover with a long, loose arm action that can throw all three of his pitches – fastball, curveball, and changeup – for strikes.
+ OF/C Luka Freidenberg (O’Fallon, 2027) and CIF/RHP Landon Dippel (O’Fallon, 2027) are a pair of physical right-handed bats from O’Fallon to follow from this event. Freidenberg’s packed with strength, he’s also a football player, at 5-foot-11, 192-pounds and ran a 7.00 flat 60-yard dash at his size. He showed advanced bat (71.1 mph) and hand (22.4 mph) speed on average for his age and worked on the barrel often to the pull-side of the field. Freidenberg also showed arm strength from behind the plate, peaking at 75 mph with a top pop time at 2.01 seconds. Dippel also worked on the barrel to the pull-side in BP, squaring his hardest ball up at 88.2 mph with a max batted distance of 331.6 feet. He was most impressive on the mound, where he pumped a heavy fastball for strikes down in the zone in the low-80s, peaking at 83.7 mph, and spun an upper-60s slider at 2400+ RPM.
+ Two more physical bats to show well were INF Tanner Chamberlain (Waterloo, 2027) and 1B Jaxson Vaughan (Triad, 2027). Chamberlain does not get cheated by any means, getting off loud, aggressive hacks as he went on in BP with advanced bat (70.5 mph) and hand (21.3 mph) speed on average. Chamberlain’s peak exit velocity was 93.9 mph, his furthest ball traveled 334 feet, and his average batted distance was 258 feet – all of those marks were amongst the best for 2027 grads at this event. Vaughan’s hands really work from the left side and consistently repeated a short, uphill path to contact. He was backspinning baseballs on the regular to right-center field and has the ease, as well as the juice, to have middle-of-the-order upside.
+ A pair of left-handed bats with upside are OF Eli Simmons (Columbia, 2027) and OF/LHP David Acosta (O’Fallon, 2027). Simmons is a wiry athlete that ran a 7.06 60-yard dash, was 84 mph from the outfield, and sprayed line drives from a flat, direct left-handed swing in BP. Acosta’s hands really work at the plate and he showed a loose, clean arm on the mound with plenty to project on his long, lean, athletic frame.
+ INF/RHP Tuff Bradley (Granite City, 2027) and RHP Michael Terry (Granite City, 2027) are two high school teammates that showed well in areas of their workout. Bradley is a free-and-easy athlete that took one of the cleaner rounds of infield defense at the event. He’s plenty confident in his glove-to-hand and has athletic feet that are able to play in rhythm on the move. Bradley’s athleticism shows at the plate with loose hands and a level bat path that favored pull-side line drives. Terry has plenty to project on a lean, athletic 5-foot-11, 150-pound frame that’s far from reaching his peak physical maturity. He’s a strike-thrower with three pitches that he’s able to spot around the strike zone from a short, continuous, and clean arm path.
