The ScoutConnect staff has been on the ground over the past few weeks covering the Illinois and Missouri JUCO scenes extensively, and we’ll continue to do so as the season rolls on.
We’ll begin to roll out some of our notes, and video, on names that stood out to our staff within our ‘JUCO Notebook’ series, starting with the John A. Logan College Volunteers. Head Coach Kyle Suprenant’s club is 24-5 on the season and are currently riding a 16-game winning streak, three of which came in front of our staff.
For all of the statistics on the 2025 Volunteers, click HERE. You can find their schedule HERE.
Continue reading below to learn more about the JALC names that popped to our staff.
Taylor Waldron, RHP, Sophomore, Uncommitted
Lean, athletic 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame with room to continue adding strength. Struck out eight over six innings, walking one, in a win against Kaskaskia College on March 13th. Fluid, athletic delivery, repeats and gets over his front side through release. Clean, continuous arm path on the backside that finishes out of loose over-the-top slot. Fastball touched 92 mph, sitting at 87-91 mph. Played with true four-seam backspin that was most effective up in the strike zone. Grabbed several swings-and-misses on a tight 78-82 mph slider that played well off his fastball, also able to land it for strikes. Has a 3.55 ERA in seven starts this season, striking out 45 in 33 innings with just nine walks. One of the top uncommitted JUCO arms in Illinois.
Jaden Hart, OF/INF, Sophomore, Uncommitted
5-foot-8, 160-pounds, hit in the two-hole and started in center field, and second base, across two different looks. Athlete at the plate with twitchy hands and a flat, level path. High level athleticism with advanced speed that is a true impact at the plate, on the bases, and in the outfield. Blends speed with feel for the game, knows when to take the extra base and consistently works at full effort out of the box. Can play center field or second base, profiles to be a dynamic defensive option at the four-year level in the outfield.
Jayden Ohmer, OF, Sophomore, Uncommitted
5-foot-11, 170-pounds with lean strength that can really run. Can go and get it in the outfield, also an impact runner that blends speed and instincts to make for an asset on the basepaths. Fast athletic hands at the plate, did a little bit of everything across two live looks. Gets on top of the baseball, doesn’t try to do too much with high bat-to-ball, allows his speed to play up on the offensive end. Also flashed some juice the other way, barreling a backside double deep to right-center in one of his at-bats.
Pablo Rebollar, CIF, R-Sophomore, Uncommitted
5-foot-11, 200-pounds with clear strength and physicality throughout. Was on the barrel with authority in our live looks. Strong hands with bat speed, doesn’t get cheated with a long, uphill path to contact. Ball jumped off the barrel to the pull-side, drove a pitch deep to the left field wall and singled that same way. Saw time at third base and first base, profiles to stick at the latter at the next level.
Levin East, RHP, Sophomore, Uncommitted
5-foot-11, 185-pounds, strong lower half. Locked down a two-inning save for the Volunteers in a 5-2 win over Triton College on March 1st. Simple, athletic delivery gets into his lower half and rides it down the mound. Relied mostly on an upper-80s fastball in our look, touching 89 mph, and attacked to both corners of the plate consistently. Has made nine appearances out of the bullpen, covering 13 ⅔ innings, with 15 strikeouts and just two walks.
Corbin Payne, LHP, Sophomore, Uncommitted
6-foot-1, 195-pound frame with strength throughout. Worked out of the ‘pen for the Volunteers in a win against Kaskaskia College on March 13th. Tough look on hitters, works across his body and creates deception. Fastball sat 86-89 mph in this look, jumps out the hand, was up to 91 mph earlier in the spring. Spun an upper-70s slider with big sweep, has the potential to be a swing-and-miss pitch at the next level if he can consistently control it.
Jaden Correa, MIF, Sophomore, Uncommitted
Athletic, well-proportioned 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame. Above-average defender that can play multiple positions on the infield. Clean, athletic footwork, gets around the baseball and is able to slow the game down on the move, pairs it with complete confidence in his hands. Was playing second base in our looks but has the actions and talent to provide value on the left side as well. Competes at the plate, put together multiple quality at-bats in two different games. Long, level right-handed swing that worked on the barrel twice to the opposite field.
Evan Lopez, RHP, Sophomore, Uncommitted
6-foot-3, 205-pounds. Threw well in a start against Illinois Central College on March 2nd, earning the win. Simple, in-line delivery, works in rhythm and repeats. Arm draws back with some length on the backside, finishes out of a high ¾ slot. Fastball touched 90 mph a few times in the first, pitching in the upper-80s as he went on. Played best down in the zone, straight action. Main secondary was a 78-80 mph slider with two-plane break at times.
Austin Wiegand, OF, Sophomore, Northern Illinois commit
Strong, compact left-handed hitter with muscle throughout. Hits in the middle of the Volunteers’ lineup and can move around all three outfield spots. Hitterish, does a little bit of everything at the plate and is capable of working the ball to all fields, especially in certain situations. Compact and intentful left-handed swing that works uphill to contact, has shown above-average raw power in our looks to all fields. Saw him launch a no-doubt home run to right field while also working on the barrel twice to the backside. Has an approach, shortens up with two strikes to do a job and put the ball in play. Does a little bit of everything offensively. One of the top all-around offensive threats in the GRAC.
Bryer Arview, INF, R-Freshman, Uncommitted
Strong, athletic, well-proportioned 6-foot, 180-pound frame. Has hit in the middle of the Volunteers’ lineup all spring, slotting into the three-hole over our three looks. Balanced at the plate with a simple hand load, works direct to contact and doesn’t try to do too much. Simple, level left-handed swing, keeps his barrel through the hitting zone and is able to cover both corners of the plate. Has a clear approach each time he steps into the plate, doesn’t expand out of his plan or swing-and-miss in zone often. Has done nothing but perform all season for JALC, slashing .475/.597/.800 in 80 at-bats this season with five home runs, 39 RBI, and 27 walks to 15 strikeouts. Defensively, has seen most of his time at first base, but is able to slide over to second base and has the athleticism to slot into a corner outfield role if needed. One of the top uncommitted JUCO bats in Illinois.
Carter McKinney, RHP, R-Freshman, Uncommitted
Long-limbed 6-foot-7, 205-pound frame that holds well-proportioned strength throughout with room for more. Threw four innings of one-run ball on March 1st to earn a win against Triton College. Controls his levers well down the mound given his size. Short arm action, ¾ slot with intent out front. True sinker played with heavy arm-side run at 84-86 mph, pounded the arm-side corner of the plate consistently with it. Tight shape on an upper-70s slider, short wrinkle. Has pitched to a 2.74 ERA over 23 innings this spring, striking out 23 and walking only six.
Bryce Nevils, OF/1B, R-Freshman, Uncommitted
6-foot-1, 190-pounds with strength throughout. Really stood out with the bat over a handful of looks, able to work on the barrel with juice to all fields. Found two barrels for two backside doubles in one game, launched a no-doubt home run and a hard single to the pull-side in a separate game. Has homered five times in 63 at-bats this spring. Can move around the diamond, has seen time in the outfield and at first base for JALC.
Thomas Howard, RHP, R-Freshman, Purdue commit
Physical 6-foot-3, 225-pounds, broad shoulders with a thick lower half. Started on the mound for the Volunteers on a cold, windy March 1st morning against Triton JC. Pitches with aggression and intent, gets downhill and attacks hitters. Arm plays short and tight on the backside, comes out of a high ¾ window. Fastball touched 92 mph in this look, pitching at 88-91 mph. Showed capable of riding it up in the zone at times, but mostly established the lower quadrant early and often. Spun a 78-80 mph slider that played well off his fastball, working out of a similar release height and staying on plane with late sweep at times.
Cruz Harlan, SS/2B, Freshman, Uncommitted
5-foot-8, 165-pounds with all sorts of athleticism and a multi-sport background. Started at shortstop and hit leadoff for John A. Logan in a look against Triton College. Switch-hitter with an easy, loose, and fluid swing from both sides of the plate, barreled a double from the right side in this look. Confident at-bats, top of the order type that can get on base and be an asset on the basepaths with his speed. Clear athlete on the infield, plays with bounce and moves around freely with the ability to cover ground. Clean glove-to-hand, average arm strength that plays up because he has a quick release and fast, though controlled, internal clock. One of the top freshmen in the GRAC that should be one of the more coveted follows next fall.
Jonah Weathers, 3B/SS, Freshman, Uncommitted
6-foot-3, 185-pound frame packed with physicality and athleticism. Has been an everyday regular for the Volunteers this season, hit sixth in the order across three different looks. Strong right-handed swing with easy juice, generates bat speed and impact off the barrel without much effort. Has the arm strength and athleticism to stick at third base with another year of development, can slide over to shortstop in a pinch. Should be an all-around contributor for JALC the rest of this season and next.
Eli Porter, LHP, Freshman, Uncommitted
5-foot-10, 165-pounds. Nailed down a win over Illinois Central College with two scoreless innings out of the ‘pen. Athletic arm, fastball plays at 85-87 mph and is able to throw it for strikes to both corners of the plate, as well as the upper/lower quadrant. Feel and polish for a fading changeup at 77-78 mph that is his best pitch, also showed a low-70s breaking ball with high arch. Has been dynamic out of the bullpen for the Volunteers this season, striking out 21 in 16 innings with a 1.69 ERA.
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