On Thursday, January 29th, the ScoutConnect staff stopped by the SportsBarn East in Wood River, IL, to check in on several of the area’s top arms in their first bullpens with Maximized Pitching Lab this winter. 

It’s important to note that this was the first bullpen for all of these arms and there is still plenty of ramp up work to be done before the high school season commences. 

Continue reading below to see some of our notes, and video, from the day. 

2026 Grads

+ This was our first look at RHP CJ Lake (Oakville, 2026; John A. Logan JC), who’s arguably the top MLB Draft prospect in the St. Louis’ area this cycle. Lake’s an explosive athlete with a strong, physical, and broad-shouldered frame that’s only going to continue getting stronger over the next few years. He works with effort in his delivery, but it’s controlled, and the consistency with his direction to the plate stood out. Lake’s fastball sat 93-94 mph in his first ‘pen of the winter and he showed four secondaries off it. The biggest takeaway was a  cutter at 83-84 mph that he debuted for the first time, throwing it with aggression and in the zone at 2354 RPM on average. Off that, he threw a slider at 78-79 mph (2382 RPM), a bigger, more arching curveball (15.5 VB, -9 HB) at 76-77 mph, and a changeup at 83-85 mph that flashed depth and dive. We’re expecting Lake to continue trending upward as he gets on the hill more throughout the winter, and we’re excited to see him at the ScoutConnect Pro Day on February 18th. 

CJ Lake

+ RHP Dylan Huff (Chatham, 2026; Toledo) is another high-level arm in the state’s senior class that we were able to see this past week. A long, lean-levered athlete with a multi-sport background, Huff’s athleticism was on full display in his ‘pen, staying in sync down the mound with a loose, fast, and free-flowing arm swing. His fastball worked out of his hand plenty clean at 89-90 mph, but the separator for Huff is his advanced feel to spin a big, sweeping slider. It’s a pitch that plays at 76-77 mph and mirrors an arm-side heater for a large chunk of ball flight, working late off plane with sharp sweep (-5.2 VB, -19.2 HB) at 2500+ RPM on average. 

Dylan Huff

+ We’ve heard plenty of positives on the improvements that RHP Tony Eberlin (Edwardsville, 2026; Texas Christian) has made throughout the winter, and those appeared to show up in his first ‘pen of the off-season. He was playing catch at 89-90 mph with a carry fastball (16.8 VB, 10 HB) with efficient spin at a 2330 RPM average. His breaking ball continues to show advanced sweep traits (-1.2 VB, -16.2 HB) but he’s starting to throw it a touch harder, now at 77-79 mph. Eberlin’s talent has never been in question, and we’re expecting to see the TCU commit tick up even more so over the next couple of weeks. 

+ Another talented senior arm from Edwardsville, INF/RHP Hunter Baugh (2026; Lindenwood) gave us an excellent look this past week. Aside from his physical projection, Baugh’s ability to repeat a clean, athletic, low-effort delivery stands out, and his arm works loose on the backside, finishing from a high ¾ slot. His fastball sat 86-87 mph, an uptick from where he’s normally at this type of year, and its traits are intriguing; above-average raw spin (2357 RPM) with efficiency and more carry on average (19.9” VB). Baugh showed consistent feel for his changeup at 79-80 mph, and he spun a short, tight slider at 75-76 mph. 

Hunter Baugh

+ Our staff is expecting a big spring out of RHP Dylan Jantz (O’Fallon, 2026; Kaskaskia) as a potential frontline arm for the Panthers in 2026. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound right-hander worked down the mound with intent, pitching downhill with his heater at 86-87 mph. Jantz was around the zone with a changeup at 77-79 mph and threw a pair of breaking balls for strikes in the low-70s. 

Dylan Jantz

+ LHP/OF Anthony Perez (O’Fallon, 2026; Central Alabama CC) is a two-way talent with the potential to be an impact arm for the Panthers this coming spring. In this look, Perez pitched at 84-85, touching 86 mph, with hard arm-side run (8.8 VB, -20.6 HB). He showed a newer splitter that we haven’t seen from him in the past, turning it over at 81-83 mph with real tumble (-0.6 VB, -12.7 HB) at times. 

+ Three other senior arms to touch on are RHP Luke Blackwell (Valmeyer, 2026; John A. Logan), RHP Paxson Schneiders (Mehlville, 2026; JeffCo), and LHP/OF Reid Neumayer (Belleville East, 2026). Blackwell is a clean, efficient mover down the mound that is still ramping up and was up to 87 mph on his firmest bullet. Schneiders pitched in the upper-80s, touching 89.5 mph at peak, and showed a hard, diving splitter at 85-86 mph, while spinning two upper-70s to low-80s breaking balls at 2500+ RPM. Neumayer, who’s still uncommitted, sat 84-85, touching 86 mph with his heater. He spun a short, tight slider at 74-75 mph and turned over a changeup that flashed hard dive (2.4 VB, -17.7 HB) at 77-79 mph. 

2027 Grads

+ RHP Cy Craft (Du Quoin, 2027) has been one of the top arms in southern Illinois in this ‘27 grad class for some time now. Thursday was the firmest we’d seen the strong, square-shouldered right-hander, as he pitched in the upper-80s throughout his ‘pen, touching 90.1 mph on his last bullet. Craft’s heater played best when he was able to create two-seam shape on it, working tight through the zone with late arm-side action near the end of ball flight. He created heavy run (18+ inches) on average with his changeup at 83-85 mph, and showed a harder, tighter slider than we’d seen in the past at 80-82 mph. 

Cy Craft

+ Our staff has always been intrigued by LHP Jonathan Barlow (Freeburg, 2027), a long-levered, wiry, and projectable southpaw that we saw multiple times last spring, whether in a showcase or gameplay setting. Thursday was by far our best look at Barlow, as he pumped his fastball at 85-86, touching 87 mph, with relatively low effort from a long, loose arm swing. To compliment his fastball, Barlow turned over a changeup that flashed advanced shape, diving down in the zone (6.1 VB, -21.2 HB) at 79-80 mph, and he spun a big, sweeping slider (-5.7 VB, 21.2 HB) in the low-70s. It’s easy to project more from Barlow, who’s far from a finished product physically, and he’s an uncommitted junior left-hander that college coaches should keep tabs on closely. 

Jonathan Barlow

+ Another standout arm from this week that also goes to Freeburg is RHP Liam Scaiefe (2027). The 6-foot-4, 210-pound junior right-hander has a track record of pounding the strike zone, but Thursday’s look was the firmest we’ve seen him from a velocity standpoint, pitching at 86-87, touching 87.5 mph on his hardest bullet. It’s a long, loose, and continuous arm swing that finishes from a fast ¾ slot, offering more to come down the road from a velocity standpoint. Scaiefe has always shown advanced feel to spin his slider, landing it for strikes at 74-75 mph in this look, and he’s added a harder, tighter cutter that played at 80-81 mph. 

Liam Scaiefe

+ RHP Cannon Richard (Waterloo, 2027) provided our staff with a strong look this past week and is a name we’re excited to see at our Winter Showcase, IL event in a few weeks. On Thursday, Richard’s heater pitched at 86-87, touching 88.2 mph on his firmest bullet. He showed a splitter that played in the upper-70s and spun a slider with sweeper traits (-2.4 VB, -10.6 HB) at 74-76 mph. 

+ One of the top catchers in the area, C/RHP Beau Breyman (Freeburg, 2027) can also jump on the mound in a pinch and produce. Breyman’s arm strength translates nicely from behind the plate to the hill, where he pumped hard-running fastballs (17.6” horizontal on average) at 85-86 mph. 

+ Two other junior arms to keep tabs on this spring in the Southwestern Conference are RHP Miller Dunnill (Edwardsville, 2027) and LHP Lucas Womack (Belleville West, 2027). Dunnill’s an athletic arm that’s easy to project more velocity in the near future, sitting at 83-84, and touching 85 mph, in this look. Womack’s a deceptive left-hander with a low-80s fastball that snapped off several  breaking balls with big depth/drop in the upper-80s. 

Underclassman

+ RHP/C Anderson Kaufmann (Alton, 2028) continues to solidify himself as truly a special talent, and a name in the Metro East that college coaches across the country will want to become familiar with rather quickly. Kaufmann was excellent on varsity for the Redbirds as a freshman, toeing the rubber on a weekly basis against the Southwestern Conference gauntlet and competing against college-level players two or three grade levels older than him. At his peak, our staff saw him up to 89 mph last year, with strike feel for three secondary pitches that couples with a high level compete factor each time he toes the rubber. On Thursday, Kaufmann was sitting 89-90 mph, peaking at 91 mph, with a four-seam and two-seam fastball. His athleticism, posture repeatability, and effortless movement patterns down the mound clearly stood out, but the improvements he’s made in his three secondaries are the separator. Kaufmann showed advanced feel to turn over a hard, late diving changeup (2.1 VB, 17.3 HB) at 82-83 mph. He turned a slower, more sweepy curveball into a tighter, harder slider at 79-81 mph, and added a short, tight cutter at 81-82 mph (7.1 VB, 1.1 HB) to complete his arsenal. Couple the uptick in stuff with his pure ability to compete and Kaufmann is quickly tracking to be the next big name to emerge from a region that’s produced plenty of high level baseball players. 

Anderson Kaufmann

+ Easily one of the day’s biggest standouts was INF/RHP Nick Chiarodo (Edwardsville, 2028), a sophomore name that college programs across the country must circle. Chiarodo’s always been a clean mover down the mound, but he’s working with more intent and effort now, and his ability to control it has improved with the strength he’s added. He was playing catch with his fastball at 87-88 mph, touching 88.6 mph, with ride/run traits from a clean, fast high ¾ slot. There’s going to be more from Chiarodo in the near future, and it wouldn’t surprise us at all if he’s bumping into the low-90s before the winter is over. Aside from the velocity, the separator was the feel and polish he showed for his three secondary pitches. He landed a 71-72 mph curveball (-11.3 VB, -20.5 HB) for strikes on repeat and threw a harder, bullet-like slider at 79-81 mph around the zone as well. To round things out, Chiarodo showed some of the highest feel for a changeup on the day, creating 18.6 inches of run on the pitch at 80-81 mph and keeping it down in the zone consistently. 

Nick Chiarodo

+ RHP/OF Tyson Wampler (2028) is another sophomore from Edwardsville that is tracking to impact the Tigers’ varsity club this spring, particularly on the mound. Long and lanky with all sorts of room to continue filling out, Wampler’s arm works short and compact on the backside and he controls his levers well down the mound, allowing him to repeat his delivery consistently. His fastball played at 83-84 mph, an uptick from what we saw this fall, and his ability to consistently spin a sharp, downer breaking ball for strikes at 72-73 mph is clear. Wampler’s done nothing but be in the zone and perform when we saw him in game last year and he’s an on-the-rise name to know in the Metro East for the current sophomore class. 

Tyson Wampler

+ This was our first look at LHP Lavin Tull (O’Fallon, 2028) and he emerged from the day firmly on our radar of names to know in the Illinois’ sophomore class. A lean, lanky left-hander, Tull worked with tempo, pace, and rhythm down the mound. He showed arm speed from a long, loose, and athletic draw, pitching in the low-80s with his fastball, touching 84 mph at peak. He’ll control his delivery more consistently as he continues to add strength with the potential to be in the upper-80s, if not firmer, come this time next year. Tull showed a slider at 70-71 mph that he’s still finding consistency with and also turned over a changeup with some run at 72-73 mph. 

Lavin Tull

+ Another talented, highly athletic southpaw from O’Fallon on the day was OF/LHP Trey Hrasky (2028). Plenty known for his efforts as a position player, Hrasky gave our staff the best look we’ve gotten at him on the mound this past week. He bumped his heater up to 84 mph, pitching in the low-80s with a high intent delivery and cut/carry (19 VB, -2.7 HB) traits created from a short, tight arm stroke. His changeup played around the zone at 74-76 mph and he was able to spin a slider with depth in the low-70s. 

Trey Hrasky

+ RHP Avner Christian (Waterloo, 2028) pitched at 82-83, touching 84.4 mph, with his fastball in this look. The talented right-hander who should be a piece for the Bulldogs’ staff this spring showed a changeup at 77-79 mph and spun a 72-74 mph breaking ball. 

+ INF/RHP Kody Anderson (Triad, 2029) continues to look like one of the more talented freshman prospects in the Metro East. Anderson brings plenty of value to the table as a position player, but he’s also rather intriguing as an arm. It’s an easy, athletic, and controlled delivery with a quick arm that was in the strike zone with a fastball that played at 81-82 mph and he spun a low-70s slider with big depth off it.

Kody Anderson