This past Sunday, February 8th, ScoutConnect made our annual trip up to PreGame Sports in Monticello, IL, to host the SBA Scout Day. This event featured 30+ players from the SBA Mid-America and Next Level program that participated in a pro-style workout put on by our staff. 

 

In the process of this event, players received deliverables collected from our TrackMan units, Blast Motion sensors, as well as your traditional showcase stats (60s, positional velos, etc.). All ScoutConnect event participants receive a fully edited recruiting video sent to them after the event, as well as a free Boost Player Profile, where all of the data from the event lives. To learn more about Boost, click HERE. 

 

We’ve taken some time today to highlight a few of the day’s standouts, which you’ll find by reading below. Learn more about 20+ names, most of which are from central Illinois, within these scout notes. 

 

+ An uncommitted senior to follow from this event was RHP Heyden Romano (Monticello, 2026). Romano pitched at 82-83 mph with his fastball (18.4 VB, 7.7 HB) and flashed feel for two different breaking balls off it; a curveball in the upper-60s with higher arch and bigger shape (-9.4 VB, -10.1 HB), as well as a tighter slider at 72-73 mph (-3.5 VB, -7 HB). 

 

+ MIF Austin Rutter (Sacred-Heart Griffin, 2027) has long been known to our staff as one of the top ‘27 grads from the Springfield area, helping lead Sacred-Heart Griffin to the 2A state championship as a sophomore. Rutter showed well in this look, adding more strength to his frame, now standing more compact and muscle-bound, as opposed to the lean, wiry athlete he was last time we saw him. In BP, Rutter consistently looked to elevate to the pull-side from a strong, aggressive, and uphill left-handed swing. His furthest ball traveled 342 feet and his hardest came off his barrel at 91.9 mph, both of which were improvements from the last time we saw him in-event. On the infield, Rutter showed clean, sure-handed actions and an uptick in arm strength, peaking at 88 mph across the infield on his hardest throw. He also ran a 3.69 30-yard dash, which was one of the fastest times from the event.

 

Austin Rutter

 

+ A physical, uncommitted right-handed hitting junior to know is CIF Evan Howley (Mt. Zion, 2027), who came away from this event as a big winner. All but one of Howley’s batted balls came off his barrel at 97+ mph, including a pair of 100+ mph exit velocities, and a peak batted distance at 393 feet. He also comfortably led the event in average bat speed (76.1 mph) and also had one of the highest average hand speeds (22.2 mph) on the day. Howley’s physicality certainly stood out in this look and he will be a name our staff follows closely heading into his junior spring for Mt. Zion. 

 

Evan Howley

 

+ RHP Zeke Young (Monticello, 2027) came away from this event as one of its more intriguing athletes and a name to follow in central Illinois. Young had an all-around impactful season for Monticello’s football team, racking up 1,327 all purpose yards with six total touchdowns and four interceptions. That athleticism translates nicely, as Young comfortably ran the fastest 30-yard dash of the event at 3.52 seconds. On the mound, he’s a fast mover in a tight window, working down the mound with intent and easy arm speed. His fastball played at 83-84, touching 85 mph, with natural arm-side action throughout, and he landed a tighter slider for strikes at 71-72 mph. 

 

Zeke Young

 

+ Making the trip down from New York was RHP Mason Markle (Horseheads, 2027), who was one of the day’s top arms. At 6-foot-3, 185-pounds with long, projectable levers, Markle’s arm played short and tight on the backside, finishing out of a higher ¾ window with high intent throughout. His fastball played at 84-85 mph with carry traits (15.7 VB, 5.8 HB) and he showed above-average feel to spin two different breaking balls at 2500+ RPM; a 70-72 mph curveball with bigger shape (-7.3 VB, -14.7 HB) and a harder, tighter slider at 75-76 mph (1.7 VB, -12.8 HB). 

 

Mason Markle

 

+ MIF Cole Basak (Monticello, 2027) popped onto our radar this summer after attending one of our summer events and had another strong showing this past Sunday. A wiry, athletic 5-foot-10, 150-pound right-handed hitter, Basak worked on the barrel through the middle of the field with added intent and impact than we saw from him last summer. He made a jump in almost all of his offensive batted ball metrics; 84.2 mph average EV, 89.4 mph peak EV, 320 ft. peak distance, 67.9 mph average bat speed. He’s a sure-handed defender on the infield that can play both up the middle positions and also ran one of the fastest 30-yard dash times of the event (3.68). 

 

Cole Basak

 

+ One of the more unique looks on the mound we’ll see all winter comes from RHP Landon Workman (Mt. Zion, 2027). The 6-foot-6, 200-pound uncommitted junior rocks his hands over his head to start and works out of a ¾ release, working slightly cross body down the mound with all sorts of length in his levers. His fastball played at 84-85, touching 86 mph, but it was his secondaries that particularly stood out on this day. Workman spun a big, sweeping slider with big shape (0.4 VB, -18.8 HB) around the zone in the low-70s and he showed an improved changeup than what we’d seen from him in the past, turning it over with natural fade (-0.5 VB, 19.3 HB) at 75-76 mph. 

 

Landon Workman

 

+ C/CIF Karter Marks (Springfield, 2027) was one of the more physical athletes in attendance, listed at 6-foot-3, 215-pounds. Marks showed easy impact off the barrel when he found it, working mostly to the middle/pull side of the field from a longer, leveraged, and strong right-handed swing. His hardest ball came off his bat at 102.7 mph with an average mark at 95.9 mph. Marks ran a 3.89 30-yard dash and was also 77 mph from the crouch.

 

Karter Marks

 

+ RHP Sean Plessa (Rochester, 2027) continues to show intrigue and upside on the mound each time our staff sees him. Long and lanky with levers for days, Plessa worked with pace and tempo throughout his bullpen, pitching at 82-83, touching 84 mph with his fastball. He landed his big, bendy curveball that we’ve grown accustomed to at 65-66 mph and showed more feel for a changeup with some depth at 72-73 mph than we’d seen in the past. 

 

Sean Plessa

 

+ Two other uncommitted juniors from Monticello are C Gehrig Quick (2027) and OF/RHP Forrest Rawdin (2027). Quick is a wiry, lean-levered athlete that showed well in multiple areas of his workout and would benefit greatly from added strength. He sprayed line drives off the barrel to the pull-side from a short, clean, and direct left-handed swing while also consistently working on the bag from a catch-and-throw standpoint in his defensive workout. Rawdin, a football player, holds more physicality in a 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame. He stayed through the middle of the field throughout his round of BP, showing above-average bat speed (71.8 mph) and hand speed (21.9 mph). Rawdin jumped on the mound after and threw a sinker in the low-80s while flashing strike feel for a changeup at 73-74 mph. 

 

+ A pair of uncommitted juniors from Mt. Zion worth a mention are OF Kellen Bollhorst (2027) and RHP Keegan Durbin (2027). Bollhorst, a multi-sport athlete, worked on the barrel with a short, strong, and compact right-handed swing that showed more impact than what we saw at this event last year. He averaged 91.1 mph per batted ball, peaking at 95.1 mph, and also ran one of the fastest 30 times of the event (3.61). Durbin is a clean mover on the mound with a loose arm that pitched in the low-80s and showed above-average feel to spin a low-70s slider at 2400+ RPM. 

 

Kellen Bollhorst

 

+ Another highly physical right-handed bat from this event to know is CIF/C Bentley Baird (Penn, 2028). The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Indiana native had some of the easiest bat strength of the day, working through the zone with length and minimal effort while creating natural carry off the barrel. Six of his batted balls came off his bat at 95+ mph, including a 100 mph peak, and his furthest ball traveled through the middle of the field at 355 feet. Defensively, Baird was 83 mph across the infield, 77 mph from the crouch, and he pitched at 83-84 mph on the mound towards the end of his workout.

 

Bentley Baird

 

+ Another takeaway from the event was the strides that OF James Weitekamp (Kirkwood, 2028) has made since our latest look in this setting a year ago. He’s way more physical than he was before, tacking strength onto a wiry, athletic frame that’s still capable of adding plenty more and also growing a few inches. He was one of the faster runners of the event, posting a 3.65 time in the 30-yard dash. Weitekamp worked gap-to-gap and on the barrel, staying through the zone with length and an uphill finish. His peak exit velocity was 90.8 mph and he averaged 85.1 mph per batted ball – both of which are almost certainly going to continue climbing upward as he gets stronger. 

 

James Weitekamp

 

+ MIF Kale Bacus (Normal Community, 2028) was another upside right-handed bat to know from Sunday’s trip to Monticello. Bacus’ took a polished round of BP, backspinning line drives back through the middle of the field from a short, flat, and direct right-handed swing. He showed more impact at peak (87.5 mph) than we saw from him at this event a year ago, and both his bat speed (71.7 mph) and hand speed (21.6 mph) improved on average. As Bacus continues to tack on strength, he’ll continue to trend upward, and he’s a name to know from central Illinois in the 2028 class. 

 

Kale Bacus

 

+ OF Tristan Castelar (Loyola Academy, 2028) and OF Kennedy Brown (Springfield Catholic, 2028) were two sophomore outfielders to show well at this event. Castelar took one of the more consistent BP rounds on the day, backspinning baseballs off his barrel through the middle of the field from a short, uphill path. Brown’s bat strength has improved from a year ago, as the left-handed hitter elevated primarily to the pull-side from a stronger, more compact swing, producing several upper-80s exit velocities with a peak mark at 91.6 mph, and a max batted distance of 338 feet. 

 

Tristan Castelar

 

+ 1B/LHP Cody Ganther (Morrisonville, 2028) has a long-levered, projectable 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame with upside on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Ganther flashed carry off the barrel to the opposite field that will grow into more consistency as he continues to gain more control of his levers. He pitched in the low-80s on the mound and consistently threw a 75-76 mph changeup for strikes on the plate’s arm-side corner. 

 

+ RHP Landon Richardson (Mt. Zion, 2029) is a strong-bodied freshman with a loose, quick arm that threw three pitches for strikes in his bullpen. 

 

+ Three other names to know from this event who showed well in aspects of their workout are RHP/OF Brendan Wright (Richwoods, 2027), INF/OF Ethan Cour (Sacred-Heart Griffin, 2027), OF/RHP Creighton Weigler (Mt. Zion, 2028), and OF Quinn Cutler (Maroa-Forsyth, 2028).