On Saturday, February 14th, ScoutConnect hosted its annual Winter Showcase, IL event at the SportsBarn East in Wood River, IL. Now in its second year, this event saw 110+ uncommitted high school players representing the 2026-to-2029 grad classes in Illinois, with athletes from various parts of the state making their way to the Metro East. 

 

For all statistics, measurables, data, etc. from the day, click HERE. 

 

Last week, our staff published our ‘Scout Notes’ piece for several upperclassmen that stood out from the event. To read up on those names, click HERE. 

 

We’re turning our attention today to the underclass group, and we’ve put some of our thoughts on the day’s top performers within these ‘Scout Notes’. Continue reading below to learn more about several of the top ‘28 and ‘29 grads that showed well to our staff at this year’s Winter Showcase, IL.

 

POSITION PLAYERS

+ One of the more physical athletes in attendance, regardless of class, at the event was CIF/RHP Elijah Johnson (Quincy Notre Dame, 2028). A standout on our summer circuit last year, showing well at multiple ScoutConnect tournaments with his club team, Johnson is one of the more impactful offensive sophomores we’ve seen in the ‘28 class. He had the highest average bat speed (75.6 mph) of the entire event and worked a short, compact right-handed barrel consistently, carrying at impact to the pull-side throughout his round. Johnson jumped on the mound later in the day, reaching back for an 86.1 mph high on his fastball, while pitching in the low-to-mid-80s. His offensive prowess is his carrying tool, however, and he’ll be a name in the Illinois’ sophomore class that college coaches should keep tabs on before August 1st. 

 

Elijah Johnson

 

+ The highest ceiling of any ‘29 grad in attendance at this event belongs to OF Andrew McCutchen (Edwardsville). McCutchen has a chance to be a true impact runner, gliding to a 7.03 60-yard dash that will almost certainly grade out as double-plus by the time he’s a senior in high school. He swung one of the more projectable left-handed swings at the event, working short to contact on an elevated plane and backspinning to the pull-side as he went on. McCutchen will impact the baseball at a higher rate as he gets stronger, and the way his hands, barrel, and swing work right now suggest there’s a real possibility he’s highly productive at the plate. On top of all that, McCutchen profiles as a true center field defender that uses his athleticism to cover ground effortlessly in the outfield, enhancing his overall prospect status as a whole. When it’s all said and done, there’s a potential top-of-the-lineup left-handed production that can also provide impact defense at a premium position through the middle of the field. 

 

Andrew McCutchen

 

+ MIF/RHP Kody Anderson (Triad, 2029) is one of the more talented freshman in the Metro East that we’ve seen to date. Anderson’s a standout athlete that doesn’t require much effort to produce above-average outputs for his age. He started his day by running a 7.15 60, a number that we’d project falls below the 6.70 mark by the time he’s done with high school. He was on the barrel often in BP, swinging a loose, athletic, and low-effort right-handed barrel that worked backside line drives on repeat in his round. Anderson’s actions on the infield were also advanced, staying in rhythm, controlling his body well on the move with soft hands while showing the ability to throw from multiple arm angles as well. We didn’t see him pitch on this date, but Anderson’s arm works free and easy on the mound, pitching in the low-80s and spinning a big, bendy breaking ball for strikes. He’s talented enough to break with the varsity club at one of the top 3A teams in the state and should be a mainstay in the Metro East’s ‘29 grad class. 

 

Kody Anderson

 

+ Another standout freshman from the event was OF Jackson Parker (O’Fallon, 2029), who’s another high level athlete with the potential to become a household name in the Metro East’s baseball scene. Parker took one of the more polished and mature BP rounds of the event, finding the barrel often from a short, strong, and compact right-handed swing that didn’t have much of a deviation between his average exit velocity (85.7 mph) and his max (88.3 mph). On top of that, Parker ran a 6.89 60-yard dash, which was the fastest mark of any ‘29 grad in attendance, and one of the quickest times of the event as a whole. Parker profiles as a top-of-the-lineup bat moving forward and is a high-follow prospect in the current Illinois’ freshman class. 

 

Jackson Parker

 

+ C/RHP Lucas Sloan (Olympia, 2028) continues to build his case as one of the top sophomore catchers our staff has seen in the Illinois’ 2028 class. Sloan’s right-handed swing works on a long, fluid, and repeatable path through the zone with strength at impact and a knack for the barrel. He hit his hardest ball at 94.5 mph in this look, averaging 84.8 mph, and there’s more impact to come as he continues to get stronger. Behind the plate, Sloan had one of the highest max throwing velocities of the event (82 mph) and he popped a 2.02 down to the bag on his quickest throw. After all that, Sloan hopped on the mound and threw a cut fastball at 84-85 mph, while flashing feel for a 74-76 mph curveball. 

 

Lucas Sloan

 

+ One name in the state’s sophomore class that has done nothing but rise up our internal board is RHP/OF Tyson Wampler (Edwardsville, 2028). Long and lanky with all sorts of projection in his frame, Wampler has been nothing but positive on the mound, and while we didn’t see him pitch at this event, he did show well at the plate. It’s a short, uphill right-handed swing that flashed above-average bat strength for his physical stature at peak (93.9 mph). Wampler’s arm talent was on display in his outfield workout, where he was 88 mph on his hardest throw, working free and easy on the backside to finish from a loose high ¾ slot. 

 

+ MIF Davis Venters (Mt. Zion, 2028) made the trip down from central Illinois and gave our staff a strong updated look after making strength gains this past winter. Now more physical, with added height as well, Venters stands at 6-foot-1, 170-pounds, and it’s certain he will only continue tacking on strength as he gets older. He sprayed line drives back through the middle of the field, keeping a long barrel through the zone with leverage out front. On the infield, Venters showed clean glove-to-hand and the ability to maintain his lower half rhythm on the move, working quick to release from a shorter, more compact arm stroke. 

 

Davis Venters

 

+ Another top flight up-the-middle defender from the day was MIF Dax Randolph (Harrisburg, 2028). Randolph showed a natural confidence and presence to himself defensively, slowing the game down and trusting his hands consistently. His lower half didn’t get out of rhythm on the move, working around the baseball and putting himself in a strong position to funnel toward a clean release. At the plate, Randolph favored the backside, working the other way consistently from the right side. 

 

+ OF Gabe Heaps (Kirkwood, 2028) was one of the toolsiest sophomores in attendance at this event. From Missouri, Heaps is a high intent rotator out of his load, whipping his barrel through the zone and elevating consistently towards the pull-side as his BP round went on. His average batted distance (300 ft.) and max batted distance (352 ft.) are both advanced for his age, and his hardest batted ball came off his bat at 92.4 mph, while averaging 85.6 mph per barrel. Additionally, Heaps ran a 7.08 60-yard dash and had one of the day’s highest throwing velocities from the outfield, peaking at 92 mph. 

 

Gabe Heaps

 

+ Two other current freshmen that showed well at this event were INF Easton Drollinger (Okaw Valley, 2029) and C/INF Hunter Huffman (O’Fallon, 2029). A left-handed hitter, Drollinger’s ability to repeatedly keep a level barrel through the zone was noteworthy, and the way the ball came off his barrel as a result also stood out. He showed soft, sure-handed glovework on the infield with the ability to stay in rhythm on the move, both of which are advanced traits for someone his age. Huffman has a short, compact right-handed swing with some barrel length and leverage through the zone, working mostly backside line drives in this look. 

 

Easton Drollinger

 

+ A highly intriguing sophomore to follow from southern Illinois is OF Gavin Johnson (Carterville, 2028). Long and lanky with all sorts of levers and future projection, Johnson was the day’s fastest runner, gliding with ease to a 6.75 60-yard dash. At the plate, it’s a steeper, more uphill path through the zone that will grow into more consistency as he gains more control of his levers. Coming off a strong freshman season for the Lions, look for Johnson to play a role for a Carterville club that should be one of the top 2A teams in southern Illinois. 

 

+ C Grant Reed (Father McGivney, 2028) is a strong right-handed hitting backstop that has shown well each of the last few times we’ve seen him. Reed stayed on the barrel consistently in his round, backspinning gap-to-gap with a short, slightly uphill path, and staying balanced through contact. He was on the bag consistently from the crouch, reaching 76 mph on his hardest throw and posting a top pop time of 2.07 seconds. Reed has the potential to slide into a consistent role behind the plate for powerhouse Father McGivney, and we’re expecting a strong 2026 season from the uncommitted sophomore backstop. 

 

+ 1B/OF Jake Weinhoeft (O’Fallon, 2028) took one of the first BP rounds of the day and set the tone early with a strong showing. The left-handed hitting sophomore stayed on the barrel gap-to-gap with a short, strong, and compact path that showed polish, as well as balance, through contact. Weinhoeft’s ability to backspin to the pull-side, in particular, allows him to drive the baseball despite not having an overloaded amount of present physicality; his furthest ball traveled 332 feet, and it carried off his barrel at 88.4 mph. 

 

+ C/INF Trey Tampow (Freeburg, 2028) is an interesting, multi-sport sophomore to follow from Freeburg. In the middle of basketball season, Tampow has started to fill out his frame since we last saw him in the fall, holding more lean strength than what we’d seen before. His hands work with some looseness at the plate and enter his barrel into the zone on a long, level plane. At his best, Tampow sprayed line drives back through the middle of the field, though he did show the ability to work backside as he went on. From the crouch, Tampow’s hardest throw checked in at 75 mph with a 2.08 top pop time. 

 

+ INF Paddy Martin (Father McGivney, 2028) added more strength to his frame from the last time we saw him in the fall, now standing at 6-foot, 175-pounds. Martin’s average exit velocity climbed up six miles per hour from our event he attended in October of 2025, working on a longer, more steep path from the right side that favored the left-center gap in BP. 

 

+ Two other sophomores of note are OF/RHP Dawson Rueter (Breese Central, 2028) and INF/RHP Kadin Stewart (Freeburg, 2028). Rueter made a jump up in nearly every single metric since he attended an event last summer; his peak exit velocity jumped up to 90.1 mph, he cut his 60 time down by half a second, and his outfield velocity bumped up by five ticks as well. Stewart, who showed well at a ScoutConnect tournament this past summer, has a strong right-handed swing that sprayed elevated contact gap-to-gap and also took a clean round of infield defense. 

 

PITCHERS

+ This event provided us an updated look at one of the top sophomore arms in southern Illinois with RHP Haiden Lange (Carterville, 2028). Lange is more physical than he was before, now standing at 6-foot-4, 205-pounds, and he’s a better mover down the mound, repeating an in-line delivery and creating more separation at footstrike than we’d seen in the past. He’s able to produce more velocity as a result without having to crank up his intensity to max effort, pitching at 85-86, while touching 87 mph, and carrying it through the zone (16.4 VB, 5.8 HB). In this look, Lange landed a 73-74 mph slider with shorter shape and some depth for strikes, and he also showed a changeup at 79-80 mph that he’s flashed above-average feel for in the past. Lange will be the ace of Carterville’s club this coming spring season and he should be plenty popular in collegiate circles throughout the summer, as well as when August 1st rolls around. 

 

Haiden Lange

 

+ Another highly talented sophomore arm from southern Illinois in attendance was RHP/OF Avner Christian (Waterloo, 2028). Christian is another ‘28 grad that’s gotten more physical since we’d last seen him, bulking up to 6-foot-2, 180-pounds. He’s taken a jump up from a velocity standpoint as a result, pitching at 84-85, while touching 86 mph at this event, and he was also 93 mph from the outfield, which tied for the event’s best mark. Off that, Christian showed consistent feel to zone a low-70s curveball with tight, downer spin for strikes. If Christian can work in the strike zone often this spring, he’ll throw consistently meaningful innings for a Waterloo club that we’re expecting to compete for the Mississippi Valley Conference title. 

 

Avner Christian

 

+ RHP Fisher Watts (Crab Orchard, 2028) was another main takeaway from our staff at this event. We first saw Watts at one of our summer showcases last year, where he was peaking in the low-80s and flashing strike feel for his breaking ball. Now more physically developed with a more filled out frame, Watts pumped his fastball at 84-85 mph at this event, averaging 19.6 inches of vertical break from a higher release point. He threw two different breaking balls, both at 74-76 mph; his curveball had a bigger shape with more north-to-south action, while his slider profiled as more of a true sweeper. Watts rounded out his arsenal with a 78-79 mph changeup that he was able to throw for strikes on the arm-side corner of the plate. 

 

Fisher Watts

 

+ LHP Dante Gianino (Gibault Catholic, 2028) provides a unique look on the mound with an intriguing pitch mix to pair. The athletic sophomore southpaw repeated a quick, up-tempo delivery consistently and showed a tight, compact arm swing with deception on the backside that finished out of a ¾ window. At this event, Gianino’s fastball sat 82-84, touching 85 mph, while averaging -20.5 inches of horizontal break, which is an outlier number. He had the most consistent feel for his changeup of anyone at the event, turning the pitch over with late fade and drop at 74-75 mph. It’s a pitch that pairs exceptionally well with the way his fastball moves, and he also showed the feel to spin a short, tight breaking ball at 69-70 mph that can open up the other half of the plate. Gianino is expected to play a huge role for a Gibault Catholic program that doesn’t lack any success on the baseball field and he’s one of the top sophomore left-handers in the Metro East. 

 

Dante Gianino

 

+ RHP/INF Xavier Voegele (Columbia, 2028) has one of the more projectable frames from this event, toeing the rubber with a long, lean-levered frame that offers all sorts of upside down the road. A multi-sport athlete, and the younger brother of potential first round draft pick Dominic Voegele (Kansas), Voegele’s arm speed stands out, and his ability to keep a quick, continuous swing on the backside with acceleration out front is noteworthy, too. His fastball played clean out the hand at 81-83 mph, a number that’s only going to keep bumping up, and he was able to consistently land both of his breaking balls (CB/SL) for strikes in the low-70s. 

 

Xavier Voegele

 

+ Another talented sophomore from Columbia that showed well at this event was RHP/INF Ayden Sepich (2028). Sepich had a strong freshman spring on the mound for the Eagles, pitching to a 2.33 ERA in 15 innings of work with 15 punchouts. It’s a quick, athletic, and clean arm that worked in the low-80s in his ‘pen and showed feel to spin a 73-74 mph slider. At the plate, Sepich swung a short, level, and balanced right-handed barrel that consistently worked through the middle of the field. 

 

Ayden Sepich

 

+ RHP Carter Cappellin (Taylorville, 2028) looked like a sophomore arm to follow from this event. Making the trip down from central Illinois, Cappellin showed clean movement patterns down the mound with a lean, long-levered, and upside frame. His arm works short on the backside and pitched at 82-83 mph with natural run on his fastball while showing the ability to spin a shorter slider in the low-70s. 

 

Carter Cappellin

 

+ Three other names to follow from southern Illinois are LHP/OF Lathan Parrish (Goreville, 2028), RHP Lukas Owens (Carterville, 2028), and LHP/OF Jace Smothers (Carterville, 2029). Parrish was on the barrel in BP from a strong, compact left-handed swing and showed some feel to spin a big breaking ball on the mound. Owens pitched in the low-80s from a lower, more unique release height and was in the zone often with a sweeping slider at 68-69 mph. Smothers is a two-way talent that’s a clean mover down the mound with a loose arm that will continue to trend up from a velocity standpoint as he adds more functional strength.