By: Diego Solares & Evan Furfaro

 

On Wednesday, June 10th, ScoutConnect hosted its annual Summer Games event at Roy E. Lee Field, home of the SIUE Cougars baseball program. This invite-only event featured 60+ uncommitted 2027s and 2028s from Illinois and Missouri, with 25 college programs in attendance. 

 

Participants went through a pro-style workout, collecting data through our TrackMan and Blast Motion units, as well as your traditional showcase stats, like 60s, positional throwing velocities, etc. Afterwards, players were split into teams and played in a simulated game, giving them the ability to showcase their talents in a workout setting, as well as in gameplay. 

 

For all of the statistics collected from the event, click HERE. 

 

After reviewing our notes from the day, we’ve highlighted a multitude of players that stood out to us in the 2027 class from the event, with notes on the 2028s who showed well set to publish tomorrow. For now, read below to learn more about 30+ uncommitted incoming seniors that left their mark at this year’s Summer Games event. 

 

+ MIF Tyler Sweeney (Eureka, 2027) continues to show why he’s a top uncommitted middle infielder in Missouri’s incoming senior class. Sweeney’s long and lean with plenty of room to keep adding on, though he’s started to fill out from where he was a year ago. He ran a 6.94 60 and was on the barrel consistently throughout his batting practice recording one of our higher exit velocities on the day at 98.1, also averaging 90.6 MPH. There’s no question that these numbers will only tick up with added strength. Showed a loose right-handed swing with hands that work. On the infield, Sweeney showed advanced ability to create rhythm with his footwork and clean, soft hands while on the move. One of the biggest things that stood out with Sweeney in the gameplay portion was how hard he plays the game. He was consistently the first player out of the dugout, or the first one in, and his baserunning acumen to take the extra base, bust a hard 90, and just play the game the right way couldn’t be more clear. Certainly a high value, up-the-middle prospect to have on the radar this summer, if he already isn’t. 

 

Tyler Sweeney

 

+ One of the unquestioned biggest winners of the event was LHP Matthias Rudolph (Monticello, 2027). Rudolph came into the day as a buzz name in coaching circles and left it as a must-follow arm throughout the summer. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound southpaw has an athletic delivery with a fast arm and gets down the mound with intent. His fastball sat 85-87 mph in his inning of work, grabbing swing-and-miss at the top of the zone. Off that, Rudolph spun a 73-74 mph breaking ball that he showed feel to manipulate; he could bend it as more of a get-me-over, or tighten it as a sharper, backfoot swing-and-miss pitch to right-handed hitters. While there’s still some rawness to how it all works, the upside with Rudolph is clear, and he was definitely one of the more popular takeaways from the event. 

 

Matthias Rudolph

 

+ RHP Alex Athmer (Breese Central, 2027) showed at this event why he’s one of the more intriguing uncommitted arms in southern Illinois. Long and lanky with levers for days on a 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame, Athmer’s fastball played at 86-88 mph out of a loose, clean, and continuous ¾ slot. The separator for him is the ability to spin two breaking balls that are clearly distinct from each other. His slider has late sweep (-2 VB, -11 HB) at 76-77 mph, and he can throw it to the glove-side corner of the plate consistently. He also throws a tight, bullet-like cutter at 79-82 mph (2 VB, 0 HB) that allows him to give a different look, working more north-to-south. More development and strength are coming for Athmer, and the upside with him is clearly plenty high. 

 

Alex Athmer

 

+ Another arm that’s easy to dream on from this event was RHP Cody Baden (Fort Zumwalt West, 2027). Baden’s nowhere near done growing physically, standing currently at 5-foot-11, 160-pounds with lean, lanky levers. He really gets down the mound, pitching both north and south with his fastball at 84-86 mph, a range that will climb quickly in the coming years. Baden showed two secondaries that both flashed; his slider has depth and some sharpness to it at 70-72 mph, and he also pulled the string on a changeup at 74-76 mph that he threw R/R. Plenty far from what the finished product will be, Baden is a name to follow throughout the summer and in the coming years on the mound. 

 

Cody Baden

 

+ A live-armed, uncommitted right-hander from central Illinois that was one of the top all-around prospects on the day was RHP Brett Alkire (Dunlap, 2027). The 5-foot-11, 160-pound incoming senior had arguably the top fastball of the entire event; 87-89 mph, 2400+ RPM, 16+ VB on average, threw it at the top of the zone consistently. From a secondary standpoint, Alkire’s slider is also a highly intriguing pitch. He throws it hard, and with fastball intent, right now at 78-79 mph with gyro shape (-2 VB, -3 HB) that will play well off his heater as the feel for it improves. Alkire was up to 92 mph when we saw him in game this spring and has one of the livelier arms still on the market in the Illinois’ 2027 class. 

 

Brett Alkire

 

+ INF/OF Casen Smith (Eureka, 2027) is an uncommitted switch-hitter that’s been on the rise early into the summer and has the potential to fit into the middle of a lineup at the next level. Smith showed an easy, natural feel to lift gap-to-gap in BP from both sides of the plate with a loose, free, and strong right-handed and left-handed swing. Aside from his ability to elevate, Smith also impacted the baseball at a high rate, squaring his hardest ball up at 97.5 mph, with an average exit velocity of 88.5 mph. 

 

Casen Smith

 

+ RHP/CIF Kevin Morgan (Fort Zumwalt East, 2027) was one of the more intriguing two-way talents from the Upperclass Summer Games. Coming off a big spring for Fort Zumwalt East, Morgan repeated an in-line delivery with a long arm action getting to a 3/4 slot. A tough look for hitters with late, heavy arm side action (18.8” avg) on the fastball at 86-88 mph, paired with a sweeping slider at 73-76 mph (-3.4 VB, -10.2 HB, 2700+ RPM). Pounded the zone and kept hitters off of the barrel over the course of his outing. Morgan also showed well at the plate in his batting practice with consistent barrels across the field. He swings a strong right-handed barrel generating one of our higher average bat speeds on the day at 78 mph. 

 

Kevin Morgan

 

+ One name that has done nothing but trend upward in our last few looks is INF Brayden Good (Festus, 2027). He ran a 6.80 60 at this event, the fastest he’s ever ran at a ScoutConnect Showcase. In BP, Good showed the ability to elevate the ball to the gaps throughout and stayed on the barrel, averaging 89.9 mph per batted ball, with a peak of 97.4 mph. On top of that, Good led the entire event in both average batted distance (295.8 ft.) and max batted distance (368.8 ft.). His glovework on the infield certainly stood out as well. He played in rhythm and on time with his lower half, funneling the ball cleanly inward, while making several plays in game defensively. 

 

Brayden Good

 

+ MIF Gabe James (Mascoutah, 2027) continues to show well at our events and is quickly solidifying himself as a top uncommitted middle infielder in the Metro East. James was consistently on the barrel throughout his two BP rounds, averaging 89.5 mph per batted ball, with a peak mark at 94.2 mph. It’s a strong, athletic, and simple swing with hands that work, and even barreled a single through the left side of the infield in game. Defensively, he showed clean actions up the middle with soft hands, keeping his lower half on time, and playing in rhythm on the move. 

 

Gabe James

 

+ Another infielder that showed well at this event was CIF Colton Wolff (Fort Zumwalt North, 2027). He holds strength throughout his frame with a loose, strong right-handed swing that averaged 88.3 mph per batted ball, peaking at 94.9 mph. Wolff found the barrel and repeatedly lifted balls to the deeper parts of the field all day, including in game with an extra base hit. On top of it, Wolff ran a 6.68 60 and also showed fluid actions on the infield. 

 

Colton Wolff

 

+ Another highly physical right-handed bat to keep an eye on from the Upperclass Summer Games was Jaydon Burrage (Geneseo, 2027). The ease in which Burrage generates his bat speed and strength stand out, using a simple hand hitch trigger to whip his barrel through the zone quickly. He averaged 75.7 mph of bat speed on average, the day’s second-fastest mark, and was flicking baseballs gap-to-gap off his barrel at peak. Burrage showed the makings of a middle-of-the-order bat with a chance to provide production at a high level. 

 

Jaydon Burrage

 

+ INF Brody Kube (Seckman, 2027) continues to show well in our looks with strength and athletic actions on both sides of the baseball. At the plate, Kube swung a strong, right-handed barrel that stayed level through the zone, averaging 88.2 mph per barrel, peaking at 93.9 mph, and spraying line drives throughout. For good measure, he went down and barreled a ball for a single to the pull-side in game as well. On the infield, Kube showed clean, fluid actions with the lower half on time as he approached each ball. His hands are soft while showing the ability to get the ball out quickly. Will be an up-the-middle prospect to follow as the summer continues. 

 

Brody Kube

 

+ Three athletic, up-the-middle defenders in attendance that were some of the day’s top athletes were INF Cooper Schilly (Festus, 2027), INF Dawson Gaitros (Monticello, 2027), and INF Brody Phillips (Arcola, 2027). Schilly ran the fastest 60 of the entire event (6.50) and hit a backside triple in game. Gaitros (6.65) and Phillips (6.70) were also near the top of our leaderboard, and are two uncommitted multi-sport highly athletic follows from central Illinois. 

 

+ Parlaying his success in what was an excellent spring for Roxana, OF Nick Miles (2027) was a winner from the event in our eyes. A strong, athletic left-handed hitter that looks the part, Miles started his day with a 6.95 60. His barrel played long through the zone in BP with leverage out front, pummeling baseballs to the pull-side gap at his best. Of all players in attendance, Miles recorded the highest max exit velocity of the event (100.7 mph) and his furthest batted ball (354.7 ft.) was also among the day’s highest marks. On top of that, he also posted above-average bat speed (71.8 mph) and hand speed (22.7 mph) marks on the Blast Motion sensors. The frame, athleticism, and tools are right for Miles, and he will be an uncommitted left-handed bat for coaches to keep tabs on throughout the summer. 

 

Nick Miles

 

+ As has become the norm at our events, C/OF Trey Conrod (Waterloo, 2027) was once again one of the top prospects in attendance at this year’s Summer Games. Conrod ran a 6.96 60, an improvement from what he ran in the winter, which is notable, because he’s added more strength and boosted his physicality since then. It’s a short, uphill right-handed swing that is starting to comfortably elevate the baseball more gap-to-gap on the barrel, peaking at 95.2 mph in BP, with an average mark at 87.2 mph. He had two hits in game – a backside single, and pull-side double to the left-center wall. Defensively, Conrod’s arm strength rivals that of anyone in the area, playing true with carry from a short, tight arm stroke, while working on the bag throughout his defensive evaluation. 

 

Trey Conrod

 

+ Another big takeaway from the catching position was C/INF Tucker Murphy (Glenwood, 2027). A switch-hitter, Murphy was on the barrel more often with gap-to-gap lift from the left side, keeping his barrel through the zone and staying behind the baseball consistently. His hardest batted ball (92.1 mph) and furthest batted ball (342.8 ft.) both came in his two left-handed rounds of BP. Behind the plate, Murphy’s catch-and-throw was easily towards the top of the event. All five of his throws were on the bag, and he showed a short, quick release with above-average arm strength (78 mph) for his age. 

 

Tucker Murphy

 

+ RHP Nathan Rutz (Eureka, 2027) was one of the more intriguing arms to toe the rubber at last week’s event. At 6-foot-5, 210-pounds, Rutz stays in control down the mound and repeats his delivery well. He threw three pitches for strikes in this look, starting with a two-seam fastball that played at 86-87 mph, and showed late arm-side action at times. His bread-and-butter pitch was a true diving changeup at 79-80 mph (5 VB, 20 HB) that tunnelled well off his fastball and will keep hitters at the next level off balance. Rutz rounded out his arsenal with a 74-76 mph slider that he was able to land in zone for strikes. 

 

Nathan Rutz

 

+ One name that’s been trending up in a major way in our eyes is switch-hitting OF Lucas Parker (Jefferson City, 2027). The definition of a ‘hitter’, all Parker has ever done when we’ve seen him is perform. It’s a similar swing and operation from both sides of the plate – controlled with a short, compact path and hands that work inside the baseball, allowing him to use the whole field on the barrel. That simplicity and performance factor showed quickly when game two started, as Parker jumped on one of the first pitches he saw and banged it off the right-center field wall for a triple. He’s going to hit at the top of a lineup at the next level and is a name coaches should be following closely as the summer rolls on. 

 

Lucas Parker

 

+ Two left-handed hitters that showed well at this event are 1B Bradyn Whiteside (Fort Zumwalt North, 2027) and OF/LHP Jackson Ijames (Festus, 2027). Whiteside, who made his event debut last week, showed some of the highest average bat speed (74 mph) of all players in attendance. His hands work on top of the baseball, keeping a flat barrel through the zone and peppering line drives middle/away throughout both of his BP rounds. Defensively, he played a clean first base in game, with two picks in the dirt. Ijames, who’s no stranger to our events, continues to intrigue our staff with the physicality and power potential he brings. At 6-foot-4, 200-pounds, Ijames is at his best when his barrel travels through the zone on a long, leveraged path, allowing him to elevate the baseball gap-to-gap. As he continues to get more comfortable with his body, and learns to leverage the baseball on a consistent basis, the potential for Ijames to be a middle-of-the-order power bat is real. 

 

Bradyn Whiteside

 

+ INF/RHP Collin Grosenheider (Williamsville, 2027) was one of the top two-way talents in attendance. Long and lanky with plenty of room to continue filling out his frame, Grosenheider lifted on the barrel consistently through the middle of the field in his two BP rounds. His peak (94.1 mph) and average (85.3 mph) exit velocities will only continue to climb as he gets stronger. He had two hits in game, one of them a deep XBH to the left-center gap, and he was also one of the top event leaders in throwing velocity (88 mph) across the infield. After all that, Grosenheider jumped on the mound and pitched at 83-85 mph with his FB, cutting it at the top of the zone to grab some uncomfortable swings-and-misses over the barrel. 

 

Collin Grosenheider

 

+ Making the trip up from southern Illinois are a pair of physical right-handed hitters of note, both of whom are uncommitted: INF Hayden Harriss (Marion, 2027) and 1B Aidan Gusta (Carterville, 2027). Harriss is a name our staff has always been intrigued by, given his toolset and the potential we see in his right-handed swing. The bat speed and strength are present, as is his ability to impact the baseball the other way, and there’s a chance he could blossom into a real impact bat at the next level once he learns to pull the ball in the air. He was one of the more impressive in-game defenders in game two, making several plays at third base. As for Gusta, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-handed hitting slugger has easy middle-of-the-order strength, showing it throughout his BP rounds, as well as in game. He torched a baseball for the loudest in-game batted ball of the entire event – missed a home run to dead CF by a few feet, settling for a 99 mph EV, 393 foot double instead. 

 

Aidan Gusta

 

+ LHP Carson Mitchell (Morton, 2027) and RHP Zeke Young (Monticello, 2027) are two uncommitted, athletic arms to follow from this event. Mitchell’s fastball played best in the upper third of the strike zone at 83-84 mph and he spun a tight slider with depth at 71-73 mph off it. Young, the younger brother of Ike Young (Monticello, 2025; Illinois), is a fast, quick-twitch mover down the mound with plus arm speed for his age. His fastball jumped out of a short, quick window at 83-85 mph and he spun a big sweeping breaking ball with the raw traits to get whiffs at the next level (2500+ RPM, -3.5 VB, -21.6 HB). 

 

Carson Mitchell

 

+ RHP Landon Dippel (O’Fallon, 2027) threw well throughout the spring for the Panthers and is a physical, uncommitted right-hander in the Metro East. Dippel threw three pitches for strikes at this event, starting with a fastball at 84-86 mph that he can backspin at the top of the zone, or run east to west. He spun a 72-74 mph slider at 2500+ RPM and showed natural run on a changeup at 77-79 mph. 

 

Landon Dippel

 

+ Two physical right-handed hitting catchers that flashed strength on both sides of the ball were C Blake Hollrah (Orchard Farm, 2027) and C Hudson Lovell (Morton, 2027). Hollrah looked much more physical than we’d seen in the past, filling out the uniform at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds. He showed feel to elevate to the pull-side in BP at his best throughout his rounds from a long, uphill right-handed swing. Hollrah also threw it better behind the plate than we’d seen in the past, peaking at 77 mph on his hardest bullet to the bag. Lovell’s physical in his own right, packing strength into a compact, muscled-up 5-foot-11, 200-pound frame. It’s a steeper, uphill right-handed swing with above-average bat speed that showed impact potential when he was on the barrel – 87.45 mph average EV, 92.1 mph max. Lovell also had one of the stronger arms in the workout portion of the event, peaking at 79 mph on his hardest throw. 

 

Blake Hollrah

 

+ Two long-levered, uncommitted incoming seniors with upside frames that are nowhere near done developing physically are OF Camden Earley (North Mac, 2027) and MIF Jack Rolves (Father McGivney, 2027). Everything Earley does is free/easy, and once he gets stronger, he’s going to start driving the baseball gap-to-gap more consistently. Rolves is one of the cleaner, more polished up-the-middle gloves in the Metro East area and has a chance to stick at shortstop at the next level. 

 

+ OF/RHP Quinten Hale (Glenwood, 2027) and INF/RHP Liam Decker (O’Fallon, 2027) were a pair of two-way prospects that our staff liked coming away from the event. Hale swings a strong, compact right-handed swing and keeps a flat barrel through the zone, allowing him to spray gap-to-gap. He had a backside single in the gameplay portion of the event, and also pitched in the low-80s while flashing CB/CH feel during his inning of work. Decker, who had an excellent spring for the Panthers, has a longer, more leveraged swing that looks to elevate gap-to-gap and has taken major strides over the last calendar year. As he adds strength to his long, lanky frame, Decker’s going to hit for more impact, and there’s a real chance he’s a true two-way player at the collegiate level. As for his talents on the mound, Decker showed one of the faster, more lively arms of the event, pumping his fastball at 86-88 mph and spinning a low-70s breaking ball off it. 

 

Liam Decker

 

+ Two corner infielders that took quality at-bats and swings in the gameplay portion of the event were INF Roman Pomerantz (Collinsville, 2027) and 1B Burke Wilson (Harrisburg, 2027). Pomerantz sprayed a single to left field and made a clean run through play on the infield. Wilson jumped on a pitch and barreled it off the right-center field wall for a double in his second at-bat of the day. 

 

+ Three up-the-middle defenders who all ran well and showed clean actions on the infield were Jude Parnham (Morton, 2027), Ryker Perigo (Mt. Vernon, 2027), and Cole Basak (Monticello, 2027). 

 

+ RHP Cooper Pearson (Francis Howell Central, 2027) and RHP Chase Beckham (Sacred-Heart Griffin, 2027) are two strike-throwers with low-to-mid-80s fastballs that throw two secondaries (CH/BB) for strikes. 

 

+ LHP Lucas Womack (Belleville West, 2027) and RHP Jonathon Caudle (O’Fallon, 2027) each threw clean, efficient innings in their outings at this year’s Summer Games.