By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

Over the next couple weeks we are going to countdown the 2015 calendar year with a look at the top ten viewed profiles of 2015. After drilling down into our google analytics we have compiled a list of the ten most visited profiles by you the reader in 2015.

No. 6 Drake Fellows

RHP Drake Fellows (Joliet Catholic, 2016) was the sixth most viewed profile of 2015. The Vanderbilt commit is ranked No. 2 in Illinois' 2016 class and No. 32 overall. Fellows is the top arm in the class and has been since his sophomore year. He is a 6-foot-5 righty that consistently sits around 90 mph with his fastball and has been up to 93 mph.

Following the 2015 spring season he was a PBR Second-Team All-State selection: After a dominant sophomore campaign, Joliet Catholic’s ace did more of the same in 2015, going 9-1 with one save, and a 0.58 ERA. He allowed only 44 hits in 73 innings pitched, with a 98:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His only loss on the year came in the regional finals to Lemont, a 2-1 nine-inning affair where he allowed only one earned run in an outstanding complete game effort. For his efforts Fellows was named the 2015 ESCC Pitcher of the Year. This summer Fellows was selected to participate in the Tournament of the Stars, the qualifier for making Team USA’s 18U National Team.

Below is a glimpse at Fellows pitching at last winter’s Super 60. He was one of the few 2016 graduates to participate and was in the middle of his high school basketball season at the time.

Scouting Report from his start on (3.20.15) - Vanderbilt recruit. 6-foot-5, 200-pound wide, shouldered, athletic, right-handed pitcher looks to be filling out frame, specifically in noticeable stronger legs. Elite national prospect, ranked No. 2 in Illinois’ 2016 class, No. 11 overall. Sat 91-93 mph in first inning of relief, settled in to 90-92 mph range, holding velocity all four innings, low of 89 mph. Extremely impressive in mid-40’s March weather coming out of basketball season. Usually works between a ¾ and high ¾ slot, but today looked a bit higher, in the high ¾ range, which added to two-plane sink on fastball, and vertical plane on breaking ball. Slider is a plus pitch at 80-81 mph. With arm slot a tick higher, slider exhibited more depth than in the past, occasionally flashing a curveball look with 11/5 shape. Ground ball machine with fastball/slider. Mechanically, in windup takes eyes off home plate, lower half swing, loads over the rubber with front toe pointing towards second base, rotational lower half, but does not match it by getting rotational with shoulders. Strike throwing machine, so delivery adds to deception, does not affect command, lands in line with home plate, square at foot strike. Only one three ball count in four innings of work, four strike outs, efficient inducing weak contact early in the count, seven ground ball outs to one fly out.

Top Ten Most Viewed Profiles

10. Brenden Heiss
9. Alek Thomas
8. Ethan Skender
7. Brad Czerniejewski

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