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Flashback - History of the Winter Border Preview Showcase

January 23, 2015

15PHTPG

On February 15th, PBR Ohio will travel to Owens Community College in Toledo for the Border Preview. This event has proven to be rich with talent from Northwest Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario. For more information and to register, please click here. 

Quotes from Previous event Participants

"Any PBR event is worth going to. You want to get yourself as much exposure as possible and PBR does a great job of exposing young players." - Jimmy Crabtree, RHP/OF, Utica HS Kent State recruit, 2016

"PBR was important in my recruiting process because the results of my events increased my exposure." - Adam Wolf, LHP, Edison HS/Louisville recruit, 2015

"PBR provided opportunities for me to get noticed and helped me pursue my dream of becoming a Division I college baseball player." - Kyle Benyo, OF, Austintown Fitch/IMG Academy/Youngstown State recruit, 2015

"PBR gave me excellent exposure and it was actually how BG first saw me." - Axel Bueter, LHP, Wauseon HS/Bowling Green recruit, 2014
 

the history

The 2014 event included players from Ohio as well as Michigan and Ontario featured 40 plus players that have since gone on to commit to a college program. Edison 2015 LHP Adam Wolf continued to show improvement, leading to several early offers in the spring time. Meanwhile a trio of underclassmen, Beavercreek 2016 LHP Jackson Tedder (Virginia recruit), Utica 2016 RHP/OF Jimmy Crabtree (Kent recruit), and Napoleon's Layne Schnitz-Paxton, all had breakout performances, which earned them invitations to the Future Games.  

  • Edison 2015 LHP Adam Wolf's (Louisville recruit) performance proved to be just the beginning of his upward climb on recruiting boards. Over the course of February, he showed jumps in his velocity that culminated in this event's showing, which included an 85-88 mph fastball along with command of both his curveball and changeup.
  • Beavercreek 2016 LHP Jackson Tedder (Virginia recruit) showed a similar climb to Wolf as his velocity jumped from earlier in the month and continue that trajectory through the spring and summer. Tedder showed off the smooth, easy delivery that captured the attention of the nation's top schools at the Top Prospect Games and Future Games.
  • Utica 2016 RHP/OF Jimmy Crabtree (Kent State recruit) put his name atop nearly all the relevant statistical categories. Within months of the event, Crabtree ended his recruitment with a commitment to the Golden Flashes.
  • Marshall 2015 IF Drew Devine (Western Michigan recruit) proved to be the top overall infielder at the event with fluid actions in the field and a swing that should hit for average at the next level.
  • Austintown Fitch 2015 OF/RHP Kyle Benyo (Youngstown State recruit), who has since transferred to IMG Academy in Florida, displayed power at the plate and athleticism in the field, leading to a TPG invitation. 
  • Two future Saginaw Valley recruits showed well as Traverse City West 2015 RHP Max Ludka sat in the low-80s with a sharp 70-73 mph curveball and Wauseon 2015 RHP Nate Suntken sat in the mid-80s with some life to his fastball.
  • Mount Vernon 2015 OF Ryan Fitzgerald (Oakland recruit) picked up a TPG invite after running a sub-7.00 60, arm strength from the outfield, and switch hitting abilities at the plate.
  • Ontario's Noah Renaud lit up the stop watches with an impressive 6.63 60-yard dash on a hard indoor track.
  • Defiance 2014 RHP Jacob Green (Defiance College recruit) had one of the top fastball velocities at 85 mph while also showcasing a sharp 12/6 curveball at 72 mph.
  • Despite being one of youngest players in attendance, Lowell 2017 RHP Jarrod Melle, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound freshman at the time, showed potential sitting in the low-80s. 

The 2013 roster featured 24 players that have since gone on to commit to a college program. Of those 24 players, three were selected to participate on Team Ohio in the Future Games.

  • West Holmes 2014 southpaw Butch Baird committed to Louisville shortly after the event. The lefty showed a mid-to-upper-80s fastball along with good two-plane breaking ball.
  • Defiance 2014 IF/RHP Austin Hancock (Olney JC recruit) may have been the most toolsy prospect in attendance.  
  • Tippecanoe 2014 RHP Ben Hughes (Eastern Illinois recruit) showed of a low-to-mid-80s fastball along with command of multiple off-speed pitches.
  • Wauseon 2014 RHP Ty Suntken lit up the radar gun with an 87-88 mph fastball that eventually earned him a scholarship at Ohio University
  • A pair of future Bowling Green recruits showed well at the event as Wauseon 2014 LHP Axel Bueter improved from his last appearance at a PBR event with a 84-85 mph fastball while Toledo Christian 2014 LHP Dakoda Brown displayed a smooth, clean delivery to go along with an 80-82 mph fastball and command of his off-speed pitches.
  • Edison 2015 LHP Adam Wolf (Louisville recruit) was just learning how to use his body at the time. The big, gangly southpaw's fastball fluctuated between 81-85 mph and he showed some potential with his breaking ball.
  • Oakland would eventually pull a pair of participants in the Gahanna Lincoln duo of 2015 RHP Cole Gibson and 2015 IF Bradley Hull. 
  • Lastly, we were able to see early glimpses of two freshman, Paulding 2016 RHP Damon Egnor and Utica RHP/OF Jimmy Crabtree (Kent State recruit) that have since proven to be Division I recruits. 

SCOUTING NOTES FROM 2014

For now, we take you back to a few of our scouting notes from last year's event ...

+ Jimmy Crabtree, OF/RHP, Utica HS/Kent State Recruit, 2015
6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect that projects best as a pitcher. Big time arm that continues to get more polished as he matures. Long arm action with some quickness. Tends to pause at height of leg kick. Will only continue to get better as lower half improves. Sat 85-87 mph with arm side run. Breaking ball sat at 66-69 mph with late 11/5 action. Third pitch is a 69-71 mph split-finger fastball with good tumble. Shows raw tools as a position player. Ran a 6.94 60 yard dash. From the outfield, he throws through a 3/4 arm slot. Reached a top velocity of 91 mph with carry to his throws. Has some accuracy issues. Corner outfield type as his footwork needs to improve. At the plate, he shows big time raw power. Starts with an open stance. Tends to bar in his load. Uphill path to the ball. Obvious pull power. Top exit velocity of 90 mph.

+ Drew Devine, SS, Marshall HS (MI)/Western Michigan Recruit, 2016
5-foot-11, 148-pound infield prospect with athletic frame. Showed good feel for middle infield position. Footwork is fluid. Creates angles and shows athleticism. Uses short arm action with a quick transfer. Reached a top velocity of 80 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter starts in an athletic, open stance. Uses a short stride with good use of his lower half. Hands work well through the zone with fluid rhythm to his swing. Top exit velocity of 81 mph arm strength. 

+ Adam Wolf, LHP, Edison HS/Louisville Recruit, 2015
6-foot-5, 210-pound southpaw keeps looking better each time out. His lower half shows signs of improvement, and there is still room to improve. But, it is February. He is a 6-foot-5, 210-pound lefty. And, the arm is quick. On this occasion, he was the best that we have seen him at a consistent 85-88 mph with good cutting action to his fastball. His breaking ball show late 10/4 action down in the zone at 68-71 mph. And, he continues to show command of a third pitch in the form of a 73-76 mph changeup. The reality is that Wolf is far from reaching his ceiling. And, for that reason, he should get his fair share of college coaches at his spring outings. 

+ Jackson Tedder, LHP/OF, Beavercreek HS/Virginia Recruit, 2016
6-foot, 165-pound southpaw has quietly emerged as one of the top southpaws to come on our radar this winter. Throws with some quickness through 3/4 arm slot with long, loose arm action. Will be exciting to see him continue to make jumps over the next 6-18 months. Delivery is repeatable. Actions just look easy and natural. Fastball shows good run at 80-81 mph. Breaking ball has sharp, two-plane action at 71-74 mph. Also demonstrated command of a 73-76 mph changeup thrown near fastball arm speed. Definite follow.

event records

Top Fastball

+ 88 mph - LHP, Adam Wolf, Edison HS/Louisville Recruit, 2015
+ 88 mph - RHP/IF, Ty Suntken, Wauseon HS/Ohio Recruit, 2014

Top Pop Time

+ 1.96 - C, Nicholas Bell, Farmington Hills Harrison HS, 2015

Top Catcher Velocity

+ 78 mph - C, Jarrett Peters, Bloom Carroll HS/Seton Hill Recruit, 2014

Top INF Velocity

+ 88 mph - RHP/IF, Ty Suntken, Wauseon HS/Ohio Recruit, 2014

Top OF Velocity

+ 91 mph -  RHP/IF/OF, Jimmy Crabtree, Utica HS/Kent State Recruit, 2016

Top Exit Velocity

+ 90 mph -  RHP/IF/OF, Jimmy Crabtree, Utica HS/Kent State Recruit, 2016
+ 90 mph - RHP/IF, Ty Suntken, Wauseon HS/Ohio Recruit, 2014

Top 60 time

+ 6.63 - IF/OF, Noah Renaud, St. Thomas of Villanova (ON), 2015
 

COLLEGE COMMITMENTS FROM EVENT

Name State School Class Pos Commitment
Aaron Gonzalez MI L'Anse Creuse 2015 C Northwood
Adam Wolf OH Edison 2015 LHP Louisville
Austin Hancock OH Defiance 2014 SS Olney JC
Axel Bueter OH Wauseon 2014 LHP Bowling Green
Azim Qadri OH Walsh Jesuit 2015 OF Ohio State
Ben Hughes OH Tippecanoe 2014 RHP Eastern Illinois
BJ Donathan OH Tippecanoe 2014 C King University
Brad Croy OH Ottawa Glandorf 2015 2B/MIF Bowling Green
Bradley Hull OH Gahanna LIncoln 2015 2B/MIF Oakland
Butch Baird OH West Holmes 2014 LHP Louisville
Carl Brubaker OH Archbold 2015 1B Mott Community College
Clay Tefft OH Wauseon 2014 RHP Shawnee State
Cole Gibson OH Gahanna Lincoln 2015 RHP Oakland
Dakoda Brown OH Toledo Christian 2014 LHP Bowling Green
Daniel Mitri OH NDCL 2015 C Sinclair CC
Drew DeVine MI Marshall 2016 SS Western Michigan
Drew Johnson MI Trenton 2014 OF Marygrove
Evan McDonald OH Logan Elm 2015 C Fairleigh Dickinson
Hunter Holcomb MI St. Clair Lakeshore 2014 RHP St. Clair County C.C.
Jackson Tedder OH Beavercreek 2016 LHP Virginia
Jacob Green OH Defiance 2014 RHP Defiance College
Jake Trejo OH Wauseon 2013 C South Carolina - Sumter
Jarrett Peters OH Bloom Carroll 2014 C Seton Hill
Jason Burkett OH Maumee 2014 SS Ohio Northern
Jimmy Crabtree OH Utica 2016 RHP Kent State
John Heckman OH Hamilton 2014 SS Tiffin
Jordan Bostater OH Bryan 2014 1B Ohio Northern
Kyle Benyo OH Austintown Fitch 2015 OF Youngstown State
Logan Vallie MI Muskegon Mona Shores 2015 2B/MIF Hope College
Max Ludka MI Traverse City West 2015 RHP Saginaw Valley State
Mitch Cromley OH Bowling Green 2015 RHP Cuyahoga CC
Nate Suntken OH Wauseon 2015 RHP Saginaw Valley State
Nick Ely OH Aurora 2015 3B Notre Dame College
Pete Zeimis MI Utica Eisenhower 2015 3B Davenport
Ryan Fitzgerald OH Mount Vernon 2015 OF Oakland
Santiago Martinez OH Gahanna Lincoln 2015 OF John Carroll
Shiloh Turner Jr. OH Charles F. Brush 2014 OF Tiffin
Ty Suntken OH Wauseon 2014 SS Ohio
Wes Rickenberg OH Napoleon 2014 RHP Bowling Green
Zach Heming OH Turpin 2015 C Lincoln Memorial


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