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Fresno Easter Classic Notebook

April 2, 2024
Mitchell Jones
Special Contributor

  

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FRESNO, CALIF. - The Fresno Easter Classic took place last week and we got to see tons of quality ballplayers. They ranged from committed, uncommitted, 2024 grads all the way through 2027 grads having impactful performances in strong matchups. Check out the video and notes below for some of the highlights out of the Central Valley.

NOTES

‘25 C/1B Landon Carter (Uncommitted) Bradshaw Christian - Behind the plate, Carter is a workhorse. Throwing in between innings he would rotate what he was working on, whether it be his footwork, transfers, or velocity on his throw to second. While handling a Stanford commit on the mound, Carter stole plenty of pitches with well above average framing, and didn’t allow a single passed ball. Carter also manned the cleanup spot for a solid lineup up and down. Offensively, Carter had no problem getting into a pitchers count, fighting off closed pitches until he got the one he liked and driving it past third for a stand up double. His junior campaign is off to a great start, as he is hitting .457 so far this spring. 



‘24 SS/3B Micah Nicholson (St. Mary’s) Bradshaw Christian - Nicholson was needed offensively on several occasions the last few games, and he delivered every time. Nicholson gave his squad the lead late in their second game of the tournament with an opposite field single, and in their last game started off the 5th inning with a double to right that would eventually score the go ahead run. From shortstop, Nicholson makes all the plays he needs to. Doesn’t do anything flashy, but showed great poise in the 6 hole. 



‘25 C/1B Jack West (Uncommitted) Clovis North - West played behind the plate for back to back night games and was key in both of them. Blocking a ball and throwing out a runner at third early in the championship game took away key momentum for the opposition. The cleanup hitter won the middle of the field all week with hard hit balls to center and was a tough out. Whether it was turning on an upper 80’s fastball, or sitting back on a curveball, West made his presence in the box known. 



‘26 RHP Cooper Sides (Uncommitted) Red Bluff - There is a ton to like about Sides, and he impressed in each inning of his outing. Sides gave it everything he had against eventual Fresno Easter Classic champion, Clovis North. Even with his team making 6 errors, Sides showed no change in emotion on the mound. At 6’4, he is very long, and gets down the mound well. Sides upper half resists his hips, and has a type of whipping action that adds good asr to his fastball which sat 87-89 through the first five innings of the day, and his velo stayed the same due to his ability to repeat mechanics. Sides flashed a sharp 76-78 mph slider that offers many swings and misses on the day. With more time, Sides will fill more into his tall frame, and even more velocity and experience to his already dangerous arsenal.



‘25 SS/C/3B Brayden Gutierrez (St. Mary’s) Stockdale - Gutierrez added his 5th bomb of the season in no doubt fashion. After already ripping a single and scoring a run, the shortstop was given a hitters count fastball that was sent well over the left field wall. His pull side power is evident, and pitchers do their best to pitch him backwards. While Guitierrez is a natural catcher, the athletic junior plays up the middle well, and his plus arm allowed him to fire several balls to first to secure double plays that most players his age don’t have the arm strength for. 



‘25 MIF Hayden Elchlepp (Uncommitted) Stockdale - The leadoff hitting second baseman has impressed on both sides of the game all season. From the leadoff spot, Elchlepp was a headache for pitchers. Several of his at bats went into double digit counts that saw him walk, but Elchlepp will also swing at the first pitch he sees. He was simply on the short end of the stick both at bats he put balls in play with hard hit line drives simply right at fielders. Up the middle he was part of several double plays, but made a charging play on a high chopper that showed just how quickly he can release and fire a strike to first. 



‘26 OF Brock Johnson (Uncommitted) Stockdale - Johnson getting on base is almost always a guaranteed double. Already with 12 steals on the season, Johnson had 2 after walking and taking a 1-1 fastball into center for a base hit. At times Johnson jumps at off speed, but there is still plenty to like. In centerfield, Johnson is well above almost all of his counterparts. He proceeded to field plenty of balls in the gaps with ease, and runners clearly knew of his arm strength, as going first to third wasn’t even contemplated whenever he fielded a ball that got through the infield. With just a bit more work on approach at the plate Johnson will continue to be a great player as he progresses in his prep career. 



‘25 RHP David Wiser (Stanford) Bradshaw Christian - Wiser went the distance in his outing and faced a tough Stockdale lineup. Wiser was attacking hitters with his fastball, and then either got strikeouts or weak contact with his sweeping slider. Wiser spotted up his fastball on both halves of the plate and avoided any deep balls by staying low in the zone against a lineup with plenty of power. The Stanford commit has a stocky build, and shows a lot of power in his lower half. Wiser showed no issue of throwing his slider in hitters counts, and only on one occasion did he even make a mistake with a slight hanger. His ability to limit any mistake pitches to hitters will serve him well as the season progresses, and allow him to go deep into outings.



‘24 C/RHP Tyler Patrick (Fresno State) Clovis West - Patrick earned himself an outstanding pitcher of the Fresno Easter Classic, and for a good reason. The Fresno State commit was dominant in his outing. Only allowing 1 hit in the game, Patrick used all 3 pitches to his advantage, and stifled his competition. His fastball was heavy all night, the changeup dropped off a table late, and his curveball was simply untouchable.  Patrick worked at a fast pace, and gave hitters no time to prepare for the at bat. It was a bully-like presence on the mound. While his day at the plate wasn’t as efficient, his power was evident. Swinging and fouling off a pitch in his second at bat, everyone in the stands could hear the noise of Patrick’s bat going through the zone. There is a lot of pros in all aspects of Patrick’s game.



‘27 OF Jett Lewis (Uncommitted) Clovis High - In a high pressure environment, Lewis answered on several occasions. Earlier in the game, Lewis proceeded to have one of the first hits for his offense. But it was late in the game down one run where Lewis showed his confidence. After struggling early in the at bat, Lewis settled in and showed an advanced approach by letting a knee high curve travel, keeping his hands back and sending it into left to tie the game up. In center, the freshman tracked balls deep towards the warning track with ease. Most players his age on balls hit well and straight over them will rotate hips, lose the ball, or go to their left or right. Lewis made this play look like he does it every day. With more experience at the varsity level, Lewis is going to be a fun player to follow. 



‘25 LHP Wyatt Johnson (Uncommitted) Clovis North - Johnson didn’t receive the win for his team this past Wednesday, but Clovis North will tell you his outing all but secured their championship hopes. With a fastball that sat 80-82 (top at 84), this offering seemed to have much more life than just low 80’s due to his changeup (71-74 mph) and curve (64-67 mph) making his fastball come in that much quicker. Johnson worked to both halves of the plate, and mixed pitches in any count he wanted. Front dooring a fastball to RHH for K’s was something Johnson did a handful of times. He kept his infield busy with a changeup staying low in the zone that was rolled over plenty of times, and his big breaking curve found the end of almost every bat it came across. Johnson’s 5 innings of work saw him give up 4 hits, and only 1 run on the evening. 



‘27 OF Corbin Culver (Uncommitted) Buchanan - Culver had several base hits over the weekend to different parts of the field. While he is only a freshman, he certainly doesn’t play like one. The young outfielder is already more filled out than most kids his age, and he has some pop behind his swing. On a 2-1 fastball in their first game of the week, he let the outside fastball travel and lined it hard into left center for a stand up triple. In his last at bat of the tournament, Culver jumped on a first pitch fastball and sent it lined over second. The swing is short, strong, and with time Culver will be an even bigger threat in the box. 



‘25 RHP Erik Rico (Fresno State) Redwood - Rico started his first inning throwing max effort and sitting 87-89, and mowing down hitters in order. He slowly settled into an 85-87 range in the middle frames. Rico has a big curve that almost never changed from its 70-72 mph range, and always had a big bite to it. His changeup was thrown more to LHH, but seemed to show good fade and a potential for growth. However, it was his slider that really got hitters out. It was no secret that with 2 strikes the slider was coming, but it made no difference. It was sharp, thrown with fastball intensity, and was never hung. The 4 pitches combined allowed for Rico to go the distance, striking out 9, and allowing no earned runs. 



‘25 RHP/OF Alex Crosno (Uncommitted) Bradshaw Christian - Crosno has serious two-way potential. While I didn’t witness him pitch, you can see from the outfield on his throws that he has a strong arm. He showed patience at the plate, and I witnessed 3 line drive base hits from him over the week. Standing wide, Crosno has a simple lift of his front foot, and a short swing that generates good line drive pop. Lining balls over short and second base in back to back games, Crosno showed the patience to jump on pitches, but also let one travel and go backside. At a big 6’2 and 200 lbs., Crosno is already a noticeable player when he walks on the field, and his performance certainly catches your attention as well.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Showcase State Date Location
Rising Stars ID: Corona CA 04/07 Corona High School
Rising Stars ID: VTA County CA 04/21 Thousand Oaks High School
SoCal Rising Stars Game CA 05/12 Mater Dei High School
FUTURE GAMES TRYOUT: Orange County CA 06/01 Fullerton College
FUTURE GAMES TRYOUT: Ventura County CA 06/09 Westmont College
2024 CALIFORNIA STATE GAMES (INVITE-ONLY) CA 08/09 - 08/11 Fullerton College

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