By Neil H. Devlin
Senior Writer Denver Metro Area

Consider the wide-ranging contrast at the past weekend's Colorado Prep Baseball Report Showcase, held at Cherry Creek's Tom McCollum Field  in Greenwood Village.

From one of PBR's local scouts reminiscing about hit-or-miss exposure back in the day, to others hot on the recruiting trail, to others new to and inquisitive about the concept, to another on the verge of committing, a wide-eyed and interesting group of local juniors-to-be were put through assorted drills and played a game in hot pursuit of college attention.

Beginning with Zach Paschke, a middle infielder at Mountain Vista in Highlands Ranch, he showed up with an open mind as he's new to this showcase thing.

"I kind of just came here to get looked at," Paschke said. "I just hope to get looked at by different people, get different views ... I've heard from other people about these things, like people from my school. And I like it a lot."

For Brock Bernall, a catcher at Pomona in Arvada, it's a regular stop during schoolboy days that he hopes will lead to a college spot.

"I think they do help," Bernall said of showcases. "and they really open my eyes to the competition around the rest of the state. It's good to be with these players and get a look at what's out there."

As for Tanner O'Tremba, already a two-year starter at Cherry Creek and one of only four players to play as a freshman for longtime Bruins coach Marc Johnson -- Rex Peters, Darnell McDonald and Danny Sheridan are the others -- he's squeezing in some work before taking off the upcoming fall. He'll take time to visit a few colleges and hopes to take a turn pitching for Cherry Creek in the spring.

While other participants over the weekend were hoping for college exposure, O'Tremba, a power-hitting outfielder, already has attained significant interest, notably from Texas, Utah, Oregon State and West Virginia.

He's trying to fine-tune his game and secure the next step in his future. It's a formula he believes in and wants to soak in every moment.

"If I find a spot I really like, I'll commit," he said. "I'm not sure yet, just trying to enjoy the process."

As for Jordan Cantalamessa, a former Cherry Creek player who won four upper-class championships with the Bruins from 1996-99 and went on to Michigan and various minor-league levels before returning to be a part of PBR, he said it's nothing short of amazing how much the recruiting process has evolved.

For one thing, Cantalamessa said, prospects in a previous era probably had to rely on their fathers videotaping their performances, mostly using VHS -- today's players will have to Google that one -- and not be certain that anything they sent to colleges was actually looked at by coaches and recruiters.

For another, previous players also had to look to travel teams and hoped someone in authority at colleges would spy them. That's how, Cantalamessa said, he ended up at Michigan.

Now, Cantalamessa said, "we build profiles online and have showcases, and provide statistical analysis. We have over 500 colleges that subscribe (to the site) and they can hop on and view all players at specific positions."

Plus, the 35-year-old added, colleges "don't have to send someone right away."

All of this seems to sit well with -- and is believed by -- the participating players, who were heading into their junior and senior years over the two days, and paid fees to participate in the 60-yard dash, take batting practice, have their exit velocity measured in throwing and be evaluated in the field.

Bernall, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, said it was his third PBR event and hopes it will lead to a college spot in Florida.

Paschke, who said he has played against a lot of the showcase players over the years, admitted he "would love to go to more" showcases.

O'Tremba (6-0, 205) will attend other showcases in Florida and Arizona in addition to playing in an All-American game in Dallas prior to committing and shutting down in the fall.

As for Cantalamessa, he said he's pulling for local prospects to be discovered.

"We don't have one major D-I baseball school in Colorado," he said. "It makes it difficult to be seen. That road handicaps us ... we just want the players in Colorado to get as much exposure as possible. We've seen a huge increase in college scholarships."

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