Video Look at Top Underclassman Remaining in Playoffs

By John Cackowski
State Director

Today Prep Baseball Report takes a look at the top players we have video on that are still participating in the playoffs. Yesterday we featured the top 2016 players. Today we focus on top underclassman that are still playing. Good luck to everyone out there this weekend. 

John Sorensen, SS/RHP, 2017
Currently ranked No. 4 in the 2017 class. A 6-foot-0, 195-pound left hand hitting SS/3B who ran a 7.31 60.  Stands open and balanced at the plate.  Uses a high leg kick to come square, hits off a firm front side with strong weight transfer on the swing.  Swing path is slightly uphill and showed good bat control being able to hit to all fields.  Exit velocity was 90 MPH.  In the field he is active and covers a lot of ground.  Quick feet and soft hands keep him in good position on all balls.  He throws from a high ¾ arm slot and showcased an 81 MPH arm with accuracy to the bag.

Tyson Hays, C, Grandview, 2017
Currently ranked No. 7 in the 2017 class and committed to Stanford. 5-foot-11, 185-pound right hand hitting catcher/3B. Good looking prospect behind the plate. Good set up and framing on pitches and quick actions on balls in the dirt.  Accurate 81 MPH arm with a 1.96 pop time. Stands tall at the plate with very little movement on the pitch.  Swing path is slightly uphill with quick hands through the zone.  Exit velocity was 93 MPH off the tee and he showed good power to all parts of the field.  Athletic player who ran a 7.02 60.

Drake Davis, RHP, Raltson Valley, 2017
Currently ranked No. 9 in 2017 class. A 6-foot-0, 175 pound right hand pitcher who works quickly and is max effort on each pitch.  A quick motion and balance are followed by good lower leg drive to the plate.  He releases from a high ¾ arm slot and does a nice job of keeping his arm speed up on all three pitches.  Delivery lands in-line with the plate and follow through carries him across his body.  Fastball touched 88 with good movement.  He also added a 79 MPH slider with sharp break and an 84 MPH cutter that ran in on the hands.

Carter Akerfelds, RHP/INF, Dakota Ridge, 2017
Currently ranked No. 12 in the 2017 class.  A 6-foot-2, 185-pound right hand hitting 3B/ RHP, who ran a 7.34 60.  Balanced at the plate with a high leg kick for timing.  Good arm extension through the zone and strong lower leg drive.  Had an 89 MPH exit velocity.  Shows good range in the field with a quick release.  Throws from a high ¾ arm slot with accuracy.  Arm velocity was 81 MPH.  On the mound he stand tall and shows good balance.  Delivery is in-line with the plate and arm is at a high ¾ slot.  Fastball touched 84 MPH with good command away.  He added a 65 MPH curve with sweeping break and a 70 MPH change.  Identified as the best two-way talent 2017 at this event.

Connor Nantkes, LHP/OF, Cherokee Trail, 2017
Currently ranked No. 13 in the 2017 class. A 6-foot-2, 180-pound left hand hitting 1B/LHP who ran a 7.49 60.  At the plate he is crouched with a slow load during the pitch.  He shows strong weight transfer and hits off a firm front side.  Swing path is slightly uphill and he hit several balls hard into the gaps during the live round.  Exit velocity was 93 MPH. At first he shows good range and footwork around the bag.  He throws from a ¾ arm slot with an arm velocity of 78 MPH. On the mound he starts slightly closed and gets good balance and drive to the plate.  He lands in-line with the plate and falls off to the third base side on his finish.  He throws from a high ¾ arm slot and features an 85 MPH fastball with slight tail and a 70 MPH curve with sharp break.
 

Eric Cox, OF/RHP, Cherokee Trail, 2017
Currently ranked No. 18 in the 2017 class. A 5-foot-10, 205-pound right hand hitting OF/RHP who ran a 6.90 60.  Starts open at the plate with a slight leg kick and long stride to get even.  Aggressive weight transfer and quick hands with a slightly uphill swing path created balls with good carry to the gaps.  He registered a 95 MPH exit velocity off a tee.  In the field he uses his speed to cut balls down.  He is max effort on his release and delivers an 83 MPH ball with accuracy.  On the mound he gets to balance and rocks back before landing in-line with the plate.  He delivers from a high ¾ arm slot and featured an 81 MPH fastball.  He finished with a 68-69 MPH curve with 11/5 break and a 74-75 MPH change. 

Luke Ziegler, RHP/3B, Valor Christian, 2018
Currently ranked No. 8 in the 2018 Class. 6-foot-2, 175-pound right hand hitter who ran a 4.3 home to first.  At the plate he stands tall and balanced.  He has a short stride and hands keep the bat in the zone for an extended period.  He hits off a firm front side with an exit velocity of 87 MPH.  In the field he shows smooth actions and a quick release.  He was accurate with an 85 MPH arm across the diamond.  On the mound he stands tall and falls to the plate.  He lands slightly closed and throws from a high ¾ arm slot.  He showed good command of all three pitches.  He featured an 85 MPH fastball with late movement, a 64 MPH curve with 11/5 break and a 75 MPH change that lived down in the zone.

Anastacio Salas, 3B, Mullen, 2018
Currently ranked No. 12 in the 2018 Class.6-foot-2, 202-pound right hand hitter who ran a 4.37 home to first.  At the plate he hits from an open stance and a long stride to square up.  He drives against his front side with good extension through the zone.  He has an 84 MPH exit velocity.   In the field he showed quick feet and good hands to get rid of the ball.  He was accurate with an 83 MPH arm. Very athletic.

Jake Haze, 3B/RHP, ThunderRidge, 2018
Currently ranked No. 13 in the 2018 class. 5-foot-8, 165-pound switch hitter who ran a 4.43 home to first. At the plate from the right side he stand open and dives into the pitch.  He has good extension with his arms through the zone.  From the left side he is more balanced with a short stride for timing.  He fires his hands and hips together and over rotates the finish.  He had an 85 MPH exit velocity.  In the field he moves well on balls to his glove side he has a quick strong release and delivers an 83 MPH ball with accuracy.  On the mound he delivers from a slight sink and drive position.  He throws from a ¾ arm slot and lands in-line with the plate.  He falls off to the first base side on his finish.  He featured a 78 MPH fastball with good command and added a 63 MPH curve with 11/5 action and a 69 MPH change.

Blake Mackintosh, SS/RHP, Cherokee Trail, 2018
Currently ranked No. 15 in the 2018 Class. 5-foot-10, 145-pound right hand hitter who ran a 4.53 home to first.  At the plate he hits from a balanced stance with a slight leg kick on the pitch.  Hands and hips fire through the zone with good extension at contact.  He had an 81 MPH exit velocity.  In the field he stays square through the ball and gets rid of it quickly.  He featured an 87 MPH arm.  On the mound he stand tall with a high leg kick and then sink and drive actions to the plate.  He lands in-line and delivers from a high ¾ arm slot.  He showcased an 84 MPH fastball along with a 69 MPH curve with sharp 11/5 break and a 75 MPH change with good downward movement.

Noah Kuzma, C, Valor Christian, 2018
Currently ranked No. 18 in the 2018 Class. 5-foot-11, 185-pound right hand hitting catcher/third base who ran a 4.33 home to first.  At the plate he starts balanced with a short stride.  Swing is long through the zone and he hits off a firm front side.  He had an 86 MHP exit velocity at this event.  Behind the plate he had a showcase bets 1.90 pop-time with a 79 MPH arm.  He does a nice job of staying straight through the plate and delivers an accurate ball to the base.  He moves well to block pitches and shows quiet hands when receiving.

Jake Barr, SS, Mullen, 2018
Currently ranked No. 23 in the 2018 Class. 5-foot-8, 185-pound right hand hitter who ran a 4.23 home to first.  At the plate he hits from a balanced stance with a short stride for timing.  He has good arm extension on the swing and gets good lower leg drive.  He had an 86 MPH exit velocity.  In the field he does a nice job of staying square and fielding through the baseball.  He has a quick release and an accurate 79 MPH arm.