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PBR Fall Classic - Impact Underclassmen

October 26, 2022
Justin Goetz
PBR Georgia Assistant Scouting Director

Every player in this article is going to be a big part of baseball in the southeast as well as nationally for years to come. The video and scouting notes are action packed with a ridiculous amount of young talent in the 2025-2026 classes. It’s always exciting to see the next crop of players both in state and out, and I can tell you with certainty that the new crop is bountiful. A well deserved shoutout goes to Hudson Graham and Avery Hunt, who hit on prospect after prospect for our Junior Future Games rosters in Georgia. We were able to get extended looks in the PBR Fall Classic at 5 Junior Future Games alumni (one from TN), an under the radar flamethrower who’s primed to lift off to the moon, and a projectable SS with MLB bloodlines.

Deion Cole OF, Etowah, SmarTense, 2026
Uncommitted. 6 foot 1, 180 pounds. One of the most dynamic bats in his class and 2021 JFG’er had quite the performance in the PBR Fall Classic. The way teams pitch him shows how well known his talents are in the baseball world, which is incredibly rare for a player who hasn’t even turned 15 years old yet. In a 2 game look at Cole, I saw him get one fastball. This has accelerated his development into a complete hitter greatly. It’s sharpened up his hitting eye, allowing him to recognize spin early and differentiate types of spin on certain pitches. He shows an advanced ability to decelerate/accelerate on breaking balls without interrupting the fluidity of his swing mechanics or timing. Deion really opened my eyes with his ability to “hang” his leg kick on CB’s. The skill allows his hands & stride to slow down in separation, keeping his swing mechanics on time with the pitches trajectory without pausing. It led to multiple backspin doubles, and he squared balls up everywhere in the zone. Cole’s tall, narrow stance stays extremely well balanced due to the preset angle of his knee inside his back foot - 1. Allows his hips to roll forward as soon as his leg kick reaches the top. 2. He doesn’t waste any time rocking back, which simplifies his timing of a pitcher's delivery by 50%. This creates such simple & effortless lower half momentum as a hitter, enabling him to focus on pitch tracking, timing his hands with the stride, and repeating his swing path. Already blessed with the frame and bat speed of a college player, Cole has all of the intangibles to become one of the best hitters in the country.
Jack Dugan OF, Lipscomb Academy, Rawlings SE Mavs, 2026
Tennessee Commit. 6 foot 1, 160 pounds. In a tournament loaded with talent, this 2021 TN Future Gamer was the best defender at a premium defensive position. Although he plays a bit high with his lower half, he stays down through the ball very well with a quiet & quick push through the baseball. His footwork is real and he squares up very well on throws. The lightning quick exchange and short, explosive arm action standout most. This is a throwback player in an age of selling out for HR’s and velocity. Dugan has one of the most simplified, efficient swings I’ve seen in the class. His approach and swing mechanics are built for consistent contact to all fields. The first thing I notice in Jack’s swing is how close he stays to the center of balance (where the hitter’s head is directly in the center of the base) from start to finish. This allows the head to stay extremely still for pitch tracking. Dugan is able to create lower half momentum and clear his hips properly without the risks of a large, aggressive stride. With the majority of his weight on the inside of both feet, his hips rock back to start lower half & stay square to the pitcher throughout the swing. His shoulders, core close slowly to the back hip as he’s “touch & go” off the backside. As he gains ground in stride, his core & shoulders separate by a compact coiling to the back hip with no wasted movement. In his forward move just before landing, he rotates his stride foot open slightly which releases and clears his front hip with minimal movement. Front hip clearance free’s Dugan’s hands to produce explosive barrels on inside pitches just as well as the outer half. His short, efficient load stays close to the body (where a hitter is strongest) creating loose and quick muscles and a compact path led by the knob that stays in the zone forever. Due to his efficiency, the TN native is able to barrel in pitch in any zone to all fields consistently.
Austin Treadwell RHP, Wheeler, Nelson Baseball, 2025
Uncommitted. 5 foot 11, 165 pounds. On a crisp fall night at beautiful LakePoint, Treadwell stole the show in the PBR Fall Classic! As soon as I saw Treadwell put an effortless 90 on the board, it felt like the equivalent to finding a golden nugget in my backyard. My first thoughts were, “That’s an elite arm speed+arm strength combo for a 2025. The life on his FB is ridiculous, and I love the arm action.” What separates Treadwell from other pitchers in his class who throw really hard? The athleticism, arm strength, and non-manufactured delivery. Gone are the days where you had to have a full windup to be looked at as a starting pitcher. Austin has a very simplified all stretch delivery that checks all the boxes mechanically. The pre-set back knee bend is a huge key that activates his lower half early - putting all the pressure on his legs, creating a downhill plane, and his ability to hold that bend from start to finish promotes backside connection while preventing a lower half collapse. His hands & lift knee work together for perfect rhythm in the “up+down” phases, creating rhythm, a smooth drop out of the glove for momentum of the arm action, and timing for hip/shoulder separation. The arm action is as clean as they get. It’s a mid depth, full circle (¾) with perfect connection to the backside due to his upper half stacking over his back leg in stride. Its loose and efficient, quickly gaining momentum from bottom to top with heavy scap involvement and the best torque in GA (for 2025) at landing due to hip/shoulder separation. He’s strong on his front side although the lead leg block can improve, and the ankle mobility is unreal. Treadwell not only throws very hard, but his ability to hold velocity deep into his outing shows he has special arm strength, not just arm speed. The focus he puts on his legs is a big part of holding velo and the simplicity & consistent direction in the delivery allows his athleticism to take over. The FB sat 88-90 T91 with vicious bore (ride+run) at 2350-2450 rpm, showing better FB life now than most HS pitchers in the country regardless of class. His sharp 72-73 sweeping CB is a future hammer with two plane depth. The CH is of the same quality in the 82-83 range with edge to edge fade! This one’s primed to fly up our rankings on the next update.
Reece Grodeman SS/RHP, Model, DC Baseball, 2026
Uncommitted. 6 foot 3, 170 pounds. It’s far from a bold claim to say this long levered, broad shouldered Junior Future Gamer has the most raw power potential in the class. A hitter’s raw power can only be realized consistently when they have a certain set of attributes & skills to go with it. Timing, hand-eye coordination (Bat 2 Ball Skills), swing path, approach, pitch recognition, and force in hands to name a few. With Grodeman’s abnormally lengthy frame for his age, it's shocking to see him make as much hard contact as he does. He times up pitchers extremely well, with a smooth and well paced forward move that starts with a quick “touch & go” off the backside. The toe tap, well timed hip/shoulder separation, and perfectly timed launch position are just more examples of this trait being advanced. His bat to ball skills are special, as he routinely made hard contact in JFG’s against top arms from around the country and did the same in the PBR Fall Classic. They will only improve year by year as he gets stronger and fills more into his frame, lending him much more body control that he currently has. Quite simply, a 14 year old with the frame of an NBA point guard is going to take a bit longer to be balanced in everything he does. But one of the most exceptional things about him is the coordination he does have for his size everywhere on the diamond. Good swing mechanics lead to a good swing path, and Reece has both. Lower half mechanics - 1. Weight preset on inside of back foot 2. Fluid hip pace 3. Toe tap allows the front hip to lead stride and clear before landing 4. Base doubles in stride, creating explosive momentum with ease and allowing him to attack the baseball in front of the plate. 5. Knee to knee clearance as he works thru contact. Upper half mechanics - 1. Toe tap signals hip/shoulder separation, as the chest & shoulders gradually coil to the back hip, loading the hands for him 2. The upper half coil works at the exact same pace as the stride, creating serious stretch/torque at landing 3. Perfect timing and bat angle in launch position at landing (barrel over head, knob pointing to catcher) 4. Back elbow tucks allowing front arm to shrink and work close to the body, creating perfect layback for a short, knob led path that stays in the zone forever 5. Shoulders work on a smooth, diagonal plane that produces a high contact barrel angle. Allows him to match pitch trajectory very easily. When you add in a selective aggressive approach, leverage, and strong hands thru contact, you get a hitter that routinely skies the baseball over outfielders heads. He’s also up to 87 on the mound with plenty of potential there, but I feel the bat will be far too special to look at him as an arm first. I see him as an impact CF in the future, but would not be surprised if he can stick at short when he fills into the frame.
  
Spencer Evans LHP, Calhoun, Scorpions MidSouth, 2026
Uncommitted. 6 foot 1, 155 pounds. Ultra athletic southpaw with pure explosiveness in the delivery from head to toe. He creates an incredibly tough angle for both RHH & LHH, due to crossfire. It’s a very clean mid depth ¾ arm action with one of the quickest arms I’ve seen in the class so far. He’s an extremely fiery competitor, attacking hitters with no fear regardless of who he’s facing. Evans expects a lot out of himself, and continues to attack even when things don’t go his way. He’ll continue to learn how to turn all of that energy positive and his competitiveness will be a huge weapon. In the future, he looks to be a velo & stuff guy who will have to make some front side (upper half) adjustments to command his FB consistently. But with his athleticism and raw tools, it won’t be difficult to develop him into a special arm. Let’s get into the stuff - Spencer’s heavy, low spin FB finds success more off nasty angle and the ability to get ground balls consistently. It sat in the 81-83 range T85, and the velo on the pitch will undoubtedly increase year by year. This is an arm that will end up one of the hardest throwing lefties in the GA 2026 class. When you see an arm like this from the tower, you’re just praying he’s got a good secondary pitch. This is surely the case for Evans, as he’s got a really good feel to spin and throws his breaking ball with intent. For now, we’ll call it a CB (68-70 T71) with edge to edge sweep that already flashes two plane depth. The pitch is quite sharp and matches well with the FB release point and angle. Overall, we expect Evans velocity and stuff to climb with the seasons and will be keeping a close eye on this JFG’er.
Luke Nitkowski SS, Creekview, GA Roadrunners, 2026
Uncommitted. 5 foot 11, 130 pounds. This is one of the most interesting follows in the state for 2026 to me. You wouldn’t think this gangly SS is that athletic because he’s so far from filling out, but he sure is. Nitkowski is extremely coordinated and well balanced in every part of his game for the length he has. He will occasionally trip over his own feet as you see in the video (lol), but this young prospect is going to be an unbelievable athlete as soon as he fills into his frame. He’s an unorthodox player with an unorthodox swing but checks all boxes as a hitter. The hand-eye is very good for his age, and he had no problem barreling 85 mph in the PBR Fall Classic. This is a very high energy player who has an advantage over everyone on the field with his baseball IQ. I can make a very confident guess that he’s developed an abnormal amount of baseball knowledge from his dad, former 10 year MLB LHP C.J. Nitkowski. Luke is an Instinctive base runner who reads pitcher’s deliveries very well, and has impressive speed for his age. The instincts and speed carry over easily as a defender at SS. The instincts help his range, and he’s got a smooth glove with a quick exchange. Being up to 83 on the mound, he has a very good arm for the position and it’s a big key to us believing he can stick at SS in the future. Not only does the arm produce tons of carry, it’s strong from multiple different arm angles. Luke has a very good feel for when to change angles, makes proper reads on how to approach different batted balls, and the speed of the runner he’s up against. We’ll be keeping a very close eye on this one!
Neyland Hulsey C, Rockmart, SmarTense, 2026
Uncommitted. 5 foot 9, 165 pounds. A Junior Future Gamer in 2 different states (MO, GA), this advanced hitter for his age continues to show why he gets high praise from Prep Baseball Report. He’s very confident at the plate and looks more relaxed most his age when facing good arms. This allows him to focus on simplicity and hitting the ball where it’s pitched, which Hulsey does often. He’s a patient hitter who makes consistently good swing decisions. He’s just as likely to barrel a 1st pitch FB away as he is to work a 10 pitch AB, and he really has a good 2 strike approach. Instead of getting reckless, he’ll cut down the swing and go into full defense mode looking oppo. The LakePoint Local is a backside dominant hitter which allows him to keep his head very quiet for tracking, good balance at landing, and advanced linear connection as the hands are thrown. The swing is dynamic with the ability to turn the barrel in tight space as well as inside out the baseball the other way. Hulsey creates power from the ground up and repeats his swing extremely well, from timing to mechanics. His hands work effortlessly close to the body and his lofty swing path creates backspin to every part of the field. Neyland is a player you can count on both at the plate and behind the dish. He’s a real grinder behind the plate and has obvious passion for the game. The receiving, effort level, and catch & throw are all very solid for his age. He regularly shuts down runners on stolen base attempts, with an impressive exchange and accurate throws. This is a player that looks forward to the toughest parts of the game. It will be fun to track his progress.
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