Adam Akin
Director of Scouting

The 2016 Tennessee/Kentucky Border Battle Games took place on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16.  The scouting directors from each state put together a team of some of the best uncommitted players available to compete against each other.  Players were afforded the opportunity to participate in a pro style evaluation, followed by two 9-inning games.  Saturday’s event consisted of mostly 2018 graduates, while Sunday’s event featured primarily 2019 graduates.  Below is an evaluation of each position player that participated in Sunday’s games for Team Tennessee.

 

Outfielders

Brad Grenkoski, RHP/OF, Farragut, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.55, Position Velocity:  OF - 86, Exit Velocity: 91
6-foot-3, 185-pound, RHH hits from a taller and slightly open stance with good balance and relaxed hands, uses a slow, smooth, and abbreviated leg kick and longer stride with a smooth lowering and movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires well to get some good separation but does stay tall and could gain more leverage, swing plane comes into the zone a little steeply but flattens out through the ball to show some gap-to-gap potential.  Defensively, plays athletically in the outfield by playing through the ball well with soft hands and good footwork, long arm action through a high ¾ slot shows a lot of life with good carry.  Grenkoski only hit in Game 2 and finished 1-3 with a run scored. One of the top players in the 2019 class.

Garrett Schultz, OF/RHP, Ensworth, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.61, Position Velocity:  OF - 84, Exit Velocity: 87
5-foot-11, 160-pound, RHH continues to be consistent with a narrower stance and using a long stride and a slight but smooth push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half works through that long stride and gets his backside through the zone, sometimes over-rotates, hands get back and are able to comes through on a fairly flat plane, showed a consistent line drive approach with some gap power toward the end of his round.  Defensively, plays through the ball aggressively and confidently in the outfield, clean and athletic exchange leads to a loose and quick arm action through a high ¾ to over-the-top slot, arm was a little tired, but still showed great carry.  Schultz allied a single and drove in 2 runs in game play.

Chase Piotrowski, OF, Ravenwood, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.41, Position Velocity:  OF - 81, Exit Velocity: 85
5-foot-11, 165-pound, RHH hit from pretty much the same stance we saw from him at the Top Prospect Games with balance and very slightly open, short stride and slight movement back with his hands gets him loaded, lower half could still fire a little better and with some intent, bat path is pretty flat through the zone with some lift at the end as he uses his backside with a slight lean back in his finish.  Defensively, plays a very athletic outfield and can really go get the ball, plays through the ball with soft hands and fluid footwork, long arm action through a high ¾ to over-the-top slot gets rid of the ball smoothly and with good carry.  Piotrowski showed a very selective approach and had one of the best performances at the plate, as he went 2-4 with a 2B and 2 BBs in game play.

Kyle Ginn, OF, Covington, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.58, Position Velocity:  OF - 75, Exit Velocity: 74
5-foot-10, 180-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and even stance with some higher hand positioning in his stance, uses a weight shift back with a long stride and a push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half gets through but also pulls his whole body forward during the beginning of his swing, finishes on his front foot, bat path comes into the zone a little steep but flattens out through contact, glides but seems strong and was able to barrel a lot of balls in BP. Defensively, plays through the ball with above average hands and footwork but could be more aggressive, short exchange and arm action come through a high ¾ slot.  Ginn recorded a single in game play.

First Basemen

Jackson Sherrill, 1B, Station Camp, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.91, Position Velocity:  OF - 77, IF - 71, Exit Velocity: 93
6-foot-2, 195-pound, RHH hit from the same taller and slightly open stance we have seen from him in the past, added a little bigger but still abbreviated leg kick with his general stride and an active lowering and movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half explodes and helps create a ton of bat speed with a flat path through the zone that provides some lift, his round of BP was one of the most impressive of the weekend, hit balls hard all over the field and showed some pop with deep and driven fly balls to left center.  Defensively, showed above average hands and footwork around the bag, knows how to play the position and can make all of the routine plays, uses longer arm action through a high ¾ slot.  Sherrill had one of the best offensive showings of the weekend, going 3-5 with a HBP and 2 runs scored.

Tarver Hayslip, 1B/OF, Friendship Christian, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.94, Position Velocity:  IF - 61, Exit Velocity: 84
5-foot-11, 200-pound, RHH hit from the same balanced and even stance we saw at the Top Prospect Games in June, stride and slight barrel tilt he uses for a load use pretty good rhythm and act very consistently, lower half its solid and gets through to give him a very balanced base, bat path is very flat through contact and can provide some lift on higher pitches, showed some gap-to-gap pop with his strong frame and ability to get through the ball.  Defensively, showed average hands and footwork as he could have played through the ball more aggressively, arm action is still short and produced accurate throws that should increase carry with time. Hayslip found a hole for a single to right and drew a walk in game play.

Elijah Brooks, 1B, Ensworth, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.62, Position Velocity:  IF - 70, Exit Velocity: 83
5-foot-10, 185-pound, LHH showed a ton of improvement since the last time we saw him at an event, this from a balanced and mostly even stance, uses a leg kick with a short stride and a pretty smooth movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half fires well and clears his hips easily and fluidly, bat patch gets on plane early and comes through the zone on a slightly upward path through the ball, hit some balls hard in BP and drove a couple into the wind to the right center gap.  Defensively, showed good hands with average footwork around the bag, played through the ball aggressively but could’ve been smoother, shorter arm action delivered fairly accurate throws across the infield with average strength.  Brooks had some great at bats and recorded 3 walks in game play.

Middle Infielders

Austin Baskin, SS, Covington, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.55, Position Velocity:  IF - 83, Exit Velocity: 87
5-foot-11, 155-pound, RHH was one of the top performers from the entire weekend, hits from a wider and even stance with his barrel rested just above his back shoulder, uses a short stride with a lift of the barrel and his hands to get loaded, lower half is strong and explodes to clear his hips, swing path is flat through the zone as his backside does a great job of getting through the ball, round of BP included a ton of hard line drives to left field.  Defensively, showed soft hands and good footwork in the infield, played through the ball confidently and smoothly, short arm action showed good strength with good carry on very accurate throws.  Huge day at the plate had Baskin finish 3-7 with 3 doubles and 2 runs scored. A top player in the 2019 class that committed to Memphis shortly after the event.

Patrick Norman, SS, Murfreesboro Central Magnet, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.71, Position Velocity:  OF - 79, IF - 80, Exit Velocity: 82
6-foot-2, 180-pound, RHH hits from the same balanced and open stance we saw from him at the Underclass Games in July, uses a short stride with a push back of his hands to get loaded, lower half works to get through the zone but stays pretty tall, swing plane begins steeply but flattens out early and stays there through the ball, showed a gap-to-gap approach in BP with the potential to be a doubles type of hitter.  Defensively, showed fluid footwork and good hands while playing through the ball confidently and athletically, shorter arm action through a high ¾ slot, long and lanky build with versatility.  Norman had some great at bats in game play, drawing 3 walks and driving in a run.  

Ashton King, SS, Farragut, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.77, Position Velocity:  IF - 78, Exit Velocity: 81
5-foot-10, 150-pound, RHH hits from a wider and slightly open stance with the same hand movement in his pre-pitch stance above his head that we saw from him at the Underclass Games in July, rhythmic stride and hand movement back to get loaded, lower half fires very well and creates a lot of separation when clearing his hips, stays loose and uses a swing path that is flat almost all the way through the zone, hit low line drives all around the field.  Defensively, showed smooth hands and footwork in the infield, played through the ball fluidly and used a longer arm action through a ¾ release point, throws were accurate. King had some productive at bats and recorded a single, a run, and an RBI.

Third Basemen

Zach Boze, 3B/C, Station Camp, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.75, Pop Time: 2.13-2.15, Position Velocity:  IF - 75, C - 71, Exit Velocity: 76
6-foot-0, 155-pound, RHH was a standout performer at Sunday’s event, athletic and with a lanky and projectable frame, hits from a taller and balanced stance, uses a hip load into a regular stride with a fluid movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half is strong and gets his hips cleared quickly and aggressively while maintaining solid balance, bat path is very flat through the zone and drives through the ball, had a great round of BP by hitting hard line drives all over the field with gap-to-gap pop.  Defensively, showed sure hands and above average footwork at the corner, played through the ball a little better than he’s previously shown but could be more aggressive, clean exchange and short arm action produced very accurate throws across the infield with solid carry.  Boze finished game play 2-6 with a double, a single, and an RBI while hitting a couple of other balls right at defenders.

Seth Copeland, 3B, Hardin County, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.78, Position Velocity:  IF - 78, Exit Velocity: 88
5-foot-10, 195-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and open stance, uses a leg kick with a longer stride and a fluid and subtle movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half gets wide and stays solid but doesn’t quite get his hips fully cleared, bat path is flat through the zone with some lift toward the end that promotes his gap-to-gap approach.  Defensively, showed above average hands and footwork at the corner, came to the ball but could have played through it more smoothly, uses a glove pat with a little longer arm action through a high ¾ slot.  Copeland recorded a single and scored a run in game action.

Catchers

Knox Preston, C, Christ Presbyterian Academy, 2019
Home-1^st: 5.01, Pop Time: 2.00-2.12, Position Velocity:  IF - 81, C - 75, Exit Velocity: 83
5-foot-11, 175-pound, RHH hits from a balanced and more even stance than we saw from him at the Top Prospect Games in June, uses a smooth and fluid movement back with a barrel tilt and an abbreviated leg kick and stride to get loaded, lower half fires initially but doesn’t quite get his hips totally cleared until the very end of his swing, stays balanced and strong throughout, bat path begins slightly steep but flattens out through the ball to promote a line drive approach. Defensively, showed soft hands and quite but efficient footwork behind the plate, short and clean arm action gets rid of the ball with decent carry to second base, good enough hands to be able to play third base as well.  Preston worked deep into counts and tallied a single and 2 walks in game play.

Patrick Vandenbergh, C, Ensworth, 2019
Home-1^st: 4.42, Pop Time: 2.02-2.13, Position Velocity:  IF - 78, C - 73, Exit Velocity: 83
5-foot-11, 160-pound, LHH hits from his typical balanced and slightly open stance with quiet hands, uses a pretty conventional stride with a slight lowering and movement back with his hands to get loaded, lower half is wide and strong and provides some leverage with good hip clearance, bat path is flat through the zone with some lift at the end as his backside does a great job of getting involved, can get steep on lower pitches, sprayed line drives around the field in BP.  Defensively, showed above average hands and quick footwork behind the plate, short arm action came over-the-top and produced consistency in throws to second base, could play through it better in the infield.  Vandenbergh was able to record a single, a walk, and a run scored in game play.