EMERSON, GA - The 2024 Prep Baseball Fall Classic Scout Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the Prep Baseball Scouting Staff during the tournament games from the Prep Baseball Fall Classic. This blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects and anything else that is notable. We will provide a wide range of information, including player evaluations, velocities, hitting mechanics, pitching sequences and much more.

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Noah Strickland, RHP, Stephens County, 2027
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11, 170-pounds. Ran the FB up to 86 with loud arm action, 85-82 showing sink and run that collected whiffs. Flashed the occasional CV in warm-ups and in two-strike counts at 73-71 with quick, tight breaks at 2600 rpm. Dealt quickly with simple movements. Worked the FB in tight that jammed RHH and then quickly worked away for a deceptive sequence. CV metrics show high spin with good shape, and will be a strong pitch as he continues to gain feel and confidence in that pitch. Tossed four innings with nine strikeouts.

Jace McIntyre, RHP, North Paulding, 2026
Uncommitted. 5-foot-10, 140-pounds. Showed a strong outing on Friday (10/11). The FB topped at 79 and sat at 77-78, showed strong command and the ball jumped out of his hand quickly. The CV was a strong pitch in the arsenal at 73-70, showed feel to land/manipulate, tight 12/6 break, topped rpm at 2781. Simple movements on the mound, as he came in relief and shut them down. CV was a go-to pitch that showed good feel and good shape with consistent confidence. Jammed hitters with the CV and then went away with the FB to generate weak contact roll-over ground balls.

Walker Taulbee, OF, Buford, 2028
Uncommitted. 5-foot-8, 145-pounds. Confident and athletic movements in the box as the hit tool was on display. Simple load as the front foot gets down with a short leg-kick load with hands that create tension with separation. A present lower-half that syncs up nicely with a strong top-half. Loose, quick hands that carry the bat through the zone with authority and shows an advanced feel for the barrel with strong wrists that carry whip. Mechanically sound swing, doesn’t do too much and seeks for hard, consistent contact. One of the better swings from the left side in this 2028 class. Strong follow.

Jax Nystrom, INF, Denmark, 2028
Uncommitted. What a weekend it was for the freshman at the plate. Went 9-for-14 with 5 singles/ 3 doubles/ 1 triple/ 6 RBI’s. An athletic 5-foot-8, 150-pound frame with already sneaky strength to project on. The LHH possesses a quiet confidence at the plate and displays a well-connected stroke with fluidity through the zone and innate bat-to-ball to match. Delivers a whippy barrel through the zone with a tremendous feel for the barrel in an all-fields approach.. Showcases one of the smoothest strokes in the class with loud signs of a present budding hit-tool. Versatile defender that can move around the infield and play any position at a high-level. Name to know.

Jaycob Veloz, SS, St. Anne Pacelli Catholic, 2028
Uncommitted. A standout on both sides of the ball during bracket play. At the plate, the athletic RHH picked up a solid pull-side single in the semi-final game and showcased a smooth stroke with present bat-speed. The hitterish traits standout for Veloz at the plate as he stays extremely compact and uses a higher leg-kick load to sync up and to deliver firm contact. On the defensive side, an above-average defender with limitless lateral range. Showed off the range by going full extension and snagging a ball deep in the hole. A twitchy athlete with an athletic frame to project on.

Joseph "JR" Hoffman, OF/RHP, North Paulding, 2027
Uncommitted. Hoffman has opened eyes this Fall and more of the same continued this weekend at the Fall Classic. At the plate, the athletic RHH lived on the barrel as the present bat-speed with an obvious feel for the barrel was on full display. Delivers a longer swing through the zone, well-leveraged throughout while working up the middle of the field. On the mound, a confident presence, the Sophomore deployed an explosive two-pitch mix. The fastball sat 85-87 and topped at 88, consistently north of 2500 RPM. The curveball was shown at 74-76 at 2400+ RPM, with depth and the ability to manipulate. The fastball/curveball combo pair well off one another to consistently disrupt timing. Which resulted in 17 whiffs with 7 strikeouts across 3.0 Innings-pitched. An imposing 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame on the mound. Gets downhill with ease and uses the long frame to get leveraged well and create good extension. There is substantial projection on both sides of the ball for Hoffman. As there are real signs of high-level tools across the board.

Gabe Bowne, LHP, Northgate, 2028
Uncommitted. An electric look was provided from the athletic, high-waisted 6-foot-1, 155-pound LHP in bracket play. Throws from a lower deceptive ¾ arm-slot, with clean repeatable mechanics. Flashed a dynamic fastball/slider two-pitch arsenal. The fastball sat 80-82 and topped at 83. The slider paired well off of the fastball and was shown at 73-75. Bowne induced a heavy dose of swing-and-miss with the arsenal. A confident presence on the mound. Will be a name to keep an eye on at Northgate for the coming years.

Nathan Comer, RHP/OF, Locust Grove, 2027
Uncommitted. The sophomore got it done on both sides of the ball on Sunday during bracket play. The lean athletic 6-foot RHP showed big-time upside on the mound. An electric two-pitch mix with dynamic movement patterns was on full display. The fastball sat 81-83 and topped at 84 with a heavy arm-side run. The slider was shown at 65-67 with wipeout movement. Comer exuded confidence on the mound and generated whiffs at will during the performance. The RHH collected multiple knocks at the dish and showed the ability to move the barrel around the zone with leverage to all-fields. Pitch recognition stands out for Comer at the plate. Name to know.

Banks Hopkins, RHP, Robert Toombs Christian Academy, 2028
Uncommitted. Hopkins provided an intriguing first glance to open up bracket play on Sunday. The freshman attacked with a three-pitch mix of fastball, change-up, and curveball. The RHP heavily relied on the fastball and attacked all quadrants of the plate, the fastball sat 78-80 and topped 81 with arm-side run. Mixed in the change-up at 71 and the curveball was flipped over at 66-67, with the ability to add/subtract horizontal movement. An easy mover on the mound with fluid repeatable mechanics. Quick, loose arm stroke. A lean, high-waisted 6-foot-1 frame that will continue to add velocity with added strength/size.

Jack Pierce, LHP, 2027, South Forsyth
Uncommitted. 6-foot-4, 180-pounds. This fall has been eye-opening for Pierce as he continues to look better in every outing and capped off the campaign with a 13-K shutout this past weekend for Service Baseball. Fastball has a real chance to be a dynamic offering, currently living in the mid-80s with more to come but creates immense deception from a low release point and hard arm-side run. Above-average command of the pitch to land anywhere in the zone for both strikes and in-zone misses. Slider is beginning to make real strides in the high-60s with tight, gradual break that keeps the hitter off balance while commanding the outer half of the plate well. Changeup is emerging as a solid third offering with some tumble and depth at 75-77. Overall the body control for the lean, high-waisted frame is impressive with an excellent ability to repeat a very compact arm swing as well. The ceiling is growing quickly and will be due for a big role this spring with South Forsyth in a stacked region.

Ben Fussell, SS, 2026, Coffee
Mercer commit. 5-foot-10, 170-pounds. The overall growth for Fussell over the last couple years into an impact D-1 prospect has been impressive. A quality defender in the middle infield with a chance for an above-average hit/power combo and all of that was on display this weekend. Fussell took some of the best at-bats I saw all tournament, working deep counts and spoiling countless good pitches. Swing is extremely well-connected, utilizing a quick toe-tap trigger with minimal wasted effort through the zone. Really understands how to manipulate the barrel with an efficient back hip to the baseball as well. There's present impact in the barrel with multiple balls leaving the bat at 95+ while working the ball into both gaps.

Blake Bryant, RHP, 2026, Citizens Christian Academy
Clemson commit. 6-foot-5, 170-pounds. Firmly entrenched in the Top-10 in the 2026 rankings, Bryant fits the definition of “what they look like” every time we see him. Premier projection in the frame with plus arm speed showing in a deep pitch mix. Fastball was explosive in this outing, grabbing 92 six times while living 88-91 with carry and run for some swing-and-miss. The ball jumps out of the hand with the high probability of even more velocity coming as the frame continues to get more physical. Two distinct breaking balls shown with a curveball at 75-78 and slider at 79-82. Curve showed tight 11-5 break with ability to land early in counts for consistent called strikes and some feel to spin at 2300 RPM. Slider flashed impressive late sweep for a few ugly whiffs as well as showing better feel to spin at 2600+. Low-80s changeup tunnels well out of the same slot as the fastball, giving Bryant a quality fourth offering that was commanded well at the bottom of the zone.

Porter Berryman, LHP, 2025, Parkview
Brown commit. 5-foot-11, 175-pounds. This was simply one of the most dominant performances I saw throughout the fall. Berryman attacked from the jump, punching out 11 in four innings while stacking the whiffs at will, 21 in total. The Ivy league commit maintains fantastic rhythm on the mound, utilizing a slight rocker step and incorporating his lower half well to create big extension. Fastball was highly effective throughout, 85-88 with some ride and plus command to either half that was getting on top of the primarily right-handed lineup quickly. Slider flashed as an above-average offering at 75-78 with sharp horizontal break and immense feel to spin (avg. 2700, Max 2872). Berryman showed the confidence and advanced feel to throw the pitch whenever he wanted while missing barrels at will. Changeup was shown sparingly, due to FB/SL dominance, but showed some depth at 81-82 and can be a serviceable third offering.

Lawson Moore, LHP, 2028, Gatewood
Uncommitted. 6-foot-0, 205-pounds. It was my first look at the physical freshman arm, and the arm talent jumped out from the first warm-up pitch. Working from a high three-quarters slot, Moore is a fast mover on the mound showing big-time arm speed already and an advanced ability to generate power from a strong lower half. Fastball was the go-to in this outing, working 83-86 while reaching back from 87 twice and commanding the entire top half of the zone. Upwards of 20” of IVB consistently while creating swing-and-miss throughout. Double-digit whiffs and strikeouts on the fastball alone. Slider was mixed sparingly at 69-71 showing good tilt with some horizontal break. There’s an obvious confidence when Moore steps on the mound while showing a chance for premium velocity from the left-side. Name to know.

Kieran Delaney, RHP, 2026, Colorado Academy (CO)
Uncommitted. 6-foot-1, 195-pounds. Tasked with dealing with one of the deeper lineups in the tournament, Delaney met the challenge with ease while flashing a very strong three-pitch mix. Working primarily out of the stretch, Delaney maintains and repeats a compact arm action well while working from a three-quarters and backed by present arm speed. Fastball lived 87-90, touching 91 with some late ride that was hard to barrel up. Slider was a weapon for Delaney with hard bite and an advanced feel to manipulate, adding and subtracting sweep at will for both in-zones misses and chase. The uncommitted junior would mix in an impressive splitter as well that sits in the low-80s with depth and ability to kill spin (800 RPM). Delaney is a name to know in the mountain-west region.