The Illinois Scout Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the PBR Scouting Staff during the season. This running 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, pop times, home to first times, and more. Simply put, the Illinois Scout Blog is loaded with information …

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

No. 5 Joliet Catholic vs. No. 15 Triad - 3/16/24

By: Diego Solares
Central Region Media Director, Scouting

Carter Vandever, C, Triad, 2024
Uncommitted. 6-foot, 190-pound athlete with physicality throughout; broad shoulders, clear lower-half strength. Also a three-year varsity starter for the Knights’ football team, earned first team All-Conference honors this past season. Hit in the three hole and started behind the plate for Triad. Finished with three hits; a pull-side RBI single and two sprayed line drives to the opposite field. Also juiced a deep sacrifice fly to straight away center field. Strong right-handed swing, simple hand load, some length to contact on a level plane. Defensive work behind the plate may be his biggest asset. Advanced receiver, soft hands, glove works down-to-up and gets around the baseball on the glove-side corner. Willing blocker with feel, chests up the baseball and gets around breaking balls to the arm side. Looked plenty comfortable catching a high-octane arm behind the plate throughout his entire outing. Flashed arm strength with carry in between innings. Has the potential to be an impact defender behind the plate at the next level.

Drew Winslow, RHP, Triad, 2025
Oklahoma State commit and one of the top arms in Illinois, regardless of class. Long, lanky, and lean-limbed 6-foot-6, 195-pound athlete, averaged 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Knights’ basketball team this winter. Quick up-tempo drop/drive type delivery, hunched at balance point, stays closed to front footstrike. Strides in-line to target, finishes through release and controls his levers well for age. Long loose and continuous arm path that comes out of a ¾ window. Fastball touched 91 mph in the first, sat 88-90 mph throughout, touching 90 mph again in the fourth inning. Starting to hold velocity more; at this time last year, peaked at 88 mph early while settling at 84-85 mph. Flashed late run at times, stayed off the barrel and induced ground balls at a high rate, including two inning-ending double plays. Wasn’t around the strike zone as often as we’ve seen in the past in this look, but did execute when necessary. Showed a true lane changing sinker at 86-88 mph with heavy horizontal movement, covering the entire plate at times. Sharp swing-and-miss sweep on a 75-78 mph slider, grabbed several uncomfortable whiffs out of the zone against right-handed hitters. Worked around a changeup at 83-85 mph that favored the glove-side corner in this look. Didn’t have his best stuff but still possesses one of the highest ceilings on the mound in the entire state, regardless of class.