On Tuesday, September 27th, the PBR Illinois and PBR Missouri staffs will converge at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois, to host the second annual Battle for The Arch event. This invite-only showcase will feature prospects from Illinois and Missouri split into their respective teams, starting with a workout portion that’s followed by gameplay.

To see an up-to-date roster for this event, click HERE. For more information on what this event entails, including all of the technology offered at PBR events, click HERE.

PREVIOUS HISTORY

Last year was the first time we ran this event and it was a success, with several talented prospects representing their respective states at a high level. We’re up to 18 commits from last year’s group and there’s several 2023s still on the market that attended who should come off the market in the coming weeks.

On the Illinois side, INF Tony Konopiots (Downers Grove North, 2023; West Virginia) and 1B Riley Iffrig (Edwardsville, 2023; Indiana State) are two high profile prospects in the state’s 2023 class who committed to their respective programs shortly after this event. We saw INF Eli Kieser (Normal University, 2023; Ball State) here last year as well, while INF Cole Funkhouser (Edwardsville, 2023), 1B Owen Cornett (Du Quoin, 2023), and C Brayden Biggs (Belleville West, 2023) were all top performers who are still uncommitted. 

To see all of the players who attended this event last year, click HERE. 

TEAM ILLINOIS

+ RHP Alec Marchetto (Edwardsville) headlines the Illinois squad, having established himself as one of the top arms in the 2024 class. Marchetto caught our staff’s attention this past spring thanks to his mature build and present arm-strength, later landing a spot on Team Illinois at the PBR Future Games this past summer. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-hander can run his fastball up to 88 mph while pairing it effectively off a sharp 11/5 breaking ball at 65-72 mph.

Alec Marchetto

+ UTIL Seth Impson (Springfield) comes in at No. 66 in the State after a strong spring and summer circuit. Listed at 6-foot, 165-pounds, Impson provides multiple tools to go along with his present upside. The right-handed hitter can reach north of 90 mph for his exit velocity at the plate, while also boasting a pop-time that can reach as low as 1.87 seconds (T80 mph). He’s no slouch on the mound either, as he can run his fastball up to 85 mph to pair off a sharp curveball and changeup that he has above-average feel for.

+ OF Reed Drabant (Columbia) caught our staff’s attention at the Illinois State Games last month. Standing at 5-foot-11, 175-pounds, Drabant has a smooth left-handed stroke that he can easily repeat to produce line-drives to the whole field. He’s an above-average defender in the outfield as well, playing aggressively through the ball with steady hands and a strong arm (T89 mph).

+ RHP Chase Rubenacker (Hamilton County) gave an impressive look last week at the Midwest Premier Fall Classic. The right-hander has all sorts of upside attached to his 6-foot-5, 150-pound frame, running his sinking fastball up to 86 mph and setting up a changeup in the low 70s.

Chase Rubenacker

To see all of the players on Team Illinois at this event, click HERE. 

ITINERARY

Registered Infielders, Outfielders, and/or Catchers

• Running Times (laser-timed 60-yard dash)

• Vizual Edge (vision testing)

• Offensive Evaluations

  • Mechanical evaluation

  • Live batting practice

  • TrackMan ball flight analysis

  • Blast Motion swing analysis

• Defensive Evaluations

  • Arm strength

  • Agility/range

  • Positional analysis/profile

Registered Pitchers & Catchers

• Pitching Evaluations

  • 15-20 pitch bullpen (fastball and secondary pitches from both windup and stretch)

  • Mechanical evaluation

  • ProPlayAI’s ‘PitchAI’ biomechanical analysis

  • TrackMan pitch velocity, movement, spin analysis

• Catcher Evaluations (while receiving bullpen)

  • Receiving/pitch presentation

  • Blocking/mobility

Check-in Times: (Times subject to change)

Position Players: 4:00 p.m.

Pitchers: 6:00 p.m.

MORE EVENT DETAILS

Click here to learn more about our tech partners that have enhanced our players showcase experience. Partners like TrackMan, Blast Motion, and Vizual Edge have helped both our in-event evaluation process, as well the compilation of our post-event scouting reports – and they're also a tool for our players to learn more about their measured and collected data, that can be applied to improve upon their game.

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