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O'Hare Preseason ID: Quick Hits

February 17, 2023
By: Illinois Scouting Staff

On Sunday, Feb. 12, the PBR Illinois staff traveled to the Bo Jackson Elite Sports Dome in Bensenville, Ill., to host the O'Hare Preseason ID - one of the largest showcases on our winter calendar. This event provided us an ample opportunity to check-in on some of the area’s high school prospects and identify several names as we prepare for the IHSA season, as well as future invite-only events on the PBR Illinois calendar. 

Now, at the event’s conclusion, we continue our post-event content by highlighting some of the day’s standouts in this Quick Hits piece. 

Continue reading to see which players stood out to our scouting staff on Sunday. 

Committed Prospects Shine

+ CIF Cash Campbell (Montini, 2024; Iowa commit) continued to show at O’Hare that he is one of the top left-handed bats in the class and it was arguably the best round of BP we have seen from him to-date. Campbell has continued to shape his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame and he seemed determined throughout his round to show off as much power to all fields as he could while staying easy, balanced and fluid throughout. It was an extremely mature round of BP that led to an event-best 98.7 mph max exit velocity and max batted ball distance of 369’. Campbell moves well for his size laterally with sure-handed actions and a clean transfer. His arm played with some ease and life out of the hand, reaching up to 81 mph across the diamond. 

+ LHP/OF Brayden Mazzacano (Schaumburg, 2024; Illinois commit) opened our eyes last summer with his two-way abilities at a PBR At The Rock tournament. He committed shortly thereafter to Illinois and his prospect status does not look to be slowing down anytime soon. Currently the No. 12 ranked player in the class, Mazzacano, has some of the best two-way upside in the class. Offensively, he showed off a short, quick, twitchy left-handed swing, resulting in an event-best 92.4 mpg average exit velocity and T98.3, second-best. The 6.93 runner is also a natural in the outfield moving with quick, efficient feet, fluid actions and a strong arm that plays at 89 mph. That same arm strength plays just as well on the mound. He topped at 89 mph with the fastball and complimented it with a 75-78 mph slider that is thrown with feel/intent and a changeup that landed for strikes 60% of the time with an average of 15.7 inches of horizontal movement. He is a name to know in the 2024 class and looks to be just scratching the surface of his ceiling.

2024 PROSPECTS

+  INF Ryan Colucci (Lake Park) made it abundantly clear he has been putting in work over the offseason. He's added all kinds of muscle to his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame which has translated to all parts of his game. His 60 is down to a 7.05, he was 88 mph across the infield (up from 82 mph) and the ball is coming off his bat much louder than before. Colucci averaged 86.4 mph off the bat, T94.9 and his furthest batted ball traveled 342’. It's a short, compact strong swing with lifted tendencies throughout. On the infield, Colucci moves with active feet and fluid actions, relying on soft hands to secure the ball out front and into his body before moving into a clean transfer. His arm plays with life across the diamond, topping at 88 mph.

+ OF  Mason Phillips (Oak Park-River Forest) started his day off running a 6.60 laser-timed 60, the best time of the day. He also reached a max speed of 21.5 mph during the 60 and jumped 28.1 inches in the vertical. Offensively, he had made some strides in his right-handed swing since the last time we saw him. Phillips stays balanced, sees the ball deep into the zone and stays simple and compact throughout. He has strong hands with the ability to spray line-drive contact to all fields. Defensively, Phillips moves around extremely well with clear athleticism; utilizing smooth and fluid actions to play through the ball with intent, also reaching up to 82 mph from a crow hop. 

+ INF Jalen Moraga (Maine East) was on the barrel throughout his round of BP, spraying hard-line drive contact to all parts of the field. On the infield, Moraga has bouncy, active feet, plays on the balls of his feet with a quick first step. His actions are fluid and athletic, boasting soft hands while playing the ball out in front of his body. Moraga consistently was on the bag with his throws, playing clean out of a ¾ slot. 

+ OF Anthony Sarro (St. Rita) was one of the more polished, barrel-control, bat-to-ball, left-handed bats in attendance. Sarro is a 5-foot-11, 160-pound, left/left prospect who stays compact, swinging in a tight window, with the ability to stay inside the baseball and pepper line drives to all fields. Highly-impressive on the barrel, balanced round. Also, a 6.92 runner in the 60.

+ C Max Miller (New Trier) had a strong all-around day. Offensively, he stays quiet and compact while creating bat speed with loose hands and a whole field approach. Miller was on the barrel with authority throughout, averaging 89.5 mph off the bat, top-six of the event and peaked at 93.1 mph. Behind the plate, Miller works with a quick/clean transfer, staying directional with his footwork out of the crouch and transitioning into an over the top slop - recorded a pop-time as low as 2.03 seconds (T78 mph from the crouch).

+ When looking at the athletes in attendance, OF Angel Mohammad (Taft, 2024), has to be towards the top. Mohammad registered a top-three vertical (33.3 inches) as well as a top-three 60-time at 6.69. He also flashed the second-best peak bat speed at 81.2 mph. The right-handed swing is still developing but he flashed loose, quick levers and stays level through the zone.

+  Jayden Patel was another 2024 infielder from Lake Park to follow from the day. On the infield, Patel showed to have fluid actions and soft hands, pairing with a clean transfer and loose/easy arm that plays with backspin and carry (T85 mph). At the plate, it's a fluid swing that stays on-plane, works uphill and finishes on balance. Patel also ran a 7.12 60 and registered a peak exit velocity of 96 mph.

+ INF Joshua Wicker (Fenwick) Defensively, Wicker has quick/active feet that allow him to move quickly laterally. He is sure-handed with a quick/clean transfer, reaching up to 83 mph across the diamond with life. While his future is brightest as a position player, it’s worth noting that Wicker was responsible for one of the day’s most complete ‘pens. He was up to 82 mph there, pumping strikes, and his sweeping slider was sharp and he located it well.

2025 PROSPECTS

+ INF Vance Kurokawa (DePaul College Prep) is a fluid switch-hitting infielder to follow moving forward. Kurokawa has a calm, relaxed demeanor from both sides, stays balanced, easy and smooth throughout while showing an up-the-middle, lifted approach. That bat should continue to ascend as he gains strength over the next few years. Defensively, Kurokawa has fluid hands and actions to help secure the ball out front and into his body, transitioning into a clean transfer and arm that plays on the move and from multiple slots (T77 mph).

+ One of the more eye-opening rounds of BP on the day belonged to OF Chase Petersen (Glenbrook North). The 5-foot-10, 180-pound, strong-bodied right-handed hitter landed near the top of almost every batted ball measurement, including a 96.9 mph peak exit velocity, 92 average and max batted ball of 361’. Petersen’s bat stayed in the zone a long time and he worked to both gaps throughout his round, registering the best average bat speed of the event at 82 mph. Peterson showed off a strong arm while he was taking his defensive round, reaching up to 86 mph with a long/loose arm swing and ¾ slot. High-follow right-handed bat in the 2025 class.

+ INF Henrik Conniff (New Trier) emerged as a high-follow uncommitted 2025 infielder. Defensively, he looks the part, bouncing around the infield on his toes with quality glove presentation and overall athletic actions. He is comfortable on the move with a smooth and athletic double play turn,soft hands and a quick arm that plays up to 82 mph. Offensively, he swings a fluid, quick right-handed bat that works on-plan with levers and bat speed. Upside prospect with the actions and arm to stick on the left-side of the diamond moving forward.

+ C Zach Bava (Naperville North) is a left-handed hitting catcher to know from the event. Behind the plate, Bava works with steady hands and a quick/clean transfer, remaining directional, athletic out of the crouch and reaching as low as 2.00 for his pop-time (T77 mph). At the plate, Bava has an intentful swing with strong hands, short path and quick bat. He worked to the pul-side of the field with a max exit velocity of 95.4 and max batted ball of 330’.

+ INF Axel Rivera (Von Steuben) is a young inielder to follow with a strong arm that topped at 90 mph across the infield. Rivera utilizes active footwork pre-pitch and gets into an athletic position ready to range in any direction. He plays low to the ground with soft hands and winds up through his transfer with a lively, loose arm. Offensively, he has a simple, repeatable swing that plays uphill working to the middle of the field. 7.37 60 time.

+ Like Petersen mentioned above, Noah Delgado, is a 2025 outfielder to follow from Glenbrook North. In the outfield, Delgado has active footwork and steady hands, playing through the ball with intent, topping at 85 with a loose/clean arm. At the plate, he has strong loose hands and made hard contact into both gaps. The 7.37 runner registered a 100% sweet spot percentage and a 75% line-drive percentage throughout his round.

+ INF Aadden Guerrero (Lyons Township) continues to show well everytime we see him and he took one of the more fluid rounds of defense in the entire event. Guerrero has soft hands and athletic actions, playing through the ball in rhythm with feel. He is sure-handed with a clean double play turn and strong arm that topped at 85 mph and can come from multiple platforms. The right-handed hitter has an athletic, quick swing that stays through the hitting zone a long time. 7.08 runner in the 60.

+ C Collin Roche (Nazareth) Roche took one of the more impressive round of defense from behind the plate; showing soft-hands and a quick/clean transfer, remaining in-line out of the crouch with directional footwork and reaching as low as 2.08 for his pop-time (T78 mph). He showed the ability to deaden the ball out front on blocks and hop out of the crouch with quickness and athleticism. The right-handed hitter has a direct swing with strong hands and creates leverage to the pull-side at times. Also, ran a 7.05 60, well above-average for his position and age.

+ OF Riley Blackwell (Hersey) looks right in the left-handed batter box staying short and direct to the baseball. He works on top of the ball, flat through the zone with a line-drive, whole field approach. He is also a steady outfield defender playing through the ball aggressively with active footwork and reliable hands, reaching up to 78 mph from a crow hop. 

+ INF/RHP Andrew Kouris (Nazareth Academy, 2025) has two-way abilities with some above-average tools. Defensively, he has soft hands with fluid actions and a clean exchange, reaching up to 85 mph across the diamond from a ¾ slot with easy life out of the hand. He’s particularly strong for his age, listed at a physical 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, with proportional strength in his upper and lower halves. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has strong hands, quick bat and flashed above-average bat strength. On the mound, Kouris’ raw arm strength allows him to generate fairly easy mid-80s velocity on a hard-running fastball that reached an 86.3 mph high. The change up he featured was his best secondary weapon, as it matched his typical arm slot/speed well, and its pitch action also mirrored his fastball for added deception. Kouris’ breaking ball, a curve, is inconsistent at present, though he throws it firmly and aggressively and it might project best as a slider long-term, given his lower arm slot.

+ OF Andrew Lim (Niles West) Defensively, Lim showed off a strong arm from the outfield (T86 mph) to pair with athletic actions, playing through the ball with intent and steady hands. The right-handed hitter has athletic loose hands, with quickness through the zone and a middle/pull-side approach. Lim ran a 7.32 60 and registered an average exit velocity of 85.4 mph.

2026 PROSPECTS

+ OF/RHP Ryan Harris (Stevenson) is a freshman that flashed some big tools and one of the higher ceilings of the event. Harris’ arm is well above-average for his age, reaching up to 90 mph from the outfield with a quick release and ¾ slot, playing with easy life and carry through his target. Pitching Harris featured some loud stuff starting with his fastball that averaged 85-88 mph that jumped out of the hand. His best secondary offering being his sharp breaking slider with depth, as he showed the ability to throw it hard as well as to his gloveside. Also showed a late fading changeup that he can throw to his armside. At the plate, he creates leverage with his 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame, with his bat working uphill and the ball jumping off the barrel when the swing syncs. Harris averaged 89.5 mph off the bat, max of 95.7 and his furthest batted ball traveled 353’. Name to know in the 2026 class. 

+ Another highly-intriguing freshman was OF Kamran Alikhan (Nazareth). The 5-foot-9, 150-pound, right-handed hitter has a twitchy, athletic swing with present bat speed and strong hands. Defensively, he showed active footwork and range laterally, getting in front of the ball to both sides and playing through the ball with intent. His hands are steady through the ball with a clean transfer, reaching up to 77 mph from a crow hop. Young bat to follow in the 2026 class. 

+ OF Tyler Edmondson (Oak Park-River Forest) ran a 7.04 laser-timed 60, well above average for his age and one of the top times of the event. In the outfield, Edmondson plays through the ball with intent and active footwork, utilizing steady hands to secure the ball before moving into a crow hop (T81 mph). At the plate, the 5-foot-7, 130-pound, wiry right-handed hitter creates whip through the zone while staying short to the baseball with a spray approach.

+ C/INF Brandon Thomsen (St. Viator) put together a solid all-around day, impressing both behind the plate and on the infield. Behind the plate, he reached as low as 2.02 seconds for his pop-time (T72 mph) with a quick/clean transfer and directional footwork. On the infield, he showed to have soft hands and fluid actions, securing the ball into his body before moving into a clean transfer - reaching up to 78 mph across the diamond. At the plate he has smooth pre-pitch actions with a fluid swing that stays on-plan and was on the barrel a lot throughout his round. Thomsen also ran a 7.32 60, above-average for his age. 

ARMS

+ RHP Chase Powrozek (Burlington Central, 2025) stands at a strong 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. Powrozek employs a controlled hybrid delivery with a high leg kick that finishes online to the plate. Powrozek showed feel for the zone with both his fastball which was 84-86 mph T87 and a curveball with gradual 11/5 break and depth that he consistently spotted in the bottom part of the zone. Also showed a running changeup with an average horizontal movement of 13.6’ (T15.1’).

+ RHP Tucker King (Lyons Township, 2025) came away as one of the winners of the day with an impressive ‘pen. With an intriguing frame that oozes upside, King stands at an athletic 6-foot-3, 195 pounds. On the mound King employs a hybrid delivery with a rocker step that is easily repeatable and low effort. The fastball gets on hitters quick due to the big extension down the mound that makes the already firm fastball seem to play up more. He also showed off a fading changeup with hard running action with an average horizontal movement of 15.2’ (T16.8’), that is consistently around the zone, and an upper 70’s curveball with sharp breaking action and an 11/5 shape.

+ An impressive ‘pen on the day came from RHP Warren Furio (Lake Park, 2026). With an athletic delivery, he works exclusively out of the stretch with a closed front foot, moving with an up-tempo pace into a high leg-kick and coiled balance point. His lower-half is explosive down the mound with a drop/drive movement pattern, working slightly across his body with his stride and a closed landing foot. His arm is noticeably quick throughout its circle and into release, coming out of a ¾ slot. Furio sat right at 82-83 mph with an average IVB of 15.3’ (T17.3’). His curveball sat 63-65 mph with gradual 11/5 shape and depth, landing it for strikes consistently. He featured a cutter at 71-75 mph, playing with short lateral action and thrown for some strikes. His final offering was a changeup at 74-75 mph, averaging 16.6’ of run (T17.4’). 

+ RHP/INF Aiden Bernau (South Elgin, 2025) is a lean, athletic two-way player in the state’s sophomore class, and he showed well over the weekend on both sides of the ball. From the mound, Bernau sat in the low-80s (touched 82.6 mph) with a quick arm that leaves a high slot; fastball can jump through the zone with some natural arm-side life. He also has a firm changeup that he throws aggressively featuring similar run/fade as his fastball. Bernau’s breaking ball flashed some promise as well, a short-action type that flashed some bite beneath the zone.

+ RHP Mac McGarry (Nazareth, 2025) is listed at 6-foot-2, 175-pounds and is athletically built with a developed lower-half. He worked exclusively out of the stretch throughout his 'pen, moving with a high leg-lift into a coiled balance point before utilizing a drop/drive lower-half that strides in-line down the mound. His arm is long out of the glove, moving with looseness throughout its' path into a 3/4 slot. His fastball sat 83-84 mph and worked between 2,300-2,400 RPM. His curveball played with sharp 11/5 bite, 71-72 mph. His final offering was a fading changeup at 74-76 mph, thrown for some strikes. 

+ RHP Jackson Clark (Hinsdale Central, 2025) is listed at a projectable 6-foot-6, 175-pounds with long levers and plenty of room to fill out. His delivery is athletic and loose, moving with a high leg-lift into balance point before moving down the mound with an in-line stride. His arm plays with a long arm swing out of the glove into a 3/4 slot, remaining fluid throughout. His fastball sat right at 78-80 mph (T2310 RPM) and averaged over 16' of run (T18.2'). His curveball played with gradual 11/5 shape and downer action, 65-67 mph. His changeup played with some downer break and was kept mostly down, 67-70 mph. 

+ LHP Sam Higgins (Maine South, 2026) became a follow freshman at this event after using a mechanically sound delivery to sit 78-79 mph with his fastball, working off a high release while creating steepness through the zone. It’s clean, loose arm attached to a lean 6-foot build, and he moves well enough to project like a reliable strike-thrower as he continues to develop. He used two different breaking balls, but it was the slider that looked best on this day, spinning tighter than his curveball, thrown with greater confidence that allowed him to locate it more consistently, and his changeup looks capable of becoming another useful offering too.

+ RHP Christian McGrath (St. Rita, 2024) is a 6-foot, loose-armed follow in the state’s junior class. Up to an 84 mph high, McGrath has an efficient four-seamer that works well alongside a short, 12/6 type breaking ball, and he has a deceptive changeup thrown at arm speed that fades hard arm-side.

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