Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

PBR Illinois Pitcher of the Week: Hank Liss

April 26, 2023
TJ Hunt
Director, PBR New Jersey

Recently cracking our Top 10 in the Power 25, Evanston is off to a stellar 17-2 start and this is without question due in part to RHP Hank Liss (2023; Belmont). The right-hander is a true ace on the mound and proved so this past week, as he led No. 10 Evanston Township past No. 6 New Trier by the score of 6-0, earning him this week’s Pitcher of the Week award.

The Belmont commit fired six shutout innings at the extremely potent Trevians offense, only allowing three hits, three walks and striking out nine enroute to a victory over the conference foe. 

Evanston would go on to finish the week at a perfect 3-0 clip with another win coming against New Trier, and they now find themselves up to No. 4 in the Power 25.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, Liss might not look like your typical fire-baller, but he lets his stuff speak for itself. He can run his fastball up to 90 mph with eye-popping spin rates on all his pitches, reaching up to 2,500 RPM for his fastball and nearly 3,000 RPM for his breaking balls at times. His knack to spin is the separator for the right-hander, as he can flip in either of his breaking balls whenever he wants to miss barrels, and then bump a 90 mph fastball past you for good measure.


Scouting Report

4/18/23
Currently ranked No. 62 in the state and was a Preseason ProCase participant this past February. 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, athletic, strong build. Liss got the start on the mound and batted fifth in the lineup. Went six strong, shutout innings where he struck out nine batters and allowed three hits with three walks. Worked out of two bases loaded jams throughout his outing. Worked with a heavy fastball, slider mix to go after New Triers hitters. The fastball was clean out of the hand with minimal effort, played straight with life, sat 87-90 mph throughout the outing. Liss’ main secondary was his slider, able to manipulate the depth, shape and action depending on count and situation; plays with tight spin to the glove side and had the confidence to throw in any count at 77-81 mph. Continues to get better every time we see him. 

We're thankful for the POTW submissions we received from the coaches across the state. The players who garnered POTW consideration will earn a place within Friday's Diamond Notes story, so be on the lookout for that by the end of this week. 

Related Content