WESTFIELD, IN - The second-annual Prep Baseball Report Midwest Select features 11 high-profile teams from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, held at Grand Park on April 12-13. The event, which featured highly ranked prospects from all high school classes, unveiled Grand Park’s new Trackman analytics system.

Below are the game recaps from the games. For more in-depth scouting information on players, please visit the Midwest Select Scout Blog ...

SATURDAY, April 13

Libertyville (IL) vs. Gull Lake (MI) - Saturday 9:00AM

In the first game of the day, Gull Lake (MI) jumped on top of Libertyville (IL) early and held on for a 9-0 WIN.  

Gull Lake starter, 2020 RHP Luke Scoles, picked up the win on the mound, throwing a complete game, seven innings. Scoles worked in the low-80’s throughout, consistently mixed in a tight curveball and pounded the zone. Scoles, only allowed one hit, struck out six and walked two. The uncommitted junior is currently ranked No. 26 in Michigan.

Gull Lake did all of their damage in two innings; scoring four runs in the top of the second and five more in the seventh. In the four-run fourth inning, unsigned senior CF Justin Mansager delivered the big hit, a two-out, two-run single up the middle. In the seventh, 2021 LHH Korbin Griffin scoring Jacob Louden and Scoles. 2020 Jack Blesch, who finished the day 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, also singled in a run in the frame. Hunter Hazel was another Gull Lake position player with two hits on the day.

2020 OF Dylan Drumke delivered the one hit of the day for Libertyville.

Portage Northern (MI) vs. Columbus North (IN) - Saturday 10:30 PM

No. 2 Columbus North (IN) defeated Portage Northern 11-0 Saturday morning on 11 hits. Bulldogs right-hander Parker Maddox (2019, Ohio recruit) didn't allow a single run, allowing just two hits while striking out four in five innings. Maddox relied heavily on his 88-91 mph fastball, touching 92 twice. 

Portage Northern lead-off hitter Tyler Helgeson (2019, Eastern Michigan commit) drove an 89 mph fastball to center to start off the game. Helgeson would later get into scoring position on a stolen base and advance to third on a sacrifice bunt, however, would be stranded at third after Maddox induced a groundout and a strikeout to end the threat.

The Columbus North offense started off hot, scoring two runs in the first. Kentucky commit Grant Trinkle (2020) led off the inning with a four pitch walk. Uncommitted 2020 SS Homare Takauchi then singled, putting runners on first and second. Louisville commit Austin Bode (2021) singled on a hard hit up the middle, driving in Trinkle. Takauchi plated the second run off a Casper Clark (2020) pop out to 1B. 

Columbus North plated four more runs in the third and five in the fifth. 

Four Bulldogs had multiple hits; Grant Trinkle (2-2, 3R, BB), Homare Takauchi (2-2, 3R, 2RBI); Austin Bode (3-3, 2R, 3RBI); Casper Clark (2-3, R, 2RBI).

Edwardsville (IL) vs. Portage Central (MI)  Saturday - 11:00 AM

The Tigers of Edwardsville moved to 2-0 on the weekend with a 14-5 win over Portage Central. The Tigers put up crooked numbers in each of the first five innings of the game and pounded out 14 hits in the victory.

The biggest inning for Edwardsville came in the top of the fifth when they scored five runs to open up a 14-2 lead at the time. The first five hitters of the frame reached base safely and score. Josh Ohl led the offense, going 4-for-4 with two RBI, two stolen bases and a runs scored. Hayden Moore, Blake Burris and Joe Toscano all had two hits and at least one RBI in the game.  

Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit, 2019 RHP Matthew Boyer had a strong start on the mound for the Tigers. Boyer, the No. 108 ranked prospect in Illinois, threw a high volume of strikes with his live fastball that sat 86-88 mph, touching 90. Boyer flashed a three-pitch repertoire with his go-to offering being a 12/6 curveball with depth and swing-and-miss action.

Portage Central got on the board with two runs in the first inning and pushed across three more in the bottom of the fifth. Luke Leto, an LSU commit, once again led the way for Portage. Leto went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored. Zach MacDonald and Bronson Wyman added an extra hit a piece in the loss.

Centerville (OH) vs. Gull Lake (MI) - Saturday 12:30 PM

2019 RHP Nick Hoffmann stole the show when the 6-foot-2 Clemson recruit threw a perfect game to lead Centerville to victory. Hoffmann pounded the zone with his 88-91 mph fastball, and wrinkled in a 73-75 mph breaking ball. He punched out eight, with the final one coming on a 91-mph fastball to conclude the game. For good measure, Hoffmann also delivered a run-scoring triple to help his own cause.

2021 3B Ethan Muckerheide delivered a pair of hits and scored a run, while 2019 uncommitted 1B had a RBI double and reached base three times for Centerville. 2019 Kyle Moyer also delivered a double, RBI single and scored a run.

Edwardsville (IL) vs. Columbus North (IN) - Saturday 2:00 PM

Indiana commit, RHP Casper Clark, was the story of the game, leading Columbus North to a 2-0 win over Edwardsville. Clark, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound, extra-large, imposing right-hander, ranked No. 3 in the Indiana 2020 class threw a seven-inning complete game shutout. Clark was efficient, throwing 96 pitches in the seven innings, scattering four hits, striking out seven and walking two. His fastball worked 87-88 mph early on and settled in at 84-88 mph. He works primarily off his fastball, which gets heavy run and sink action, inducing a number of ground balls, especially late in the game.

Columbus North jumped ahead in the first inning thanks to a one-out hustle double by Homare Takauchi. Takauchi then scored on a two-out single by Clark. They tacked on their second and final run in the top of third inning. Grant Trinkle (kentucky commit) led off the frame with a triple to deep left-center and later scored on a groundout by Austin Bode (Louisville commit).

Hard throwing right-handed pitcher, Dawson Taylor, got the start for Edwardsville. Taylor, a John A. Logan JC commit, sat 89-92 mph, touched 93 early on and settled in anywhere from 88-90. Taylor utilizes a hard-biting, 80-82 mph slider to limit the potent Columbus North lineup to five hits in his six-innings of work. Taylor struck out 11, allowed one earned run and walked one. Drake Westcott, a Louisville commit, had two hits to lead the Edwardsville offense.

Edgewood (IN) vs. Portage Central (MI) - Saturday 2:30 PM

Behind a stellar pitching performance by 2021 RHP Luke Hayden and a clutch two-out hit by 2021 Coleman Sater, Edgewood held on to defeat Portage Central, 2-1, in eight innings.

Hayden, a solidly built 6-foot, 190-pound Indiana recruit, threw all eight innings, allowing only three hits and one run while striking out nine with no walks and one hit batsman.  Hayden pounded the strike zone with a fastball that ranged between 87-90, touching 91. He also shuffled in an aggressive 77-80 mph slider that he regularly landed for strikes. He finished off his 102-pitch masterpiece with a strikeout on an 89-mph fastball. Hayden’s lone mistake was a 90-mph fastball that 1B Max Longman took deep to give Portage Central a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Edgewood finally got on the board in the sixth inning when 2020 Sam Kido doubled, and later came around to score on Cooper Thatcher’s single. Then, in the eighth inning, Joe Kido led off with a single, and eventually scored when Sater delivered a clutch two-out the game-winning single to left field. Sater finished with a pair of hits.

Portage Central rallied in the bottom of the eighth, but 2019 CF Ethan Vecrumba hosed a runner at the plate with one out on No. 1-ranked 2021 prospect Luke Leto’s single up the middle. 2020 RHP Ryan Dorff was the tough-luck loser for Portage Central. The 6-foot-4 uncommitted right-hander pitched seven innings, yielding six hits, two earned, five Ks and one walk.

Centerville (OH) vs. Portage Northern (MI) - Saturday 3:30 PM

Portage Northern and Centerville took center stage for its final game of the PBR Midwest Select. Each team remained even after three innings, but the Huskies of Portage Northern pulled away and salvaged an 8-4 victory, despite a late push by Centerville.

Tyler Helgeson (Eastern Michigan commit) scored on a mishandled ball by the opposing second baseman in the opening frame. In the second, Northern smacked back-to-back-to-back singles to drive in two and push a lead to 3-1.

Centerville started its own rally in the second, starting with a Drew Smith double. He then came around to score on a fielder’s choice. Matthew Graveline, a 2022 prospect, reached on a bloop single over the second basemen and scored on Ryan Stahl’s sac-fly to left, which knotted the game at three after two innings complete.

The Huskies then answered with two in the third, started by Zach Quinn, who singled to center. Immediately after, Parker Brey walked. Gannon Andrews then cleared the bases with a double off the left field wall.

Northern added some insurance late in the game with a run in the fifth and two in the seventh. Centerville scored one in the fifth, but it was only able to pull within four. The bottom of the seventh looked promising for Centerville as it loaded the bases, but a ground out to second sealed the victory for the Huskies. Gregory Lapetina came on in relief and shut down the Centerville offense and escaped the threat leaving with an 8-4 win.

For Portage Northern, Brey went 2-for-3 with a single, double and a walk. Andrews went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a single and three RBI.

Centerville’s Drew Smith went 2-for-4, with a double and a single. Thomas Jenkins reached three times and knocked in a run.

 

Friday, April 12

Joliet Catholic (IL) 10, Moeller (OH) 7

In the opening game of the PBR Midwest select, Joliet Catholic (No. 4 in Illinois) jumped on top of Moeller (OH) early and held on for a 10-7 win. The Hilltoppers of Joliet Catholic put up three runs in the second inning and six more in the third, to open up a 9-2 lead at the time. Joliet Catholic racked up six hits in the third inning, four of them being of the extra-base variety. Greg Ziegler and Michael Gurka delivered run-scoring doubles while Jared Cushing and Nathan Gehrke added RBI triples.

Uncommitted RHP Zach Hise, the No. 19 prospect in the Illinois’ 2020 class, got the start for Joliet Catholic. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound, right-hander struck out 10 in 4.2 innings of work while picking up the win. Hise sat 85-86 mph throughout and got a number of swing-and-misses on his 72-74 mph slider that had late sweeping action.

Moeller’s big inning came in the top of the fifth inning, when they scored five runs, cutting the lead to 9-7 at the time. Ryan Galanie and Michael Tennie had doubles in the frame but the big blow was a three-run home run from junior Bryce Davenport. Tennie and Patrick Duter led the way for Moeller with two hits a piece.

Cushing, a Texas Tech commit, led the Joliet Catholic offensive attack going 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Josh Ragusa came out of the bullpen for Joliet Catholic and struck out four, giving up one run, in 2.1 innings of work.

Columbus North (IN) 9, Libertyville (IL) 4  

Columbus North opened their Midwest Select appearance by storming back from a 4-1 deficit, late. The Dogs tied the game in the sixth, then took a commanding lead to salvage a 9-4 victory.

Derek Calamari got the scoring started for Libertyville with a ground rule double in the first – he finished 2-for-4 on the day with a run batted in. Tanner Kelly (Illinois State) went 2-for-3 with two singles. Dylan Drumke and Sam Paden also had run-scoring knocks, but it was Columbus North who battled back in the sixth and tied it, when a mishandled ball through the left side allowed two runs to score.

From then on, Columbus North scored five unanswered to cruise to a 9-4 victory. Despite the score, it was a tightly-contested game throughout most of the day.

For Columbus North, Grant Trinkle (Kentucky) finished 3-for-4 with a run scored. Blake Huffman was the game-saver with the game-tying hit and added on five total RBIs on the day. Hayden McDaniel had a hit to his credit and plated two.

Edwardsville (IL) 3, Gull Lake (MI) 1

2020 uncommitted RHP Collin Salter was the story of the game, as the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder carved up a physical Gull Lake squad in throwing a three-hit complete game. Salter went to his slider early and often to rack up 13 strikeouts to only one walk while pounding the strike zone at a 67 percent clip (97 pitches). Salter often worked backwards to keep Gull Lake’s offense off-balance all game long, showing an 80-82 mph fastball, then putting away hitters with a slider that ranged between 70-73. He sometimes toggled the shape and speed of his slider, flashing a 67-69 mph slurve. Both breaking balls had advanced spin, ranging between 2,500-2,769, per Trackman data. Salter started the game by punching out five in the first two innings, and then later K’d four straight between the fourth and fifth innings.

The Tigers (11-2), who have ripped off nine straight victories, broke open a scoreless tie in the fourth on Josh Ohl’s wind-aided RBI triple. Edwardsville put the game away in the fifth by scoring two more. 2021 CF Hayden Moore, a Missouri State recruit, singled in a run, and 2020 1B Drake Wescott (Louisville recruit) drove in a run on a sac fly to centerfield. Ohl, a SIU-Edwardville recruit, went 2-for-3 for the Tigers.

Dawson Clancy paced Gull Lake (3-1) with two hits. Uncommitted 2020 RHP Jack Blesch pitched well in the loss, striking out seven behind a 84-88 mph fastball and 77-80 mph breaking ball.

Joliet Catholic (IL) 3, Portage Northern (MI) 1

In the nightcap of Joliet Catholic’s doubleheader, they faced Portage Northern. Coming off a win against Moeller (OH), the Hilltoppers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and looked to try and sweep the day – and they did just that, but not without drama. On the mound for JCA was lefty Alex Vera (Illinois commit). He was in command most of the game, but it was the do-or-die frame where Portage Northern capitalized.

In the bottom of the seventh, Northern’s Zach Quinn walked, then came around to score on a single by Malcolm Gaynor. This game-tying hit sent the contest to extras, and in the 10th, JCA’s Jared Cushing (Texas Tech) lined a single to center to score Max Cullen (Loras College) and Christian Knapczyk (Louisville). Gregory Ziegler (Missouri State) stifled the Northern offense in the home half of the 10th to give JCA a 3-1 victory.

Gannon Andrews and Quinn both reached twice for Northern; Gaynor reached three times, walking once and singling twice. For JCA, Cullen and Michael Gurka (Minnesota) reached twice; Ziegler, Cushing and Danny Wuestenfield all reached three times on the evening.

Southport (IN) vs. Moeller (OH) 

In a highly anticipated match-up between Southport's Avery Short and Ohio's No. 2 ranked Moeller, offense was the story of the game. Moeller plated seven runs in the first three innings with Southport putting four runs across.  

Southport added two more in the sixth to make it a one run game, but that's all the Cardinals would score the rest of the night. A solo HR in the top of the 7th from Ryan Galanie brought the Crusaders run total to 8, making the final score 8-6. 

Top offensive performers for Moeller included Ryan Galanie: 2H, 3B, HR; John Codner: 2-4, RBI; Quinton Morris: 2RBI. 

Moeller's Matthew Treadway went six innings, scattering nine hits, walking two with three strikeouts.

Short allowed seven hits in his four innings of work, striking out six with no walks, running the fastball up to 91 on multiple occasions, settling in at 87-89. The Cardinals defense made eight errors on the night. 

 Libertyville (IL) 13, Portage Central (MI) 7

In the Friday nightcap, Libertyville bounced back from their game one loss, with an impressive 13-7 victory over Portage Central (MI). Libertyville scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back, scoring in every frame but one. The Wildcats of Libertyville pounded out 15 hits on the game and were led by 2020 Sam Paden, who also picked up the win on the mound.

Paden finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, four RBI and a run scored. On the mound, Paden sat 78-82 mpg, touching 84 and struck out six in five innings of work. Leadoff hitter, Karsen Cardona was another offensive catalyst for the Wildcats. Cardona finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Eight of the nine offensive starters for Libertyville (7-8) collected at least one hit on the night.

Despite the strong performances up-and-down the Libertyville lineup, the most impressive prospect on the field was Portage Central 2021 SS Luke Leto. Leto, an LSU commit and one of the top sophomores in the country, led off, played shortstop and went 4-for-4 with an inside-the-park home run, a triple, three RBI and three runs scored. The ball jumps off the left-handed hitter’s bat and he flies around the bases. Leto ran a 4.19 down the line on an infield single and on a triple later in the game, was 4.35 on a turn. Fellow sophomore Zach McDonald chipped in with two hits and two RBI in the loss.

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