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PBR at The Rock 16U: Day 2 Quick Hits

July 19, 2020
By Wisconsin Staff

A jam-packed Day 2 at The Rock hosted some more exciting Class of 2022 talent across the Midwest. Check out these follow names who put together noteworthy performances on the second day of action. The Day 2 highlights can be found below.

+ Day 2 got off to a hot start on the mound as Illinois Indians RHP Nathan Hayes (St. Charles East, 2022) had dominant stuff striking out seven in four innings pitched, allowing just two hits and one earned run. His fastball sat 84-86 mph with the ability to reach for 87 mph on multiple occasions. However his breaking ball is the separator, working 76-78 mph with a 2400-2500 spin rate.

+ It was an offensive-heavy game one for the Schaumburg Seminoles National team, scoring nine runs en route to a victory. A large chunk of that run production came from the Seminoles 3-4-5 hitters: C Kyle Odeshoo (Prospect, IL, 2022), INF Nehemiah Goodman (Marion, IL, 2023), and OF Alexander Cherian (Niles West, IL, 2022). The trio combined for seven hits and collectively drove in seven runs, pacing the way offensively for Schaumburg. Cherian, in particular, stood out after he crushed a fastball over the center field fence for a three-run home run. Shivam Patel (Glenbard North, IL, 2022) twirled a solid outing in game one, tossing five shutout innings and striking out three.

The Seminoles pitching production continued in game two when the aforementioned Goodman toed the rubber. He looked good from the start, regularly sitting in the 82-84 mph range, with a lot of 84 mph heaters, through the first three innings and showing natural sinking action. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Goodman’s proportional strength paired with athleticism make him the right-hander an interesting prospect to follow moving forward. 

+ ISA Stars Royal were led to a 10-0 win by LHP Wyatt Wiitanen (Green Bay Preble, 2022) who held Hitters White at bay. He pitched a five-inning shutout, and allowed just two hits while pitching around four walks, with four Ks. Stars Royal’s bats were alive to support Wiitanen’s strong effort on the mound, tallying 11 hits, led mostly by Cade Milton (Notre Dame Academy) and Jaicee Foster (Green Bay Southwest). Milton kicked off the scoring by putting together a long, tough at-bat against a quality arm that ended in him going down and getting a ball down and clubbing it over the left field fence for a two-run homer. Foster stayed hot this weekend with two more hits and two more RBIs, recording a double and a triple. Cam Kelly (Gladstone Area, MI, 2022) also helped from the two-hole, with a double and another base hit, good for an RBI and run scored.

+ RHP Dylan Dotson (Buckeye, 2022) got the nod for NEO Elite Baseball in their first game of the day against the Central Illinois Outlaws. Dotson looked solid throughout, tossing 5.2 innings, allowing zero earned runs and striking out eight. His compact strength paired with some evident athleticism stood out, and his ability to hold his 80-83 mph fastball velocity throughout did as well. Dotson effectively mixed in both of his off-speed pitches, a diving changeup and true 12/6 breaking ball. The athleticism and polish make the right-hander an interesting Ohio prospect to follow moving forward.

In game two, the Ohio State commit Andrew Jones (Brush, OH, 2022) took the ball. He's stood out for his fast bat and athleticism at shortstop – both at this tourney and last year’s 15U event at The Rock – and he also demonstrated some next-level traits as an arm. He was sitting 83-85 mph, topping 86, from an over-the-top slot that tunnelled exceptionally with his downer, sharp slider at 73-75. He struck out eight and walked six, though he was consistently around the zone, and he did well to limit the self-inflicted jams he got into, allowing just one run in the team’s 4-1 win.

+ It was a really competitive contest between ISA Stars White and Top Tier Nationals. Down 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Stars White rallied back to take the lead and win. SS Grant Meulemans (Freedom, 2022) drove in the first run of the frame, maintaining the momentum he gathered at the Badger State Battle, looking more and more like a name to note inside this 2022 class. INF Hunter Pribeck (De Pere) followed him up with a two-run single to center to tie it, and a bases-loaded walk eventually put them into the 5-4 lead.

For Top Tier Nationals, they sent out a plethora of arms to the mound. Starter RHP Bearden Awadzi (Wheaton Warrenville South, IL, 2022) showed off an impressive collection of tools at a PBR Illinois showcase earlier in the week, and his arm on the mound is live. While still honing his feel to pitch and control, Awadzi was up to 85 mph with some jump and carry through the zone. RHP Jack Flagg (Oak Park-River Forest, IL, 2022) relieved him and was effective for three frames. Flagg’s a projectable 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, and his clean arm action was notable. Sitting in the 78-80 mph range, up to 81, Flagg K’d five in three innings of work and allowed just one run on two hits, one walk. SS Luke Brabham (Nazareth Academy, IL, 2022) and Osvaldo Ballesteros Jr. (St. Laurence, IL, 2022) churned Top Tier’s offense from the bottom of the order with two hits each.

+ ESP Black has been motoring on offense this weekend, having won their latest game 11-3 over Edge Baseball. OF Jake Petak (Lincoln-Way East, 2022) paced the group with a 4-for-4 game, tallying a double and a triple. SS Kelly Roney (West Aurora, 2022) was also productive from the top of the lineup, with two hits, two runs, and two RBIs, the same as C Mac Eccher (Marmion Academy). This ESP Black squad has a handful of follow bats to alert our PBR Illinois colleagues of.

+ STiKS Academy Red sent a follow arm in the state’s ‘22 class to the mound over at Franklin Field on Saturday: RHP Braydon Cooper (Catholic Memorial). A big, strong 6-foot-3, 185-pound righty with arm strength, Cooper carved through his start, allowing just three hits in 5.2 innings with 10 Ks. It’s a heavy fastball that came out hot at 84-86 mph, touching 87, though it settled into the 81-83 range as the game went on. The curveball features tight spin at 67-69 mph, off a 12/6 plane, and his feel for it helped him keep his opposition off balance.

+ C Connor O’Reilly (Burlington, 2022) showcased his raw power in PTA Cardinal’s second game of the tournament – he was 2-for-3 with a double and an extra-loud triple. In the bottom of the first, O’Reilly hit a sacrifice fly to get his team on the board. In his next at-bat, he launched a ball to the deepest part of the park in left-center, off the fence, that he earned a triple on. A double into the opposite gap capped his day, underscoring his potential capabilities as a run-producer at the next level.

SS Carson Flugaur (Franklin, 2022) has still yet to record an out this tournament for PTA Cardinal. After going 3-for-3 on Friday, he was 3-for-3 again Saturday. He doubled and tripled twice, favoring the middle of the field in his approach. Teammate Jack Baretz (Franklin, 2022) went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in their game against Illinois Lightning, hitting line-drives to all fields; a single to left, right-center, and he ended on a walk-off liner to left to score a pair.

+ Top Tier American's RHP Ethan Patera (Downers Grove South, IL, 2022) is one of the top-ranked prospects on the weekend. A Louisville commit, Patera is a hulking 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and he uses every bit of it to produce an 86-88 mph fastball. He mixed in a 74-75 mph breaking ball to keep Great Lakes Academy off the board – he K’d six in 3.1 innings, an route to a 10-1 Top Tier victory. Brendan Som delivered a two RBI double in the five-run rally second inning.

+ Following a strong performance yesterday, RHP/INF Peyton Lee (Edgerton, 2022) took the mound on Saturday morning. The righty showcased his clean mechanics on the mound, producing a fastball that plays heavy in the zone, at 82-84 mph, touching 85. He also mixed in a slider with sweeping action at 71-74 mph, as well as a curveball at 64-67 that has some depth. He also added a single at the dish and scored two runs. His final line on the mound: 4 IP, 0 ER, 8 K, 5 BB.

C/INF Kase Reierson (Rio, 2022) batted in the cleanup spot during GRB Yellow’s matchups on Saturday. The right-handed-hitting catcher showed off some excellent bat-to-ball skills and solid bat strength. His compact swing produced consistent hard contact. He finished the day 3-for-5 on the day with a pair of doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Behind the dish, Reierson moves well laterally and has above average blocking skills.

+ SS/3B Cade Nowik’s (Lake Forest, 2022) big first day Friday was compounded by another highlight performance on Saturday. The 6-foot, 185-pound, right-handed-hitting infielder has a strong lower half on a physical frame. He has solid bat strength too, as shown by both his hits in today’s matchup. Nowik showcased excellent opposite field power, driving the baseball to the right field wall on two separate occasions. In the field, Nowik has excellent range at the hot corner. He showed this off by making a web gem on a diving play to his left. 

+ ProPlayer Canes (Freund) had an explosive day offensively, slugging their way to 21 runs. They collected 17 hits, four of which came off the bat of Gavin Micklinghoff (McHenry, IL, 2022). He found the barrel for a double and was a notable run-producer, driving in four runs. The other big bat for the Canes was Tyler Deleskewicz (Badger, 2022), who connected with a middle-in fastball and launched it over the left field fence for a grand slam. Dillon Maciaszek (McHenry, 2022), Michael Vitellaro (Huntley, IL, 2022), and Nick Model (Huntley, 2022) all had multi-hit games. 

+ Hitters White bounced back from a defeat to record a 12-hit, 12-4 win in game two on Saturday. SS/RHP James Reese (Univ. School of Milwaukee, 2022) further showed his two-way potential with three more hits, including two doubles. 3B/1B Matthew Miller (Ozaukee, 2022) also added a pair of hits; OF James Duncan (Arrowhead, 2022; Illinois State commit) collected another couple of hits and drove in three.

+ Under the lights in the final slot of the evening, Top Tier North battled ISA Stars White in a pitching duel, tied 0-0 headed into the seventh. It was a masterful performance from James Vargas (Arrowhead, 2022), in which he did not allow a run in six shutout innings, with 11 Ks and three walks and just one hit allowed. Vargas at 81-83 mph, up to 84, with a 67-69 curve, putting himself on the names-to-know radar coming out of the weekend. Vargas battled his Stars White counterpart, RHP Ethan Hoops (De Pere, 2022), who pitched around five walks and two hits in his 5.2 innings – and he also K’d eight, sitting in the 75-77 mph range with the fastball. The game had some energy around it and ended in climactic fashion. Jack Mastros (New Trier, IL, 2022) set the table with a lead-off single in the bottom of the seventh, and Vargas pitched in with a double to put the winning run on third. Matt Dworsky (Deerfield, IL, 2022) then put a charge into a long ball to the left-center gap that obviously had enough juice to bring in the game’s first and only run.

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