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Class of 2026 Showcase: Quick Hits

October 15, 2024
By: Gavin Smith & Tyler Defibaugh
Illinois Scouting Staff

On Oct. 13th, Prep Baseball Illinois hosted the fall’s Class of 2026 Showcase at The MAX in McCook, Ill. 50 prospects participated in a pro-style workout, gathering unrivaled access to data through our state-of-the-art tech partners, as well as in-depth scouting analysis from our Prep Baseball Illinois staff.

Earlier today, we broke down some of the traditional stat leaders from the event within our Statistical Analysis piece. Now, we’ll begin breaking down the event’s highlights inside of this Takeaways post. Stay tuned as we continue to spotlight the event with additional analysis that on-site technology like TrackMan, Blast Motion, and Swift helped produce.

QUICK HITS

1B/OF Rhett Harris (Minooka) provided an intriguing look during his round of batting practice. A big right-handed hitter, Harris was all over the barrel producing one of the loudest rounds throughout the day. He’s made significant strides metrically since we last saw him in 2023, now averaging 92.9 mph (event best) off the bat and topping out at 96.6 mph, also recording a 72.3 mph (T75.5 mph) average bat speed. He showed quality actions from the outfield, moving around with ease, and showing a quality arm that was up to 84 mph on his best bullet home. A 6-foot-2, 217-pound frame, Harris recorded the third highest jump height (32.2”) while also running a 7.25 60 time.

C Colin Quinn (St. Rita) provided a polished round of batting practice where he was on the barrel for line drives up the middle. A 5-foot-10, 181-pound frame with some present strength, Quinn averaged 86 mph exit velocities while peaking at 93.7 mph. He showed above-average bat speed, averaging 70.8 mph. The defensive portion of his workout is noteworthy, recording the highest catcher velocity on throws down to second at 79 mph, while also tallying a 2.01 pop time.

C Emmit Collins (Marmion) is a strong left-handed bat that displayed some easy power to the pull-side of the field. A 5-foot-9, 191-pound frame with strength throughout, Collins posted a max exit velocity of 96.3 mph while sending his farthest hit ball 334 feet.

OF Matt Young (Lane Tech) stands in a lean, athletic frame at 5-foot-7, 150-pounds. He showed upside throughout the day, beginning the event by running a 7.00 60 time. He went on to show intrigue at the plate, hitting from the left-side with a simple, easy swing that stayed in the zone a long time. He was on the barrel at times, working the middle/pull-side of the field for line drives. He showed confidence in the outfield, displaying athletic footwork, attacking the ball in-stride, and a clean arm action on throws to home. A name-to-follow in Illinois.

OF Landon Ehman (Lincoln-Way East) is a name that has made significant strides since our staff last saw him in the winter of 2023. It’s an athletic frame with room for growth at 5-foot-9, 151-pounds. The left-handed hitter has an uphill path and posted a max exit velocity of 90.9 mph, while sending his farthest hit ball 347 feet during his round of batting practice. His athleticism translated well to his defensive round, showing confidence with quality footwork and clean and quick arm that produced the top outfield velocity of the day (87 mph). A 7.16 runner, Ehman also recorded a peak jump height of 31.3 inches.

It was an overall impressive day for INF Joshua Luciano (Lincoln Park) on Sunday. A 5-foot-8, 163-pound athletic frame with strength, Luciano produced a max exit velocity of 90.9 mph, and an average of 85.5 mph, showing that he was on the barrel throughout. He played with some bounce defensively, showing steady hands and quality footwork throughout.

INF Javoris Bohannon (Homewood-Flossmoor) stands in an upside, long-levered 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame. He’s a twitchy right-handed hitter with an intentful, controlled swing that produced the second highest exit velocity of the day (97.2 mph) while staying on the barrel for an average of 85.3 mph. Intriguing follow in the state’s junior class.

OF Quinn Roberts (DePaul College Prep) made his Prep Baseball event debut on Sunday and led the event in multiple statistical categories. A right-handed hitter, Roberts produced a max exit velocity of 99.1 mph, max batted distance of 373 feet, average bat speed of 78 mph, max bat speed of 80.2 mph, all of which were event leading, as well as his 87 mph outfield velocity, which was tied for the event best. A 6.98 runner, Roberts is a toolsy prospect with plenty of untapped upside in his 6-foot, 176-pound frame.

INF Ralph Jones (Stagg) stands in a strong 5-foot-8, 181-pound frame. He showed well during his round of batting practice where he averaged 90.4 mph off the bat, the second best of the event, while producing a max exit velocity of 95.4 mph. His average bat speed was close to the top of the leaderboard as well, recording an average of 70.2 mph. He’s a steady glove up the middle that showed the ability to work to both sides of the ball.

C Evan Mendiola (York) is yet another name that had a loud round of batting practice. He’s a strong right-handed hitter at 6-foot-1, 188-pounds with a loose, easy swing that produced pull-side power at times. Mendiola recorded a max exit velocity of 96.9 mph, good for third highest at the event.

INF Conor Sullivan (Lane Tech) made his Prep Baseball event debut at The MAX this past Sunday. He displayed a loud round of batting practice with his simple, intentful right-handed swing where he worked the pull-side/middle of the field throughout, posting a max exit velocity of 96.6 mph (avg. 85.6 mph).

C Luka Stojakovic (Maine South) had an all-around intriguing day. The right-handed hitter has a simple and calm approach at the plate, working the pull-side and middle of the field throughout, while producing a max exit velocity of 93.9 mph. During defense, Stojakovic worked quick out of the crouch with a clean/quick transfer while tallying the lowest pop time of the day (1.97) and a max catcher velocity of 74 mph. A 7.13 runner, he’s a junior-to-follow.

INF/RHP Alex Zeigler (Lane Tech) is an interesting prospect that was atop the statistical leaderboard in multiple categories. He’s a 5-foot-11, 160-pound prospect with strength still to come. He led the event in max jump height (36.2 inches) which is one of the better vertical jump scores this fall, while also leading the event in infield velocity (87 mph). The right-handed hitter posted a max exit velocity of 94.3 mph (avg. 85.4 mph). Zeigler then hopped on the mound and showed intrigue. Zeigler led the event in average fastball spin rate (2338 rpm) and induced vertical break (16.3”), while reaching a max velocity of 82.8 mph with the pitch. Zeigler also showed a quality secondary pitch in his splitter that killed spin (avg. 950 rpm) at 69-71 mph that showed potential to induce swing and miss in the future.

OF Christian Hudson (Homewood-Flossmoor) is a wiry athlete that stands in a 5-foot-11, 145-pound frame. Hudson led the event in the 60-yard time, recording a 6.72. A right-handed hitter, he showed some twitch while producing a max exit velocity of 88.1 mph.

OF Chuck Laurenson (Lane Tech) took a polished round of batting practice on Sunday, showing a compact, direct swing from the right-side of the plate. It’s simple and controlled through contact, producing a max exit velocity of 92.5 mph and staying on the barrel for an average of 85.1 mph, while also sending his farthest hit ball 343 feet.

LHP Ryan Flanagan (Lincoln-Way East) gave an upside look in his ‘pen on Sunday. He presents a trim, high-waisted frame at 6-foot, 157-pounds with projection still to come in the coming years. The southpaw is an easy, athletic mover down the hill with a loose and athletic arm to pair. Flanagan’s delivery promotes deception in each offering with how he hides the ball until the last second. His fastball played clean out of the hand, sitting 81-83 mph with arm-side run (avg. -11.8” HM) and sink (avg. 11.5” IVB), for consistent strikes. His curveball and slider both sat in the low 70’s, while his curveball played more vertically with a 1/7 shape, while conversely his slider showed more sweep across the zone with more of a tighter slurve action. Flanagan would round out his arsenal with a 75-77 mph changeup that showed downer action (avg. 12.1” IVB).

RHP Greg Campitelli (New Trier) was another arm to note from the event. He stands in at an athletic 5-foot-11, 172-pound frame with room to fill out in the future. Campitelli showed feel for all three of his offerings during his ‘pen. His fastball came out of his hand with life, topping out at 83 mph with heavy arm-side run (avg. 16” HM). He landed his slider for strikes 83% of the time at 68-69 mph with short bite from a 10/4 shape. Campitelli rounded out his mix with a 66-68 mph changeup with significant arm-side fade (avg. 15” HM) and significant downer fade (avg. 0.2” IVB), that could make for an effective out-pitch going forward.

RHP Finn Stovall (Harlem) threw the event’s hardest fastball, reaching 84 mph with carry through the zone (avg. 15.2” IVB), while landing in the zone 75% of the time, which also led the event. He also led the event in average slider spin rate (2406 rpm) with an average of -19.2” of HM through the zone. Stovall rounded out his mix with a 73-75 mph splitter that showed downer fade (avg. 3.6” IVB), showing a true feel for the pitch throughout his ‘pen.

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