Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Elgin CC Scout Day: Takeaways

October 15, 2024
By: Pete Hamot
Assistant Director, Illinois & Wisconsin

On Thursday, September 26th, the Prep Baseball Illinois staff traveled to Elgin, IL to host the Elgin CC Scout Day. The Spartans won a respectable 30 games last spring, and they will be looking to repeat their success this coming season with a strong crop of returners and some new faces.

Continue reading below to see which players stood out to our scouting staff the most from the day.

POSITION PLAYERS 

So. INF Daniel Blickhan (West Chicago, 2023)
6-foot-2, 218-pound frame, strong and durable build with strength throughout. The right-handed hitter took one of the loudest rounds of BP on the day, reaching as high as 103.4 mph for his max EV with an average of 99.5 mph, also measuring his farthest hit ball at 404’. He creates all sorts of bat-speed through the zone, averaging nearly 82 mph while peaking at 88.5 mph according to BLAST. He has a wider, slightly open base that works back to even with his stride, firing through the zone with strong hands and a flat path, looking to elevate to his pull-side. Steady hands on the infield with a strong arm (T88 mph INF). 7.20 runner in the 60. Hit his way to a .339 average in 62 at-bats last spring. 

RSo.OF  Peter Mitchell (Jacobs, 2022)
6-foot-3, 190-pound frame, athletic looking frame with evenly proportioned strength. The left-handed hitter has a smooth swing that stays flat through the zone with a compact finish, reaching up to 95.5 mph for his max EV with a max distance of 339’. Quality arm from the outfield, topping out at 85 mph. 7.15 runner in the 60. Recorded a .300 average in limited at-bats last spring. 

So. C Nick Weaver (Streamwood, 2023) 
6-foot, 178-pound frame with round shoulders and present strength throughout. A top returner for the Spartans, Weaver brings back a line of .427/.522/.628 in 164 at-bats with 17 doubles, 51 RBIs and 59 runs scored. The right-handed hitter has an athletic and balanced swing that works to stay on top of the baseball with some whip through the zone, reaching up to 97.4 mph for his max EV with a max distance of 334’. Worker behind the plate, looks to present pitches around the zone. Arm plays with clear life down to second with some tailing action, T77 mph, 1.92 pop-time, clean glove-to-hand and stays under control. 7.08 runner in the 60, has been down to a 6.94 in the past. 

So. 1B Jack Kerno (Rockford Boylan Catholic, 2023) 
6-foot-2, 220-pound frame, physically advanced with strength throughout. Toolsy athlete with an intriguing power/speed combination. The right-handed hitter worked on the barrel throughout his round with a max EV of 102 mph, averaging 98 mph throughout with a max distance of 377’. Strong hands with a flat path, averaged 23.1 mph for his hand-speed according to BLAST. 6.90 runner in the 60. Steady hands at first base, moves well around the bag. Finished last spring with a line of .406/.488/.594 with 11 doubles and four home runs in 143 at-bats. 

So. OF Cole Clemens (Naperville North, 2023) 
6-foot, 205-pound frame, strong, athletic build, proportionate strength. Toolsy athlete, starting off his day by cruising to a 6.99 in the 60 on a slow track. The left-handed hitter flashed some power throughout his round of BP, reaching up to 97 mph for his max EV with a max distance of 351’. He put up some impressive BLAST metrics, averaging 23.4 mph for his hand-speed and 26.4 Gs for his rotational acceleration. Strong arm from the outfield, topping out at 87 mph from a crow hop. 

Two-Way

So. 1B/LHP Casey Farrell (Wheaton Warrenville South, 2023) 
6-foot-3, 205-pound frame. Had a strong showing on both sides of the ball, particularly on the mound where he showed a quality four-pitch mix. Controlled delivery and mover, coils into a medium balance point before moving down the mound with a slight drop/drive lower-half, stays in-line. Medium path out of the glove into a high ¾ slot. Fastball plays with finish through the zone in the 83-86 mph range. Showed two different breaking balls in his ‘pen, starting with a downer 1/7 curveball with over 2,500 rpm, 64-67 mph. The slider showed some slurve action with late bite and depth, spinning over 2,700 rpm at times at 70-72 mph. Final offering was a straight changeup with developing feel, 74-77 mph. Farrell struck out 45 across 44.2 innings last spring. On the other side of the ball, the left-handed hitter was on the barrel throughout his round, reaching up to 92.3 mph for his EV with intent to elevate to his pull-side. 

PITCHERS 

So. RHP Lucas Aguirre (West Aurora, 2023) 
6-foot-3, 165-pound frame, lean and projectable build with plenty of room for added strength. Returns the most innings on the mound for the Spartans with 56, striking out 55 along the way. Simple delivery, controlled tempo throughout, leg-lifts into a medium/high balance point, drop/drive lower-half, stays in-line down the mound. Long and loose uninterrupted arm-swing, high ¾ release. The fastball sat around 84-86 mph, topping out at 87 mph with over 2,300 rpm, playing mostly straight through the zone. Curveball looks to be a potential out-pitch with sharp 11/5 action and depth, sitting around 73-76 mph with over 2,600 rpm at times. Slider has quality spin with over 2,300 rpm at times, plays with more lateral 10/4 shape and shorter action, 77-81 mph. His final offering was a changeup in the 78-82 mph range, flashing some dive under the zone. 

RSo. RHP Jaden Alberson (Elk Grove, 2022)
6-foot-1, 177-pound frame, athletic and trim build. Athletic mover, high/flexible leg-lift into balance point, coils his upper-half into his back hip before firing down the mound, works in-line. Loose and whippy arm action, high ¾ slot with arm-speed. Impressed throughout his ‘pen with a high-spin arsenal, starting with his fastball that sat around 86-88 mph, boasting over 2,600 rpm at times with carry traits. Both of his breaking balls have well above-average spin, starting with the curveball that showed some slurvy action and depth with an 11/4 shape, landing it for strikes at 72-73 mph. Slider has a similar shape to the curveball but plays with slightly more lateral action, 74-75 mph (T2975 rpm). His final offering was a changeup in the 78-79 mph range, playing mostly straight through the zone. 

Fr. LHP Trevor Swanson (Hampshire, 2024) 
6-foot-3, 220-pound frame, strong build with a developed lower-half. Stretch only delivery, medium leg-lift into balance point, works with some pace, sinks into his back leg before driving down the mound in-line. Long arm path out of the glove, transitions into a high ¾, almost over-the-top slot at times. The fastball played straight with over 2,500 rpm at times, 84-86 mph, initially struggling to find the zone but gained more control as he went on. Showed a knack to spin both a curveball and a slider, with the curveball coming in at over 2,700 rpm at 74-77 mph, while the slider played at over 2,800 rpm in the mid-70s. 

Fr. RHP Joshua Caccia (St. Charles North, 2024) 
5-foot-11, 170-pounds, lean and wiry frame, room for added strength. Gave a deceptive look throughout his ‘pen; working exclusively out of the stretch, starts with his feet staggered, up-tempo delivery with a medium leg-lift, slight coil into his balance point, rides a pre-bend in the back knee down the mound, stays in-line. Long reach out of the glove that plays into a sidearm release. Fastball sat 84-85 mph, topping out at 86 mph with natural run to his arm-side. Showed some feel for a sweeping slider with over -15” of horizontal action, 72-74 mph with the ability to land it in the zone. His final offering was a splitter at 75-76 mph, killing spin and playing with tumbling action at times. 

Related Content