On Friday, September 27th, the Prep Baseball Illinois Staff traveled to Palatine for the Harper College Scout Day. There are plenty of new faces for the Hawks, as well as a handful of quality returning players, and we will be highlighting the standouts from the day, below. 

POSITION PLAYERS

RFr. C Kevin Geake (Glenbrook North, 2023) 
5-foot-10, 180-pounds, trim and athletic build with room to add strength. Above-average athlete, recording a 6.77 in the 60 yard dash. The right-handed hitter has a wider setup with a quick toe-tap and some hand waggle for timing, he works mostly on-plane with a flatter path through the zone, routinely working to his pull-side throughout his round with a max EV of 92 mph. Worker behind the plate, athletic out of the crouch, quality arm and transfer (T78 mph; 2.09 pop-time). 

RSo. OF Joe Glozier (McIntosh, 2022) 
5-foot-9, 160-pound frame, compact and athletic build with round shoulders. Impressive overall showing, starting with his round of BP. The left-handed hitter has a smooth swing with noticeably quick hands through the zone, working with a flat path and staying balanced through impact, reaching up to 93.5 mph for his max EV with a max distance of 331’. Above-average athlete, recording a 6.91 in the 60. Controlled actions in the outfield with fluid footwork, moves athletically and efficiently into his crow hop, clean arm action from a high ¾ slot (T88 mph).

RSo. OF Alex Birt (Glenbrook North, 2023)
5-foot-10, 180-pound frame, durable and compact with some strength throughout. The right-handed hitter put up some impressive numbers on the day, starting with his 97 mph peak EV, averaging 91.4 mph throughout his round. He has a strong, intentful swing that works flat through the zone, looking to elevate to his pull-side with a max distance of 382’. Quality athlete with a 6.95 in the 60. Steady hands in the outfield, reached up to 84 mph from a crow hop. 

RFr. OF Connor Kave (Hersey, 2023)
5-foot-8, 170-pound frame, lean build, athletic with room to add strength. Intriguing left-handed hitter with speed to know from the day, turning in a 6.70 in the 60-yard dash. At the plate, works with a longer, flat swing, keeping the ball on a line throughout his round with some feel to use the whole field, topping out at 91 mph for his max EV. Athletic actions in the outfield, moves well into a crow hop, clean arm action and high ¾ release (T81 mph).

TWO WAYS

So. MIF/RHP Dominic Jacoby (Taft, 2023)
6-foot, 170-pound frame, lean and high-waisted build, room to add strength throughout. Jacoby is a legitimate two-way, and he should garner some pro interest this coming spring. He’s a premium athlete, having run a 6.50 in the past, and his athleticism easily transfers over to every aspect of his game. The right-handed hitter starts with a wide base and utilizes a minimal toe-tap for timing, twitchy hands work through the zone with a steeper path, working to stay on top of the ball with a middle/pull approach (T95.6 mph max EV; 90.7 mph avg. EV). Fluid defender on the infield with bounce in his step, proper footwork through the baseball, sure-handed actions with a smooth transfer, long strides allow him to cover ground to both sides of his glove easily. Strong arm with some intent across, topping out at 90 mph, showed the ability to play from multiple angles and on the move. On the mound, the right-hander is raw with certainly more in the tank. His fastball cruised at 88-90 mph, topping out at 91 mph with backspin and carry (T20.2 IVB; T2.5” HM), spinning over 2,300 rpm at times. He showed some feel for both of his breaking balls, starting with a curveball at 69-72 mph (T2482 rpm), playing with sharp downer action. The slider had slightly more horizontal action than the curve, sitting around 72-76 mph (T2553 rpm). The changeup was thrown with intent, playing mostly straight with slight cutting action at times, 73-78 mph. 

So. UTIL Spencer Geake (Glenbrook North, 2023) 
6-foot-3, 215-pound frame, durable and strong build, evenly proportioned. Geake showed well on both sides of the ball throughout his workout, starting with his round of BP; the left-handed hitter throws his hands through the zone with intent, staying mostly flat but flashing a steeper path at times, topping out at 95.4 mph for his max EV with a max distance of 349’. Moves well around the outfield, soft hands with some feel for the position, moves well into an athletic crow hop, topping out at 90 mph with a clean high ¾ release. 6.80 runner in the 60. On the mound, Geake gives a tough sidearm look that creates natural sink on his mid-80s fastball, topping out at 86.5 mph. To pair off the fastball he went to a sweeping slider at 69-70 mph and splitter in the 76-78 mph range, playing with some tumble. 

PITCHERS 

So. LHP Joey Woods (Stevenson)
6-foot-3, 200-pounds, athletic and imposing frame with broad shoulders. Woods is a clean and controlled mover down the hill, paired with a loose and quick arm swing from a high ¾ slot. His repertoire was highlighted by a high-spin slider; reaching as high as 2695 rpm (avg. 2650), sitting in the upper 70’s, and finding the strike zone 75% of the time per Trackman. Woods also threw one of the harder fastballs on the day, topping out at 87.5 mph (sat 85-87) with substantial carry through the zone (avg. 19.1” IVB). The southpaw would round out his mix with a 79-81 mph changeup. 

So. RHP Mason Hulligan (Buffalo Grove)
6-foot, 165-pounds, athletic and mature frame. Hulligan pounded the zone in his ‘pen, showcasing a potent two-pitch mix. His fastball sat 85-88 mph (T88.8) with occasional spin feel (T2356 rpm), while being in the zone 78% of the time. He threw his slider for a strike 88% of the time, sitting 75-77 mph with short, tight 11/5 bite to it; pairing well off his fastball that came out of the same window with arm-side run to it. 

RFr. RHP Jeremy Florez (Taft)
6-foot, 160-pounds, trim high-waisted frame, with room for added strength. Florez is an upside arm to know for the Hawks heading into 2025. An athletic and at times an explosive mover down the mound, he utilizes a compact and quick arm action from a ¾ release. His fastball sat 85-86 mph with carry through the zone (avg. 16.6” IVB). Florez would then show two different breaking balls; his curveball sat 66-70 mph with occasional depth across the zone, while going to a harder slider at 71-75 mph that landed in the zone every time he threw it. The right-hander would complete his repertoire with a 73-75 mph splitter that was also thrown for 100% strikes, showing downer fade action.

RFr RHP David Essien (Fremd)
6-foot-3, 190-pounds, high-waisted and projectable frame with long levers. Essien is an upside follow moving forward. He threw the event’s second-hardest fastball topping at 90 mph (sat 87-89) with over 18” of IVB on average through the zone. The righty would then turn to a 71-73 mph curveball that showed hard 11/5 action. Essien would round out his mix with a 76-79 mph changeup with occasional arm-side fade. 

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