On Tuesday, October 1st, the Prep Baseball Illinois staff traveled down to Mattoon, IL for the Lake Land JC Scout Day. The Lakers are a talented group with a handful of commits sprinkled through, and there looks to be plenty more high-caliber players still on the market in their program. 

Today, we will be looking at some of the standout performers from the day, found below. 

Position Players 

Fr. INF Bryce Beyers (Edwardsville, 2024) 
6-foot-2, 230-pound frame, durable. The left-handed hitter took a loud round of BP with a max EV of 98.1 mph, averaging 93.5 mph (T365’). His hands are plenty strong through the zone with a flat path and he does not get cheated, working on the barrel to his pull-side throughout his round. Soft hands at first base, moves well around the bag with feel for the position. 

So. UTIL Brandon Johnson (Lemont, 2023) 
6-foot, 190-pound frame, athletic build with broad shoulders. Looks to be a top returner for the Lakers. At the plate, the right-handed hitter works with a strong, compact operation while looking to control the barrel, topping out at 96.5 mph for his EV with an average of 92.2 mph. Above-average athlete, cruising to a 6.84 in the 60. Athletic defender on the infield, moves well to both sides of his glove, sure-handed actions with a clean transfer, plays through the ball with fluid footwork. Strong arm with a clean ¾ release, can play from multiple angles and on the move, T91 mph. 

Fr. INF/OF Kaiden Maurer (Maroa-Forsyth, 2024) 
5-foot-7, 160-pound frame, compact with athleticism. Confident round of BP, fluid and controlled swing, stays flat through the zone with some twitch, balanced through impact, not afraid to use the whole field; topped out at 94.2 mph for his max EV. Advanced defender in both the infield and outfield; quick, athletic footwork, fluid, confident hands, clear feel for both positions. Strong arm that plays from a clean, quick ¾ release (T89 mph INF; T91 mph OF). 6.78 runner in the 60. 

So. OF Kiefer Tarnoki (Sycamore, 2023) 
Recent Bradey commit. 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame, lean with some strength, broad shoulders and a trim waist. Switch hitter, wide base, sees it deep and controls the barrel, used the whole field from both sides, similar look from each side; topped out at 93.2 mph for his max EV. Quick, athletic mover in the outfield, attacks the baseball, sure-handed, short arm circle into a high ¾ slot, plays with life out of the hand (T88 mph). 6.80 runner in the 60. 

Fr. C Logan Winkleman (Christian Brothers, 2024) 
5-foot-11, 170-pound frame, proportionate with strength throughout. Athletic right-handed swing, fluid with a flat path, strong hands with some twitch, worked on the barrel with juice to his pull-side, topping out at 98.7 mph for his EV with an average of 89 mph. Quality receiver of the baseball, quick glove-to-hand, stays in his legs and in-line from the chute, short arm circle into a ¾ release (T85 mph; 1.94 pop-time). 6.90 runner in the 60. 

So. 3B Vinny Spotofora (Joliet Catholic, 2023)
5-foot-10, 180-pounds, evenly distributed weight. Easy and simple swing from the left side, balanced operation, looks to elevate to the pull-side, 97 mph max EV with an average of 90 mph, 386’ max distance. On the infield, quick hands and transfer, sure-handed, explosive mover. 6.87 runner in the 60. 

So. OF Drew DuPont (Tecumseh, 2023) 
6-foot, 185-pounds, present strength throughout, developed lower-half, round shoulders. The left-handed hitter displayed strong hands through the zone with some lift, staying up the middle and to his pull-side routinely, topping at 96.4 mph for his EV with an average of 90 mph. Steady defender, footwork breaks down before the ball, long draw into an over the top slot, plays with easy life (T91 mph). 7.07 runner in the 60. 

PITCHERS 

So. LHP Griffin Hallahan (Sycamore, 2022) 
6-foot-2, 170-pound frame. Easy and repeatable delivery, fluid mover, loose and clean arm circle into a high ¾ release. Fastball played with life and carry through the zone with little perceived effort, 85-88 mph throughout his ‘pen. Went to a sinker to pair off the fastball, sitting right at 84-86 mph with considerable run and arm-side action. Slider has put-away action with 2/8 shape, 76-77 mph. Changeup is a quality third offering, sitting around 79-80 mph with hard arm-side run. 

So. RHP Jack Helms (Mattoon, 2023) 
6-foot-4, 200-pound frame, evenly distributed strength. Controlled mover throughout, medium leg-lift into balance, drop/drive lower-half that stays in-line. Long and loose arm swing, ¾ release. Fastball has some life out of the hand with feel for the zone, 85-87 mph, paired with a sinker in the same range with heavy run to the arm-side (T22.7” HM). Showed a knack to spin the slider, playing over 2,600 rpm at times with sharp 11/4 action, 74-76 mph. Changeup is thrown with intent, kept to his arm-side with fading action, 80-82 mph. 

So. RHP Eddie Scaccia (Oswego, 2023) 
6-foot-4, 195-pound frame, lean with projection. Quick, explosive mover, easy arm-speed out front from a ¾ window. Fastball has life out of the hand and through the zone, was able to land for strikes, 87-90 mph, T91. Slider is a potential out-pitch, thrown with intent and sharp 10/4 bite, some strikes and mostly kept down/glove-side, 72-76 mph. Changeup is a quality third offering, thrown with fastball intent, showed hard fade at times, some feel for the zone, 79-81 mph. 

Fr. RHP Tyler Zuber (Mt. Zion, 2024) 
Athletic, lean 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame, present strength throughout. Had one of the louder showings on the day with a high-spin arsenal. Controlled tempo, high leg-kick into balance point, drop/drive lower-half that stays in-line. Medium/longer arm circle, gets some over-the-top angle through release. Fastball jumps out of the hand and through the zone, sitting 90-91 mph with carry and over 2,500 rpm on average. Plus spin on the breaking ball, reaching over 3,000 rpm at times and averaging over 2,900 rpm, 74-75 mph, sharp downer action, 11/5 shape with depth. Changeup played mostly straight at 82-84 mph, some feel for the zone, left it arm-side at times. 

So. RHP Drake McDonald (Shelbyville, 2023) 
Recent NIU commit. 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame, workhorse build. Simple delivery, medium leg-kick and slight tuck into balance point, works in-line, tall/fall. Clean arm circle into a high ¾ release. Fastball sat 88-89 mph, topping out at 90 mph with carry traits through the zone, could land for strikes. Curveball played with depth off an 11/5 plane, kept mostly glove-side, 74-75 mph. Splitter showed hard arm-side run, 80-82 mph, kept mostly arm-side. 

Will Knapp (Morris) and Nathan Trimble (Shelbyville) are a couple sophomore right-handers to note from the day. 

Knapp, listed at 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, has a long/loose arm action and looks to have more in the tank when he syncs up. His fastball topped out at 88 mph, complimented by both a slider and curveball that play in the mid/upper-70s, and a changeup in the low-80s. 

Trimble, a physical 6-foot-4, 210-pound arm, looks to have more in the tank as well. His fastball played around 87-88 mph with feel for the zone, setting up a slider/splitter combination. 

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