Preseason I.D. Illiana: Quick Hits
January 16, 2018
The Preseason I.D. - Illiana is in the books and today we take a quick look at some of the standouts from Monday’s event. Stay tuned for full statistical breakdown later in the week, as well as videos and full scouting reports.
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Juniors To Follow
Parker Mathieson (Normal University, 2019) put up a well-rounded stat line. The athletic left-handed hitter ran a 7.06 60, was 83 across the infield, 85 from the outfield and registered a 94 mph exit velocity. Mathieson’s best tool may be his bat as he flashed quick twitch in swing and routinely made hard contact to the pull side with natural lift in swing.
Lawrence Noble (Gwendolyn Brooks, 2019) is a 6-foot-1, 165-pound, athletic, projectable left-handed hitter with a level swing and strength through contact. Defensively, he has long, easy actions in the outfield.
2019 Brendon Herrin stood out on the infield with soft hands and actions through the baseball. A natural infield defender, his arm carried well at 82 mph and could stick on the left side for Andrew HS this spring. His hands worked just as well with the bat displaying a loose easy swing from the left side.
2019 Justice Page, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound infielder out of Linblom HS took a big round of BP. Page took aggressive swings with a flat path that stayed through the zone and flashed bat speed.
2019 RHP Kyle Wisch (Hinsdale Central), best known for his ability on the mound, showed off his arm strength on the infield with an event best 90 mph from a crowhop.
Right-hander Joel Holtcamp (Andrean, IN, 2019) is an interesting arm on the mound. At 82-83 mph his arm is loose and live with an athletic body and good three pitch mix. Holtcamp’s changeup is a separator showing hard sinking action with deceptive arm speed.
Marian Catholic Products Show Well
Marian Catholic juniors Chandler Kerr and Pierce Jones both contributed to the 3A State Runner-Up Spartans as sophomores and showed well on Monday. 2019 LHP Chandler Kerr worked 25 innings as a sophomore and expect the southpaw to see plenty more in 2018, his fastball reached 83 mph and when on top, finished hard through the zone. OF Pierce Jones hit .325 playing in 36 games last season. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound, right-handed hitter has present bat speed and looks to do damage with every swing. Jones also ran an event best 6.83 laser-timed 60.
Another Spartan who raised some eyebrows was 2020 RHP Ethan Alexander. Alexander is a highly projectable arm with a 6-foot-2, 140-pound frame and live arm. His fastball worked 81-83 mph with hard arm side action. Alexander could be a high follow recruit as his secondary stuff improves.
A freshman arm to keep an eye on moving forward from Marian Catholic is LHP Justin Johnson. Johnson has composure on the mound, repeats his delivery and has a clean, quick arm. Johnson showed feel for a three-pitch mix and his fastball sat 75-76 mph.
Underclassmen Impress
OF Cameron Hill (Kenwood) was another freshman who impressed at the event. The athletically built, high-waisted, right-handed hitter, has a confident demeanor in the box and quick-twitch in swing, creating bat speed and occasional hard contact.
2020 LHP/OF Mathew Birtman (Deerfield) showed well on the mound. Birtman repeated his delivery, pounded the strike zone, sat 78-80 mph with his fastball and all of his pitches had action through the zone.
OF Mason Hsieh-Bailey (Oak Park-River Forest, 2020), also a high-level soccer player, is a quick-twitch athlete who ran a 6.96 laser-timed 60 and consistently squared up line drives in his round of batting practice.
6-foot-2, 160-pound, INF Breck Nowik (Lake Forest, 2020) was one of the more projectable frames and right-handed hitters in attendance. Nowik has long, loose levers, creates easy bat speed at times and has a spray approach.
2020 Tinley Park left-handed hitter Johnny Gonsalves is a notable sophomore with a well rounded game. Gonsalves left-handed swing is loose with bat speed and picks it well on the infield with an athletic arm action.
2020 Derrick Dawson (Mishawaka, IN) is a 6-foot, 201-pound, physically advanced catcher. At the plate, the right-handed hitter sells out with every swing but made some of the loudest contact of the day when timed up. Dawson was also 76 mph from the crouch and ran a 7.23 laser-timed 60.
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