By Phil Wade
Director of Operations, PBR Indiana 

On Monday, February 18th, PBR Indiana held its annual Unsigned Senior Showcase at Indiana Wesleyan in their state the art indoor facility.  Many unsigned seniors showcased their ability to play at the next level with Perry Meridian's Brendan Dudas and Carmel's Jack Thompson leading the way.  Below are the top 20 unsigned senior performances from Monday's showcase.

Top 20 Unsigned Seniors

1. Brendan Dudas, OF/3B, Perry Meridian HS, 2013:

6-foot-1, 195 pound senior with an athletic and projectable frame.  Runs a 6.96 60, and shows good actions and plays through the ball in the outfield.  He shows good arm strength from the outfield at 90 mph.  His throws show good carry and are accurate.  In the infield he possesses soft hands, with quick and fluid feet.  He plays through the ball and was 79 mph across the diamond.  At the plate he hits from the crouch and uses a short stride and leg kick for timing.  His hands are quick, allowing the barrel to get through the zone producing some pop. 

2. Jack Thompson, OF, Carmel HS, 2013:

6-foot, 190 pound athletic senior that runs a 6.97 60.  From the outfield he shows a quick, short arm action and throws from a ¾ arm slot at 85 mph.  His hands are good, and moves well.  From the left side of the plate he displays a balanced setup, with good rhythm.  His swing is short and compact, and shows a quick bat.  Thompson has projectable pop and has the ability to drive the ball into the gaps.

3. John Leffert, RHP, Lawrence North HS, 2013:

5-foot-9, 175 pound undersized RHP who possesses an athletic build.  His fastball sits 83-86 mph with some run.  He throws a 10/4 curveball at 72-74 mph with good power and tight rotation that he keeps down in the zone.  Currently his changeup is 74-75, however lacks much movement.  Leffert possesses a strong arm and good projectability, but needs to work on hitting the strike zone more consistently. 

4. Nathan Upchurch, LHP/1B, Hamilton Southeastern HS:

6-foot-2, 220 pound big bodied LHP that was consistently 84-85 mph with his fastball.  The fastball shows good run with some action and thrown consistently in zone.  He throws a 12/6 breaking ball with a sharp action, and has the ability to throw it for a strike.  The changeup shows some sink at 75-76 mph and was consistently thrown for a strike.  In his windup he stabs on the backside and has effort throughout the delivery.

5. Elias Arnett, OF/RHP, Lawrence North HS:

6-foot, 175 pound athletic senior that shows a long arm action in the outfield.  He throws from a high ¾ arm slot at 86 mph.  His throws are accurate and shows good life and carry.  He possesses soft hands and a clean exchange.  He moves well and plays through the ball.  Arnett runs a 6.87 60.  At the plate he uses a balanced setup and displays a short path to the baseball.  His rhythm is a little choppy and needs work on his load.  Shows some pop potential and produces line drives.  On the mound his fastball sits at 82-85 mph that he keeps down in the zone.  He throws a 10/4 breaking ball that he can throw for a strike, however slows his arm down at times.  The changeup is 73-74 mph and at times shows some arm side run. 

6. Aaron Hrabik, 2B/3B, Xenia HS (OH), 2013:

5-foot-9, 150 pound senior that runs a 6.97 60.  In the field he showcased soft hands along with quick and fluid footwork.  Shows a quick, clean exchange with a solid glove.  Possesses good range. At the plate he hits from the crouch with a short stride.  His lower half works and has good balance throughout the swing.  His bat speed is good and consistently produces line drives. 

7. Peter Lannoo, 3B/RHP, Terre Haute South HS, 2013:

6-foot-5, 195 pound senior possesses an athletic, projectable frame with long limbs.  From the infield uses a long arm action, and throws from a high ¾ arm slot at 81 mph.  Shows good defensive actions with fluid footwork.  Plays through the ball with a clean exchange.  His glove works and shows an overall advanced feel for the position. Offensively Lannoo uses a tall stance with a smooth backwards load. His lower half at times collapse. Would like to see him taller through the swing. Quick bat with line drive productionOn the mound he uses a tall, smooth delivery and works from the stretch.  His arm action is long and loose.  His fastball sits 82-83 mph.  Throws a 66-68 mph 10/4 breaking ball that shows early action, however comes around it too much.  The changeup is a solid out pitch displaying good sink action at 77 mph. 

8. Cory Renois, RHP, Belleville West HS (IL), 2013:

6-foot-1, 185 pound senior RHP with a clean ,polished delivery that shows little effort.  Throws from a high ¾ arm slot with a long and quick arm action.  Possesses good balance and smooth rhythm, and keeps his shoulders level.  His fastball sits 80-81 with some downward movement.  Throws a 10/4 breaking ball at 68 mph with gradual movement.  Throws a solid changeup that shows good sink action with the ability to throw it for a strike.  Out of all the kids attending he has the most potential for a significant velocity jump.

9, Drew Phillips, RHP/OF, Yorktown HS, 2013: 

6-foot-3, 170 pound with some projectability.  On the mound showcased an 81-84 mph fastball from a high ¾ arm slot.  His arm action shows some quickness and is long, however shows some stiffness.  His breaking ball is 65-66 mph and  lacks a true identity.  The changeup is 69 mph and shows some arm side run, however has trouble keeping it in the zone.  Shows good balance overall throughout the delivery and possesses a good line. Runs a 7.20 60.

10. Connor Sweeney, RHP, St. Joseph HS, 2013: 

6-foot-1, 165 pound senior showcases quick arm speed from a ¾ arm slot.  Fastball sits 81-83 mph with some run, and shows the ability to keep it down in the zone.  His 10/4 curve ball is thrown with good power and has late action at 71-75 mph.  The changeup is his best off speed pitch.  It shows good sink at 77-78 mph and can throw it consstently for a strike.  Overall the changeup is a solid out pitch. The delivery is slow and deliberate. 

11. Dustin Parker, 3B/OF, Lakota West HS (OH), 2013:

6-foot, 205 pound senior runs a 7.03 60. Shows a strong arm with good carry on his throws from the outfield at 85 mph.  In the infield he shows an above average arm at 76 mph.  His foot work needs some improvement but shows an above average glove and a good feel for the position.  At the plate he hits from the crouch.  His bat speed is quick and uphill.  When getting to extension he drives the ball with some pop.  The lower half needs improvement.

12. Michael Namisnak, 3B/1B, Elkhart Central HS, 2013:

6-foot, 180 pound senior was 75 across the diamond using a short arm action from a ¾ arm slot.  His throws show some carry and were accurate.  At the plate he’s open and is uphill with his swing.  Shows good pop potential producing good backspin carry.  Runs a 7.38 60.

13. Michael Mueller, INF, Munster HS, 2013:

6-foot-2, 180 pound senior runs a 7.15 60.  In the infield shows soft hands, with quick and fluid footwork.  Shows some flash.  Needs to continue to improve his arm strength (73 mph) and accuracy.  At the plate he hits from an athletic setup and shows balance and good feel.  The swing path is uphill and his rhythm is choppy, but shows the ability to produce line drives.

14. Charlie Schmidt, OF/SS/RHP, Glen Este HS (OH), 2013:

6-foot-1, 160 pound senior runs a 7.07 60.  From SS he moves well, however his feet are heavy. He plays through the ball well and has a clean exchange.  Across the diamond is 74 mph.  From the outfield shows the ability to field the ball well.  Throws from a low ¾ arm slot at 80 mph.  At the plate starts with a wide base.  His swing plane is uphill, but has trouble getting to extension.  On the mound throws from a low ¾ arm slot with a stiff arm action.  His fastball shows some run and sink at 77-79 mph.  His 10/4 breaking ball is thrown consistently for a strike with gradual movement at 68-69 mph.  His best off-speed pitch is a screwball that has good sink at 76-77 mph, and showcased to be a good out pitch.

15. Jason Gasser, OF/RHP, Mount Carmel HS, 2013:

6-foot, 190 pound senior runs a 6.96 60.  In the outfield uses a long arm action from an over the top arm slot at 83 mph. He throws show good carry and accuracy.  Though he demonstrates good speed, his overall footwork needs improvement.  At the plate he starts with a wide base.  He has a tendency to bar, and does not use much of a stride.  Possesses good overall strength. 

16. Connor Hermesch, RHP, South Decatur HS, 2013:

5-foot-10, 174 pound senior throws from a ¾ arm slot with a long arm action and quick arm speed.  His fastball shows some run at 81-82 mph.  His 10/4 breaking ball, more of a slurve, sits at 74-75 mph with some gradual movement.  His delivery is slow and tends to coil, but uses little effort and gets to a good balance point. Possesses some projectability at the next level.

17. Colin Miller, RHP, Perry Meridian HS, 2013:

6-foot-2, 200 pound senior throws from a low ¾ arm slot with a quick, easy arm action.  His fastball sits at a heavy 81-82 mph and is thrown consistently for a strike.  Throws an 11/5 breaking ball, more of a slider, at 71-72 mph with gradual movement for a strike. His changeup sits 73-75 mph with good sink action, a good out pitch.  Miller shows good upside, and as he gets stronger expects an increase in velocity. 

18. Justin Blevens, C/3B, Clinton Central HS, 2013:

5-foot-9, 180 pound senior catcher with a strong, accurate arm at 76 mph.  Showcases a 2.12-2.21 pop time.  He tends to fall off when he throws down to 2B, if he can fix this expect his pop time to improve.  At the plate he hits from both sides, but is better from the right side.  Uses an open stance with a short stride.  Shows some pop when he gets his front foot down in time. 

19. J.T. Ellison, MIF/RHP, Carmel HS, 2013:

5-foot-11, 180 pound senior runs a 7.04 60. In the infield shows some arm strength at 77 mph.  His arm action is short, and throws from a high ¾ arm slot.  Has good accuracy and life on his throws.  Possesses heavy feet, but shows a clean exchange and plays through the ball well.  At the plate displays quick hands and bat speed.  The swing path is short and level with an uphill plane. Uses a slight inward turn with the front leg. Has line drive power. On the mound uses a long arm action with above average arm speed. Shows good rhythm and an overall athletic delivery.  His fastball sits 79-81 mph with some run, and thrown for a strike.  His 10/4 breaking ball is 66-67 mph with gradual movement, however needs to work his command with the breaking pitch.

20. Michael Owens, 1B/OF, Franklin Central HS, 2013: 

6-1, 150 pound senior runs a 7.26 60. Across the infield he was 70 mph, and shows a good glove.  From the outfield he throws from a high ¾ arm slot at 75 mph with some carry.  His throws show good accuracy.  At the plate uses a slightly open stance with a short stride.  His hands are quick and gets the barrel through the zone, but his swing plane is too up-hill causing him to lift too many balls.  He uses his lower half, however at times will over rotate the back leg causing him to lose balance.  Shows some pop potential.