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Indiana Fall State Games : Rising Underclassmen

October 16, 2024
Cooper Trinkle
Indiana Scouting Director

Our 3rd annual Indiana Fall State Games brought over 120 uncommitted players from the 2025 to 2028 classes to Grand Park. Both days were filled with talent, highlighted by 18 fastballs at 85-plus, 20 players with 95-plus exit velocities, and 17 sub-7.0 runners. The age of prospect varied greatly at this event, with unsigned seniors, high-ranked sophomores and juniors, along with some of Indiana's best up-and-coming freshman in attendance.  After diving into the recruitable players earlier in the week, we now look at some of the best underclassmen that stood out amongst older competition. 

Find the full statistical analysis, HERE.

🌟Winners 🌟

Five of my favorite youngsters of the weekend

Bodhi Pulley RHP / Bloomington High School North, IN / 2028

+ One of the more advanced arms we have identified in the 2028 class thus far. His 6-foot-2 frame has a chance to be really physical when its all said and done plus it already holds some strength in the lower half. He coils atop his leg lift to allow the hips to power the delivery, and his arm works clean on the backside in a longer fashion, producing a mid-80s sinker that topped at 86. The power-armed youngster found success with a 71-74 mph slider, his best pitch at the moment and very advanced for the age, and it already spins into the 2500s. Pulley found the zone at an above average clip with advanced stuff for the age, an exciting freshman follow that will debut as a highly ranked player in the class when 2028 state rankings release. 

Hayden Zellers OF / Greenfield-Central, IN / 2028

+ Zellers is another exciting '28 prospect that was in attendance this weekend. The wiry framed, 6-foot centerfielder is an advanced runner for a freshman (6.84) with a sweet left-handed stroke that already produces upper-80s exit velocities. I love the pace of the swing and the bat path is elite for the age, evident in the backspun liners he produced from gap-to-gap during batting practice. Zellers holds a CF profile and is one of the more advanced hitters we have identified in this young class. 

Riley Ackerman LHP / Crown Point, IN / 2027

+ Ackerman cemented himself amongst the states best 2027 lefties after a dominant outing at the State Games, where he gave hitters much-older fits with a quality three pitch mix and a deceptive look. The fastball plays at 81-83 for now, but as strength gets added to the 6-foot-1, 155 pound frame, that number should tick. The trait to dream on here is his ability to spin, showing off a true sweeper in the low-70s that spins into the 2700s for a future-wipeout look. He can pull the string on a faded change, commanded to the arm-side, to allow for starters' upside. The arm action is a bit unorthodox, but Ackerman is a good athlete with command of all three pitches, with one of the better breaking balls in the class to this point. 

Chase Nelson SS / Andrean, IN / 2027

+ Nelson can flat-out turn the baseball bat with a well-connected swing that is on the barrel often. There are many things to like within the swing, but the innate timing that he shows is my favorite trait. He hopped in the box against a handful of talented 2025 and 2026 arms and collected three hits in total, two to the backside and one to RF. Before shining against older arms, Nelson took one of my favorite batting practice rounds of the event, peppering liners across the yard and reaching a peak exit velocity of 95 mph, despite his undersized, 5-foot-6 frame. On the dirt, Nelson has reliable hands and above average arm strength for the class. 

Charlie Conyers RHP / Floyd Central High School, IN / 2027

+ Conyers was able to miss bats in bunches throughout his State Games outing. The long-armed, 6-foot righty provided a deceptive look, with levers flying all over in the high-effort delivery. Conyers pitched off of his 71-75 mph splitter, a pitch with late arm-side run that he kills spin on (1100s), and it allowed his 82-87 mph fastball to play even higher. He showed the ability to add and subtract with the heater, able to grab 86s and 87s when needed later in counts. Conyers showed a mid-70s slider and upper-60s curveball that both showed flashes, but were inconsistent overall. There are things to clean up within the delivery, but the arm works to a full circle and he is an exceptional rotator, a recipe for high velocities. 

Bats on the 📈

+ There were a handful of really promising position players in attendance, especially in the outfield, but I thought Brody Langhans (Crown Point) was one of the more impressive ones of the week, even as a sophomore. He's gained physicality since summer looks, now a strong, 5-foot-10, 170 pounder that burned the best 60 of any underclassmen at a 6.78. He showcased a short, compact swing during batting practice before putting together on-time hacks in-game. 

+ Two more outfielders that impressed were Quinn Westerfeld (Western Boone) and Shane Bardwell (Homestead). Westerfeld, a lanky, 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter has steadily shown growth over the past year. The toolset is just above average for now, but will surely louden as the frame packs on strength. The best tool at the moment is his bat-to-ball, something he has shown over multiple 2024 looks and showed versus older arms at the State Games, grabbing a pair of extra-base hits on the day. We got our first showcase look at Bardwell after he stood out on the circuit this summer, and I walked away impressed with the physical, 5-foot-10, 185 pounder. Bardwell showed off a short, flicky swing with impact behind the barrel to the tune of mid-90's exit velocities and his 7.0 run time allows for speed/power upside. Bardwell should make an impact for Homestead this spring and is undoubtedly a '27 LHH to keep tabs on. 

Enticing Arms

+ Two freshman arms showed off flashes of their potential while finding success versus older hitters in LHP Luke Hensley (Danville) and RHP Gavin McGee (Roncalli). Hensley, a 6-foot-4 southpaw with major upside in the frame/operation, showed off clean, compact arm action to go along hips that power rotation in the delivery. His fastball reaches 81 for now, but it is easy to dream on more. He also showed an upper-60s breaking ball with 1/7 shape that he was able to use as an out-pitch. McGee showed off quality stuff for the age to pair with his athletic, 5-foot-11, 165 pound frame. The arm action here is one of the better ones I've identified in this young class, as the arm works clean on the backside with some whip & arm speed as he turns it over. McGee showed three pitches with solid properties, beginning with a carry fastball (18" IVB on avg) that works at 82-84. His best secondary offering is his 75-78 mph changeup, a pitch that averages 19" of horizontal break that he was able to miss bats with. McGee also showed a 67-72 mph breaking ball that played with depth and spun north of 2400 on average. 

Hensley Highlights

McGee Highlights

+ Two sophomore arms with high ceilings from this event are RHP Griffin Snider (Noblesville) and LHP Will Countryman (Guerin Catholic). Snider is a projectable righty that we have seen up to 87, though he pitched at 80-84 at the State Games with the fastball showing sinker properties. The sinker tunneled well with his best offering, his low-70s slider, a pitch that spun into the 2500s and shows out-pitch upside. Countryman is another youngster that showed off a high ceiling with his ultra-projectable, 6-foot-5 frame. He lifts quickly to a tall balance point and he keeps the ball moving with a shorter arm circle to produce a fastball up to 81 for now, a number that should jump with strength gains and mechanical refinements. His low-70s change is his best secondary at the moment, while the breaking ball is still in the development stages. 

Snider Highlights

Countryman Highlights

Sleepers