By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

As we continue our in depth look at the Pre-Season All State Showcase, today we will focus on the group of catchers from the event in order of performance.  Stay tuned for other position groups later this week.

1. Blake Hart, Conner HS, Class of 2014
6-foot, 210-pound, left-handed hitting prospect with strong legs, shows good receiving and blocking skills, feet work, arm strength registered 73 mph from the crouch, good glove to hand exchange, pop times ranged from 2.05-2.16.  At the plate, starts with an open stance bringing the front foot back in load with a big stride.  Has hands at shoulder level, arm bars during the load causing hands to drop. Has a slight uphill swing and leans back over back foot, uses stiff front side at extension, gets good lower half torque in swing, ball shows some backspin and carry off bat, registered 86 mph tee exit velocity, solid left-handed hitting catching prospect.

2. Ben Schanding, Bourbon County HS, Class of 2014
5-foot-10, 165-pound, left-handed hitting prospect, shows good athleticism behind the plate, good receiving skills, sticks pitches well, good lateral movement, 73 mph arm strength from the crouch, feet work, pop times ranged from 2.13-2.21, sat at 2.15 consistently, room to improve pop time with quicker release.  At the plate, has a pre pitch rhythm, balanced stance and a short stride towards the pitcher.  His hands start at the shoulder and load up and back, has a slight arm bar but uses a level path to get to square giving him a line drive swing, shows good use of lower half and ability to square the ball up consistently, registered 84 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.30 60 yard dash, another solid left-handed hitting catching prospect.

3. Hunter Schmittou, Northwest HS (TN), Class of 2013
6-foot-1, 178-pound, left-handed hitting catcher, shows good athleticism behind the plate, good lateral blocking ability, receives well, 73 mph arm strength from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.09-2.19.  At the plate, starts out with a wide stance using a front heel lift to load and no stride.  His hands are high and back with a slight arm bar during swing path.  He uses his backside to generate power, good weight transfer at contact along with a short path to the ball giving him a line drive swing, showed the ability to square the ball with a line drive approach, registered 80 mph tee exit velocity, ran 7.36 60 yard dash.

4. Ian Bach, Covington Catholic HS, Class of 2014
5-foot-9, 185-pound prospect with strong lower half, good setup behind the plate, stays low, good receiving skills, boxes and frames well, solid blocking skills, quick glove to hand transfer, feet work, 69 mph arm strength from the crouch on this occasion (has been up to 70 mph, 2.04), pop times ranged from 2.10-2.22.  At the plate, starts with a wide base, slightly crouched with some hand movement.  Uses a heel lift to load, good power with strong lower half and weight shift into the contact point.  He finishes behind a stiff front side with a big follow through, registered 85 mph tee exit velocity.

5. Ted Epps, St. Xavier HS, Class of 2013
5-foot-8, 160-pound prospect, shows good lateral movement behind the plate, good blocking skills, needs to continue working on receiving off-speed pitches, throws from the crouch registered at 68 mph, pop times ranged from 2.14-2.20 (was 2.01-2.15 at unsigned senior event)  At the plate, he uses a balanced setup with knees slightly pinched inward, a weight shift and toe tap trigger to generate his swing.  His hands stay at shoulder level with no load, gets good lower half involvement in swing, uphill swing path due to arm bar and hands dropping but gets good extension., registered 82 mph tee exit velocity.

6. Sam Coryell, DuPont Manual HS, Class of 2014
5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect, shows good receiving skills, sticks pitches well, good setup behind the plate, shows athleticism, throws registered 70 mph from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.20-2.25, have seen more arm strength and better pop times from him in the past (75, 2.06).  At the plate, hits from open setup, squares frontside with long stride, hands are low with a level path to the ball, had good round with several line drives squared up, ran 7.27 60 yard dash.

7. Cory Mullins, Madison Central HS, Class of 2015
5-foot-10, 159-pound, young catching prospect, good receiving skills, needs to continue working on receiving glove side pitches and blocking, 73 mph arm strength from the crouch, pop times ranged from 2.19-2.31 and will improve with better footwork and glove to hand exchange.  At the plate, starts with an open, narrow setup, squares frontside early, slight arm bar, chest level hand trigger creates long path to the ball, registered 81 mph tee exit velocity, young catcher with potential.