By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

The Pre-Season All State Showcase on February 18 saw some impressive pitching performances, as some top prospects from respective classes emerged.  This article will feature the top pitching performances from the class of 2014.  Stay tuned later today for top pitching performances in the class of 2015.  After these articles, we will feature some pitchers to keep an eye on as well as the best of the rest from the event as their were other solid performances as well.

Class of 2014

1. Aaron Ochsenbein, RHP, Paul Laurence Dunbar HS
Ochsenbein has as much upside as any 2014 arm in the state.   The 6-foot-3, 215-pound RHP shows repeatable mechanics and a high ¾ arm slot that produced a consistent 85-87 mph fastball with arm side run that comes out easy.  He shows good balance and smooth rhythm in his delivery.  He flashed a sharp curveball with 11/5 action that sat 69-73 mph with good depth.  His changeup showed some arm side run thrown with good arm action and sat 78-79 mph.  He showed a feel for all 3 pitches and is a high-level prospect in the class of 2014.

2. John Hisel, RHP, East Jessamine HS
Hisel has huge upside and projectability on the mound.  The 6-foot-5, 180-pound RHP shows good balance and a repeatable delivery through a high ¾ slot that produced an 84-86 mph fastball with some arm side run.  He has good feel for his changeup thrown with good arm action and showed some sink at 75-78 mph.  He throws a downward spin curveball that shows some depth at 68-71 mph and needs to continue to be developed.  There is no question Hisel is a high level pitching prospect in the 2014 class.

3. Hunter Dunn, RHP, Cooper HS
Dunn has an athletic 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame with long limbs.  He uses medium arm action and a quick arm through a ¾ to high ¾ slot to produce an 85-86 mph fastball with good arm side run that touched 87.  His curveball was sharp and 11/5 action with good bite and depth and sat 68-71 mph.  His changeup sat 76-77 mph with some arm side run.  Dunn is an interesting prospect on the mound to follow with some projectability and has the potential to be a high-level pitching prospect in the 2014 class.

4. Josh Exton, RHP, North Bullitt HS
Exton is a 6-foot, 189-pound RHP with an athletic frame and strong legs.  He uses repeatable mechanics and long/loose arm action through a high ¾ slot to produce an 83-85 mph fastball that touched 86 with some arm side run.  He flashed a 73-74 mph curveball that was sharp with late 11/5 action and good depth.  He throws his 77-79 mph changeup with good arm action that is a solid pitch with some arm side run.  Exton is definitely a pitcher to watch in the class of 2014 with the potential to be a high-level prospect. 

5. Alex Turner, RHP, Russell County HS
Turner is a 6-foot-1, 180 pound RHP with an athletic frame.  He shows good balance in delivery with short arm action through a high ¾ arm slot that produced an 82-85 mph fastball that touched 86 with some slight arm side run.  He struggled to command his curveball that sat 61-65 mph with 11/5 action.  His showed good feel for his changeup that showed arm side run at 73-75 mph.  Turner is in basketball season and would expect him to show better command of his curveball when he takes the mound this spring.  He is a solid pitching prospect with the potential to be a high-level arm in the 2014 class.

6. Zac Ching, RHP, Bullitt East HS
Ching is a 5-foot-9, 155-pound RHP with good athleticism.  He uses long arm action through a high ¾ arm slot to produce an 84-86 mph fastball with slight arm side run.  His curveball showed some bite with 11/5 action at 65-67 mph.  He showed good feel and command of his changeup which sat 70-71 mph with some fade.  Ching shows max effort in his delivery and uses his athleticism to his advantage with quick arm speed.