By Chris Fuller
Kentucky Scouting Director

On Sunday, December 15, PBR Kentucky hosted the Winter Unsigned Senior Showcase at Legends Sports Academy in Louisville.  The event afforded unsigned prospects in the 2014 class the opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of the PBR Kentucky staff and college coaches from six states. 

It was a big day for players in attendance as several received multiple phone calls before they even returned home to set up visits to schools, and multiple players have received offers since the conclusion of the event.

This article takes a look at the corner infielders that participated in the event.

Cody Kalinowski, 1B/OF, Lexington Christian Academy, 2014
6-foot-1, 194-pound, left-handed hitting  prospect, strong and athletic build, continues to show solid defensive abilities with soft hands and athletic feet, 78 mph arm across the infield.  Also plays outfield, moves well and plays through the ball, showcased an 81 mph arm (+3 from previous event).  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, generates good bat speed through the zone, quick hands, line-drive producing stroke, consistently barreled up the ball in his round in the most impressive round of the event, potential to be solid left-handed hitter at the next level, ran improved 4.53 home to first base time (-.10 from previous event), 88 mph exit velocity.

Nick Goldsmith, 1B/RHP, St.Rita (IL) HS, 2014
6-foot-2, 205-pound, physical prospect, hands work, shows decent feet around the bag, long exchange with 77 mph arm across the infield.  At the plate, hits from an open stance, uses a leg kick trigger, aggressive approach with raw strength, solid round consistently squaring up the baseball, flashes some power potential, registered 92 mph tee exit velocity, ran 4.75 home to first base time, also pitches (featured in pitcher write-ups).

Nick Nonos, 1B, Ballard HS, 2014
5-foot-11, 200-pound, left-handed hitting prospect, average actions at first base, 74 mph arm across the infield (has been up to 77 at previous event).  At the plate, showed a slightly open setup, smooth load, short stride, good use of strong lower half generates bat speed through the zone, shows ability to hit to all fields with some power, slight improvement in home to first base time at 4.97, registered 89 mph tee exit velocity (93 at previous event), potential to be a solid left-handed hitter with some pop at the next level.

Andrew Kirkland, 3B, Ballard HS, 2014
5-foot-11, 208-pound prospect, continues to show improvements in arm strength, throws registered 78 mph across the infield, shows good lateral movement and soft hands.  At the plate, hits from a balanced setup with a short stride, incorporates very good lower half torque that generates barrel whip through the zone, consistently barrels the baseball up and shows power potential, ran a 4.89 home to first base time, registered 91 mph exit velocity off the tee as he did at his previous event.

JJ Poole, 1B/RHP, Daviess County HS, 2014
6-foot-5, 213-pound prospect, average hands, showed improved arm across the infield at 77 mph.  At the plate, hits from a wide base with slight load and no stride, good balance throughout, showed improved lower half that generates good bat speed, consistently squared the ball up in his round with some pop, has some power potential, ran an improved 4.94 home to first base time (-.13 from previous event), 85 mph exit velocity off the tee (has been up to 90 previously), also pitches (featured in pitcher write-ups).

Zach Bennett, 1B/3B, Kings HS (OH), 2014
5-foot-11, 215-pound prospect, had injured ankle and participated in hitting only, hits from an open setup with a short stride, shows an opposite field approach, lacks complete use of lower half, registered 76 mph tee exit velocity.