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Southwest Louisiana Preseason ID - Quick Hits Story

January 19, 2022
Alex Armand
Louisiana Scouting Director

On Saturday, January 15th, 2022, we held our second event of the Winter Schedule with the Southwest Louisiana Preseason ID at McNeese State University.  The event began with a pro-style workout (60’s, Defense, Batting Practice) that all position players and two-way prospects participated in. Below, we continue our coverage with a look at some of our staff's first impressions from the day.

Uncommitted 2022 Standouts

-2022 RHP Kylin Broussard (Grand Lake HS)

Projectable 6'3" 175 lbs. frame with long limbs and plenty of room to continue to add strength.  Broussard made the most of his first PBR event by turning in a good showing on the mound.  In what ended up being a cold and windy day, the Grand Lake HS product topped out at 86 mph with his FB and sat 83-85 mph.  He also showed aptitude for spin with his "11-5" shaped CB and SL that had late break and bite down in the zone.  The arm action was clean and the delivery was athletic and under control.  We expect an uptick in velocity come spring time, which will only make him even more attractive to college programs.

 

-2022 RHP Seth Benoit (Jennings HS)

Benoit is a guy who we saw earlier in 2021 and he's continued to progress and make gains since then.  Athletic and wiry 6'0" 165 lbs. frame with more strength to come; the Jennings HS product has a slow and controlled delivery, bringing his glove above his head, before breaking and releasing the ball from a 3/4-low 3/4 arm slot.  He worked up to 86 mph, sitting mostly 83-85 mph with the FB.  His 2 seam FB had some good late sink and run in the low 80's as well.  His CB and SL both had good spin and different shapes to each pitch, and were landed for strikes.  Another interesting uncommitted arm from SWLA that should make a college program happy.

 

 

-2022 OF Jackson Ford (Holy Savior Menard HS)

Athletic 6'0" 170 lbs. frame with some present physicality; Ford had a good overall day on Saturday.  Again, in colder and winy conditions, he posted a 7.03 in the 60 and we've seen Ford record better run times in better conditions.  His BP round was one of the better, if not the best on the afternoon.  He peppered the baseball from gap to gap and recorded a max exit velocity of 86 mph.  For schools looking for a left handed hitting OF in the 2022 class; Ford is a good one to look at. 

 

2023 Class Excels

-2023 LHP/1B J.C. Vanek (Barbe HS)

You can definitely tell that the LSU commit has been working in the weight room this off-season, as he showed up more physical than our last look.  Vanek recorded a max exit velocity of 94 mph, showing middle-pull side power during BP.  He also showed off arm strength from the OF by recording a positional velocity of 90 mph.  We didn't get to see the southpaw hop on the mound, due to him having thrown a day prior to the event, but it was good to see his offensive abilities and he showed why he's one of the top two-way prospects in the 2023 class.

 

-2023 OF Jaydun Colbert (Southside HS)

Colbert was a guy we talked about leading up to the event and he didn't disappoint on Saturday.  Athletic 5'11" 175 lbs. frame with some present physicality, especially in his lower half.  The Southside HS product recorded an event best 6.72 in the 60, which we believe would have been even better in more ideal conditions.  A left-handed hitter; Colbert showed a simple and repeatable swing during BP with balance throughout and recorded a max exit velocity of 89 mph.  A high follow moving forward this spring and a guy that should be on college coaches radars that are in the market for an uncommitted OF in the 2023 class.

 

-2023 MIF Gavin Walker (Grand Lake HS)

Athletic and lean 5'10" 140 lbs. frame with plenty of room to add strength.  The Grand Lake HS product enjoyed a really nice overall day on Saturday, performing well in multiple areas.  He clocked in at a 7.22 in the 60 and again, it was in colder weather.  Showed soft hands and athletic footwork on the infield.  His BP round was one of the better ones of the day, as he consistently found the barrel and used the middle of the field.

 

-2023 MIF Garrett Walker (Grand Lake HS)

Our review of Garrett is very similar to Gavin's (above) and they are twin brothers to boot.  Posted a 7.16 in the 60.  Much like his brother, he took a clean round of infield and recorded a positional velocity of 83 mph, which puts him in the Top 5 from the event.  He also took a really good BP round with a sound right-handed swing, direct path to contact, and level extension through the baseball.  

 

-2023 MIF James Reina (St. Louis HS)

This was our first opportunity to see Reina, in quite some time, as he is the starting QB for St. Louis HS.  Reina turned in a respectable 7.12 in the 60, which should even be better come spring/summer time.  During the INF portion of the day, Reina caught everything clean with athletic actions moving through the baseball and showed good arm strength across the diamond by recording an event best 86 mph INF velocity.  Reina also took a good BP round, consistently making hard contact.  "More than the sum of his parts" would be the best way to describe Reina, as he's a guy that college coaches are going to want to get out and see come March 1, because he plays above his tools in game.  

 



2025 Catchers to Keep an Eye On

2025 C Connor Walker (Sam Houston HS)

Physical 5'9" 165 lbs. frame with a sturdy and compact build.  Walker was a guy that we were excited to see going into Saturday, after receiving positive reports on his fall.  Flashed some pop in BP and recorded a max exit velocity of 86 mph.  There's still some things he needs to clean up with the swing, but he showed strength and the ability to find the barrel.  Behind the plate, quality receiver with a quick transfer that resulted in a 2.05 pop time and 72 mph positional velocity.  He also posted a 7.31 in the 60.  Good athlete and one to watch in the freshman class.

 

2025 C Hayden Lebleu (Iowa HS)

Lebleu was a guy we hadn't heard anything about coming into Saturday, but he left a good impression on our staff after the event.  Showed strength in his hands during BP and recorded a max exit velocity of 85 mph.  Behind the plate, Lebleu showed off good arm strength recording a positional velocity of 74 mph from the crouch.  He also posted a 7.10 in the 60, showing he's a good overall athlete.  As with most freshman, there are areas of his game that he needs to improve, but he showed off some key tools that make him an interesting follow going forward.