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PBR Creekside JUCO Classic Recap

September 22, 2021
Brandon Hall, Scott Hood, Kevin Moulder & Tad Slowik

The PBR Creekside JUCO Classic featured some of the top Junior College players in the Midwest. This was the first year for the event at the beautiful Creekside Complex outside of Kansas City. With its close proximity to the airport, many Major League scouts and college coaches were in attendance and had the opportunity to see quality teams and many talented JUCO players. Below are some of the standouts at the event.

Crowder Iowa Western
Jefferson County Johnson County
Cloud County Hutchinson
Iowa Central Des Moines Area
Barton Northeast Oklahoma A&M
Northern Oklahoma Enid Fort Scott
Northeast Maple Woods

 

Crowder (MO)

Crowder, last year’s third place finisher in Grand Junction, is fully loaded once again and put on an impressive showing at Creekside, showing high end arms and a group of impact positional players. The buzz of the event was centered around 6-foot-7 RHP Jacob Misiorowski, who showed electric stuff. The fastball sat 95-97 while topping out at 98 mph out of a three-quarters slot with loose arm action, and he flashed a potential plus slider that at times had a sharp lateral bite at 85-87 mph. He’s still a developing talent, but showed why he is one of the top arms in all of JUCO baseball. 

Cody Adcock, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, was another Draft-type talent for the Roughriders, pitching at 91-93 and up to 94, with a swing miss breaking ball at 81-83 mph.

The arms kept rolling out with RHP Josh Albat, who pitched 90-93 while using a true 12/6 curveball. One of the more interesting arms was 5-foot-8 LHP Trason Vogt, whose fastball seemed to explode out of the hand at 89-91. He used two plus secondary pitches in a swing-and-miss changeup and a curveball that he used against left-handed hitters. 

The Roughrider offense also had an impressive showing on the day with a deep and balanced lineup. Leadoff OF Clayton Gray was an offensive catalyst, reaching base seven times including five hits while working deep counts and showing the ability to hit to all fields.

OF Houston King is the other part of a talented top of the lineup who had a multi-extra-base-hit day. After posting double-digit home runs last season, Josh Patrick (18), Frankie Circello (12) and Peyton Holt (11) are back again this year to provide thump and length to the lineup. Defensively, sophomore catcher Chaz Poppy provides a steady presence behind the plate with his ability to handle a talented pitching staff and control the running game.

 

Iowa Western (IA)

Iowa Western demonstrated why they are consistently one of the top programs in the country, showing a strong every day lineup and plenty of depth on the bump. 3B Jacob Gish should excel on both sides of the ball, flashing skills with his glove and plenty of arm strength. He showed a good approach at the plate and will produce offensively for the Reivers. His short compact swing has plenty of pop. SS Andrew Schroeder anchors the defense with good actions and sure hands. He will also contribute to a strong run-producing offense. 

On the mound, the Reivers should have a strong rotation and plenty of bullpen depth. Led by sophomores RHP Ernest Day, who featured a 90-94 fastball with tail and sink and flashes a plus slider, and LHP Brant Hogue, who was up to 91 with plus life and featured a good slider and plus change, the Reivers have a strong one-two punch.

RHP Tyler Chadwick, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound righty, was slightly erratic but sat 92-94 mph (T95) with an 87 mph changeup that he threw with good arm speed and feel.

RHP Evan O’Toole attacked the zone with a 91-94 mph fastball that he complemented with an 82-mph curveball.

Other quality arms include RHP Michael Finan (90-92 with a good slider), RHP Noah Manning (88-91 with good sinker-slider combo) and Braden Berry (touched 90 with late life and good slider).

 

Jefferson College (MO)

Jefferson College, another perennial power, was led by a strong positional player group. 1B Matt Schark (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) had a monster day at the plate, hitting two home runs -- one off of a 92 mph fastball.


Leadoff-hitting SS Josh Gibson, an electric talent who had a multi-hit day including a triple, is a game-changer on the bases as a constant threat to steal. Backstop

Bryce Miller is a physical presence who shows power at the plate and a strong throwing arm behind it, posting consistent mid-1.9-second pop times and gunning down the lone would-be basestealer on the day. Switch-hitting OF Payton Howard is a fast-twitch athlete with plus speed that he showed off multiple times, even posting a sub-3.7-second run time on a bunt hit. On the mound, RHP/1B Jordan Duncan worked at 87-90 with a changeup and curveball while also proving a power presence in the middle of the Viking lineup.

 

Johnson County (KS)

A 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander with feel for three pitches, Mikal Adams was 86-89 with a swing-and-miss changeup (76-79) and a slider (79-81) that featured both tilt and depth.

Blake Mozley, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound infielder, exhibited a solid approach with feel for the barrel from the left side of the plate. He reached base three times, and showed strong, aggressive instincts on the basepaths.

Sophomore RHP Rene Ramos’ fastball featured some arm-side life at 88-91 mph. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder backed it up with a sharp curveball at 76 and a running 87-mph changeup.

Sophomore LHP Max Chapman was up to 87 mph with arm speed that allows him to create depth on his mid-70s curveball.

RHP Hayden Minton will be an arm to follow closely this season. He impressed with his physically strong 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame as well with his stuff, mixing three pitches led by a 90-92 mph fastball which he located down in the zone consistently. The sophomore also showed a mid-70s slider with sweeping action and a changeup at 81. Minton recently recorded the top velocity (94 mph) at Johnson County’s PBR Scout Day.

 

Cloud County (KS)

Cloud County had a strong showing at Friday’s Creekside JUCO event starting out with starting pitcher RHP Aaron Hayes, who featured a live 89-91 mph fastball and a sharp 11-to-5 curveball in his scoreless outing. Jack Mount, a 6-foot-2 right-hander, showed swing-and-miss stuff with a good fastball at 88-91 that had some arm side run and a slider that he used to finish hitters in a clean inning of work.

Offensively, the T-Birds were led by utility leadoff hitter Willie Ponce, who turned in a four-hit day including a pair of triples.

One player to keep an eye on is freshman RHP Cole Askew, who worked at 85-88 mph from a stocky, 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame. He paired it with an upper-70’s slider with feel for spin and late depth.

 

Hutchinson (KS)

The traditional Jayhawk power showed a number of quality arms and positional players. Offensively physical middle-of-the-lineup bat Ryan Henderson jump-started the Blue Dragon offensive with an impressive two-run shot over the left-field wall. Loose-armed LHP Ryan Schlotzhauer operated at 88-91 mph with a solid breaking ball from a highly projectable 6-foot-3, 160-pound frame.

6-foot-5 RHP Jackson Blue showed a heavy fastball sitting 87-90 and a plus 12/6 curveball while striking out the side in his first inning of work. 


Iowa Central (IA)

RHP John Klein has a big, athletic frame at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. Showing a quick arm from a high-three-quarters slot, he pounded the bottom of the zone with an 89-93 mph fastball and showed feel for executing both a slider and a changeup.

Sophomore RHP Easton Durmody impressed with his projectable 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame and feel for three quality pitches. In addition to sitting 89-91 mph with 2400-plus RPM on his fastball, Durmody also featured a 78-mph slider with late darting action and a top-to-bottom curve at 77-80.

Brett Sears, an athletic 6-foot-1, 200-pound righty, worked his fastball at 89-92 mph while consistently spinning it north of 2400 RPM. He creates a tough look against right-handed hitters with some crossfire in his delivery.

SS Max Holy stood out for his ability to hit to all fields with a balanced right-handed stroke. The sophomore also impressed on the dirt, showing twitchy athleticism that in turn fuels his range and overall ability as a shortstop. Sophomore INF Brock Johnson was an offensive standout as he barrelled up a pair of balls while demonstrating a disciplined, gap-to-gap approach from the right side of the plate. Sophomore OF Jalen Martinez is a physical athlete at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds

 

Des Moines Area (IA)

Jacob Drueger -- a physical righty at 6-foot-3, 207 pounds -- sat 88-90 with a low-spin fastball, showing good arm speed and action from an over-the-top slot. He paired his heater with a 77-79 curveball that featured early 11-to-7 tilt.

Working from the stretch exclusively, 6-foot-1, 180-pound RHP Jacob Norris has effort in his delivery but used his quick arm to generate 88-90 (T91) heaters with 2250-2400 spin rates and spun his 74-78 mph curveball in the 2450-2600 range. RHP Kaleb Krier repeats his delivery well and consistently works down in the zone thanks to his high-three-quarters slot. He sat 86-88 mph with a 76-78, 2200-RPM slider.

Jackson Fisher, a sophomore catcher, is athletic behind the dish and showed well with both his blocking and receiving and also cut down an attempted basestealer using his strong, accurate arm. At the plate, the right-handed hitter shows good balance and covers the plate well. OF Jake Brill showcased the same loud tools that he put on full display at DMACC’s PBR Scout Day, when he recorded team-best marks by running a 6.53-second 60-yard dash and throwing 96 from the outfield. 

 

Barton (KS)

Barton County will be working to get back to Grand Junction -- where they last made a trip in 2018 -- and a big part of that will come from a pair of talented left handed arms. LHP Zach Thornton showed a loose and projectable arm with some natural deception while working 85-88 mph.

LHP Hunter Hesseltine showcased a true three-pitch mix, with reports putting the fastball up to 89 mph to go along with a big low-70s curveball and good feel for the changeup at 79 mph which got some swing and miss.

Offensively, the Cougars welcome back OF Alex Rogers, who is coming off a big 2021 campaign that saw him hit .380 with 35 extra-base hits including 10 home runs. Helping to bring some juice to the lineup is Australian freshman INF Henry Hayman, a big and physical hitter with a strong lower half and quick hands at the plate.

 

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (OK)

NEO featured one of the younger and more inexperienced rosters at the event but it wasn’t lacking in talent. Their lineup is highlighted by sophomore leadoff hitter and Missouri State kickback Cole Hill, who shows solid defensive actions at shortstop to go along with a short, compact swing and good run tool.

The pitching staff is quite young but did show some promise with freshman RHP Mathias Trondson getting the start in game one. He showed the ability to miss bats with a mid-80s fastball and gets sharp depth on his 12-to-6 mid-70s curveball. RHP Logan Boenker, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound freshman, showed a swing-and-miss curveball in the mid 70s with an attacking mid-80s fastball.

 

Northern Oklahoma Enid (OK)

NOC Enid had a really impressive showing on both sides of the ball on Friday, with some of their returning standouts leading a physical offensive attack. Sophomore INF Tanner Holliman showed a strong linear swing with some bat speed and strength at contact which carried him to 15 home runs last season. OF Calyn Holverson also showed his power potential at the plate Friday. Coming off a 2021 season that saw him hit .348 with 42 extra-base hits including 19 tanks, he showed a physical swing with a really good lower half.

On the mound, freshman Naton Herchok impressed with an upper-80s fastball with life and a 79-80 mph slider that missed some bats. Sophomore RHP Piercen Mcelyea showed a starter’s three-pitch mix, working at 85-87 with good tilting action, a big depth curveball at 70 mph, and a good changeup with arm-side fade and depth.

 

Fort Scott (KS)

Fort Scott showed an experienced roster with some good returning talent highlighted by their three-hole-hitting OF Jake Skaggs. Skaggs shows a floating and rhythmic swing with good bat speed and some strength at contact. He’s coming off a big freshman campaign where he hit 14 home runs. The Greyhounds have the luxury of returning catcher Peyton Messenger, who’s coming off a nice freshman season where he hit over .300 and threw out 19 would-be basestealers in 53 attempts.

RHP Tyler Gorman showed some real pitchability, working the fastball up to 87 mph as part of a solid three-pitch mix. RHP Alex Khan was one of the more physical arms for Fort Scott, working the fastball up to 88 mph from a large 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame.

Sophomore RHP Austin Neal profiles as an interesting bullpen piece at the next level with a fastball up to 87 mph from a low-three-quarters slot that helps him impart heavy arm-side run and sink to go along with the traditional side-slot sweeping slider at 69-70 mph that he threw to both right- and left-handed hitters.

 

Northeast (NE)

LHP Zach Chiolis operated at 85-87 mph with a 74-mph curveball and looks to have more velocity still to unlock given his long limbs and present delivery. The southpaw sat 88-90 while topping out at 91 mph during the Hawks’ recent PBR Scout Day. 

 

Maple Woods (MO)

Cale Sackewitz was a bright spot for Maple Woods, connecting on an impressive grand slam to center field to power the offense.


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