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Missouri Fall Underclass Games: Takeaways

September 20, 2023
By: Diego Solares
Area Scout, Illinois & Missouri

On Sunday, September 10th, the PBR Missouri staff traveled to Atkins Field in Columbia, MO, to host the annual Missouri Fall Underclass Games. This invite-only event featured more than 60 2026 and 2027 prospects from across the state that converged on the four field complex.

Those in attendance participated in a pro-style workout, collecting unrivaled data and measurables through our pristine tech partners. Following the day's showcase portion, players were split into teams and partook in a simulated gameplay against each other.

For a full roster of those in attendance, click HERE. To see all of the statistics from this event, click HERE.

Shortly after the event our staff rolled out several stat leaderboards, highlighting multiple players who put up numbers at this event. You can find that by clicking HERE.

Today we’ve compiled our scout notes from the event and rolled out these takeaways, where we’ve highlighted several of the day’s standout performances. Below you’ll learn about more than 25 underclass names that showed well at this event.

2026s

+ The day’s top prospect, RHP Dylan Curtis (Francis Howell) continues to do nothing but cement himself as a high-end prospect in Missouri’s 2026 class. Coming off a dominant summer, the 6-foot-5, 155-pound highly projectable sophomore made the trip to Columbia for this event and, presumably, stole the show. An easy, free-flowing mover that controls his body downhill more than comfortably for his age, Curtis pitched in the low-80s with his fastball in this brief look, touching 85 mph, with plenty more to come. He pounded his heater around the zone and landed a 72-73 mph curveball for strikes off it, fading a changeup on occasion, too. Curtis’ polish goes further than his ability to land his entire arsenal for strikes, spilling over into the confidence he exudes in each individual pitch, which adds to his effectiveness even moreso. Expect him to keep going in the right direction as his stuff keeps ticking up, upping what’s already one of the highest ceilings in the state’s sophomore class.


+ Another high ceiling prospect to come away a winner from this event, 1B/LHP Aiden Zehnle (Oakville, 2026) stands at a premium, long-levered 6-foot-4, 195-pounds. Zehnle’s innate ability to elevate the baseball from a long, uphill left-handed swing proved true throughout his round, as seven of his batted balls traveled more than 290 feet. His furthest ball went 329 feet, which was amongst the day’s best, and Zehnle all of the day’s hitters with a 97 mph max exit velocity. Aside from his talents at the plate, Zehnle’s fastball played in the low-80s, touching 82 mph.


+ C Logan Studer (SLUH) entered this event as one of the top backstops in the state’s 2026 class and further solidified his status as such in this trip to Columbia. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound sophomore showed a fast and aggressive right-handed barrel, peppering balls to the middle-pull part of the field. Four of his swings registered exit velocities over 88 mph and, in total, he averaged 86.3 mph per barrel. At peak, Studer’s hardest (92.6 mph) and furthest (329 ft.) batted balls, respectively, matched up towards the top of his peers in attendance. He continues to be an asset defensively, showing a quick and accurate release from behind the plate with pop times at 2.00-to-2.07 and a 75 mph arm at peak.


+ RHP Henry Bertoncin (St. Pius X, 2026) was another sophomore arm that advanced polish and pitchability for his age at this event. Toeing the rubber at a lean and athletic 5-foot-11, 150-pounds, Bertoncin showed an above-average three pitch mix for his age at this event. His fastball played in the low-80s, touching 83 mph, from a loose, clean arm window. He spun a 68-72 mph curveball that averaged nearly 2500 RPM and he also showed a firm 75-76 mph changeup with natural arm-side action.


+ INF Will Breitweiser (Father Tolton Catholic, 2026) holds above-average bat strength within a physical 6-foot, 205-pound frame. Breitweiser’s furthest batted ball cleared the left field wall comfortably, traveling 337 feet, and he elevated one 323 feet into the left-center gap during his round, too. His hardest barrel checked in at 91.8 mph and he mostly favored the pull-side from a direct, level right-handed swing.


+ CIF/RHP Desmond White (Branson, 2026) was a big winner from this event, taking one of the day’s more impressive rounds of BP. White’s bat strength and inherent ability to elevate the baseball, especially for his age, should be noted - he worked gap-to-gap effortlessly, had three batted balls travel over 300 feet, and his best swing generated a 343 foot barrel that floated over the left field wall. White looks the part of a future middle-of-the-order bat with a power tool that should only continue to tick up as his physical maturity continues.


+ Trending up in the class, OF/LHP Jase Mayberry (Mehlville, 2026) does nothing but impress our staff in our looks, including this most recent one in Columbia. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound left-handed hitter owns above-average barrel accuracy for his age, staying on the barrel to the pull-side from a short, easy, and direct swing. Mayberry’s a strike-thrower on the hill too, pumping his fastball around the strike zone consistently from a loose ¾ arm window, and spinning a slurvy-type breaking ball for strikes, too.


+ OF Jacob Noland (Kirkwood, 2026) is a highly intriguing 6-foot-1, 160-pound athlete to follow from this event. He’s a loose, easy athlete at the plate with a controlled right-handed swing that produced consistent barreled contact throughout his round. Noland’s firmest swing resulted in a 94.4 mph high, though he had two other 88+ mph swings as well. There’s plenty more to project on with Noland, who’s seemingly just starting to come into his frame and offensive potential at the plate.

+ 1B/LHP Austin Jones (Lindbergh, 2026) has added noticeable size and strength since we last saw him at the PBR Junior Future Games, now standing at a more filled out 6-foot, 170-pounds. The left/left St. Louis’ native looks the part in the batter’s box, staying inside the baseball with athletic hands and balance through contact. Jones primarily favored the right-center gap throughout his round of BP, spraying elevated contact that way with an 89.1 mph max. He showed well on the mound in this event, filling up the zone with his heater and touching 80 mph on his hardest bullet. Off that, Jones landed a mid-to-upper-60s breaking ball for strikes and he turned over a low-spin changeup at 68-70 mph, too.

+ OF Justin Seaver (Russellville, 2026) impressed at Atkins Field earlier this summer and the 5-foot-10, 175-pound sophomore showed well yet again at this event. Seaver’s a recognizable athlete at the plate with above-average Blast Motion swing metrics, most notably with his peak hand (22.6 mph) and bat (74.6 mph) speeds. He gets on top of the baseball and keeps a flat barrel through the zone, hitting his hardest ball at 92.2 mph, which was the fourth-highest mark from this group.

+ A left-handed hitter to know from this event: INF/RHP Jackson Miller (Chaminade College Prep, 2026). Miller offers premium projectability, stepping onto the field at a lean and lanky-levered 6-foot-2, 165-pounds. Still learning how to control his levers consistently, Miller’s best barrels came to the pull-side, where he recorded his peak exit velocity (87.5 mph) and furthest batted mark (318 ft.), both of which are likely to trend up as he continues to get stronger. Away from the batter’s box, Miller’s 60 time (7.13) and max infield velocity (82 mph) were both the second-highest marks in their respective categories from this event.

+ INF/RHP Bryce Whitney (Smithville, 2026) is a follow sophomore with strength on both sides of the ball from this event. Whitney, who’s listed at an athletic 5-foot-8, 160-pounds with some strength, stayed up the middle and on the barrel throughout his entire round of BP, averaging 85.6 mph per batted ball with an 89.7 mph high. Whitney toed the rubber later on in the day and peaked at 81 mph with his fastball, which was one of the day’s firmer marks.

+ CIF/RHP Cameron Fuqua (CBC, 2026) has strength within a 5-foot-10, 175-pound frame that showed on both sides of the ball at this event. Fuqua’s hardest batted ball came off his barrel at 91.8 mph in BP, traveling an estimated 318 feet, per TrackMan. He was up to 84 mph across the infield and from the outfield, both of which were amongst the highest marks from this event, and also ran his fastball up to 80 mph in the day’s gameplay portion.

+ OF Chase Cradick (Francis Howell, 2026) is a left-handed hitter with a lean, lanky and projectable 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame. Offensively, Cradick controls his levers well with a direct approach to the baseball, staying up the middle throughout a large chunk of his round. He was also up to 81 mph from the outfield in this workout.

+ OF Adam Wright (Parkway West, 2026) swings a flat left-handed barrel with backspin feel to the pull-side, elevating two 300+ ft. batted balls that way, including a 313 foot max. He almost exclusively worked in the air throughout his round (80%) and posted an 88.2 mph high exit velocity.

+ OF/LHP Joshua Marsh (Rock Bridge, 2026) ran the day’s fastest 60 time, reaching a peak speed of 20.3 mph en route to a 6.90 time. At the plate, Marsh showed a long, flat right-handed swing that flashed line drive feel into the left-center gap during his round.

+ Two strong left-handed hitters to note from this event are 1B Benjamin Smith (Home School, 2026) and 1B Evan Budde (Fort Zumwalt North, 2026). Smith, who’s 5-foot-11, 170-pounds, got off some aggressive hacks during his round, flashing bat strength on plane from a long, rotational swing. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Budde has natural hand speed and strength, working uphill through the zone to impact, and his 91 mph max exit velocity was one of the day’s highest marks.

+ MIF Jackson Nikodym (Duchesne, 2026) confirmed the positive reports we had heard about him heading into the event. As a freshman, Nikodym slashed .423/.483/.529 in 116 plate appearances for his Pioneers’ squad this past spring. At this event, Nikodym showed some barrel accuracy, spraying line drives to all fields from a compact right-handed swing.

+ INF Carson Stipes (Francis Howell, 2026) is a handsy, athletic right-handed hitter with some hand twitch to pair. Stipes, who’s listed at 5-foot-11, 160-pounds, consistently repeated his swing and sprayed line drives back up the middle throughout his entire round of BP. Defensively, Stipes is an active defender on the dirt with athletic feet that showed comfort working around the baseball on the move.

+ L/L OF Kale Price (CBC, 2026) flashed above-average bat strength for his age in this look. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Price drove his furthest batted ball an estimated 325 feet, per TrackMan, while working on the barrel throughout his round (89%) to produce a peak exit velocity of 89.2 mph.

2027s

+ RHP Connor Lucas (SLUH, 2027) came away from this event as a high-follow in the state’s current freshman group. At 6-foot, 170-pounds, Lucas showed easy bat strength from a clean, balanced, and athletic right-handed swing, driving his deepest ball 344 feet, with four other 300+ ft. batted balls that traveled into both gaps, respectively. The ease in which Lucas generated these batted ball outputs, given his age, is especially impressive and they are metrics that are likely to keep trending upward as he adds strength. Lucas flashed on the mound too, pumping his fastball up to 82 mph with true backspin carry. He threw his slider at 73-75 mph, a well above-average velocity band for his age and usually an indication that an uptick in overall velocity is coming sooner rather than later. Lucas looks the part of a must follow name in Missouri’s 2027 class.


+ RHP Max Jones (Seckman, 2027) is certain to be a follow name on the mound, both presently and in the foreseeable future. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Jones bumped his fastball up to 82 mph, showing downer spin on an intentful 69-72 mph curveball with above-average future traits. He rounded his arsenal out with a 70-72 mph changeup that he threw confidently at arm speed, fading it naturally.


+ C/1B Blake Hollrah (Orchard Farm, 2027) stands in at a hard to miss 6-foot-2, 185-pounds with noticeable physicality. Hollrah flashed future power potential in this look, controlling his levers well given his age and stature, while swinging a long, level right-handed barrel.

+ OF Blake Schiller (Francis Howell, 2027) is another offensive name to follow from this event. Schiller showed a simple and athletic right-handed swing that comfortably used the whole field throughout BP, making for a hitterish feel throughout.


+ Two more strong right-handed hitters from this event are 1B Jackson Jercinovic (St. Pius, 2027) and CIF Daniel Ladenberger (Chaminade, 2027). Jercinovic is a rotational hitter with strong hands that produced the fourth highest max exit velocity (87.3 mph) amongst 2027 grads at this event. Ladenberger consistently got off aggressive uphill hacks in his round, showing noticeable bat speed and strength for his age, while authoritatively driving balls deep into the pull-side gap.

+ OF Zaiedan Jeanlouis (Ritenour, 2027) swings a short, simple, and direct left-handed barrel. Jeanlouis showed line drive feel to the pull-side, though he did work the other way at times, and stayed balanced through contact.

+ RHP Evan Magnuson (Platte County, 2027) toes the rubber at a highly projectable 6-foot-3, 160-pounds. His arm plays loose with some arm speed out front, though there’s plenty more to dream on as he continues to mature physically. Magnuson’s fastball touched 80 mph at this event and he showed a 68-72 mph slider with slight lateral tilt off it.

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