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Missouri Fall Upperclass Games: Takeaways

September 18, 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 Upperclass Games. This invite-only event featured more than 110 uncommitted 2024 and 2025 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 35 upperclass names that showed well at this event.

2024s

+ RHP Brayden Schnurbusch (Liberty, 2024) remains one of the top uncommitted arms in the state’s senior class. Schnurbusch toes the rubber at a lanky, long-limbed 6-foot-7, 188-pounds and pumped his fastball at 84-86 mph, touching 87 mph in this look, though he’s been up to 90 mph a few times in our past looks. Schnurbusch’s go-to offspeed on Sunday was a 73-75 mph slider that played primarily to the glove-side. 


+ A physical uncommitted 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior to know from this event: CIF Jackson Rousey (Logan-Rogersville, 2024). Rousey took arguably the day’s best round, finding the barrel regularly from a strong, fast right-handed swing with pull-side leverage. He posted the highest average exit velocity of the day (93.9 mph) and he recorded the day’s hardest hit ball (98.2 mph) as well. Rousey also had a top three average batted distance mark (290 ft.) and his furthest batted ball (367 ft.) was the day’s best.


+ Another strong right-handed bat to know from this event is CIF Tyler Ellis (CBC, 2024), who boasts a highly physical 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame. Ellis’ bat strength showed throughout his BP round, where he stayed on top of the baseball consistently while utilizing the middle of the field, and he posted a 95.6 mph max exit velocity, which was one of the day’s best. His strength showed on the infield too, where his 85 mph high was also towards the top of our positional leaderboards.


+ RHP Sean Phillips (Elsberry, 2024) is another uncommitted arm to know from this event. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior pitched at 83-85 mph with his fastball while spinning his breaking ball at 69-72 mph, averaging nearly 2500 RPM.


+ UTL Sam Weller (Webb City, 2024) swings a balanced, athletic left-handed barrel, flashing backspin feel into the right-center gap in BP, barreling his firmest ball up at 94 mph. He took reps on the infield and outfield, topping at 85 mph from the latter, which was one of the event’s highest marks.


+ CIF Bryan Choi (Belton, 2024; MidAmerican Nazarene commit) flashed bat strength and pull-side power at this event. Choi’s two furthest batted balls traveled 355 ft. and 357 ft., respectively, and he had two 95+ mph barrels, including four at 92+ mph.

+ C Christian Denig (Park Hill South, 2024) showed the strongest arm behind the plate of this event, topping at 79 mph on his firmest bullet from the chute. The strong-bodied 5-foot-11, 185-pound backstop stayed uphill through the zone throughout his round of BP, elevating his farthest ball 329 feet, per TrackMan.

+ OF Kale Lawrence (Staley, 2024) swung a quick, short, and uphill left-handed barrel in BP, working mostly to the pull-side throughout his round. Lawrence routinely elevated the baseball to the right-center gap, posting one of the highest average batted distances (251 ft.) of the event while sending his furthest ball 327 feet, per TrackMan.

2025s

+ Easily one of the day’s biggest winners was RHP Drake Gawer (Sullivan, 2025), who came away from Atkins Field on Sunday afternoon as a high follow prospect in the state’s current junior class. Standing at long, lanky, and lean-limbed 6-foot-6, 181-pounds, Gawer’s a controlled mover downhill at his size with a loose, fast arm to pair. His fastball played at 86-88 mph with carry at times, averaging 17 inches of vertical break, reaching 20.4 inches at peak. Gawer turned to a tight, bullet-like slider at 76-78 mph often, spotting it around the zone with confidence and pairing it nicely with his fastball. He also showed a 70-72 mph curveball and flashed fade on a 79-80 mph changeup, too.


+ RHP/OF Brody Kleffner (Fatima, 2025) has considerable upside on the mound to pair with a loose, lively 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame. Kleffner’s fastball played at 84-86 mph, touching 87 mph, from a fast, explosive arm that should only continue to add velocity as he gets older. He grabbed whiffs at the top of the zone, spinning at upwards of 2400 RPM with rise (17.6”) and run (19.4”) at peak. Kleffner showed real feel for a 76-78 mph changeup that played with late arm-side action, thrown at arm speed. Still developing his curveball (71-73 mph) and slider (74-77 mph), the latter showed upside with tight lateral spin from a similar arm angle to his fastball.


+ OF/RHP Ethan Milius (Fulton, 2025) continues to look the part on both sides of the ball each time we see him. He’s a lean, fluid 6-foot-1, 160-pound athlete with ease and balance to all aspects of his game, starting at the plate, where he consistently sprayed line drives to the middle of the field throughout his round. Milius also ran one of the day’s fastest 60 times (6.91) and was up to 85 mph from the outfield, showing a clean, accurate arm and true ball. He hopped on the mound later on in the event and pitched in the low-80s, touching 84 mph, while showing a 67-70 mph curveball as well.


+ RHP Calen Jones (Helias Catholic, 2025) popped to our staff at the Top Prospect Games this summer after a noteworthy showing on the mound, and the 6-foot, 175-pound junior has only ticked up since that look in June. Jones pumped the firmest fastball of the entire event, touching 87.8 mph on his firmest bullet, while sitting at 85-87 mph during his lone inning of work. His arm works fast and easy with arm speed out front, and he creates natural carry up in the zone on true four-seam fastball that averaged 18.2 inches of vertical carry. Though he’s still developing full feel for his breaking ball, he did flash late lateral break on it at times at 71-74 mph. Jones enters the fall and winter seasons with an arrow-up next to his name and is definitely one to follow as his junior year continues.


+ INF Tyler Coffin (Rockhurst, 2025) was one of the event’s biggest standouts, coming away from Columbia with plenty of positive momentum as the fall season continues. At 5-foot-11, 160-pounds, Coffin really looked the part at the plate, working line drives consistently to the pull-side from a balanced, fluid, and athletic right-handed swing. Defensively, Coffin’s an easy mover around the infield with fluid feet that break down in rhythm around the baseball. As he continues to tack on strength and mature, Coffin figures to be a name that keeps rising in the state’s 2025 class.


+ A winner from our winter circuit, RHP Trent Gallagher (Knob Noster, 2025) is a live-armed athlete with raw arm talent and live stuff to boot. The 5-foot-10, 145-pound Gallagher’s fastball played in the low-to-mid-80s, touching 86 mph, and averaging 2478 RPM, breaching the 2600 RPM mark at peak. He threw a power curveball at 74-78 mph with conviction and fastball intent, spinning it for strikes and also burying it beneath the zone for whiffs at 2400+ RPM.

+ OF Tucker Poe (Rockhurst, 2025) came away from this event with plenty of positive momentum after taking one of the more polished and impressive BP rounds. Poe, who’s built at a strong 6-foot, 190-pounds, worked deep into the left-center gap, from a strong, simple, and leveraged swing. Two of his batted balls traveled 350+ feet, four of them left his barrel at 91 mph, and he squared his firmest ball up at 95.1 mph.


+ LHP Braden Ray (Francis Howell, 2025) was another arm that impressed in our trip to Columbia on Sunday. The sophomore southpaw filled up the zone with his fastball, challenging hitters often at 82-84 mph, while peaking at 86 mph on his firmest bullet, averaging 17 inches of vertical break. Ray spun a short wrinkle slider at times in this look in the low-to-mid-70s, too.

+ 1B/RHP Matthew States (Father Tolton Catholic, 2025) had another strong showing at this event, and the 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior continues to look the part each time we see him, both in showcase and gameplay settings. States backspun baseballs off his barrel to the middle of the field throughout BP from a level swing that stays in the hitting zone, squaring his hardest ball up at 91.6 mph.

+ INF Trevor Nelson (Lathrop, 2025) came away from his PBR debut as a follow name in the state’s current junior class. Nelson, who’s an athletic 5-foot-10, 165-pounds, stayed level through the zone from the right side, finding the barrel to the pull-side throughout his round. Nelson’s hardest ball came off his bat at 92.8 mph and it traveled 346 feet, which was also his furthest batted ball.


+ 1B Jackson Tankesley (Liberty, 2025) continues to trend up in the state’s junior class, showing well offensively yet again, this time in our trip to Atkins Field. The 6-foot, 185-pound right-handed hitter showed balance and polish at the plate from a clean, direct right-handed swing, using the whole field as a result. Tankesley’s a proven performer in-game offensively too, producing at Creekside earlier this summer.

+ 1B Hayden GIlmore (Kennett, 2025) is another physical left-handed hitter to know from this event that flashed noticeable pull-side power. Listed at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds, Gilmore comfortably parked two 340+ foot batted balls over the right field wall from a long, uphill stroke, swatting his furthest at an estimated 347 feet.


+ Another name that looked the part in his first event was C Brady Vessells (Seckman, 2025). Built at a strong, compact 5-foot-10, 175-pounds, Vessels showed one of the day’s stronger right-handed swings. He worked mostly to the pull-side throughout his round, staying level through the zone with noticeable hand speed (25.4 mph) and bat speed (75.3 mph). Both his average (87 mph) and max (97 mph) exit velocity marks were towards the top of our batted ball leaderboards from this event.


+ Standing at 6-foot-4, 190-pounds, LHP Owen Nesslage (Kirkwood, 2025) has a considerable ceiling on the bump and is starting to gain more comfort with himself downhill. Nesslage works with some deception, stacking his arm behind his back hip, pitching at 78-81 mph with his fastball. His bread-and-butter pitch appeared to be his breaking ball, which showed downer spin and some sweep in the mid-60s, averaging 2600+ RPM.

+ RHP Adam Streicher (Windsor, 2025) threw well in his lone inning on the hill, showing a polished three-pitch mix. Streicher’s fastball played in the low-80s, he spun his breaking ball at 69-70 mph (T2565 RPM), and he faded a firm changeup beneath the zone, too.

+ CIF Beau Neuburger (Rockhurst, 2025) has always showed above-average bat strength to our staff, doing so across a handful of looks this summer, including at this event. Neuburger packs plenty of strength inside a 6-foot, 215-pound frame and he generates easy raw pull-side power as a result. His hardest ball jumped off his barrel at 95.1 mph in this event, traveling 354 feet deep into the left-center gap for one of the day’s furthest batted balls.


+ INF Bennett Greenhagen (Boonville, 2025) is an upside, loose-bodied 6-foot, 155-pound athlete that has impressed our staff over a few looks this year, most recently at this event. Greenhagen stays short and flat through the zone, rotating out of his load while favoring the pull-side. He’s a comfortable mover on the infield with athletic, rhythmic feet and a loose arm to pair, peaking at 85 mph across the diamond on his hardest bullet.

+ OF Adam Turner (Clayton, 2025) came away a winner from the St. Louis Open earlier this year and left another positive impression on our staff after this look. He’s a fluid, loose-bodied athlete with plenty of upside, standing at a lean, lanky 6-foot-2, 160-pounds. Turner’s an above-average runner that posted one of the day’s fastest 60 times (6.96) and does so rather effortlessly, suggesting that his speed will only continue to improve as he further matures physically. Offensively, Turner stayed up the middle of the field throughout his round, backspinning line drives from a simple all-around operation.

+ OF Jack Burle (Duchesne, 2025) looked the part offensively in his PBR event debut. The 6-foot, 175-pound left/left junior flashed gap-to-gap barrel feel in BP from a simple and direct swing, barreling his hardest ball up at 92.4 mph. Burle showed a true loose arm from the outfield, peaking at 85 mph from the outfield on his firmest bullet.


+ INF/RHP Thomas Dickinson (Rock Bridge, 2025) was a name that showed well on both sides of the ball at Sunday’s event. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior worked mostly to the pull-side in BP, posting one of the day’s highest average exit velocity marks (86.9 mph), and squaring his hardest ball up at 94.1 mph in BP. He hopped on the mound later in the event and filled up the zone with a low-80s fastball, flashing feel to land a 72-73 mph curveball for strikes as well.

+ INF Cameron Cooper (MICDS, 2025) really looks the part in a uniform, standing at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds with strength throughout. Cooper kicked his day off by running a 6.94 60, one of the day’s fastest marks, and he was 87 mph across the infield to lead this upperclass group. Offensively, Cooper’s swing works with length through the zone and creates some backspin to the pull-side, reaching a peak exit velocity of 89.7 mph with a max batted distance of 322 feet.


+ RHP Garrett Anderson (Lee’s Summit West, 2025) and RHP Jackson McDonald (Park Hill South, 2025) are two more upside arms to know from this event. Anderson stands at a long, lanky 6-foot-2, 160-pounds and hurled his fastball in the low-80s, touching 84 mph, with a curveball (68-69 mph) and slider (75-76 mph) mix. McDonald, who stands at 6-foot-3, 165-pounds, has a live, loose arm that figures to tick up in the near future, presently pitching in the low-80s with his fastball.

+ 1B/OF Jared Chorlins (Parkway Central, 2025) is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound left/left athlete that showed well both in BP and during the gameplay portion of this event. He showed easy pull-side power from an uphill left-handed stroke throughout his round, swatting a handful of batted balls over the right field wall, including a 356 foot peak. Chorlins productive day at the plate continued as the day went on, swatting a home run during live at-bats.


+ OF Isaiah Ogbe (Timberland, 2025) is an upside 6-foot-1, 170-pound athlete that showed more offensive polish in this look than we’d seen from him in the past. Ogbe’s loose hands worked short and direct to the baseball in BP, spraying line drives to left field as a result, and he peaked at 83 mph from the outfield.

+ RHP Connor McCoy (SLUH, 2025) and LHP Drew Timp (Kirkwood, 2025) are two arms that lack present velocity, though have a natural aptitude for spinning the baseball that should add more heat over the next few years. McCoy, at 6-foot, 175-pounds, touched 81 mph with his fastball and landed his curveball at 66-68 mph at upwards of 2400+ RPM. Timp’s lanky 5-foot-11, 175-pound offers more projection, and both his raw fastball (T2332 RPM) and breaking ball (T2592 RPM) spin were amongst the event’s best.

+ RHP Hayden Vizcarra (Park Hill South, 2025) kicked off the Gold Field with a clean and quick first inning of work. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound right-hander showed true four-seam backspin on his fastball and spun a 72-73 mph curveball around the zone as well.

+ LHP/UTL Holt Gielow (Eureka, 2025) is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound athlete with an upside frame to follow from this event. Gielow recorded a 94.5 mph exit velocity at the plate and was up to 81 mph from a loose, long arm action.

+ CIF Andy Hertlein (Parkway South, 2025) had one of the day’s highest exit velocity marks, using the strength inside a 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame to power his hardest ball up at 94.5 mph.

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