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Preseason All-State Quick Hits: Pitchers

February 9, 2024
By: Diego Solares
Central Region Media Director, Scouting

On Saturday, February 3rd, the PBR Missouri made our annual trip to the SportsBarn in Wentzville, MO, to host the Preseason All-State. This invite-only event featured a multitude of the state's top prospects, representing Missouri's 2024-to-2027 classes, with over 100 players set to attend.

All of our events offer players the opportunity to update their recruiting resume and showcase their talents in front of our staff. We also use these events as identifiers for future invite-only events, like the Preseason All-State, our summer Top Prospect Games, and the prestigious Prep Baseball Future Games that takes place at the tail end of the summer.

For a full roster of the players that attended this event, click HERE. Yesterday, our staff rolled out the day’s statistical standouts in leaderboard format within our ‘Stat Story’, which you can find HERE. 

Today, after combing through our notes from the day, we’ve compiled some of the event’s standouts below within these ‘Quick Hits’. Given the magnitude of talent at this event, we’ll be breaking up our ‘Quick Hits’ by position. We started with the catchers yesterday, which you can find HERE, and we also posted the outfielders, which can be found HERE.

Earlier today we posted the infield scout notes from the event, which you can find HERE. 

We’re wrapping up our scouting coverage of the All-State tonight by turning our attention to the mound. Below you will learn more about 20 standout arms from the winter’s premier event. 

QUICK HITS - PITCHERS 

+ A major arrow-up arm over the last six months or so is RHP Drake Gawer (Sullivan, 2025), though the uncommitted 6-foot-6, 200-pound junior elevated his prospect status to a whole new level after Saturday’s event. A simple mover down the mound that controls his large levers well, Gawer pumped his fastball at 91-92 mph at 2398 RPM on average while also averaging 17 inches of vertical break. Gawer spun two different breaking balls; a 74-75 mph curveball that showed more depth and vertical drop as opposed to his tight 75-76 mph slider with late horizontal action. He also showed a changeup at 83-85 mph that he’s able to spot around the zone with 15+ inches of horizontal movement on average. Gawer is a must-know, high-follow prospect on the mound in the state’s junior class. 


+ LHP Jake Collier (Pacific, 2025) continues to trend upward and showed three above-average pitches in this ‘pen. The PBR Future Games alum threw his fastball at 88-89 mph, averaging 2466 RPM, to both corners of the plate from a short, quick arm draw. He’s shaped his curveball into more of a power offering, now throwing it at 77-78 mph with sharp swing-and-miss bite at times. Collier also throws a firm changeup with late arm-side at 83-84 mph that operates as more of a sinker (20.2” of HM), but serves as a complimentary third pitch against both handed hitters. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound southpaw is one of the top uncommitted left-handed arms in Missouri. 


+ Another huge winner from last weekend was RHP Ethan Martin (Westminster Christian, 2025), who left the SportsBarn as a name-to-know uncommitted junior in Missouri. Athletic with strength at 5-foot-10, 165-pounds, Martin repeated a simple, efficient, and athletic delivery throughout his ‘pen. It’s a short quick draw out of the glove with noticeable arm speed out front, helping him produce upper-80s velocities with his fastball. Martin’s heater played around the zone, as did his changeup, which he threw at 83-84 mph with late run (18”) at times. He also spun a 75-77 mph curveball with bend and depth at 2400+ RPM, which he was able to land for strikes as well as spot beneath the zone. 


+ RHP Calen Jones (Helias Catholic, 2025) has repeatedly impressed our staff over the last few times we’ve seen him and Saturday was no different for the 6-foot, 180-pound uncommitted upperclassmen. Jones fastball favored the glove-side corner of the plate at 87-88 mph with straight four-seam action. His slider showed hard horizontal action (-15.6”) at 74-76 mph and he was able to throw it in the zone for strikes. Jones completed his arsenal with a firm 79-81 mph changeup that he consistently threw for strikes with 15.1” of horizontal movement at peak. 


+ LHP Braden Ray (Francis Howell, 2025) is an uncommitted junior southpaw with a starter’s profile. Ray holds strength well within a compact 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame and showed four quality pitches, starting with a fastball at 84-87 mph that played mostly to the arm-side corner of the plate. He’s comfortable spinning a 69-70 mph curveball with depth for strikes and his changeup plays with gradual run from a similar release height to his fastball at 76-78 mph. For whiffs, Ray’s splitter may be his best offering, with true tumble and little spin at 76-78 mph. 


+ OF/RHP Ethan Milius (Fulton, 2025) was one of the more intriguing two-way follows from this event. A lean 6-foot-1, 160-pound athlete that’s nowhere close to the finish of his physical development, Milius started his day by running one of the day’s faster 60-yard dash times at 6.91 seconds. It’s a simple, low-effort right-handed swing that stays short to contact and uses the whole field, spraying line drives throughout his round as a result. He peaked at 89 mph from the outfield before hopping on the mound and showing three pitches for strikes, starting with a fastball that played at 85-86 mph. Off that, Milius landed a big bendy breaking ball with depth for strikes at 70-72 mph and his 71-73 mph changeup played with natural fade in the bottom corner of the strike zone. 


+ 1B/RHP Keller Costello (Marquette, 2025) is a highly physical 6-foot-3, 210-pound uncommitted left-handed hitting junior. Costello flashed bat strength to the middle-pull side of the field from a long and connected uphill swing with five batted balls at 90+ mph. He took the mound later on in the event and showed high spin traits on his arsenal, starting with an 84-86 mph fastball that averaged 2364 RPM. Costello’s 74-77 mph breaking ball flashed sharp spin and tilt from an 11/5 plane, averaging 2506 RPM, and he landed all five that he spun for strikes. He rounded out his arsenal with a 78-79 mph changeup that reached upwards of 18 inches of horizontal movement at peak.


+ RHP Kasey Griffin (Union, 2025) took a jump in stuff since we last saw him, now sitting at 85-86 mph with his fastball. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound junior threw a low-spin changeup with late action at 77-81 mph and he also flashed feel for the zone on a 74-77 mph slider. 


+ OF/RHP Aiden Rodell (Francis Howell, 2025) was a name that showed well on both sides of the ball. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound uncommitted junior flashed bat strength from a long, uphill right-handed swing in BP, squaring his hardest ball up at 93 mph that traveled 343 feet. He peaked at 87 mph from the outfield and also threw his fastball at 85-86 mph on the mound. Rodell’s slider flashed sharp spin and depth at 70-71 mph and he threw his changeup with natural sink at 77-79 mph.

+ Two more uncommitted junior arms of note from Saturday are RHP Noah Gunnar (Francis Howell Central, 2025) and RHP Brody Kleffner (Fatima, 2025). Gunnar is a wiry, quick-twitch 6-foot, 150-pound athlete with arm speed to pair. His fastball played on the corners at 83-86 mph and he turned over a changeup that stayed on plane at 76-79 mph. Gunnar also showed a knuckle curve at 75-76 mph as well as a slider with more lateral action in the same velocity band. Kleffner is a physical 6-foot-2, 195-pound athlete that’s added muscle mass and strength throughout his entire frame. He threw his fastball at 82-85 mph, touching 86 mph, complimenting it with a 69-72 mph slider and 69-72 mph changeup. 


+ 3B/RHP CJ Lake (Oakville, 2026) greatly boosted his prospect status at this event after a stellar all-around showing. Lake’s long, projectable 6-foot-3, 200-pound levers aid him in generating big bat speed and rotation out of load while staying in control. He stays inside the baseball, keeps his barrel level and in through the hitting zone, and has a knack for finding the sweet spot often. Lake took one of the louder rounds of BP we saw on Saturday - five of his batted balls checked in at 97+ mph, including swings that produced a 100.7 mph output and a max mark of 103.4 mph. His three batted balls traveled 359 feet, 368 feet, and 369 feet, respectively, all of which are high-end numbers for his age. Lake was 89 mph across the infield with actions best suited for a corner role at the next level. After all that, he hopped on the mound and was absolutely electric. Lake’s fastball played at 86-89 mph, touching 90.1 mph, with real life and carry in the upper-quadrant of the strike zone. He threw two different breaking balls; a 72-73 mph knuckle curve with vertical drop and depth to it that he landed for strikes, as well as a tighter, more firm 74-76 mph slider that broke late off a horizontal plane. Additionally, Lake’s changeup flashed late fade at 74-77 mph, giving him the potential for four above-average pitches. Lake figures to be a two-way asset for an Oakville squad that’s shaping up nicely this spring and is a high-follow uncommitted sophomore in Missouri’s 2026 class.


+ INF/RHP Brendan Pyle (Fort Zumwalt East) is another top prospect in the 2026 class that impressed in all aspects of his workout on Sunday. A compact athlete with added strength at 5-foot-11, 180-pounds, Pyle was consistently on the barrel (78%) in BP from a simple, yet strong, right-handed stroke. He looked mostly to the opposite field, averaging 87.6 mph per barrel with a max mark of 96.2 mph. Additionally, Pyle’s average batted distance (268 ft.) was the third-highest of the entire event. Fundamentally, he’s a quality defender on the infield with confidence in his soft hands, nimble feet on the move, and an arm that played at 89 mph across the diamond. Pyle took the mound at the tail end of his workout, showing a quality three-pitch mix that he threw for strikes. His fastball played at 88-90 mph and he spun a tight slider at 74-76 mph while turning over an 80-82 mph changeup. Pyle should be the cog for the Lions this spring and he’s a must-know prospect in Missouri’s 2026 class.

+ There’s no shortage of physicality in 6-foot-5, 215-pound sophomore RHP/1B Jathan Spain (Cape Central), who’s one of the top 2026 prospects in the state, currently slotted at No. 3 overall on our rankings. Spain’s delivery is simple, getting onto his backside early and riding it downhill to footstrike. His fastball played at 87-89 mph in this look with ride (16.6”) and run (15.6”) traits at peak. Spain’s changeup flashed late fade at 76-80 mph and he also threw an aggressive slider with two-plane break at 75-80 mph that’s still developing full feel for the zone. His inherent strength translated to the batter’s box as well, where Spain averaged 92.1 mph per batted ball with a peak output of 100.9 mph. 


+ RHP Henry Vedder (Washington, 2026) continues to show one of the higher ceilings on the hill in the state’s current sophomore class. Vedder has started to add more strength onto his 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame, though he’s more than capable of continued physical maturity and should tack on 15-to-20 more pounds before he graduates high school. It’s a simple, controlled, and in-line delivery that he was able to repeat consistently throughout his ‘pen. Vedder’s fastball played at 83-85 mph, touching 86 mph, and played best down in the zone for strikes. He was able to land a slider with sweep at times (-12.3” HM) at 72-74 mph and he also turned over a splitter that flashed swing-and-miss tumble at 74-78 mph. 


+ RHP Eli Kemna (St. Elizabeth R-IV, 2026) looks more physical, now standing at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds with strength throughout his frame. Kemna’s ability to spin the baseball is an outlier, in a positive way, and it starts with his 84-86 mph fastball that averaged 2600+ RPM. Kemna’s curveball averaged 2744 RPM, peaking at 2844 RPM, and he landed it for strikes at 75-76 mph. He rounded out his three-pitch arsenal with a straight changeup at 81-82 mph that was thrown from a similar release height to his fastball. 


+ 3B/RHP Luke Baer (Ozark, 2026) came away from Saturday as one of the top two-way sophomores in attendance. Baer stayed up the middle and matched planes consistently from a fast right-handed swing that regularly produced line drive contact. His average exit velocity (87.7 mph), max exit velocity (93.8 mph) and peak batted distance (349 ft.) are all advanced marks for his age. Baer peaked at 85 mph across the infield and hopped on the mound afterwards, pumping his fastball for strikes at 84-86 mph. His slider showed hard horizontal action, 16.6 inches on average, with swing-and-miss potential at 70-72 mph and he showed feel for the zone on a firm 78-82 mph changeup.


+ C/RHP Drew Parsons (Jackson) continues to show as a follow prospect on both sides of the ball in Missouri’s 2026 class. He appears to have added strength over the winter, filling out a 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame with more muscle mass than we’d seen in the past. Parsons’ hands work on top and direct to the baseball, producing hard contact to the middle of the field in this look. Six of his 10 batted balls came off his barrel at 92 mph or higher, including a 94.9 mph high with batted balls of 94.8 mph, 94.1 mph, and 93.8 mph as well. Parsons’ throws played around the bag from behind the plate with arm strength (77 mph) and quickness (1.93) to pair. Afterwards, he hopped on the mound and showed a simple, polished, and repeatable delivery with three-pitch feel. His fastball played around the zone at 82-83 mph, complimenting it with two secondaries that he threw for strikes - a curveball at 68-71 mph and a changeup at 69-73 mph. Also the starting quarterback for Jackson’s football squad, Parsons will look to make an impact for the Indians on the diamond this spring.


+ LHP Aiden Zehnle (Oakville, 2026), RHP Jackson Miller (Chaminade, 2026), and RHP Desmond White (Branson, 2026) all pitched in the low-80s, touching 83 mph with their fastballs. 

+ RHP Brandon Ott (DeSmet Jesuit) is one of the top arms in the state’s 2027 class and holds a considerable ceiling on the hill. Ott’s already started to fill out his frame, now standing at 6-foot-3, 175-pounds, though there’s plenty of room for him to continue doing so. His fastball played at 83-86 mph from a long arm draw, favoring the glove-side corner of the plate in this ‘pen. Ott’s low-spin, low-lift changeup flashed late fade at 74-75 mph and while he’s still developing full feel for the zone with his slider, it did show true two-plane break at 66-68 mph. Ott has the potential to make an impact at DeSmet this upcoming spring and continues to be a high-end prospect in Missouri’s 2027 class. 

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