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US Nationals & Affiliates (Springfield) Scout Day: Quick Hits

January 23, 2024
By: Diego Solares
Central Region Media Director, Area Scout

On Sunday, January 21st, the PBR Missouri staff traveled to Ozark, MO, to host the US Nationals & Affiliates Scout Day. This event featured 30+ players representing the 2024-to-2027 high school classes from Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Those in attendance participated in a pro-style workout in front of our staff, gathering unrivaled data and measurables through the help of our tech partners. To see what our events offer, 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’. Read below to learn more about 20+ names that popped to our staff from Sunday’s trip to southwest Missouri. 

QUICK HITS

+ Long a favorite of ours in the state’s 2024 class, INF Nathan Negre (Berean Christian Academy, 2024; Central Arkansas signee) boosted his prospect status after Sunday’s performance. Negre’s added more physicality and size to his frame, now listed at 5-foot-11, 183-pounds of muscle. The bat speed, balance, and ease of power he’s able to generate at the plate are noteworthy, doing so in this look with a wood bat in BP. He exerted minimal effort to generate upper-90s exit velocities consistently, reaching a peak barrel of 101.3 mph, though also producing 98.9 mph and 99 mph barrels as well. With that, Negre posted four 340+ foot batted balls to the middle of the field, including a 350 ft. peak. Negre bounced around the infield with a confident presence to him as well, showing confidence in his glove and footwork throughout his round. His arm played easy and accurately from multiple angles, peaking at 92 mph across the diamond. 


+ CIF Mark Ross II (Glendale, 2024; Central Arkansas signee) unquestionably owns some of the more prodigious raw power in the state’s senior class. Ross doesn’t get cheated at the plate and regularly gets off some of the more aggressive, intentful hacks. He generates big bat speed out of a bat wrap load with high-octane impact to pair, barreling six of his 12 batted balls at 100+ mph in BP on Sunday. His hardest ball jumped off his bat at 104 mph, while his furthest traveled 375 feet, with batted balls of 347 feet and 330 feet as well. Ross was also 92 mph across the infield and 94 mph from the outfield in his defensive workout. 


+ A true top-of-the-order bat for one state semi-finalist Nixa last spring, OF Rylan Michel (2024; Crowder JC) checks a lot of boxes from a prospect perspective. He’s a strong compact athlete with a certain ease and fluidity to him on the diamond, especially at the plate. Michel is polished and balanced from the right side, repeating a rhythmic right-handed swing with consistency. He worked on the barrel and peppered line drives to all fields throughout his round of BP in this look. 

+ Likely to serve as the anchor for one of the top teams in Missouri this spring, RHP Jackson Gamble (Nixa, 2025) is a physically built 6-foot-3, 215-pound strike-thrower to know from our trip to Springfield on Sunday. Gamble’s easy, low-effort operation on the mound stands out and his arm plays short and tight on the backside through release. He filled up the zone with his fastball at 85-86 mph with more left to come given his physical stature and ease of operation. Gamble’s low-70s breaking ball showed depth and downer spin off an 11/5 plane and he threw his 75-78 mph changeup at arm speed from the same arm slot as his fastball. 


+ A top-40 prospect in the Arkansas’ 2025 class, INF Zach Lawing (Rogers) put his loud skill-set on display throughout Sunday’s workout. Packed with power at 5-foot-11, 185-pounds, Lawing’s day started by him showing off a live, high-octane arm across the infield that peaked at 92 mph. At the plate, Lawing swung with aggression and intent throughout his round, generating high-end bat speed out of his load. He hammered balls repeatedly and nine of his 11 batted balls came off his barrel at 98+ mph. Lawing had five balls eclipse the 100+ mph mark, including two balls at 102.2 mph. His furthest ball traveled 349 feet, though he also had a 324 ft. barrel into the left-center gap. 

+ One of the biggest winners from this past weekend was OF/RHP Carter Allan (Bentonville, 2025), who’s an uncommitted athlete to know from Arkansas. The 6-foot-1, 173-pound uncommitted junior has a live arm, leading all outfielders in throwing velocity (T89 mph) while also pumping his fastball at 85-88 mph on the mound. Aside from that, Allan’s heater played with carry up in the zone, averaging 18 inches of vertical break at 2300+ RPM. He flashed feel for a downer breaking ball at 69-70 mph and also threw a splitter at 75-77 mph. Offensively, Allan’s firmest ball jumped off his barrel at 95.2 mph and he mostly worked to the pull-side throughout his round. 

+ Another arm to note from Arkansas that attended this event: RHP Joseph Canzoneri (Rogers, 2025). A 6-foot, 190-pound athlete with broad shoulders and lower half strength, Canzoneri gets downhill with intent and repeats his delivery. He threw his fastball for strikes at 86-87 mph, touching 87.5 mph, while showing hard horizontal action on occasion (T18.1”). Though his curveball and slider played in the same velocity band, both in the low-70s, the two differ in action, adding more value to Canzoneri’s arsenal. His curveball showed vertical drop with tight spin, while his slider had true sweeper shape (15.5” HM avg) and favored the glove-side of the plate. To round out his arsenal, Canzoneri threw a 78-79 mph changeup with minimal spin (T1530 RPM). 

+ RHP Preston Rains (Stockton, 2025) was one of the top arms in attendance at this event. At 6-foot, 190-pounds with compact strength, Rains threw his fastball for strikes at 86-87 mph with some sink on occasion. His bread-and-butter pitch is a tight 75-78 mph slider at 2400+ RPM on average that he was able to land for strikes while also spotting it below the zone. Rains rounded out his arsenal with a 76-80 mph straight changeup. 


+ There’s no shortage of juice or bat speed with 1B Garretson Cook (Bolivar, 2025), as one of the day’s first hitters kicked off BP with a loud showing. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound left-handed hitter repeatedly got off aggressive hacks and generated some of the more impactful contact of the day. Five of Cook’s 10 batted balls were 92+ mph, including a 99.6 mph screaming barrel that traveled 320 feet into the right-center gap, per TrackMan. 


+ Another name that found several authoritative barrels in BP was OF Nash Jeffus (Har-Ber, 2025; AR). Jeffus has strength throughout his 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame and works direct to contact from the right side, staying short throughout. Five of his batted balls came off his barrel at 97+ mph, including four that were 100+ mph, with a 102.3 mph peak. Additionally, Jeffus' furthest ball traveled 368 feet, which was one of the highest marks of all players in attendance. Jeffus’ strength also showed in the outfield, where his 87 mph high finished two ticks behind the event’s leader. 

+ OF Jonathan Veira (Bentonville West, 2025; AR) is plenty physical with strength throughout on a 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. With that, Veira showed his inherent bat strength throughout his round of BP, working long and level through the zone to contact. He squared up six of his 10 batted balls at 90 mph or higher, including three at 96+ mph, and sent his furthest ball 330 feet, per TrackMan. 

+ INF/OF Mason Welsh (Central Arkansas Christian, 2025; AR) has plenty of physical projection to come on a long, lean-limbed 6-foot-2, 165-pound frame. Welsh’s day started with a strong showing defensively, where he showed fluid movement patterns on the infield and outfield. His arm plays loose from a ¾ slot and he posted some of the highest throwing marks from both spots - T86 mph from the infield, T87 mph from the outfield. At the plate, Welsh worked direct and on top of the baseball from a short right-handed swing that mostly stayed up the middle of the field. 

+ 1B/RHP Klayton Clark (Farmington, 2025) is a physical 6-foot-2, 190-pound uncommitted junior from Arkansas to follow from this event. Clark primarily elevated contact to the middle-away part of the field with his three firmest batted balls coming off his barrel at 92.5, 92.7 and 95.6 mph, respectively, and he swatted his furthest ball 352 feet, per TrackMan. Clark’s fastball also played in the low-80s on the mound, touching 84 mph twice. 

+ C Graham Satterwhite (Glendale, 2025) was accurate and on the bag throughout a polished round of catcher defense. Satterwhite consistently popped in the 2.04-to-2.09 range, peaking at 75 mph on his hardest throw from the crouch. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound backstop swung a flat right-handed barrel that backspun balls consistently to the middle of the field in BP with a 91.1 mph max exit velocity and 331 ft. peak batted distance. 

+ OF/LHP Jack Rickman (Stockton, 2025) is a 6-foot-2, 170-pound left/left athlete with upside on both sides of the ball. Rickman showed a direct swing that worked on top of the baseball to the middle of the field in BP and he also pitched in the low-80s, touching 85 mph, on the mound with a curveball/changeup mix. 

+ C/INF Evan Martinez (Bentonville, 2025; AR) showed well in multiple aspects of his workout at this event. The 5-foot-7, 180-pound uncommitted junior consistently worked to the middle of the field in BP, staying through the baseball from an uphill right-handed that produced a peak exit velocity of 94 mph. Martinez popped a 2.00-to-2.09 from behind the plate and was also 85 mph across the infield, which was one of the day’s higher marks.  

+ RHP Shaun Buck (Houston, 2025) pitched at 83-85 mph with his fastball in this look. He also spun a slider that flashed sweep at 68-72 mph and turned over a low spin, low lift changeup that played at 76-77 mph. 

+ INF/RHP Brady Yates (Glendale, 2027) looks to be the next top prospect to emerge from this Glendale program. Yates’ size stands out for his age, as he’s listed at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds with noticeable strength throughout his frame. There’s true middle-of-the-order strength inside Yates’ fast and physical right-handed barrel, as he muscled-up all but one of his 11 batted balls at 90+ mph. Yates’ firmest ball registered at 96.7 mph, though he also had batted balls of 93.1 mph, 92.6 mph, and 92.3 mph throughout his round. Additionally, four of Yates’ barrels traveled 320 or more feet, including a peak of 351 feet with a runner-up of 350 feet, respectively. Yates was also 85 mph across the infield and pitched in the low-80s with his fastball. 


+ Plenty physical at 6-foot, 200-pounds, C/RHP Rowan Johnson (Nixa) came away from his PBR debut as a follow name in the state’s 2027 class. Offensively, Johnson showed bat speed and strength with the intent to elevate the baseball throughout his round. All but one of his batted balls were in the air, averaging 256 feet per batted ball with a peak distance of 343 feet - both of which are upper-echelon marks for his age. Additionally, Johnson comfortably worked gap-to-gap, though he mostly favored the opposite field. His strength showed within his arm, where Johnson led all catchers in attendance in throwing velocity (T76 mph) and pop times (1.93-2.02), while also pumping his fastball at 83-84 mph in his ‘pen. 


+ An athletic backstop that’s a follow from this event is C James Dirnberger (Nixa, 2027). In BP, Dirnberger swung a clean and polished left-handed barrel that worked on top of the baseball while consistently peppering line drives back up the middle of the field. He’ll add more impact as he continues to mature physically and get stronger, but Dirnberger’s ability to find the barrel consistently showed in this brief look. Defensively, he worked quick and clean to release with feel for the bag. 

+ OF Gavin Thomason (Fair Grove) figures to be another prospect from this event to know in the 2027 class. Thomason holds noticeable strength and muscle mass for his age at 6-foot, 192-pounds with athleticism to pair. His long and level right-handed swing created leverage out front at the point of contact, backspinning baseballs gap-to-gap throughout his round. Thomason also pitched in the low-80s on the mound with his fastball while showing some depth on a low-70s breaking ball as well. 

+ C/1B Landon McElroy (Rogers, 2027; AR) is another physical freshman to know from this past Sunday, listed at 5-foot-11, 195-pounds. McElroy showed noticeable bat strength for his age in BP, barreling five balls at 89+ mph, including three in the low-90s, peaking at 93.6 mph. 

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