Commitment Corner: October Decisions

November 6, 2024
Brandon Hall
NC / Mid-ATL Director of Scouting

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As September rolls through, the fall season begins for baseball players across the state. This is true for players in high school, as well as players in college. College coaches are getting a first-hand look at their most recent recruiting class with on field workouts. This gives the colleges a feel for what will be needed in the next two classes, and allows the coaching staff to hit the ground running, very quickly.

September was busy across the state with over 40 players commiting. Division I schools are still working on the 2025 class, but we did see a surge in 2026 commitments to some of the Power 5 schools in our area. For the first time in the 2025 class, we saw a big jump in the number of commitments at the non-Division I level. With the new roster rules at the Division I levels, a very strong crop of schools in North Carolina could see their talent level jump in the coming years.

Commitment Corner: October 2024

Future Game Gets

Team NC had a big showing at the 2024 Prep Baseball Future Games. With each state, or territory, in Prep Baseball's coverage, scouts brought a teams of the top uncommitted players in the country to compete for a week at LakePoint in Emerson, GA. The 12th & 13th players from Team NC's Future Game roster came off the board during October. We also saw two NC players from the inaugural Sr Future Games make their decisions.

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Nic Stutzman RHP / SS / Stuart W. Cramer, NC / 2026

Rankings StateRank: 22 / POS: 8 OverallRank: 298 / POS: 94

Committed to Virginia

Right hander with a quick arm created a lot of buzz on the final day of the Future Games when he came out with a fastball / breaking ball combination that gave Team VA all sorts of issues. An athletic mover, Stutzman is primed to continue to see his stuff climbin the coming years.

Riley Cuddy OF / RHP / GRACE Christian, NC / 2026

Rankings StateRank: 18 / POS: 5 OverallRank: 273 / POS: 41

Committed to William and Mary

The Future Games' leader in exit velocity has committed to the tribe. Cuddy has a huge power profile with balls rocketing off his barrel during BP. He is begining to traslate his light tower power to game play where he showed an ability to use all fields at the Future Games. Still developing the overall hit tool, Cuddy will be an intriguing prospect to follow. As the hit tool continues to develop, his potential overall prospect status could sky rocket as the power tool is elite.

Reed Benamati OF / RHP / Northwest Guilford High, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 65 / POS: 13

Committed to Wingate

One of the fastest players in North Carolina, Benamati is still learning to use the advanced run tool. At the Sr. Future Games he flashed an ability to track balls to either gap with high end closing speed. The big advancement for college coaches was the hit tool showing the quickness and strength that most saw in the frame. Facing the top uncommitted arms in the 2025 class, from across the country, Benamati consistenetly put together high level at-bats, getting on base, and then showing an ability to use his speed to create havoc.

Isaiah Abrams OF / LHP / West Craven, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 147 / POS: 30

Committed to Ferrum

This LHP earned his way to the Sr. Future Games with an outstanding performance at the Team Carolina Trials: East. A strong arm, paired with athletic movments, allows coaches and scouts to dream about where he may be in the coming years. At the Sr. Future Games, Abrams sprayed the ball a bit but showed an ability to compete and make some big pitches with a fastball / breaking ball combination that will continue to grow in the coming years.

Team NC Continues to Yield Prospects & Commitments

NC Players from the 2024 NC/SC Border Battle have continued to draw activity on their profiles and videos. High end events continue to attract eyes from college coaches as they are working through their recruiting efforts. In October

Bradley Elias OF / RHP / Camden Early College High, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 156 / POS: 32

Committed to Eastern Mennonite

Bryce Smith LHP / OF / Voyager Academy, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 223 / POS: 20

Committed to Carson-Newman

Cooper Gornet SS / 3B / Charlotte Catholic, NC / 2026

Rankings StateRank: 122 / POS: 21

Committed to UNC Wilmington

Robert Sasser III OF / OF / Pro5 Baseball Academy, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 131 / POS: 25

Committed to Delaware State

Preseason All-State Prospects Off The Board

The North Carolina Preseason All-State events have always had roster filled with talent. The preseason workouts are some of the most viewed events in the country on the Prep Baseball platform. Players attending the event are able to update numbers and video while jumpstarting their year, allowing coaches and scouts to ID them prior to the High School Season. These 2024 Preseason All-State players committed in October.

Ayden Brantley SS / 2B / Roanoke Rapids, NC / 2025

Committed to Barton College

Tyler Dowler 1B / LHP / Holly Springs , NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 313 / POS: 16

Committed to Methodist

Austin Fletcher LHP / OF / Willow Spring, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 162 / POS: 12

Committed to Limestone

Micah Greer C / 3B / Hibriten, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 149 / POS: 14

Committed to Pfeiffer

Will Hartzell 1B / LHP / Eugene Ashley, NC / 2025

Committed to Mount Olive

Gib Wirt C / 3B / The Burlington School, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 150 / POS: 15

Committed to Hamden-Sydney

Team Carolina Trials, Open ID Prospects, and Scout Day Attendees

The Open ID events in North Carolina give players trusted and verified stats, along with updated video, so they can communicate with coaches and scouts with information on their prospect status. The workouts also give players a strong feel for where they measure against other players in their class, state, position, and region. These players saw their hard work pay off with a commitment in October.