Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Preseason All-State Preview

February 18, 2021
Brandon Winkelmann
Assistant Scouting Director

This Sunday, Feb. 21, the PBR Nebraska team is hosting the Preseason All-State at The Marshall Wellness Center on the campus of Iowa Western. This is an open event for 2021-2023 graduates with a few selected 2024 graduates. For a complete look at those registered to attend this event, view the most up-to-date version of the roster by clicking here.

EVENT HISTORY

The last 5 years we have held a sold out preseason event on Presidents Day, the event has been loaded with talent over the years and used as a spring board for prospects heading into their high school season. We’re eager to publish the statistics and scouting reports from Sunday’s event and pass it along to our database of college coaches.

Loaded ROSTER

This year we will see over 100 prospects from the state of Nebraska including a few of the nationally ranked 2023 and 2024 prospects. Below we will take a look into each class and prospects that could shine at Sundays event. 

2021s

Heading to the Mashall Wellness Center on Sunday are a trio of the state's top ranked uncommitted seniors. OF/RHP Max Sanders (Creighton Prep), Grant Springer (Lincoln East) and Eli Feekin (Papillion LaVista). Sanders is an athletic, strong two way player who generates notable strength and bat speed in the batters box. He's a reliable arm on the mound who pounds the zone with a mid 80s fastball with cut action, he also shows the ability to spin a tight breaking ball with late depth to his arm side. 

Max Sanders (August 2020) 

Lincoln East right hander Grant Springer is another physical type arm with a mid-80s fastball couple with a sweping breaking ball. At 6-1 205 pounds, Springer has also flashed whippy bat speed as a position player and projects to a corner spot at the next level. 

Grant Springer (February 2020) 
Papillion LaVista's Eli Feekin is another right-handed pitcher with a projectable fastball/breaking ball combo. He's a lean 6-3 185 pounds and his low to mid 80s fastball features prominent spin, measured up too 2,351 at the Nebraska Fall Review. His breaking ball has swing and miss characteristics so we're looking forward to an updated look heading into his senior season. 

Eli Feekin (October 2020)

2022s

This event is loaded with PBR ranked juniors looking to show what they can do heading into their first varsity high school spring season. Headlined by five of the top uncommitted prospects in the 2022 rankings, LHP/OF Cody Bruss (Lincoln Northeast), CIF/RHP Braden Cannon (Millard South), INF Cooper Erikson (Lincoln East), RHP Mason Koch (Millard West) and INF Brayden Smith (Millard South). 

Bruss has emerged as a high follow 6-3, 195 pound southpaw after a strong summer with Lincoln Northeast legion program. He comfortably attacks the string zone with a fastball into the mid 80s and mixes in a low 60s curveball that spins off a 1/7 plane. Koch broke out in a big way last summer & fall as his velocity started to creep into the upper 80s. At the PBR Iowa Limited Series Tournament, Koch overwhelmed hitters with his up-tempo pace and ability to pound the strike zone with two pitches. 

Cody Bruss (July 2020)

If you're looking for uncommitted juniors infielders to monitor on Sunday, check in on Cannon, Erikson and Smith. Cannon is an all around solid player who has the athleticism to play anywhere and has proven it at the varsity level in Nebraska. On the mound he'll pitch in the low 80s with advance feel for a sharp breaking ball.  Lincoln Easts' Erikson is built at a physical 6-4 215 and profiles as a right-handed-hitting corner infielder with power potential. Smith was one of the standouts from last fall. He is a competitive, top-of-the-order type of bat that hits in a fluid gap-to-gap rhythm at the plate, all while displaying confident defensive actions up the middle. 

Cooper Erikson (February 2020)

2023s 

Making the trip on Sunday to Iowa Western is the states top ranked player in Kentucky commit Eli Small (Elkhorn South). Built at a proportionally strong 6-foot, 170 pounds, Small has one of the more all-around intriguing athletic skillsets in Nebraska's' sophomore class. Small has a short, direct left-handed swing with gap-to-gap strength and the ball jumps when he finds the barrel. He’s also an above-average runner with noticeable arm strength for his age. 

The states top uncommitted prospect in the 2023 class Ryan Harrahill (Elkhorn North) will also be in attendance. Harrahill at 6-4, 205 pounds and is the top pitching prospects in the 2023 class in Nebraska. The upside that Harrahill has on the mound is easy to fall in love with as he was into the upper 80s last fall with clean actions and feel for a secondary offering in the strike zone.

 

2024s

Skimming the roster, we’re set to see a few of the roster’s freshmen for the 2nd time and we’re eager to collect the data from Trackman and Blast for the first time. Florida State commit Kale Fountain (Norris), a corner infielder and right handed pitcher who demonstrated advanced athletic actions and showed why he was an early commit to one of the country's more prominent college baseball programs. Their is a pair of young advanced left handed hitting prospects with OF/LHP Colin Nowacyk (Elkhorn North) and INF AJ Evasco (Lincoln East). Middle infield prospects Michael Valdivia (Elkhorn South) and Ty Smolinski (Gretna) as both lean athletic athletes with advanced actions that should progress into high level prospects as they continue to develop.