By Sean Duncan and Nathan Rode

The second day of the Tournament of Stars was filled with more high-level arms with perfect weather—uncharacteristic of Cary, NC, in late June. Here are notes from the two games…

BRAVE 3, UNITED 0
The first game of the day featured a pair of high-level right-handers in Ethan Hankins (Forsyth Central HS, GA) and Landon Marceaux (Destrehan HS, LA). While both dominant in their own way, Hankins and Marceaux are vastly different in their prospect profile.

Hankins, a long, lanky and athletic 6-foot-6, 210-pound Vanderbilt recruit, ultimately stole the show from the 6-foot, 180-pound Marceaux—and arguably every other pitcher on Wednesday—with a dominant three-inning performance while leading the Brave squad to a 3-0 win.

Hankins came out of the gates hot, sitting 93-95 mph, touching 96, in the first two innings. He settled in at 92-94 while pounding the strike zone at a 70-percent clip. He also mixed in a 73-76 mph slider and 83-84 mph changeup.

The scary thing about Hankins is, while he’s currently pumping premium velocity, it seems that there’s plenty more in the tank. His arm is highly athletic, loose and easy, and despite his size, he repeats his simple side-step delivery with ease.

Hankins ultimately threw three hitless innings with four strikeouts and no walks. He set the tone for the Brave squad, as four pitchers combined to one-hit United.

Marceaux was equally dominant for the first three of his four-inning stint, albeit in a different way. While Marceaux doesn’t flash the premium velocity of Hankins and some others at the Tournament of Stars, he very well may be the most polished right-hander in the 2018 class. His fastball command is highly advanced, as he spots his fastball to both sides of the plate, seemingly playing a leisurely game of catch at 90-91. When Marceaux wanted a little more, he ticked up to 92 and touched 93 once. His fastball also has late arm-side life through the zone.