Halloween is upon us and before you know it the winter break will be here for high school players across the state of North Carolina.  As high school teams finalized their team periods in the fall, Prep Baseball Report was able to see a few Fall World Series intra-squad scrimmages. 

The fall season gives coaches a chance to evaluate their players, their growth, and the new arrivals.  As players continue to develop, jobs can be up for grabs and positions may shift as there are holes created by the departed seniors from last year.  The scrimmages at the end of the fall season allow the players to show off their growth in a competitive environment. 

Last week, PBR was able to get to three scrimmages from programs that may be in very different positions right now, but all with the same ultimate goal.  Some of the high end pitchers may not have thrown… some of the lineups may be a little stretched, but the scrimmages give PBR a chance to catch up with the coaches and players to see how their developmental process is progressing.

Cox Mill HS – Concord, NC

Head coach John McNeil enters his first year as at the helm of the Chargers.  There is some talent on hand but in anyone’s first fall the most pressing issue is the installation of culture and habits.  Coach McNeil seemed pleased with the progress his team has made and is looking forward to the off-season strength and conditioning. 

With several players playing other sports in the fall, there was an opportunity for some of the younger guys to get time and a chance to shine in the fall workouts.  The fall series, to conclude the workouts was set to be a best of three, with games 1 and 2 played as a 5 inning double-header.  Each team threw arms for 2 innings max, while hitting a deep lineup. 

Players to Mention:

Justin Fox, MIF, 2018 – Erskine College commit
Justin is beginning to add strength to his frame.  He has always been solid fundamentally, but is beginning to translate some of his strength to his tool set.  Very patient at the plate during the scrimmage, did show an ability to find the barrel. 

Chandler Riley, MIF, 2020
Sophomore is competing for a starting spot on the infield.  Range has continued to improve as the body has filled out.  He battled an ankle injury late in the fall but showed solid range to his left at both 2B and SS on the day.  Hands work with some flare, as there is confidence in his ability to catch the ball consistently.  Could be a difference maker in the box as the stroke and barrel ability looks to be advanced.

Ardrey Kell HS – Charlotte, NC

Hal Bagwell finished his 10^th season at Ardrey Kell HS in 2017 with another roster full of talent.  As the fall comes to a close, one alum, Alex Wood is still working as the No. 4 starter for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.  Whether the 2018 club has the high end talent Wood provided in a run to a state championship is to be determined, but there is plenty of talent that can continue to develop.

PBR was on hand for game 2 of the Knights Black-Purple Series in which the black team scored in bunches to take a commanding lead early.  As the case with most scrimmages, the coaches were still able to get a lot out of the day, evaluating multiple players in multiple spots in multiple situations.

Players to Mention:

Dennis Matias, OF, 2019
Right handed hitter has made big strides this fall and put himself in position to be a key contributor moving into the spring.  Short, direct path to the ball resulted in two barrels up the middle.  Solid in center field, showing at least average footspeed and a good first step on balls hit directly over his head.

Parker Ledford, OF, 2018
Right handed hitter got the day started with a double to the base of the right field wall.  Also singled up the middle.  Uncommitted, Ledford has run a 6.81 for PBR in past events.

Trey Tujetsch, RHP, 2019 – South Carolina commit
Working three innings and remaining in complete control for the Black team.  Fastball ranged 84-86, working with ease out of the hand.  Attacked the zone, moving the fastball from side to side. 

Orange HS – Hillsborough, NC

With 30 years of coaching at Orange HS, Coach Dean Dease is beginning to ease into his retirement… kind of.  While Coach Dease is able to retire from the classroom, he has decided to continue his on-field exploits, which is great news for the players of Orange HS.  A quirky rule within North Carolina has Coach Dease sidelined for the fall because of the retirement.  This quirk has allowed Coach Dease’s staff to run the fall workouts, hopefully allowing the older players to take a leadership role that will resonate moving into the spring.

The annual Orange-Black scrimmage featured some young players, but several with experience.

Players to Mention:

Jaydin Poteat, OF/RHP, 2018
Worked four innings allowing three hits, while striking out 4.  Also handled the bat, showing some barrel ability and registering a hit on the day.

Joey Berini, MIF, 2020
Left handed hitter plays with energy and confidence.  Registered an RBI on the day.  Good rhythm in the swing that is handsy with a feel for the barrel.

Cooper Porter, MIF/RHP, 2020 – NC State commit
Worked on the mound, throwing 4 innings and touching 83.  Higher ceiling in the box with an athletic frame and some quick twitch present.

Jason Slaughter, MIF, 2018 – Belmont Abbey commit
Solid strength level in the 5-foot-8, 150 pound right handed hitter.  One-for-one on the day, finding the barrel. 

 

For more player reports, velocities, and run times, check out the Fall Scout Blog…