Our second day at The Rock Summer Classic was a jam-packed day featuring plenty of games running at several different fields throughout the day. It was also our last day of pool play, with bracket play starting tomorrow for each respective division and age level.

We did see a handful of notable performances today, however, and some prospects that continue to solidify themselves as high-follow names in their class. The Day Two highlights can be found below.

13U

+ As the brackets start to shape up and we prepare for playoff ball to start tomorrow, we’re starting to see a handful of teams separate themselves from the pack. Mokena Blaze 13U slots right into that category. The Blaze enter tomorrow with a 2-0 record and are guaranteed to be at least a top three seed with the number one overall seed potentially still in play. They won their game today thanks to a stout pitching performance by southpaw Wyatt Carlson (2025). Carlson started for Mokena and threw five innings of one-run ball, striking out six while walking just one. He handed the ball over to RHP Zach Hermanson (2025), who needed just 22 pitches to throw two scoreless innings and secure a Blaze victory. Andrew Farina (2025) led them offensively, going 3-for-3 and scoring two runs as the leadoff hitter.

+ We’ve really been impressed with what Thunder Gold 13U has shown us as a collective group this weekend. They missed out on being the top overall seed by just one run, but this team is certainly capable of winning this tournament by the way they’ve been playing thus far. After having a strong day at the plate yesterday, Dylan Hecht (2025) continued to swing it well today. He went 2-for-3, crushing a double that nearly left the yard while driving in three runs, too. Jacob Creeth (2025) also doubled and drove in a run hitting out of the two-hole. Then there’s leadoff man Christan Guzman (2025), a wiry athlete with projection that just flat out looks the part. A left-handed hitter, Guzman bounced one over the left field fence for a ground rule double and scored two runs as well. With an offense that looks to be firing on all cylinders, this Thunder Gold squad could end up making a deep run into Sunday.

+ Alex Behles (2025) had quite the day offensively for RBA 13U in their first game of the tournament. Penciled in at the top of their lineup, Behles went 3-for-4 with a triple to right field and three RBIs. He reached base four times, serving as the team’s setup man offensively. The contributions didn’t stop there for RBA, as Chase Bennett (2025), Carter Stelter (2025), Tyler Butcher (2025), and Christian Wilson (2025) each had two hits.

+ Rockets Baseball 13U scored 18 runs on Friday afternoon, bringing their weekend total up to 23 runs in two games. Each player that was penciled into the Rockets’ lineup contributed to this victory, whether it was by driving in a run or simply getting on base. 

14U

+ RHP Malachi Paplanus (Huntley, 2024) worked in relief for Phenom Illinois 14U White on Friday morning and put on a dominant performance. Entering the game with the bases loaded, Paplanus induced a double play ball to get his team out of a jam. He shut the door in the next inning, clinching the victory for Phenom. He sat 74-76 mph, touching 77 mph on his fastball and located it well down in the zone. We saw him go to a curveball in the 64-65 mph sparingly, but it showed flashes of potentially being an above-average pitch that could be landed for strikes. There’s a lot to like with Paplanus on the mound and his overall projectability suggests he’s just going to get better as he continues to mature.

+ Backing up Paplanus, and the rest of the Phenom pitching staff, today was SS Wilson Wemhoff (Hampshire, 2025). You wouldn’t know that Wemhoff was playing up an age level by watching him defend as there’s some natural middle-infield instincts to his game. He made several putouts today, but the most crucial one was the solo double play he turned in a bases-loaded jam late in the game. Had he not made that play, the tying run would have scored and it’s possible that the overall outcome of the game would have ended differently.

+ Starting on the mound for Muskego Storm this afternoon was RHP Eddie Rynders (Wisconsin Lutheran, 2024). Rynders pitched a complete game, helping his team to a 6-2 victory over Watertown Storm. His fastball sat 74-75 mph and topped at 77 mph. Rynders complimented his heater with a 12/6 curveball in 62-64 mph and diving changeup at 65-67 mph. He struck out nine batters, walked only one, and gave up five hits.

+ The number two overall seed at the 14U level, the Coamo Legends are quickly asserting themselves as one of the top teams in attendance this weekend. It’s also become quite evident that RHP/INF Angel Jimenez (N/A, 2024) is a legitimate two-way prospect follow in the Illinois’ 2024 class. After starting on the mound yesterday and tossing five dominant innings, Jimenez balled out at the plate today, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. His first hit was a loud triple into the left-center gap with the second one being a barrel right back up the middle. Jimenez showed off athletic actions at shortstop, where his arm certainly plays enough across the diamond for him to stick on the left side of the diamond or move right back behind the plate. He’s been one of the weekend’s top performers thus far.

+ An offensive heavy team with little to critique, ISA Stars Royal 14U swung their way to the number one overall seed at the 14U level. How scary their lineup can be was on full display today, as ISA scored 15 runs in just three innings to cement themselves at the top of this bracket. One player that stood out today was 3B Colton Angell (Oshkosh North, 2024). Angell is a brute force in the box, driving the baseball with authority when he finds the barrel. He made loud contact twice today, including a double that landed right before the left field wall for a two-run double in his second at-bat. There’s easy power and advanced strength in his bat that’ll certainly play as long as he continues to make contact. OF Evan LaForest (2024) and C/RHP Donatello Badalamenti (Pulaski, 2024) each had notable days at the plate, too.

+ ISA Stars Royal CIF Javin Gauthier (West De Pere, 2024; Illinois State commit) truly made a name for himself at our Madison Preseason ID this past March after taking a loud round of BP and separating himself from his peers physically. A left-handed hitter, Gauthier appears to have grown a bit since then and thus added more room for physical development onto an already impressive frame. He takes some aggressive hacks at the plate knowing that if he connects he’ll do a ton of damage. That’s what happened today, as Gauthier absolutely launched a hovering fastball over the right field fence for his first home run of the weekend. His overall projectability paired with an already impressive power tool give Gauthier one of the highest offensive ceilings in his respective class.

+ Alex Ramus (2024) and Robert Grignon (2024) swung it well in game one for GRB Rays Yellow 14U, leading them to a 15-4 victory. Batting back-to-back in the order, Ramus and Grignon combined to go 4-for-5 with six RBIs, five runs scored, and two extra-base hits between the two.

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