By Sean Duncan

The 9^th Annual Super 60 Pro Showcase lived up to the hype once again, as the top players from Illinois, Indiana and Missouri put forth eye-opening performances before a packed house of pro scouts on Sunday, Feb. 6 at the Max-McCook Athletic & Exposition Center?s 125,000 square-foot facility in McCook, IL.

The overall talent was extremely impressive and well-balanced throughout. Exactly how impressive? Of the 27 pitchers, 10 were 88-plus; 19 of them were 86-plus ? in early February. Athletically, 10 players ran sub-60s. In the field, eight players were 88-plus from the outfield.

So who were some of the top performers?

The biggest riser of the event was RHP Tyler Farrell (Galesburg HS, IL). The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Western Illinois recruit topped out at 92 mph, sitting comfortably at 90-91. Farrell also showed a sharp 77-mph curveball, in addition to an 80-mph changeup.

Another pitcher who saw his stock skyrocket was RHP Brandon Magallones (Providence Catholic HS, IL). The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Northwestern recruit sat at 90 mph with his fastball, and showed a sharp 73-75 mph curveball and a solid changeup.

Several left-handers were impressive as well:  6-3 LHP Derek Thompson (Teutopolis HS, IL ; John A. Logan JC recruit), 6-6, 225-pound LHP Joel Learnard (Salt Fork HS, IL; Illinois State recruit), 6-3 LHP Dylan Craig (Murphysboro HS, IL; Illinois State recruit) and 6-1 LHP/1B Jeff Boehm (Mount Carmel HS, IL; Kentucky recruit). Boehm wasn?t the only standout from Mount Carmel. John Kravetz (Illinois recruit), a 6-foot-3, 190-pound RHP, sat 87-88 with a hard-biting 78-79 slider.

Although the event featured mostly seniors, there were a handful of juniors and a few sophomores who showed extremely well. The Class of 2012 had several impressive performances: LHP 6-3 Jordan Minch (Highland HS, IN; Purdue recruit), 6-3 LHP Ryan Borucki (Mundelein HS, IL), 6-4 Brett Lilek (Marian Catholic HS, IL) and 6-5 RHP Seth Huxford (Concord HS, IN) ? all of whom were 86-plus with their fastballs. The only sophomore pitcher was one of the best overall arms. RHP Zac Ryan (Andrean HS, IN) showed to be one of the best Class of 2013 prospects in the country when he touched 90 mph on the mound, sitting easily at 88.

Some of the best athletes in the Midwest were on full display as well.  The biggest scout magnet at the event, left-handed hitting OF Charlie Tilson (New Trier HS, IL; Illinois recruit) showed extremely well, running a 6.71 60, in addition to throwing 89-mph strikes from the outfield. OF Lance Jeffries (McCluer HS, MO; Iowa Western CC recruit), an explosive 5-foot-10, 185-pound athlete, ran a 6.75 60 and was 91 from the outfield. SS Johnny Eierman (Warsaw HS, MO; LSU recruit), who?s the top-ranked senior in Missouri, showed off all his tools, including running a 6.81 60. OF/RHP Dontrell Rush (Harlan HS, IL; John A. Logan JC recruit) ran a 6.81 while being clocked at 91 from the outfield.

One of the event?s biggest surprises was delivered by junior SS Adam Walton (Stevenson HS, IL; Illinois recruit), who ran an event-best 6.68 60. Another junior, left-handed hitting OF Jack Czeszewski (Elk Grove HS, IL) also opened eyes by running a 6.78 60, in addition to putting forth an impressive round of BP.

Positionally, few fared better overall than 3B/OF Keelin Rasch (Harrisburg HS, IL; John A. Logan JC). The strong-bodied 5-foot-11, 180-pound Rasch had the best infield arm (86 mph), was 88 from the outfield, and had two of the best rounds of BP at the event.

Many others turned in impressive rounds of batting practice. The top hitters at the event, in no specific order, were: OF/1B Jeff Schalk (Wheaton North HS, IL; UAB recruit), 1B/LHP A.J. Reed (Terre Haute South HS; Kentucky), Boehm, Tilson, OF Tim Barry (Oak Forest HS; Kansas State recruit) and MIF Matt Anderson (Hinsdale Central HS, IL; Illinois State),  to name a few.

Junior Jason Goldstein (Highland Park HS, IL; Illinois recruit) impressed by throwing event-best 1.9 pop times. Cory Kay (St. Viator HS, IL; Houston recruit), Derek Repking (Teutopolis HS, IL; John A. Logan JC) and junior Blake Hickman (Simeon HS, IL) all had strong showings. Hickman, a 6-foot-4 athlete, had the strongest catcher arm (84 mph).

In all, there were 47 pro scouts in attendance, in addition to 24 other baseball professionals, such as ?advisors?, junior college coaches, and media. A Baseball America representative was also on hand covering the event.

Click Here to view all the Super 60 Pro Showcase Statistics