Follow @pbrnewengland

Complete Statistics

To view the Positional Stats, Click Here.
To view the Pitching Stats, Click Here.

New England Procase Wrapup: Star-Studded Field Impresses

DANBURY, Ct. - Juniors and seniors from the northeast, with a couple sophomores sprinkled in, were on hand trying to impress scouts on Sunday at the New England Procase.

The 66 in attendance did not disappoint with pitchers throwing as hard as 94 mph, hitters reaching an exit velo as much as 99 mph, catching pop times as low as 1.87 and position velocities as high as 93 mph … showing why commitments had been made to schools like Duke, Connecticut, Purdue, Missouri, Wake Forest and Maryland - to name just a few.

ON THE MOUND

Six pitchers touched 90 or better in a field of 20 that threw with Dennis Colleran (Video), a junior from North Attleboro, Ma., touching 94.

“This event was definitely a good way to see where I stood versus everyone else there,” pointed out the Northeastern commit, the ninth-ranked 2021 in New England. “Personally, I did well at the camp, hitting a new personal high for my pitching speed at 94. I also liked how quickly I got all of my numbers back.”

Spencer Hill (Video), a transplant from New Albany, Ohio now a senior at Bridgton Academy, Me., was one of three pitchers to hit 91 along with seniors Connor Hujsak, Goffstown, N.H. (Virginia Commonwealth commit), and Connor Bovair, South Glens Falls, N.Y. (Siena commit).

“What a great event, there’s nothing better than showcasing your talent alongside some of the best kids in the northeast,” explained Hill, a Northern Illinois commit who was judged to have the Best Changeup at the event. “It pushes you to be the best you can be.

“For me, the highlight was watching and playing with two of my teammates from school (Kindred Atwood and Yechiel Saint). It was also nice to watch other kids compete the same way I am.”

Hujsak, a two-way VCU commit as a pitcher and shortstop, also enjoyed competing at the event.

“The Procase gave me a sense of what some talent around New England looks like and also made for a great atmosphere,” noted the 6-2, 190-pounder. “The highlights of the event to me were definitely the efficiency of it all and the technology that was used.” 

The top velo from a left-hander was 89 by Nolan Hughes (Video) of Silver Lake, Ma., a senior committed to Fordham

“I thought the event went well,” said Hughes, the 22nd-ranked 2020 in New England. “I had a really good experience at it. I’d recommend doing a PBR event to any serious baseball player. The facility we were in was impressive as well.

“As far as highlights go, just being around so much outstanding talent was really cool. Everybody had different stories on where they were from and what colleges they were committed to.”

Another left-hander that impressed was junior Frank Mozzicato (Video), Connecticut commit ranked along with Bovair to have with the Best 3-Pitch Mix on the day.

“I thought this event was great because it put our names out into a different area of recruiting and a high level of recruiting,” said the East Catholic, Ct., 2021. “One highlight for me was getting a number on all three of my pitches and seeing the progression on all of them.”

BEHIND THE PLATE

Five highly-ranked catchers were also on hand including two committed to college in senior Jackson Phinney and junior Matthew Garbowski.

Phinney (Video), a Pittsburgh commit ranked 10th in the 2020 New England class, put up impressive numbers with the best pop time of 1.87 and the top position velo of 85.

“I thought the event was awesome,” related the senior from Noble and Greenough. “It was very well organized and all of the guys running the event were awesome and kind and really knew what they were doing. It was also really awesome to see all of the pro scouts there and the level of talent from the players that were at the event. I thought that was really special to be able to compete against the best players around.

“My favorite highlights were the throw downs to second, which is always something I really enjoy doing, and the BP session was awesome with the rapsodo and blast set up which was awesome to see the metrics on the iPads.”

Garbowski, a Connecticut commit from New Fairfield, Ct. ranked second in the 2020 class in New England, who was listed in the category - “Guys You Need To Stay On” - was next in line in both catching categories with a best pop time of 1.90 and a velo of 81.

POSITION PROSPECTS

As for the position players, there were a number of standouts including outfielders Korey Morton and Jonathan Santucci. Morton, a senior from Brien McMahon, Ct., committed to Connecticut, ran the fastest 60 while Santucci, a junior Duke commit from Phillips Academy Andover, exhibited the strongest position velocity.

“I thought this was a well put together and organized event,” explained Morton (Video Above), one of four in the field with a 90-plus exit and position velo along with a sub-7.0 time in the 60. The 6-0, 165-pounder had a time of 6.49 in the 60 to go along with a 92 exit velo and 90 outfield velo.

“I loved the exposure that this event brought with it having so many scouts,” added Morton.

Santucci (Video Below), a two-way recruit as a left-handed hitting outfielder and left-handed pitcher, had a 97 exit velo, 94 position velo and a 6.94 clocking in the 60.

“I had a great time and it was a great experience playing in front of all the scouts in attendance,” said Santucci, the eighth-rated 2020 in New England. “I did pretty well overall in my workout and I had a couple good rounds of BP. The highlight of the event for me was my ability to play with and compete against really good players and also the best from around New England. I knew a lot of the kids beforehand, so it was nice to get to play with them again.”

Matthew Shaw, a senior from Worcester Academy, Ma., had the top exit velo on the day at 99 with Santucci and Carlos Pena, a returnee from last year’s Procase, next in line at 97. Shaw, a senior shortstop ranked third in his class, is committed to Maryland, while Pena, a junior outfielder ranked fourth in the 2021 New England class, is heading to Missouri.

BREAKOUT CANDIDATE

A year ago, the breakout candidate was Phinney who went on to make a commitment with Pittsburgh. This year a top candidate at the Procase was Yechiel Saint (Video), an uncommitted junior from Bridgton Academy. The 5-11, 170-pound switch-hitting shortstop/outfielder put up numbers that drew notice with a 91 exit, 90 outfield and 86 infield velo to go with a 6.83 time in the 60.

“The ProCase was a good starting block to the coming season,” Saint said. “The competition level was like no other, there were many well-rounded prospects. For me, the highlight of this event was just to be able to showcase my talent in front of so many pro scouts.”

MLB CHATTER

For a select few, the event brought an opportunity to talk with scouts that were in attendance.

“I did talk to some pro scouts about my well being and my performance,” noted Hujsak (Video). “To me the interactions were very meaningful and I thought I got something out of each conversation.”

Another that conversed with scouts was Santucci.

“I talked to one scout after the outfield portion of the workout,” Santucci said. “He just wanted to tell me that I did a good job. That meant a lot because it shows all of the hard work I have put in over the off-season and throughout my life is paying off.”

While some of the conversation took place at the event, others have previously talked with scouts

“No pro scouts talked to me yesterday (Sunday) but there were a handful of scouts that were present at the event that I had talked to recently,” pointed out Hughes.

And for those that did not talk to scouts, there was no discouragement at all.

“Unfortunately no pro scouts spoke to me, however that’s not going to stop from being the best that I can be,” related Saint.

Added Phinney: “I didn’t talk to any of the scouts directly at the event but, as I said, it was really amazing to see so many of them there. It just speaks to the level of play of the players at the event.”

PROCASE WRAP UP

For some, it was a second chance to attend the Procase.

“Being there last year helped me improve more this year since I had a better feeling of what was going on,” Hughes explained. “After last year’s event I had a good idea on a few key things I needed to work on.”

Others have hopes of coming back in 2021.

“I had a great time and a great experience playing in front of all the scouts in attendance,” Santucci said. “I am looking forward to, hopefully, being able to attend again next year.”

No matter the case, those that participated spoke with gratitude to be part of the event.

“PBR has set me up for success on the field,” Hill said. “It gets your name out there for coaches and players to see.”

Phinney and Hujsak agreed.

“I would just like to thank PBR for allowing me the opportunity to compete at events such as the Procase and other events I have attended,” Phinney concluded. “They are always very well run and organized and have helped me greatly,”

Added Hujsak: “Overall the Procase was a great event. I would most definitely recommend it to younger players who get the opportunity.”