Hunter Pence Scout Day - Upperclass Quick Hits

Tyler Sunseri RHP / 1B / The Woodlands, TX / 2023

Sunseri made a loud statement in his outing at HP Scout Day. The 6’3 RHP from The Woodlands sat 90-93 with his FB the entire outing, never dropping below 90.  He showed good command of the pitch and was able to get it to both sides of the plate.  He complimented his fastball with a Slider that he threw in the mid to upper 70’s. He showed the ability to get swings and misses with the pitch in and out of the strike zone.  He also flashed a low 80’s Change Up that he took the spin off of.  Sunseri has a strong lower half that he uses well, allowing him to repeat his mechanics and have a low effort delivery.  Sunseri has made some gains this fall, and will be a must watch this spring for powerhouse The Woodlands.

Ethan Farris SS / OF / Cypress Woods, TX / 2023

Brock Thorndell RHP / 3B / Waller , TX / 2023

One of the better pitching performances on the weekend belonged to Thorndell.  The Sr. RHP from Waller has a good blend of present stuff and a frame that still projects.  His fastball sat 88-90 with some ASR on it.  He complimented the fastball with a slider that he threw in the 75-77 range. He gets good depth on the pitch, and generated multiple swings and misses during his outing.  He also flashed a couple change ups at 80 mph as well. The future Chap still has some projection left, and expect another jump from him this spring.

Colin Carney RHP / Porter, TX / 2023

Speaking of projection, there aren’t many more projectable than Carney. The 6’6’’ 175 RHP from Porter has the frame and arm to really make some big jumps.  The recent McLennan commit was 87-88 T89 and there is more coming. His primary secondary pitch was a slider/cutter that he threw in the 81-82 range and spun it up to 2567 rpm’s. The pitch generated a lot of weak contact and a few swings and misses.  He sprinkled in a few change ups in the 79-81 that he threw with the same arm action as his fastball. Carney recently committed to Juco Powerhouse McLennan.

Connor Judge RHP / The Woodlands College Park, TX / 2023

One of the more intriguing outings of the day belonged to Judge.  The recent Michigan commit is a projectable RHP, standing 6’5 175.  The tall righty really relies on the breaking ball to navigate his way through a lineup.  He has supreme confidence in his slider that he threw in the 74-77 mph range with an avg. spin of 2452 rpm’s.  He showed the ability to throw it for a strike and throw it for a put away pitch when he was ahead in the count.  Judge’s fastball was 86-87, but like a lot of his HP teammates, he has a very projectable frame and should continue to see his velo rise.  Judge has learned to pitch at a high level with his secondary stuff, and as the fastball continues to tick up, he is going to see his stock take some big jumps.

Jacob Hilton C / 1B / Cypress Springs, TX / 2023

Hilton had a well rounded weekend on both sides of the ball. The physical catcher from Cypress had an event best max exit velocity of 97.8 mph.  At 6’3, 200 has a physical presence in the box, but still has a short stroke with + bat speed.  Behind the plate, Hilton was solid all weekend.  He had a 2.08 pop time and a positional velocity of 77. Hilton is also a good athlete for his size and position, posting a 7.13 in the 60. Hilton has power potential at a premium position and those are tough to come by.

Luke Ekdall OF / 3B / Lake Creek , TX / 2023

Brecken Menuet SS / 3B / Stratford, TX / 2023

Joseph 'Dane' LeMaster RHP / SS / The Woodlands Christian, TX / 2023

Another impressive arm for HP was Lemaster.  The righty from Woodlands Christian has seen his velo continue to rise and he topped out at 89.9 and sat 88-89 the entire time.  He compliments his fastball with a slider that was in the upper 70’s, the pitch showed more power and depth than before and has the makings of a true put away pitch. He has a long, clean arm action that he repeats well and a frame that has plenty of projection left. Lemaster continues to make jumps every time we see him.

Chase Batten LHP / OF / Foster, TX / 2024

Trenton Buckley SS / RHP / Magnolia West, TX / 2024

Buckley has a lot of tools, and they were on display all weekend.  On Saturday, the Jr. opened some eyes when it was his turn for the defensive portion of the day.  He threw 96 from the outfield and 92 from the infield, which led both categories.  He also had a max exit velocity of 94 during the hitting portion of the workout.  On Sunday, Buckley impressed in all facets.  He shows good bat speed in the batter’s box, and had a double during gameplay.  He then hopped on the mound and topped out at 90.9. It was an easy operation with a low effort delivery. And finally, he had one of the plays of the weekend when he threw a seed from CF to home to gun down the runner.  It was a line the whole way and hit the catcher in the chest.  Buckley is a fun player to watch, and he can do multiple things to help his team win.

Ashton Bassett LHP / OF / Magnolia , TX / 2024

It was my first time seeing the Lefty from Magnolia, and it was an impressive outing.  1st thing that stood out was the pace and rhythm that he pitched with.  It was up tempo and he dictated the pace of the game.  The fastball sat 84-86 with good ASR. He showed the ability to get to both sides of the plate, and liked to go in the RHH’s when he was ahead.  He also threw a 73-76 mph Slider that he threw multiple times to the back foot of righties.  He rounded out his arsenal with a changeup that he threw at 80 mph, that looked like his fastball coming out of his hand.  The one other thing that stood out about Bassett was his pickoff move.  It is a + move that should really control the running game.

McClane Helton OF / 1B / CyWoods , TX / 2024

One of the big winners on the weekend was Helton. The sweet swinging LHH from Cypress had multiple barrels on the weekend, and seems to hit every time we see him. Helton is still growing into his body, which makes his barrel skills even more impressive.  At 6’2 180, there is a lot of strength still to be gained, and Helton will grow into some serious power to complement the hit tool.  He shows the ability to drive the baseball to all parts of the field with authority, and showed off an improving run tool as well on a 3B. Helton also jumped on the mound this weekend and opened some eyes.  While the mechanics are a little raw, he showed a loose arm and topped out at 85.  As he learns to incorporate his lower half, that number could continue to rise as well.  Helton has a high baseball IQ and is starting to grow into his body.  I expect he will be one of the big risers in the class over the next year.

Preston Lynch C / C / Magnolia, TX / 2024

One of the top uncommitted players on the weekend was Lynch. The jr. Backstop had a great weekend on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he looks like a frontline catcher.  He was a good receiver of the baseball, and could really block.  He has great feet and uses them for a quick 2.01 pop time.  At the plate, Lynch has a wide set up, and not a lot of extra movment.  He is short to the ball, and he isn’t afraid to use the whole field.  He showed off his power potential during the workouts and then had multiple hits in gameplay using the whole field.  Lynch can really catch and shows good barrel awarness at the plate. I expect a lot of eyes to be on Lynch in the Spring.

Cooper McEnroe 3B / 1B / Klein Cain, TX / 2024

McEnroe was one of the stars during the gameplay portion of HP Scout Weekend.  The Jr. from Klein Cain showed out on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he made a sliding backhand play in foul territory deep at 3rd, and shot up and threw the runner out at 1st.  Then at the plate, he showed off some bat speed and drove the ball the other way for a loud 3B.  He also had another hit during gameplay. He has good athleticism for a corner guy as he ran a 7.03 60 as well.  McEnroe plays with a lot of energy and showed some high level tools.