By Toby Bicknell
Texas Scouting Director

Prep Baseball Report Texas is working to cover the entire state of Texas and the baseball prospects that are striving for their goal of moving to the next level. If you would like your team evaluated and written up by PBR, please contact our Texas Scouting Director, Toby Bicknell. Be sure to follow us on twitter at @PBR_Texas. Last week we had an opportunity to join Flower Mound High School and Head Coach Danny Wallace for a midweek practice. Here are some of the top performers from that day.

pitchers

Dawson Abernathy, RHP, 2017
6-foot-3, 195-pound frame. The long, lean, uncommitted right-hander projects as a sinker/slider guy that works from a high-¾ arm slot with a fastball that sits between 84-87 mph with arm-side run. The slider shows tight spin at times from 74-79 mph. Abernathy is tough on hitters even though he scatters his fastball around the zone. The ball comes out of his hand well with great movement and two pitches that move opposite directions.

Austin Wallace, LHP/OF, 2019
Texas commit. 6-foot-3, 205-pound strong frame. The Sophomore works from a ¾ slot with a solid delivery, good tempo and advanced feel for 3 pitches. The fastball was 83-86 mph with arm-side run. His slider is a plus pitch at 68-71 mph, with 2-8 shape, he throws it with great feel on both sides of the plate. He throws his changeup with the same arm speed as his fastball from 69-73 mph with some arm-side fade. We only got to see Wallace have one at-bat, but the left-handed hitter was strong at contact, lining out to third base.

Ryan Johnston, RHP, 2017
6-foot-1, 195-pound strong frame, with well defined lower half. Works from a high-¾ slot with some shoulder tilt in the delivery that creates good angle on his pitches. His fastball ranged from 83-86 mph with some heavy action when it was at the bottom of the zone. His changeup was his most consistent offspeed pitch this day, ranging from 80-81 mph with good depth. The curveball was better in the second inning of work at 72-75 mph with 11-5 shape.

Eric Jones, RHP, 2017
Weatherford JC commit. Listed at 5-foot-9, 150-pounds, Jones has a wiry frame and works from a low-¾ slot with whippy arm-action. The Senior projects as a solid bullpen option for The Jags as he is a ground ball machine with command of two pitches. His fastball may only be 83-85 mph but it gets in on right-handed hitters with solid arm-side run. Jones' slider has sweeper action that he can throw for a strike early in the count, as well as run it off the plate for a swing and miss late.

hitters

Cade Thomas, 2B/SS, 2017
6-foot, 175-pound athletic, wiry frame. The projectable, uncommitted senior has quick actions, good footwork, and runs with long, athletic strides. Shows both a quick arm and fast hands on double plays. The right-handed hitter has a simple set-up in the box.

Zachary Mesa, OF, 2017
Kansas State commit. 6-foot-3, 200-pound athletic, strong frame. The left-handed hitter shows good strength at contact with an athletic set-up and smooth swing. Defensively, Mesa possesses solid range from center field and gets to balls with ease.

Carson Bradley, SS, 2018
5-foot-10, 170-pound strong frame, well defined lower-half. The uncommitted junior, who started at shortstop last year for The Jags, plays fast and attacks ground balls. He shows great footwork and enough arm strength and range to make all of the routine plays. The right-handed hitter has a simple set-up, fluid swing, barrel awareness and real strength at contact. He had two hits on the day, both hit sharply, one to center field and another to right field.

Lance Russell, 3B, 2017
Howard JC commit. 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame. The senior plays low on the hot-corner and has a short, compact arm across the diamond. Although he walked twice on the day, the right-handed hitter has a good set-up and pitch recognition.

Kyle Landers, 1B, 2017
5-foot-10, 185-pound strong frame. The left-handed hitter has solid bat speed created from a fluid swing. In his first at-bat he hammered a slider to deep right-center field. He has decent footwork around the bag at first base and shows good hands making picks between innings.

Brandon Messer, C, 2017
Northern Oklahoma JC commit. 5-foot-11, 190-pound strong frame. The senior catcher has a clean exchange and transfer behind the plate showing off a 2.14-2.19 pop time between innings with solid carry in the arm. Messer, a strong right-handed hitter at contact, had one hit on the day with a well-struck base hit to center field.

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