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Texas Scout Blog: Week 1 Games

February 27, 2024
Prep Baseball Texas Staff

The Texas Scout Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the Prep Baseball Scouting Staff during the season. This running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects, and anything else that is notable. We will provide a wide range of information, including player evaluations, Video, Stats, and more. Below are the standout players from week 1 of the TX HS Baseball Season.

INF Wyatt Sanford (Independence, 2024; Texas A&M) - Sanford has always been a favorite of our staff, and watching his career progress up close has been fun. I pulled up to watch him Friday morning with about 35 pro scouts in attendance to watch him do his thing. Sanford was 1-1 with 2 walks and a stolen base in the. Of course, the game before and the game after the future Aggie would hit home runs. Sanford is noticeably stronger, especially in the lower half. He has put the work in, and it is easy to see. He seems to be really seeing the ball well, and is taking good swing after good swing. Sanford is an elite defender at short, and he has the ability to stick there long term. It’s early in the spring, but there aren’t many people who has seen their stock rise as much as Sanford.

*2024 Wyatt Sanford*



C/RHP Luke Billings (Prosper, 2025; uncommitted) - A 2023 Prep Baseball American, we have always thought highly of Billings, but the 2024 version is even better. Billings was on fire at the plate all week, delivering barrel after barrel. He had multiple extra base hits, and had 3 in one game. He finished his tourney off by hopping on the mound, where his velo continues to uptick and he saw his fastball up to 93. His breaker got swing and miss for a true put away pitch. To help his cause, the top uncommitted prospect in Texas delivered a big bomb over Prosper’s green monster to help secure a 1 run win. Billings is a good athlete who is an even better competitor. Prosper got off to a good start in week 1, and Billings led the way.

*2025 Luke Billings*



RHP Trey Rangel (The Colony, 2026) - Rangel was a 2023 Future Gamer, and ever since the end of last summer his stock has continued to climb. The #3 player in Texas and #10 overall threw 4 innings in The Colony’s opening day win. The fastball was 90-92 with life, and he filled the zone up pretty well. It is a clean operation that he repeats well, and it is easy to project the velo continuing to tick up. He also has the breaking ball that is a true put away pitch. He spun it consistently in the 2700-2800 rpm range, but when he wanted to really rip one off it would approach 3k. Rangel played SS for the first 3 innings where he showed a solid glove and a plus arm. Rangel was also the star at the plate. The sophomore delivered a solo bomb late to give The Colony a 1 run win.

*2026 Trey Rangel*



INF Kayson Cunningham (SA Johnson, 2025; Texas Tech) - Cunningham bats out of the leadoff spot for the Jaguars and is looking to do damage every time he steps in the box. The Texas Tech recruit and #1 ranked 2025 in Texas found the barrel over and over this past weekend and was able to stay in his approach with teams pitching around him. The first AB of the weekend, he showed off his speed with an infield hit, then was intentionally walked twice later in that game. In the Jags second game, he had a triple to right center that got to the wall in a hurry. He added 3 more singles on Friday and looks to be poised for a monster season at the plate. At SS, he looks athletic and got to show off the glove multiple times. He does a good job making the tough plays look relatively smooth and has a strong arm to make the plays in the 6 hole.

*2025 Kayson Cunningham*



CIF Brody Mattox (Porsper, 2025; uncommitted) - Mattox is finally healthy, and the talented Jr. had a good week at the plate. Mattox had multiple hits and drove the ball with authority to all parts of the field. He can really hit, and I think him adding protection for Billings in the lineup gives them potential for one of the better tandems in the metroplex. He can use the whole field with authority, and I suspect he will have his fair share leave the yard as the year goes on. Mattox also had some nice plays coming in and looked good at 3rd. Good to see Mattox back at the hot corner.

*2025 Brody Mattox*



OF Kaden Robardey (Prosper, 2025) - Another Jr. who was on the barrel all week was Robardey. He drove the ball with authority all tournament and had multiple extra base hits. Kado is a strong kid who flashes some power. He is a smart player, who plays good outfield and does a lot of things to help your team win. He is another one that really has a chance to lengthen the Eagles lineup this year.

*2025 Kaden Robardey*



1B/LHP Josiah Rojas (The Colony, 2026) - Rangel isn’t the only sophomore at The Colony. Rojas is a LHH 1B/LHP who has a chance to do a lot of damage at the plate this year. Rojas had multiple bombs in his opening week, and had a RBI 2B in the game I was at. Josiah has good rhythm in the box, and always looks ready to hit. He has good bat speed and the ability to leave the park at any time. It isn’t just power though, Rojas can hit and I expect him to continue to elevate his stock as one of the better ‘26 hitters in North Texas.

*2026 Josiah Rojas*



LHP Trent Collier (Walnut Grove, 2025; Weatherford JC) - Collier got the program starting start for Prosper Walnut Grove, and the future Weatherford Coyote looked sharp as always. The big lefty saw his fastball get up to 91 and it sat in the upper 80’s for the duration. His slider continues to get better and is turning into a true plus offering. He gets a couple bad swings on the pitch every time I see him take the mound. He flashed a couple of average changeups that will help him stay as a starter at the next level. Collier has really seen his stock soar over the last 9 months, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

*2025 Trent Collier*



1B Trey Craig (Lake Ridge, 2024; Texas A&M) - There is physical and then there is Trey Craig. The future Aggie is a presence in the batter’s box, and he showed off his big time bat speed when I saw him Friday. He didn’t get much to hit in this game, but Craig had 1 line drive 1b up the middle, which I imagine had a triple digit exit velo. As big as Craig is, he is a good athlete and it really shows around 1st base. He has good feet and soft hands. Craig transferring into Lake Ridge for his senior season gives them one of the better lineups in North Texas.

*2024 Trey Craig*



Karsen Davis (Lake Ridge, 2024; NOCTONK) and Logan Ramirez (Lake Ridge, 2024; NOCTONK) - The two Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa recruits had big games on Friday when I saw them. Davis got the start and the LHP filled up the zone with the full arsenal. He got to both sides of the plate with the fastball and saw it top out at 87. I really like the slider and he did a good job of landing for a strike when it was needed. His teammate, Ramirez, had a barrel party on friday. He had multiple hits in both games and he was on every pitch he swung at. There is good rhythm in his swing, and he keeps the barrel thru the zone for a long time giving him the ability to really hit. A really good day for the 2 future Mavericks.

*2024 Logan Ramirez*



INF Chad Pantuso (SA Johnson, 2024; uncommitted) - We previously saw Pantuso at the 2023 San Antonio Preseason ID, where he showed athleticism as well as strength at the plate. He is able to generate plenty of power from a smaller frame and that was on display this weekend as he had multiple barrels including a hard hit 2 RBI single as well as a HR to LF. Pantuso does a good job of getting off his back side and understands how to hit. The TAMUCC recruit will be another key piece in the Jaguars lineup out of the 2 hole this season.

*2024 Chad Pantuso*



C Masa Chilcutt (SA Johnson, 2025; Texas) - The University of Texas recruit has always impressed defensively behind the dish. He’s quick and agile, with the ability to block to both sides. He can manage the run game as well with strong accurate throws to second, although there weren’t many stolen base attempts on him in the games I saw. Chilcutt also looked solid in the box with some hard hit singles and a few loud outs as well. He is an important bat in the middle of the order for the Jags as well as a mainstay behind the plate, once a freshman on varsity, Chilcutt is now a leader and it shows.

*2025 Masa Chilcutt*



RHP Tyler Walton (SA Johnson, 2024; Texas) - Walton started on the mound in game 1 of the tournament for the Jags and looked to be in midseason form. The University of Texas Recruit went the distance and allowed only 1 run. The fastball was mostly in the upper 80’s, and touched 90 multiple times as well. He does a good job matching arm speed on his changeup, which is a quality pitch. The breaking ball also saw some swing & miss as he tunnels it well off the fastball. Although the command was a bit erratic at times, he was able to make big pitches when he needed to and never showed any lapse of focus. You can tell Walton loves to pitch and really understands how to get hitters out. The Jags will lean on the Senior ace this year and he seems up for the challenge.

*2024 Tyler Walton*



RHP Derek Maples (SA Johnson, 2024; St. Mary’s) - Maples is the Jags #2 starter and looked good in his outing. He tossed a complete game shutout against Lubbock Cooper while punching out 5 and allowing only 3 hits. Maples is able to keep hitters off balance and induce plenty of weak contact. In this outing, the St. Mary’s recruit was 82-85 with the fastball and 73-75 with the breaking ball. He will not blow you away with his velocity but he understands how to pitch, stays out of the middle of the plate and doesn’t give many free passes. Maples is a reliable starter with a low pulse that is key for big games down the stretch.

*2024 Derek Maples*



RHP Cameron Johnson (Waco Midway, 2024; McLennan CC) - This was my first time seeing Johnson and it was a good look at the lanky righty. The McLennan recruit was efficient in his six innings pitched for Midway over the weekend. He struck out 7 and allowed only 2 hits. The fastball was 84-88 T89 but there seems to be plenty more in the tank from a long and lanky frame. The change up seems to be his favorite secondary pitch, he showed good feel for it and is willing to throw it in any count to both RHH & LHH. The slider is small but effective as it plays well off of the fastball.

*2024 Cameron Johnson*



INF David Litle (Waco Midway, 2025; uncommitted) - The 2025 MIF looked good on both sides of the ball for the Panthers. He played SS and 2B in the game I saw and made a few good plays as well as made the routine plays look easy. He was able to leadoff an inning with a hit and come around to score to give Midway some insurance in a tight game. We have seen Litle in our events and he has always shown well, but it looks like he attacked the offseason and focused on getting even more athletic. Look for a big season from the uncommitted 2025 MIF.

*2025 David Litle*



1B Darrell Catlin (Waco Midway, 2024; uncommitted) - Catlin has an imposing presence in the box, hitting out of the 4 hole for Midway. He went 2-4 with two barrels in the game I saw. One of the hits being a hard line drive double to RCF and the other being a clutch RBI single to LF in a tight game. He will be a mainstay in the heart of the order and at 1B for Midway this season and provides plenty of pop from that spot.

*2024 Darrell Catlin*



INF/RHP Hudson Cuevas (Cedar Park, 2027) - The freshman MIF/RHP was impressive this past weekend. He was in the 2 hole as the DH in the game I attended and got two great swings off as well as a bunt for a base hit. In his first AB, he had a hard hit single through the left side and looked like a 3 year letterman. Later in the game he almost left the yard to CF but came up empty on a great play by the centerfielder at the wall. He ended up having a great weekend at the plate (7-15, 4XBH, 4SB) and also got on the mound for 2 innings where he struck out 3. Cuevas will be a fun one to watch this season and beyond.

*2027 Hudson Cuevas*



LHP Kade Davis (Cedar Park, 2025; Temple JC) - The Temple College recruit does a little bit of everything for Cedar Park. He is the leadoff hitter, can play OFand 1B at a high level and is also a solid LHP. He was playing 1B in the game I attended and got on base in his first 3 AB’s including two singles. He is a tough out in the box and has a smooth LH swing that stays in the zone for a long time. He is a leader and a key piece for the Timberwolves this year.

*2025 Kade Davis*



INF Hudson Hartgrove (Cedar Ridge, 2025; Louisiana Tech) - Hartgrove has shown well at multiple events and it was good to see him in action. The SS looks the part on the dirt with clean actions as well as a strong arm across. His first hit of the night was a sharp line drive to LF that he stretched into a double after making a hard turn and getting a good read. He later added another barrel on a sharp line drive single up the middle. He is a 6.9 runner but the speed plays up in game as he gets good reads and good jumps at SS. I expect the recent Louisiana Tech commit to have a big season at Cedar Ridge.

*2025 Hudson Hartgrove*



OF Omari Johnson (Cedar Ridge, 2024; uncommitted) - We saw Johnson over the Summer at the Top Prospect Games where the athleticism was apparent. He ran a 6.58 and floated around the outfield during gameplay. The uncommitted senior was a tough out all weekend at the plate for the Raiders, tallying 7 hits and continues to catch everything with air under it in CF. Johnson is poised to have a big season out of the leadoff spot for the Raiders in 2024 and I don’t expect him to be uncommitted for much longer.



Name to Remember

OF Cole Flashnick (Highland Park, 2027) - The talented freshman got two starts for The Scots while I was there and I was impressed with the approach and the swing. He didn’t have a lot to show for it, but he more than held his own and I have a feeling by the end of spring we will all hear his name far more often.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Houston Rising Stars ID TX 03/10 The John Cooper School
DFW Rising Stars ID TX 03/30 Lake Dallas High School
San Antonio Rising Stars ID TX 04/07 Cornerstone Christian HS
2024 TX Rising Stars Games (Invite-Only) TX 05/18 Prestonwood Christian Academy
Five Star Performance Scout Weekend TX 05/25 DFW
Dallas Summer ID TX 05/28 Lake Dallas HS
Canes Southwest Scout Weekend TX 06/01 Waco
Houston Summer ID TX 06/19 Rice University - Reckling Park
Top Prospect Games: Texas A&M (Invite-Only) TX 06/25 Texas A&M University

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