TEXAS - Over the weekend of November,2 - November, 3, we hosted the Underclass State Games at Texas A&M where we saw some of the top 2027 & 2028 players in the State. The weekend kicked off on Saturday morning, with a workout for position players. They ran 60's, threw from defensive positions, and took BP on the field. We then rolled into gameplay afterwards where the pitchers recorded TrackMan data. This event featured a strong group of players from top to bottom and that showed throughout the entire weekend. Today, in part 1 of "Quick Hits", we take a look at some of the standouts from the weekend.

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Quick Hits Part 1

Ayden Collier OF / LHP / George Ranch, TX / 2027 Collier really stood out from the beginning with the ease he did his outfield drills. Easy mover who was confident in what he was doing. He has a plus arm from the OF, topping out at 90.  At the plate, he showed good rhythm and some loose wrists in the box. It was more of a line drive approach during the showcase, but during gameplay he hit a big home run that cleared the bullpen in RF. He also hopped on the mound and showed an athletic delivery with a low 80’s fastball and a slider that generated some swing and miss.

Hudson Holt 3B / OF / Rockwall, TX / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 31 / POS: 2 Holt was one of the stars of the weekend.  He absolutely dominated gameplay at the plate. He had barrel after barrel and at least 4 extra base hits on the weekend.  He showed the ability to drive the ball with authority to all fields He had a max exit velo of 97.7 during the showcase. Defensively, Holt has really good actions at 3rd and a good arm to make all the throws.  He also pitches, and I expect him to be in the upper 8’s this spring for Rockwall. Really good weekend for Holt.

Jason Steele 3B / RHP / Dripping Springs, TX / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 119 / POS: 10 The Dripping Springs product had a really solid weekend on both sides of the ball. He showed the ability to impact the baseball at the plate and should continue to develop some power.  But where I really like him is on the mound.  The 6 '2 righty sat in the upper 80’s for 2 innings and showed strike throwing ability.  With the frame and ease he moves down the mound, it is easy to see him having some big velo gains.  He showed feel for a slider and a split that has a chance.  Steele has some big bodied arms in front of him at Dripping that he has a chance to learn from and help this spring.  Exciting player.

Clyde Williams III OF / OF / Magnolia, TX / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 18 / POS: 4 OverallRank: 120 / POS: 28 The outfielder from Magnolia was one of the players I was most excited to get my eyes on. He got better with every rep throughout the weekend. He is barely 15, making him one of the younger prospects in the ‘27 class. He is high waisted and has a frame to dream on. He ran a 6.87, which will continue to improve as he grows into his body. His arm is adequate for CF. He had multiple barrels during gameplay and showed the ability to really impact the baseball. One other thing that really stood out were his Blast numbers. He showed plus bat speed and rotational acceleration, to go along with some of the top on-plane efficiency in the event.   He will be one to follow closely as we head into next spring.

Kenson Buth SS / RHP / Byron Nelson, TX / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 65 / POS: 13 The 2 way talent from Byron Nelson came as infielder only this weekend, and was really impressive.  Had multiple extra base hits from the left side with a simple, balanced swing that has a lot of intent behind it. He plays with a calm confidence and throughout the weekend he looked in complete control whether it was on the dirt or in the box.  Buth can really pitch, and I expect he will be a big part of Byron Nelson’s success this coming spring.

Joseph Cardona Jr. 1B / OF / Buda Johnson, TX / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 51 / POS: 3 Cardona has been a player that has really impressed from the first time I have seen him this year until now.  He has turned himself into one of the better hit/power guys in the ‘27 class. Has a knack for getting the barrel to the ball with some thump, and is always swinging with the intent to do damage. He had multiple barrels on the weekend and continues to elevate his game.  He also showed really well around the bag at first.  We don’t give first basemen much love usually, but he can really pick it over there.

Drew Cross C / 3B / Mount Pleasant, TX / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 37 / POS: 2 Cross continues to show why he is one of the better backstops in Texas for the 2027 class. He has a + arm behind the plate and shows good receiving skills. He still loses focus back there at times, but when he is dialed in, there aren’t many better. He offers some thump from the catcher position as well. And he showed it off in gameplay, hitting a  majestic blast in the rain at A&M  that went ¾ of the way up the net.  He has juice to all fields and continues to show it off in game.  Overall, a really good weekend from the East Texas backstop.

Brady Ekdall OF / 3B / Lake Creek, TX / 2027 One of the more physically impressive looking players on the weekend was Edkall. The physical outfielder from Lake Creek measured in at 6 ‘2 190, and looks the part of a power hitting corner guy. Showed off a quality arm that got up to 86 from the outfield that should continue to get better. At the plate, he topped out at 96.8 mph on the exit velo and had one of the more consistent rounds of BP. He got some good swings off in game as well.  He stepped in the box with confidence throughout the weekend.  Could see him making a big jump this next year.

Reid Williams C / OF / Byron Nelson, TX / 2027  Another Byron Nelson product that stood out was Williams. The Catcher/Outfielder showed well at both positions. He had a caught stealing and showed a plus arm off from the outfield during the workouts.  Williams also showed a nice swing from the left side. It is tight and compact, to go with plus bat speed.  He has good rhythm and I think he is really going to hit. Williams is in the middle of football season as well, making his performance even more impressive.

Cash Nelson C / OF / Regents School of Austin, TX / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 101 / POS: 15 Another catcher that I really liked was Nelson. He really impressed earlier this fall at a scout day and carried it over to College Station. Good athlete behind the plate, and he had a really good weekend defensively. He had to catch a lot of innings with a late scratch, and he got after it all weekend. Handled pitchers well, just an impressive effort back there.  At the plate, he shows some thump and offers some power potential.  He had an extra base hit he drove deep to the LC gap.  A really good weekend for Nelson.

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