Utah HS Team Preview: Orem HS

Utah HS Team Previews - Orem Tigers

Opening Day is around the corner, try outs have been scheduled starting Feb 27th, and rosters are soon to be set. The Utah High School Activities Association has announced that opening day of the 2022 season will commence on Monday March 6th. Jeff Scholzen (Utah Scouting Director) begins the 2023 season coverage with our annual preseason team previews, where we will take notes from coaches, and highlight returning players, newcomers, and some sleepers. Over the next couple of weeks and leading up to opening day, we will be highlighting some of the top programs in the state with our team previews.

As our ardent readers are aware, Team Previews are answered by the Head Coaches of those programs and the scouting reports embedded in the PBR player profiles of the top players, are written by state scouting director Jeff Scholzen, the states only full-time MLB Area Scouting supervisor ever. 

With data partners Trackman Baseball, the leaders in measuring the ball flight and its characteristics off the bat for position players and out of the hand for pitchers. No one does it better. Blast Motion captures key swing metrics in evaluating the efficiency of the swing and where a player's swing is good or bad and what needs to be worked on. Swift Performance measures power output as an athlete with the EZ jump mat and collecting not only the 60 yard dash, but the 10 and 30 yard dashes as well. 3M technology measures key pitching mechanics and how the delivery through the body moves in sequence to produce and provide a more effortless and efficient delivery. 

This season as in every past season, stats are collected across the state at the end of that week's play, with input from coaches, assistant coaches and ultimately myself in putting together comprehensive player content on a weekly basis with the following. 

1. Weekly Utah Power 25 Overall Team Rankings (Monday)

2. Player and Pitcher of the Week, along with other notable player performances (Tuesday)

3. Player Spotlights throughout the spring of top players who are making their mark on the HS scene in capturing college recruiting looks. 

4. I will be scouting games throughout the state and posting player videos on Twitter for college marketing purposes on a weekly basis and in some cases where action is flowing and games are staggered, such as the preseason tourneys down south on a daily basis. 

Quick Footnote: Only 7% of all HS baseball players will play college baseball and the elite of that group, which consists of only 2% will play at the D1 level. These are the players I’m watching and gleaning information on. This is determined by objective data from events, as well as the subjective eye evaluations, honed from my 30 years at the college and professional level. 

Orem by the Numbers

Head Coach: Carl Hermansen (10th Year at Orem) Wasatch Head Coach 1997-2003

• To show you how far the program has come and what Coach Hermansen has accomplished in building this perennial state playoff club into, since taking over and completely remaking the culture, brand and talent level for the Tigers.

(Excerpt: The Daily Herald (June 12, 2014)

Hermansen was the head coach at Wasatch High School from 1997 to 2003, and prior to joining Park City’s staff he was actively involved with youth baseball programs.

Perhaps that’s why Orem decided he would be the best choice to help a program return to relevance.

Orem hasn’t had a winning season since 2008 but has shown improvement recently. The Tigers were 9-12 last year and 11-15 in 2013. They went 9-14 in 2012, but in 2011 they won just five games.

“There is a great foundation here. I’m a big believer in building the youth programs and I think that’s what sold me to the administration,” Hermansen said. “The key to all of the successful programs are the youth feeder programs, so I think that’s what we need to build to have success at the high school level.”

Hermansen graduated from Orem High in 1988 and played college baseball at Southern Utah U. 

State Classification/Region: 5A / Region 8

Last Year's Record: 

2022: 22-10

2021: 21-11

Number of State Tourney Appearance in last 10 Years: 8

Number of State Titles games in the last 10 Years: 1

Number of State Titles in the last 10 Years: 0

• Orem’s Keys to Success

• {Jeff Scholzen’s X-Factor of 5 players, that if they play to their potential, there is a definite state title within the Tigers grasp} 

• 2025 Blake Brotherson, RHP, had a tremendous summer and pitched his way into my interest. After seeing a few videos on twitter, I reached out to Blake to get him to the Northern Utah ID in the Logan area last September. Once he took the mound, it was very evident that with his frame and projectable build and loose fluid arm, coupled with an easy controlled, athletic delivery, he was an arm to get excited about. After the Logan event, I invited Blake to the All-State Games at Snow Canyon HS the next month in October, and he once again showed the same tools and assortment of pitches. Was able to get swing and misses, along with soft contact on the ground as well. Brotherson is an exciting young arm, and I have already reserved a spot for him, in the prestigious PBR Future Games this coming July 26-29 at the LakePoint in Atlanta. 

• 2024 Easton Davies, RHP (Arizona State commit), came out of the pen a year ago as a freshman, and captured 2nd Team All-Region honors. Davies has a live arm and can pump FB’s from 86-90 mph and has touched 91 last summer/fall. At 6-2 180, he is oozing with projection. Davies has the type of arm that should be pumping FB’s in the mid 90’s. One thing to look for with Davies, is he has been having some issues with his throwing shoulder since late fall and may not be quite 100% healthy heading into the first couple of weeks to the season. But if healthy, he has dominant stuff for the HS level. 

• 2023 Luke Kimmel, LHP (Utah Valley U commit) Though having a slight build, can fire his FB in the mid to upper 80’s and has a big controlled CB that gets swing/misses. It’s the type that hitters give up on and he can land it for strikes and bury below the zone. He can change shapes and axis points to the pitch with downed type and sweeping action and it gives hitters fits. Kimmel committed to Utah Valley U, a couple of miles down the road, this last December. Look for Davies and Kimmel to give the edge to the Tigers in two of the three games as well in region 8 play. 

• 2023 Sawyer Slade, C (BYU commit) Slade will serve a two year church mission out of HS, and then enroll at BYU in the fall of 2025, but still has work to do, in leading the offense along with Cohen Strickland and providing a bit bat in the top/middle of the order. After a monster 2022, where Slade punished Utah pitchers to the tune of a .467 BA with 9 2B's, 9 HR's and 47 RBI, and was one of two hitters in the state to accumulate 50 base hits, along with BYU freshman OF-Luke Anderson, the 2022 Gatorade POY from Snow Canyon. Slade looks to replicate those numbers, though it will be hard, as that's a career year for any high caliber HS hitter, but with Strickland pairing with him, pitchers will have their hands full regardless. 

• 2023 Cohen Strickland, 2B (UNCOMMITTED) Strickland like Slade, put up monster numbers as a junior, as he also torched opposing pitchers to a .416 BA with 16 2B's, 8 HR and 43 RBI, to go along with 47 base hits. The duo were the best 1-2 punch of any two hitters in the state. They return to power a team that hit 28 HR's as a team in '22. Strickland just was cleared to play, after suffering an elbow injury during the football season, and will have recruiters watching his senior year, in hopes of securing the big bat in the middle of the Tigers order. 

Key Returners with Class/Position