Utah Player and Pitcher of the Week: Harrison, Pickle, Hammond, Beames
April 18, 2023
Throughout the spring season, PBR Utah will announce a player and pitcher of the week, every Tuesday, from the previous week. Coaches are sent emails to recommend players for the awards weekly. The awards are based on what kind of statistical week the player had, and it will be subjective, based on my evaluation of the player. Also you do not have to have attended a PBR event to earn the award, but I will lean towards the player I know more thoroughly and also what kind of collegiate prospect that player is. So it isn't only stats, but that is where it starts, with the other criteria as separators in case of a close call. In the event of two performance's in the each category, that could go either way, as to which gets the nod, two awards for that category may be given..
Players of the Week
 |
Ryder Harrison OF / 1B / Snow Canyon, UT / 2024Rankings State Rank: 24 / POS: 6
UncommittedWeek Six (April 10-16) Stat Line G 2 AB 9 R 5 H 6 HR 2 RBI 7 2B 2 BB 4/18/23 Harrison has been as hot as any player in the state right now, as he is hitting. 460 with 5 HR's, 22 RBI and 9 2B's. Harrison also has a ridiculous 20/5 BB to SO slash. A mini John Kruk type hitter, that uses the whole field with a smooth effortless swing. There's plate and zone discipline with a plan at the plate. An advanced approach allows him to get pitches to hit and has not been missing the sweet spot. His HR's have come in big moments, as he he walked to the plate vs Pine View with a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 7th inning and two outs, and hit a 2-R walk off HR to deep RCF to come through in a big spot. This is a bat that any school at any level should take notice of and hone in on him. He can hit and with what I've seen, will continue to hit!
— Ryder Harrison (@HarrisonRyder19) April 1, 2023
|
 |
Ike Pickle SS / 2B / Skyridge, UT / 2024Rankings State Rank: 42 / POS: 6
UncommittedWeek Six (April 10-16) Stat Line: G 3 AB 9 R 5 H 6 HR 1 RBI 12 2B 3 3B 0 3/06/22
A newcomer to PBR, Pickle came highly recommended by his high school coach Ryan Roberts (former 12 year recruiting coordinator at BYU) and didn’t disappoint. Showing a high level load and staying on top and through the baseball, the swing is flat and smoked LD’s through the INF with pull carry and posted an EV high of 96.5! With hand and bat speeds of 23.3 and 67.5, suggest even higher EV in his future, as the bat speed can increase with added acceleration at barrel release. The hand speeds suggest a higher bat speed marker, and with emphasis on a quicker barrel at contact, we should see 100 EV’s in short order. Holding down the SS spot as a sophomore suggests the kind of confidence coach Roberts has with this young man to captain his INF now and in the future.
|
Pitchers of the Week
 |
Easton Hammond LHP / 1B / Ridgeline , UT / 2026Rankings State Rank: 10 / POS: 1
UncommittedWeek Six (April 10-16) Stat Line: NO-HITTERIP 5 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 SO 11 4/18/23 A man child who also starts on the line for the varsity Riverhawks football team this past year as a freshman. A low 80's FB right now, but is in line to achieve added velo moving forward as he continues to learn to utilize and control his big frame. The arm works well and he has solid glove side direction to the plate with the ability to throw 3 pitches for K's. The CB has shape, tilt and depth with the feel to lanbd for K's, along with a fading turnover type life to the CH. High upside arm that reminds me of former Cottonwood LHP and Arizona State star Ross Dunn at the same stage of development.
9/17/22
Positional Profile: LHP/1B
|
 |
Case Beames OF / RHP / Brighton, UT / 2025Rankings State Rank: 13 / POS: 3
UncommittedWeek Six (April 10-16) Stat Line: IP 6 H 2 R 1 ER 1 BB 2 SO 13 11/17/22
This is an intriguing case, no pun intended, with a FB/CB combo with incredible spin rates and zone % 's at the most recent All-State Games. A skinny 6-1 145, that really needs to add 10-15 lbs of weight to distribute his frame and overall projectable build. The weight room needs to be his friend, as he has the chance to throw hard, and with peripheral data of the FB/CB, suggests FB velo is on the way. With a tall medium kick to delivery, Case features balance throughout and breaks over the rubber and gets down the slope well, and exhibits a very loose arm to project. The FB 80-82 with a spin max of 2,758, which is elite and gets downhill and hitters swing over the top, when down. The CB 75-76 is thrown as hard as any CB I've seen in a while, for a FB that low. The spin is ludicrously elite, with a spin max of 3.309, and avg’ed 3,246. This is the highest spin recorded in 2 years with PBR Utah, eclipsing #1 ranked ‘23 prospect Brayden Marx’s 2,990. With a spin rate that fast and thrown with that kind of velocity, this indicates that FB velocity is coming soon and may take a bigger spike than most. Once this kid puts on weight, with the added strength, this kid has a chance to be good.
— Case Beames (@CaseBeames) March 30, 2023
|
UPCOMING EVENTS
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| 2023 PBR CA-NV-AZ-UT ProCase (Invite Only) | UT | 06/04 | University of Southern California - Dedeaux Field |
| 2023 PBR Scout Day: NorCal Valley Utah | UT | 06/12 | Snow Canyon HS |
| 2023 PBR Scout Day: CBA Summit | UT | 06/17 | Snow Canyon HS |
| 2023 PBR Scout Day: Rawlings Tigers | UT | 06/29 | Skyline High School |
| Top Prospect Games (Invite-Only) | UT | 07/11 | Salt Lake Community College |
| PBR Junior Future Games | NATIONAL | 07/25 | LakePoint |
| 2023 PBR Future Games (Utah Invite) | NATIONAL | 07/26 | LakePoint Sports - Cartersville, GA |
RELATED NEWS
JEFF SCHOLZEN (BIO)
Scholzen was brought on as the Utah Scouting Director for Prep Baseball Report after serving 9 years as the Four Corners Scouting Supervisor with the Milwaukee Brewers (2011-2020). Prior to his run with the Brewers, Scholzen worked for the Los Angeles Angels for 11 years (1999-2010), serving in a similar capacity as the Four Corners Scouting Supervisor. In all, Scholzen served as a full-time scout for 20 years. Scholzen also received a 2002 World Series ring for his contributions as a scout.
With the Angels, Scholzen created an Angels Scout Team, in which he coached the likes of current and former major league players: Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, Greg Bird, Tyler Wagner, Aaron Blair, Joey Rickard, Donn Roach, Johnny Field, Taylor Cole and Paul Sewald to name a few. During his run with the the Angels, Scholzen served as the hitting coach for the Angels rookie ball affiliate with the Pioneer League Orem Owlz, helping guide the Owlz to the 2005 and 2007 Pioneer League titles.
Prior to becoming a professional scout, Scholzen served as the head coach at Southern Utah University between 1993-1997. At the time, Scholzen was the youngest Division I head coach when he was first hired at 24 years old. The Southern Utah baseball program was dropped after the 2012 season. While coaching at Southern Utah, Scholzen served as the hitting coach for the Alaska Goldpanners in 1995, as they won the Alaska League Championship.
A native of Utah, Scholzen played at Hurricane HS and was twice named 1st team All-State and an AAU HM All-American, before moving on to Utah Valley CC and Eastern Oregon University, earning All-Conference honors on three separate occasions. Scholzen played in the Angels’ organization from 1991-1992.