Nolan's Notes: 4/5/24
April 5, 2024
John Nolan
NOVA Scouting Coordinator
Follow @PrepBaseballVA
Facebook + Instagram
On Wednesdays this spring, NOVA Scouting Coordinator John Nolan will post videos his scouting notes on players that stood from his last week of coverage of the 2024 High School season.
This week will feature players from Battlefield, Chantilly, Flint Hill, Herndon, Lake Braddock, Marshall, McLean, Potomac School, and W.T. Woodson as well as some notes on players that I saw at the Commonwealth Classic. This will likely be my final Notes of the 2024 High School season as I will be laid up on the IL for a little while and unable to go to games.
Battlefield
 |
Sam Michel LHP / Battlefield, VA / 2025
Michel is a Duke commit and has really gotten after it in the winter, transforming his frame. It is very athletic, loose and flexible with strength present. He has a simple delivery, hides the ball well with some crossfire and has a longer arm action from a low slot that is loose and quick with some late intent. I caught his velos in the second inning until the end of his outing, his fastball was consistently 87-88, topping at 89 with some late armside run and depth. Showed ability to throw pitch to both sides of the plate and got swing and miss on it. Threw a fastball heavy mix, most hitters couldn't catch it, but he did mix in a breaking ball at 77 and change-up at 79. The change-up had some late fade to it. The breaking ball is much improved from last year, with tighter hard late 2/8 shape to it. He liked running it in towards righties back feet and it was nearly impossible for lefties. Michel has made a big jump in the offseason and is definitely one of the top arms in what is shaping up to be a really good pitching class in Virginia/DC.
|
 |
|
Chantilly
Flint Hill
Herndon
 |
James Beasley RHP / 1B / Herndon , VA / 2024
Beasley is a Princeton commit and has a massive 6-7 frame that is long and athletic. He had a dominant outing, on the day, going 7 scoreless, I popped in from time to time because I was sitting on a game at an adjacent field, but I caught a lot of what he did. Its a shorter arm action that is quick from a low three-quarters arm slot, he still generates plenty of downward angle from his height. The fastball was 84-86, touching 87 in his fourth inning of work when I got the gun on him, so I imagine a tick up earlier in the game. He was overpowering with it, his height really helps it get on guys and it plays even faster than the gun will say it is. Late in the game he started really using his slider, which played well on hitters selling out for his fastball. Pitch was 75-77 in the fourth with 10/4 action on it. He got swings and misses in and out of the zone on both pitches.
|
Lake Braddock
Marshall
 |
Nathan Lake LHP / OF / George C. Marshall, VA / 2025
This was my first look at Lake on the mound in a bit and I liked what I saw. He went deep in the game against a team up from Vero Beach and I thought he pitched well. He has a big athletic 6-5 frame. Simple delivery with a very short quick arm action from a low three-quarters slot. Fastball was 82-83, touching 84 and he was able to work down and away to righties primarily with it. Showed really good feel for his change-up from the jump, and used it a lot. pitch was 71-73 with late fade and good arm action. Could throw it for strikes or out of the zone, a big weapon for him against righthanders. Also had a short shape slider at 69-71. Still plenty of upside in his frame, and he shows some pitchability and arm action.
|
McLean
 |
Ethan Ball 3B / SS / McLean, VA / 2025
Ball is a Virginia Tech commit and one of the best pure hitters in the 2025 class. A lefty bat he has gotten after it in the weight room in the last 6-8 months, adding a ton of strength to his lower half while still maintaining his flexibility, athleticism, and quickness. At the plate, he is short and very quick to the ball with good balance at contact and a ton of violence through the ball. Not a dead pull guy, prefers to work gap to gap and has a ton of extra base line drive power in those gaps as well as the quickness to be a threat once he lines one. Next step for him is to start turning on some balls and launching, if he does that while still maintaining that gap ability on stuff over the plate, he will be pretty close to the total package offensively.
|
Potomac School
 |
Will Piester C / 3B / Potomac School, VA / 2026
Piester has an athletic frame with some strength present. Had a good day offensively and defensively in the win. Shows strength at contact and a gap to gap approach with some uphill in his swing and the ability to generate carry in the gaps. Hammered a pair of deep doubles in the game, one up each alley. Also showed a quick release and accuracy throwing as he gunned out a pair of runners late in the game on stolen base attempts. It was a good showing.
|
West Springfield
Woodson
Commonwealth Classic
 |
Benner got the start for St. Alban's in their second game against Freedom and man he was impressive. He dominated for the first four innings and didn't allow any damage until he ran out of gas in the sixth. Athletic frame, simple easy delivery. Generates deception with some classic lefty crossfire. Short clean loose arm action, works from a high three-quarters slot. Fastball was 82-84, a velocity he was still holding in the fifth. Has some late armside run, but was really impressive was that he was fearless attacking the inside corner on righthanders with it, where that armside run freezes them as they think its coming at them and then it runs back over the plate for a strike. Pounded that pitch repeatedly throughout the game as well as the low and away spot. Curveball was 69-72 with sharp 1/7 break, also showed the ability to run this under righthanders hands as well as backdoor it or bury it. Also mixed in a hard change at 77-79. Really liked the outing and the competitiveness from him.
|
 |
Joe Joe McDonald RHP / SS / Independence , VA / 2027
Joe Joe got the start for Indy in their second game of the Classic and he was outstanding against Nansemond River in the win. He has a very simple delivery, especially when in the stretch, mostly just trusting his backside to generate drive and power. Short loose arm action from a very low three-quarters slot. Fastball was 80-82 with a lot of armside run that also had some second-plane depth to it. Showed feel for his slider and change-up. Slider has some sweep action to it and good armspeed at 68-70. Change-up had heavy armside run and depth at 73-75, pitch honestly might be a splitter, which his older brother threw, or even a split change with the amount of movement in its profile. Attacked zone with all three pitches and kept hitters off balance effectively.
|
 |
George Minjack 3B / OF / St. Albans, VA / 2027
Minjack came in for one inning of relief late in the game to get some experience against some quality hitters, he even ended up facing Burkholder. The kid came in pretty fearless, athletic frame, drop and drive delivery, shorter arm action that is loose and quick from a high three-quarters arm slot. Fastball was 83-84, touching a 85 a couple of times when he really reached back. Has some late armside run to it. Also showed a slider with more downer 11/5 shape to it that was 68-70.
|
 |
Luke Smyers LHP / OF / Mills Godwin, VA / 2025
Smyers is an Alabama commit and absolutely stole the show in Godwin's win over Nansemond River. He broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third with a massive opposite field grand slam. Stayed inside the ball and just barreled it, didn't try to do too much just hit it hard where it was pitched. Had a similar at-bat in his next one when he went for a home run to center. In his fourth at-bat, he lined a single up the middle, which is a sign of a good approach. He didn't settle into trying to hit bombs, just locked in on getting the barrel on the ball with authority instead of selling out for home runs. Pitching is his calling card and that came out on Monday, but the bat is real and he could end up doing both in college.
|
| |
Myles Upchurch RHP / 3B / St. Albans, VA / 2025
This was my first live look at the Alabama commit, and while it wasn't the best velo day for him that our staff has seen, I was really impressed. He has a big strong, physical athletic frame. Durability isn't going to be an issue for him, that frame is built to be a starter and throw a ton of innings. Drop and drive and even a bit of crossfire in his delivery that creates deception. Its a short, quick, clean arm action from a low three-quarters arm slot. Fastball was 90-91 on the day, got 92 a few times, settled into an 88-90 range deeper in the outing, but mostly held it there. Has some late life down and ride up in the zone. Was really impressed with his feel for his secondary, usually big velo guys can show secondary, he commands and uses it as weapons. Curveball was 75-77, slider was 81-82, and a few changes also in the 81-82 range. He used more curve early and slider late. They have distinctly different shapes and volume of break. The curve is bigger and has more 11/5 type depth. The slider is later and tighter with more 10/4 bit to it. Got swings and misses on all of his pitches. Battled the entire outing and would have probably won the game if not for an error and a bad bunt coverage setting up a tough situation to get out of, that he still nearly did.
|
| |
Noah Yoder RHP / 1B / Atlee, VA / 2025
Yoder is a Duke commit and this was the second time I have seen him live, both in the last month. I thought he looked pretty good in this outing. He was a bit scattered early but fought through it and really settled in during innings 3-5, when he was pretty dominant. Very tall, long lanky frame. Extreme drop and drive delivery, really gets into his hips and powers down the mound. Shorter arm action from a tick above three-quarters in his slot. Quick arm, ball jumps out of hand. Fastball was 91-93 in the first and held 91-92 in the second. Honestly his stuff was at its best overall when he was in the 88-91 range in the third through fifth innings. He as locating fastballs in the zone and found his curveball in those innings. Curveball was 77-79 early and more around 77 late. Shape varies, has more 10/4 to it and is sharper when he buries down and away as a finisher. More 11/5 when he is trying to drop it into the strike zone. Got a ton of swing and misses.
|
