Auburn, WA - We had our first opportunity to see MLB Draft Prospect and Purdue commit Nate Weeldreyer throw as he got the start on a Tuesday night against Auburn Riverside. He did not disappoint. Weeldreyer spun a no-hitter and punched out an absurd 19 batters in 7 innings. It was arguably one of the most dominant performances we've ever had the chance to report on. 

While Weeldreyer was clearly the star of the night, there were a few other youngsters out on the diamond who could be making a name for themselves in the near future. 

Auburn mountainview

‘19 Nate Weeldreyer, RHP, R/R, Purdue commit
Developed, proportional build at 6-foot-1, 187 pounds. Wide set upper body with square frame. Had an utterly dominant performance: 7 IP, 0 H, 1 HBP, 0 BB, 19 K. Came out in the first inning and consistently sat 90-91 with the FB. Topped at 92. Shows riding life at times, especially when elevated. Occasionally got around the ball and cut it out of the zone. More control than pure command. Velocity dipped to 86-88 in the middle innings. Finished off the 7th inning back at 88-89. CB has tight spin and 10/4 shape. Sat 76-78 early and then down to 72-73 in the middle innings. Showed feel to use it early in the count for a called, front door strike. Could also expand and bury it down when needed. Simple, repeatable delivery with starter effort. Maintains steady tempo throughout wind-up with consistent 3/4 release point. Slight shoulder tilt at hand break but eventually lands with shoulders level. Stays tall on backside. Shorter stride length for his height. Keeps eyes on target with a quiet head throughout. Back foot works from the first base side of the rubber and there’s slight cross action in his landing. Quiet, composed demeanor on the mound. Controlled his emotions and stayed within himself. Recovered quickly from any misfires. Didn’t repeat mistakes or miss in the same spots.

‘21 Willis Cresswell, C, R/R
5-foot-11, 170 pounds with a wiry, projectable frame. Clean actions behind the plate with solid receiving skills. Handled velocity well with strong glove hand. Showed the ability to block and recover against some above average breaking balls from Weeldreyer. Loose, whippy arm action that projects to get stronger as he develops physically. Looks to be able to stick at C long-term. At the plate, hits from a balanced, relaxed stance with steady rhythm in his hands. Initiates swing with short, quick forward stride into his landing. Barrel works quick to the ball with a high finish after contact. Presently more of a contact type of approach with potential for gap-to-gap power the the road. Promising skill set for a young catcher.

@AMHSsports gets an insurance run in the top of the 6th on this sac fly from '21 C Will Cresswell

They lead 2-0 now. Bottom 6 coming up. Nate Weeldreyer still on the bump pic.twitter.com/hSm6FOxuHs

— PBR Washington (@PBR_Washington) March 20, 2019

‘22 Vicente Feliciano, SS, L/R
When your starting pitcher strikes out 19 batters in 7 innings, it can be difficult to show off your defensive ability. That being said, Feliciano made a solid play on the one opportunity he had and possesses the look of a budding SS prospect. Looks to be about 5-foot-10 with a presently wiry frame at 160 pounds. Light on his feet with quick, compact actions at SS. Short, clean arm action with high ¾ release. Ball shows good carry out of hand. Sets-up in a tall, upright stance from the left side. Handsy-type of swing with a contact approach. Stays tall and allows the ball to travel, keeping barrel tight to the body throughout. Quiet day at the plate on this look but the overall actions and approach are certainly encouraging, especially for such a young player.  

Auburn riverside

It was a tough game to get a strong evaluation of the Auburn Riverside offense. It was no fault of their own as Nate Weeldreyer was completely locked in and recorded 19 of the 21 outs via strikeout. So while we weren't left with a great look at the offensive ability of the squad, a few young arms did their best to keep their team in the fight

‘21 Sam Spicciati, LHP/1B, R/L
6-foot, 190 pounds with a durable, mature frame. The young lefty was impressive on this look as he had to go toe-to-toe with Weeldreyer. Working from a high ¾ release, Spicciati showed a 3 pitch mix with a quality feel for commanding the strike zone. FB topped at 78 and ranged from 74-77 throughout his 5 innings of work. He paired it with an above average CB at 62-66 and showed an occasional straight CH at 71. CB has 1/7 shape and impressive depth when thrown at its best. Uses a simple, low effort delivery that he’s able to repeat. Maintains consistent release point on all of his offerings. Clean, smooth arm action with quality hand speed out front at release. Workhorse type of arm who appears to be on his way to developing a quality 3 pitch mix to attack hitters with.

Serious pitchers duel going on at the moment as '21 LHP @sam_spicciati (@aravensbaseball) has now thrown 4 scoreless

Bottom 4 coming up. Weeldreyer has retired all 9 batters he's faced and has 7 k's thus far pic.twitter.com/TcnuDHwh3Q

— PBR Washington (@PBR_Washington) March 20, 2019

‘21 Brett Harvey, RHP/3B, R/R
Harvey came on in relief of Spicciati and was highly efficient over 2 innings of work. Only allowed 1 hit and punched out 3, while not issuing any BB. The 6-foot-1, 175 pound right hander throws from a high ¾ release point with long, clean arm action. Creates some downward angle on both FB/CB offerings. FB sat 74-76. Consistently found the bottom of the zone. CB has 11/5 shape with tight spin at 64-66. It was a quick look but there’s a lot to like about what Harvey can do on the bump. Physically he has a wide upper half and proportional build to his frame.