Below is a compilation of scouting notes throughout the BOMC/PBR Midwest 15U World Series from July 15-July 19 ...

Top Tier Americans

Zach Verta, RHP, St. Laurence, IL, 2018
Right-handed pitcher, lands slightly closed, high ¾ arm slot, finishes to the first base side. Fastball showed some sink, sat 75-77 mph, touched 79 mph. Curveball had 11/5 shape, gradual break, sat 60-63. Rarely used slider with sweeping action, 66-67 mph. Allowed 2 runs, on 3 hits, 2 strikeouts, inducing 10 groundball outs. Aggressive approach at the plate with a short swing path. Went 3-3 in game.

Trey Torain, C, Loyola, IL, 2018
Showed off pull side power on a double to deep left-center. Hits from a slightly-open, crouched stance, loading his hands back. Finished 1-for-3 with a RBI and one walk.

Noah Berghammer, SS, Janesville Craig, 2018
5-foot-11, 160-pound, right-handed hitting shortstop with an athletic frame. Showed solid actions at shortstop with good lateral agility. 4.43 runner down the line. Went 2-4 in the game with an RBI and a stolen base. 

Will Jackson, RHP, Loyola, 2018
5-foot-10, 145-pound right-handed pitcher. On the mound showed a short, quick arm action from a high ¾ arm angle. Balanced delivery with good tempo. Fastball sat 76-78 mph. Curveball showed 10-4 shape at 65 mph with some depth. At the plate went 1-1 with two RBIs, and a stolen base.

Brett Selke, OF, Brother Rice, 2018
6-foot, 150-pound, right-handed hitting outfielder. Showed a patient approach at the plate going 1-1 with two walks and three RBIs.

Elite Baseball Training Premier NWI

Chris Torres, RHP, Chesterton, IN, 2018
6-foot-5, right-hander, lanky build, projectable pitchers body. Long, loose arm action, over-the-top arm slot. Fastball sat 77-80 mph, touched 81. Curveball with 11/5 shape sat 65-69 mph. Threw 3 innings, finished with 5 strikeouts.

Xavier Unzueta, SS, Munster, 2018
5-foot-7, 140-pound, right-handed hitting shortstop with an athletic frame. At the plate hits from a balanced setup with a quick bat, and short path. Went 3-5 with two doubles on the day. Also showed a loose arm from short with lateral agility.

Grant Brunt, IF, Chesterton, 2018
5-foot-9, 150-pound, right-handed hitting infielder with a strong, athletic frame. At the plate hits from a wide setup with a short stride. Short swing path with strength thru contact. Went 1-2 with an RBI and a stolen base.

Illinois Edge (Crowder)

Simon Grashoff, C, Joliet Catholic, IL, 2018
5-foot-11, strong build, catcher. Hits from a balanced set up, showed ability to consistently barrel up the baseball hitting the ball hard in all three at-bats. Finished 1-for-3 with a double. Defensively behind the plate had pop times from 2.29-2.36.   

Top Tier- Dennison

Trey Morse, 3B, Sterling, IL, 2018
5-foot-11, athletically built, right-handed hitter. Showed a good opposite-field approach at the plate, and the ability to barrel the baseball, hitting the ball hard towards the right-center gap. Finished 1-for-3 with a double and 3 RBIs. 

Erik Hedmark, LHP, Dundee Crown, IL, 2018
5-foot-10, left-hander, threw out of the stretch only, from a high ¾ arm slot. Fastball showed occasional sink, 73-75 mph, touched 77 mph. Curveball showed 1-7 shape, sat 60-62 mph. Showed some feel on his changeup, occasional sink, sat 63-65 mph. Threw 5 innings without allowing a run, one hit, five strikeouts.

Paul Bergstrom, LHP/OF/1B, Niles Notre Dame, 2018
5-foot-10, 145 pound left-handed pitcher. Came out of the bullpen on Sunday morning at Benedictine University. High 3/4 arm slot. Quick, clean, loose arm; Athletic delivery; On-line finish with good use of his lower half. Pounds the zone with the fastball and commanded it to both sides of the plate. Showed feel for three pitches. Continued to get better as the game went on. Fastball sat 76-78 mph and touched 79 twice. Fastball had some life and slight arm side run. Threw his curveball at 59-60 mph. Had 1/7 action with gradual break. Only threw a couple of change-ups which sat 63-66 mph with slight fade; Slowed arm action on the change-up but had good feel for the pitch. Given his lean build, athletic delivery and quick arm his velocity should climb as his body fills out and he adds strength.

Top Tier Navy

Andrew Wilhite, SS, Stillman Valley, IL, 2018
5-foot-11, some length, left-handed hitter. Hits from a balanced set up, showed a pull-side approach, hitting the ball hard twice. Went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBI, one walk. On Saturday morning went a perfect 4-4 at the plate with two doubles and an RBI. 4.68 on the turn. 

Chase Stanke, C, Marmion, IL, 2018
Left-handed hitter with some projectability. Hits from slightly open stance, wide base, loads back smooth. 1-for-3 with a double, and two RBI. Behind the plate pop times ranged from 2.11-2.19. Had a big day Saturday morning going 2-2 with a double and an RBI… continued to show a hot bat Saturday afternoon as he went 2-for-2 with a triple, walk and 2 RBI. Showed simple, advanced approach in all three of his at-bats. His bat stays flat through the zone and showcased loose quick hands; maintains solid balance throughout the swing. More power to come as he physically develops.  First at-bat he drew a walk. In his second AB he drove a triple to the base of the center-field wall. His last AB he hit a sharp line drive over the shortstop.

Brandon McPherson, OF, Marmion, 2018
Strong build, right-handed hitter. Hits from a balanced set up, showed fast bat speed and an opposite field approach on two hard hit single through the right-side of the infield.

Marco Escobar, C, Plainfield South, 2017
5-foot-10, 175-pound, right-handed hitting catcher. Athletic, strong bodied athlete. Had a big day at the plate going 2-3 with four RBI against Elite Premier. On Saturday afternoon he went 1-2 with a walk, run scored and a double laced off the center field wall; 4.59 home to first on the double...continued to show off his hitting prowess on Sunday at Benedictine University. Barreled every ball thrown his way. Went 0-3 with three line-outs.

DJ Donofrio, 2B, Plainfield East, 2017
5-foot-11, 190-pound, right-handed hitting second baseman with a strong frame. At the plate hits from a wide base with present bat speed and good leverage. Had a big day at the plate against Elite Premier going 2-4 with five RBIs including a grand slam. Came in out of the bullpen on Saturday. Throws from two different arm angles. From an over the top arm slot topped out at 80 mph.  Mixed in a side-arm delivery that topped at 78 mph with slight arm side run. Out of the wind-up had a unique, slow over the head motion commonly seen in Japan.  Some effort in the delivery.

Camden Nisenson, OF, Crystal Lake Central, 2018
6-foot, 150-pound, left-handed hitting outfielder with a lanky, projectable frame. At the plate hits from a crouched, slightly open stance, low handset, wrapped setup. Level swing plane with quick hands creating whip. Patient hitter showing good strike zone judgment working two walks in game. On Saturday morning went 2-4 with two RBIs.

Brandon Romero, OF, Elmwood Park, 2017
5-foot-10, 178-pound, solidly built left-handed hitting outfielder. Showed good instincts in centerfield getting good jumps on balls.  Line drive hitter, who looks to pull. Athletic setup at the plate with an open stance. Went 2-2 with a triple and an RBI. On Saturday afternoon he went 1-2 with an RBI single to right field. Started the continuation game on Sunday at Benedictine University. Threw two innings. Left-handed pitcher that throws from high ¾ arm slot. Athletic, smooth delivery; Not a lot of effort in delivery; Arm is quick and loose; Good mound presence; Athletic finish. Fastball sat 81-84 mph and touched 85 once. Slider with 1/7 action was sharp and sat 68-70 mph. Has a bright future on the mound and should be a high follow in the 2017 class.

Steven Hamer, OF/LHP, Saint Charles North HS, 2018
5-foot-6, 140-pound, left-handed hitting outfielder and left-handed pitcher. Got the start on the mound for the Saturday afternoon game at Trout Park. Works from a high ¾ arm slot. Fastball sat 74-77 with slight run. Also threw a breaking ball and change-up. Went to the change-up more often than the breaking ball. Change-up was 71 mph with some feel. Went 2.1 innings, struck out four, allowed two hits, walked one and did not give up a run. Also, had a good day at the plate. Went 2-2 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Jake Rosing, RHP, Richmond Burton, 2018
6-foot-1, 150-pound, right-handed pitcher. One of the top 2018 arms in the Midwest. Works from a high ¾ arm angle with a short, quick arm action. Sat at an effortless 85-86 mph with his fastball thru his 3.1 innings of work. Compact, balanced delivery with a short leg lift. Toe down at balance point, falls off to first base side. Showed a good feel and command for three pitches in game. Changeup sat 72-74 mph with late fading action. Curveball showed 11-5 shape at 70-72 mph. In 3.1 innings of work struck out six hitters without allowing a hit.

Clay Thompson, OF, Andrean, 2018
5-foot-10, 160-pound, left-handed hitting outfielder. Went 2-4 with a double and an RBI on Saturday morning.

Josh Rose, C/3B, Geneva HS, 2018
Athletically built 5-foot-10, 165-pound right-handed hitter. Balanced setup, athletic hands, wiry strength, above-average bat speed. Hit a home run that easily cleared left field fence at Trout Park; also squared up a sharply hit groundout to shortstop; 4.54 home to first (ran a 7.38 60 at past PBR event).

Elite Baseball Training

Ryan Surin, LHP, Joliet Catholic HS, 2018
6-foot-2 solidly built left-handed pitcher. Very fluid, repeatable delivery; High ¾ arm-slot; online delivery; Pitch-ability lefty. Fastball sat 77-80, touching 81 twice. Curve-ball was 68-71 mph and was his main off-speed offering. The curve-ball had 1/7 action with tight spin, solid depth and plus feel. Change-up was 68-70 and was featured very few times. Threw a complete game shutout to advance Elite Training Academy into the final four. His final line was seven innings, three hits, four strikeouts, three walks and a hit by pitch.

Kevin Garcia, C/3B, Notre Dame HS, 2018
6-foot-3, 190 pound, big, physical athlete. Balanced square set-up at the plate; Early load. Short swing. Finished the day 2-3 with a double and a run scored. The double was hammered to deep right center field and came off an 86 mph fastball. Impressive looking athlete in the 2018 class.

Niko Pozzi, C/3B, Mount Carmel HS, 2018
6-foot-0, 185-pound, strong catcher. Open stance at the plate. Smooth deep load with rhythm. Showcased quick hands and above average bat speed for a 2018. Ended the day 0-3 with a line out to left field. Behind the plate really impresses. Soft hands with plus receiving abilities. Blocked extremely well with men on base. Pop-times in between innings ranged between 1.93-2.11 and were on the bag.

Elite Baseball Training- Premier

Dawson Johns, 2B, RHP, Mount Zion HS, 2018
O/T long arm action; Has some hesitation in the delivery; Fastball sat 77-81. Good feel for two breaking balls. Throws a curveball at 65-68 mph to get ahead with 12/6 downer action. With two strikes goes to a sharper 11/5 tight slider that sits 68-70 mph.

Jack Rigoni, OF/RHP, Neuqua Valley HS, 2018
5-foot-10, 150-pound outfielder with an athletic body. Hits from a tall open stance; Fluid pre-pitch rhythm with a slight load. Loose, quick hands. Went 2-4 on the day with a triple to right center field.

Jimmy Allen, SS, RHP, Timothy Christian, 2018
5-foot-10, 140- pound lanky shortstop with plenty of room to add strength; Short simple swing;Played a steady shortstop.

Henry Del Valle, C/3B, St. Laurence HS, 2018
5-foot-8 135-pound right-handed hitter. Athletic balanced load; Slight smooth load. Short swing and stays within himself. Went 2-3 with a double to deep left field. Drew a walk and scored a run.

Rhino East

Malcolm Walker, RHP/1B, Minooka, 2018
6-foot-1, 185-pound, strong build, long limbs, very projectable body. Hits from an open stance, went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double to deep right-field. The right-hander’s fastball sat 70-73 mph. Curveball with 11/5 shape, 53-57 mph.

David Gleaves, OF,  2018
5-foot-9, 125-pound, lanky build, right-handed hitter. Hits from an open stance, smooth load, went 2-for-5 with a double into left field, and tripled into right-center, 4.53 home to first on the turn. 

Lakeside Ledgends

Justin Ruehl, RHP/C, Notre Dame College Prep, 2018
5-foot-9, 170-pound, strong build, right-hander. Long, loose arm action, high ¾ slot, landing on line. Fastball sat 79-81 mph. Curveball had 11/5 shape, 66-68 mph. Changeup sat 71 mph.

Evan Rapp, OF, Warren, 2018
5-foot-7, 150-pound, right-handed hitting outfielder. At the plate hits from a tall, narrow setup. Quick bat, with a short, level path. Waited back on a changeup, pulling a single into left field. 4.70 on the turn. Went a perfect 3-3 at the plate with two doubles.

Chicago Elite

Matt McCormick, RHP, St. Laurence HS, 2019
5-foot-11, 185-poung big bodied right-handed pitcher came out of the bullpen. ¾ arm slot. Loose, clean, quick arm; Good direction; Athletic finish. Fastball sat 80-83 mph with late life and arm side run. Flashed a tight slider at 69-71. Throws the slider with fastball arm speed and showed feel; tight spin. Showed a change-up in warm-ups at 72 mph. Had fade and sink. Also, hit three hole and is a left-handed hitter. Quick bat with present bat speed. Had a 91 mph exit velocity at a previous PBR event. High follow in the 2019 class.

Thundercat Baseball of WI

Jacob Campbell, C, Craig, 2018
5-foot-10, 180-pound, athletic build, catcher. Showed advanced actions for his age behind the plate, good blocking ability, carry on throws, pop-times ranged from 2.07- 2.22.

Luke Howard, RHP/SS, Martin Luther, 2018
5-foot-11, 165-pound, strong, athletic build, right-handed hitter. Hits from a balanced set up, fast bat speed. Finished 1-for-2 on the day with two RBI.

 Bryce Parish, 3B, Whitewater, WI, 2018
6-foot-3, very projectable frame, lanky build with some athleticism. Hits from a balanced stance, short stride, showed above-average bat speed for his age. Finished 1-for-2 with a double and three RBI.

Illinois Indians

Jordan Albano, OF, Fremd, 2017
5-foot-6, 135-pound, right-handed hitting outfielder. Showed a quick bat the plate with some strength thru contact. Went 2-2 in game with a double and an RBI.

Bryan Niznik, SS, Wheeling, 2017
5-foot-5, 135-pound, right-handed hitting shortstop. Went 2-3 in game from the leadoff spot.

James Raffauf, OF, Marian Central Catholic, 2017
6-foot-1, 145-pound, right-handed hitting outfielder with a lanky, projectable frame. Showed off a strong accurate arm from the outfield in game, nearly throwing out runner at the plate on a base hit. Went 1-2 in game with a walk.

Naperville Renegades

Ryan Wolff, C, Neuqua Valley, 2018
Right-handed hitting catcher with a lanky, projectable frame. Showed a strong, loose arm from behind the plate with accuracy. Consistently popped 2.25-2.35 between innings.

Freeport Stix 

Jackson Holder, C, Aquin, 2018
5-foot-10, 145-pound right handed catcher hits from balanced and slightly open setup with short stride. Went 2-for-4 in the game with 2 singles. Showed some speed after beating out an infield single.

Wil Courtney, 1B, Mattoon, 2018
6-foot-3, 165-pound strong first baseman hits from right side with balanced and closed setup. Went 2-for-3 in the game with a RBI single, a 2-run triple to left center, and a run scored. Showed good extension and power to the gap on the triple. 

Zac Cummins, SS/RHP, Aquin, 2018
6-foot-3, 165-pound lanky two-way player. Started the game at short stop and went 1-for-2 with a single, walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Hits from balanced setup with short stride. On the mound the right-hander throws from high ¾ arm angle with short arm action. Fastball was 74-75 mph and touched 76. Curveball was at 60 mph.

Trevor Thompson, RF, Freeport, 2018
5-foot-10, 135-pound outfielder had an impressive day at the plate as the right handed hitter went 3-for-3 with two singles, a double, and two RBI's. Made solid contact in each at-bat. Hits from balanced and slightly open setup. Showed pull approach with single and double hit to left field.

Ethan Christians, RHP, Eastland, 2018
6-foot-3, 165-pound right-handed pitcher impressed on the mound throwing a complete game 3-hitter. Throws from high 3/4 slot, short arm action, good rhythm, and quick arm speed. Fastball was 75-77 mph, curveball was 59-62 mph with 11/5 shape and thrown for strikes, showed good control, used as out pitch, and changeup was 71-73 mph.

Chicagoland Panthers Blue- Mann

Jarod Turina, C, Riverside Brookfield, 2018
Small catcher had a good day behind the plate throwing out two runners at second base. Showed a quick release and fluid footwork. Pop time 2.49. At the plate hits from right side with open stance, went 0-for-2 with a sac fly. 

White Sox Elite

Anthony Calarco, RHP/C, New Trier, 2018
6-foot-3, 190-pound, strong build, very projectable pitchers body, right-hander. On the mound showed long, loose arm action, worked from a high ¾ arm slot, landing on line. Fastball showed good sink, easy effort, sat 81-83 mph, touched 85 on his last pitch of his outing. Curveball showed 10/4 shape, sweeping action, sat 71-73 mph. Threw two innings, induced 5 ground balls (two reached safely on errors), 2 strikeouts, and no hits. Offensively is a switch-hitter, hitting from the left-side, hade a reverse toe-tap stride, gap-to-gap approach, went 1-for-3 two RBI, on a deep double to right-center field .  

Marcus Gholston, 1B/OF, Valparaiso, IN, 2018
6-foot-2, 187-pound, lanky, athletic build, left-handed hitter. Went 2-for-2, with a double, walk, and one RBI. Ran well down the line, previously ran a 7.44 60-time.

Zac Styka, C/RHP/1B, Mount Carmel HS, 2018
6-foot-1, 185-pound, strong bodied athlete. Started the game on Sunday morning at Benedictine University. Throws from a high ¾ arm slot, lands slightly across his body which creates some deception; High front-side at balance-point. Creates tilt and some arm side run when he gets the ball down in the zone. Fastball sat 77-80 mph. Able to command fastball to the glove-side consistently. Flashed a slider at 66-68.

Pro Player Canes Green 

Keegan Garcelon, IF, Huntley, 2018
6-foot-2, 165-pound, right-handed hitting infielder. Went 1-2 in game today with a double and an RBI.
On the mound showed long arm action, high ¾ slot, landing on line to home, falling to the 1^st base side. Fastball showed some arm-side-run, sat 75-78 mph, touched 79 mph. Curveball had 10/5 shape, occasionally showing depth, 60-64 mph. Threw four innings, no runs, five strikeouts.  

Nick  Laxner, IF, Huntley, 2018
5-foot-10, 140-pound, right-handed hitting infielder. Went 2-3 with an RBI in game today.

Jordan Goldstein, IF, Huntley, 2018
5-foot-7, 140-pound, right-handed hitting infielder. Went 2-3 today in game from the leadoff spot.

Danny Sperling, SS, Wauconda, 2018
5-foot-9, 135-pound, left-handed hitting shortstop. Showed a strong arm and soft hands in the field. Made a nice play going in the hole on the backhand and getting the runner at first. Also, went 1-3 at the plate.

New Lenox Rebels

Ryan Vice, RHP, Lincoln-Way Central, 2018
Lanky, projectable right-handed pitcher. Works from a high ¾ arm angle with a short, quick arm action. Works exclusively from the stretch. High leg lift with online delivery. Fastball flashed occasional cut at 80-81 topping out at 84 mph. Also went 2-2 at the plate on Saturday morning.

Nick Jones, C, Providence, 2018
Right-handed hitting catcher with a large frame. Showed off a strong accurate arm from behind the plate, cutting down would be base stealers. Popped 2.22 in game.  

Milwaukee Angels

Max Alba, RHP, Franklin, WI, 2018
6-foot-5, 175-pound, highly projectable frame. On the mound showed a drop-and-drive delivery, landing on line to home. Long arm action  from a high ¾ slot. Fastball sat 81-83 mph. Slider showed 10/5 shape, sharp break at times, 69-71 mph. Threw two innings, no earned runs, two strikeouts.

White Sox ACE

Myles Norman, OF, Morgan Park, 2018
5-foot-8, 128-pound, right-handed hitting outfielder with an athletic frame. Showed off a strong, accurate arm from centerfield. 4.65 runner down the line.

Crystal Lake Bombers

Brandon Amann, CF, Woodstock North HS, 2017
5-foot-8, 150-pound right handed hitting centerfielder was the catalyst for the Crystal Lake Bombers at Benedictine University on Sunday morning. Hits from a crouched stance; short quick stroke; pop for his size. Lead-off the game with a ringing triple to the right-center field gap. Next at-bat he laced a two-strike fastball to left for a two RBI single. Finished the day 2-3 with a run scored and two RBI.

29ers Acosta

Ricky Castro, RHP, Neuqua Valley, 2018
6-foot-0, 140-pound right-handed pitcher. Very projectable and long-limbed. Lots of room to add strength. Only saw one-plus inning of work. Works from a high ¾ arm slot with a quick, short-arm action; Lands slightly closed and falls off towards first base slightly. Fastball was 81-84 with life and slight arm-side run. Showed a 71-73 mph change-up with good arm action, fade and arm-side run. Change-up was his best secondary pitch. Very interesting prospect on the mound and should be a high-follow in the 2018 class.

Lake County Stars 

Don Goodes, OF, St. Joesph’s Academy, 2018
5-foot-9, 160-pound, left-handed hitting outfielder with an athletic frame. At the plate hits from a balanced setup. Pull hitter with a short swing path. Showed strength and leverage thru contact going 3-3 with a triple, two doubles, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Aggressive base runner with good speed. 4.50 on the turn.

Drew Roberts, C, Wheeling, 2018
5-foot-11, 150-pound, left-handed hitting catcher. Had a big day at the plate Saturday going 2-3 with three RBIs. 

TJ Skelnik, 1B, Palatine, 2018
Big day at the plate Saturday going 2-3 with a double and three RBIs.