Chance
Huff

Yellow Jacket senior right-hander Chance Huff wasn't quite as good as what Aaron Fitt saw during Week Three, but he was efficient and plenty good enough to get through six innings on 82 pitches during Friday's opener. He allowed five runs on five hits with three strikeouts. He attacked the zone at 92-94 mph and bumped 95. His hard 81-84 slider spun tight into the 2600 rpm range while he mixed in a 86-87 mph changeup to lefty hitters. He worked fast, hid the ball well and got ahead mostly with his breaking ball which he controlled to a higher degree than his fastball.

After starting his career at Vanderbilt and struggling to get mound time, Huff posted a 9.99 ERA in 24.1 innings at Tech in 2021. But he made good strides with his command in the fall, and he seemed destined for a bigger role this spring. However, it seemed like that role would be in the bullpen. Fast forward to the spring, and Huff found himself getting a chance to be the opening day starter. He turned in five solid innings in his season debut against Wright State, then followed it up with six innings of one-hit, shutout ball against Gardner-Webb in Week Two. In Week Three Huff faced his stiffest test to date in a Friday night matchup against a good Georgia lineup loaded with veterans who can put together mature at-bats. And he responded by delivering seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing just one run on a solo homer. He struck out six and walked two, giving him a sparkling 24-4 K-BB mark in 18 innings this year. Huff has always tantalized with his arm strength, but the quality of his stuff has improved year over year, and now he's learned to harness that quality stuff. On Friday he attacked the zone at 92-95 mph and bumped 97 in the first inning according to TrackMan data. His hard 84-86 slider has good short, late tilt, his 80-81 curveball has solid depth, and his 86-87 changeup is a useful pitch against lefties. He works fast, hides the ball well and has a little front-side funk, making for an uncomfortable at-bat for opposing hitters. And he can sink the fastball effectively when he needs to. With continued high performance, expect Huff to shoot up into the top 10 rounds this fall as a pool-saver senior sign. (Fitt)

Showed a really easy 89-91 mph fastball, 75-77 mph curveball and a firm 83 mph changeup from a high three-quarter slot. He has a quick arm, but with well below average deception and command he struggled in a 1.2 IP start in which he allowed five runs on six hits with three walks.

Vanderbilt recruit. The large, lean athletic right-hander would strike out ten in 3.2 innings. He showed scattered command at times, with the length of the arm action leading to an inconsistent release point at times. When extended, the fastball had late arm-side action with life at 89-93 mph. Also showed a pair of breaking balls. The hard slider was the better of the two, showing 82-85 mph with tilt and two-plane action. Swept at times, but pitch has tight spin and plus potential. Curveball worked 73-78 mph and when it was 75-77 mph it came out of the hand well and showed depth. The arm works free and easy from a 3/4 slot and the present athleticism lends to a high ceiling.

The 6-foot-4 Vanderbilt recruit came out of the pen to shut down the Reds Scout Team’s bats. Huff struck out five in three innings, working his fastball at 90-91 mph with a 74-77 mph breaking ball that had depth at times.

Committed to Vanderbilt.