Braydon
McKendrick

LHP Braydon McKendrick (Brother Rice, 2026) showed a fluid/deliberate delivery on the mound. He’s a quick mover down the mound with a loose and long arm swing out of a 3/4 slot. McKendrick showed the ability to throw strikes with an advanced feel for a four-pitch arsenal. His fastball was firm, sitting in the mid-80s, and touching 87.3 mph with late life, creating consistent late swings. His curveball covered the entire strike zone with 11/5 break, looking like his best pitch over his three innings, spun efficiently (avg. 2366 rpm). He also mixed in a slider with tight horizontal break, playing with slightly different actions than his curveball. To round out his arsenal, Mckendrick threw a change-up with arm-side fade. Illinois’ No. 33 overall ranked 2026 prospect.

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-11, 177.9-pounds.
Delivery: Fluid/deliberate delivery, quick mover, level shoulders, medium leg kick, well timed shoulder/hip separation.
Arm Action: LH. Loose action (slings it), long arm swing, 3/4 slot.
FB: T87, 83-86 mph. Firm with late life. Created several late swings. T2305, 2234 average rpm.
CB: 68-69 mph. Covers entire strike zone, 11/5 break. Spun efficiently. T2427, 2366 average rpm.
SL: 70-72 mph. Tight horizontal break. T2460, 2424 average rpm.
CH: 78-79 mph. Arm-side fade. Plays effectively off of fastball. T1725, 1650 average rpm.

Uncommitted. Ranked No. 34 in the state’s sophomore class. 5-foot-10, 176.6-pound frame with strength and athleticism throughout. Provided a quality and polished look for a sophomore, showed the ability to command pitches, including having a feel for his off-speed pitches. Repeats his delivery, easy mover down the mound, has a long and loose arm path out of a ¾ slot. His fastball sat 83-85 mph with slight cut. Mixed in two separate breaking balls; a slider that sat 72-75 mph with 2/8 shape and 2200-2400 rpm, and a curveball that sat 67-69 mph with 12/6 shape and 2300-2500 rpm. A high-level arm in the state’s 2026 class.

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-11, 168.9-pounds. Athletic, lean build, developed lower-half.
Hit: LHH. Balanced setup, simple load, hangs foot into a medium stride. Easy effort, works to stay on top of the ball, gets some extension through impact, was on the barrel up the middle and to his pull-side. 72.8 mph bat speed with 15 G’s of rotational acceleration. 
Power: 93 max exit velocity, averaged 87 mph. 342’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 85 mph. Loose, quick arm from a high 3/4 release.
Defense: Athletic footwork, light on his feet, confident one-hand gather off to the side.
Run: 6.94 runner in the 60.

LHP Braydon McKendrick (Brother Rice, 2026) showed future promise on the mound over his brief stint at the Illinois State Games. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound southpaw pitched in the low-80s with his fastball, spinning it at 2300 RPM on average, while peaking at 2436 RPM. For his secondaries, McKendrick spun a sweeping slider (18.4” HM) at 67-70 mph, averaging 2367 RPM, and he turned over a firm changeup at 76-79 mph, too. 

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-11, 165-pounds. Athletic frame.
Delivery:
Arm Action: LH. Long out of the glove, loose into a 3/4 slot.
FB: T83, 82-83 mph. Plays with life out of the hand, slight ride through the zone. T2436, 2343 average rpm.
SL: 67-70 mph. Hops out of the hand, 10/4 shape with sweep. T2444, 2367 average rpm.
CH: 76-79 mph. Plays with hard fading action to the arm-side. T1816, 1716 average rpm.

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-11, 165-pounds. Athletic frame.
Hit: LHH. Narrow setup, quiet load and leg-kick timing trigger. Fluid, athletic swing, loose hands, creates bat speed, and works balls to the opposite gap throughout. 72.3 mph bat speed with 11 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 93 max exit velocity, averaged 82.9 mph. 316’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 85 mph. Short, quick arm action, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Steady actions, plays through in rhythm, proper routes and aggressive through release.
Run: 6.84 runner in the 60.

Currently ranked No. 16 in the state. 5-foot-11, 165-pound filled-out and muscular frame. A left-handed bat that showed an accelerating swing through the zone. On-plane and level swing. Noticeably comfortable in the batter’s box, showing an advanced understanding of the strike zone. 

Southpaw freshman Braydon McKendrick (Brother Rice, 2026) was one of the bigger winners on the day, regardless of class. McKendrick is an athletic 5-foot-10, 165-pounds who sat a comfortable 81-82 mph, touching 83 mph and flashing slight arm side action. He showed excellent feel for a sinking changeup and showed a ton of upside on a sharp slider with depth when synced up. At the plate, the left-handed hitter sprayed line-drives routinely throughout his round of BP with a loose and repeatable stroke. He also showed to be an above-average defender, boasting athletic actions with soft hands, gaining ground through release and reaching up to 83 mph. The 7.32 runner made the most of his PBR debut, emerging as a high-follow 2026 moving forward.

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-10, 165-pounds. Well proportioned, athletic build, projectable.
Hit: LHH. Wide, slightly open setup, loads into back foot, hangs foot into stride.  Uphill path, uses middle to pull-side.
Power: 87 max exit velocity, averaged 81.9 mph. 305’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 83 mph. Long, quick arm action, high 3/4 slot, lively out of the hand.
Defense: Athletic actions, soft hands and gains all kinds of ground through release.
Run: 7.32 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: LHP/OF
Body: 5-10, 165-pounds. Well proportioned, athletic build, projectable.
Delivery: Athletic delivery, repeats, slight drop and drive type.
Arm Action: LH. Clean arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T83, 81-82 mph. Arm-side action, mostly straight. T2260, 2202 average rpm.
SL: 67-67 mph. Plays with some depth, gets around it at times, sharp action when synced up. T2337, 2271 average rpm.
CH: 74-75 mph. Sink action. T2008, 1950 average rpm.