A solid region matchup between two teams that are tied for first in Region II-AAA got my attention tonight and there were a handful of prospects on display. Greenville Red Raiders (on paper) may have the most talented team in 3A baseball this season and Eastside, even losing key seniors last year, still have a couple of prospects themselves. Another beautiful night for baseball to be played!
-Game Recap-
Raiders Clark Scolamiero took the hill tonight and was greeted with a solo bomb off the bat of Graham Mitchell in the first frame. Greenville answered right back and plated three in the bottom half thanks to Drew Davenport’s triple and Cody Mitchell’s RBI-single. The Eastside starter was knocked out giving way to Michael Sholtis. Both teams went scoreless in the second then Eagles Bryson Williams made it a 3-2 affair with his single in the third. Sophomore Hamilton McCauley tied the game in the fourth and Jordan Poynter put Eastside ahead with his sacrifice fly. Greenville wasted no time and regained the lead in the bottom half. Scolamiero singled in Jared Firmstone and a dropped fly ball with two outs allowed two more runners to score giving the Raiders a 6-4 advantage.
Greenville tacked on some insurance in the fifth, crossing three more runs. Ben Peden plated two with his triple to dead center and Mitchell’s Sacrifice fly gave Greenville a 9-4 lead. Davenport relieved Scolamiero in the fifth and held Eagles through the sixth then Grant Cox shut the door in the seventh to end things.
Final: Greenville 9 Eastside 4 WP: Clark Scolamiero LP: Michael Sholtis
-Prospects-
Greenville HS
– Senior OF/LHP Clark Scolamiero (USC) sat 84-86 topping out at 87. He also snapped off a 70-73 MPH curveball and a well-located changeup at 76 MPH. This athlete will have options this year but I see him as a program college guy that could make an immediate impact as a freshman. 4.49-4.55 turns and a web gem in CF.
– Junior SS/RHP Grant Cox (Clemson) makes normally difficult plays look routine. Cox, I believe, will be a true SS at the next level. The guys ranked above him have options of moving to another position due to their size but I think Cox stays at SS due to his range, arm strength, and ability to flat out make plays. Cox also ran it up to 87 MPH on the bump tonight and got down the line at 3.91. Very bright future!
– Junior Ben Peden (Charleston Southern) showed raw power from the left side with a simple approach and easy swing.
– Senior 2B/RHP Drew Davenport is a straight up baseball player with little man syndrome. The undersized second baseman can do about anything on the baseball field; and do it pretty well. He rounded first at 4.33 on his triple, ran it up to 83 MPH from low ¾-slot, and fields his position well. These are the types of kids that get to JUCO’s then finds themselves starting at a D1 school two years later. Heard the kid is very intellectual as well.
Eastside HS
– Junior 3B/1B/RHP Graham Mitchell is a solid all-around player. He is a bigger body kid but can probably play anywhere if he had to. He proved himself in his first AB against Scolamiero where he had an 11 pitch AB then deposited an 86 MPH fastball over the left-centerfield fence. Mitchell hit the ball on the screws in every AB and possesses a strong arm. He runs it up to 85 MPH on the bump and throws from two different angles as well. Mitchell will be a solid college baseball player; finding the right fit will be the key.
– Sophomore OF Hamilton McCauley has a chance to be good. He passes the eye test and frame projects well. McCauley showed quick hands early in the game a smoked a line shot to SS then stayed back on a curveball next AB and took it the other direction (4.88 turn). This was my second viewing of McCauley and both times he impressed me.
– Junior OF Will Thorpe swings it from the left side and has wheels (4.58 turn; 4.11 down line). He hits leadoff for the Eagles and puts the ball in play. Swing is a work in progress but pretty good athlete. Need to lock in on him more.
-Notables-
Greenville HS – Sophomore C Jared Firmstone, Senior UTL Cody Mitchell, Sophomore 3B Carson Spires
Eastside HS – Senior INF Zac White, Sophomore RHP Michael Sholtis, Senior 1B Jacob Marke
-Web Gems-
Two plays that need to be noted. First was Grant Cox showing off his range, athletic ability, and hand/eye coordination on a pop up behind third base, in shallow leftfield (no man’s land). Cox tracked it all the way to the line and made the catch that 99.9% of HS SS wouldn’t have (a) gotten to and (b) made the catch. Second play was Clark Scolamiero’s diving catch on a ball smoked to the gap. Scolamiero read the ball off the bat and showed off his speed to complete the diving catch.
-Extra Edition-
Between the two teams I saw 11-13 guys that have already committed or will have the opportunity to play at the college level. Very rarely can you post up at a HS game and say that. Greenville has 7-8 in their starting lineup with four D1 commits already. Not too shabby!
Greenville’s off-white uniforms with throwback pants they wore tonight are the best HS uniforms I have seen in awhile. I am more interested in how a kid plays than how he looks but kudos to whoever designed those suckers!
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“Over the past five years I have been trying to figure out a way to see every high school team in my area during the spring season. Unfortunately, I have been unsuccessful. Every year I seem to leave out a handful of schools which in essence, I am missing out on a large amount of players. I feel my job is to identify next level talent and relay it over to college/professional scouts so they can do their jobs. A collection of us have brainstormed and have come up with a way for me to try and lay eyes on as many players as possible, hence the introduction of “Barry’s Bytes”. This will be a blog that I will update daily/bi-daily for our subscribers. I will be bouncing around various high schools and instead of covering games; I will be on a talent search. The goal is to hit multiple spots on a given night. In this blog you will find everything from prospect info to my personal thoughts on an array of topics ranging from standout concession stands and peak performers to the most polite gate attendants and umpire gaffes, also any random thought that crosses through my brain will be fair game! Have an open mind and hope you guys enjoy my two cents. See you at the park!”