DP dipped into class I A baseball tonight as Southside Christian hosted two-time reigning state champions St. Joseph’s Knights. Two future Citadel Cadets were slated to go up against one another which sparked even more interest. All four arms that threw tonight project to be pretty good, not to mention I might have found a diamond in the rough.

-Game Recap-

Sophomore Andrew LaFlam toed it up against Senior Ryan Stamler (pictured at top) – both Citadel commits. LaFlam helped his own cause in the first by driving in two runs with his oppo-triple but gave it right back in the second with a wild pitch after a couple of walks. Errors and walks showed their face again in the third allowing the Knights to plate four more runs giving them a 5-2 lead.

Both pitchers settled in and threw zeros on the board over the next couple of innings then the Sabres decided to make it a ballgame in the sixth off Jack Stamler. Back-to-back one out hits set up Jacob Oaks RBI-single then a wild pitch brought the Sabres within a run. They stranded the bases loaded and in the top half, Angelo Pahila’s two-run dinger gave the Knight’s a 7-4 advantage. J. Stamler shut the door in the bottom half to secure the win.

Final: St. Joseph’s 7 Southside Christian 4  WP: Ryan Stamler LP: Andrew LaFlam

-Prospects-

Southside Christian HS

– Sophomore Andrew LaFlam (Citadel) is a lanky but athletic 6-2/170 RHP. Even though fastball only got up to 82 MPH, his arm works really well and velocity will eventually come. He struggled getting downhill and lived in the upper part of the zone. LaFlam bails out of his delivery and gets underneath his slider more times than not. Frame projects well and arm is really clean. LaFlam has solid tempo but sometimes rushes things. Enjoyed how he competed.

– Freshman 3B/1B Clayton Coulter was a pleasant find tonight. Good looking kid that swings an aggressive stick from the left side. Coulter stands 6-0/180-ish and projects as a 3B or 1B. Tonight was the first time laying eyes on him and he looked very comfortable taking hacks up against 85 MPH. Look forward to locking in on this kid more.

St. Joseph’s HS

– Senior RHP Ryan Stamler (Citadel) sat 83-85 MPH tonight with a 75 MPH slider. This wasn’t the same Stamler we witnessed at the Palmetto Games and delivery has gotten too violent. Arm was still quick but never could repeat with an inconsistent delivery. He had trouble repeating release point as well and left the ball up more than down. Stamler will be fine but has work to do mechanically.

– Freshman LHP Jack Stamler came in to relieve his older brother and showed really well right off the bat. He punched out the first four hitters he faced. Little Stamler (6-0/185) came out of the gate locating three pitches in the zone and worked in and out. Fastball sat 77-80 MPH. We knew he had a solid bender for his age but he brought a new addition tonight by showcasing a nice change piece. Stamler has a chance to become a legit LHP. Look for a velocity jump to occur as well. One area he is far advanced in for his age is knowing how to compete. Broad shoulders and big lower half that will be able to carry weight.

-Notables-

Southside Christian

– Sophomore RHP Jacob Oaks ran it up to 83 MPH and displayed a sharp curveball in his two innings of work. Not a very big kid but has a quick arm.

– Sophomore C Cam Wilson is a hard-nosed undersized catcher who put the ball on the bag with pop times ranging 2.20-2.25. Wilson has great hip flexion and isn’t scared to block it up.

St. Joseph’s

– Senior SS Alex Malsch sits near the top of the board of uncommitted seniors. Malsch made a great play ranging to his left on a ball that hopped on him where he had to react quickly; but he made it look routine. Arm has carry and Malsch should be a solid pick up for someone out there. Swing was better tonight than previous viewings. 6-2/170 frame with room to fill out.

– Senior 1B Angelo Pahila has slight raw power. He banged an opposite field homerun tonight that got out in a hurry. Not sure he has a position though but DH is considered a position in some eyes if you can really hit.  

-Extra Edition-

This was my first time at Southside Christian HS and as I enter any field the first thing I look at is the facility and more importantly the playing surface. Tonight baffled me to say the least. It wasn’t hard to notice the pristine green grass as I drove up. Honestly at first glance from a distance I thought it was turf and at a private school I thought, “Yeah, it’s turf”. Not only was the field that green but the grass in the stands was well-manicured also. As I got out of my vehicle and started walking up to the gate as a JV game was going on (which I didn’t notice because I was still questioning if that was real grass or turf) and once I got about 20 feet from the gate I finally realized it was grass. Now, I have seen a lot of fields in my days from different parts of America. These days I see more HS fields than anything else but I will have to say Southside Christian’s skin between the lines has got to be top 5-10 HS skins in the state. Gilbert HS might be the best but this one isn’t far behind it. I’m not comparing the grandstands and cages and all the other stuff, I’m simply talking about the most important thing… playing surface. I will say the lips need some work but other than that, legit. I’m not sure who takes care of it but I’m going to go out on a limb and say he is underpaid. Well-done Southside Christian… well-done!

 

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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!”