By: Nick Nickles-February 16, 2008
DP was in Simpsonville Saturday to run a scout day with the Riverside, Laurens and host Hillcrest before they would match up in a three-way scrimmage.
One thing for fact is the Riverside Warriors (left, Chris Bates) put on an absolute display of dominance in the showcase part of the day and then where it matters most, on the baseball field against their oppenents.
Laurens and Hillcrest had their bright spots as well, and Hillcrest particularly showed that its program still has plenty of pride and talent remaining.
The crew from Laurens came into town with the flu and injury bug nagging at their talented club, but Coach Dale Nelson isn’t going to make any excuses for his club’s lackluster performance on the day. Laurens will get back to the work on Monday and get their attitudes refocused on defending their Region Championship.
DP will give you all the data as this fun day unfolded at Hillcrest High School.
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60 Times
| Name | Class | 60 Time |
| Jordan Scott | Soph | 6.96 |
| Sam Reese | Sr | No Time |
| Alex Poag | So | 7.06 |
| Blake Tollison | Jr | 7.35 |
| Austin Lawrence | So | 7.33 |
| Wil Leathers | So | 7.06 |
| John Reinholz | Jr | 7.38 |
| Will Owens | Sr | 7.18 |
| Chipper Daniels | Sr | 7.19 |
| Ben Scroggs | Jr | 7.60 |
| Blake Howard | Jr | 7.62 |
| Rob Kish | Sr | 7.47 |
| Michael Roth | Sr | 7.34 |
| Matt Reeves | So | 7.59 |
| Nate Cook | Sr | 7.53 |
| Chase Warren | So | 7.72 |
| Daniel Cloy | Jr | No Time |
| Kevin Cantrell | Jr | 7.47 |
| Matthew Pegler | Jr | 7.60 |
| Nick Peter | Fr | 7.43 |
| Steven Daniels | Jr | No Time |
| Thomas Spencer | Fr | 7.50 |
| Ryan Graham | So | 8.25 |
Catchers-Pop Times
| Name | Class | Pop Time |
| Nate Cook | Sr | 2.13-2.19 |
| Kevin Cantrell | Jr | 2.12-2.18 |
| Nick Peter | Fr | 2.34-2.49 |
| Ryan Graham | Soph | 2.21-2.35 |
Top Outfield Arms
| Rank | Name | Class |
| 1 | Michael Roth | Sr |
| 2 | Rob Kish | Sr |
| T3 | Jordan Scott | So |
| T3 | John Rienholz | Jr |
| T3 | Matt Reeves | So |
Top Infield Arms
| Rank | Name | Class |
| 1 | Michael Roth | Sr |
| 2 | Matt Pelger | Jr |
| 3 | Will Owens | Sr |
| 4 | Chipper Daniels | Sr |
| 5 | Will Leathers | So |
| 6 | Ben Scroggs | Jr |
Top Infield Actions
| Rank | Name | Class |
| 1 | Chipper Daniels | Sr |
| 2 | Will Owens | Sr |
| 3 | Michael Roth | Sr |
| 4 | Will Leathers | So |
| 5 | Matt Pegler | Jr |
Pitchers
| Name | Class | R/L | FB | BB | CH |
| Michael Roth | Sr | L | 80-81 fantastic control | 57-58 big slow breaker | 71 with sink, gives the middle infielders routine grounders |
| Kevin Cantrell | Jr | R | 85-86 Heavy ball, looks harder than what gun displays | 68-70 threw it for a strike, good break | 71 |
| Matt Reeves | So | R | 77-81 | 61-68 nasty breaker, best pitch | |
| Daniel Cloy | Jr | R | 74-75 | 61 | None |
| Rob Kish | Sr | R | 81-84 locates both sides of the plate | 65-66 | 67-68 good action on change piece |
Top Prospects
| Rank | Name | Class | Scout Notes |
| 1 | Michael Roth | Sr | A focused, talented leader spells trouble for Riverside oppenents. Will contend for every postseason award including Mr. Baseball. Has to be an early favorite. Expect a huge senior season. |
| 2 | Jordan Scott | So | Projectable player. Tall, sub-7.0 runner, good arm from the OF, and makes it look easy in center. Oh yea he can hit. 3 hits from the left-side and swiped a bag today. |
| 3 | Matt Pegler | Jr | Didnt pitch today, but he hit a towering HR over the scoreboard in left. An experienced veteran on a great team. |
| 4 | Will Owens | Sr | Gets it going for the Warriors. A great baserunner and top-notch defensive infielder. Fights at the plate and stays on base. |
| 5 | Rob Kish | Sr | Moves the ball in and out and throws lots of strikes while mixing it up. Dependable and efficient. A low to mid-80’s guy who can pitch. |
| 6 | Kevin Cantrell | Jr | Has a good arm. Consistently a mid-80’s guy. Needs to pitch a little more and work ahead in counts, but ability and size are already present. |
| 7 | Matt Reeves | So | Didn’t have it all working on the hill today, but at 6’2" with a hammer makes him projectable. A jump away from being a force. |
| 8 | Chipper Daniels | Sr | Kid can straight flash leather. Makes a great play every viewing. Top of his class defensively. |
| 9 | Wil Leathers | So | Not his best day offensivley. Is going to be a good player for the Warriors |
| 10 | Nate Cook | Sr | Did a good job behind the plate and collected a couple of hits on the day. |
Chris Bates and the Riverside Warriors put on a baseball clinic in the pro workout and then dominated two quality teams in a three-way scrimmage. Now, DP will give you detailed prospect reports for our readers. We will start with the most impressive team on the day, the Riverside Warriors. The Warriors shut out Laurens jumping out to an early 6-0 lead and proceded to jump on Hillcrest 9-0 before Hillcrest would tack on a few runs late in the ballgame. In the other game, Hillcrest defeated Laurens 6-1 gathering ten hits in five innings.
Prospect Info: Riverside Warriors
Michael Roth-Senior, USC signee, P/1B/OF: Every so often a player comes along that is very talented and it’s combined with a deadly focus that only wants to destroy the opposition to win. Roth (right) was like a machine on Saturday. He would walk stoically to the plate with his head down in total concentration, step in the box, look at the pitcher and square up baseballs. He was 5-for-6 in two games with the only out being made on a fastball that he nearly missed driving out of the park, sending a fly ball into the stratosphere to deep right. It is very clear he plans to lead his team to another state championship before he graduates. On the bump, it was more of the same mentality. He threw his fastball at the knees on the outside corner complimenting it with a change-piece that resulted in numerous 4-3 groundouts. Roth worked three quick, scoreless innings surrendering one weak hit. He made it a pleasure to watch baseball Saturday. Roth should contend, if not be a favorite, for most statewide post-season awards entering the season.
Jordan Scott-Sophomore, OF: Bats left and throws right playing the centerfield position. Scott made all the plays look easy in the outfield getting terrific jumps on the ball. He barreled up baseballs tallying three hits on the afternoon. He can run a little as well. A definite 2010 propsect.
Kevin Cantrell-Junior, RHP/: The big boy is listed at 6’3" 200 pounds, and posseses arm strength on the mound. His fastball was consistently 85 and appears a lot harder to the eye. He turned over a nice 12-6 curveball that he could throw for a strike. Cantrell still has some improving to do with his control especially with the fastball. He was in a lot of deep counts and sometimes failed to stick a fastball for a strike, but he didn’t get hit on this day. Cantrell is a guy to follow in the 09’s for school’s in search of a good arm.
Rob Kish-Unsigned senior, RHP/OF: Kish is a guy in the low to mid-80’s that gets outs by pitching. He’s not going to dominate hitters at the next level with strikeouts, but he’s got some pitchability and understands himself. He’s mentally ahead of high school hitters.
Chipper Daniels-Unsigned senior, 3B: If you’ve recruited hitters first and want to bring in an infielder to sharpen your team’s defensive play, here’s the guy. Daniels is a plus defensive third baseman. He makes a great play every time we view this kid, and he has yet to make an error. He has improved at the plate gathering a single and a triple today, and carried himself with more confidence in the box. Daniels will fit the mold for a team looking save some runs in an infield spot.