dp Staff – Page 256 – Diamond Prospects

DP Scout Day template

By: Name – Date TEXT 60’s Name Grade Time DP Note: 60’s were run on a —– track. Catchers-Pop Times Name Grade Time Outfield-Top Arms Rank Name Grade 1 2 3 4 5 Infield-Top Arms Rank Name Grade 1 2 3 4 5 Infield-Top Actions Rank Name Grade 1 2 3 4 5 Hitters-Top BP Rounds/Swings Rank Name Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pitchers-Bullpens Name Grade R/L FB CB/SL CH DP Note: All velocity readings were recorded with a Stalker radar gun. Top Prospects Rank Name Grade Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DP Note: Prospect Rankings are based on the player’s current ability level combined with how he projects at the next level.

Homeruns for Haiti

Dear S.C. High School Baseball Coach, Good day, I hope this letter finds you, your family, and your team doing well. I would first of all like to introduce myself. My name is Matt Covington, head baseball coach at Batesburg-Leesville High School. I am proud to join one of the greatest groups of men in the whole world, South Carolina High School baseball coaches. I am sending you this letter to ask you to pledge an amount of money to the American Red Cross’ efforts in helping with the devastating natural disaster that tore up the little island of Haiti. We talk to our players at B-L all the time about helping others and with this project, "Home Runs for Haiti," we believe that their play, along with your team’s play, will do just that. We are asking for you as a program to pledge a small amount for each home run your team hits during the 2010 regular season. All the money will be collected and sent to our local American Red Cross. . Mother Teresa put it well when she said, "If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one." We believe a little bit can go a long way. Please take the time to look over the pledging information below and send this back to me by April 1, 2010. Then, we will send out an acknowledgement to you after the regular season is completed. The last step is to send a check for the pledged amount times the # of homeruns hit in 2010 regular season. If you have any questions, please feel to contact me at [email protected] or call me at 803-760-2511. 2010 "Home Runs for Haiti" Name of School:_______________________________________________________ Name of Contact at School:_______________________________________________ Pledge Amount per Home Run: $1.00___________$5.00_________$10.00__________$20.00________Other___________ Please return filled out form to: Matt Covington, 600 Summerland Ave. Batesburg, SC 29006.

Diamond Notes: 4 Days in Haiti

By: Brent Walsh – February 7, 2010 College of Charleston coach rushes to aid Haiti Victims In 2003, I went with a group of students from the University of South Carolina’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes for a week long trip to St. Marc, Haiti. This trip opened my eyes to a world far different from the comfortable life that I was used to in Columbia, South Carolina. I came back humbled and yet more appreciative of even the smallest luxuries we encounter on a daily basis here in the States. In 2004, I returned with my mother, sister and a few friends for ten days to help give of our time and resources to a full-time missionary living in Haiti serving the local people. In 2005, I again returned to Haiti, but this time stayed with a Haitian family in Port au Prince and remained there for almost 40 days. I will tell you that these were certainly some of the hardest days of my life. I had no windows, and no AC in about 95 degree days and 85 degree nights. We were fortunate to have electricity every 2 or 3 days for about an hour. I washed in the backyard with a bucket and a basin used to collect rain water. I won’t begin to describe the absence of a toilet to spare you the details of that dreaded activity. Needless to say, I had a small glimpse into what it must be like to be a young man growing up in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Over 70% of all Haitians live off of less than $800 per year and over 60% are unemployed. Without getting into all of the statistics and all of the problems of Haiti, let me just say that life is extremely difficult for the majority of the 9 million or so that live there on a daily basis. The main purpose for my trip in 2005 was to get a better glimpse into their culture, do some language study, speak at a few churches and also talk to a few government officials about bringing the game of baseball to Haiti. A little geographical lesson for you, just in case you don’t know. Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island called Hispaniola in the Caribbean. The game of baseball flourishes in the DR like no where else in the world. Ever since my first trip, I’ve had the desire to give the Haitian children something to take their minds off of the daily grind of life. I’ve always loved baseball and baseball has always been a major part of my life so I wondered why Haiti didn’t have it? I met with a few government officials who were extremely excited about the idea and even had armored guards take me and my translator out to a plot of land that they said would be the perfect spot for the very 1st baseball diamond in Haiti. I came back to the States, got back into the routine of life here and slowly the visions of Haiti faded from the forefront of my mind. I kept in touch with a few friends from there but that was about it… …Until a few short weeks ago. On Tuesday, January 12th the country of Haiti was shaken by an earthquake that would devastate an already devastated land. My heart broke for the Haitian people as I watched the constant news feeds and the death tolls continue to rise. All of my memories of the trips to Haiti came pouring back and I couldn’t help recall the smiling faces of so many innocent children who laughed and played almost unaware of how bad life really was all around them. I felt bad that it took an earthquake to remind me of how fortunate I really am. I prayed for my friends still there and hoped that they were alright and could find their friends and loved ones amidst the crumbled city of Port au Prince. A few days later, a minister from Columbia that had organized my initial trip back in ’03 called me and asked me if I was able to assist a team of doctors who were looking to go help in Port au Prince. I talked with our Head Coach Monte Lee, and told him that I had been asked to go. In this profession, as a college baseball coach at the level that we are on, it was an extremely difficult time to be leaving just two weeks before official spring practice began. Coach Lee might be one of a handful of Head Coaches in the country who understood this unique situation and allowed me to go. Early in the morning on January 20th, myself, my wife (a nurse), two doctors, two ministers, a pilot and a Haitian friend of mine found ourselves sitting in the tarmac loading over a thousand pounds of medical supplies onto a plane. Right before loading the plane, we received word of a 6.1 aftershock and they delayed our flight to make sure it was still safe to land. The realness of the situation ahead of us probably set in at that very moment. A few hours later we received word we were ready to leave. We actually flew out on NASCAR’s Hendrick Motorsports plane that was donated for a while to make trips back and forth to Haiti. We could see some of the devastation from the plane but things really didn’t seem that much different from the norm in Haiti from the air. We setup our tents in a friends yard as this would be our home for the next four nights. No running water, no electricity. The first place our team went was to a tent city of 5,000 people who had received no medical attention and had all lost whatever they had in the earthquake. There was a nearby clinic that was usually used to treat people with AIDS and there was a school turned into a triage hospital attached to the clinic. The US 82nd Airborne had set up inside the …

South Carolina’s Best Tools: Class of 2010

-Position Players- Best Pure Hitter: Jared Huffman (Myrtle Beach, right), Jordan Scott (Riverside), Alex Abrams (Bishop England), Zach Hagaman (Waccamaw) Best Raw Power: Brad Zebedis (South Pointe), Cody Craig (Timberland), Chris Brooks (South Aiken), Hunter Rice (Boiling Springs), David Donald (JL Mann, left), Daniel Palka (G… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password

DP Insider Breakdown: Region III-3A

By: Nick Nickles – February -, 2010 Preseason Rankings are always a fun time for us at DP! Often times there is more of a storyline and tons of information that is gathered behind the scenes that only you, (the player, parent, coach etc…) view as a number with a team listed beside it. We take a lot of pride in providing you the best baseball content possible at this level. One of my personal goals for DP in 2010 is to provide more inside content to reader’s about what really goes on inside true baseball circles whether its team rankings, players, player rankings, or recruiting. In this article, we are going to select and breakdown a few of these conferences that could get interesting in 2010 and give you a few reasons why things may or may not go according to our predictions: Here is the skinny on the next region on our radar…

DP Insider Breakdown: Region II-3A

By: Nick Nickles – February 5, 2010 Preseason Rankings are always a fun time for us at DP! Often times there is more of a storyline and tons of information that is gathered behind the scenes that only you, (the player, parent, coach etc…) view as a number with a team listed beside it. We take a lot of pride in providing you the best baseball content possible at this level. One of my personal goals for DP in 2010 is to provide more inside content to reader’s about what really goes on inside true baseball circles whether its team rankings, players, player rankings, or recruiting. In this article, we are going to select and breakdown a few of these conferences that could get interesting in 2010 and give you a few reasons why things may or may not go according to our predictions: Next up, Region II-3A… Here’s how we picked them: -J.L. Mann -Eastside -Wade Hampton -Greenville -Travelers Rest -Berea X-Factor Team: Eastside Eagles Why? Eastside has two good arms. South Carolina signee RHP Drake Thomason (right) is arguably the best right hander North of Cisco. Thomason has the ability to beat J.L. Mann twice in this Region, and everyone around knows it. If he’s on, he can easily hold any team statewide scoreless. That being said, the biggest question for the Eagles will be scoring runs. Sophomore Austin Mason is a quality arm but he will need to grow up in a hurry for Eastside to contend. If Mason can corral some big wins on the mound, and If Eastside can show any type of offensive production early in the season, then Eastside becomes a serious statewide contender. In the end, the Region Championship will have to go through the arm of Drake Thomason. Sleeper: Wade Hampton Generals Why not to sleep on the Generals: Wade Hampton has two very good arms. SS/RHP Champ Rowland (left) and southpaw 1B/LHP Kyle Martin are as good as any duo in the Upstate. Rowland was up to 90 this fall, at times dominating the DP Fall League. Rowland is also rated the #1 SS in the senior class. South Carolina commitment Kyle Martin gives opponents another difficult look from the hill while contributing a top-notch bat to the middle of the lineup for the Generals. Wade Hampton has some dangerous weapons hidden in the stockpile. Senior RHP Christian Ashford showed in the DP Fall League that he could provide some quality innings and sophomore INF Brooks Yeager showed the potential to swing the bat. The concern for the Generals entering the season is filling the void C Will Van Pelt left upon graduating in ’09. If the Generals didn’t lack depth, they could easily be a Top 10 team entering the season. Why they should win it: J.L. Mann J.L. Mann should win the Region on experience alone. Mann has the most experienced players while also possessing the most collected group of talent in the region. Senior David Donald (left) is the dynamic leader for the Patriots that brings speed, power, and above average defense to centerfield. Donald missed all of ’09 with shoulder surgery. (Sophomore stats: .456, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 8 SB) Donald is without a doubt the best athlete in South Carolina that focuses solely on baseball. Senior LHP Robert Landers (right) will serve as the #1 starter for Mann, and has 8 to 10 win potential this season. Juniors OF Reid Moman, 1B Bo Thompson, and OF Matt Peden have all surfaced quickly as proven bats and should keep the Pats running around the bases all season. While the Patriots have notable offensive strengths, they have to play solid defense to win a championship. Also, Mann has to identify someone, anyone who can pitch with any kind of consistency behind Landers. If the Patriots can make the plays, especially on the left-side of the infield, they should prevail. Winning Region II will not be a cake walk. Other Notables: • Greenville is a young group with some talent they are grooming for the future. Sophomore Miguel Viera swung it well last year as a freshman and Wes Reynolds gives them a solid mid-80’s arm on the mound. The Red Raiders will add some depth to the region, and we will label them as a "Deep Sleeper" this season • The layout of the schedule and weather will be very important in this Region. There are some easier games toward the bottom of the group and some teams hold a "queen of spade" type arm. If it gets backed up, it becomes luck of the draw to avoid high caliber arms. – X-Factor player is Drake Thomason. If Thomason starts the season on a hot note, that will put pressure on all the other teams in the region as the season progresses. It’s not only Thomason’s arm though as they will rely heavily on him for offensive production as well.

DP Insider Breakdown: Region V-3A

By: Nick Nickles – February 3, 2010 Preseason Rankings are always a fun time for us at DP! Often times there is more of a storyline and tons of information that is gathered behind the scenes that only you, (the player, parent, coach etc…) view as a number with a team listed beside it. We take a lot of pride in providing you the best baseball content possible at this level. One of my personal goals for DP in 2010 is to provide more inside content to reader’s about what really goes on inside true baseball circles whether its team rankings, players, player rankings, or recruiting. In this article, we are going to select and breakdown a few of these conferences that could get interesting in 2010 and give you a few reasons why things may or may not go according to our predictions: Here is the skinny on the next region on our radar… How we picked Region V-3A: -South Aiken -Airport -Dreher -Brookland-Cayce -Midland Valley -Swansea X-Factor Team: Brookland-Cayce Why? The answer is simple, Brian Hucks. Widely considered as the best high school coach in the state, Hucks will have his team prepared to win any way possible this season. The Bearcats return junior southpaw Michael Gilroy who posted some gaudy numbers last year as a sophomore posting an 8-0 record and 0.57 ERA. While the Bearcats are short on talent this year, tradition is hard to break. B-C has ruled the roost for many years in the lower state and those expectations should help this team thru potentially tough stretches this season. While B-C has lost a few players to graduation and some for unexpected reasons, they will still be a large determining factor on how this Region plays out. Hucks cannot be counted out, but this year he may ultimately just play the role of spoiler. 1B Chase Shelton will need to contribute an All-State caliber year and SS Kenyatta Castleberry will need to be a rock at SS to give the Bearcats a shot at title contention. Sleeper: Dreher Why not to sleep on the Blue Devils??? Dreher finished strong in 2009 with a 7-3 record that was good enough for second place in Region V. They return two-way contributor Chandler Knox and RHP Bud Jeter (left) to give Dreher two mid-80’s arms with pitchability. Knox and Jeter are both ranked in the Top 20 Senior RHP rankings. Two good pitchers is a solid start for making a run in high school baseball. Don’t sleep on Bud Jeter, who looked terrific at the DP Fall Showcase, flashing the best breaking ball of the event! Why they should win it… South Aiken The Thoroughbreds have the right genetic combinations to win this horserace! South Aiken literally has twice the amount of talent as any other team in the Region. It’s simply showing up and taking care of business. Quality LHP in Andrew Faulkner and very underrated RHP in Stephen Leopard give SA mound prowess. 1B Chris Brooks, INF Nate Kuhns, INF Ben Donath and OF Tyler Rowe should provide plenty of offense for this powerful club. South Aiken should win this conference with ease, and if they don’t it will interesting to see how it doesn’t happen. South Aiken has all the makings of churning its way into a special season. Other Notables: • Airport returns premium Midland’s players in Lucas Knight and W.T. Murden but questions behind the dish raise serious concerns for a serious title contention. • Midland Valley’s Cole Cromer (right) gives "The Valley" a solid mid to upper-80’s arm that can slice the ankles of a contender at some point during the season. • B-C’s Michael Gilroy is the X-factor player in Region V. He gets all the tough games this season for B-C. Gilroy can cause a lot of disruption if he can win the big ones during the season.

Recap: Pro Day 2010

By: Austin Alexander – January 31, 2010 Mother Nature unloads on Carolina’s and Virginia, talent prevails Anyone reading this recap is likely to have experienced torrential weather this weekend. Even more so, many joined Diamond Prospects as we watched the approaching winter storm emerge from the west. Here at DP, we had been tracking the for… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.

Pro Day 2010: Bonus Coverage

Pro Day: 2010 -Top Performances & Prospects- Top 5 Infield Actions (2B, 3B, SS) Name High School Class Gunnar Heidt St. James 2011 Hunter Burton Palmetto 2010 Kenyatta Castleberry B-C 2010 Nate Kuhns South Aiken 2011 Champ Rowland Wade Hampton 2010 Top 5 Infield Arms (2B, 3B, SS) Name High School Class Champ Rowland Wade Hampton 2010 Kenyatta Castleberry B-C 2010 Jared Huffman Myrtle Beach 2010 Hunter Burton Palmetto 2010 Will Leathers Riverside 2010 Top 5 Outfield Arms Name High School Class Tanner English St. James 2011 Andrew Cox BHP 2012 Reid Moman J.L. Mann 2012 Daniel Young Blythewood 2011 David Donald J.L. Mann 2010 Top 15 Pitching Prospects Name High School Class Brandon Henderson Chesnee 2010 Chris Hanna Stratford 2010 Bryce Hines Hanahan 2010 Tyler Wilson Gaffney 2010 Jared Keels Spring Valley 2010 Hunter Rice Boiling Springs 2010 Ryne Slack Ninety Six 2010 Bud Jeter Dreher 2010 Jake Long Hanna 2010 Brandon Landrie Spartanburg 2011 Taylor Alvarez Chapin 2011 Patrick Andrews Hilton Head Prep 2011 Andrew Faulkner South Aiken 2011 Austin Gambrell BHP 2011 Alex Satterfield Laurens Academy 2011 Best Fastball Top 5 Name High School Class Tyler Wilson Gaffney 2010 Brandon Landrie Spartanburg 2011 Bryce Hines Hanahan 2010 Hunter Rice Boiling Springs 2010 Taylor Alvarez Chapin 2011 Best Breaking Ball Top 5 Name High School Class Bryce Hines Hanahan 2010 Brandon Henderson Chesnee 2010 Tyler Wilson Gaffney 2010 Jared Keels Spring Valley 2010 Jake Long Hanna 2010 Best Change-Up Top 5 Name High School Class Chris Hanna Stratford 2010 Andrew Faulkner South Aiken 2011 Tyler Wilson Gaffney 2010 Brandon Henderson Chesnee 2010 Patrick Andrews Hilton Head Prep 2011 Top 5 Catching Prospects Name High School Class David Houser A.C. Flora 2012 Grayson Greiner Blythewood 2011 Garrett Boulware T.L. Hanna 2011 Domineke Albert Richland NE 2011 Brad Zebedis South Pointe 2010 DP Note: Above listings are in no particular order Top 5 Pro Prospects: Sophomores Rank Name High School Position 1 David Houser A.C. Flora C/RHP 2 Andrew Cox BHP OF 3 Maleeke Gibson Lakewood OF 4 Kyle Whitman Nations Ford 1B 5 Chase Tidwell Stratford 1B Top 10 Pro Prospects: Juniors Rank Name High School Position 1 Shon Carson Lake City OF 2 Grayson Greiner Blythewood C 3 Garrett Boulware Hanna C 4 Brandon Landrie Spartanburg RHP 5 Bruce Caldwell Sumter SS 6 Taylor Alvarez Chapin RHP 7 Tanner English St. James OF 8 Austin Gambrell BHP 3B/RHP 9 Domineke Albert Richland NE C 10 Patrick Andrews Hilton Head Prep RHP Top 10 Pro Prospects: Seniors Rank Name High School Position 1 Tyler Wilson Gaffney RHP 2 Chris Hanna Stratford LHP 3 Brandon Henderson Chesnee LHP 4 Bryce Hines Hanahan RHP 5 David Donald J.L. Mann OF 6 Hunter Burton Palmetto SS/OF 7 Jared Huffman Myrtle Beach 3B 8 Hunter Rice Boiling Springs RHP 9 Robert Landers J.L. Mann LHP 10 Jared Keels Spring Valley RHP .

Spring Preview: Lewisville Lions

By: Billy Keels – February 15, 2010 Lewisville’s 2007 team had 10 seniors, 4 of them who went on to play college baseball. They were ranked second in the last poll before the playoffs, and lost twice to first ranked Landrum and current USC pitcher Alex Burrell in the Upper State playoffs. 2008 was a rebuilding year as the Lions went 14-9. In 200… The new DP website is here. For all the great DP content, subscribe. If you have any login/subscription issues, please contact our support team. Your feedback on the new experience is appreciated as well.