Teams – Page 58 – Diamond Prospects

Scout Day 2008: Aynor Blue Jackets

By: Austin Alexander-February 9, 2008 New Myrtle Beach Head Coach Tim Christy welcomed Aynor High School and Diamond Prospects into their facility for a Scout Day and scrimmage on Saturday. An absolutely perfect February day pitted two teams 30 minutes apart with a great deal to prove entering the 2008 season. Aynor skipper Chad Sarvis bussed it down Highway 501 with a host of youngsters who have grown up watching Blue Jacket post-season success. Only holdover Will Chandler (left) contributed to Aynor’s previous runs in the past. Sarvis has questions to answer all over the diamond but finds solace in the future of Blue Jacket baseball in the person of eighth grader Hunter Burnett. 60 Times Name Class 60 Time Cameron Flowers Jr – William Carroll Fr 8.41 Caleb Shelly Sr 7.22 Joe Brown Sr 7.78 Chris Daniels Sr 7.80 Brett Martin Fr 8.38 Will Johnson Jr 7.50 Brandon Collins So 8.15 Wyman Boatwright Fr 8.10 Hunter Burnett 8th 8.68 William Chandler Sr 7.00 Matt Grice Jr 7.80 Peyton Hill Fr 7.47 Seth Harrelson Fr 8.59 Garrett Holden Fr 8.29 David Weiser Jr 7.28 Daniel Rabon Sr 7.59 Dennis Lynch So 7.70 Robert Donavan Sr 7.75 Catchers-Pop Times Name Class Pop Time William Carroll Fr 2.52-2.64 Garrett Holden Fr 2.67-2.80 Will Chandler Sr – Top Outfield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Will Johnson Jr 2 Hunter Burnett 8th 3 Brandon Collins So Top Infield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Joe Brown Sr 2 Hunter Burnett-1B 8th 3 William Carroll Fr 4 Wyman Boatwright Fr 5 Matt Grice Jr Top Infield Actions Rank Name Class 1 Hunter Burnett-1B 8th 2 William Carroll Fr 3 Wyman Boatwright-1B Fr 4 Joe Brown Sr 5 Will Johnson-1B Jr Pitchers Name Class R/L Fastball Breaking Ball Change-up Hunter Burnett 8th L 68-70 – 61-2 Caleb Shelly Sr R 72-73 53 – Chris Daniels Sr L 75-76 – – Wyman Boatright Fr L 63-67 – – Peyton Hill Fr R 69-70 – – Top Prospects Rank Name Class Scout Notes 1 Will Chandler Sr Very good bat-speed and athleticism would make him interesting for college guys; signed this week to play football at Coastal 2 Hunter Burnett 8th Just moved into the area and will attract attention as his frame fills out; good player now, has an even brighter future; very seasoned mound presence and pitchability 3 Matt Grice Jr His bat is the calling card for a guy that plays SS but projects as a LH hitter; very good swing and approach 4 Wyman Boatright Fr Another physical jump vaults this kid into a different category; looks the part so far but must get stronger 5 Will Johnson Jr A follow for college coaches at this stage; must stay on the ball better to hit improved pitching .

Scout Day 2008: Myrtle Beach Seahawks

By: Austin Alexander-February 9, 2008 The Tim Christy Era was ushered in at Myrtle Beach High on Saturday as his Seahawks welcomed Aynor and Diamond Prospects into their facility for a Scout Day and scrimmage. An absolutely perfect February day pitted two teams 30 minutes apart with a great deal to prove entering the 2008 season. Myrtle Beach has question marks behind the dish and on the mound after graduation left them in development mode. Expectations still exist, however. Sophomore Jared Huffman (right) and senior Bill Lackey will serve as lightening rods for this club and each were obviously the pulse of Christy’s first club at the Beach, a team has hopes of making racket in Region VI-3A. Today, DP picks apart the tools and gives you a glance inside the Myrtle Beach baseball program. 60 Times Name Class 60 Time Adam Glover Jr 7.26 Dalton Dellinger Jr 7.90 Morgan Byrd So 7.34 Andrew Huddle Jr 7.80 Jared Huffman So 7.50 Jared Hood Jr 7.50 Cary Messer So 7.90 Lucas Britt So 7.60 Will Lackey Sr 7.00 Chase Koch Jr – Alex Roberts Fr 7.38 Tim Murphy Sr 7.45 Justin Dilly So 7.42 Catchers-Pop Times Name Class Pop Time Andrew Huddle Jr 2.51-2.70 Cary Messer So 2.47-2.70 Top Outfield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Bill Lackey Sr 2 Dalton Dellinger Jr T3 Morgan Byrd So T3 Adam Glover Jr Top Infield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Bill Lackey-1B Sr 2 Jared Huffman So 3 Tim Murphy-1B Sr 4 Alex Roberts Fr 5 Adam Glover Jr Top Infield Actions Rank Name Class 1 Jared Huffman So 2 Bill Lackey-1B Sr 3 Alex Roberts Fr 4 Lucas Britt So 5 Adam Glover Jr Pitchers Name Class R/L FB BB CH Tim Murphy Sr L 77-80 lacked command – 73-75 Jared Huffman So R 78-81 also drops down – 71-73 Will Lackey Sr L 78-80 pounds zone – 71-72, plus out-pitch Alex Roberts Fr R 75-77 – – Josh Dishroon Sr R 83-84 68-70 late break A work in progress Top Prospects Rank Name Class Scout Notes 1 Jared Huffman So Pure ballplayer; Can hit from both sides of the plate, understands the game and plays it the right way; very serviceable at SS but projects as an offensive 3B 2 Bill Lackey Sr Hard-nosed energy machine; was wired all day and usually wears the dirtiest uniform; could likely contribute at the next level as a two-way player 3 Josh Dishroon Sr Recent transfer from Indiana; body, arm and breaking pitch make him a prospect 4 Alex Roberts Fr All of his tools project to make him an interesting player 5 Morgan Byrd So Solid runner with a flat swing and pop in his bat .

Scout Day 2008: Conway Tigers

By: Austin Alexander-February 8, 2008 Sunny skies, comfortable temps and a newly revamped playing surface at Conway High School segwayed into the evaluations of 38 players in the Tiger program. Conway is a favorite by many to contend for the Region IV-4A title, Head Coach Anthony Carroll and his troops have high expectations too. On Friday afternoon, DP strolled in and was not blown away by the running times on a soft track but the bat of Mac Doyle (left) and arm of Colby Holmes certainly brightened up the affair…we even uncovered a diamond in the rough, seventh grader Jordan Gore. The next time we run into this club will be at the IP Classic in Georgetown, today we will crunch the numbers on the present and future of Conway baseball during the Tigers Scout Day breakdown. 60 Times Name Class 60 Time Jeff Caskey Sr 7.20 Mac Doyle Sr 7.16 Sport Rabon Sr 8.06 Zach Yates Sr 7.99 James Floro Sr 8.05 Carl Blain Sr 7.50 Haddon Childs Sr 8.05 Allen Thompkins Sr 7.19 Ryne Hardwick Jr 7.38 Colby Holmes Jr 7.38 Bobby Watford Jr 8.03 Michael Frazier Jr 7.38 Matt Brown Jr 7.49 Danny Cole Jr 7.60 Hayden Watkins Jr 7.89 Justin Harrelson Jr 7.86 Terry Prince So 7.62 Josh Hardwick So 7.60 Cameron Perry So 8.27 Cannon Jordan So 7.69 Nicolas Greggory So 7.53 Eric Graham So 7.88 Ricky Smith So 9.03 Clay Altman Fr 8.81 Clint Richardson Fr – Cody Johnson Fr – Dixon Smith Fr 8.38 Michael McCants Fr 9.58 Cole Watson 8th 8.56 Marcus Rogers 8th 8.08 Trey Cooper 8th 8.17 Tyson Larrimore 8th 7.76 Dylan Tanner 8th – Jordan Lee 8th 8.04 Hunter Gerald 8th 8.65 Jordan Gore 7th 9.03 GK Young 7th 9.91 Wilson Mishoe 7th 9.57 Catchers-Pop Times Name Class Pop Times Mac Doyle Sr 2.11-2.17 Ryne Hardwick Jr 2.10-2.27 Clay Altman Fr 2.27-2.40 Top Outfield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Matt Brown Jr 2 Allen Thompkins Sr 3 Haddon Childs Sr 4 Justin Harrelson Jr Top Infield Actions Rank Name Class 1 Jeff Caskey Sr 2 Bobby Watford Jr 3 Ryne Hardwick Jr 4 Jordan Gore 7th 5 Zach Yates Sr Top Infield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Jeff Caskey Sr 2 Bobby Watford Jr 3 Zach Yates Sr 4 Josh Hardwick So T5 Ryne Hardwick Jr T5 Cannon Jordan So Best BP Round Rank Name Class 1 Mac Doyle Sr 2 Ryne Hardwick Jr 3 Bobby Watford Jr 4 Jeff Caskey Sr 5 Cannon Jordan So 6 Colby Holmes Jr 7 Allen Thompkins Sr 8 Zach Yates Sr 9 Matt Brown Jr 10 GK Young 7th Pitchers Name Class R/L Fastball Breaking Ball Change-up Jeff Caskey Sr R 80-81 68 71-73 sink Sport Rabon Sr L 76-77 61-63 63 James Floro Sr R 80-82 61-63 67 Haddon Childs Sr R 80-81 cuts 70-71 good spin/tilt 76 Colby Holmes Jr R 87 75 plus hard downer 76 Bobby Watford Jr R 80-82 69-70 late break 74-76 Matt Brown Jr R 82-83 65-66 solid 71 Hayden Watkins Jr R 75 – 65-68 Justin Harrelson Jr R 72-75 56 65 Cameron Perry Soph R 69-70 61-63 67 Clay Altman Fr R 73-74 63 – Top Prospects Rank Name Class Scout notes 1 Colby Holmes Jr Bonafide arm strength guy with improved secondary stuff; should come off the recruiting board soon 2 Mac Doyle Sr Has discovered the opposite field gap, clearly an offensive threat; athletic catcher 3 Jeff Caskey Sr Improved defensive skills at SS make his stock rise but versatility make him invaluable 4 Bobby Watford Jr Solid breaking ball from the bump, good actions and arm in the middle, clutch hitter, good all-around player 5 Matt Brown Jr Very solid RF arm with pop in his bat; interesting on the bump too 6 Jordan Gore 7th Very young, very small, very talented; if physical attributes catch up with fundamentals, he could be a good one! 7 Ryne Hardwick Jr Good athlete that can play multiple positions effectively, physical maturity has ball jumping off his bat 8 James Floro Sr Resent transfer from Long Island and should figure into the Tiger pitching plans; definite ‘follow’ among 2008 grads 9 Allen Thompkins Sr Ran well, showcased a solid arm from the outfield and has some pop T10 Cannon Jordan Soph Left-handed hitter with some pop and has some arm strength, projects at an infield corner or in outfield T10 Haddon Childs Sr Low-80’s fastball with a good hook that should miss barrels .

Scout Day 2008: Greenville Red Raiders

By: Nick Nickles-February 7, 2008 Greenville High hosted DP on a beautiful day for baseball on the outskirts of downtown Greenville right across the street from the new Greenville Drive minor league facility. Coach Steve Scolamiero is looking to hang tough this season in Region 1-3A with perennial powers Pickens and BHP predicted to be the strongest teams in the region. Coach Scolamiero’s best days lie ahead with a solid group of freshmen and sophomores that will possibly push him into the upper tier portion of this region by next season. DP will break down the Varsity and JV’s by the numbers to give you glimpse of the future and present state of Greenville Red Raider baseball. 60 Times Name Class 60 Times Livingston Moyd Sr 8.47 Andy Atwood Sr 7.72 Boomer Coleman Jr 7.63 Nathan Welch Jr 7.37 Tony Duncan Jr 7.09 Forest Stulting Jr Did not run Wes Herndon So Did not run Clinton Barabas So 7.94 Parker Wise Fr 8.59 Alexander Moyd Fr 7.85 Alex Thompson Fr 7.87 Sheloid Hunter Fr 7.50 Stefon Atkinson Fr 7.66 Jake Koenig Sr 7.16 Mark Giguere Sr 7.22 Clay Evans Sr 7.34 Matthew Roberts Jr 7.47 Luke Feisal So 7.31 Patrick Langley So 7.72 Joey Nietopski So Did not run Kyle Peterman Fr 7.25 Drew Fowler Fr 7.44 Tanner Davis FR 7.59 Evan Rollinson Fr 7.78 Kenny Ridgell So 9.16 David Maiorana Fr 7.76 Top Outfield Arms Rank Name Grade 1 Clay Evans Sr 2 Matthew Roberts Jr 3 Mark Gigure Sr 4 Tony Duncan Jr 5 Sheloid Hunter Fr Best Infield Actions Rank Name Class 1 Jake Koenig Sr 2 Andy Atwood Sr 3 Boomer Coleman Jr 4 Joey Nieptopski So 5 Evan Rollison Fr Best Infield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Jake Koenig Sr 2 Andy Atwood Sr T3 Evan Rollison Fr T3 Kyle Peterman Fr 5 Boomer Coleman Jr Catcher POP Times Name Class Pop Times Luke Feisal So 2.09-2.22 Drew Fowler Fr 2.40-2.45 Clinton Barabas So 2.40-2.51 Tanner Davis Fr 2.57 Best BP Rounds Rank Name Class 1 Jake Koenig Sr 2 Matthew Roberts Jr 3 Patrick Langley So 4 Kyle Peterman Fr 5 Evan Rollison Fr 6 Clay Evans Sr 7 Andy Atwood Jr 8 Joey Nietopski So 9 Mark Giguere Sr 10 Luke Feisal So Pitchers Name Grade Fastball Curveball Change Jake Koenig Sr 84-85 67-70 best pitch above average high school curve 66 Clay Evans Sr 77 arm side run 60-62 slurves it pretty well 66 Matthew Roberts Jr 79-80 60-63 64-65 Livingston Moyd Sr 71-72 56-58 62 Tony Duncan Jr 76-78 60-62 62 Nathan Welch Jr 71-72 55 64 Joey Nieptopski So 72-74 61 58-60 Kyle Peterman Fr 73-75 62-63 62-65 Drew Fowler Fr 71-72 61 60 Evan Rollison Fr 74 62-63 64 Alexander Moyd Fr 72 59 60 David Maiorana Fr 67-70 58 59 Top Prospects Rank Name Class Notes 1 Jake Koenig Sr Good infielder, solid hitter. Will lead the Raiders 2 Matthew Roberts Jr Nice left-handed stroke at the plate 3 Luke Feisal Soph One of the best sophomore catchers in the state. Athletic 4 Patrick Langley Soph Another line drive hitting lefty for Greenville 5 Evan Rollison Fr Good young infielder, he is going to hit 6 Andy Atwood Sr good little player, solid infielder. 7 Joey Nietopski Soph High energy, smaller guy who plays bigger 8 Clay Evans Sr A solid high school baseball player 9 Kyle Peterman Fr Young player who can swing it a little 10 Mark Giguere Sr Hits it a little, and runs okay. .

Scout Day 2008: Belton-Honea Path Bears

By: Nick Nickles-February 5, 2008 Coach Steve Williams opened the door for DP at his fine facility in the corner of Anderson County on Tuesday night for Scout Day in conjunction with the Westside Rams. On a soft track from a soaking rain the day before, it was obvious that Coach Williams had some good athletes. B-HP turned in decent times even on this saturated outfield track that left runners with wet backs. B-HP will be led by two-way players Barrett Phillips and Matthew Moore. If the Bears can generate enough offense they could walk away with the Region 1-3A crown. 60- Times Name Class 60 Jared Jennings Fr 7.19 Tyler Lollis Jr 7.09 Parker Frost Soph 7.23 Lance Moore Soph 7.16 Barrett Phillips Sr 7.11 Jacob Chapman Soph 7.47 Cody Gambrell Sr 7.15 Jacob Tavernier Soph 6.90 Matthew Moore Jr 7.11 Jon Terbeek Jr 7.86 Jeremy Powell Jr 8.52 Austin Gambrell Fr 7.55 Dylan Ashley Soph 7.36 Brody Greer Jr 7.42 Creed Cambell Soph 7.71 Matthew Charping Fr 8.20 Cody Spence Fr 8.76 Andrew Cox 8th 7.32 Best OF Arms Rank Name Class 1 Barrett Phillips Sr 2 Cody Gambrell Sr 3 Andrew Cox 8th 4 Jacob Tavenier Soph 5 Lance Moore Soph Best Infield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Matthew Moore Jr 2 Brody Greer Jr 3 Austin Gambrell Fr 4 Spence Cody Fr 5 Parker Frost Soph Best Infield Actions Rank Name Class 1 Matthew Moore Jr 2 Brody Greer Jr 3 Spence Cody Fr 4 Austin Gambrell Fr 5 Parker Frost Soph Pitchers Name Class Fastball Breaking ball Change Barrett Phillips Sr 84-86 left wanting to see more. Plus movment tonight 72-74 Nasty 71 Matthew Moore Jr 80-81 located well with sliding action away to righties 66-68 Get me over for strikes 72 Austin Gambrell Fr 79-81 was changing planes effectively 65-68 solid None Brody Greer Jr 75-77 65-67 unusual release that yielded results 70 Jon Terbeek Jr 74-75 63-64 None Cody Gambrell Sr 75-76 keeps it down, forces contact 62-63 None Top Prospects Rank Name Class Notes T1 Matthew Moore Jr A very good athlete. May have the quickest infield actions in the state regardless of class. QB on the football team. Needs more At-Bats. Fun to watch defensively. T1 Barrett Phillips Sr Two-way player, was exceptional on the mound tonight. Unsigned senior lefty in the mid-80’s with a hook interested??? He’s available and legit. T3 Jacob Tavernier Soph Young outfielder that can run well. Has good hands at the plate. T3 Brody Greer Jr Greer is a solid player. Swings the pole a little bit and competes. He’s a guy for some one. 5 Andrew Cox 8th grade This kid looks like a junior in high school. A good comaparison would be ex-greenville raider Matt Lentz of 2007. Athletic. 6 Austin Gambrell Fr Two-way player, topped 81 on the bump. If he takes care of his wing, big velos are on the way. 7 Jared Jennings Fr Will start at catcher as a freshman and runs a 7.19. Looks very solid for a 9th grader; 8 Tyler Lollis Jr Contact hitter and he can run okay 9 Matthew Charping Fr Bat-speed was evident in his AB. 10 Cody Gambrell Sr Contact hitter that can run a little. .

Scout Day 2008: Westside Rams

By: Nick Nickles-February 5, 2008 Head Coach Barry New and his Westside Rams traveled over to Belton-Honea Path to participate in our DP Scout Day and also scrimmage the BHP Bears on a wet, but warm February 5th. Coach New’s Rams are always in the mix to make the playoffs in Region 1-4A and this year’s club doesn’t appear to be any different. The Rams will ride the back of Virginia Tech signee Andrew Rash as they look to surprise some teams returning three seniors that missed the entire 2007 season. Left-hander Cody O’Brien and third baseman Trey Ivester return from injuries and Rash in now eligible after transferring from Hanna and an All-Region performance as a sophomore in 2006. We will break down the Westside Rams 2008 squad for you by the numbers. 60 Times Name Class 60 Wilson Bishop Sr 7.98 Dylan Campbell Jr 7.15 Marshall Daniel Jr 7.36 Chez Goswell Sr 8.26 Justin Goyack Jr 7.23 Rock Harling Sr 6.93 Trey Ivester Sr 7.40 Jake Long Jr 7.34 Gabe Moon Sr 7.17 Cody O’Brien Sr 7.90 Ross Pruitt Jr 7.18 Andrew Rash Sr 6.89 Jordan Sanders N/A 7.34 Jake Saxon N/A N/A Wesley Scarborough Jr 7.74 Dylan Smith N/A 7.85 Brad Sutherland N/A N/A Dustin Salter N/A 8.51 Haden Spires Fr 7.26 Best OF Arms Rank Name Class T1 Andrew Rash Sr T1 Jake Long Jr 3 Marshall Daniel Jr 4 Wesley Scarborough Jr Best Infield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Wilson Bishop Sr 2 Dustin Salter N/A 3 Andrew Rash Sr 4 Trey Ivester Sr 5 Jake Saxon N/A Best Infield Actions Rank Name Class 1 Andrew Rash Sr 2 Jake Saxon N/A 3 Wilson Bishop Sr 4 Trey Ivester Sr 5 Dustin Salter N/A Pitchers Name Class Fastball Curveball Change Cody O’Brien Sr 77-79 Spotted on both sides 62-63 complimented fastball nicely, will get hitters out 62-64 Andrew Rash Sr 79-81 Max effort ex- catcher 67-70 slightly above average high school breaker 69 Wilson Bishop Sr 82-84 70-72 None Jake Long Jr 80-81 Max effort 69-71 None Top Prospects Rank Name Class Notes 1 Andrew Rash Sr Rash can run, he plays the game hard and hes trying to take on a leadership role in his senior year. He will be counted on heavily by this club if the Rams are gonna be successful. 2 Wison Bishop Sr Good arm and will get better. He gets hit a little but still projects well. 3 Rock Harling Sr A good athlete. Plus Outfielder. Needs more AB’s, he has some tools to hit a little. 4 Cody O’Brien Sr Can spot his fastball in and out, and can throw his breaking pitch for a strike at all times. Will cause some teams problems in 08. 5 Jake Long Jr A max-effort bulldog type closer. 6 Trey Ivester Sr Ivester is feeling the effects of coming off total reconstructive knee surgery. He was highly rated in the state rankings as a sophomore. 7 Chez Gosnell Sr A solid catcher and tough out at the plate. 8 Haden Spires Fr A young player waiting his turn. .

Scout Day 2008: Easley Greenwave

By: Nick Nickles-February 4, 2008 Coach Roger Finley welcomed DP into the city of Easley on Monday afternoon to check out his young squad on a comfortable day in Pickens County. Easley is in a rebuilding year, but the players are excited to take on a demanding 2008 schedule. There is no doubt Easley is carrying a serious weapon in their #1 pitcher Jarret Miller (right). Coaches in 4A baseball know all too well, that Miller is the kind of kid that can be a nightmare in the opening round of the playoffs for a higher seed. He is surrounded by a solid group of younger players that will not beat themselves, and should keep this young squad in a lot of baseball games this spring. We will break down the Greenwave by the numbers, and also take a glance into the future as we evaluate some of the players of tomorrow in this traditionally strong baseball school. 60 Times Name Class 60 Time Daniel Chappell Soph 7.63 Kilby Lesley Jr 7.35 Harrison Wilkins Jr 7.48 Brandon Smith Jr 7.43 Josh Hutto Sr 7.22 Davis Simpson Sr 7.41 Gil Vaughn Jr 7.43 Sammy Nix Soph 8.59 Jarret Miller Sr 7.31 Austin Cornatzer Jr 7.84 Connor Edwards Fr 7.50 Josh Westmoreland Fr 7.84 Mitch English Soph 8.10 Joey Pankake Fr 7.59 Mitch Bopp Fr 8.10 Dustin Thomas Soph 8.03 Catchers Pop Times Name Class Pop Times Mitchell English Soph 2.12-2.22 Connor Edwards Fr 2.21-2.34 Mitch Bopp Fr 2.34-2.48 Top OF Arms Rank Name Class 1 Jarret Miller Sr T2 Harrison Wilkins Jr T2 Josh Hutto Sr 4 Gil Vaughn Sr 5 Brandon Smith Soph Top Infield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Joey Pankake Fr 2 Kilby Lesley Jr 3 Harrison Wilkins Jr 4 Brandon Smith Jr 5 Dustin Thomas Jr Best Infield Actions Rank Name Class 1 Joey Pankake Fr 2 Brandon Smith Soph 3 Kilby Lesley Jr Top BP Round Rank Name Class 1 Josh Hutto Sr 2 Gil Vaughn Sr 3 Mitchell English Soph 4 Dustin Thomas Jr 5 Harrison Wilkins Jr 6 Joey Pankake Fr 7 Kilby Lesley Jr 8 Brandon Smith Soph 9 Jarret Miller Sr 10 Josh Westmoreland Fr Pitchers Name Grade Fastball Curveball Change up Jarret Miller Sr 85-86 Late Burst 70 late breaking 74 Kilby Lesley Jr 78-80 High slot, slight movement 66 graded above average, broke hard down and away to righties 70 running down and away to right handers Sammy Nix Soph 73-74 62-63 59 Brandon Smith Soph 74-77 with some running action. 66 64 Austin Corantzer Jr 70-71 64-65 65-67 Daniel Chappell Soph 78-79 Down hill 64-65 slightly above average 68 changed planes nicely Note: Velocity readings were recorded with a Stalker radar gun. Top Prospects Rank Name Class Notes 1 Joey Pankake Fr A very solid ballplayer. His best attribute may be his bat-speed and knack for squaring up baseballs. Recorded hits last season against two draft picks in the ’07 class as an eighth grader. 2 Jarret Miller Sr A good arm, and proven winner. The senior lost two games this summer and fall combined. One of those losses came at the hands of Spartanburg Methodist Junior College who is ranked #4 in the nation to start the season. 3 Daniel Chappell Soph 6’4" righty who controlled all 3 pitches. He’s a jump away from being a good pitcher. 4 Brandon Smith Soph Competes and is a scrapper. Left-handed pitcher and left handed hitter. 5 Gil Vaughn Sr Smaller schools may want to take note. Has ability to make All-Conference in the outfield 6 Josh Westmoreland Fr A freshman with a good arm and good body. Needs more mound time. 7 Kilby Lesley Jr Can pitch a little bit when he mixes it up. 8 Harrison Wilkins Jr Plays the game very hard and has a great attitude that you can see when he plays. 9 Connor Edwards Fr His tools are evident as a freshman T10 Josh Hutto Sr A raw player who needs to play more baseball T10 Mitchell English Soph .

Spring Preview: Blue Ridge Tigers

By: Steve Goodwin-February 4, 2008 After losing five starters from the District 1 Runner-up Team of 2007, the Blue Ridge Tigers will be looking to fill some key positions. After a 3-6 start in the conference, the Tigers went 4-1 over the last five games to earn the final seed in the AAA playoffs. Blue Ridge finished 15-14 and we… 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

Spring Preview: Byrnes Rebels

By: Chris Carter-February 4, 2008 2007 was a great year for our baseball program at Byrnes. We finished 8-4 in our region, which landed us in second place. One of the highlights was winning the Upstate Classic tournament during spring break. In the playoffs, we played three extra inning games that were a 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.

Scout Day 2008: JL Mann Patriots

By: Nick Nickles-January 31, 2008 DP rolled into JL Mann on Thursday afternoon to conduct its first scout day in brutal conditions in the Upstate. The temperatures were in the mid-40’s, winds 10-15 mph with on and off rain showers. Anything else wouldn’t be February High School baseball in the Palmetto State! Despite these conditions, Paul Nitto put on a rocket show during batting practice and Coach Brian Simpson unveiled his four-star class of talented freshmen that includes the sweet-swinging freshman Matt Peden. Coach Simpson will have a talented team to do battle with in the most powerful region in 3A baseball, and they could surprise many this season. Mann’s season will ride heavily on pitching coach Will Cheatham’s staff led by junior Emilio Pagan. If the other Patriot arms can pull some weight, Mann could be a very dangerous team in 2008. 60 Times Name Class 60 Time Jake Andrews Sr. 7.19 Scott McAbee Sr. 7.59 Kellen Moman Sr. – Trey Paul Sr. 7.62 Spencer Bishop Jr. 7.74 Travis Greig Jr. 7.78 Paul Nitto Jr. 7.65 Emilio Pagan Jr. 7.41 Torrey Peden Jr. 7.84 Chris Saindon Jr. 8.12 Brent Vogel Jr. 7.79 Chad Almonte Soph. 7.74 Jermemy Camp Soph. 7.82 Justin Charles Soph. 7.62 David Donald Soph. – Garrison Gray Soph. 7.5 Ross Holmes Soph. 7.72 Ward Jones Soph. 7.91 Robert Landers Soph. 8.10 Michael Lewis Soph. 8.19 Braden Roth Soph. 7.49 Cameron Saindon Soph. 8.12 Michael Thompson Soph. 8.09 Brandon Adams Fr. 7.91 Scott Bailey Fr. 8.28 J.R. Black Fr. 7.34 Jordan Esposito Fr. 8.00 Brett Fisher Fr. 8.34 Christian Haasis Fr. – Brady Hegwood Fr. 7.32 Will Hunnicutt Fr. 7.90 Justin Martin Fr. 8.19 Michael Mitchem Fr. – Reid Moman Fr. 7.62 Matt Peden Fr. 7.15 Bo Thompson Fr. 7.53 Will Vaughn Fr. 8.81 Matt Wright Fr. 9.66 Catcher’s Pop Times Name Class Pop Times Paul Nitto Jr. 2.09-2.22 Ward Jones Soph. 2.22-2.25 Brett Fisher Fr. 2.27-2.44 Bo Thompson Fr. 2.22-2.44 Top OF Arms Rank Name Class 1 Kellen Moman Sr. 2 Brent Vogel Jr. 3 Braden Roth Soph. 4 Jake Andrews Sr. T5 Brady Hegwood Fr. T5 Brandon Adams Fr. Top Infield Arms Rank Name Class 1 Emilio Pagan Jr. 2 Robert Landers Soph. 3 Braden Roth Soph. 4 Brent Vogel Jr. 5 Matt Peden Fr. Best Infield Actions Rank Name Class 1 Emilio Pagan Jr. 2 Braden Roth Soph. 3 Chris Saindon Jr. 4 Matt Peden Fr. 5 Brent Vogel Jr. Top BP Rounds Rank Name Class 1 Paul Nitto Jr. 2 Kellen Moman Sr. 3 Justin Charles Soph. 4 Scott McAbee Sr. 5 Brandon Adams Fr. 6 Emilio Pagan Jr. 7 Ward Jones Soph. 8 Bo Thompson Fr. 9 Brady Hegwood Fr. 10 Braden Roth Soph. Top Prospects Rank Name Class Scout Notes 1 Matt Peden Fr. It doesnt take long to realize this kid can be exceptional. Fastest 60 time on the day. A beautiful swing. A Richie Shaffer comparison is not far-fetched. 2 Emilio Pagan Jr. Keeps getting better on the mound, will need to have a good offensive campaign for his club to achieve big things. 3 Paul Nitto Jr. Making strides at the plate. Has all the tools to be a great catcher. He has to perform now. Hit balls in BP that went out of sight. 4 Justin Charles Soph. A hard-nosed player. He has a chance to make some noise in Region 2-AAA off the bump as a LHP. Charles is also a legit switch hitter. 5 Kellen Moman Sr. He has some tools. A little juice and a good arm from the OF. Can help on the mound if he throws enough strikes. 6 J.R. Black Fr. Draws physical comparisons to Greenville native, and former USC first-rounder Matt Campbell. 7 Robert Landers Jr. Crafty Lefty 8 Braden Roth Soph. A move to the infield is imminent. If he can make strides at the plate, expect a rise in the state player rankings as well. 9 Brandon Adams Fr. Does everything slightly above average as a freshman. Another good young player. 10 Brady Hegwood Fr. A high energy player with a little pop. 11 Reid Moman Fr. Left handed contact hitter. Projects as the future lead-off or #2 hole hitter. 12 Brent Vogal Jr. Needs to put more time in the game. A raw player with some tools at this point. Pitchers * Conditions became nasty as the tempertures dropped below 40 with wind driving rain from right to left during bullpens. Pitchers threw a couple of pitches each. * Fastballs only on quickly worsening wet mound, and some guys did not throw because of rain. Name Class MPH Kellen Moman Sr. 82-83 Emilio Pagan Jr. 82-84 Scott McAbee Sr. 77-79 Spencer Bishop Jr. 72-73 Brent Vogel Jr. 73-75 Justin Charles Soph 74-75 Garrison Gray Soph 76-68 Ross Holmes Soph 75 .