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-SC Mets-

 -Prospect Info: Pirates (SC 14’s)- Top Performer Grant Holmes – Conway HS, Uncommitted, RHP/OF: Holmes is making strides in his baseball career. From the bump this weekend he sat 90-91 MPH and showcased the ability to throw multiple of pitches. In his arsenal he will show a slider (79-83), curveball (74-77), changeup (82-84), and a sinker (84-86). His slider and curveball has the tendency to mix together which needs to be addressed or he needs to pick one or the other in efforts of perfecting. He has been up to 94 MPH with the fastball and looks to be a mid-90’s guy once it is all said and done. Focusing on location and learning to use his pitches is going to be the next challenge if he wants to be labeled a starter. If wanting to be labeled a power relief guy, I would recommend mastering a power breaking ball that is filthy to complement his mid-90’s fastball first; then moving on to a changeup. Having two dominate pitches is better than having 3-5 average ones. I believe he is a power slider guy and, if figured out, and meshed with a located fastball, he slates high in the 2014 MLB draft class. Holmes also has the ability to swing the stick with occasional pop and plays a solid outfield. He drove in two on day one with his line drive single over first base off a lefty. His future lies on the mound at the next level and putting major focus on refining what he possesses now only assists with where he slots nationwide. Solid all-around showing this weekend. Rising Stock Jared Williams – Gilbert HS, USC commit, 2B: Probably the biggest turnaround of any junior in the state of South Carolina over a nine month span I have witnessed. Williams has gotten bigger, faster, and stronger not to mention his all-around game has made tremendous strides. Williams’ infield actions are not cosmetic but his baseball IQ projects him high as his career moves forward. He dropped down a drag bunt on day two that was unexpected and no third baseman would have made a play on it. Would like to see him slightly quicker (4.50 down line), more athletic, and increased arm strength but when you talk about kids that are not only going to be great college baseball players but successful in life, Williams’ name is somewhere on the top of that list. Seth Wall – Georgetown HS, Uncommitted, C:  Wall is taking healthier, more aggressive hacks at the plate than seen previously. He has also stepped up his tempo which has translated over to his game well. Bat-speed is better and power has increased. Receiving the baseball and blocking are issues that need to be addressed as well as decreasing his pop times (2.05-2.15). These three aspects are very important in becoming a catcher at the next level and are a must have. Popping up in the spring and proving you have put work in those areas could give him the edge he needs.   Thomas Durant – Chapin HS, Uncommitted, LHP: Another kid that has made a big jump post high school season. Durant is a young developing, wiry framed lefty that throws from a low ¾ slot and can also drop down to a sweeping sidearmer. Fastball will range from 80-83 MPH, slider at 68-70 MPH, and his changeup (best pitch) at 72-74 MPH. Continuing to learn how to manipulate what comes out of his hand while making it look deceiving helps his cause. Putting some meat on his bones while staying flexible does also. Locating the fastball was an issue today at times simply due to him throwing across the body. Got to dominate left-handed hitters! Delivery and arm action are clean and velocity jump isn’t far away. Trace Witt – Boiling Springs HS, Uncommitted, SS/3B/RHP: Witt is a duel athlete for his high school as he plays linebacker on Friday nights. Having the ability to jump onto this stage and showcase well speaks highly for the uncommitted junior. The game seems to go in slow motion (complement) for him and being solid in all areas is a standard. He isn’t a guy whose tools are going to jump out at you but you can count on what guy steps on the field day after day. Bat has level path to it as he possesses the ability to hit to all sides of the field. Witt has also been clocked up to 86 MPH on the bump. He seems like a gamer and hard-nosed, level-headed ballplayer. Once 100% focus is directed towards baseball, we might see even more jumps before his high school career is over.      Upside Guys Tucker Moring – First Baptist HS, C of C commit, RHP: 87-89 MPH guy that has the delivery and arm action to become a hard thrower as career progresses. He struggled with his fastball command tonight as he spiked about eight of them but body checks out, free flowing delivery checks out, and clean arm does as well. Only saw one slider (75 MPH) but it was tight considering he got on the side of it. Working on simply locating the fastball on both sides of the plate would be highly recommended. Moving on to secondary stuff falls shortly afterwards. Learn to put it in the zone then expand from there. Adam Renwick – Dorman HS, Clemson commit, SS/3B/OF: Renwick took an impressive round of BP on Saturday that possessed above average bat-speed and pop. He is fundamentally sound and plays the game with poise. His 6-1/170 frame is what projects him at the next level. He will hit not only for average but power as well. The question will be, depending on how his body develops, where he plays in the field. His arm has a hitch in it from shortstop right now but is athletic ability might keep him there. If size gets near the 200 lb mark, third base or leftfield might …

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-Prospect Info: Mets (SC 13’s)- Top Performers Cory Thompson – Mauldin HS, USC commit, RHP/SS: Solid weekend showing for the easy going Thompson. We have had the enjoyment of watching him progress over the past three years and look forward to seeing how his career pans out. One thing is for sure… Thompson has ability that only a select few have. He ran it up to 92 MPH (sat 90-91) today while snapping off a 77-79 MPH hammer and a 83-84 MPH changeup at times. His flowing delivery and quick arm makes 90+ MPH look easy. Once lower body explosion is implemented, mid-90’s will follow shortly after. There is 93-95 MPH in him right now; he just doesn’t know it. Another aspect Thompson embarks on is his athletic ability. His actions are smooth, confident, and under control. Range is plus as he proved with is over-the-shoulder catch down the RF line in foul territory on day one. If he has an ‘Achilles heel’ it would be at the dish but still well above your average high school hitter. He possesses bat speed and solid pitch reconization. Thompson smoked a two-RBI double down third base in Day 1 and guided a single on Day 2 by virtue of staying through the ball away. This will be a busy winter and spring leading up to the MLB draft in June. The question is what happens when he gets to the next level and is challenged? Does he stay content or does he separate himself from others as he moves up like he is capable of. A scout made a good comparison this weekend… Tom Gordon out of the bullpen.    Hayden McCutcheon – Greenwood HS, C of C commit, RHP: What a year for McCutcheon. We see kids make jumps and we see kids level out as their high school career progresses. McCutcheon has made a couple of jumps in a nine month span which slates him high in the 2013 class of arms. He has starting pitcher’s attributes from his delivery to what comes out of the hand. Fastball will sit 86-87 MPH and his 78-81 MPH slider slates up there with tops in the state. His innings this weekend were clean and clock work. He attacks hitters with three pitches and camps out at the knees at all times. You will see McCutcheon successful at the college level and a promising pro career awaits him if hard work and health continues. Rising Stock Cody Smith – Lexington HS, SMC commit, MIF/3B: Really proud how Smith has bounced back from a tough year. It tells you a lot about his maturity as a 17-18 year old kid. He looks more polished in the field and approaches at the plate have made drastic leaps. Body has filled out like we hoped it would and the game has seemed to slow down in all areas, which is a compliment. Nice showing this weekend. Babe Thomas – Wando HS, Winthrop commit, C/OF/3B: From 4A football on Friday, to traveling overnight, to gearing up on Saturday morning to block upper-80 to low-90 MPH heaters. This should tell you what you want to know about this kids drive. He racks brains from the linebacker position during the weeks and comes out and performs cleanly on the weekends like he has been playing all fall. Flicking the switch isn’t easy and taking it all in stride while staying sane is impressive. Thomas had solid plate appearances all weekend where he recorded two hits and an RBI. Pop times ranged from 1.96-2.06 and being a wall is a standard for him. Not sure he stays behind the plate at the next level due to his versatility but Winthrop can count on a hard-nosed freshman come August. We can only dream on how big of a jump he makes once 100% focus is geared towards baseball. Tyler Thornton – Wade Hampton HS, C of C commit, RHP/1B: Thornton banged out the SAT on Saturday restricting him from coming on Day 1 but came out on Sunday and took a good round of powerful BP and hurled in 86-88 fastball’s in his two innings. There are still mechanical issues to be sorted out and finding a consistent secondary pitch is a need but he has the opportunity to turn into a power donkey pitcher at the next level. I am also going to “now” even throw in the option of becoming a power lefty hitter as well. There were a ton of holes in his swing in the spring but he looks to have filled them in with balance that results in tremendous juice. Continuing to log in tons of hours in both areas might set him up for competing for a duel spot at the school he is committed to. Not too many players get that opportunity. Josh Reagan – Lexington HS, LHP: Crafty lefty that has a great fill for the zone and his off-speed. Pitchability is what sets him apart but hard work will get him where he wants to be. Not crazy about his delivery and I believe there is minor work to be done. Repeating his mid-¾ slot is where the ball seems to be natural out of the hand as you can see on his velocities. He’ll sit at 79-82 MPH with a more direct flight with late arm side life. The southpaw can add and subtract with the best of them. Legit command of three pitches. He drops down a notch at times versus LHH, ala Michael Roth, though the slot is not as low as a Roth; but the angle tends to be lower than versus RHH. Reagan attacks the mitt. Count, hitter, lineup, situation… None plays into what he does. Reagan avoids the barrel, period.   Upside Guys Glenn Batson – Greenville HS, Clemson commit, 3B/1B: Fresh off labrum surgery, Batson has been cleared to swing the lumber this fall. He and another guy on this team possess the three ‘P’s”… …

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By: Barry Mabry – November 4, 2012 -Pirates (SC 14’s) vs Rays (NC 14’s)- Manager Sean Heffernan turned to Clemson commit lefty Charlie Barnes (right) in efforts of going undefeated in this year’s Border Battle. Barnes went scoreless in his two innings of work before handing things over to Alex Eubanks who got touched up for two runs off a single and a double in the third. The Rays, with a 2-0 lead, kept running out legit arm after legit arm to keep Pirates’ bats quiet (three hits on the night). Eubanks went scoreless in the fourth and gave way to C of C commit Tucker Moring who struggled to locate his fastball allowing another runner to plate making it 3-0. The Pirates tied the game in the top of the sixth. USC’s Jared Williams led the inning off with a drag bunt down third base line. Two batters later an E6 plated a run for the Pirates. A walk was drawn by Phillip Watcher and O’Kevius Conway reached on an infield single with two outs bringing Grant Holmes to the plate. Holmes hit a three-hopper to the third baseman that skipped between his legs for an error and tying the game at three apiece. LT Tolbert would fly out ending the inning. Blake Peterson took over for Moring and ran into some misfortune. An error led the inning off which resulted in a single that plated the go ahead run. An infield single the next at-bat was followed by an E2 on a back-pick to second base resulting in another run. The Pirates were down 5-3 going into the top half of the seventh. Brandon Justice was drilled to lead off the inning and Robert Jolly drew a walk. An error on the Rays catcher on a back-pick set up runners on second and third with no outs. Trace Witt came through with a sac-fly to right but the Rays pitched out of the jam only allowing that run to score. Winthrop’s Carson Gregory came in the bottom half and went scoreless ending this game with the Rays holding off the Pirates 5-4. Final Score: NC Rays 5 SC Pirates 4; LP: Blake Peterson

-SC Pirates-

By: Barry Mabry – November 3, 2012 -Pirates (SC 14’s) vs Cardinals (Mid-Atlantic 14’s)- Grant Holmes (right) received the nod for the Pirates and came out of the gate strong with an arsenal of pitches. He threw up a quick zero in top of the first and his offense gave the South Carolina juniors a four run cushion in the bottom half as Holmes would help his own cause. KiJana Madden drew a leadoff walk and USC’s Jared Williams reached on an error. Clemson’s Adam Renwick got the Pirates on the board with his oppo-double and Citadel’s Phillip Watcher made it a 2-0 game with his fielder’s choice to second. A walk was issued to USC’s O’Kevius Conway to load the bases once again and Holmes delivered a two-RBI single over the first baseman’s head helping his own cause. The inning was ‘rolled over’ with one out and Pirates up 4-0. Holmes was light’s out in his second inning as he gave way to Thomas Durant in the third. Durant surrendered an infield single and drilled the next hitter. He then punched out the next two before allowing a run to cross on a passed ball. The Pirates got that run back in the bottom half which was led by USC’s KJ Bryant’s leadoff triple. A wild pitch followed making it a 5-1 game. Durant allowed another runner to plate in the fourth frame. After giving up a single and a double with one out, a wild pitch made it a 5-2 affair. The Pirates bounced right back in the bottom half and pushed the lead back to four once again on a passed ball. C of C commit Linc Powell relieved Durant of his duties in the top of the fifth and allowed the Cardinals to get back to a three run game. After surrendering a triple, a wild pitch allowed the runner to score. The Pirates, staying consistent, moved it back once again to a four run lead in the bottom half. Robert Jolly reached on an error and scored on a fielder’s choice to second by Trace Witt giving us a 7-3 ballgame. USC’s and 2015 LT Tolbert relieved Powell in the sixth and threw up a zero after running into some trouble. The Pirates went scoreless in the bottom half as well and Brandon Justice took over for Tolbert in the seventh. Justice struggled to throw strikes (walking four straight) which resulted over to three runs pulling the Cardinals within a run. The inning was ‘rolled over’ which sealed the deal for the Pirates giving them a 7-6 victory. Final Score: Pirates 7 Cardinals 6; WP: Grant Holmes; 3B: Trace Witt, KJ Bryant 2B: Adam Renwick      

By: Barry Mabry – November 3, 2012 -Mets (SC 13’s) vs Red Sox (NC 13’s)- The Mets sent C of C commit Hayden McCutcheon (right) to the bump against a potent Red Sox lineup to kick-off the 2012 Border Battle. McCutcheon breezed through his two innings of work without allowing a hit. Clemson commit Eli White led off the second inning with a backside double but was caught stealing later in the inning. Both teams were held scoreless through two. Georgia commit Michael Carpin relieved McCutcheon of his duties in the third. A lead-off single resulted in an RBI fielder’s choice putting the Red Sox up 1-0. The Mets were set down in order through the third and fourth frames and Carpin turned a clutch 1-6-3 double play to get out of the fourth scoreless. The Mets took a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth producing runs with two outs. After Clemson’s Glenn Batson and South Carolina’s Tray Roberts were plunked, USC commit Cory Thompson (left) smoked a two-RBI double past the third basemen putting his club up 2-1. Winthrop commit Babe Thomas drove Thompson in the very next at-bat with his opposite field single giving the Mets a 3-1 lead. C of C commit Caleb Lupton came in for Carpin in the fifth and an E9 and a stolen base set up an RBI fielder’s choice for the Red Sox pulling them within one. Lupton punched out the next hitter and got a F9 to get out of the jam. He ran into another jam in the sixth after a single and walk but got a groundout to short and an F8 to get out of it. Lupton handed his duties over to Thompson for the save in the seventh, and that is what he did blowing 90-92 MPH fastballs and hammering in a 77-79 MPH wrinkle to seal the deal. Final Score: SC Mets 3 NC Red Sox 2; WP: Caleb Lupton, SV: Cory Thompson; 2B: White, Thompson     

South Atlantic Border Battle: The Fourth Annual South Atlantic Border Battle landed back in North Carolina for the 2012 version of showcasing top talent from the Palmetto State up to the Mid-Atlantic Region. Burlington Athletic Stadium was the home of this year’s event and they were a tremendous host to rosters that had college commitments and professional prospects lining the scoutbooks, toeing the rubber and running the bases… For more, click here. Scores / Border Battle Website