By: Austin Alexander – November 2, 2024 Perfect baseball weather shines on new names Other than a mid-Fall storm that rolled through and rocked parts of our state, most of the past two months have given us clear skies and dry land to play baseball on. Saturday at River Bluff High School was no different as we were able to be at the ballpark for ten hours and never got warm or chilly, plus the radar was never a threat either, a very rare occasion when a DP event went off without a weather hiccup, it was nice to simply execute our gameplan! We deployed a little different schedule than in the past as longtime college coach Stuart Lake (26 years in Division I, 13 in SEC) presided over the participants and their parents when he conducted Recruiting 101 before any baseball activities began. From there each player ran the 60, performed in a defensive workout, took batting practice on the field then bullpens wrapped up the session before games cranked up. Each 8-inning contest was played with every pitcher facing four hitters per frame giving all arms a chance to go from the mound and most players to get 3 AB’s. As explained to the players, this ‘open’ event allows them to get viewed by college coaches but also serves as a huge tool for the DP evaluation process. It allows players to be locked in on for preseason rankings, gives us a better understanding of which teams we want to emphasize seeing in the spring and also serves as an opportunity to punch a ticket to DP’s “Grand Daddy of Them All”, The Palmetto Games – quite a few participants took advantage of the opportunity! Though we took in well over 150 games this fall and will see more in the spring, we are bound to miss a player or two and this event ensures the players have their “moment in the sun”. The Fall Showcase encompasses 60’s, defensive workouts, BP, bullpens and a game setting that allows players to display all that is in their toolbox. Some of the keynote performances in the workout portions all came from uncommitted players. A top 60 time of 6.89 was turned in by Spring Valley 2026 Brady Evans (pictured right)…Two arms eclipsed the 88 MPH mark: Jad Bennefield (Midland Valley, 2026, pictured at top) and Reider Carlson (Lexington, 2027)…From the infield, Jaxon Johnson (Summerville, 2026) fired 82 MPH across the dirt…Nathan Caldwell (Lexington, 2025) posted a pop time of 2.03 edging out three others who chimed in at 2.07 or better…Amare Counts (Blythewood, 2026) struck the top exit velocity – a 96 MPH…North Augusta 2028 Jordan Scott (pictured left) may have been the youngest in attendance but worked at 83-84 MPH while hitting the only homerun in a game! Enjoy the info below as we unpack a full 7.5 hours of action! Event Data / Top Prospects: Classes of 2025-2028 / Player Accolades / Trackman Data: Pitching & Hitting Extra Innings Mark Bonnette & River Bluff Staff: River Bluff HS provided us with a top-notch facility to run the Fall Showcase…again! We thank the RB coaching staff for their support of DP and allowing us to use this field all these years! Bart-a-thon victory: Many in the baseball community know Bart Owens and are aware of his recent cancer diagnosis. A group of fine folks were conducting a fundraiser for Bart and the Owens family (left) across town at the Ballpark Road complex. Fortunately, we were able to participate by ordering our staff and college coaches lunch from them which were hand-delivered right on time and delicious. And more importantly, as prayers continue for his cancer treatment, $11,000 was raised to help with the cost that come with his cancer fight. DP would like to fist bump Becky Miller and her staff for stepping up and meeting a need. #BartStrong… If you would like to help, click here. Taylor Purrus & Diamond Elite: Moving forward, Trackman data will be available to our staff from Taylor and the guys at Diamond Elite. Adding this tool is huge for our players in the state and the data is key for college coaches, Taylor did a great job jumping right into the fire and the event didn’t miss a beat! JJ Joye: When you come to a DP event, the music never misses a beat either and this is because of USC Salkehatchie’s head man! The tunes never disappoint and are always right on cue. You know you have arrived when you have your own logo! Thanks coach! College Coaches: Right after a long season and recruiting grind, several schools were present to evaluate players going into the summer season. We cannot thank these guys enough for trusting DP to be a resource in identifying prep talent in our state! DP Staff: As always, these guys never disappoint. Though down a few folks due to prior commitments, it’s doubtful that anyone in attendance noticed us missing a beat. Thanks to the hard work of our usual staff members and valuable rookie John Gilreath, another successful DP event was logged into the books. Without a doubt, I would put this team of winners against anyone in the biz!