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Alabama Rising Stars Games: Quick Hits

September 1, 2026
Prep Baseball Alabama Staff

NORTHPORT, AL - The inaugural Alabama Rising Stars Games brought together a talented collection of prospects from the 2031-2032 classes for a full workout and game play at River Run Park. With many of these players still in the early stages of their development, the event provided our staff an opportunity to get an extended look at some of the state's top young talent while identifying several names to follow closely over the next few years.

Our staff was on hand throughout the event, collecting verified data and evaluating each player during the workout and game action. Below, we take a closer look at several prospects who stood out with scouting notes and takeaways from the event.

C William 'Liam' Kurz, Hoover (AL), 2031
Kurz continues to establish himself as one of the top players in Alabama’s young 2031 class, showing an advanced skill set on both sides of the ball. The 5-foot-9, 140-pound catcher has a solid frame with plenty of strength still to come and already possesses a strong foundation offensively. He works with a controlled load and stays short to contact, producing an easy, connected swing with consistent two-handed finishes and a knack for staying on the barrel. Kurz posted an 89.8 mph exit velocity and showed equally advanced ability behind the plate, receiving well with clean catch-and-throw actions and pop times ranging from 2.11-2.18 seconds. There’s a real chance for the hit and catch tools to develop into carrying traits as he matures.

SS Holt Blount, Tuscaloosa County (AL), 2031
Blount stood out as one of the more physically advanced prospects in attendance, already possessing notable strength for a player his age. The 6-foot, 175-pound shortstop features a strong frame with a physical lower half and brings some present strength to the barrel from the left side. He utilizes a simple toe-tap load and showed a mature middle-of-the-field approach throughout his round, producing consistent firm contact with an 89.3 mph exit velocity. There should be more power to tap into as he continues to develop offensively and learns to utilize the strength already present in the frame.

SS Jean-Garry Olivier III, Gardendale (AL), 2031
Olivier showed an intriguing offensive foundation as a switch-hitting shortstop with an athletic 5-foot-9, 160-pound frame. He produced the more consistent round from the right side but showed quality swing traits from both boxes, working with relaxed actions and a repeatable operation. Olivier stays short to contact with a knob-led path and creates an easy swing without requiring much intent, yet still showed some present strength off the barrel. He reached an 85.3 mph exit velocity during BP with plenty of room for the offensive profile to continue developing as he matures.

OF Ryan Ardovino, Helena (AL), 2031
Ardovino turned in one of the louder rounds of BP at the event, showing impressive impact when squared. The 5-foot-9, 145-pound outfielder has an athletic frame with present twitch and bat speed. Quiet setup with minimal pre-pitch movement before rotating hard through contact, creating good whip to the barrel. The ball jumped when he connected, reaching a 96.1 mph exit velocity during his round.

SS Carrington Foster, Thompson (AL), 2031
Foster showed a solid all-around foundation as a switch-hitting shortstop with plenty of physical development still ahead. He has a smaller, athletic frame at present, but already possesses the skills to build on as he continues to mature. Showed good contact ability from both sides of the plate with a line-drive approach, consistently finding the barrel during BP. Foster carried that into game action with quality swings and collected a hit during the game.

SS/RHP Brayden O'Bryant, Northridge (AL), 2031
O'Bryant has a projectable 5-foot-8, 130-pound frame with long, lean levers and plenty of physical development still ahead. Shows a sound fundamental swing with athleticism present in the operation, controlling the barrel well through the zone. Worked primarily with a line-drive approach during BP and showed the ability to consistently produce quality contact. Posted an 86.0 mph exit velocity with more impact to come as he adds strength to the frame.

OF Levi Larson, Homewood (AL), 2031
Larson showed impressive pull-side impact during his round of BP. The 5-foot-9, 146-pound outfielder swings with intent and looks to drive the baseball into the gap. He uses the lower half well and stays into the back leg to generate strength through contact. The barrel works on a physical uphill path geared for lift. Larson led the event with a 97.0 mph exit velocity.

C Noah Holifield, Bibb County (AL), 2032
Holifield was one of the younger players in attendance and showed a quality left-handed swing throughout his round. The 2032 catcher has a repeatable stroke for his age with several sound components already in place. He stays grounded and sits into the backside well before creating leverage through contact. Showed consistent pull-side line-drive contact during BP with plenty to build on as he continues to develop physically.

UPCOMING SHOWCASES ⤵️

SHOWCASE DATE LOCATION
Central Alabama Fall ID September 13, 2026 Lee-Scott Academy
North Alabama Fall ID October 4, 2026 Huntsville High School
South Alabama Fall ID October 11, 2026 Orange Beach Sportsplex
Alabama Fall Games October 18, 2026 Northridge High School
Birmingham Fall ID November 1, 2026 Pelham High School

 

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS ⤵️

TOURNAMENT DATE LOCATION AGES
Kickin' it on the River (Sat. Only) September 12, 2026 River Run Park 9U-14U
River Run Fall Classic September 12-13, 2026 River Run Park 13U-18U
Kickin' it on the River (Sun. Only) September 13, 2026 River Run Park 9U-12U
Chelsea Fall Classic (Sun. Only) September 20, 2026 Chelsea Sports Complex 9U-14U
PlayMaker Championship (Sun. Only) September 20, 2026 River Run Park 9U-16U

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