Fall Campus Tour: Georgia Southern - Quick Hits

Thu November 10, 2022
Phil Kerber & Justin Goetz
PBR Georgia Staff

PBR Georgia hit the road for its second stop on the Fall Campus Tour on Sunday, October 30th at J.I Clements Stadium on the campus of Georgia Southern. This event featured around 25 prospects from the 2023-2026 classes. Prospects participated in a pro-style workout that included the 60 yard dash, batting practice in and out, and pitcher bullpens.

We began the post event analysis last week with a look at the traditional stats collected in our "Stats Story". Today, we are going to reveal our staff's initial thoughts and reactions from the event, in particular, prospects that caught their eye. Yet to come is deeper dive into the advanced analytics as well. But for the time being, check out a eight standout prospects.

Kentucky Natives

MIF/CF Calvin Johnson (Frederick Douglass, KY, 2025) continued to carry his momentum from the PBR 15U National Championship, where he had the most XBH in the entire tourney. Calvin turned in a 35 inch vertical jump and 6.77 60 yd dash, showing elite athleticism. He’s also one of the strongest players in the country pound for pound, with a 335 lb squat & 185 lb bench press at 134 pounds of bodyweight! Defensively, he showed a much stronger arm than in years past in the upper 70’s. His OF throws had carry and accuracy, and the IF throws were more of the same. Calvin uses his elite instincts, soft hands, quick exchange and vast range to play up his arm at SS. His swing is extremely advanced mechanically, with a different level of hand-eye & body control. He’s blessed with incredibly quick hands and a dynamic, knob led path that produces pop to all fields. 2nd best rotational acceleration at the event. This one is garnering high level D1 interest currently.


1B/3B Reed Beatty (Paul Laurence Dunbar, KY, 2025) is a large framed athlete with broad shoulders and present strength but far from filling out. He has a simplified and powerful swing that creates plenty of force from the ground up, giving him the 3rd best exit velocity of the event at 90.5 mph. Beatty has very well timed separation and stays balanced with a still head throughout the swing. He catches the ball on his barrel consistently out in front of the plate, showing gap to gap pop and plenty of developing raw power.

Intriguing Underclassmen

OF/RHP Jackson Sammons (Savannah Country Day, 2025) the high waisted, long levered athlete had an eye opening performance at Georgia Southern. His first PBR event was well worth it, as we are very excited about his overall skill set and it will undoubtedly benefit his interest from college programs soon. Unknown before this event, he showed an impressive blend of tools and intangibles. Sammons turned in a 32 inch vertical jump on swift, and a 7.2 60 yd dash. At 6 foot 1, 160 pounds, he has long effortless strides and will get much faster as he fills out his frame. Defensively, he positions himself, shows impressive range for his age, and sat 85-86 on his OF throws. At the plate, he’s got advanced swing mechanics that are well sequenced, with a still head & body control. Lower half pace, weight distribution, hip clearance in stride are near perfect. Elite timing+stretch in hip/shoulder separation lends him bat speed well before his physical ceiling. On the mound he was nearly just as impressive, with a smooth, explosive delivery. Gut feel he’s going to blow up as he fills into 6’1 160 frame, and I don’t think he’s done growing. Love ease of operation, big time hip/shoulder separation. True arm speed. The FB sat in the 83-86 range with true ride at 2500 rpm. The CB showed potential at 70-71.

OF/RHP Holden Hayes Jr. (Benedictine, 2026) is a projectable 6-foot-2, 180-pounds with lean strength throughout his high-waisted and lanky frame. The approach at the plate is simple, and the results are loud. Standing with a wider base, he showed great timing during batting practice, getting his stride and load synced up and landing into a power position consistently. Hayes possesses advanced hand speed (26.2 per Blast), and aggressively whips the barrel through the zone with extension, resulting in driven contact gap-to-gap. The power potential is evident, and as he continues to grow into his frame, look for the offensive numbers to take off.

C Taylor Maciaszek (Greenbrier, 2025) physically stood out at the event. A broad and strong 5-foot-10, 186-pounds, there was no shortage of strength packed into his frame. The right-handed hitter has a somewhat unorthodox setup. He has a wider base, and utilizes no stride, simply rocking his weight onto his back-side and then exploding through contact with his lower half. The present hand and bat speed is obvious, but what really stood out was the feel for the barrel. Maciaszek consistently got on plane with a level barrel path and was able to back spin several long, driven fly balls. He is more than just a hitter as well. The backstop recorded pop times between 1.97-2.12 while clocking in at 75 mph.

3B/OF Sam Renshaw (Calvary Day, 2025) is an intriguing athlete at 6-foot-1, 165-pounds, running a 7.17 60 yard dash. He showed versatility throughout the workout, looking just as comfortable on the left-side of the infield as he did in the outfield. No question surrounding his arm strength, 79 across the infield and 84 from the outfield, when it comes to his long term profile. Offensively, he created hard line drive contact with a middle approach. There is some whip to his swing, working short to the zone.


Pitchers

RHP Ryan Renfroe (Thomasville, 2023) A long levered athlete with present strength and twitch, and much more to come. He’s an explosive mover with a raw delivery, but tons of arm talent. He showed the best velocity at the event up to 91.1, and his FB sat in the 88-90 range with gradual run out of the hand. Renfroe flashed a very sharp 72-75 SLV with sudden bite and some depth that he threw for strikes. The FB control will come as he learns to control his upper half as he works down the hill. Has a lengthy, well connected OH AA with nice lower half mechanics in a 6’3 195 frame. Along with controlling his upper half, compressing his arm path will take him 2 next level as a pitcher. He’ll be able to get more downward tilt on his breaking ball and create even more arm speed. 


RHP Sebastian Haggard (Ringgold, 2024) was highly impressive with the best pitchability at the event. His 6 foot 4, 180 pound frame is very athletic with lean muscle and plenty of strength gains to come. He moves extremely well on the bump with a low effort, repeatable delivery and confidence in everything he does. Each pitch is thrown with purpose, and he has advanced control/command of 3 pitches. His FB sat 83-85 with live run and sink, dotting both edges with ease. His two plane CB at 68-70 tunneled well off the FB, and he showed the ability to repeat shape and throw strikes. The CH was on another level at 76-77, with unreal fade and depth shown consistently. His sweeping 71-73 SL showed late depth differentiated from his CB greatly, adding a completely different look to his arsenal. A very intriguing sleeper arm with D1 talent.
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