PBR 16u National Championship Days 3 & 4 - Pitchers

Mon June 27, 2022
Phil Kerber, Justin Goetz, Sean Smith, Paul Gies
PBR Georgia Staff

Days 3 and 4 of the PBR 16u National Championship have been underway at LakePoint the past few days. Several arms have stood out to our PBR Georgia staff, here's a look at what we saw. Check out our favorite arms from Days 1 & 2 here: 16u National Championship Days 1 & 2: Pitchers


Brayden Krenzel, RHP, Dublin Jerome (OH), 2024, Bo Jackson Elite
Tennessee commit. Athletic frame at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds. Long, loose arm action with a L3Q slot. Low effort and easy delivery. Strong run on FB plays best located up and in for s/m or on outer half  freezing hitters as they give up on pitch early before it runs over the outside corner. Pitch sat 87-89 and touched 90, commanding well in zone. Tunnels SL well off FB at 78-79, starting from same slot and diving to the other end of plate. Tied up LHH effectively as they had to cover the running FB and swung over the top of offspeed. A dominant performance.

Jackson Mullen, RHP/3B, Catawba Ridge (SC), 2024, South Charlotte Panthers
Uncommitted. Athletic frame at 6-foot-1, 170-pounds with room to add on. Working with pace, ready to get back on the bump as soon as he receives the baseball following every pitch. Short arm action with a H3Q slot. Got several s/m with his FB to both righties and lefties, pitch sat 88-89 in the first inning and settled at 85-87, expect velocity to jump further as he continues to mature. Spun pitch consistently at 2350+ RPM, giving the pitch some late life in the zone. Also showed his developing feel for a CB, sitting 74-76, hitters often would give up on pitch early, and when thrown well would induce weak contact. Nice arm that should only get better with his present athleticism and further added strength.

Tague Davis, LHP/1B, Malvern Prep (PA), 2024, Allstar Baseball Academy
Louisville commit. Large, strong frame at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds with room for more. Long arm action with a L3Q slot, generating natural spin on all of his pitches. Effectively wild command and generated weak contact in the zone, tough to sqaure up. Riding FB sat 88-91 in the first and settled at 85-87, s/m when at its best in the zone. Struggled somewhat to throw CB for strikes but found better feel for it later in his outing. Pitch sat 72-74 and consistently spun at 2600-2700 RPM, nasty pitch when located well. Also flashed a developing CH at 76-78, potential to be a real weapon with further development. High-level 2-way talent. Ranked as the number 1 overall player in Pennsylvania.

Beau Baker, RHP, Washington County (KY), 2024, Kentucky Mustangs Arsenal
Uncommitted. A physical specimen at 6-foot-7, 220-pounds with plenty of room to add more muscle. ¾ circle arm action with an over-the-top slot, extends well down the mound to make pitches play up from his tough, steep angle. FB sat 84-87 and touched 88 with heavy action, hitters often beat it into the ground and had a hard time finding barrels. Was able to throw his CB in any count and showed solid feel for pitch, sitting 72-74 with 12/6 shape. High potential.

Elijah Wellman, RHP, Brunswick (GA), 2024, Team Georgia National
6-foot-3, 165-pound right-handed pitcher, projectable build, lots of room to fill out. Has been an arm to watch this summer at LakePoint Sports with a series of quality outings. Went 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 7 K on Sunday afternoon. Clean arm action, soft stab on the back-side but arm remains in continuous motion, quick arm speed to a ¾ slot. Whips his lower half through finish. Flashes swing and miss stuff. Fastball sat 86-89 with sink, when on top creates good tilt, at-times gets on the side of it, flattening the pitch out and creating more run. Curveball, 72-75, 11/5 shape, depth, continues to gain confidence and throw with more conviction.

Jace Duhon, RHP, South Beauregard (LA), 2024, United Baseball Organization
6-foot-3, 150-pound right-handed pitcher, long, lean frame, room to add. Arm works loosely with some length on the back-side, whip-like out front to a low ¾ slot, easy arm speed. Fastball sat 81-84, heavy sink, more in the tank as his frame matures. Changeup, 76, fade action. Curveball, 64-66.

Jackson Hawsey, RHP, Ovey Comeaux (LA), 2023 United Baseball Organization
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11, 170-pound right-handed pitcher, athletic build with lean muscle throughout the frame. An athlete on the mound. Arm action has some length on the back-side with a wrist curl, over-the-top slot. Fastball, 84-87, topped 88, heavy sink, hard tilt. Changeup, 77-79, fade, above average pitch. Curveball, 71-74, 11/5 shape, as low as 1400 rpm spin on it. Good feel for three pitches.

Noah Wech, SS/RHP, Manitowoc Lincoln (WI), 2024, GRB Rays
6-foot, 187-pound right-handed hitting shortstop and right-handed pitcher, athletic build, strong lower-half. Athletic delivery, gets into his lower half with fluid actions. Clean arm action, quick arm speed, whip-like out front through an over-the-top slot, repeats. Fastball sat 87-90, touched 91, overpowering pitch, pitched to both sides of the plate, played well low in the zone. Curveball, 74-76, 12/6 shape, depth, sharp action, swing and miss pitch.

Logan Hastings, RHP, Huntingtown (MD), 2024, Rawlings Prospects - MD
5-foot-9, 155-pound right-handed pitcher, proportional build, lean strength. Arm works short and quick on the back-side to a low ¾ slot. High level pitch ability. Three pitches for strikes, swing and misses on both offspeed. Pitched backwards, threw curveball and changeup in any count. Kept hitters guessing.  Fastball sat 83-86, heavy sink. Curveball, 67-69, 2700 rpm, 11/5 shape, sharp witht depth, good feel for. Changeup, 72-74, heavy fade, 1400 rpm.

Brooks Willis, RHP, Houston County (GA), 2024, GameOn Stealth
6-foot-6, 200-pound right-handed pitcher, wide, XL frame, lots of room to fill out with strength, ultra projectable. Arm action is short relative to his length, soft stab on low on the back-side, arm motion remains continuous, quick arm speed, ¾ slot, big extension down the mound allowing fastball to play up. Fastball sat 85-87, touched 88, 2400 rpm, velo continues to tick up. Curveball, 73-76, 2300 rpm, 11/5 shape, some sharp. Best outing to date at LakePoint Sports. Pitched with conviction and intent.

Brantley Upshaw, RHP, Toombs County (GA), 2024, Texas Rangers Scout Team
Georgia State commit. 6-foot-8, 230-pound mountain of a human with a compact, well sequenced delivery. He has a clean, efficient short circle AA (H3/4) that contains both arm speed & arm strength. Yes, they're two different talents - arm speed is the explosiveness of the arm after the stride lands (as arm gets into throwing position), from layback through pitch release. A player who only possesses arm speed will lose velo and pitch life later in starts. One with only arm strength can hold velo late into starts and produce consistent life, but won’t be able to reach back for more velo or have as much ceiling. Upshaw is special because he has both, most his size don’t. Its a testament to his athleticism and sound mechanics. The patience of his upper half over the rubber as he works down the mound leads to perfect connection of the back side - The back knee, hamstring, core, lat, chest, arm stay in a vertical line and fire to the plate together, which protects the arm and creates maximum arm speed. It’s also the key to very good hip shoulder separation. Upshaw’s stuff is going to be on a consistent steady incline. The FB is 86-88 T89 with steep down hill plane and heavy sink. His  Lateral breaking CB is in the 77-78 range, which he throws for strikes. The SL at 79-80 has downward tilt and gets gradual depth. The Splitter tumbles in at 700-900 rpm getting some bad swings. One of the highest ceilings in the country for ‘24.

Bryce Meccage, RHP, Pennington (NJ), 2024, US Elite
Virginia commit. 6-foot-3, 210-pounder who’s strong and sturdy with projection. Slow paced build up in the delivery allows him to connect his upper half over the rubber in stride, making for good direction & easy explosion post landing. Loose drop out of the glove creates effortless momentum from deep full circle AA (OH). His chest stays linear with his feet in stride, which prevents him from losing any pitches arm side. The FB was 86-88 T89 with late cut that creates a downward plane in the bottom half of the zone due to his delivery working uphill to go downhill. His CB at 72-75 reached 2490 with vertical shape and depth. Swing & miss pitch that tunnels with his top of the zone FB. With the frame, effortless gain of momentum in the arm action & present arm speed, it's easy to see a big jump coming.

David Cox, RHP, Nazareth (IL), 2024, Cangelosi Sparks
6-foot-4, 200-pound right-handed pitcher, physical build with a strong lower half. Deceptive delivery, heavy drop and drive, strides across the mound, cross-fire action. Arm works clean on the back-side to a ¾ slot. Fastball sat 84-87, topped 88, 2200-2400 rpm. Curveball, 74-76, sweeping action. Creates swing and misses with both pitches.

Caleb Fones, LHP, Lanier (GA), 2023, East Cobb Astros Navy/Frye
Uncommitted. 6-foot, 190-pound left-handed pitcher, strong, sturdy build, strength throughout. Short, loose arm action to a low ¾ slot, hides ball well on the back-side. Creates further deception by striding across the mound. Showed feel for a four pitch arsenal, competing in the zone at all times. Fastball sat 84-86, induced swing and misses with. Curveball 69-72, 12/6 shape, depth. Slider, 74-76, tight sweep. Changeup, 75, fade action.