PBR Future Games: South Georgia Shines

August 9, 2022
Phil Kerber
Georgia Scouting Director

The PBR Future Games wrapped up over a week ago, but our coverage has not stopped. As the dust settles, it gives us time to reflect on the performance of Team Georgia. With hundreds of eyes on them, watching their every movement, there is always an immense amount of pressure on these prospects when they take the field. As one of the prospects put it, “my heart was racing a million miles an hour out there.” It is sink or swim, for some.

There was one particular group that did not only swim, they walked on water. It was a Future Games to remember for the arms of South Georgia. A quartet of pitchers tossed a staggering combined line of 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 14 K versus Team Indiana and Team California. A downright remarkable and unforgettable performance, on the biggest stage of their careers, against elite opponents. They embraced the pressure, fed off of it and dominated. LHP Jackson Peavy (Peach County, 2025), RHP Elijah Wellman (Brunswick, 2024), RHP Brooks Willis (Houston County, 2024), and LHP Gaven Smith (Lee County, 2024) were nothing short of spectacular.

Vs. Team Indiana
Combined 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 7 K

Jackson Peavy LHP / Peach County, GA / 2025

An unknown arm entering the spring, we received reports in March of a 2025 from Peach County. A tall, lanky southpaw with some arm speed, sitting in the low 80s, that could sneak up on some people, and if he could throw strikes consistently, had the potential to be a force. Off that report alone, Peavy received an invite to the Underclass Games, where we got our first look at him. For the most part, the report held true, Peavy sat 82-85, and had some command issues, but the projectability and stuff were both there. It was at the National Program Invitational where we saw the real Jackson Peavy against the loaded East Cobb Astros. Peavy put on one of the top pitching performances I saw all summer, going 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K. He had swing and misses on all three pitches, sat 83-85, touching 86, spun a slurve-like breaking ball at 68-70, and tossed in a changeup at 77-80. That performance alone was good enough to earn an invite to the Future Games, but he continued to do it each time he took the mound at LakePoint.

Standing 6-foot-3, 167-pounds, Peavy is long and lanky with loads of room to fill out. The upside in his frame alone is worth a look, and what he is capable of on the mound will keep you in your seat. He works with a deceptive delivery, staying tall throughout and hiding the ball the entire time as it comes out of a low ¾ slot. The arm action is short on the back-side and quick to get out front with good extension. At the Future Games, the fastball sat 84-86 with disappearing sink, swing and miss pitch. He showed the best version of his breaking ball, a slurve-ish offering with two plane break at 69-72 (2500 rpm). A big breaker, hitters routinely gave up on the pitch early. Peavy went 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K in his appearance against Team Indiana.

Elijah Wellman RHP / Brunswick, GA / 2024

The name Elijah Wellman did not mean anything to us until he announced his presence with a loud outing for TGBA at the State Games of Georgia on May 29th at LakePoint Sports. The right-hander made sure we would not forget him, sitting 85-88, touching 89 with a deceptive fading changeup at 75 and a sharp breaking ball at 68-70. From there, Wellman only got better and better, culminating with a breakout performance at the PBR 16u National Championship. Wellman went 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 7 K against Zoom Baseball, sitting 86-89 with the fastball and 72-75 with the breaking ball. In doing so, he cemented his spot on Team Georgia at the Future Games.

At 6-foot-3, 180-pounds, Wellman has a strong, sturdy build with plenty of room to add on to, starter profile. He works with a traditional drop and drive delivery and finishes with a big sweep of his leg. There is plenty of deception throughout. The arm action has a short stab on the back-side that follows his lower half, hiding the ball the entire way. He slings it from a low ¾ slot with little effort. One thing to note is Wellman was not always pitching from a low ¾ slot. Reviewing video throughout the summer, you can see a progression from high ¾ to ¾ to low ¾. The results have been a sacrifice of a few miles per hour, sitting 83-86 at the Future Games, but the addition of a devastating amount of run. The drop in slot also positively affected his curveball, that always played from a lower slot. The pitch is nearly unrecognizable from his fastball out of the hand at 69-72 with 11/5 shape, and routinely froze hitters or induced awkward swings. Wellman went 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K against Team Indiana.

Vs. Team California
Combined 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K

Brooks Willis RHP / Houston County, GA / 2024

There probably was not a prospect on Team Georgia that we knew more about that Brooks Willis. It was hard to miss his towering presence in the summer of 2019 when he was a rising freshman coming to watch his brother RHP Coleman Willis (Houston County; Georgia) pitch for GameOn Stealth at LakePoint Sports. Already 6-foot-3 at that age, you start to dream of what he could turn into. And sometimes, those dreams come true. From starts at LakePoint to pitching big innings for Houston County this spring, to a dominant outing at the Underclass Games, we have had a front row seat to it all. What started out as 6-foot-3, sitting 79-81 in May of 2021, became 6-foot-6, 205-pounds, topping out at 88 over this past summer for GameOn Stealth. Everything about Willis has steadily trended up from what we saw

Willis put his stamp on the Future Games with his appearance against Team California, earning DICKS Sporting Goods Player of the Game honors for his 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K performance. Working from a deceptive low ¾ slot, Willis has a whippy arm out front getting good extension with his long arms. There is some length on the back-side, but plenty of arm speed to get out front consistently. He uses his lower half well, exploding stride plants. At the Future Games, the fastball sat 84-86, with heavy run, the velocity plays up with his extension. The breaking ball gets better and better with each appearance, sitting in the low 70s, he throws the pitch with conviction and tunnels it well off his fastball, creating some ugly swing and miss against Team California. While his outing was one of the best of the event, it was his energy that really stood out. Willis took the mound with an intensity that was not matched. He strutted around after each strikeout knowing the opposition was not even close to touching stuff. It was all capped off with an emphatic yell as he walked off the mound.

Gaven Smith LHP / Lee County, GA / 2024

There are some prospects that you know it is only a matter of time, that was Gaven Smith. Smith flew way under the radar his first summer at LakePoint Sports with a fastball that was anywhere from 73-79 and a breaking ball that at-times dipped into the upper 50s. But there was something there in his long, lean 6-foot-3, maybe 150-pound soaking wet frame. The arm action worked clean and had some arm speed, and there was a deceptiveness to him. He just needed time. And time paid dividends as he would go on to be 1st Team Region 1-6A this spring. The success would only continue into the summer at LakePoint Sports when we would get our next look at Smith. Now a lanky, high-waisted 6-foot-4, 160-pounds, with an enormous amount of room to fill out, he dominated each time he took the mound, including two 11 strikeout performances at the State Games of Georgia and the PBR 16u National Championship. The fastball consistently sat in the mid-80s, touching 87, with great command to both sides and heavy sink. The curveball was also vastly improved, sitting in the low 70s with 2/8 shape.

Smith had a strong case to be DICK Sporting Goods Player of the Game for his appearance against Team California, tossing 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, needing only 19 pitches. It was, without a doubt, one of the most efficient outings by any member of Team Georgia in our short history at the Future Games. His pitch ability and strike throwing give him an instant starter profile who can eat innings. The arm action is short and compact on the back-side, hiding the ball the entire way through a ¾ slot. His fastball sat 83-86 with run and sink, commanding the zone away to right-handed hitters. Pounded the outer half with his fastball so much that hitters did not know what to do with his curveball. They either committed to it late, resulting in an ugly swing and miss, or gave up on it early, only to watch it bend back into the zone. The pitch came in at 69-72 with gradual break, taking a 2/8 shape. A memorable performance that was over before we knew it.

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