On Wednesday, Aug. 4, the PBR Illinois staff hosted the Central Illinois Open at the Corn Crib Stadium in Normal. The event featured over 60 players from all high school classes spanning the state, including a handful of prospects from the central and southern Illinois area. 

Shortly after the event's conclusion our staff published several post-event content pieces, highlighting the day’s top performers, statistical standouts, and all of the advanced analytics captured through our tech partners. You can find all of those by clicking HERE.

We began rolling out our position-by-position analysis yesterday with the catchers and today we’ll continue working around the diamond with the outfield crop. Here are a few names that stood out: 

+ Another upside 2022 in attendance was OF/RHP Kayden Althoff (Teutopolis). Althoff has overall athleticism in his 6-foot-3, 175-pound strong frame and showed well in multiple facets at the event. At the plate, Althoff has loose, strong hands from the right-side of the plate with length through the hitting zone and the ability to work gap-to-gap. Althoff also moves with pace and fluidity in the outfield (7.29) while his arm plays loose and strong, topping at 88 mph. Althoff also got on the mound where he ran his fastball up to 85 mph.

+ Left/left outfielder Michael Kuska (Pontiac) is an outfielder to follow in the 2024 class. Kuska has the look of a top-of-the-order bat with a simple, barrel-control type swing and moves well in the outfield (6.92 60), which should help him stick in center field moving forward.

+ RHP/OF Blake Roundtree (LeRoy, 2022) stood in the right-handed batters box with a presence while showing off above-average bat speed and some of the best raw power in attendance. 

Read below for all of the outfield scouting reports from this event. 

TOP OUTFIELD PROSPECTS

1. Kayden Althoff, Teutopolis (IL), 2022: Lake Land JC commit.
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 6-3, 175-pounds. Athletic build, proportional frame.
Hit: RHH. Tall, closed stance, leg kick stride. Athletic, quick hands, long swing path, pull side approach.
Power: 91.6 max exit velocity, averaged 76.1 mph. 324’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 88 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Quick first step, aggressive play to the baseball, clean exchange.
Run: 7.29 runner in the 60. 

2. Michael Kuska, Pontiac (IL), 2024
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-11, 155-pounds.
Hit: LHH. Tall, open stance, simple pre-pitch action. Short, quick swing, consistently on the barrel, line drive, pull side tendencies.
Power: 85 max exit velocity, averaged 73.5 mph. 290’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 79 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Steady hands, clean exchanges, plays through baseball with small crow hop.
Run: 6.92 runner in the 60. 

3. Brennon Reed, Bloomington (IL), 2022; Danville Area CC commit.
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 6-0, 180-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Wide, closed stance, short stride. Direct to the ball, repeatable level swing plane, line drive, spray hitter.
Power: 86.6 max exit velocity, averaged 75.5 mph. 272’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 79 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Athletic footwork, natural hands, clean transfer, plays through the baseball.
Run: 7.03 runner in the 60. 

4. Braiden Elliott, Tri-Valley (IL), 2022; Lincoln Trail JC commit.
Positional Profile: OF 
Body: 6-0, 165-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced, slightly crouched setup, minimal load and flashed above-average bat speed. Direct to the ball, compact swing, spray approach.
Power: 79.3 max exit velocity, averaged 64.1 mph. 265’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 82 mph. Long arm action, 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Athletic outfield actions, quick, fluid feet, clean exchange, steady hands.
Run: 7.17 runner in the 60. 

5. Blake Roundtree, LeRoy (IL), 2022; McHenry County JC commit.
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 6-3, 220-pounds. Broad shouldered build.
Hit: RHH. Athletic, weight on the back leg, smooth load, toe tap stride. Flashed bat speed, strong hands, short swing, gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 91.7 max exit velocity, averaged 74 mph. 359’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 86 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Corner outfield type, plays through the baseball, sure handed, long crow hop.
Run: 7.48 runner in the 60. 

BEST OF THE REST (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY)

Nathan Burdin, Rochelle (IL), 2022
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-11, 156-pounds.
Hit: LHH. Balance, active feet, smooth load, short stride. Long swing, line drives, gap-to-gap approach, pull-side tendencies.
Power: 84.9 max exit velocity, averaged 71.4 mph. 244’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 80 mph. Short, loose arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Fluid footwork, steady hands, clean exchanges, plays through the ball with athleticism.
Run: 7.52 runner in the 60. 

Mitchell Crompton, Champaign Central (IL), 2023
Positional Profile: OF 
Body: 5-9, 160-pounds.
Hit: LHH. Tall, open stance, arm bar load, short stride. Short swing, uphill swing plane, ball jumps off barrel at times, line drives, gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 86 max exit velocity, averaged 75 mph. 251’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 74 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Fluid footwork, steady hands, clean exchanges, plays through the ball.
Run: 6.85 runner in the 60. Best 60 time among outfielders.

Trever Goforth, North Fulton (IL), 2022
Positional Profile: OF 
Body: 6-1, 160-pounds.
Hit: LHH. Athletic, slight closed setup, quick-twitch pre-pitch actions. Short, direct swing, used the entire field, pull-side tendencies.
Power: 88.3 max exit velocity, averaged 70.4 mph. 276’ max distance.
Arm: LH. OF - 78 mph. Long arm action, 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Steady hands, play through the baseball at times.
Run: 6.90 runner in the 60. 

Nick Krueger, Pontiac (IL), 2022
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 6-4, 157-pounds. Long limbed build.
Hit: RHH. Simple setup, quiet pre-load action, short stride. Repeatable, short, level swing, line drive, gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 78.1 max exit velocity, averaged 62 mph. 232’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 68 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Steady hands, clean exchanges, plays through baseball with small crow hop.
Run: 8.21 runner in the 60. 

Mason Marshall, Chatham Glenwood (IL), 2025
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-9, 145-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Simple setup, barrel tip in load, short stride. Long, uphill swing, stays inside the baseball, whole field approach.
Power: 85.7 max exit velocity, averaged 79.9 mph. 280’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 77 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 arm slot.
Defense: Corner outfield type, plays aggressively through the ball.
Run: 7.37 runner in the 60. 

Gavin Simmons, Glenwood (IL), 2025
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-11, 149-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balance stance, long pre-pitch load, big leg kick. Short, uphill swing, keeps hands inside the ball, gap-to-gap approach.
Power: 81.8 max exit velocity, averaged 71.7 mph. 285’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 74 mph. Long arm action, over-the-top slot.
Defense: Aggressively plays to the ball, sure handed, clean exchange.
Run: 7.21 runner in the 60. 

Zach Spidle, Bloomington (IL), 2024
Positional Profile: OF
Body: 5-11, 150-pounds. Lean build.
Hit: RHH. Balance setup, hands high, short stride. Short swing path with an uphill plane, whole field approach.
Power: 81.9 max exit velocity, averaged 58.6 mph. 245’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 83 mph. Short arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Controlled actions to the baseball, fluid footwork, steady hands.
Run: 7.11 runner in the 60. 

RELATED CONTENT