Prep Baseball Report

Underclass Showcase: Blast Motion Board


By: Kevin Cronin
Tech Analyst, Area Scout

On Sunday, Oct. 17, the PBR Illinois staff returned to The MAX Sports Complex to host the fall’s Underclass Showcase. This annual event serves as an opportunity for prospects in the state’s 2024-25 classes to display their talents in front of our scouting staff prior to the start of the off-season. There were nearly 60 prospects who made the trip to The MAX on Sunday to participate in a pro-style workout in front of our evaluators.

Yesterday we published a Statistical Analysis, bringing you a quick statistical analysis of those that participated in the event, as well as a quick nugget on which players stood out. We then started to dive deeper into the data, looking at the pitch metrics and batted ball numbers from this event inside our TrackMan Files piece.

Now we'll continue to roll out the data we gathered from this event by taking a look at the swing metrics collected during batting practice thanks to our Blast Motion sensors. Below we'll highlight which players from this event stood out amongst their peers from a swing metrics standpoint.

Hand Speed (Peak & Average)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Hand Speed (max)
1 Matthew Zeman IL Montini Catholic 2024 OF 26.4 mph
2 Derek Ittner IL Lake Park 2024 SS 25.8 mph
3 Aidan Conners IL Hinsdale Central 2024 3B 24.8 mph
4 Charlie Linderman IL Sacred Heart Griffen 2024 SS 24.6 mph
5 Alexi Edlund IL Glenbrook South 2024 1B 24.3 mph

Rank Name State School Class Pos Hand Speed (avg)
1 Derek Ittner IL Lake Park 2024 SS 24.7 mph
2 Matthew Zeman IL Montini Catholic 2024 OF 24.6 mph
3 Aidan Conners IL Hinsdale Central 2024 3B 24.0 mph
4 Charlie Linderman IL Sacred Heart Griffen 2024 SS 23.6 mph
5 Jimmy Anderson IL Joliet West 2024 SS 23.1 mph

Peak Hand Speed: The observed maximum speed as measured on the handle of the bat (measured six inches from the knob of the bat). Peak Hand Speed will occur prior to the moment of impact, very close to the commit time in the swing when the wrists unhinge.

Bat Speed (Average)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Bat Speed (avg)
1 Matthew Zeman IL Montini Catholic 2024 OF 74.9 mph
2 Colin Adams IL Schaumburg 2024 C 71.8 mph
3 Anthony Xydakis IL Morris 2024 OF 70.8 mph
4 Chris Daugherty IL Brother Rice 2024 OF 70.2 mph

Bat Speed: The observed speed of the sweet spot of the bat at impact. The sweet spot of the bat is measured six inches from the tip of the bat.

Rotational Acceleration (Peak & Average)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Rot. Acc (max)
1 Derek Ittner IL Lake Park 2024 SS 35.2 g
2 Aidan Conners IL Hinsdale Central 2024 3B 25.7 g
3 Charlie Linderman IL Sacred Heart Griffen 2024 SS 25.4 g
4 Anthony Xydakis IL Morris 2024 OF 22.4 g
5 Riley Lam IL Grayslake North 2024 RHP 22.3 g

Rank Name State School Class Pos Rot. Acc (avg)
1 Derek Ittner IL Lake Park 2024 SS 25.2 g
2 Charlie Linderman IL Sacred Heart Griffen 2024 SS 22.2 g
3 Anthony Xydakis IL Morris 2024 OF 19.9 g
4 Aidan Conners IL Hinsdale Central 2024 3B 19.7 g

Body Rotation: A swing that has the appropriate relative contributions of body and bat rotations is an efficient and Powerful swing that maintains proper sequencing. An efficient baseball swing is one in which the body creates the initial movements, which is then transferred to the arms and out to the bat, thereby maximizing Bat Speed through this proximal-to-distal kinematic sequencing movement pattern.

For a complete look at each of the statistics measured at this showcase, CLICK HERE.

RELATED CONTENT