Prep Baseball Report

All-State Games: Quick Hits Part Two


Walt Jones
Louisiana Assistant Scouting Director

The annual All State Games took place on Saturday, November 2nd at Alex Box Stadium on the campus of Louisiana State University. The invite only event saw 80+ of the best prospects from across the state of Louisiana.

Yesterday we continued our instant analysis from Saturday’s event with Quick Hits. Which you can view HERE.

To see the stats story from Monday, click HERE.

Today, Louisiana Scouting Directors Trey Sofio and Walt Jones run through a few additional quick hits with focus on prospects from the annual invite only event with standout performances on the mound.

Quick Hits Part Two

+ 2023 RHP Tate Hess (Singer HS, LA) had one an eye-opening performance on Saturday. If the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder didn’t grab your attention when he walked in the park, he definitely stood out when the freshman stepped on the mound and proceeded to run his fastball up to 84 mph.  The physical right-hander will be an interesting follow moving forward with his durable frame and advanced arm strength.

+ 2022 RHP Zeph Arnold (Bunkie HS, LA)is an athletic 6-foot-1, 175-pound right-handed pitcher with a longer, clean arm action. He showed off a quality three-pitch mix on Saturday, running his fastball up to 86 mph, while pitching 84-86 mph with late life to the arm side. He also displayed quality feel for a breaking ball, showing quality 11/5 shape with solid spin, depth and command at 72-73 mph.

+ Saturday gave our scouting staff a quality look at 2020 LHP Thomas Walsh (Alexandria HS, LA). The 6-foot, 195-pound left-hander displayed a quality three-pitch mix, pitching 82-85 mph with his fastball while showing solid command of both a 71-72 mph breaking ball and a 77-78 mph changeup.

+ 2022 RHP Nick Whittington (Sterlington HS, LA) was another arm that stood out on Saturday. The 6-foot-2, 175 pounder worked 85-87 mph with slight cross-fire creating deception to the delivery, and presented difficulty for right-handed hitters to get off quality swings on him. The breaking ball continues to develop into an out pitch at 73-74 mph, flashing hard bite and depth. Whittington also flashed a solid changeup at 79-80 mph, as it is also starting to develop into a useable pitch.

+ 2021 LHP Gavin Leblanc (Iota HS, LA) showed well again at the All-State Games, even though his velocity was down a tick. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound southpaw, who we has been up to 85 mph in the past, pitched 81-83 mph on Saturday, showing above average command, and attacked hitters in the zone. His breaking ball continues to develop into an out-pitch, as he showed advanced feel for it at 68-71 mph with 1/7 shape, quality spin and solid depth.

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