Saturday's Northern Louisiana Preseason I.D. saw weather that was fit for hunting!  40 degrees with a light drizzle throughout the morning didn't make for ideal conditions, but the players in attendance did a fantastic job of playing with energy and having fun.  Today, we dive in deeper on a few of the prospects that had standout performances.

 

LEFT HANDED PITCHERS

-2023 Maddox Mandino (Glenbrook HS) doesn't have the largest or most physical frame; coming in at 5'9" 150 lbs.  The southpaw makes up for it with a super quick arm and feel for spin.  FB sat 81-82 mph, topping out at 83 mph and we expect that velocity to jump in warmer weather this spring.  His "2-8" shaped breaking ball is the pitch that really gets you excited as he reached almost 2400 RPM's on the pitch.  Mandino also flashed a developing CH at 73-76 mph. 

 

RIGHT HANDED PITCHERS

-2023 Cale Latimer (Benton HS) was one of the big winners from Saturday's event.  Physical, 6'3" 215 lbs. frame; the RHP's FB sat 86-87 mph, topping out 88 mph, and again, we expect his velocity to jump as the weather warms up.  What was most impressive about Latimer's performance was his "extension" per Trackman Baseball.  Latimer averaged 7'2" for his extension and got as high as 7'6", so it's safe to say that the FB plays up.  Combining his skill set and the fact that he's an excellent student; Latimer will receive a lot of looks this spring.  2023 Hayden Harmon (Glenbrook HS) was another impressive RHP on Saturday.  Athletic build at 5'11" 175 lbs. with room to add strength.  FB sat 81-83 mph, topping out at 84 mph.  The FB had really late, sinking, arm side run that should give RHH's fits.  Additionally, the FB sat between 2100-2200 RPM's per Trackman Baseball. 

 

CATCHERS

-2022 Henton Roberts (Neville HS) showed well improvements in each area of his game.  The 5'10" 190 lbs. catcher started the day off by running a 7.03 in the 60, which is an improvement from the Underclass Trials in June of 2020.  Recorded a max exit velocity of 92 mph during his BP rounds, but more importantly, he squared up balls consistently on a line.  Lastly, showed a quick transfer and athletic footwork behind the dish with a short arm action that produced a positional velocity of 77 mph.  Pop times of 1.94-2.07.

 

INFIELDERS

-2022 Caleb Ross (West Monroe HS) looks like another tough, hard nosed player who will be in the Rebels lineup this year.  Athletic infield actions and moved well laterally during the defensive portion of the day.  Ross boasts a simple, compact RHH stroke with good extension, working slightly uphill through the baseball.  Max exit velocity of 89 mph.  2023 Alex Dupuy (Natchitoches Central HS)showed up more physical than he was at November's All-State Games.  The increased strength showed during his BP round, as Dupuy flashed some gap to gap power that should continue to advance as he matures.  2023 Jake Smith (Rosepine HS) was a guy we were excited to see and he didn't disappoint.  5'10" 150 lbs. frame with broad shoulders and narrow hips.  Smith showed a fluid RHH stroke during his BP rounds, spraying balls from gap to gap, repeating his swing.  As the frame continues to fill out, we expect the power to jump considerably.  2023 Jackson Legg (Calvary Baptist HS) is a guy that we've seen over the last couple of weeks and he continues to show why he's one of the top 1B in the state.  Athletic footwork, especially for his physical, 6'3" 190 lbs. frame.  Legg really impressed defensively, as a 1B, and showed a compact LHH stroke, as he worked short to long with good extension to the middle of the field.  

 

OUTFIELDERS

-Sub 6.50 60 times are rare, but we got to witness one on Saturday.  2022 Reuben Williams (Dutchtown HS) turned in a 6.43 in the 60 not once, but twice.  The speedy OF also took a professional BP round, hitting hard line drives and hard groundballs to the middle of the field.  2021 William Perkins (Sterlington HS) and 2021 Clay Benson (Sterlington HS).  Perkins has the physique of a football player at 5'11" 187 lbs.  6.60 60, 95 mph from the OF, and 99 mph off the bat, launching several balls way out during his BP rounds.  The tools alone will excite college recruiters looking for a physical and athletic 2021 OF.  Benson has a wiry, lean 6'2" 180 lbs. frame that will continue to add strength.  Much like his teammate, Benson is another guy with some impressive tools.  6.85 60 time, 86 mph from the OF, and 92 mph off the bat from the left side.  2022 Zeb Ruddell (Neville HS) came out and participated in the 60 and took BP, as the state's #2 ranked player is coming off of Tommy John surgery.  Ruddell showed well running a 6.69 in the 60, but the bat is where the LSU baseball commit really stood out.  Whippy barrel that gets in the zone early and stays through the zone a long time with a class left handed finish that produced a max exit velocity of 99 mph.  2023 Griffin Cooley (Kinder HS) rounds out our list of outfielders.  The L/L OF is another guy that has definitely been in the weight room, as he's started to fill out his 6'1" frame.  Showed considerable improvements from a year ago at the Texas/LA Border Battle.  Increased his OF velocity by 4 mph, topping 82 mph.  The biggest increase was in his max exit velocity that was at 82 mph last year.  On Saturday, Cooley recorded a max exit velocity of 92 mph.