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Quick Hits: Hammond Preseason ID

January 23, 2023
Alex Armand
Louisiana Scouting Director

Our 2023 slate of Preseason ID events began last weekend with our Baton Rouge and Lake Charles Preseason ID's and ended this past Sunday with our Hammond Preseason ID, on Sunday January 22, 2023, at the Jay Artigues Sportsplex.  From uncommitted seniors looking to find a home, to rising freshman trying to make a name for themselves; there was talent all over the field on Sunday.  Today, we begin our post-event edition coverage with another edition of of Quick Hits.  This piece focuses on some highlights from the event.  Be sure to follow us, on all of our social media platforms, for continued coverage of the Hammond Preseason ID!

 

Fontainebleau HS Prospects Shine

The Bulldogs program hasn't been talked about much heading into the 2023 season, but they should be on everyone's radars after the showing that a couple of their prospects had this past Sunday.  

-2023 RHP Alex Walsh (Fontainebleau HS)

Athletic 6'2" 185 lbs. frame; the Mississippi State signee has added some strength this off-season, especially in his lower-half.  Athletic mover down the slope with a quick arm action, Walsh worked 90-91 mph with his FB and did a good job of commanding it to his glove side.  What was exciting to see, was the development of his 81-82 mph CH, as he was able to land it for strikes to both sides of the plate.

-2023 RHP Pierce Boles (Fontainebleu HS)

Athletic and physical 6'2" 205 lbs. frame.  The uncommitted hurler is a new face to the state of Louisiana, having moved in from the state of Florida, so this was our first look at him and it was a really good one.  Operating out of the stretch, Boles uses a high leg lift, before moving aggressively down the mound and releasing the ball with a short and quick arm action.  He sat 90-93 mph with his FB and it had good sink and life down in the zone.  His 78-81 mph SL had good shape with late bite down in the zone, and his firmer 85-87 mph CH was a solid third offering. 

2024 C Evan Wright (Fontainebleu HS)

Physical, stocky 5'10" 205 lbs. frame.  The uncommitted backstop performed well at our State Games this past fall and had another good showing on Sunday.  Simple set up from the right side with his hands held above shoulder height; Wright uses his lower-half to aggressively turn the barrel to contact with an on-plane path and slightly uphill extension that produced a max exit velocity of 95 mph. 

Uncommitted Junior Prospects Shine

-2024 OF/RHP Corey Cousin (Slidell HS)

Athletic 5'11" 170 lbs. frame with broad shoulders and room to carry more weight and add strength.  The uncommitted two-way prospect boasted the best overall tool set on the day.  A really good runner, Cousin posted a 6.69 laser-timed 60.  He moved athletically in the outfield and showed off a big arm, as he was up to 91 mph from the outfield.  Lastly, he hopped on the mound and worked his FB in the 87-89 mph range and complimented it well with a low-70's "12-6" shaped breaking ball.  Cousin is a good prospect to follow moving forward.

-2024 RHP Quinn Smith (Lutcher HS)

Projectable 6'4" 185 lbs. frame with plenty of room to continue to add strength.  We did our team preview on Lutcher HS last week and one of the biggest questions for their team this year, is who is going to compliment 2025 Marshall Louque on the mound, and after what we saw on Sunday, Smith could be the guy.  The arm really works, as he was 89-91 mph with his FB and it had good downward tilt, as he released the ball from a higher 3/4 slot.  His CB and CH are developing secondary offerings that need some fine tuning, but there was no denying the arm talent and upside on Sunday.

Underclassmen to Watch

-2025 C Gavin Panks (Covington HS)

Athletic 6'0" 160 lbs. frame.  The uncommitted backstop announced his presence during batting practice on Sunday, as he turned in a very clean and professional round.  A left-handed hitter, Panks operates from a wider and athletic set-up and uses a simple load and stride.  The swing is very controlled and he repeats it well, maintaining balance from start to finish, while working gap to gap hard on a line.  During bullpens, he received and blocked the ball well, especially for catching arms that he was unfamiliar with.  The Covington HS product is a good 2025 name to get out and see this spring.

-2025 MIF Ryder Planchard (Holy Cross HS)

Athletic, wiry, and still developing 5'9" 150 lbs. frame.  The overall tool-set of Planchard won't jump off the page, but he's a baseball player and continues to trend in the right direction.  During BP, he repeated his swing well with a direct path to contact working up the middle on a line, he produced a lot of hard contact that resulted in a max exit velocity of 86 mph.  Defensively, however, is where Planchard really shined on Sunday.  His actions were smooth and he received the ball with soft hands and athletic footwork.  Throws across the diamond were accurate and he showed a quick release when he had to.  The uncommitted Holy Cross product will only continue to trend up, as he fills out his frame and gains strength.

-2025 OF Clayton Kimball (Central Private HS)

Physical and imposing 6'3" 195 lbs. frame.  Kimball was a member of our Junior Future Games team in 2021 and we most recently saw him at our State Games, this past fall, before getting another look on Sunday.  We really liked the adjustments that he's seemed to make at the plate since the State Games, as he was more upright in his stance with more rhythm in his hands, which allowed him to use his frame to create leverage.  Kimball's hands worked freely, as he made a lot of loud contact during his BP round that resulted in a max exit velocity of 91 mph.  

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