Twenty-one of the top uncommitted players took the field for the 2018 PBR Future Games at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.  Players came from all over the state and finished the weekend with a 3-0 weekend, winning their bracket. 

The weekend started on Wednesday with an Evaluation Day where players got to show their stuff with a showcase-style workout.  On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the team faced off against top players from Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas/Kansas. 

Here is a look back at some of the top moments.

CLICK HERE, for stat sheet for the workout day.

Mason Rogers OF / 2B / Grain Valley, MO / 2020 Rogers ran the second-fastest 60 at the event, posting a 6.39-second time.  The small-framed right-handed hitter displayed bat speed and showed strength with an 87 mph exit velocity.  He has a gap to gap approach with sneaky power.  In the outfield, Rogers posted an 81 mph positional velocity with an over the top release and quick twitch actions.

Tavian Josenberger SS / 2B / Park Hill, MO / 2020 Josenberger is an athletic middle infielder standing 6-foot and 155-pounds.  A switch hitter, Josenberger shows bat control from both sides with developing pop.  He has a short and quick stroke that produced line drives from both sides.  From the right side, he had an 80 mph exit velo and produced an 89 mph exit velocity from the right side.  On the infield, Josenberger has 83 mph positional velocity.  He has quick feet one time with quick feet making accurate throws.

Cade Hohl SS / 2B / SLUH, MO / 2020 Cade is a well built 5-foot-11 170-pound shortstop with an 80 mph positional velocity. Holh plays with a high engine, has athletic footwork and a quick transfer.  He posted a 7.11 60 time and showed a quick and powerful bat at the plate.  He had an 88 mph exit velocity.  Hohl is a good combination of quickness and power and will continue to impress as he continues to develop.

Hunter Hiett C / 1B / Cape Girardeau Central, MO / 2020 Hiett worked out with the corner infielders and had a 78 mph positional velo and he also ran a 7.12 60. At the plate, Hiett started with an open stance and controlled leg kick, he showed the ability to go the other way, but looks to pull with power.  He has an aggressive bat speed with slight lift after contact.  He has good barrel control with strong hands.  On the infield, he made all plays cleanly with fluid footwork and exchange.  Hiett makes accurate throws at 78 mph.

Nathan Chester 2B / 3B / Liberty North, MO / 2020 Chester is a slick fielding second baseman that will add offense to the line up.  He posted an 88 mph exit velocity and ran a 7.09 60.  Offensively, he has a gap to gap approach with a simple and repeatable swing.  Chester has no wasted movement in his load and unloads the barrel with quick and loose hands.  Defensively, he has a 79 mph positional velo, quick feet and quick exchange.  He fields the ball in an athletic position and makes accurate throws.

Troy Reynolds RHP / OF / Lebanon, MO / 2020 Reynolds is a well built right-handed hitting outfielder.  He is 6-foot 185-pounds and packs a punch with the bat.  He has tall and relaxed stand with some hand load, his stride is slightly open.  He takes an aggressive hack with some lift at the end of the path and posted a 92 mph exit velocity. Reynolds ran a 7.26 60 and had an 88 mph positional velocity.  He makes mostly accurate throws from an over the top arm slot and make a fluid exchange, working through the ball.

Griffin Henry SS / 3B / Lee's Summit West, MO / 2020 Henry is a solid defender with athletic actions that can play any position on the infield.  He has soft hands, a quick exchange and over the top release.  His feet get him in position to work through the ball and make accurate throws.  He has a 77 mph positional velocity and posted a 76 mph exit velocity.  Offensively, he has good plate coverage with a gap to gap approach, spraying consistent line drives to both gaps.  He has repeatable mechanics with hands that can manipulate the bat head.

CJ Cepicky SS / OF / Vianney , MO / 2020 Cepicky is 6-foot-3 and 170-pounds with plenty of room to add muscle.  He is an athletic right-handed hitting outfielder than can play in any of the three positions.  His 6.67 60 can keep him in centerfield and he shows to be a potential power bat as well as indicated by his 94 mph exit velocity.  He aslo showed arm strength with an 89 mph positional velocity.  His athleticism, build and ability to play game will make him a highly sought after prospect.

Brayden Eftink C / RHP / Notre Dame, MO / 2020 Eftink has a strong build checking in at 6-foot 190-pounds.  The lefty-hitter starts with an open stance, and has a slight rotation in hips and hands to load, he has a level path through contact with swing that creates pull side line drives.  He had an exit velocity of 84 mph and ran a 7.27 60. In the outfield, Eftink posted an 83 mph positional velocity.  He has fluid footwork to the ball and a clean catch and throw.  His arm works from a high three quarters arm slot.

Eric Loomis OF / RHP / Christian Brothers College, MO / 2020 Loomis is a long-legged and lean 5-foot-11 170-pound right-handed hitting outfielder.  He ran a 7.08 60 and has an 86 mph exit velocity. Loomis posted the highest outfield velo among Missouri outfielders with a toss of 89 mph.  He has a long over the top arm slot and is aggressive working through the ball.  He throws downhill with a loose arm action.  At the plate, he has a inline set up, minimal load, strides open at times, loose and level bat path with gap to gap line drives.  Loomis has more room to grow physically to add to already athletic actions

Jeremy Schork C / RHP / Rockwood Summit, MO / 2020 Schork drew a lot of attention with his round of batting practice.  He squared balls up with power to right field consistently.  He is has powerful 6-foot 203-pound frame with a quick bat and showed good barrel control.  Behind the plate he has a pure throw with carry to the bag at 80 mph, pop times were between 2.04 and 2.19-seconds, clean exchange with fluid footwork. Schork's left-handed bat and arm strength behind the plate will be a game changer at the college level.

Kyle Miller RHP / 1B / Eureka , MO / 2020 Miller is a long and lean 6-foot-2 190-pound right-handed hitting third baseman.  He has an 88 mph positional velo, ball comes out of the easy with carry and accuracy to first base.  Miller has smooth actions at third base with a clean exchange and a short over the top release.  He ran a 7.15 50 and has a 90 mph exit velo.  His swing produced mostly pull side line drives, flashing power.  His build and athleticism make it easy for coaches to dream about what Miller will become down the road.

Hudson Leach C / RHP / Oak Park, MO / 2020 Leach is a well built 6-foot-2 200-pounds which fits well behind the plate.  He posted the top pop time with a 1.94-second throw to second, his range was 1.94-2.08-seconds and top velo was 79 mph.  His throws were accurate and he had fluid footwork on time with his quick exchange.  At the plate, he has a smooth load against his back side with limited hand load.  Leach showed an aggressive swing speed with some lift to path after contact.  He has power to the pull side with a middle of the field approach.

Trevor Kardell C / RHP / Lee's Summit West, MO / 2020 Kardell is a long build and very athletic.  He stands 6-foot-6 195-pounds and is a physical presence in box and behind the plate.  He posted pop times between 2.04 and 2.17-seconds, with a positional velo of 84 mph.  He has a quick glove to hand transfer, with a strong base underneath him, Kardell throw down hill to second with mostly accurate throws on the bag.  At the plate, he showed power to the middle and pull side of the field.  He has an aggressive swing with quick bat speed, hitting with leverage in his lower half.

Devin Ward OF / 2B / Vianney , MO / 2020 Ward is a compact 5-foot-11 195-pound left-handed hitter with a 90 mph exit velocity and a 7.18 60.  He has gap to gap ability with some pop to the pull side.  His bat path is flat with some lift after contact. Ward has feel for the barrel and manipulates the bat with strong hands.  In the outfield, he has an 81 mph positional velo.  He attacks the ball with quick feet and has a fluid transfer.  Ward comes from a high three quarters arm slot.  He is a top all-around athlete in the state which will draw coaches attention as well.

Matthew Schark 3B / 1B / Francis Howell, MO / 2020 Schark showed off his power potential in batting practice, checking in at 6-foot-4 225-pounds, he has the threat to go deep on any pitch.  Although there is some length to the swing, Schark drove ball to pull side gap consistently with a flat and fast bat plane.  He had a 96 mph exit velo and turned in a 7.36 60 time.  Defensively, Scharks moves well for his size and showed soft hands when fielding the ball, he make a clean transfer and throws from an over the top arm slot at 78 mph

 

Game 1 - vs. Tennessee

Missouri finished game one with a 4-2 win over Tennessee. Offensively, Team Missouri benefited from eight walks and two hit betters.  Troy Reynolds (Lebanaon) and Griffin Henry (Lee's Summit West) walked and scored in the second innings, followed by an infield hit by CJ Cepicky (Vianney).  Jeremy Schork (Rockwood Summit) drove in a run an ground ball to first to make it 3-0 in the second inning.  Trevor Kardell (Lee's Summit West) tripled to right-center with two outs in the third but would be stranded.  Team Missouri didn't get back on the board until the eighth inning when Tavian Josenberger (Park Hill) unloaded a solo home run to right field from the left side.  Cepicky turned a diving catch in left field to end a Tennessee threat and almost ran down a ball in left center that would have preserved an eventual shutout for Missouri. 

Missouri pitchers turned in a solid performance lead off my Teague Robertson (Hickman).  The lean and loose righty worked his fastball consistently at 82-83 mph, spotting it up for a strike with arm side run.  He worked a sharp and late breaking ball at 68-71 mph, a pitch with swing and miss potential down the road.  Robertson also kept hitters off balance with a knuckleball at 69-70 mph.  He threw all pitches for a strike and looks to add more velo down the road to his tall and long frame.  He has command of three pitches with loose arm action that will only get better over time. 

Troy Reynolds (Lebanon) had the top max fastball velo of the Missouri pitching staff at 89 mph.  He has a strong frame with an over the top arm slot.  He touched 88 mph on several occasions and sat 86-88 mph for most of his two innings of work.  He showed a breaking ball at 74-77 mph with late bite and 11-to-5 action. 

Hudson Leach (Oak Park) was up to 88 mph and worked comfortably at 83-85 mph.  He is strong bodied and able to repeat his delivery throwing a high percentage of strikes with fast ball and slider.  He showed an above average slider at 76-78 mph. It has late action with depth that works under the bat to produce a high number of swing and misses.  He finished with three strikeouts in two innings of work.

Kyle Miller (Eureka) closed the game striking out two in the last two innings of work.  He pitched with a fastball-curveball mix.  Fastball had some late life with two-seam action at mostly 85-86 mph, touching 87 mph.  Miller threw his breaking ball for a strike at 70-72 mph.  He has a lean streamlined frame with quick arm speed that will translate to more velo down the road and will add to already good command.

Game 2 - vs. Kentucky

Missouri bats were on full display in the 7-3 win over Kentucky, highlighted by a three-run home run by Jeremy Schork (Rockwood Summit).  Schork unloaded on a full count fastball and deposited it over the left field wall to give Missouri a 3-0 lead early.  Matthew Schark (Francis Howell) drove in a run on a smash to the left-center gap and later lined out to the shortstop, giving him two-at bats showing off his hit tool (he was also equally impressive during batting practice).  Nathan Chester (Liberty North), CJ Cepicky (Vianney), and Devin Ward (Vianney) would all double, while Trevor Kardell (Lee's Summit West), Griffin Henry (Lee's Summit West), and Brayden Eftink (Cape Notre Dame) added singles.  Cepicky finished the game going 2-for-2 with a run. Griffin Henry (Lee's Summit West) turned in a solid game defensively at shortstop assisting in all three outs late in the game. 

Ian Loshe (Marquette) worked the first two innings for Team Missouri, allowing no runs on one hit with four strikeouts. His fastball worked 82-84 mph, touching 85 mph. It showed late life and produced a bunch of swing and miss attempts from Kentucky hitters.  His breaking ball was equally as sharp at 67-68 mph, with 2-to-8 shape.  Lohse has a small frame with a big arm, throws a high percentage of strikes attacking hitters with his fastballs.

Tyson James (Webster Groves) is an impressive 6-foot-4 200-pound righty, a physical presence on the mound.  He comes from an over the top arm slot and showed signs of dominance in his outing.  After giving up a pair of hits, he fanned the side the turn away a Kentucky scoring threat.  His fastball range was 83-85 mph, touching 86 mph, and he showed a sharp late breaking curveball at 72-75 mph.  His breaking ball was buckling at times and produced several swing and misses.  He finished with four strikeouts and allowed just one walk.

Jeremy Schork (Rockwood Summit) threw two scoreless innings and worked out of trouble.  Schork has an aggressive delivery and works quick.  Fastball sat 85-87 mph and showed occasional late life.  He also mixed in a 73-76 mph slider with late 10-to-4 shape that worked on two planes.  Schork is a strike thrower and attacks the zone, he finished with two strikeouts and no walks. 

Brayden Eftink (Cape Notre Dame) worked a scoreless seventh inning.  He had late two-seam action on his fastball working from a high three quarters arm slot.  His fastball worked mostly 83-85 mph, touching 86 mph.  He showed an above average slider at 69-72 mph, with late and sharp 11-to-5 action.  His change up worked at 76 mph with slight arm side release.

Game 3 - vs. Arkansas/Kansas

Missouri got on the board early with a double by Hunter Hiett, (Cape Central).  He would late on a single though the hole at short by Nathan Chester (Liberty North).  Hiett would add a sacrifice fly later in the game after a Trevor Kardell (Lee's Summit West) double down the left field line.  Tied 2-2 in the seventh, Team Missouri would get lead off walks from Devin Ward (Vianney) and Matthew Schark (Francis Howell). Both would later score to give Team Missouri the 4-2 win, capping off a 3-0 record for the Team Missouri at the Future Games.

Stone Hewlett (Rockhurst) touched 87 mph twice and sat mostly at 84-86 mph with his fastball.  Hewlett comes from an over the top arm slot and throws on a down hill plane. His slider worked at 72-74 mph, with 2-to-8 action.  He has an athletic delivery and repeats his release point well.  He finished with two strikes on the day, working a quick second inning with soft contact. 

Ayden Mertz (Park Hill) worked from a high three quarts arm slot and has a smaller frame at 5-foot-11 160-pounds.  He has a quick arm producing fastballs at 84-87 mph, touching 88 mph.  He showed a sharp, swing and miss, slider with 10-to-4 action at 70-71 mph.  He allowed just one hit and struck out three in two innings of work.  Mertz has a high projection with arm action and frame and will add to already above average fastball velo and good slider. 

Trevor Kardell (Lee's Summit West) another imposing and physical pitcher for Team Missouri.  Kardell sat 84-86 mph with fastball, touching 88 mph.  His breaking ball worked at 73-75 mph with 11-to-5 action.  He commanded both pitches recording three strikeouts and allowing just one walk in two innings on the mound.  At 6-foot-6 195-pounds expect to see his velo to keep climbing. 

Eric Loomis (Christian Brothers College) stands 5-foot-11 170-pounds and has more in the tank as he continues to develop.  The wide shouldered and loosed armed righty sat 84-85 mph with his fastball, with late life and threw a controllable and sharp breaking ball at 70-71 mph with 11-to-5 shape.  He tosses a scoreless seventh and eighth inning producing soft contact and recording one strike out. 

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