Junior Future Games: Pitching Recap
August 4, 2021
The 2021 Junior Future Games featured the top players representing their states from around the country in the 2025-2026 classes. The 8th Annual Invitation-Only event features the best identified prospects from across the PBR Coverage Area in a five-day event at LakePoint Sports in Emerson, GA. Participants were given the unique opportunity of competing against other top-level players while representing their respective state in a high-level atmosphere.
The success in this tournament proved Nevada is in good hands for years to come with not only the talent in the upcoming classes, but the toughness they played with makes this next generation of players an exciting one to follow. Game 1 against an always elite Ohio team saw Nevada come away with a 5-1 victory that caught the attention of more than a few colleges in attendance with Team Nevada then backing up their performance with another win verses a talented and physical Arkansas group posting a final score of 6-3. A back and forth game in Game 3 verse Kentucky ended in a 7-5 loss, but Nevada still managed to win the pool and advance to the playoff round.
Playoff day began with a 4-1 victory over a stacked Tennessee group that routinely makes deep runs in the Junior Future Games and the boys followed it up by taking down the #1 overall seed, Georgia, 3-2 to advance to the Final 4. In the Semis, Team Nevada matched up against Texas, unfortunately coming up short in the end, but setting the bar for the Junior Future Games groups in the future.
Next, we highlight the standout pitching performerances for Team Nevada at the 2021 Junior Future Games.
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The lone southpaw on Team Nevada went 2-0 on the weekend with one save in his three total appearances. His competitive nature carried him through each outing and you could see his confidence growing with each quality inning against some of the top 2025 and 2026 players in the country. He commanded his fastball well to get ahead early, using his sweeping breaking ball as his go to pitch when he got deep into counts. Blakeney struck out a Team Nevada best six batters over his eight total innings with another team best .87 ERA leaving a total of 13 runners stranded on base. An extremely impressive weekend for a player who stands only 5-foot-7, but played like he was 6-foot-7. He will be a fun player to watch over the coming years for Las Vegas High School.
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Szymarek was part of the one-two punch with Blakeney as he posted a 1.17 ERA over his two outings totaling in 6.0 innings pitched. The right hander worked out of a 3/4 slot with some looseness that he used to produce actions on each his pitches, repeating his slot well to create deception on his mostly fastball/breaking ball mix. His name was called upon as Team Nevada opened up against an always elite Tennessee group holding them to only one run over his five innings of work, striking out two and utilizing he defense who continued to make play after play for him. Topping out at 77 mph via TrackMan, his velocity is expected to continue to improve over the next few years as he develops physical strength, especially in his lower half.
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Eberwein didn't only get it done in the field, he also got it done on the mound going 7.0 total innings for Team Nevada while striking out four in the process. Though he may not have lit up the stat sheet, his ability to compete and get out of key situations helped keep Nevada in the win column in each of his two appearances. The lean, 6-foot-1 righty topped out at 79 mph at the Junior Future Games and commanded both his curveball and changeup to keep hitters off balance, inducing weak contact, especially against #1 seeded Georgia, where he earned a four inning save. Eberwein projects to fill out his frame over the next few years with his overall game expected to parallel that physical development.
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Sakowski gave Team Nevada a quality start in Game 3 vs. a physical Kentucky team going four complete innings, allowing only three hits and striking out two in the process. His 1.75 ERA put him at third best in the Team Nevada rotation and his .200 batting average against placed him at the top of the stat board for our starters. He commanded the zone early and often with his fastball up to 74 mph while showing feel for his secondary stuff that he used well once he got ahead in the count.
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He stood out at the plate going .500 for Team Nevada at the Junior Future Games, but he also held his own on the bump as well. Racking up 6.0 total innings, he held opposing batters to just a .217 batting average against as he showed confidence in his three pitch mix that includes a fastball up to 76 mph, his breaking ball that sat 66-68 mph and a changeup that worked effectively off his fastball at 70-73 mph. He gave a huge three innings in Nevada's win over Arkansas, allowing only two hits over his three innings with one earned run given up that he took care of at the plate where he went a perfect two for two with a pair of RBI's. Hunter projects to be an exciting two-way prospect at Faith Lutheran next year with the potential to make an early impact in their lineup.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| PBR West Coast Games (Nevada Invite) | NV | 08/13 | UNLV & College of Southern Nevada |
| Northern Nevada Prospect Open | NV | 08/21 | Bishop Manogue |