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West Coast Games: Standout Performances

August 18, 2021
Brett Harrison
Nevada Scouting Director

The inaugural West Coast Games is a one-of-a-kind event that will feature the top uncommitted prospects in the 2022 and 2023 classes from West Region. State Directors in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Pacific Northwest and Utah have assembled their teams of uncommitted rising upperclassmen, giving an unparalleled opportunity to each player in attendance by delivering a “one-stop-shop” for college coaches to recruit in the city of Las Vegas. Beyond the on-looking eyes of scouts and coaches, PBR’s unmatched coverage and commitment to elevating players via advanced metrics and technology (Trackman, Blast, Driveline), along with multiple social media platforms, will provide elite exposure for each player in attendance. 

The West Coast Games will consisted of a “Pro-Style” workout on Friday, August 13 with an opening night game between Team Nevada and Team California at UNLV. Games will be hosted over the two following days at both UNLV and the College of Southern Nevada with each team playing three games. 

Next, we feature the standout performances from the inaugural West Coast Games. 

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Brett Matson - 2022 / Liberty

Matson got his event started off with a bang, literally, as the first hitter during the batting practice portion, he showcased his ability to use all fields as well as flashing his present power to the pull side with a 102.17 mph TrackMan Exit Velocity that put him the Top 4 of the entire event, but his day wasn't over there. He showed just as well on the defensive side with present above average athleticism through the ball as well as posting a Top 2 Outfield Velocity of 91 mph. During the game play portion of the event, Matson held down the leadoff spot for Team Nevada where he strung together a number of quality at-bats including a leadoff homerun on the first pitch of the game against Utah. The Under the Radar prospect came into the event as a relative unknown and left with a commitment to play his college baseball at UNLV. 

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Logan Cockrill - 2022 / Centennial

The Centennial product came into the West Coast Games as one of the top Uncommitted prospects in Nevada's 2022 class. Cockrill made an immediate impression on the PBR Staff in attendance with an event best 1.92 PBR Verified Pop Time as well as a 77 mph Catcher Velocity that also earned him a share of the #2 spot in that statistical category. Offensively, he showed his ability to drive the ball to all fields during the with a Peak Exit Velocity of 95.28 mph, while proving he has quality barrel awareness with an Average Exit Velocity 89.76 mph. His receiving and in-game management is what sets Cockrill apart, as his proven catch and throw tool makes him an intriguing prospect that projects to transition well to the next level and a potential middle of the order bat.

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Logan Pruski - 2022 / Bishop Manogue

Arguably the top Uncommitted proposed in Northern Nevada, Pruski had a productive weekend on both sides of the ball, showing his two-way capabilities that could very well translate to the next level. The Bishop Manogue product has already drummed up quite a bit of interest as an athletic, 6-foot-2 prospect with room to add strength throughout, and put him self on quite a few more radars over the weekend. On the offensive side off the ball, he produced a number of quality at bats with consistent barrels all weekend. He put his fluid, rangy actions on display during the defensive evaluation portion of the Team Workout as well as in-game where his active footwork helped him make a number of plays with ease at each infield position to go with his 86 mph Infield Velocity. On the mound, he ran hit up to 87 mph via TrackMan and throw an impressive three strike out inning in his first inning of work and a scoreless second inning with a mostly fastball/breaking ball mix. Pruski is a player who we feel is just starting to scratch the surface of the player he could be and could very well be one of the next Nevada prospect off the board.

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LJ Mercurius - 2023 / Faith Lutheran

The excitement continues to grow around Mercurius and rightfully so with an upper 80's fastball with a loose, quick arm that oozes projectability. The three sport athlete currently stands at 6-foot-3 with a lean build that features long limbs with his complete game as well as velocity expected to mirror his physical strength gains. He has strung together a successful summer that concluded with a successful West Coast Games as the lone 2023 prospect on the team, he threw three scoreless innings with a mostly fastball/breaking ball mix. His fastball is currently his best pitch that he goes to early and ofter with an ability to move it around the zone and his breaking ball continues to flash plush potential as he throws it with the same conviction as his fastball with the consistency of being able to locate continues to show improvement. Mercurius is projected to be a Power 5 type arm and has only begun to show what he is capable of on the mound.

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Noah Tschopp - 2022 / Rancho

Tschopp got the ball on Friday Night to open up the game play portion of the West Coast Games against a stout California group. The 6-foot-5 right hander has all the features your search for in a quality prospect with a long, lean frame and the attractive looseness in the arm that gets extended well out front with much more projected to come as he learns to incorporate his lower half to tap into the additional velocity he still could possess. The raw features is what makes him interesting and some polish in his delivery could help him become more consistent in the zone as he relied heavily on his athleticism and competitiveness to get out of his second inning of work. He was able to run his fastball up to 87.95 mph via TrackMan with a breaking ball the well off of a similar plane with some tight, 11/5 shape in the 67-70 mph range. 

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Jordan Boman - 2022 / Centennial

The most physical prospect at the inaugural West Coast Games, Boman currently stands at 6-foot-4, 220 pound. He showed impressive athleticism and bat speed for someone his size, evident by his 105.43 mph TrackMan Peak Exit Velocity that was on display to the big part of the yard as well as his 95.39 mph Average Exit Velocity that proved he could find the barrel with consistency throughout his round as well. During the game play portion of the event, he showed his athleticism around the bag, presenting a quality target for his infielders with an ability to extend and handle balls in the dirt. Offensively, his best game came in Game 3 vs. Utah where he racked up a pair of opposite field singles that kept the line moving for Team Nevada in a pair of critical innings that lead to a victory for the Silver State. His at-bats seemed to progress throughout the weekend with the more pitches he saw leading to more barrels to the big part of the yard. 

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Luke Metzker - 2022 / Bishop Manogue

The 2020 Future Games alum has continued to show positive progression over the past year with his overall game continuing to improve on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he showed confident actions during the Team Workout portion of the event with an ability to range well laterally to both sides to go with his mid 80's arm across the diamond. At the plate, he showcased his ability to produce line drives to all fields with some pull side power potential also on display. Though Metzker does project as a potential two-way prospect, his confidence shined when he toed the rubber, running it up to 87.23 mph via TrackMan using an athletic delivery that used some effort, but repeated well on both his fastball and curveball. Their may be some potential that Metzker does move on to the next level solely as an arm as his ability to work with conviction on display throughout his outing. 

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Nicky Garritano - 2022 / Green Valley

As in previous write ups on Garritano, he is not a player that will jump off any stats sheet, but when you step between the lines in a game, this is a guy you love to watch. He posted a perfect weekend on the defensive side with quality plays being made at each infield position as well as tracking a few balls down in the outfield. The question for Garritano has been his bat and over the past few months and into this weekend he has proven that he can find the barrel. Each of his hits were to the opposite field with his ability to spray the ball to all fields on display during the batting practice portion of the Team Workout, also showing surprising flashes of some pull side power potential. Keep an eye on this one as a player who could continue to make significant strides over the next few months.

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Rylan Evans - 2022 / Moapa Valley

Evans concluded his summer with another stellar performance at the inaugural West Coast Games. The small school prospect has big upside with above average athleticism that shines throughout his game. Though he projects to hold down the shortstop position at the next level, we challenged him with innings at each infield spot during the event and he proved that he could handle any position with clean defensive actions that work. He plays with bounce and energy that radiates, especially when he is up the middle. Offensively, he's got a knack for finding the barrel that was obvious during the batting practice portion of the event and he continued to swing it during the game play portion as well with a number of line outs to go with a handful of hits on the weekend. Shortly after the completion of the event, Evans announced his commitment to play at the University of Pacific, the second player from Team Nevada to do so within 24 hours of the final pitch of the inaugural West Coast Games.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE STATE DATE LOCATION
Northern Nevada Prospect Open NV 08/21 Bishop Manogue
Nevada Fall Underclass Showcase NV 09/26 College of Southern Nevada

 

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