Prep Baseball Report

PBR IL - SWIC Scout Day: Takeaways


David Seifert
Director of College Scouting

On Wednesday, October 6, the PBR Illinois staff traveled to Belleville, IL to host the Southwestern Illinois (SWIC) Scout Day. The event featured over 55 uncommitted prospects, a majority of them hailing from Illinois.

Over the past week, we’ve already published a handful of post-event content pieces, such as a Statistical Analysis, TrackMan Files, and Blast Motion Board.

Today, we'll conclude this event's coverage by looking at which players stood out throughout the workout. In total, the Blue Storm rolled out five arms who were 89 + on the mound and one hitter who registered a max exit velocity of 103+ mph. Below are some of the standouts from the event.


SWIC PITCHING STANDOUTS:

+ Alex Buchanan: 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-handed pitcher up to 92 from a low ¾  slot, Buchanan also commanded his 79-80 mph slider. He can start or relieve and last spring he struck out 37 in 27 IP for the Blue Storm.

+ Luke Gasser: 6-foot-3, 230-pound right-handed pitcher. The top reliever for the Blue Storm in 2021, Gasser was up to 88 with his heater from a high slot. He’s a strike thrower with a funky, herky jerky arm action and very good deception. He also mixed in an effective 75-77 mph breaking ball. Gasser struck out 21 in 18.2 IP last spring.

+ Nate Hokanson: 6-foot-2, 185-pound right-handed pitcher. A transfer from Tarleton State in 2020, Hokanson was up to 87 from a low ¾ slot with a smooth, athletic delivery. He also blocks his front leg well. The righty showed a three pitch mix that also included a 77-78 CH and a 70-72 CB. He won six games as a freshman for the Blue Storm with 45 strikeouts in 43.2 IP.

+ Joey Kossina: 6-foot-2, 185-pound left-handed pitcher that also profiles as an outfielder. Different look, lefty sidearmer who was up to 88 with good depth on his 2-seamer. Best pitch was a 78-79 mph CH.

+ Additionally for the Blue Storm, RHPs Reed Braundmeier, Dustin Crawford, and Tresdon Rybarczyk were all up to 90 mph with their fastballs.


SWIC POSITIONAL STANDOUTS:

+ Chris Akers: 6-foot-2, 205-pound catcher and first basemen. True freshman ran a 7.05 sixty and was up to 87 across the diamond from the SS. Behind the plate Akers produced POP times in the 1.87-1.94 range and at a top velo of 76. Received well with strong hands and blocked well with athletic feet. Also posted a 95.8 max EV during BP with a pull approach and rotational swing that showed good rhythm and simplicity.

+ Cam Collier: 5-foot-10, 190-pound utility type. A transfer from South Florida. Collier is one of the top position players for the Blue Storm. A super utility type that can play in the infield, outfield and even suit up behind the dish. Collier ran a 7.01 sixty and threw 85 from the outfield. With quick hands, a drifting lower half and pull approach, his max EV produced was 97.6 mph and max distance traveled was 368'.

+ Jonah James: 5-foot-10, 170-pound infielder. True freshman who was up to 87 across the diamond and ran a 6.99 sixty. Showed smooth hands on the dirt and turned the DP well. With an inside out approach and level swing path, he produced a max EV of 83.5 mph. His measurables noted above should improve as he matures and gains strength.

+ Joey Kossina: 6-foot-2, 185-pound two-way athlete mentioned above as a pitcher. Kossina is a transfer from Southeast Missouri State. A top of the order type hitter, he used the whole during BP while producing a max EV of  89.6 mph and distance of 254‘. Kossina also ran a 6.93 sixty and threw 90 mph from the outfield.

+ Tyson Mickie: 6-foot, 190-pound utility type. Redshirt freshman and transfer from MTSU, Mickie quickly accelerated to a 6.54 sixty and threw up to 88 from the outfield. He can play multiple positions, but might be best in the outfield where he can run it down. Quick twitch with hand strength in the box, Mickie projects to hit for power. He produced a 93.2% hard hit rate and a max EV of 103.2 mph.

+ Grayson Udombon: 5-foot-8, 185-pound outfielder. Transfer from Tennessee Wesleyan, ran a 6.84 sixty and was up to 88 mph from the OF. A leadoff type of hitter, Udombon showed good barrel awareness with a compact swing, producing a max EV of 87.8 and a 53.5% line drive rate. 

You can find a complete roster and statistics from this event by clicking HERE.

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