Prep Baseball Report

Hunter Pence Scout Day - Underclass Quick Hits


Brandon Gowins
Texas Scouting Director

HOUSTON, TX -  This past weekend, PBR Texas made its way to The University of Houston for a two day event with Hunter Pence Baseball Academy. Players from all high school classes, and a few select 2027's were in attendance for a pro style workout on Saturday. Following the workout, the 2026s went straight into gameplay following the workout. Sunday consisted of three more games for the 2025s, 2024s and 2023s. It was a great look at the organization and today we take a look at some of the upperclass standouts from the weekend.

FULL STAT SHEET

STAT LEADERBOARDS

+ UPPERCLASS QUICK HITS

+ TRACKMAN LEADERS

 

 

 

 

Sebastian Barrera C / OF / Los Fresnos, TX / 2025

Barrera had a good weekend in many different areas, and it is easy to tell he is just a baseball player.  The Soph. plays the game the right way and can help out in many different ways.  Behind the plate, he is a really good receiver and blocker of the baseball.  He had consistent pop times in the 2.1 range and should continue to get better. He has a good arm that he showed off during workouts, throwing 85 from the OF.  At the plate, Barrera shows a sound approach with a short swing geared for line drives to the big part of the field.  Barrera has a projectable frame, and should continue to fill out and get stronger. He will be one to follow moving forward.

 

 

Kade Johnson RHP / OF / The Woodlands Christian Academy, TX / 2025

Johnson hopped on the mound and opened some eyes on Sunday.  The projectable righty had one of the better outings of the day, and showed a velo jump from the last time we saw him.  His Fastball sat in the 84-87 range and topped out at 88 with good sink. He had a Sink + score of 94. He commanded it well, keeping it at the bottom of the zone making it tough to square up and elevate.  He complimented the pitch with a Slider that he threw in the mid 70’s that had late bite to it.  The two pitch combo paired nicely together, coming out of the same slot and breaking different ways.  Johnson also showed off solid athleticism with a 7.11 60 yd. dash.  Johnson looks like another high end arm out of Cy Ranch.

 

Jose Arteaga RHP / 3B / Porter, TX / 2025

The physical sophomore had a good weekend on both sides of the baseball. He looked good during the infield portion of the workout, showing soft hands and a + arm across the diamond.  He threw 88 across the diamond, showing more than enough arm to lockdown the hot corner. At the plate, he has some current strength and shows some power potential.  He did a good job in the game going with the pitch.  He was also impressive on the mound, showing a quality fastball that maxed out at 86.  He had clean mechanics with a loose arm.  He still has more projection left so he should continue to see his velo go up.

 

 

Isaiah Salas LHP / 1B / The Woodlands, TX / 2025

The Soph. LHP had a sharp outing on Sunday.  He showed good pitch ability and was able to pitch in all 4 quadrants of the zone. He pitched from the stretch exclusively, with an efficient delivery. He did a good job of repeating his mechanics with a shorter arm action that added some deception.  He featured a fastball that sat 80-83 with some ASR.  He was also able to get under RHH's with the pitch. He threw a curveball as well in the 68-70 range, landing it for a strike and burying it to the backfoot of righties.  He threw a quality Change to round out his arsenal that he threw with good arm action, and would start it on the outside corner and let it run off the plate.  It was a mature outing for Salas who should see some big jumps as he gets stronger to match his pitch ability. 

 

 

 

Aiden Reed RHP / 3B / Klein Oak, TX / 2026

Another member of the 2022 Jr. Future Games, Reed showed well in all aspects over the weekend.  At the plate, he doesn't get cheated, showing good bat speed and every swing has intent. He has exit velocities  in the low 90's.  In the field, he profiles best at 3rd. He shows off a good arm, as he was 84 across the diamond.  On the mound, Reed  repeated his delivery with a high 3/4 slot.  His velo sat in the low 80's and topped out at 83.  He used a curveball for his secondary offering.  He threw it in the upper 60's and it showed the right shape.  

 

 

 

Julian Carbia OF / RHP / The Woodlands, TX / 2025

The physical outfielder looks the part of a power hitting corner OF.  The soph. took a loud round of BP maxing out at 96.5 on exit velo.  The RHH did a good job of getting off good, consistent swings with a slightly open stance and good rhythm.  He shows + bat speed and should have above avg. power.  In the field, he showed off a solid arm, maxing out at 87 mph, showing the ability to handle RF.  

 

 

 

Chase Bradley C / OF / Grand Oaks , TX / 2026

Bradley was a 2022 Jr. Future Gamer, so I was excited to see how Bradley has progressed through the fall, and he really opened some eyes defensively.  The Freshman put on a clinic during gameplay throwing out multiple baserunners at both 2nd and 3rd. He did a good job of receiving and blocking as well.  During the workout portion, he tied for an event best 2.0 pop time.  He does that with great footwork and a quick transfer.  As the arm continues to develop he should be tough to run on.  At the plate, he shows the potential to add some power from the catcher position. He has a short stroke, with good bat speed and a frame that is going to keep filling out.  Bradley is a good athlete for the catcher position as well, posting a 7.12 60. 

 

 

Jordan Bankett OF / Home School, TX / 2025

One of the more intriguing players on the weekend was Bankett. The Sophomore  showed off some athleticism with a 60 time of 6.96.  The athleticism also shows up in the batter's box where he showed off his elite bat speed.  He had a max exit velo of 92 and there is a lot more in there.  Bankett still has some rawness to his game, but the tools are loud and he has a chance to take some big jumps. 

 

 

Chase Allen OF / LHP / Bridgeland, TX / 2027

One of the few 27's in attendance, Allen more than held his own on the weekend.  The LHH has a lot of physicality for his age, but shows good body control and the ability to repeat his powerful left handed swing.  He has good bat speed and showed a sound approach driving balls to all parts of the field during bp.  His approach showed up in the games as well, staying off some off speed pitches and getting some hits.  He profiles as corner OF with some power, and will be fun to follow as he continues to develop. 

 

 

 

Jack Smejkal SS / RHP / The Woodlands, TX / 2026

I was excited to get another look at Smejkal and he looked the part of a high end SS that is going to hit.  The Freshman has good feel on defense, plays with good pace and can make all the plays.  He has more than enough arm to stick at short and shows good quickness in all directions.  At the plate, Smejkal has good barrel to ball skills and had multiple hits in the games.  He is only a freshman, but the baseball skills are evident, as he gets stronger he has a chance to be the next special one out of The Woodlands.  

 

 

 

 

Hunter Myers C / SS / Tomball, TX / 2027

Myers was one that really opened some eyes over the weekend. As one of the youngest in attendance, he more than held his own in all aspects.  At the plate, Myers shows good bat speed for his age and the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field.  Defensively, he showed a lot of versatility. He looked the part in the OF, showed good actions and range in the infield. Where he really stood out was behind the plate.  He caught some high end older arms, and handled them well.  He showed good feet and a quick transfer on his throw downs, with a pop time of 2.12. Myers has a baseball IQ for his age and plays the game with confidence, he will be a fun one to follow. 

 

 

 

Blake Edling LHP / 1B / Tomball, TX / 2027

One of the standouts for me was Edling.  It was my first time seeing him, and he really opened some eyes with his outing.  While only a ‘27, Edling’s mound presence and maturity was impressive.  He was in total control of what he was trying to accomplish and executed at a high level.  The LHP set a new PR when he hit 80 mph.  It is a low effort delivery with a repeatable, shorter arm action.  He also showed off a curveball that he was able to locate for strikes and put away pitches.  It should continue to improve as he gets stronger and can throw it with more power. He threw a changeup that was thrown with conviction and had some ASR.  While we have a while before we will get to see him in High School, Edling is going to be one to follow.

 

 

Jailen Jones OF / Channelview , TX / 2026

Arguably the best athlete on the weekend was Jones.  The sophomore really showed out during the workout portion of the event.  He ran an event best 6.66 60 and he also had the highest vertical jump, coming in at 33.1''.  At the plate, he starts with a wider stance and relies on his bat speed to impact the baseball.  He is still growing into his frame, and as he continues to learn to use his athleticism in the batter's box, Jones should make some big jumps in the near future. 

 

 

 

Christopher Toney Jr OF / 2B / Atascocita, TX / 2026

One of the other top athletes on the weekend was Toney.  The Frosh from Atascocita showed off his athleticism with a 6.88 60. The athleticism also showed up in the box.  He has a relaxed start to his swing, keeping his hands low and in front of them, and then as he starts his swing he shows good rhythm as they go back and get in a good hitting position. He had a max exit velo of 90.7 and as he matures that number should jump significantly.  Toney is only a freshman, but his athleticism shows up on the field during games, and he will be one to follow. 

 

 

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