Texas All-State Games: Position Player Preview
October 26, 2017
On Saturday, October 28, some of the top talent in Texas will meet in Tomball to compete in the PBR Texas All-State Games. The event will feature players from all four high school classes, including 2018 & 2019 grads, along with a select few 2020 & 2021 grads. Yesterday, we highlighted some of the Pitchers attending the event. Today, we take a look at several key position players to keep an eye on.
Hitters
+ 2019 OF Austin Plante (Lake Travis HS) opened eyes at the Waco Open in September. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder has a great combination of strength and athleticism. He rattled balls off the centerfield during batting practice with a simple swing and easy, projectable power. 2018 Cole Johnson (Southlake Carroll HS) can really swing it, the Weatherford JC recruit has current gap power with more to come in the future, he can turn around velocity and hit spin. Every time we see 2019 1B Anderson Acinger (Plano Senior HS) he hits, and hits for power. The uncommitted junior tore up the Metro Scout League this fall, launching extra-base hit after extra-base hit. 2021 Jordan Viars (Reedy HS) is a 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter with power. The two-way player will also pitch tomorrow. The last time we saw 2018 OF Nick Petro (Concordia Lutheran) he homered, the left-handed hitter has a sturdy frame and gap power and would be a nice addition to a recruiting class that is looking for more left-handed hitters. 2019 OF (Kingwood Park HS) Tommy Ivey has a live body and quick hands at the plate and has not even come close to filling out his frame. Ivey turned heads this summer at the South Texas Underclass games when he ran a 6.92 and laced balls in the gap during batting practice. Uncommitted 2018 OF Cole Payne (Cuero HS) has a strong frame, fluid swing, and more power to come in the future. 2020 OF/LHP Tyler Douglas (John Cooper HS) has presence and moxy in the box. He was one of the top performers from Hunter Pence Baseball’s Scout Day at the end of September.
Catchers
+ 2020 Luke Banister (Hutto HS) was a top performer this summer at The South Texas Underclass Games. He is a strong, athletic back-stop with a fluid hack and power at the plate. He is currently ranked No. 19 in Texas. Switch-hitting freshman Dylan Leach (Carthage HS) is an aggressive, vocal player with an already strong frame and 2.0 pop times. 2020 C/RHP Beckett Vine (St. John's HS) is an all-around athlete and currently ranked No. 26 in Texas. 2018 C/3B Dylan Strater (Liberty HS) showed plus catch-and-throw tools behind the plate at the Upperclass Games, and showed pull side power at the plate.
Shortstops
+ A couple of Wichita State recruits will be in attendance with 2019 SS Couper Cornblum (Midway HS), and 2019 SS Austin Roccaforte (Tomball Memorial HS). Cornblum committed to Wichita State not long after the Waco Open, where he showed elite defensive skills. Roccaforte has been playing football this fall, but the quick-twitch infielder made two plays at the WWBA Qualifier in the same inning that show he can really handle the baseball in the middle of the field. 2020 SS Cade Merka (Argyle HS) has a high-waisted, projectable 6-foot, 160-pound frame. This past week at the Underclass Games, Merka showed that he will be a coveted recruit in the ‘20 class with his smooth, quick-twitch actions on the infield and ability to play on the run. Keep a close eye on 2019 Cole Posey (Georgetown HS), and 2019 SS Kade Sanchez (Caldwell HS). Posey was a standout at PBR Future Games, and Sanchez is a “spark-plug” gritty, gamer-type player.
+ All-in-all, The All-State Games will be loaded, offering college coaches and scouts the ability to see some of the top talent from around the state of Texas.
> CLICK HERE to view the complete roster.