Utah HS Player and Pitcher of the Week: Purser, Park and Ball
March 20, 2023
Throughout the spring season, PBR Utah will announce a player and pitcher of the week, every Tuesday, from the previous week. The awards are based on what kind of statistical week the player had, and it will be subjective, based on my evaluation of the player. Also you do not have to have attended a PBR event to earn the award, but I will lean towards the player I know more thoroughly and also what kind of collegiate prospect that player is. So it isn't only stats, but that is where it starts, with the other criteria as separators in case of a close call. In the event of two performance's in the each category, that could go either way, as to which gets the nod, two awards for that category will be given. Such is the case this week, with two pitchers of the week.
All three players I'm very familiar with and have attended PBR Utah, however all three separated themselves from the rest of the pack with their performances for the Week of 3/6 - 3/11.
Player of the Week
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Treyson Purser 3B / Ridgeline, UT / 2024Rankings State Rank: 21 / POS: 3
UncommittedWeek Two (March 13-19) Stat Line: G 4 AB 17 R 3 H 7 HR 3 RBI 12 2B 1 3B 1 (2 games of 5 RBI’s) 10/30/22
The 4A 1st Tm All-State 3B and the younger brother of NJCAA 2nd Tm All-American LHP-Dax Purser, Trey had a solid showing at the All-State Games, as in game action, he finished with a couple of hits, along with a HR to left and took a solid BP in producing a 95.1 Exit velocity and produces his lift and carry to the ball by taking an easy approach in driving the knob indie and through the baseball, and then releasing the barrel through contact with that extra oomph. comes from a bloodline of athletes in the Purser family and Trey is definitely someone for college coaches to keep an eye out for over the next couple of years. 9/17/22
Positional Profile: 3B/RHP 9/17/22
Positional Profile: 3B/RHP
9/15/22
A rising junior at Ridgeline HS, Purser has a big Sophomore season in 2022, as he garnered 1st ™ All-State honors, after hitting .471 w/4 HR, 35 RBI with 14 BB to only 7 K outs, enroute to a OPS of 1.328. Purser is the younger brother of Salt Lake CC ace LHP, Dax Purser. Trey is a strapping 6-3 220 3B/RHP, but it’s his bat that will get him recruited. With solid metrics compiled through Trackman with a 95.9 EV coupled with Blast Motion scores of 21.3 hand speed and 74.8 bat speed, there is enough from a tools perspective to take a closer look at this RHH corner bat. A compact stroke with the ability to hit LD’s straightaway and to the pull side, Purser is far from reaching his man strength, even though he is a big boy right now. It won’t be long before his hard LD singles and doubles turn into HR power in the near future, as he hasn’t tapped into lifting the ball and driving it as deep as he will in time. But he can hit and square balls up consistently, while making frequent contact. At the hot corner he makes the plays within his range, though that range needs to be better and show further 1st step quickness. It remains to be seen whether he stays at 3B or moves to 1B at the next level, but the bat will play at either spot. A high level JUCO type talent right now with the bat and should continue to blossom over the next two years, as he will be the main force in the Skyhawks lineup.
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Co-Pitcher of the Week
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Austin Park SS / OF / Juab, UT / 2025
UncommittedWeek Two (March 13-19) Stat Line: Hitting G 4 AB 14 R 8 H 9 RBI 6 2B 3 3B 3 BB 2 SB 3 Pitching G 2 IP 7 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 SO 17 10/30/22
2022 PBR Future Games The #1 ranked ‘25 in the class and for good reason, the lean wiry athletic Park, has the makings of a really good player moving forward, as he took his turns through the workout, but kept things in check, as he is still preparing for the 3A State Football playoffs for the undefeated 10-0 Juab Wasps. A WR on the gridiron, and an uber projectable SS/CF on the diamond, Park is a 2022 PBR Future Games alum and already has some D1 offers on the table, but is in no hurry to make a decision, as he has 3 years at the HS level. Park had a great workout and the actions remained abv avg and looked very similar to that of his Future Games performances, however his data took some leaps forward over the last 3 months since LakePoint. He achieved his best tools marks of hand speed, 23.5, EV of 93.3, Avg EV 87.9, Max Distance 339, 7.01/60 on grass (soft track) vs. a 7.07 on turf in GA. He also fired off 83-84 mph easy accurate throws across the diamond from SS. Looking forward to seeing Austin next spring and the considerable gains and momentum he’s creating. 8/07/22
The top 2025 Position player in the state in this scouts opinion, regardless of others that may have committed and played for team USA. The upside of this kid is that of a HIGHLY athletic, lean long and twitchy 3 sport star with abv avg movement patterns. Park was first spotted at the Fall Prospect ID last November at Snow Canyon HS, and I’ve been squarely in this kids corner since. Was seen by every school in the state at the Top Prospect Games, July 12th at Pleasant Grove HS. Austin is skinny w/lean wiry strength and pound for pound strong, while oozing projection w/added weight/strength to come. The setup is semi wide w/a slight crouch and his bat held at a 45-degree angle. He shows hand and bat speed and the ability to sit back and recognize off speed mistakes and flashes HR power to the pull side now. Defensively he can play SS/CF and make each position look very natural. At SS he shows glove and athletic actions with soft hands and plays through the baseball. His arm is strong and accurate with 83 mph throws across the diamond and 85 from the OF. The arm is very loose and fluid and I can see upper 80’s across the INF and 90 from the OF over the next 2-3 years. Already has 2 D1 offers!   
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Co-Pitcher of the Week
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Tyler Ball RHP / Skyridge, UT / 2023Rankings State Rank: 11 / POS: 4
Committed: Brigham Young UWeek Two (March 13-19) Stat Line: IP 6 H 1 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 SO 14 Update: Tyler de-committed from Stanford last fall, and a few weeks later committed to BYU. Ball will serve a 2 year church mission upon graduating, leaving most likely in the summer, and will be back for the 2025 fall semester, playing his freshman season in the spring of 2026. Tyler has thrown as we've expected for a number of years now, as he's gotten off to a hot start in '23. Recently 90-94 and showing an improved hard breaking CB 76-78, that was looser in the past, and showed quality shape, yet lacked bite. The CB is there now with late action and depth. Ball is gonna be tough to hit moving forward, based off his first two outings. 3/06/22
The top pitcher in the ‘23 class, Tyler committed to Stanford after his freshman year and was highly recruited by other schools as well. An Underclass Area Code alum, Ball has been on my radar since he was 14 years old, as I’ve seen him play with my son at a younger age. Ball has intriguing potential and is built like a MLB pitcher, with a lean, yet strong muscular build. Possessing a clean, yet shorter HTQ arm stroke, Ball shows good use of his lower ½, and has genetic arm strength, which he possessed at a young age. Now with two seasons of HS baseball remaining, not only is he a D1 commit, but shows the type of arm and arsenal of pitches to be a pro prospect out of HS. With a Stanford offer in hand, the Cardinal very rarely loses a HS commit to the draft, thus it will have to be a very high draft selection, for Ball to forgo a Stanford education, in addition to being a top Cardinal pitching recruit. Ball features a FB in the 88-90 mph, that reached the low 90’s in the fall. Ball also has a tight late breaking CB in the 74-78 range and has late tilt and biting depth. The CH 79-80 has late tumble and 13.8 inches of depth and turn over type life. Look for Tyler to have a big junior year, as he features the type of arm to put him in the conversation of region and state pitcher of the year, whether it's this spring or next. One thing is for sure Tyler will be a name to keep an eye on for Utah baseball fans, as he has big time potential. 10/11/20
A name that will be known in time. Colleges have become very aware of him this summer. Have seen him a number of times since he was 13. Plays for a very good HS coach, who was a former BYU recruiting coordinator for over a decade. Features a Lg lean athletic build, that’s tapered into a lower ½ that’s getting stronger and filling out. 15 years old and 602 180 and projects another 20 Lbs at maturity. Tyler has a classic side step to start a synced up med kick to a solid overall operation. Really uses his legs while featuring a drop/drive delivery from a HTQ loose, live arm stroke. Gets good ext out front and finishes pitches. The FB 87-91 shows control to move the ball in/out to all 4 quadrants. Delivery and feel to have command in time. The CB 76-78 takes on some TQ SLV type action and needs more depth, but he is 15. The CH 78-80 shows feel to sink, while maintaining arm speed. Will be fun to watch him grow and mature over the next 3 years. |
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JEFF SCHOLZEN (BIO)
Scholzen was brought on as the Utah Scouting Director for Prep Baseball Report after serving 9 years as the Four Corners Scouting Supervisor with the Milwaukee Brewers (2011-2020). Prior to his run with the Brewers, Scholzen worked for the Los Angeles Angels for 11 years (1999-2010), serving in a similar capacity as the Four Corners Scouting Supervisor. In all, Scholzen served as a full-time scout for 20 years. Scholzen also received a 2002 World Series ring for his contributions as a scout.
With the Angels, Scholzen created an Angels Scout Team, in which he coached the likes of current and former major league players: Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, Greg Bird, Tyler Wagner, Aaron Blair, Joey Rickard, Donn Roach, Johnny Field, Taylor Cole and Paul Sewald to name a few. During his run with the the Angels, Scholzen served as the hitting coach for the Angels rookie ball affiliate with the Pioneer League Orem Owlz, helping guide the Owlz to the 2005 and 2007 Pioneer League titles.
Prior to becoming a professional scout, Scholzen served as the head coach at Southern Utah University between 1993-1997. At the time, Scholzen was the youngest Division I head coach when he was first hired at 24 years old. The Southern Utah baseball program was dropped after the 2012 season. While coaching at Southern Utah, Scholzen served as the hitting coach for the Alaska Goldpanners in 1995, as they won the Alaska League Championship.
A native of Utah, Scholzen played at Hurricane HS and was twice named 1st team All-State and an AAU HM All-American, before moving on to Utah Valley CC and Eastern Oregon University, earning All-Conference honors on three separate occasions. Scholzen played in the Angels’ organization from 1991-1992.