Utah Players/Pitchers of the Week: Kidman, Patch, Park, Davies
April 2, 2024
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
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Cael Kidman OF / Ridgeline , UT / 2025Rankings State Rank: 29 / POS: 7
UNCOMMITTED Stat Line: March 25-31 G 4 AB 10 R 6 H 6 HR 5 RBI 15 BB 4 (IBB 3 Times, reached base 10 times) 2024 Current Stats G 13 AB 30 R 10 H 13 AVG .433 HR 6 RBI 24 2B 1 3B BB 8 SO 9 SB 2 The junior Riverhawks OF'er, has made vast improvements since we last saw him at the Northern Utah Open, held at his home field of Ridgeline HS. A skinny 6-2 170, now 6-2 180 and noticeably stronger and filled out, yet has remained lean and has tapped into some quick twitch at the plate. A lower floor right now, with considerable ceiling to reach over the next year and half. The hands fly through the zone with whip and solid extension into a wristy two hand finish top the swing. With this kind of week, he has now tied a top prospect in the state for HR lead at 6. With 12 regular season games left, the numbers are putting himself in a solid position to put up a stat line to rank with the best. |
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Xaviah Patch 3B / Stansbury , UT / 2025Rankings State Rank: 10 / POS: 3
UNCOMMITTED State Line: March 25-31 G 5 AB 16 R 8 H 9 RBI 3 2B 5 3B 1 2024 Current Stats G 12 AB 38 R 17 H 15 AVG .395 HR 1 RBI 15 2B 8 3B 5 BB 6 SO 6 7/31/23 Found this young man because of a D1 dad’s recommendation from his HS, along with absurd hitting stats. Went to see XPatch on Senior Day at an opposing HS and came away impressed enough to extend a Top Prospect and Future Games invites. A .505 hitter as a sophomore and with a rhythmic balance stance, coupled with a sweet LH stroke and plate/zone discipline, makes this kid's potential ceiling of a nationally ranked JC/high D2 or mid-major D1 caliber talent. Fluid actions defensively at 3B with educated feet, along with a high contact barrel rate, bodes well at the next level. Already talking to 3 mid major D1 programs. |
PITCHERS OF THE WEEK
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Austin Park SS / OF / Juab, UT / 2025
Stat Line: March 25-31 IP 5 H 1 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 SO 10 2024 Current Stats: Pitching: W 1 L 0 ERA 2.63 IP 13.1 H 10 R 5 ER 5 BB 2 SO 24 Hitting: (2nd Pitcher of the Week Award) G 12 AB 37 R 20 H 21 HR 2 RBI 18 2B 6 3B 0 BB 6 SO 7 SB 8/9 3/13/24 Week One: March 4-10 IP 6.1 H 3 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 SO 12 (Pitcher of the Week) The BYU commit and two-time Prep Baseball Future Games alum, committed as a SS, but the 3 sport athlete, who will be hanging up the pigskin next fall, to focus on the diamond headed into his senior year. Park has a variety of tools, and playing the MIF, or in the summer roaming the OF, the arm plays at any position, and the arm was on display last weekend on the mound, as Park threw 6.1 inns of shutout ball with 12 K outs vs the defending 5A state champion, the Timpanogos Timberwolves.
Although still a lean, skinny uber projectable frame and build, Park impacted the baseball with added strength compared to last summer, where his high 90’s EV’s, maxed out now at 100.8 at the Preseason All-State and remained easy in doing so. The bat path is direct and flatter with a slight uphill path, that is a natural on-plane path, that when he catches the bottom half of the baseball, the ball shoots to the right and LCF alleys with backspin carry. Not a lofted approach, but one that suggests hard line drive contact with the occasional pull HR power, but the path leans towards using his 6.7/60 speed to leg out 2B’s and 3B’s for his extra base hit power. The glove is still steady and lacks flash of most SS’s, and his hands are soft and quiet out front and makes easy transfers with low to mid 80’s velocity across the diamond. A natural type gazelle running gate, makes Park fun to watch run and the profile and my gut tell me he can be a quality 3B or slide over to the keystone and be a taller offensive 2B base type at the D1 level. The athleticism continues to impress and I really look forward to seeing what type of year 2024 holds for Austin! |
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Easton Davies RHP / Orem , UT / 2024
Stat Line: March 25-31 IP 6 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 2 SO 13 (FB up to 93!) 2024 Current Stats: GS 4 W 1 L 1 ERA 2.06 IP 17 H 11 R 7 ER 5 BB 9 SO 28 6/04/23 A Future Game alum like the rest of his ProCase teammates, Davies has matured physically and blossomed over the past two years, from a 6-1 185 build to a physically imposing 6-2 210 and looks the part of a stud D1/Pro Prospect. With a 85-88 mph high spin 2600+ FB two years ago, Davies now clocks in at 89-93 and with his up tempo style flexible delivery and late shoulder turn, the delivery has deception and his FB jumps with the high spin at the plate for late reads by hitters with swing/miss tendencies. The SL 77-82 is hard and sharp and can flatten out at times, yet when he catches it right, it can be tough to get a barrel on. The SL spins at 2556, which is abv avg on the scale and takes a hard left turn and tunnels off his FB, making for a two pitch reliever profile. The CH is the pitch that needs development and use to fill a starters role, but at his current level, he can get by with two pot power pitches that have the makings of solid avg to plus offerings. A competitor with a deep passion to compete and expects success. |
Committed: RECENT NEWS
SCOUTING DIRECTOR (BIO)
Scholzen comes to Prep Baseball 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 the same capacity as the "Four Corners" Scouting Supervisor (UT, WY, So-ID, Las Vegas, AZ, CO, NM and El Paso). Scholzen received a 2002 World Series ring for his contributions as a scout with the Angels.
With the Angels, Scholzen created an Angels Scout Team, in which he coached the following MLB players: Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, Greg Bird, Tyler Wagner, Aaron Blair, Joey Rickard, Donn Roach, Johnny Field, Taylor Cole, Andy Burns and Paul Sewald to name a few.
During his run with the the Angels, Scholzen also served as the hitting coach for the Angels rookie ball affiliate in the Pioneer League, the Orem Owlz, helping guide the Owlz to the 2005 and 2007 Pioneer League titles, which earned Jeff two more championship rings.
In Scholzen's 20 year scouting career, he was credited with the signing of 6 MLB players starting with: Brandon Wood, SS, Angels 2003, 1st Rd ~ Efren Navarro, 1B, Angels 2007, 50th Rd ~ Donn Roach, RHP, Angels 2010, 3rd Rd ~ Tyler Wagner, RHP, Brewers 2012, 4th Rd ~ Payton Henry, C, Brewers 2016, 6th Rd ~ Ryan Aguilar, 1B/OF - Brewers 2017, 31st Rd ~ Scholzen also had an additional 3 players added to various clubs 40 man MLB rosters over the years. Currently 2019 (14th Rd) draft pick, RHP-Paxton Schultz from Utah Valley U, is currently in AAA with the Toronto Blue Jays, and former 40 man Brewes rostered RHP (Utah Tech) just recently returned from Korea and signed with the NL Champion Arizona Diamondbacks and will most likely start the year in AAA and once stretched out after an injury plagued 2023, File will move up to AAA!
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 in the country, 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. Scholzen also recruited and coached World Series RHP-Ryan Jensen of the San Francisco Giants, who would earn a top 5 finish for NL Rookie of the Year in 2022. Scholzen and Jensen had the unique opportunity, to be on opposing sides of the ledger, when Scholzen's Angels and Jensen's Giants squared off in the 2002 MLB Fall Classic.
Scholzen also had the pleasure of coaching Jensen's roommate and back up catcher, Kyle Turner who has worked in professional/major league baseball for 24 years. Kyle currently is in his 14th season with the big league Kansas City Royals and serves as the clubs Head Athletic Trainer. Turner was instramental, while a young player for Scholzen at Southern Utah, in introducing Scholzen to his first wife, the late Heidi Dalton Scholzen, who passed away in December of 2014. 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 in 1991.
Scholzen was married to his late wife Heidi for 20 years and their union produced four children - McKyla 27, Miranda 24, McKenzie 22 and the couples only son, Grant Scholzen 19, who is a freshman 2B at D1 WCC school, the U of the Pacific (Pacific Tigers) on scholarship. After Heidi's passing in 2014, Scholzen married Cami Macias Scholzen, a widow herself and the same age as Heidi and the couple now have been married 8 years. Between both families, Jeff has 3 grandchildren and 5 step grandchildren (8 total) and the Scholzen's reside in Hurricane, UT in the bottom left SW corner of the state near the most iconic and scenic national parks in the country.