Nolan's Notes: 3/13/24
March 13, 2024
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On Wednesdays this spring, NOVA Scouting Coordinator John Nolan will post videos his scouting notes on players that stood from his last week of coverage of the 2024 High School season.
This week will feature players from Gainesville, Heritage (Leesburg), Madison, and Potomac Falls.
Gainesville
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Carson Cates MIF / RHP / Gainesville, VA / 2024
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Caden Merritt OF / OF / Gainesville, VA / 2025The VMI commit and 2023 Future Games alum is very physical with loud tools and has been that way for a while. He has shortened his swing during the offseason and looks a lot more fluid in the wrists and hands. It showed in his third at-bat of the night as he stayed short and let the barrel work on this swing, getting his strength into the ball and lifting and driving it to centerfield, going for a home run. |
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Ryan Petro LHP / OF / Gainesville, VA / 2025Petro has an athletic frame that has projection left to it and room to add strength. He has a short arm action that works, its quick from a high three-quarters slot, he has some late intent in his delivery. Creates a bit of crossfire in an athletic delivery that is explosive towards the plate, angle is tough on lefties and he hides the ball pretty well. Fastball was 84-86, pitch has some downward angle and a bit of late armside bore to it. Slider was 74-78, with hard 1/7 break. Throws it with good armspeed and can locate it for strikes or throw it out of the zone, pitch is more in the higher end of the velo range when he rips it with two strikes, when he is trying to land it in the zone its in the lower end of the range. Was pretty dominant in the first two innings with a slider heavy mix, using it to get ahead and make his fastball play up. In the third inning he started falling behind and that led to problems, it is early in the season so his pitch count isn't super high. There is still projection and velocity upside and the breaking ball flashes true swing and miss with some shape, a lot to like here, poised for a big spring.
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Heritage (Leesburg)
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Owen Brundage SS / OF / Heritage (Leesburg), VA / 2025Brundage has an athletic frame and has been starting for Heritage on the infield for a while. He mans shortstop now and defensively that is likely his long term position. The arm strength is average to slightly above, but the hands and the glove work there and the footspeed and angles that he takes allows him to get to balls, and he has a quick exchange and release. At the plate, he is a line drive hitter with an all-fields approach. The video below is his second at-bat and he lines out into the RC gap, in his first at-bat he singled up the middle off Petro. It's a short swing with a simple approach, he will show some extra base power in the gaps, but the bat is a contact bat primarily. A pretty solid player who isn't flashy but gets the job done well and will be a good grab for someone. |
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Cooper Miskelly 2B / OF / Heritage (Leesburg), VA / 2026Miskelly is a versatile youngster with an athletic frame. He showed some batspeed at the PreSeason All-State and it translated in his first varsity start as he hammered the game-winning double in the top of the seventh. He keeps his hands inside and turns on this ball and drives it. |
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Aaron Van Tuyle OF / RHP / Heritage (Leesburg), VA / 2025Van Tuyle got the start in the game and has an athletic frame with strength present, especially in his hips and lower half. Throws from a lower three-quarters arm slot with a longer arm action and some effort to his delivery. Was really good until he began to tire, showed a ton of comfort with all four of his pitches. Fastball was 84-86, touching 87 twice in the first, mostly held that velocity. Pitch has some ride and plays up at the top of the zone. Showed a sharp 11/5 curveball that was 68-69 with good shape and a tight slider at 74-75 with 10/4 break. Best offspeed on the day was actually his change-up which was 70-72 with heavy fade and drew swing and misses. Was really comfortable pitching off of his offspeed, very much a pitcher already, changing speeds and alternating shapes on breaking pitches within at-bats. Will be very tough to hit for most high school bats. |
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Mark Van Tuyle OF / RHP / Heritage (Leesburg), VA / 2026Mark threw the last two innings of the game for the Pride, picking up the win in the comeback and closing the game out in the seventh. He has a lankier frame with projection left and room to add strength. Long loose, very easy arm action with a lot of quickness. Works from a very low slot just a tick above sidearm. Fastball was 83-85, topping at 86 when going for punch outs. Pitch has a ton of late armside run to it that also has some depth as well. Showed a true slider at 73 with mostly sweep action and a bit of depth to it. Showed ability to land it for a strikes but it really plays up and flashes swing and miss when thrown as a two-strike pitch off the plate. A ton of upside here, want to see again in a more extended outing later this spring. |
Madison
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Niko Papathanasiou 1B / Madison, VA / 2025Niko is a big physical strong corner infielder. Can move athletically at first, but his big calling card last year when he broke out was his bat and it came to play in his final at-bat of the game. He's a lefty hitter, quiet set-up and start, attacks the ball and lets the barrel work. Ripped this ball past first and ended up with an easy triple as he can move for a bigger guy once he gets up to speed. Extra-base power is present and shows in game. |
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Nathan Toundreault RHP / James Madison, VA / 2025Toundreault has a physical frame with strength present. Drop and drive delivery with an open landing and front side, short arm action from a very high-three quarters slot with normal effort to his arm action. Fastball was 83-85, mostly 84-85, did get an 86 early. Throws from a heavy ball that has a bit of ride up in the zone to it. Curveball had late sharp 11/5 action to it with good armspeed at 73. Got seven strikeouts in a pitch-count abbreviated outing this early in the season, mostly overpowered hitters during his entire outing. Worked the top of the zone primarily early and was better keeping in it down as the game progressed. |
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Carter Tuft OF / 2B / James Madison, VA / 2024
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Potomac Falls
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Austin Monahan RHP / 1B / Potomac Falls , VA / 2024We haven't seen Monahan in a bit but he looked good in a pitch-count controlled 2.1 inning start against Madison. Athletic frame with good strength present. Short arm action from a high three-quarters arm slot and it is a quick arm stroke, has some late intent in the delivery. Fastball was 86-88, touching 89, but it was mostly just 88. Pitch rides up in the zone and has a bit of late life down. Curveball was 76 with good armspeed and some shape and sharp 11/5 break to it. Got swing and misses in the zone and out with both pitches. Struck out 4 total in 2.1 innings and aside from a seeing-eye grounder held Madison quiet during that time. Will be interesting to track as the pitch count and arm strength build through the spring and there is a chance he is a great late add to a 2024 recruiting class for any program that is arm-needy. |