Prep Baseball Report

Washington HS Scout Blog (3.25.23)


Dan Jurik
Scouting Director - Pacific Northwest

Saturday, March 25th was the inauguarl NW High School Invitational tournament. A fundraiser event created to help raise money & awareness for multiple causes within the sports community. 

This year the event was hosted at Husky Ballpark on campus at the University of Washington. The four teams featured were Union, Federal Way, Lake Washington and Bainbridge. 

The 4 team, single elimination bracket all took place in 1 day with 4 consecutive games. When it was all said and done, Federal Way was crowned champions after a 4-3 win over Lake Washington followed by a 5-1 victory over Union in the title game. 

Here are some notes and clips from the action

hs scout blog

federal way

‘23 INF Jay O’Neill (Fresno City College) - Multi-sport athlete who also excels on the gridiron. O’Neill was a consistent offensive presence throughout the day while playing dependable defense at SS. Offensively continues to show a smooth, low effort swing from the left-side. Stays inside of the ball well, capable of splitting a backside gap and maintains a mature, disciplined approach. 

‘23 OF Isaiah Afework (Tacoma CC) - Big time athlete in the OF with strong defensive instincts and exciting tools. Afework can work from gap to gap on defense with ease. Showcasing quick reads off the bat as well as exceptional closing speed. Offensively he keeps everything simple with a tall, quiet set up and relaxed posture. Uses a controlled load before attacking the ball with an aggressive swing that features controlled violence. Some natural feel to hit that should only get better as he continues to get consistent reps in the box. 

‘23 C Joseph Krahner (Wenatchee Valley) - The senior backstop made an impact throughout the day but his presence was especially felt in G1 against Lake Washington when he went 3-4 with 2 RBI and drove in the go-ahead run in Top 8. Strong, compact frame with powerful levers. Krahner puts a tight, compact swing on the ball and keeps his hands tight to the core throughout. Defensively he controls the game with experience and showed the ability to receive while handling quality velo and spin. 

‘23 RHP Austin Crawford (Tacoma CC) - Physical righty on the bump at 6’2, 190. Crawford is a consummate competitor on the bump with ample experience. Remains poised in tough situations and always seems to find a way to make quick adjustments. Crawford was terrific in the title game on Saturday, going 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB and 6 K. The FB was 85-87 early with a consistent CB at 71-74. Feel for the CB improved as the game went along and he holds velocity deep into starts. Also contributed plenty on the offensive side and is a crucial part of the middle of the order. 

‘25 RHP/INF Orlando Young (Washington) - A top 10 player in the 2025 class for the state, Young lived up to the billing on the weekend with a standout effort on the mound in Game 1. Finished with a final line of 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K as the Eagles held onto a 4-3 win. Pitched 86-88 with the FB and used both a CB and CH as consistent secondaries. The CH gives him a viable 3rd option, especially against LHH while the CB has swing and miss potential and tight shape to it. Strong lower half and easy delivery allows him to hold his pure stuff deep into starts. Offensively he’s a consistent power threat and handles duties at 3B.

union

‘23 OF/LHP Dylan Osborne (Washington) - One of the top 2-way talents in the 2023 class. Osborne displayed all the tools and skills over the weekend. Starting things off on the mound in G1 for a brief outing that was still impressive nonetheless. Topped at 87 and pitched comfortably at 85-86 with a clean, loose arm path. Sharp CB at 73-74 what he commands well. Athletic mover on the slope with projection left to tap into. Offensively had multiple hits on the day, working to all parts of the field with a quick, handsy type swing and easy bat speed. Plus runner both defensively and on the base paths. 

‘23 RHP Dylan Richardson (Edmonds CC) - Richardson has always had an exciting combination of arm strength and raw power. Over time he’s really transformed his frame and comes in now at about 6’3, 200 lbs with an athletic build and proportional strength. The arm talent has matured into quality pitchability and he maintains an ultra competitive demeanor on the bump. There’s some funk in the delivery with big shoulder tilt and an extremely high glove side after hand break but it works for Richardson and he can consistently find the zone. FB was 83-85 on this look, we’ve seen him up to 88 with a CB at 72-74 and occasional cutter at 76-77. Pitched 5 scoreless innings in relief, allowing 1 H, 2 BB with 5 K. 

‘23 RHP Evan McGuire (Clark College) - McGuire is an arm who popped back in the Fall for us at a workout and has continued to trend upward. The tall, lanky 6’5 RHP is now up to 85-88 mph with his FB and shows aptitude for ripping off a tight SL at 76-79. Fills up the one consistently and knows how to expand when ahead. A talented hitter as well, McGuire took quality swings all weekend, showing plenty of bat speed and the ability to drive the ball into the gaps. Overall he’s a highly productive 2-way player in the middle of the balanced Union line-up. 

‘24 C Luke Chaney - One of top remaining players in the 2024 class. Chaney possesses next level size, strength and athleticism. Defensively he’s a quality receiver behind the plate and proved capable of handling both velocity and spin. Flashed the arm strength in G1 as he threw out a would-be base stealer with a cannon of a throw. Offensively he was pretty unlikely, producing multiple lineouts on balls that were barreled up. But nonetheless it was good to see the combination of contact ability to go with his bat speed and athleticism. Uncommitted

A couple other senior bats who performed well across the 2 game stint for Union were ‘23 1B Ben Lewis (Pacific University) and ‘23 OF Blake Geffert (William Jessup). Geffert went 1-3 in G1 and knocked in 2 RBI then added another hit in G2. Lewis is another bat to watch in the offense who had quality swings over the weekend and shows power potential

bainbridge

‘24 INF Owen Browning - One of the top remaining bats in the 2024 class. Browning has above average bat speed and exit velocities from the left-side. Over the weekend he produced multiple hits and squared balls up to the opposite field and to his pull-side. At the plate he shows loose, relaxed hands and a quiet forward move. Defensively he’s working back from a minor set-back in his throwing arm so he saw time at DH and 1B. Uncommitted.


‘25 OF/LHP Duncan Bos - Bos had a tough assignment against a strong Union team in G1 on the mound. The sophomore battled thru 5 innings and punched out 5 batters. Working up to 78 with the FB and featuring a 2/7 shaped breaking ball. Offensively he had multiple hits on the weekend and showed off added strength/physicality. It’s a simple swing from the left side and he stays compact with short, strong levers in the upper half. Creates some leverage at the dish with a strong front side and has the chance to be a consistent gap-to-gap power bat with feel for contact. Uncommitted

‘24 RHP Cole Pentin - Strong and durable with a starter’s build at 6’4, 205 lbs. Pentin is a name to watch in the ‘24 class for pitching. He had to battle to find command early on. Coming out at 83-85 with his FB and using the SL sparingly. However, he found his groove and showed some maturity as he competed for 6 innings, allowing only 1 H, 1 R (unearned) while walking 2 and striking out 4. When his delivery is in rhythm and he stays behind the ball, he can generate some late sink and really eat up barrels, producing weak, ground ball content and allowing his defense to work behind him. Uncommitted.

‘24 C JT Hardy - A newcomer to WA from Queen Creek, AZ. Hardy is a welcomed addition to the Bainbridge squad and brings quality defensive skill behind the dish with above average power from the left side. 6’0, 205 lbs with a stocky build, he features a short, direct swing with easy rotation into contact and strength in the wrists/forearms. Had multiple hits on the day and should be a productive LH bat throughout the season

lake washington

‘23 SS/RHP Carsen Mann (Tacoma CC) - Although primarily a SS, Mann had a quality start on the bump this weekend and isn’t an easy match-up for opposing line-ups to face. Pitches in the 80-83 range but from a short, tight slot that creates sink and arm-side run. The movement plays well with his SL and overall his athleticism allows him to control his actions on the bump and command the ball into the zone consistently. Had a quiet showing offensively but we’ve seen the offensive potential on previous looks and he’s a leader at the top of the line-up. 

‘23 C Camden Gillespie (Edmonds CC) - Gillespie controls the game behind the plate like you would expect from a senior. Offensively wasn’t as dominant as we’ve seen in the past but did produce a RBI single in G1 with a firm line drive to the left side of the INF. Produces easy bat speed and can impact the ball with a simple flick of the wrists. Mature hitter who always brings an approach/plan to his ABs. 

‘25 LHP/1B Shane Johnson (Washington) - One of the top pitching prospects in the state for the ‘25 class. While his pitching schedule didn’t match up for this past weekend, Johnson is having a really productive season at the plate so far and swung it well across 2 games. Went 2-4 with a RBI in G1. Offensively he’s a good rotation athlete and his ability to throw hard translates to the plate where he produces a smooth, flat swing path and stays on plane. Has been a reliable offensive presence while playing 1B for the Kangs so far this season. 

‘25 INF Brady O’Cain - Simply put Brady O’Cain just hits. Saw the switch hitter exclusively from the left-side on this look and he continued to show his advanced feel for controlling the barrel and generating quality contact. Keeps it simple in the box with a quiet set up, clean direction and makes consistently good swing decisions. Handles velo and can also adjust/recognize spin. Hitterish ballplayer. 

‘25 RHP Mason Smithwick - Smithwick showed well back in February at All State and brought some of that momentum into his start over the weekend. The rising soph has quality size with a frame to grow into at 6’1, 185 lbs. Worked 79-82 early with the FB and paired it with CB at 72-74. Touched 85 in the preseason so given his size and arm path, looks poised to trend in the right direction and he continues to get experience. Uncommitted.