On Sunday August 9th, the PBR Illinois crew traveled to Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream to host the well-known GPA Games event for the fifth straight year. This annual showcase is tailor-made for academically-minded prospects that are looking to pair their skills on the field with what they can do in the classroom at the next level. We had roughly 50 prospects attend and adequately represent the 2024 to 2021 classes from several different states in the Midwest.

We’ll start our post-event coverage by thoroughly analyzing the top statistical performers from Sunday’s event:

TOP 60-YARD DASH

One of the handful of underclassmen we had in attendance, Lincoln-Way East’s OF/RHP Jack Cosich (2023) ran the fastest 60-yard time of the event. OF Scott Wolfard (Streamwood, 2021) left Carol Stream on Sunday as arguably the event’s biggest winners, putting himself on our prospect radar after a complete all-around performance both during the workout and in gameplay. Left-handed hitting C Dylan Sayles (Hononegah, 2022) is a compact athlete with proportional strength throughout that, like Wolfard, had a strong day. His fluid movement patterns behind the dish can easily be attributed to his impressive athleticism, validated by his 60-yard dash time.

MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY

RHP/INF Bobby Jannusch (Cary-Grove, 2021) made his PBR showcase debut at this event and did not disappoint. He topped the fastball leaderboard based on pure raw talent alone, but more velocity will come as he continues to grow into his athletic 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. Still raw and uncommitted, Jannusch is a talented arm with a high ceiling on the bump. RHP Nate Kemp (St. Dominic, Missouri; 2022) wasted no time on the hill, striking out nearly each batter he faced and challenging all of them with his heavy fastball. There was no need for him to shy away from his heater, but when he did, we saw Kemp throw a couple of above-average changeups that faded away from the zone. A top-30 ranked prospect in Missouri’s 2022 class, Kemp is a polished arm with feel on the mound. LHP Owen Rice (East Troy, Wisconsin; 2021) is a quick-armed, highly projectable southpaw that we were already familiar with going into this event. He pitched well in the game, comfortably elevating his fastball for swings-and-misses and spinning off a few curveballs that flashed above-average actions. Rice’s overall profile is intriguing and he continues to show well each time we’ve seen him.

MAX EXIT VELOCITY

C Sam Gladd (Columbia City, Indiana; 2022) led the entire event in exit velocity from a tee and translated some of that into his batting practice round, squaring up some baseballs into the gaps. Left-handed hitting INF Kyle Gibson (Niles, 2021) is another interesting prospect that emerged from this event. He found himself a few ticks away from the top of this list and took a solid round of batting practice, easily barreling up some baseballs into both gaps. Gibson had several competitive at-bats in gameplay as well and was ready to hit when he stepped in the box.

MAX INFIELD VELOCITY

The aforementioned strong-armed Jannusch took his lively arm off the mound and translated it onto the field, leading this crop of infielders in throwing velocity. Gibson not only threw well across the diamond, but showed controlled and athletic infield actions throughout his workout, too.

MAX OUTFIELD VELOCITY

OF/LHP Will Goldberg (Homewood-Flossmoor, 2022) tops our outfield velocity leaderboard with the previously mentioned Wolfard a few ticks behind him. A wiry left/left prospect, Goldberg took a line drive heavy round of BP, spraying the ball to all fields. He looked the part defensively as well, showing clean and controlled outfield actions while consistently working around the baseball. Both Wolfard and Cosich, who we mentioned earlier, ran the two best 60-yard dash times of the event and threw it well, finishing a few ticks below Goldberg for the top spot.

MAX CATCHER VELOCITY

Uncommitted C Nathan Sommerfeld (Plainfield Central, 2021) is a strong-armed 6-foot, 165-pound backstop that works quick and efficiently behind the plate, getting the most out of his arm. He led his positional group in throwing velocity, but C Cainan Squibb (Springfield, 2021) wasn’t too far behind, registering just one tick lower than Sommerfeld. OF/C Jack Novak (Lincoln Way Central, 2023) was the lone underclassman on this list, showing off above-average arm strength for someone his age and throwing it well both from the outfield and behind the dish.

TOP POP TIMES

Gladd led this event in max exit velocity and here he is again, leading this group of backstops in pop times down to second base. He only topped out at 73 mph on his throws, but his swift feet and efficient transfer allowed him to release the ball quickly, and accurately, to the bag. Sayles wasn’t far behind him at all, using that previously mentioned athleticism and advanced feel behind the dish to record above-average pop times for his age. The event’s leader in max catcher velocity, Sommerfeld advantageously used that big arm of his to nearly finish at the top.

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