Connor
Shouse

6-foot 175-pounds. Georgia Tech commit. Shouse came out with his electric fastball and ran it up to 95 in the first. He settled in at 91-93, and did not throw a fastball under 90 all game. He struggled with command to lefty’s, but settled in and made pitches when he needed to. The lower half from Shouse continues to gain strength which translates to steady fastball velo. He commanded his curveball with good intent and downward action. When he kept his fastball down in the zone it was near impossible to hit. He mixed in his changeup at 82-83. This will be a big pitch for Shouse in the next couple of years. If he can continue to develop the pitch he will have one of the best 3 pitch combos in the ‘24 class.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 6-0, 175-pounds.
Delivery:
Arm Action: RH.
FB: T91.8, 90-92 mph. T2362, 2257 average rpm.
CB: 77-78 mph. T2521, 2460 average rpm.
SL: 79-82 mph. T2450, 2140 average rpm.
CH: 85-87 mph. T1675, 1635 average rpm.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 6-0, 175-pounds.
Hits: SH.
Power: 100 max exit velocity, averaged 88.9 MPH. 398' max distance.
Arm: RH. INF-95 mph.
Defense:
Run: 6.88 runner in the 60.

GA Preseason All-State

Not only is the Pickens County star one of the best pitching prospects in his class, he’s an elite athlete. Connor’s blast numbers, 6.88 60 yd, and fielding were some of the best in the entire event. He has a very impressive routine and approach to pitching, completely locked in on the mound like baseball is his job. Sooner rather than later, it will be his job professionally. His impeccably clean, elite delivery leads to 3 pitches with A/AVG to plus life & strikes. The exceptional body control, good tempo and plus ease of operation. The FB was 90-92 T93 with electric bore. His low release height & elite arm spd allows FB to play best up in zone, where he can throw the future hammer SL off it. Shouse will command the edges w/ FB low for it to play there, esp as CH continues to develop. It’s one of my favorite arm actions in the class - loose garden hose type w/ no wrap & optimal depth. Shouse has perfect separation timing, flexibility in back knee creates exceptional stack of backside in stride with no wasted upper half movement. Angle of back knee allows hips roll freely as he creates considerable momentum thru “up, down, and out” phases(creates good ground force into firm front side). Love the posture in front knee @ landing (slight bend, prevents collapse from aggressive backside clearance).

GA Preseason All State

Shouse continued to wow us at shortstop just as much as he did on the mound. With efficient footwork and instincts put him in a consistently good position to field the ball with momentum working toward the bag. The exchange was effortless and he made a really nice back hand play where everything happened in one smooth motion. The arm across the IF can rival any arm in the country, and is one of the biggest reasons he should be evaluated as a shortstop in addition to pitching. It’s a ++ arm now that will be top of the scale as he gets stronger. He’s an A/AVG runner who turned in a 6.8 at PAS23, showing he’s the complete package on a baseball field. Shouse possesses a different level of twitch at the plate, just like on the mound. There is some sweep to his path but with the bat to ball skills he has, he should be able to show the raw power consistently in game. He also has feel for an inside out swing and the approach is pretty advanced, he’s not just looking to pull the ball. Shouse hit multiple balls into the woods and had the second highest EV of the entire event (100 mph). We look forward to evaluating him as both SS/RHP this spring and summer.

Shouse put his stamp on the game from the very onset. While his offensive capabilities are noteworthy, it is what he was able to do on the mound that left everyone in attendance impressed. The right-hander is an athlete on the mound with quick twitch actions and lightning quick arm. While there is some length on the back-side, Shouse has so much arm speed that he is able to stay in sync and get out front on-time regularly. Operating from a 3/4 slot, the ball simply jumps out of the hand of Shouse. He worked 88-91, touching 92 and 93 early on. The fastball has running life to it and is overpowering. He complements it with a curveball and changeup. The offspeed pitches played up as opposing hitters tried to focus on catching up to the fastball. The 11/5 curveball flashed bite when Shouse was on top of it, sitting 75-77. He did not go to the changeup often, coming in at 79-80. Shouse's day on the mound ended after the 6th inning, going 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB.