Blaine
Williams

Similar to Essenburg, listed above, C/RHP Blaine Williams (Tremont, 2025), an Illinois commit, has true two-way upside with advanced arm strength that plays well behind the plate and on the mound. The right-handed hitter continues to show off gains at the plate, staying on the barrel with much more authority than we have seen in the past, averaging 88.4 mph off the bat during BP which is up from an average of 79.4 mph last winter. Williams also reached up to an eye-opening 85 mph from behind the plate. Williams has an intense approach on the mound as well and brings a “here it is, hit it” mentality with plus arm strength for his age (88-89 mph) and tight short slider that plays well into a catcher/closer type role.

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-11, 165-pounds.
Delivery: Uptempo delivery, athletic mover down the mound, coils into a leg-lift to create power in the front hip, slight drop/drive lower-half that remains in-line to the plate.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm swing out of the glove, quick to release from a 3/4 slot, present arm-strength.
FB: T86.4, 85.0-86.2 mph. Some life out of the hand, plays at the top of the zone.  T2367, 2318 average rpm.
CB: 68.0-71.9 mph. Sharp 11/5 shape, slurvy action with depth, kept down. T2534, 2353 average rpm.
CH: 74.2-77.6 mph. Thrown with intent; miss was to the glove-side. T2171, 2037 average rpm.

Positional Profile: C
Hit: RHH. Wide setup, fluid pre-pitch actions. Strong hands, flat through the zone, works on top of the baseball. Occasionally back spun line drives to all fields.
Power: 93.6 max exit velocity, averaged 79.4 mph. 319’ max distance.
Arm: RH. C - 85 mph. High 3/4 slot, life and carry on throws, quick/athletic arm.
Defense: 2.02-2.19 pop times. Athletic actions, quick feet, quick exchange, good feel, some rhythm
Run: 7.15 runner in the 60. 

C/RHP Blaine Williams (Tremont) was perhaps the most impressive member of the 2025 class in attendance on Sunday, possessing one of the stronger arms our scouting staff has seen from a freshman in recent memory. From behind the plate, Williams first showed off his arm by reaching up to 85 mph on throws down to second, pairing with quick feet and athletic actions to produce a pop-time as low as 2.02. On the mound, the right-hander boasts above-average athleticism, a live arm and the ability to spin the baseball. Williams ran his fastball up to 86 mph playing with finish through the zone. He also showed above-average action and some feel for his breaking ball, playing off 11/5 shape at 68-72 mph (2354 average rpm). Offensively, the right-handed hitter moves through the zone with strong hands and a flat path, working on top of the baseball while back spinning balls to all fields. Williams led all 2025s in exit velocity on Sunday with 93.6 mph, also reaching a max distance of 319’.