Ethan
Bass

One of the top prospects in attendance regardless of class, INF Ethan Bass (Glenbrook North, 2026; Illinois commit) once again rose his stock with one of the better showings of the week. Currently ranked No. 2 in Illinois and No. 31 in the country. Bass is listed at a lean 6-foot-2, 160-pounds with plenty of room to add on strength. Bass started his workout on the right foot, cruising to a 6.87 in the 60-yard dash, with speed that easily translates to the middle of the infield and on the basepaths. The right-handed hitter had one of the better rounds of BP in the entire event, averaging 90.5 mph for his exit velocity with a max EV of 101.3 mph (T363’). Bass has quick/direct hands to the ball, working on the barrel with easy pop and controlled aggression. His BLAST metrics were some of the highest in-event, averaging 22.4 mph for his hand-speed (T28.4 mph) and 72.2 mph for his bat-speed (T81.2 mph). In-game, Bass showed to have no trouble facing above-average velocity, sending a ringing double to the right-center gap on the first day of gameplay. Advanced defender up the middle; quick/soft hands with a quick transfer, moves well laterally with feel for the position, ability to make accurate throws on the move with easy life across the diamond (T90 mph). 

SS/RHP Ethan Bass (Glenbrook North, 2026) solidified himself as one of the top prospects in the Midwest throughout the summer and this event was no different. The Illinois commit is a versatile athlete that can play the infield, outfield and also jump on the mound and show well above-average stuff. Listed at 6-foot-1, 165-pounds with more lean strength to come down the road, Bass ran a 6.97 60, was 88 mph across the infield, T97 exit velocity, 361’ max distance and topped at 88 mph on the mound as well. The right-handed hitter has a knack for hard, lifted contact working with an uphill swing and averaged 91.9 mph off the bat, well above-average for his age. Defensively, he is a natural athlete that moves with all kinds of pace and bounce to his step. Even with his impressive showcase performance, Bass tends to elevate and show even better in a game setting where his baseball IQ, athleticism, pitch recognition and multiple other attributes shine. On the mound, Bass showed off a long and loose arm that played well, topping his fastball at 87.9 mph, and sitting 85-87 mph. He mixed in two separate breaking balls. His curveball showed 11/5 shape, with tighter action, and his slider showed 10/4 shape, and was thrown from a slightly lower slot. Bass is a big name to follow in the coming years in Illinois’ 2026 class.

Illinois commit, currently ranked No. 2 in the Illinois’ 2026 class and No. 31 in the country. 6-foot-1, 165-pound, long-levered, twitchy, right-handed hitting shortstop. Started at shortstop and hit in the two-hole as a freshman. Highly-advanced baseball player, plays with a motor and all kinds of confidence for his age. Defensively is a play maker at shortstop. Made a number of well-above average plays look relatively easy. Quick first step, plays with body control and arm is advanced across the infield for his age. Offensively, is in attack mode when he steps in the box, hunts the fastball and creates leverage and bat speed. Hit a three-run home run over a high-left field wall in his third at-bat of the game. Finished 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and one run scored. High-level talent in the 2026 class.

INF/RHP Ethan Bass (Glenbrook North), an Illinois commit, opened eyes with his round of BP and went on to stand out in every area of the event. The right-handed hitter creates advanced bat speed for his age and gets all kinds of easy jump off the barrel in BP. Bass has loose, elite hands at the plate, creating leverage and natural lift with innate feel for the barrel. The 6.96 runner registered a max exit velocity of 100.5 mph off the bat, 89.8 mph average and a peak batted ball of 350’. Defensively he continues to trend in the right direction, adding five mph to his arm across the diamond (now T89 mph) with his usual soft hands and clear feel for the position. He also hopped on the mound, where he showcased a long and quick arm out of a ¾ slot and sat an easy 84-86 mph on the mound with a pair of breaking balls. The slider played best at 71-75 and spinning at over 2300 rpm. High-level 2026 prospect.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 6-1, 165-pounds. Athletic frame.
Hit: RHH. Wide, crouched stance, backside load and knee lift trigger, slight hand load. Long, quick levers, stays through the zone a long time and the ball jumps off the barrel. Loud consistent contact into the pull-side gap.
Power: 101 max exit velocity, averaged 89.8 mph. 350’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 89 mph. Loose, strong arm, high 3/4 slot, plays on the move, easy life across the diamond.
Defense: Athletic actions, soft hands, athletic pre-pitch, plays low and through the ball, quick hands with a clean transfer, mature round of defense with clear feel for the position.
Run: 6.96 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Drop and drive type, lines vary at times, works with slight effort, rotational finish.
Arm Action: RH. 3/4 slot, long arm action, quick arm.
FB: T86, 84-86 mph. Showed life through the zone, good feel and ease, arm side run.  T2596, 2530 average rpm.
CB: 69-71 mph. 11/5 shape, slightly higher slot. Flashed feel. T2403, 2286 average rpm.
SL: 71-75 mph. Better of the two breaking balls. T2325, 2278 average rpm. 

Illinois commit, SS Ethan Bass (Glenbrook North), has had a huge fall, standing out everywhere he has been, and the Underclass Showcase was no different. Bass, one of the top 2026s we have seen to-date in Illinois, continued to show off an elite right-handed swing while leading the event with a 96.8 mph max exit velocity and launching the furthest batted ball at 370’, more than 15’ further than anyone else in attendance. Bass has athletic hands with bat speed, stays flat through the zone and looks to do damage with hard, loud contact off the barrel while working gap-to-gap. Defensively, he plays best on the move, playing with active feet and a loose arm that topped at 82 mph. On the mound, Bass impressed with a high-spinning fastball that sat in the 81-83 mph range, spinning routinely over 2,500 RPM with over 13” of run at times. His breaking balls are both well above-average for his age as well; with the curveball playing with sharp 11/5 action at 65-68 mph (T2352 RPM) and the slider playing with more 10/4 shape and late bite, 69-71 mph (T2342 RPM), occasionally pulling both offerings to his glove-side but overall showing control down in accordance with the zone. To fill out his repertoire he went to a changeup at 66-68 mph, killing spin and reaching over 16” of horizontal movement at times. Bass continues to show upside to all aspects of his game and is a legitimate two-way name to know in the 2026 class.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 6-1, 160-pounds.
Delivery: Athletic, uptempo delivery, high leg-kick into balance point, drop/drive lower-half with a long stride that remains in-line with the plate, shoulders remain level throughout the operation.
Arm Action: RH. Long/loose arm swing into a high 3/4 release.
FB: T83.5, 81-83 mph. Above-average spin, explodes through the zone with arm-side life and finish.  T2568, 2514 average rpm.
CB: 65-68 mph. Thrown with intent, 11/5 shape with depth.  T2352, 2245 average rpm.
SL: 69-71 mph. Shorter shape than the CB, 10/4 action with sharp bite.  T2342, 2302 average rpm.
CH: 66-68 mph. Thrown with fastball arm-speed, plays with fade and dive to the bottom of the zone.  T1934, 1692 average rpm.

Hit: RHH. Athletic, balanced setup, high hand load, hangs foot into a long stride. Athletic hands with bat speed and strength, rotates with aggression out of load, barrel stays in the zone with a level path. Hard off the barrel, worked gap-to-gap and looks to do damage.
Power: 97 max exit velocity, averaged 89.7 mph. 370’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 82 mph. Loose arm, plays from multiple slots.
Defense: Active feet, plays low and out front at times, easy and clean on the move, advanced double play turn.
Run: 7.09 runner in the 60. 

Verbally committed to Illinois.

Positional Profile: SS
Body: 6-0, 150-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Athletic in the box. Balanced. Smooth stride. Easy bat-speed, quick hands with a flat path to the ball, line-drive approach up the middle, mature presence.
Power: 89.7 max exit velocity, averaged 85.4 mph. 307’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 84 mph. Short and quick actions, throws from multiple arm angles, live arm.
Defense: Advanced actions, plays with tempo, looks the part, clean transfer.
Run: 7.25 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Polished delivery, athletic with a slight drop/drive lower-half, remains in-line to the plate.
Arm Action: RH. Long/loose arm action, plays from an over-the-top slot.
FB: T83.3, 82.1-83.0 mph. Life out of the hand with arm-side action, explodes through the zone. T2414, 2257 average rpm.
CB: 60.8-65.6 mph. 11/5 shape, some feel for the zone. T1943, 1872 average rpm.
SL: 64.5-67.4 mph. Short 10/4 shape, kept down. T1895, 1815 average rpm.
CH: 63.9-65.2 mph. Fading action to the arm-side.  T1669, 1477 average rpm.

One of the top all-around performances came from Ethan Bass (Glenbrook North, 2026), who started off his day by running a 7.25 60-time, tied for second in the event. Bass led the event in infield velocity, reaching up to 84 mph across the diamond. His arm easily translated to the mound as well, running his fastball up to 83 mph with control over a mature four-pitch mix. At the plate, the right-handed hitter impressed with one of the louder rounds of the day; recording a 90 mph exit velocity with easy bat-speed and quick hands.