Luke
Weber

RHPs Aidan Hayse (Joliet Catholic) and Luke Weber (Highland Park) are two committed arms that currently sit towards the top of the class and continue to enhance their arsenals. 

Weber, a former Team Illinois Future Games participant and recent Illinois commit, has long had a highly-athletic, loose arm tailored for more velocity to come down the road. His fastball at the event topped at 91.3 mph (up from 87.9 in 2022) but it was the development of a new sweeping slider that was the biggest revelation. The slider shows all kinds of promise with tight spin and late lateral action that has the makings of a swing-and-miss pitch if he can continue to corral it. The changeup was once again a plus offering as we have seen in the past, thrown with all kinds of feel and action at the bottom of the zone. 

Projectable frame with a whippy arm, drop and drive delivery that rides well down the mound, worked efficiently for Top Tier, only needing 44 pitches to get through three innings of work. Where he showed a starters repertoire  with a lively FB 84-86 T87mph with run, a CH with fade and depth that he sells, and a SL that he throws for strikes.

RHP Luke Weber (Highland Park, 2024) is a 6-foot, 170-pound right-hander with a fluid-moving operation. He creates notable hip/shoulder separation at foot-strike to go along with his loose/flexible lower-half. He worked his fastball in the 85-86 mph range, playing with sinking action. His changeup dives late and hard to his arm-side at 79-81 mph, tugging to his glove-side at times but showing an overall feel for the zone. He also went to a tight slider at 75-76 mph, playing with short 10/4 shape and thrown for strikes.

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-11, 170-pounds. Well-proportioned frame.
Delivery: Athletic, drop and drive delivery. Highly repeatable. Works on line with target. Lands with a closed front toe.
Arm Action: RH. Ultra loose arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T87.9, 87.0-87.7 mph. Running action to the arm side. T1979, 1907 average rpm.
SL: 76.7-78.7 mph. 10/4 shape. Short, tight action. Thrown aggressively with feel. T1867, 1807 average rpm.
CH: 79.0-81.2 mph. Deceptive arm speed, above average sinking action to the arm side. T1919, 1882 average rpm.

Two of the top fastball offerings of the day belong to the big right arms of Luke Weber (Highland Park, 2024) and Wyatt Mammen (Lincoln, 2024). Both had two of the better fastball velocity ranges at the event, proving they were able to hold high-end velocity throughout their ‘pen. Weber sat 87-88 mph and Mammen brought a comfortable 88-90 fastball that felt hard and heavy. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, it's easy to see Mammen growing and holding even more velocity down the road for long stretches.

Positional Profile: RHP/OF
Body: 5-8, 140-pounds. Lean build.
Delivery: Smooth drop/drive type delivery, athletic posture at balance point, front heel faces upward prior to extending downhill. Front foot lands slightly closed, athletic finish through release.
Arm Action: RH. Long and whippy arm circle, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T78, 75-77 mph. Clean and loose out the hand. Heavy horizontal action, maxed 19.5 inches of horizontal movement, per TrackMan.
CB: 66-66 mph. Sweepish 10/4 shape, lower average release height than fastball. 
CH: 68-68 mph.

Hit: RHH. Balanced relaxed setup, hands load and short stride.  Level path, hands work on top of the baseball, line-drive approach.
Power: 81 mph exit velocity from the tee. 23.90 mph of max hand speed according to Blast.
Arm: RH. OF - 81 mph. Loose, quick, upside arm action plays from an over-the-top slot. Throws carried and played accurate.
Defense: Active feet, attacks and plays through the baseball; steady hands with some effort through release.
Run: 7.68 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 5-6, 130-pounds. Athletic build.
Delivery: Smooth tall/fall type delivery, strong front side, lands square and works direct to target. Stays in rhythm throughout. 
Arm Action: RH. Long and loose arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T74, 72-74 mph. Slight sink. Strikes.
CB: 58-59 mph. 11/5 shape with sharp break. Thrown with conviction. Strikes.
CH: 63-66 mph. Near fastball arm speed. Plays with sink.