Luke
Hayden

April 23rd: Strong compact thick athletic body. Very powerful legs and hips. Strong durable shoulders and firm actions. Starts delivery from the stretch with a short hand and glove pump from the belt to chest. Generates his gathering after a short step back and toe tap on far-left side of rubber. Has a H ¾-arm slot and finishes out front. Good arm speed and tempo. Bull dog look mentality when competing. His game that he pitched in, he struck 19 batters and at one point 12 in a row, on his way to pitching is second No-hitter of the season, and second in a row. Displayed a FB in front half of game that was 89-91 as game moved along, he reached 90-93 consistently. His slider was a wipe out pitch that hand strong side-to-side tilt that hitters were over matched. He was able to elevate ball in strike zone and make hitters chase ball up while posting 93mph. Was in complete command and control of game. FB 89-93, SL 78-81.

LakePoint Fall Invite: Indiana commit ‘21 RHP Luke Hayden works down in zone with good tilt on the fastball. Tight slider for a strike and swing and miss pitch. FB: 90-93, T94 in first SL: 78-81. Struck out the side. 

Hayden scuffled a bit with his command working deep into count across two innings, but still managed to record every out via strikeout. The right-hander possesses a physical, 6-foot, 195-pound frame with strength throughout, and utilizes maximum effort with each pitch. He worked predominantly 90-92 (2288-2549RPM) with the fastball while going to his usual 78-80 slider early and often. With a “bulldog” mentality and competitive nature, Hayden refuses to give into hitters, and looks to overpower them with a quick, strong arm. This being the first outing of the fall, the sharpness of his stuff and ability to tunnel the breaking ball, which took more slurve shape that the usual slider, will likely return in coming weeks, albeit with continued relieverish look.

+ RHP Luke Hayden (Edgewood HS, IN) started for Team Indiana in their night game, tossing three innings and striking out seven. He was up to 93, sitting 89-92 and repeatedly spun a nasty slider with hard, wipeout break. At its best, it was 78-81. He made one mistake, allowing a two-run home run in his first inning.

PBR Midwest Select: Indiana recruit, currently ranked No. 3 in Indiana’s 2021 class, No. 195 nationally. 6-foot, 190-pound right-hander with proportional strength throughout. Delivered an impressive performance, throwing an eight-inning complete game in which he allowed only three hits, one run while striking out nine with no walks and one hit batsman. Pounded the strike zone with a fastball that ranged between 87-90, touching 91. He also shuffled in an aggressive 77-80 mph slider that he regularly landed for strikes. Slider had sharp late bite, averaged around 2,500 spin rate per Trackman. He finished off his 102-pitch masterpiece with a strikeout on an 89-mph fastball. Athletic delivery, repeats well. Arm swing is clean and compact, high-3/4 slot, aggressive, high-intensity finish with substantial head-whack. Quiet, competitive demeanor on the mound, attacks hitters, moves off the mound well, making a few athletic defensive plays.

Luke Hayden, RHP/SS, Edgewood HS, 2021, 6 foot, 190 pounds, throws from a mid ¾ slot and a short quick arm action. Fastball sat 87-91 with some effort and tight spin.  Slider is an out pitch and sat 77-80 with downer action and really tight spin. CH was 78-79 with some arm side run. Was around the plate with all his pitches, and showed good down angle with fastball and slider and both pitches seem be extremely high in the spin rate category. Luke is a high follow in the 2021 class.

Spring Scout Blog: The recent Ball State commit got the nod at SS. Showed good actions during IN/OUT, did tend to sit on his heels at times. In game had a few bad hops eat him up once in the 5/6 hole on a back hand and one glove side that he showed his range on. Will need to increase foot speed in the field and on the bases (sub average runner). That should definitely come as his body develops over the next 3 years. Hits from the right side from crouched stance/wide base. Showed good approach and looked comfortable in the box for a freshman although was 0-2 on the evening with a K, BB and GO. Hopped on the bump in the 4th inning with runners on base and sat 81-84 T85 and then settled into the 79-82 range in his 2nd inning of work. Has some effort to delivery and did tend to fall off to glove side. Pitched out of the stretch only. Also spun a 11/5 shape breaking ball that showed future plus potential at 69-71. Command of both FB and CB in his outing was shakey as he tended to miss up in the zone with FB and CB hung at times. Very intriguing young prospect who will be fun to watch develop over the next 3 years. 

5-foot-10, 165 pound right-handed pitcher works at with a quick tempo, high effort delivery.  Short, clean arm swing.  Some arm speed, twitch in lower half rotation.  Fastball sat 81-83 for strikes.  Breaking ball has late depth in an 11/5 shape.  Potential plus pitch.  Splitter sat 71-72 with some late tumble action.  Potential for more velocity as he fills in his athletic frame.  In the box, Hayden has a balanced setup with slight leg kick.  Twitch in the hands.  Long path, slightly uphill to contact.   Showcased arm strength across the infield.  Topped 86 with some accuracy.  Long transfer, fluid footwork.  Sure hands.  Ran a 8.5 60 yard dash.