Walter Ford (2023 Hoover, Ala.) came out and like usual putting on a show with his electric fastball sitting 87-91 mph mostly with a handful of 93’s. He finished the day with eight strikeouts over five innings allowing just two hits. The Alabama commit also mixed in am 11-5 shaped curveball buckling plenty of hitters when the extension was good out front. For his third offering he flashed a low 80’s changeup with feel for the arm side of the plate with fading actions. Ford’s outstanding efforts on the mound helped to propel his Southeast Prospects team into the championship game.
Following up Ford’s performance on the mound was Mississippi State commit Brodey Walker (2023 Brandon, Miss.). Walker put on a display of fastball movement running his fastball off the barrel of right-handed hitters and creating plenty of swings and misses. He sat 80-83 mph with the fastball and did a nice job varying his breaking ball with depth as it comes through the hitting zone. His ability to control the fastball was the key to his game plan as he finished with six complete innings, eight strikeouts and one run allowed on his way to picking up the win in the championship game.
Colton Wombles (2023 Salem. Ala.) led the tournament with six hits on his way to being named tournament MVP, including a hustle double on a ball hit to left center field that was cut off by the outfield and still took second, setting himself up in scoring position. The Auburn commits impact on the games went far beyond what he did at the plate. On the bases he was consistently aggressive, looking to take extras bases or swipe a bag when the opportunity presented itself. Behind the dish he was solid, blocking everything and doing a nice job controlling the running game with his quick release and accurate arm.
Logan Green (2022 Helena, Ala.) had previously run his fastball up to 84 mph at a Perfect Game event. He came out this weekend and for the first time reached a new personal best as he sat 84-86 mph and topped out at 87 mph. He did a nice job locating his fastball to all four quadrants of the zone and produced a good amount of swings and misses down in the zone with heavy sink on his fastball. Working primarily off the fastball, Green went four innings,, allowing just two hits and striking out six. He also got it done at the plate, where his lefthanded stroke showed good fluidity and pop to the pull side as he routinely lifted the ball deep to right field for extra bases.
Austin King (2022 Trussville, Ala.) is an intriguing prospect at 6-foot-4 220 pounds. At that size he has the frame to stick at first base but this weekend he proved he has just as much promise with the bat to project him as a first baseman long term. He righthanded swing works short to the ball with an accurate barrel as he produces back spin to all fields with the ability to split the gaps for extra bases. King finished the weekend with five hits including two triples on Sunday as he proved to be a solid run producing bat in the middle of the Team Southeast line-up.
Easton Storey (2023 Brighton, Mich.) made his Perfect Game debut this weekend and was very impressive in doing so. The sophomore lefthander threw four and a third innings allowing just one run while striking out seven. He sat 82-86 mph with his fastball and mixed in a tight spinning breaking ball in the low 70’s with hard downer action. On the mound he shows a calm presence with a controlled delivery and easy arm action with confidence in both pitches. His arm works long and free through the back stroke up to a three-quarters arm slot helping to produce arm side run on the fastball. His medium 5-foot-11, 175 pound frame is projectable moving forward with room to continue to fill out as he matures.
Ozan Uyulur (2022 Ypsilanti, Mich.) was another player that made huge strides on the mound since the last time we had seen him at a Perfect Game event. Uyulur had last been clocked at 83 mph on the gun in July of 2019. He opened up this weekend in his first appearance at 87-89 mph. He then came back after 20 pitches Saturday and threw three and a third innings once again sitting 86-88 mph. All together in the weekend, he totaled six strikeouts getting most of them with the fastball. In the second outing he did flash some feel for a slider in the 72-75 mph range with hard horizontal breaking action across the plate.
Jacob Brown (2023 Ann Arbor, Mich.) who was coming off a strong showing at the 2023 Freshman All-American Games in Marietta, Ga. last weekend put those tools on display in Hoover, Ala. this weekend. Defensively he was smooth with range in either direction while he showed the arm strength to potentially stay on the left side of the diamond long term. At the plate he has present strength in his swing with the ability to drive the ball to all fields. His strength in the swing and ability to leverage the ball allow him to create easy carry to the gaps as he looks to use the whole field.
Cade Carr (2023 Hoover, Ala.) another player coming off a strong showing at the 2023 2023 Freshman All-American Games where he ran a 6.89 sixty as a primary catcher. This weekend Carr was steady behind the plate, receiving the ball with confidence and creating an easy presentation for the umpire behind him. At the plate Carr had three hits over four games. The most impressive being an 86 mph fastball at the letters that he roped into left center field for a triple. He did a nice job working direct to the ball while matching plane and getting extended at the point of contact to drive the baseball.
Cole Edwards (2023 Birmingham, Ala.) has as projectable a frame as you could ever ask for. At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds he already shows smooth mechanics on both sides of the ball with present strength. What will be fun to watch in the coming years is how he fills that frame out and can add even more power to his game. As a primary third baseman he has solid first step quickness allowing him to get his feet in position to work through the ball and make a strong throw across the diamond. At the plate the length in his swing helps to create leverage as he comes through the zone with the ability to impact the ball well from gap to gap.
Marcus Locklear (2022 Hoover, Ala.) a long, lean projectable righthander was impressive in his semi-final start for TPL American. He came out sitting 83-86 mph with his fastball showing an easy arm action to a high three-quarters slot with some riding life at the top of the zone. He also mixed in a breaking ball with the ability to manipulate the shape of it with more depth or sweeping action when he wanted. His 6-foot, 160 pound frame has plenty of room to fill out moving forward with the potential for even more velocity from the young righthander making him a prospect to keep an eye on.
Christian Chatterton (2024 Killen, Ala.) was impressive on both sides of the ball. As a primary righthanded pitcher he sat 80-83 mph with his fastball, while showing a simple repeatable delivery allowing him to pound the zone and work ahead of the hitter over his four innings of no-hit ball with six strikeouts. He also mixed in a curveball with 11-5 shape and depth through the hitting zone as he wrapped up his efficient 46 pitch four inning outing. At the plate he finished the event with four hits, seven runs, and four stolen bases including a triple to the left center field gap as his Bulls Baseball went on to win the 15U Deep South Labor Day Classic.
Dane Harvey (2023 Warfordsburg, Penn.) brings a physical presence to the field that not many 15-year-old kids can. At 6-foot-4, 245 pounds he already shows some present strength in his build. That strength plays well into his lefthanded swing he displayed on multiple occasions over the weekend. From the left side his bat path is smooth with natural loft and the ability to leverage the ball. He also showed good feel for the barrel which can be tough for a young kid with his kind of strength. His ability to control the barrel through the zone allows him to use all fields while his strength plays from line to line.
Charlie Harbin (2024 Owens Cross Roads, Ala.) led the tournament in hitting with five hits, three of which went for extra bases and maybe most impressively, he collected 10 RBI on the weekend in only five games with three RBI games. Hitting in the middle of the order his righthanded swing shows the intent to do damage each time he takes a cut. This type of aggressive approach is what allowed him to drive the ball with authority in the gaps and drive in his teammates on their way to a championship for Bulls baseball, and tournament MPV for Harbin.