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Tournaments  | Story  | 9/19/2017

Midwest Under Days 3-4 Notes

Photo: Perfect Game

2017 Midwest Underclass Qualifier: Daily Leaders | Days 1-2 Notes

In the first round of the playoffs the Minnesota Starters 17u team squared off against the Nebraska Prospects White for a chance to take on the No. 1 team in the tournament, Iowa Select Black 2019. With the game tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the fifth, third baseman Wyatt Andersen (2019, Minden, Iowa) hit a rocket to deep center field, and while it just missed going over the fence, Andersen burned around the bases for a two-run inside-the-park home run (the Starters’ center fielder, Tyler Kelley crashed up against the fence and was injured on the play, allowing Andersen to score). In the seventh inning he hit a sharp single up the middle, stole second base, and scored the walk-off, winning run on an RBI single sliced down the third base line by Thatcher Kozal (2019, Waverly, Neb.).

After finishing the first game 2-for-2, Andersen picked up where he left off in their next contest, hitting a sharp single to left field, going 3-for-4 on the day with three runs scored and two driven in.

The Nebraska Prospects’ first run of their first game was driven in by first baseman Luke Krzemien (2019, Ralston, Neb.), pulling a double to left-center field in the first inning to drive in a run. The 6-foot, 205-pound righthanded slugger is put together well with a strong, compact frame and match that with an aggressive approach at the plate, looking to drive the ball hard when he steps into the batter’s box. He enjoyed a big tournament at the plate, hitting .417 (5-for-12) in four games, which included a pair of doubles and five total runs batted in.

The Minnesota Starters team got a huge boost from their lefthanded hitting catcher, John Henry Abercrombie III, who drilled a three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning (coming just after Andersen’s inside-the-park round-tripper) that carried just over the wall in right field and tied the game at four. Abercrombie III was perfect at the plate in the Starters' three games, going 5-for-5 with six RBI.




Iowa Select Black 2019, with righthander Sam Goodman (2019, Dubuque, Iowa) on the mound, moved onto the semifinals with a 9-1 win in the second round of the playoffs on Sunday after their first-round bye. Goodman went the distance in the five-inning run-rule shortened game, striking out four and allowing just one run on three hits and a pair of walks. Goodman worked in the upper-70s to low-80s, topping out at 85 mph with his fastball, and did a nice job sequencing between his fastball and his sharp low-70s curveball. What really stood out was his command and overall pitchability, showing the ability to bury his curveball in the dirt for ugly swings and also to drop it in the strike zone for called strikes. Goodman creates some deception from his low three-quarters delivery and there’s some projection remaining in his slender 6-foot, 160-pound frame.




While projection isn’t a word you would use to describe first baseman Peyton Williams (2019, Johnston, Iowa), you don’t really need to as the rising junior is already 6-foot-5 and 215-pounds, and that might be a little on the light side. He carries his size well and provides an incredibly imposing presence in the lefthanded batter’s box. After hitting a two-run shot on Saturday in Iowa Select’s second pool play win, he added a solo shot on Sunday, a no-doubter that left the yard in a hurry. He displays a good eye at the plate, waiting for his pitch, and has a nice weight transfer from his lower half up which makes hitting tape measure blasts look effortless. Williams figures to be a staple in the middle of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ batting order for a handful of years once he arrives on campus.

Iowa Select outfielder Josh Fitzgerald (2019, Mason City, Iowa) shows interesting tools highlighted by a promising righthanded bat. On Sunday he had only one base hit but it was a big one, using his strength to pull his hands in for a two-run double ripped down the left field line in the bottom of the fifth that essentially ended the game early. He also had a sac fly in the first inning of the game, finishing the contest with three RBI.

– Patrick Ebert



In a game that took nine innings to decide a winner, 6-foot-2, 190-pound first baseman Tommy Jurack (2020, Hinsdale, Ill.) would be the player that won the game for the Cangelosi Sparks 2020 Black team. In the bottom of the ninth in a still-scoreless game, Jurack drove a ball deep towards the right-center field fence that landed for a single, plating the only, and winning run, of the game.

Despite being on the losing end of the 1-0 game, 29ers starter Jono Berry (2019, Rock Island, Ill.) stood out on the mound. The 5-foot-5, 150-pounder didn’t overpower hitters, but he was able to work both sides of the plate with a fastball in the upper-70s and generated a lot of weak contact. Berry was able to throw five shutout innings and only surrendered a single hit, a weakly hit ball into left field.

One of the better hitting performances on Sunday came from Force Elite Baseball’s first baseman Timmy Ellinger (2019, Roscoe, Ill.). At 6-foot-2 195-pounds, Ellinger has the ability to play first base long-term as he is a big target for his infielders and is able to make athletic movements around the bag. He can also handle the bat, collecting two hits in his three at-bats, making good contact with a line drive swing that helped him square up the ball and make some loud contact. His first hit of the day was a hard, line drive single into the right-center field gap that would score a run. Later in the game, Ellinger would hammer another ball down the right field line for his second single that would plate two more runners. Overall Ellinger went 6-for-11 (.545) with nine RBI in three games.

A pair of good games for outfielder Elias Flowers (2019, Montgomery, Ill.) on Sunday helped Team DeMarini get a couple of wins to advance to Monday’s semifinals. Flowers was able to reach base in six straight plate appearances in those two games, walking twice and driving an RBI single to left field in the first game while hitting another hard-hit single to left with two more walks in game two. He also proved to be a nuisance on the basepaths, stealing four bases on the day.

– Taylor Weber


Sunday morning began with a bit of chill in the air as Hitters Baseball Navy and Chicago White Sox ACE 2019 began their first-round playoff game at Marion High School. Hitters Baseball Navy jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead thanks to four hits in the inning from Dan Blomgren (2019, Milton, Wis.), Trace Ferreira (2019, New Berlin, Wis.), Xavier Watson (2019, Cudahy, Wis.) and Kameron Laskowski (2019, Sussex, Wis.).

Ferreira showed a simple approach from the cleanup spot and consistently barreled the baseball utilizing a fluid, line drive swing plane. The fifth-ranked 2019 outfielder from the state of Wisconsin collected two hits in four at-bats while driving in two runs and scoring one of his own.

Hitters Navy shortstop Xavier Watson, a University of Illinois commit, impressed throughout the game both at the plate and in the field. Standing at 6-foot with a lean build, Watson projects to add strength yet maintaining the athleticism to stay in the middle infield. The 2019 grad showed mature, polished actions on each side of the ball that should play nicely at the next level.

Laskowski, currently ranked as the No. 3 2019 catcher in the state of Wisconsin, supplied Hitters Navy with two RBI of his own showing present bat speed with strength at contact. The Sussex native controlled the game well from behind the plate as well supplying a calm presence when Hitters Navy pitching began to loosen later in the game.

Blomgren, a University of Michigan commit, supplied his only hit in his first at-bat, doubling to the right-center field gap with the bases load to drive in two runners. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound second baseman showed very good balance at the plate with the barrel control to work to all fields.

Chicago White Sox ACE 2019 put together a five-run inning in the fourth but couldn’t close the gap as Hitters Baseball Navy went to win 10-5. A.J. Vukovich (2020, Mukwonago, Wis.) slammed to the door for Hitters featuring a heavy running fastball and sharp 11-to-5 curveball.

Hitters Baseball Navy’s win advanced them to the second round of the playoffs where they met the undefeated St. Louis Pirates. Each team received fantastic starting pitching performances from their starters holding each opponent scoreless until the sixth inning.




Lefthanded pitcher Conner Prielipp (2019, Tomah, Wis.) received the starting nod for Hitters working four scoreless innings while allowing only one hit. The second-ranked 2019 lefthanded pitcher in the state of Wisconsin utilized a simple, balanced delivery and produced very good arm whip through extension while releasing from a three-quarters arm slot. Prielipp changed speeds well with a breaking ball and sinking changeup.

The St. Louis Pirates countered with righthanded pitcher Collin Salter (2020, Edwardsville, Ill.). Salter showed good feel for his fastball and consistently challenged the Hitters Baseball Navy down in the strike zone. The 2020 grad was able to create a lot of soft contact while utilizing a 11-to-5 curveball down in the zone. Salter worked five scoreless innings while allowing only two hits.

Hitters baseball struck first thanks to a two out, RBI single to center field off the bat of Andrew Kim (2019, Libertyville, Ill.). Kim showed excellent barrel control in the at-bat utilizing an inside-out approach with a fastball that was located to the inner half of the strike zone.

Salter led off the bottom half of the inning with a walk before advancing to second and third base with wild pitches in consecutive at bats. With two outs, Pirates center fielder Kylon Cunningham (2019, Florissant, Mo.) delivered a sharp single to right field to score Salter. The RBI single was Cunningham’s second single of day. The 2019 grad has shown great balance in his swing throughout the tournament with a knack for finding the barrel.

The game eventually went into extra innings where each team began with the bases loaded and one out. In the top half of the eighth inning, Julio Cajigas (2019, Romeoville, Ill.) drove a fastball to deep left field to clear the baseball and put Hitters Baseball Navy up 4-1. The fifth-ranked 2019 catcher from the state of Illinois showed very good bat speed while turning the barrelhead to contact. What was most impressive about the drive to left was his ability to keep is hands inside the baseball and generated pure backspin.

Xavier Watson would enter in relief for the bottom half off the inning to earn the save, slamming the door working in the low-80s with a smooth, loose arm action.




Lefthanded pitcher Nathan Diamond (2019, Oak Park, Ill.) got the nod for Team DeMarini Elite in the semifinal matchup against Hitters Baseball Navy on Monday. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder utilized a full overhead delivery while releasing from a high three-quarters slot. The uncommitted prospect consistently pounded the bottom of the zone with a sinking fastball that ranged in the low- to mid-80s. Diamond changed speed with a 2-to-8 slider and fading changeup that proved to be difficult for the Hitters to identify. The Illinois native aggressively attacked the strike zone while producing quick outs, averaging just under 12 pitches per inning. Diamond received the win throwing six scoreless innings while allowing three hits and striking out two batters.

Team DeMarini Elite got some breathing room in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a pinch hit, two-run single from Ernesto Moreno (2020, Chicago, Ill.). The 5-foot-8, 140-pound infielder showed an aggressive approach at the plate and looked to do some damage as soon as he stepped into the box. Utilizing a smooth, naturally lifted swing plane, Moreno produced the big line drive single to left-center field on a two-strike fastball that was left over the inner half of the plate.




The second slot of the semifinal matchups featured Cagelosi Sparks 2020 Black and Iowa Select Black 2019. Righthanded pitcher Harrison Cook (2019, Solon, Iowa) took the mound for Iowa Select working six innings, allowing one earned run on three hits. Cook aggressively attacked the strike zone with his running fastball that worked up to 86 miles per hour. The 2019 grad shows developing feel to locate the pitch, but was able to keep the Sparks off balance. The second-ranked 2019 prospect of Iowa showed good feel for a 11-to-5 curveball and 9-to-4 slider primarily utilizing each as a put-away pitch late in counts. Cook continues to mature, but still shows plenty of from in his frame to add continued strength in the future.

The offensive charge for Iowa Select was led by Sam Link (2019, Dubuque, Iowa) and Josh Fitzgerald (2019, Mason City, Iowa). Link, the top-ranked 2019 shortstop in the state of Iowa, showed a simple swing plane that generated good bat speed through extension. He came up with a big two-run double to deep left field in the bottom of the fifth inning to give Iowa Select Black some breathing room.

Fitzgerald followed in the lineup driving a double of his own to the left-center field gap to score Link in the bottom of the fifth. Fitzgerald, the top-ranked 2019 prospect in the state of Iowa, employed a gap-to-gap approach and showed a good knack for finding the barrel. He proved to be a very difficult out as he reached base in all four plate appearances with two doubles. The uncommitted prospect showed great plate discipline and bat control that will play well at the next level.

Connor Reed (2019, Richland, Iowa) recorded the final three outs to seal the 7-2 win for Iowa Select. Reed created solid running action to his arm side with a fastball that sat in the low- to mid-80s. The 2019 grad showed the willingness and confidence to get his fastball in under the hands of righthanded batters effectively creating weak contact.




The inaugural Midwest Underclass Qualifier Championship featured Team DeMarini Elite and the Iowa Select Black 2019. University of Creighton commit Griffin Holderfield (2019, Oak Park, Ill.) received the ball for Team Demarini and turned in 4 2/3 hard-fought innings. Holderfield worked ahead in the count early with a fastball that jumped on hitters in the mid- to upper-80s. What proved to be most valuable for the 2019 grad was his ability to throw his breaking ball for strikes consistently keeping hitters off balance. Holdfield exited in the bottom half of the fifth allowing one hit and an unearned run.

Countering Holderfield’s performance was Iowa Select Black 2019 lefthander Tate Kuehner (2019, Marshalltown, Iowa). Kuehner was masterful in his ability to locate to each edge of the zone and consistently change speeds. The 5-foot-10, 150-pounder created a very deceptive arm action with a changeup offering that showed late fade to his arm side with sink. The uncommitted pitcher only needed 81 pitches to complete seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits.

Elias Flowers (2019, Montgomery, Ill.) showed a smooth, repeatable swing plane that generated consistent hard contact. The 5-foot-7, 140-pound outfielder has the present barrel feel to manipulate the bat head and work to all fields. Flowers finished the championship game 2-for-3 with two singles to both left and right field, but it would not be enough as Iowa Select 2019 Black went on to be crowned the first Champion of the inaugural Midwest Underclass Qualifier in a 1-0 win over Team DeMarini Elite.

– Kevin Schuver

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