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Tournaments  | Story  | 6/13/2019

WWBA Qualifier: Day 6 Notes

Drew Wesolowski      Brian Treadway      Matthew Arietta     
Photo: Reagan Burford (Perfect Game)

2019 WWBA National Qualifier: Day 1 Notes | Day 2-3 Notes | Day 4-5 Notes




Cade Smith (2020 Southaven, Miss.) once again proved why he is a top arm in the country for his class while throwing for Team Georgia. He showed a medium frame with a very lean, athletic build. The strong righthanded pitcher showed a very fast arm with some easy velo. He worked downhill while staying on plane and pounded the strike zone. With mature mechanics, he made easy work of the opposing team before leaving the game early due to the fact that he is expected to pitch in the PG National Showcase at Chase Field in Arizona here in a few days. He showed his fastball with some arm-side run sitting 90-92 mph while topping at 93. His curveball showed sharp bite with 11-5 movements to it. He only threw 3 1/3 innings while giving up no hits and striking out four batters. Keep an eye out for this Mississippi State commit to show his stuff and the National showcase and pick right back up where he left off, dominating opposing hitters.



Luke Barrow (2020 Oak Ridge, N.C.) starred in the other half of the pitching duel against Team Georgia. The righthanded pitcher showed a larger frame with a lean, mature build. He worked with a big, high leg kick before driving with his back leg and working downhill. With a longer arm action and three-quarters arm slot, he hid the baseball well proving to be difficult to pick up the baseball early for opposing batters. He seemed to be on cruise control while filling up the strike zone. The Coastal Carolina commit had a confident mound presence while working quickly, keeping his defense in the game. His fastball showed some late life while sitting 87-89 mph with a bit of arm-side run. His curveball flashed tight spin when down in the zone and sat in the mid-70s. He gave up only one hit while striking out two batters in five innings pitched.



Reagan Burford (2020 Germantown, Tenn.) is another prospect from Team Georgia who played some quality baseball this week. He flashed a bigger frame with a strong, lean build. The Ole Miss commit showed a big bat at the plate making loud contact all week. He started with a slightly spread out stance before working into a quick toe tap and then created some separation. With high hands, he worked with a slightly downhill swing plane looking to create backspin. He got the bat head through the zone quickly while getting extended. When he gets extended, he shows huge power to the pull side. Burford also did a great job of wasting off speed pitches during his at bats in the playoffs before he got the pitch he wanted and drove them into the outfield. Look for him to continue to progress at the plate and continue to be one of the top hitters in the area.

Andrew Hutcherson (2020 Fairburn, Ga.) made a big splash this weekend both with his bat and in the outfield. He flashed a smaller frame with a lean, athletic build. His bat came out in a big way this weekend. The leadoff hitter for Sox Baseball proved that he could both hit for power and contact. He showed a relaxed stance with high hands and worked with a linear swing plane. He sprayed the baseball to all fields and used his speed to create opportunities for his ball club. Don’t let his size fool you, he had multiple extra-base hits this week against top-tier pitching while also proving he can be your everyday lead off guy seeing countless pitches and hitting behind in the count with confidence. He also showed mature instincts in the outfield with great jumps and making every play look easy. Look for this uncommitted prospect to continue to grow as time goes on and he should be an interesting follow as the year rolls on.

Donovan Cash (2020 Sharpsburg, Ga.) is another prospect on the Sox Baseball roster who is on the way to making a name for himself with performances like this weekend. He showed a medium frame with a strong, mature build and very strong lower half. The big righthanded hitter showed he could hit for power while going deep multiple times this weekend, while also tallying some extra-base hits to his name. He started with a slightly spread out stance and relaxed hands. Cash utilized an uphill swing plane once he transferred his weight from his backside. He flashed great bat speed with very quick hands. When he gets extended, his power is incomparable to any from this week of play. Not only did he show out at the plate, but he also played a solid hot corner as well. The third baseman showed a strong, accurate arm across the diamond with soft hands as well. Again, look for this uncommitted prospect to make a name for himself this summer and down the road as well.

-Drew Wesolowski 

Eli Rungan (2021 Bowdon, Ga.) is a 6-foot, 170-pound centerfielder. As a lefthanded batter, Rungan stood with an open stance with his hands placed between the middle of his chest. As the pitch would come, he would load up with his hands moving back towards the left side of his body. The South Alabama native has a long but smooth swing. In the outfield, the Bowdon native made great reads on balls hit to the outfield and was able to limit hits to the outfield with his speed and path to the ball.

Colton Cosper (2021 Carrollton, Ga.) is a 6-foot-1, 160-pound lefthanded pitcher. Cosper took the mound for his team in the semifinals and delivered a gem. The southpaw worked quickly with a swift windup. He has very little movement in the beginning of his windup. Then he would introduce a high leg kick, followed by an explosion off of the mound with a long stride. The uncommitted pitcher controlled the tempo by moving quick and intermingling his breaking ball and fastball effectively to keep batters off balance. Cosper worked with a mid- to low-80s fastball, maxing out at 83. His curveball had a 12-to-6 break to it, which was knee-buckling to lefthanded batters. Out of the stretch, he was quick to the plate with a speedy sidestep while never losing accuracy with his pitches. The Carrollton native ended the game with 11 strikeouts while giving up no earned runs in the winning effort.

Garrett Madiak (2021 Carrollton, Ga.) is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound catcher. Handling the backstop duties for Warriors Baseball–Meigs, Madiak helped lead his team into the championship round with a great performance offensively and defensively. At the plate, the Georgia commit has a straight up batting stance with a strong load, dropping his hands for a quicker path to the ball. He has a quick swing that generates a lot of power, exemplified with his double to left-center field that went over 300 feet. More power can be added to the swing as he continues to grow. Behind the plate, the catcher was fully capable handling the position. He carries a strong arm and accurate arm, which allowed him to throw multiple runners out on the base paths.

Charlie Condon (2021 Marietta, Ga.) is a 6-foot-4, 180-pound first baseman. With the big frame that he carries, Condon is a force at the plate with the power that he can generate. The righthander has a straight-up stance with a big load. The uncommitted righthander’s hands drop low to his right pec while his lead left foot comes close to the middle of his body for a quick toe-tap. He gets good hip movement in his swing and can generate power from his legs, which was demonstrated by his no doubt home run that he hit over the fence in left field.

-Brian Treadway

John Armstrong (2020, Marietta, Ga.) is an extremely athletic, two-way ball player from 643 DP Cougars 17U Pralgo, and performed very well on the afternoon at East Cobb at the plate and on the mound. At the plate, Armstrong helped his team going 3-for-3 with a run scored. With the bat, Armstrong is confident in the box with his current skillset. He uses a wide stance with hands near his pec. He rocks his front leg towards his backside for timing, really doing a good job getting most of his weight on his back leg. From there his hands, which are already loaded near his pec, travel a quick and level path through the zone to the ball. Armstrong showcased keen hand-eye coordination on the morning and barreled up many pitches on the afternoon. Power is currently to the gaps, but he has obvious strength and generates a lot of bat speed. Power is to the gaps currently as well. Armstrong moves well for his 6-foot, 180-pound frame both out of the box and on the bases. A good athlete, Armstrong also performed well on the mound in relief for his team. On in relief in the third inning, Armstrong went the rest of the way going 3 1/3 innings scattering two hits and striking out four. His repertoire consists of a low-80s fastball that heavy arm-side run, and a 10/4 slurvy slider that was clocked in the mid-60s (65-67 mph). What makes Armstrong effective on the mound is that he uses an unconventional submarine arm slot and showed composure and pitchability while doing so. Went right at the opposing lineup and showed control of his two-pitch mix moving his pitches around the strike zone keeping his opponent off balance. Interesting two-way prospect that has a ton of upside and value moving forward.

Tiger Borom (2020, Jonesboro, Ga.) is a 5-foot-10, 155-pound very athletic and versatile center fielder. Borom, the leadoff hitter for East Cobb Astros 17u Navy, really proved that he is the straw that stirs the drink this afternoon as he consistently capitalized on opportunity presented to him, going 2-for-3 in the leadoff spot, with two runs scored, and an RBI on the day. In the box, Borom sets up with an open stance and hands close to his ear. He uses a bat waggle for timing, and steps to square upon pitcher release for timing. He has a short, fluid stroke, and demonstrated quick wrists paired with keen barrel control which he used to spray balls into the gap, mostly to the pull side. Tiger is a plus runner out of the box and on the bases and it translates to center field where he showed good feel and jumps on balls hit into the gap. Nothing seems to fall with Tiger out in center as he continually ran down all balls hit his way making plays look easy. High up-side individual with advanced feel for the game, Tiger has already collected numerous accolades at Perfect Game events in the past.

Ethan Stamps (2020, Madison, Ga.) is a 5-foot-11, 190-pound righthanded pitcher and utility player from Morgan County High School in his hometown. At the plate, Stamps uses a large leg-kick and has good, quick hands and wrists which showed to really flick his bat through the hitting zone with speed and barrel control. He demonstrated good balance and has current gap-to-gap power as he went 2-for-3 on the day with a deep double to the pull side gap helping his cause on the mound with three RBI. What was even more deserving of recognition was how well he battled on the mound this morning going the distance (seven innings), where he scattered five hits, an earned run, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He showed good arm strength, as even in the seventh inning as he neared and then passed 100 pitches, he maintained his velocity and his pitchability never wavered. Stamps shows good balance and rhythm on the mound, and his low three-quarters arm slot adds some deception to his arsenal. Stamps’ current repertoire consists of a mid-80s fastball with life, and a mid-70s slider with some tilt and occasional late bite through the zone. Stamps showed to mix his two offerings in all counts to both dexterities keeping the opposing lineup off balance and guessing all game, on his way to collect the win, sending his team to the semi-finals. A good overall athlete all over the diamond, Stamps was named by Perfect Game staff as a third-team Preseason Underclass All-American in the spring, which was his second time in as many years receiving a pre-season accolade by Perfect Game staff.

-Matt Arietta