Lockport Preseason I.D.: Statistical Analysis (2024)

On Monday, Feb. 17, the PBR Illinois team made its annual trip to the Bo Dome to host the Lockport Preseason I.D., the largest showcase on our calendar. Two-hundred prospects met us there, representing every high school level and all of whom are uncommitted.

Earlier today, we published the day’s highlights inside of our Quick Hits post. We scanned our notes from the event to shine a spotlight on the best talent from the showcase.

In this post below, we’re taking a look at the day’s leaderboards. We’re picking apart the data we measured in Lockport on Monday and compiling notable details for you to see. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks when we publish videos into player profiles and begin to roll out our position-by-position analysis. But for now, here’s a look at the more statistical side of things.

MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY

Uncommitted senior RHP Cameron Demos (Downers Grove North) was among the day’s biggest winners after topping 91 mph from the rubber, the lone prospect to breach the 90 mph mark in Lockport. With added muscle, he’s looking more and more like a senior to know this late in the recruiting process. Junior LHP Evan Clark (Fenwick) was another one of the day’s big winners after he clocked an 89 mph high from the left side, sitting 85-87. We’ve known Providence Catholic junior Cain Headrick to possess a strong arm from the crouch, but he was also impressive from the mound on Monday where he sat 86-88 mph and touched 89. From Wheaton Warrenville South, RHP Tommy Boba led the sophom*ores with an 88 mph high, which was particularly notable considering it was just last October that Boba topped 83.

You don’t have to go too far down the list to see the freshman with the firmest fastball on the list: LHP Luke Brown (Plainfield North). Like Boba, we saw Brown just last October as well, and he’s up four ticks since.

TOP 60-YARD DASH

Twitchy Marist junior Mark Brannigan came out on top of this leaderboard with his laser-timed 6.68 mark in the 60. His all-around, stand-out performance on Monday earned him some extra looks due his way this spring. Lean right/right sophom*ore Dominic Coda (Joliet Catholic) came in second on this chart with a 6.72 time, just ahead of classmate Jake Mackowiak (Lincoln-Way Central) and his 6.76 mark. There were 21 prospects who recorded sub-7.00 times in this category, proving to be an athletic group.

TOP EXIT VELOCITY

The only prospect to crack the 100 mph threshold was local sophom*ore Matthew Merk (Lockport), who really had a noteworthy day all around. He has a short, clean arm from behind the plate, had a low pop time of 2.00 and ran a 7.07, too. At No. 2 on this board, junior Josh Kendall (Andrew) was just a tick behind Merk’s mark. A pop-up 2021 who made some noise on Monday was INF Austin Murray (Lemont). He topped 94 mph from the tee and ran a 6.76. Providence Catholic freshman Alberto Moreno is a strong 6-foot corner infielder who paced the 2023s in attendance with his 92 mph high.

TOP INFIELD VELOCITY

There was a two-way tie atop this chart, with junior Matt Santarelli (Lockport) and sophom*ore Tristan Head (Nazareth Academy) both topping 88 mph across the infield. Both performed admirably across the board on Monday and are worth keeping an eye on in 2020. Kyle Hussey (Providence Catholic) performed well on the mound and it worked in the infield, where he topped 85 mph.

TOP OUTFIELD VELOCITY

Brannigan was tied atop this chart, too, with a 91 mph high to home. Sophom*ore Lucas Pajeau (Lockport) kept up, tying the Marist junior. At this same event last year, Pajeau topped 79 mph to home –he was 91 from the outfield this year and sat 80-81 mph from the mound, touching 82. Headrick took outfield reps this year, where his speed and athleticism might fit best, and the arm strength presumably played well here also. Another sophom*ore, Ryan Snell (Benet Academy), recorded a solid round of BP, creating hard contact, and that same kind of strength reappeared in the outfield, where he topped 88 mph on his throws home.

TOP CATCHER VELOCITY

We’d not yet seen Jack Snyder (Manteno, 2021) before, but he broke out as a follow in this junior class ahead of the spring. His 80 mph high from out of the chute was three ticks better than the next backstop and his pops were consistently quick and accurate to second. A 6-foot-4 freshman, Logan Barnett (Pontiac), is packed with arm strength. He topped 77 mph from behind the plate and was also up to 81 mph on the mound, attached to a follow frame. Marist’s Jonny Crowell is among the top catchers in the state for his well-rounded profile, and he shared Barnett’s high of 77 mph from the crouch, same as the aforementioned Merk. Another 2023, Jake LaVine (Metea Valley), broke through inside this group of catchers with pops in the low 2.00s and an arm that topped at 76 mph.

TOP POP TIMES

Snyder’s big day from behind the plate allowed him to separate himself from the rest of this group. His right-handed bat also flashed strength and twitch, which should propel him onto the prospect radar. Freshman Julian Sumner (Lyons Township) is a talented 2023 to know ahead of his first season of high school ball. In Lockport, he averaged among the lowest pop times and he carries bat strength at the plate, especially for his age. Three other 2023s pushed themselves into the “follow” category with their work from behind the dish: Andrew Mack (Minooka), Tyler Stack (Oswego), and Quinn Duffy (Marist).

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