Future Games Tryout: Malibu Quick Hits
June 3, 2025
Follow @PrepBaseballCA Follow @LesLukach Follow @PBRmonkFollow @hardy03bsblFollow @HankLoForte
At The Yard Podcast: New Episode LIVE now!
Ventura, Calif. - On Saturday, May 31st, the Prep Baseball California team hosted one the Future Games Tryout: Malibu on the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.. This was an invite-only event for the high school classses of 2026 and 2027. All 2026 graduates in attendance were competing for a spot on the Senior Future Games roster. The 2027 players in attendance were competing for rosters spots either on Team NorCal or Team SoCal at the 2025 Prep Baseball Futures Games to be held in later July at the LakePoint Sports complex in Georgia.
A talented group of 35+ players made their way out to Pepperdine and participated both in a showcase-style workout and a simulated game play event over the course of the day. Position players and two-way players started their day with electronic height, weight and grip testing before beginning their athletic testing by running a 60-yard dash on our laser timing system from VALD (providing 10 yard, 30 yard and 60 yard splits with a max run speed). From there the group underwent a defensive evaluation with Outfielders making multiple throws to 3B and home plate on video with their arm strength being recorded via a Stalker radar gun. Next up the Infielders undewent defensive evaulations with video and arm strength readings with 3Bs working out at their spot, middle infielders all working out at SS and 1Bs from 1B. Finally, Catchers completed the defensive workout by making multiple throws to 2B with pop times and arm strength readings with video. During the batting practice portion of the day all hitters in attendance had their swing metrics gathered via Blast Motion technologies to provide valuable information on their swing, batted ball data was provided from Trackman technologies and all swings are recorded via video. The pitchers or two-way players in attendance each would face five live hitters during the simulated game portion of the day with all pitches being tracked via Trackman technologies and video recorded of their deliveries and pitch shapes.
On a day full of standout players from around not only the Central Coast region of California, but stretching down into San Diego and all the way into the Bay area of NorCal. The competition was outstanding providing our staff with high quality evaluations of these players for their chances at earning a Future Games or Senior Future Games roster invite. For today we will highlight a mixture of the top 2026 performers from the day and 2027 performers of the day.
Note: A player's inclusion here does not guarantee a roster invite, simply they performed well during their tryout attendance.
For all information pertaining to the Future Games Tryout: Malibu from roster to metrics and beyond click here.
CLASS OF 2026
 |
Mason Crang SS / RHP / San Marcos Senior High, CA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 137 / POS: 32
Crang has just continued to get better and better over the course of his high school career and the Santa Barbara based INF/RHP put together one of the loudest days in Malibu. Checking in at 6' 193.1 lbs to open the day he showed of intriguing athletic ability by posting a PR in the 60 with a 6.86 time while adding 1.58 10 yard and 3.80 30 yard splits with a top run speed of 20 MPH to open his day. During the defensive work out his actions at 3B were solid with clean hands, solid footwork and an accurate arm that can play the hot corner (showed his versatility by playing a clean 1B during the game too). The RH hitter day in the batters box was impressive with a strong batting practice session which included a 102 MPH, 383' blast during BP that hit the netting 3/4 of the way up in straight away LF while averaging 93+ MPH on his exit velocity with a 62% hard hit rate and was amongst the leaders in nearly every Blast Motion category. But, his batting practice was only the precursor to his first at bat of the Sim game when he unloaded on a FB over the inner portion of the plate to crush a 3-run HR well over the netting in straight away LF that traveled in excess of 400+ with a 100+ MPH exit velocity. For good measure the two-way talent toed the rubber for a solid inning of work showing of a mid 80's FB with a solid offspeed mix. |
 |
Isaiah Tillman LHP / OF / Royal, CA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 143 / POS: 6
Tillman entered the Senior Future Games Tryout fresh off being named to the 1st team All Coastal Canyon League for his JR. season performance and the two-way product from Simi Valley did not let up on the gas. Tillman checked in a 5'9 160.3 with strength that continues to emerge in his frame and showed off his athleticism during the athletic testing portions of the day. Running a 6.99 60 time with 1.67 10 yard and 3.85 30 yard splits while posting a top run speed of 19.6 MPH plus a 24.7" vertical jump. His arm strength was on display both as an OF and on the mound with Tillman topping the OF group by throwing 88 MPH with consistent carry to his throws showing three position OF defensive versatility. During batting practice he posted a top end exit velocity of 96.3 MPH from a flatter line drive based stroke which wears out the middle to opposite side of the field for hard contact, including an in game knock. But, as good as what Tillman did as a position player was he put together an even stronger showing on the mound where he lived at 86-88 MPH topping at 89 MPH with a lively FB which induces whiff and soft contact while dropping in a 74-77 MPH CB with sharp downward break that fooled hitters consistently and a 75-80 MPH CHG with deception to induce whiff/soft contact while adding an upper 70's to low 80's SLD. Tillman throws from a high release point over nearly 6'2" on average playing to a north/south attack profile while showing ability east/west off his secondary pitches. Tillman picked up multiple Ks over his five batter look. |
 |
Justin Lopez 2B / SS / Orange Lutheran , CA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 114 / POS: 2
Lopez is eyeing a return trip to Georgia after being a standout on the 2023 Team California squad at the Future Games. The RH hitting middle of the diamond defender out of the Trinity League power Orange Lutheran made an impressive case with his performance throughout the day at Pepperdine. Checking in at 5'7 157.2 lbs and going on to run a 7.04 60 with with 1.69 10 yard and 3.92 30 yard splits including a 19.6 MPH top end run speed and 24.7" vertical jump. Lopez may not be big in stature, but his bat plays loud with an impressive 99.7 MPH max exit velocity, 94.1 MPH average exit velocity, 83% hard hit and sweet spot rates from a line drive swing which wore out the middle of the diamond with loud hard contact all throughout his batting practice session. Much like his batted ball data on Trackman the swing metrics for Lopez ranked amongst the top performers across all the categories measured and the combination of hard contact with a high level swing helped Lopez produce high quality at bats and contact all throughout his in game live at bats. The defensive actions for Lopez are sound with good feet, smooth hands, athletic actions and a solidly accurate arm. Plus, making a tremendous shoestring catch in shallow RCF while playing RF during the sim game. |
 |
Jetner Welch OF / 1B / Santa Barbara High School, CA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 78 / POS: 15
Welch was the highest ranked 2026 in attendance and the Central Coast LH hitting OF showed why with the totality of his performance over the course of the day. Checking in at 6'3" while weight 180.3 lbs Welch is an athletically built player who has the type of frame that shows well presently while adding intriguing future projection. His athletic ability was solidly on display including a Top Five 60 time by posting a 6.75 time with a 1.55 10 yard and 3.72 30 yard splits including a 20.5 MPH top end run speed showing the profile to play CF long term. His arm stroke has cleaned up with a quicker path and solid accuracy while showing 84 MPH arm velocity to be a solid thrower defensively. Simplifying his operation in the box over the previous few months paid dividends for Welch both in batting practice and during the game play portion of day. Welch launched an impressive HR to RCF that hit the brick wall beyond the fence while posting a top end exit velocity of 97.7 MPH on the blast with it traveling 371'. Welch posted strong 50% sweet spot and hard hit rates getting the ball in the air to the middle/pull side of the field at a 60% clip. He backed up the strong batting practice session and defensive workout by first staying back on a CHG on the outer half of the plate to loft the ball deep into LCF for an easy standup double and played sound defense all day long in CF. |
 |
Jacob Jimenez OF / 1B / Chino Hills High, CA / 2026Another LH hitting OF this time from Chino Hills in the San Gabriel Valley Jimenez made his own strong impression thorughout the day. Starting the day by checking in at 5'10 174.6 lbs with wiry emerging strength in his frame and displaying the type of athleticism to play CF by running a 6.69 60 yard time with 1.56 10 yard and 3.70 30 yard splits with a 20.5 MPH top end run speed, plus an impressive 28.8" vertical jump. Then you add the 87 MPH OF velocity he showed off with carry there is three position versatility to his defensive profile. During batting practice Jimenez posted some of the best batted ball data on the day including a 100.1 MPH max exit velocity on a line drive homer he stung down the RF line which left the yard betweeen the Pepperdine scoreboard and RF foul pole and stung a 368' max distance drive on a ball that short hopped the fence in the RCF gap. His 62% hard hit rate was amongst the Top Five from the event and Jimenez took strong at bats during the game play portion. |
CLASS OF 2027
 |
Justin Kirchner RHP / 3B / Harvard-Westlake, CA / 2027Kirchner was the top ranked pitcher in attendance at the Future Games Tryout: Malibu and he made sure to show why during his five batter apperance. But, that wasn't the only side of the game in which Kirchner impressed putting together a strong showing as a RH hitting infielder. Checking in at 6'1 205.5 lbs. Kirchner continues to develop physically with impressive emerging strength while showing solid athletic ability including a 7.18 60 yard time and jumping 23.1" during the vertical jump. That athletic ability translates into a 86-87 MPH FB which he throws with spin rates approaching 2400 RPMs while dropping in an intriguing kick CHG he threw at 78-81 MPH with a high level of confidence to use it during any count while adding a 83-84 MPH sharp breaking SLD (almost cutter like) and for good measure showed a 78-81 MPH. Kirchner showed strong feel to throw his FB and CHG for strikes with flashes of his SLD/CB both working well to put together a strong showing. As good as what Kirchner did on the mound was his performance as a position player was equally impressive. His batting practice was loud with a a top end exit velocity of 99.3 MPH with a 362' max distance to the middle of the field while hitting 100% of his balls in the air plus picking up an in game hit. As well, his actions at 3B looked very strong showing good hands and a 83 MPH arm with accuracy across the diamond that he backed up with two impressive defensive plays during the game play portion.
|
 |
Quinton Hill OF / RHP / Berkeley, CA / 2027Rankings StateRank: 45 / POS: 11
Hill made the trip down from the Bay Area to take part in the Malibu event and the NorCal two-way made his trip well worth it. Checking in at 6'1 with emerging strength to his frame now weighing in at 181.7 lbs his athletic ability continues to trend up with a 6.77 60 yard time while posting splits of 1.58 at the 10 yard mark and 3.71 at the 30 yard mark with Hill topping out at 20.1 MPH and reached 26.7" on his vertical jump. Once the defensive workout began his clean actions were on display moving around in the OF while showing off a accurate 81 MPH OF arm. His batting practice session was one of the most impressive displays for the consistency of the hard hit contact he produced. Hill works from a wider set up and utilizes a flatter stroke through the zone, but was on the barrel all day during batting practice with a peak exit velocity of 97.9 MPH, but his average exit velocity was 95.9 MPH producing a 100% hard hit rate (ball hits 95 MPH plus) wearing out the gaps with line drives over and over again. His swing metrics on Blast Motion were amongst the top in nearly every category and his feel to hit carried over into the game with strong plate appearances. The totality of Hill's day made a strong case for a potential Team NorCal invite. |
 |
Cole Munyon SS / RHP / Newbury Park High, CA / 2027Munyon entered the Malibu event as the highest ranked position player and 2027 in attendance after his strong 2025 spring season and intriguing overall profile brought him inside the Top 15 for the 2027 class. The Newbury Park product showed off the variety of different skills he possesses as a high level player throughout the day. Checking in at 6'1 188.3 lbs he is a strongly build up the middle to left side of the INF dirt defender who shows solid present athletic ability with a 7.00 60 time that included splits of 1.61 at the 10 yard mark and 3.87 at the 30 yard mark with a 19.6 MPH top run speed. His feel to play downhill on the INF dirt with body control, smooth hands, athletic footwork was on display during the INF defense workout including his quick transfer and accurate 82 MPH arm that consistently put the ball on or around the 1Bs chest. His offensive profile was on display during the batting practice portion of the day with a 97.2 MPH max exit velocity and a 50% hard hit rate (balls over 95 MPH) showing feel to hit through the middle of the field he stung several hard line drives into the gaps and the sound off his bat was different when barreling the ball. Munyon demonstrated his offensive approach throughout his day in the sim game portion of the event making a very strong case for the RH hitting SS to make a trip to Georgia. |
 |
Liam Spahr OF / C / Ventura, CA / 2027Rankings StateRank: 162 / POS: 38
Spahr entered the rankings after popping on the radar this year seeing significant playing time for the Ventura High School varsity program and made his Prep Baseball California debut at the Future Games Tryout: Malibu. Spahr is athletically built and carries himself with bounce in his step which is noticeable when moving around he checked in with a wiry strong present build at 5'10 161.4 lbs to the rising JR. who has room to continue filling as he matures across his frame. The RH hitting OF posted a solid showing of his athletic ability running a 7.25 60 with a 1.63 10 yard split and 3.88 30 yard split on the day. His arm from the OF was solidly accurate with quality carry to his throws posting a 82 MPH arm velocity while moving with body control and ease in the OF grass during the defensive workout. The Central Coast based Spahr was on the barrel consistently during his batting practice session with a simple operation in the box and a compact flat stroke that live up the middle with low line drive contact reaching 89.4 MPH at the peak including a 50% sweet spot rate and 40% of his balls in batting practice being line drives. His strong hit tool carried over into the game when he was able to stay on an offspeed offering in his first at bat to line it into CF for a single while posting another strong appearance. The baseball profile for Spahr was solidly on display and with room to continue developing strength and ticking up his athleticism his debut at FGT: Malibu will not be the last time we see Spahr shine on a baseball field. |
 |
Evan Rodriguez C / OF / Simi Valley High, CA / 2027Much like Cole Munyon, Rodriguez made a big jump up the Prep Baseball California rankings after a dominant Soph. campaign at Simi Valley. The two-sport athlete cemented his status as one of the top talents not only in SoCal, but the state. A solidly built athlete Rodriguez checked in at 5'9.5 156.5 lbs. with an athletic build that has room to fill even more as he continues to mature across broad shoulders and a strong lower half. His dynamic athletic ability was on display as he tied for the top spot in the 60 time by posting a 6.68 run time with a 1.58 10 yard split, 3.68 30 yard split and a 20.5 MPH max run speed (tied for the top spot). During the VALD jump testing his 2.22 RSI was third at the event (tops for a the 2027's in attendance) while adding a 27.9" vertical (tops for the 2027's in attendance). Rodriguez demonstrated his defensive versatility by posting a 84 MPH OF arm velocity with carry and accuracy to his throws before strapping on the catching gear to show a 2.00 low pop time which translated into a strong day behind the plate receiving while making a pair of clean grabs in the OF on defense. Rodriguez topped at 91.9 MPH from a smooth compact RH swing which lives on the barrel (83% sweet spot rate) and in the air to the middle of the field (67% fly ball / line drive rate with 59% of those being line drives to the gaps). His overall showing has given him strong consideration for a spot on Team SoCal at the 2025 Prep Baseball Future Games. |
+ CLICK HERE for a look at the complete statistics from the event.
RELATED CONTENT