High Desert Summer ID: Quick Hits

June 22, 2026
Steven Hardesty
Assistant Director

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LANCASTER, CALIF. - This past Wednesday, June 17th, the Prep Baseball California team is hosted the High Desert Summer ID at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, Cal. This was an open event for all high school classes (2027-2030), and gave our staff an ample look at some of that area's and surrounding areas' top players.

Around 35 players made their way to Antelope Valley College and participated in a pro-style workout, gathering unrivaled access to data through our state-of-the-art tech partners, as well as in-depth scouting analysis from our Prep Baseball California staff. For a closer look at the showcase details and the technologies we had on-site to assist our in-person evaluation for all in attendance, click here.

To start the day, all position players in attendance were electronically measured for height, weighed in, and recorded grip strength readings. From there, they ran a 60-yard sprint with all split times being gathered using VALD Technologies' laser timing system. Upon completion of the athletic and body testing portion of the day, the players went into offensive evaluations with multiple rounds of batting practice, where Trackman Technologies and Blast Motion swing trackers were in use to gather batted ball and swing data on players in attendance, in addition under going Vizual Edge testing and VALD Jump testing. Which was then followed by defensive evaluations at their primary and secondary position (OF, C, SS, 1B) with arm strength being measured via a Stalker Radar gun and skill evaluations by our staff on hand. Once the batting practice portion of the event was completed, we shifted into the pitching portion of the day with pitchers throwing bullpens from the main mound with Trackman Technologies running to gather pitch data.

Today, we will be looking at some of the top overall performers from the event, found below. For all of the event information, please click here.

QUICK HITS: TOP PERFORMERS

Noah Verkaik OF / RHP / Aquinas, CA / 2027

The Inland Empire-based Verkaik put together likely the most well-rounded performance of any player in attendance, which included an eye-popping batting practice power display. Starting the day running a 6.7 60-yard sprint, the 6'3 " 194 lbs. Verkaik demonstrated the start of power-speed high upside OF profile with his footspeed. Shifting into batting practice, Verkaik was one of the last hitters of the session, but from swing one, his presence was felt and caught the attention of everyone in attendance. With an aggressive LH swing that features present bat speed and natural loft from the middle to pull side of the diamond, Verkaik opened his BP by blasting a 110+ MPH HR to straightaway RF that carried 408'. That was far from his only homer as he produced a 90.1 MPH avg EV with a 63% hard hit rate, and of the 15 swings he took during BP, nine of them went over the fence for HRs. While footspeed and power may highlight the profile for the physical LH hitter, don't discount the OF defense profile for Verkaik, who threw accurately with present arm strength at 91 MPH into the teeth of a stiff wind that flashed long-term CF/RF potential for him to go with an intriguing power profile at the plate. An uncommitted '27 who has a high ceiling for his potential, Verkaik is a name that college programs are going to want to get a look at in the coming summer/fall circuit as a potential piece for the 2027 class.

Jayden Ross OF / RHP / Citrus Valley High, CA / 2027

Ross is another Inland Empire-based OF who quickly passes the eye test with a long-limbed, but athletically built profile that boosts present ability with intriguing upside to his future. Standing 6'5 and just a tick under 210 lbs. at present, Ross moves well for his size, posting a 7.11 60-yard time with length in his stride to build speed and cover ground as a corner OF defender who adds an accurate 87 MPH OF arm, which could give him RF potential as a defender, but soundly fits the LF long-term profile. His offensive skillset comfortably can handle the corner OF defensive profile with an impressive power display during BP that showed consistency and ease of operation. Ross uncorked on multiple HRs that went to the bigger part of the field, including a max EV drive of north of 104 MPH while topping the event with a no-doubt 413' mammoth blast to the LCF gap, which stopped the event briefly as everyone watched where the ball was going to land. As impressive as the pair of loud drives were, it was the consistency with which Ross hit the baseball with authority for his size that jumped out, posting a 71% hard hit rate with a 93.3 MPH avg EV. As he continues to improve the consistency of his angles, the hard contact has the profile to turn into a true middle-of-the-order impact bat as he continues onto the next level. Another talented uncommitted '27 for college programs to put their eyes on in the coming summer/fall circuit.

Jack Sweeney C / SS / St. Augustine Academy, CA / 2027

Sweeney made his debut in front of our staff at the Central California Summer ID in 2025, and the wiry, but athletic RH hitter who is a versatile defender has steadily developed his whole profile upward since that viewing. His frame has started to add strength now with almost 15 lbs. of muscle that still has room has more to fill out in the coming years. That added strength has propelled what was already a sound overall baseball profile into one that is showing intriguing tools across the board now. His batting practice was likely the most consistent of any player in attendance as he drilled barrel after barrel to the middle/pull side of the field, showing strong angles at contact with a 100% sweet spot rate over his batting practice which included a max EV at 98.7 MPH while hitting a 100% hard hit rate (balls over 90 MPH) across his two rounds of batting practice. Sweeney's offensive profile jumps out more when you see the simplicity with which he produces strong present batted ball data, as the swing is balanced, quiet, and athletic with quickness in his hands, use of the ground, and present bat speed. His offensive skill set is not the only thing that has ticked up in the last 12 months, as he has shown versatility defensively across all our looks at him, with improved arm strength/quickness behind the plate, posting 2.0-2.1 pop times on all his throws with cleaner actions behind the plate. He adds sound actions on the INF dirt with corner OF defensive tools that should give a college program plenty of ways to evaluate him on that side of the game, as his bat clearly shows next-level ability. Another uncommitted '27 out of the Central Coast region that should garner some attention from college programs in the summer/fall circuit for his present ability and future upside.

Adyen Katuszonek RHP / 1B / Rosamond High Early College Campus, CA / 2027

Hailing from a smaller desert town east of Lancaster, Katuszonek entered this event relatively unknown to our staff and me, but the righthander left it with intrigue to his present profile and his future upside. The frame is a prototype pitcher's build with broader shoulders, higher hips, length in his arms while standing 6'1 with 182 lbs. of mass on a frame that can easily add another 10-15 lbs., potentially more in the future to tick his present solid stuff up as he matures. He works from a sound, repeatable delivery with looseness to his arm action that all sync into a profile that showed solid stuff with an ability to throw strikes with each of his pitches. Adyen lived at 84-86 with his FB while peaking at 87 MPH with north of 2150 RPMs on average of spin giving it present ability, but the room to keep ticking up in the future. Behind it, he showed a solid CHG with 73-75 MPH of velocity while killing some spin on the offering to generate fade/vertical depth off his FB shape. His spin offerings were a mix of a 70-76 MPH CB, which looked the part of a potential cross-count offering, but the SLD (slurve) showed some potential living at 73-75 MPH with more consistency to its shape while flashing some late action to his glove side. All in all, the bullpen session Katuszonek showed, throwing into the teeth of a stiff wind, gave plenty of present ability confirmation, but even more so the intrigue of where his profile can develop in the future as he polishes his overall profile and gains maturity. It will be a name to keep tabs on going forward and an interesting arm to follow for college programs in the 2027 class.

Dylan Sax 2B / SS / Thousand Oaks High, CA / 2027

Sax put together a quality start to his 2026 year with a strong look at our Los Angeles Preseason ID, which also came in extremely windy conditions, and then had a solid Jr. season for the Thousand Oaks High School program. Now getting into the flow of his summer circuit, the versatile INF defender once again was strong in a live look with his overall showing at the High Desert Summer ID. Posting a 6.9 60-yard sprint time with quickness off the line and his ability to maintain speed, the athleticism for Sax can comfortably handle a future at plenty of spots on the INF dirt as he shows soft hands, sound footwork, and accuracy with his low to mid 80's arm strength that he can use from multiple arm slots. At the plate, his swing features quickness in the turn and bat speed with a stroke geared for leverage to the middle of the field. His batting practice was impressively consistent with hard contact, averaging 90.2 MPH over two rounds while peaking at 98+ MPH, including a 75% hard hit and driving a ball 360+ feet to his pull side. His angles are sound with a 63% sweet spot rate, giving you plenty to like about the authority with which he hits the ball and the angles he produces that contact at. Uncommitted heading into his summer, the talented Sax is a name college program should be looking to get their eyes on quickly in the coming months for their 2027 class.

Matthew Riesenberg C / 3B / Culver City High, CA / 2029

Riesenberg is the younger brother of Culver City High standout Nolan, but he is quickly making his presence known to our staff as one of the better young players in the state. While his older brother is wiry and athletic built, Matthew presents intriguing present strength in his frame, checking in at 5'10 195 lbs. at present, while looking like he could add another 10ish lbs. in the future (possibly more) while still maintaining his interesting overall baseball profile. Riesenberg showed defensive versatility during the workout by flashing long-term potential as both an OF and C, but the catching profile makes you take notice when he posted 78 MPH of arm velocity while going as low as 2.00 on his pops to 2B with quickness in the arm path and accuracy in his ball flight. He is a clean receiver who showed some advanced actions during bullpens, with strength in his glove wrist, while still showing softness in his hand to adeptly handle FB and offspeed pitches with mobility in his lower half to present a low target. His athletic ability is sound at present, with a 7.13 60-yard sprint time that will give him a corner OF profile should his long-term future fit out there. At the plate, Riesenberg was a standout with a bat that will profile to add impact to a lineup not only at the high school level, but the next level, no matter the position he winds up at. Posting intriguing metrics for a Fr. with a 96.4 MPH max EV, 91.8 avg EV, 75% hard hit rate over two rounds of BP, with intriguing angles posting a 75% sweet spot rate in those rounds, and to top it all off, a 361' max distance. Strength, athleticism, defensive versatility, offensive upside, and time to keep developing ahead of him will make Riesenberg a name to pay close attention to going forward for the 2029 class.

Michael Ba OF / Brentwood School, CA / 2027

When diving in on tools at the High Desert Summer ID the profile for Ba would move towards the top of the players in attendance as he showcased intriguing tools across the board Solidly built at present with a 6' 200 lbs. frame he shows the foundation of power in his profile with the strength he possesses and then backs it up with strong athleticism highlighted by quality footspeed with a 6.75 60 yard sprint that features burst 1.61 10-yard split and ability to build speed reaching a max run speed of 20.7 MPH. His athletic ability and arm strength, 87 MPH (into the teeth of a stiff wind), give him a profile that could handle CF/RF long term on the defensive side of the game. At the plate, his bat speed stood out early and loudly, with swings registering north of 80 MPH of bat speed. That high-intent swing with natural athleticism gives Ba intriguing raw power at present, with an approach that looked geared to damage on every swing, producing a max EV of 101.8 MPH while averaging nearly 95 MPH across his two rounds of BP. There is some cleaning up to do with his angles to tap into his power on a more consistent rate, but with an 83% hard hit rate as Ba learns to polish his offensive profile/approach, there is intrigue to his offensive ceiling. With tools like what Ba possesses to go with athletic ability and some natural strength, it's an intriguing uncommitted 2027 profile to keep tabs on going forward.

Parker Medlin C / OF / Paraclete, CA / 2028

Medlin is another product of the 2025 Central Coast Summer ID who has continued to trend upward with his whole profile in the last 12 months. His physicality and athleticism have steadily moved in the right direction for his future, with a frame that has added around 10-15 lbs. of strength, while his athleticism has increased to a now present 7.02 60-yard sprint with a max run speed approaching 20 MPH, showing burst and ability to build/maintain his speed throughout. Those physical and athletic developments show up in his tools across the board as he continues to maintain a strong hit-first profile with a leverage-based swing that works to all fields, hitting just under 90 MPH for his max EV while still averaging solidly in the 80's that can tick up more as he continues to develop his frame in the coming years. The swing repeats efficiently with an athletic operation that is controlled, balanced, and consistently on time. Behind the plate, his actions are steadily confirming a long-term strong to potential impact defensive profile at the premium catching position with now 75 MPH of catcher arm velocity at pop times that are reaching the low 2.0 range consistently. Medlin is solidifying into a strong name to know for the 2028 class as he keeps his upward trajectory.

Luke Valverde SS / 3B / Liberty High, CA / 2029

This was Valverde's debut performance to our staff and me, and the talented INF product from Bakersfield hails from one of the top programs in that region. Coming off a Fr. season at Liberty, where he played on the lower levels, it can be anticipate he is going to compete for varsity playing time in the very near future based on the quality of his overall toolset and athletic ability. Solidly built in a compact frame at 5'9 175ish lbs. Valverde presents some present strength across the board to go with early athletic ability, but with each showing room to continue trending up with maturity. He ran a 7.2 60-yard sprint with sound quickness off the line and approaching 19 MPH of max run speed. The athleticism translates into sound actions on the INF dirt with soft hands, feel for his footwork, and a sound present 80 MPH of INF arm velocity. At the plate, he uses a quality operation to deliver interesting present batted ball data for just a Fr. heading into his Soph. season producing a 97 MPH max EV and an 88 MPH avg EV across his two rounds of BP using the middle to pull side effectively with 50% sweet spot rate. A strong overall foundation of tools with plenty of time to continue to polish them towards a higher ceiling and consistency using them in game situations will make Valverde an interesting name to keep tabs on going forward in the 2029 class out of Bakersfield.

Taylor Chairez SS / RHP / Norco High, CA / 2029

Chairez came into the High Desert Summer ID as one of the more touted names in attendance, featuring prominently within our present 2029 rankings, and his night in the desert solidified that hype for me. Wiry and athletic built at present in a 5'8 148 lbs. frame that can easily add plenty of strength in the coming years, his profile shows twitchy present athleticism across the board. Chairez was one of the best runners in attendance, posting a 6.61 60-yard sprint time while showing some of the best burst of the line at 1.58 in the 10-yard split while reaching 20.7 MPH at max run speed. That type of athletic ability will keep him in the middle of the diamond as he progresses forward in his baseball career, and his actions during defensive work give him the potential to stick on the dirt at SS with easy ability to slide to 2B/3B if that type of move is ever needed. At the plate, his swing is loose and flashes some explosive quickness in the hands, turn, and bat speed to produce 95 MPH of max EV and 89.8 MPH of avg EV across his two rounds of batting practice. The rhythm and approach showed a little rawness that can be polished with maturity, but the combination of his hand quickness and barrel path produced a 38% hard hit rate with a 338' max distance. While still raw like most younger players, being just a Fr. preparing for his Soph. season with a transfer to Norco, a part of his next step. There is plenty to love about where Chairez's future is headed as a SoCal-based player who will undoubtedly be a name to know for college coaches in the 2029 class going forward.