On Sunday, February 15th, we hosted the first ever Lake Zurich Preseason ID at MVP Sports in Lake Zurich, IL. This event was host to over 60 players from the surrounding area, and was a very promising inaugural event with a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball.

Today, we are continuing our post-event content with a look at some of the standouts from the day, found below.

For a look at the entire event page, click HERE.

For a look at the statistical analysis, click HERE. 

POSITION PLAYERS

+ INF Braxton Goodfellow (Warren, 2027) put together one of the better all-around showings within the crop of uncommitted prospects in attendance. A lean 6-foot-1, 180-pound right-handed hitter, he showed strong and noticeable jump off the barrel consistently - leading the event in average EV at 95.8 mph (T98.9 mph). Goodfellow has a lose, uphill swing with a middle of the field approach, while also showing bat speed (avg. 72.1 mph). Defensively, he showed to be an athletic mover with range on the infield. 

+ OF Alec Harer (St. Viator, 2027) is an uncommitted switch-hitting outfielder who has made noticeable strides in his game since our last look. Standing at a high-waisted 6-foot-1, 172-pounds with some noticeable strength throughout, he swung it well from both sides. He displayed a loose, flat path from both sides with some twitch present in the swing. He had the third-highest average EV on the day at 94.7 mph (T100.5 mph), while also posting impressive bat speed at an average of 72.6 mph. Defensively, he showed to be a clean mover in the outfield paired with the third-strongest arm for the event at 88 mph. Harer rounded out his impressive showing by leading the event in the 60 yard dash, running a 6.70.

+ INF Michael Silvius (Crystal Lake South, 2027) put together a strong round of BP at the event. He presents a proportional frame at 5-foot-11, 200-pounds with noticeable strength throughout. From the right side, he displayed a loose, longer swing that had some flatness through the zone, while working line drives to the middle of the field. Silvius peaked at 94.5 mph off the bat.

+ OF/INF Nikolas Junkovic (DePaul College Prep, 2029) was one of the more impressive freshmen bats in attendance. A right-handed hitter with a hitterish look in the box, he looks to keep the ball on a line to the middle of the field, staying balanced throughout his operation while swinging with intent. 

+ INF Noah Neece (Sycamore, 2027) is another right-handed hitter to note from the event. A lean 6-foot-2, 196-pound frame with present strength, he flashed the ability to produce line drives to the middle/pull-side parts of the field with authority, posting a max EV of 98 mph. Neece also peaked at 86 mph from across the infield - good for second-highest for the event.

+ INF Adan Rojas (Streamwood, 2027) is a physically imposing left-handed hitter to know from the event. Standing at 6-foot-4, 211-pounds, he showed an uphill swing that generated natural loft on the ball at times, working line drives to the middle of the field, while reaching a max EV of 97 mph. 

+ C Alex Rodriguez (Willowbrook, 2027) is an uncommitted right-handed hitting catcher who showed well on both sides of the ball. Offensively, standing at a proportional frame with strength at 5-foot-11, 193-pounds, he displayed strong hands from a flatter path, generating hard line drives to the middle/pull-side, peaking at 99.6 mph off the bat. Defensively, Rodriguez posted a 2.06-2.11 pop time range, while working up to 76 mph from the chute.

+ Some other hitters in attendance that deserved a mention for their showings include INF/C Maddux Heilman (Palatine, 2027), OF Joseph Mueller (Barrington, 2027), C Kieran Crothers (Grayslake Central, 2029), C Ash Marcel (DePaul College Prep, 2028), INF Howie Porath (Minooka, 2027), INF Aiden Blanco (McHenry, 2029), and OF Ben Wilgreen (Huntley, 2027).

TWO-WAYS

+ RHP/OF Jenner Smith (Hersey, 2028) provided yet another intriguing look for our staff at this event. He stands in a 6-foot-3, 189-pound frame with noticeable added strength since we last saw Smith. On the mound, he’s a simple mover with minimal effort down the mound. His fastball sat 85-86 mph playing clean out of the hand with mostly straight actions though the zone. Smith threw both a curveball and a slider - his curveball sat 72-75 mph with 11/5 shape and an average of 2456 rpm, while his slider sat 75-79 mph with short, horizontal break. He rounded out his four-pitch mix with a change-up at 77-80 mph. Smith then put together one of the better round of BP on the day. A right-handed hitter, he showed a loose, athletic swing with strong hands, while generating natural loft on the ball, with easy barrel strength, averaging 93.7 mph off the bat (T99.8), and posting the furthest hit ball for the event at 395 feet.

+ LHP/OF JD Farkas (Hersey, 2028) stands in a strong and athletic 5-foot-8, 181-pound frame. He showed well during his bullpen where he showcased easy and athletic movement patterns on the mound with a long, clean arm path out of a ¾ slot. The polish of his arsenal impressed, starting with his fastball that worked 82-86 mph with arm-side action. He mixed in a curveball at 69-71 mph with 1/7 shape, and a change-up at 74-77 mph with slight fade. Farkas also showed to be an athletic left-handed hitter as well. Working from a loose, slightly uphill path, he generated hard elevated contact to the pull-side; peaking at 93.7 mph off the bat with a peak distance of 354 feet.

PITCHERS

+ RHP Colton Miller (Wheaton Academy, 2027) stands in a strong-bodied 6-foot-1, 208-pound frame. He showcased a loud ‘pen that featured the highest fastball velocity at the event (88.2 mph), sitting 87-88 mph throughout.

+ LHP Robby Seifert (Fremd, 2027) made his Prep Baseball event debut on Sunday and impressed in his bullpen. Seifert stands in a wiry 6-foot-1, 155-pound with plenty of room to dream on. He’s a clean mover on the mound with minimal effort, and a loose and long arm path out of a ¾ slot. In the spring of 2025, our staff saw him sit in the mid-to-upper-70s with his fastball, but he made significant strides since, now sitting 82-85 mph with arm-side action. He mixed in high-spinning breaking balls – his curveball sitting 68-69 mph with an average of 2815 rpm while his slider sat 72-74 mph with an average of 2906 rpm. He rounded out his arsenal with a change-up that sat 76-78 mph with some downer action. Given the frame, the strides he’s made, and the current polish, there’s plenty to like about the uncommitted southpaw.

+ RHP Mason Palmer (Warren, 2027) provided an interesting look on the mound. He stands in a wiry, long-levered 6-foot-1, 181-pound frame with seemingly more room for added strength in the frame. Palmer showed a clean and whippy arm out of a low ¾ slot, with his fastball sitting 83-84 mph with heavy arm-side movement. He turned to a slider that sat 71-73 mph with sweeping shape that averaged 2422 rpm, and a change-up at 74-76 mph with fade.

+ RHP/1B Jack Hefferan (Palatine, 2027) was another uncommitted prospect from the event that made his Prep Baseball event debut. Hefferan stands in a strong 6-foot, 192-pound frame, and he showed simple and easy movement patterns on the mound with a long, clean arm path out of a ¾ slot. His fastball sat in the low-80s playing clean out of the hand and mostly straight through the zone. His curveball sat 67-68 mph with 11/5 shape and sweeping action, while his change-up sat 71-74 mph with slight sink. 

+ RHP Hayden Wendt (Huntley, 2027) is an intriguing high ceiling arm to follow moving forward. There’s plenty more to come in his 6-foot-3, 182-pound frame, and he’s a fluid mover down the mound with an easy delivery. The arm action is clean with layback into footstrike, firing through from a high ¾ release point. The fastball played 82-85 mph in the zone with up to 20” of IVB, setting up a curveball in the 73-75 mph range with over 2,400 rpm. His final offering was a splitter with under 1,00 rpm, playing with negative vertical break at times (T-1.9 IVB). 

+ RHP Ian Christopher (Crystal Lake South, 2028) was one of the more intriguing arms on the day, and he’s an underclassman to follow with a bright future. The frame is highly projectable at 6-foot-1, 160-pounds with long levers and plenty of room to fill into his body. He worked exclusively out of the stretch with athletic movement patterns and a clean, compact arm circle into a high ¾ slot. The fastball played in the low-80s, topping out at 83 mph with life out of the hand and some finish through the zone. The curveball is his best secondary offering right with with sharp 11/5 shape and sweep (T-18” HM), playing over 2,400 rpm at times. He also showed a changeup with arm-side run that he could land in the zone with some feel, making for a quality third offering. 

+ RHP Nick Verden (Lake Zurich, 2027) gave an intriguing look with a high-spin cutting fastball, playing 82-83 mph (T2502 rpm) with -2” average horizontal break. He showed a knack to spin his curveball as well, playing over 2,400 rpm at times with short 11/5 shape at 68-71 mph. He was able to land his slider in the zone 100% of the time per TrackMan, showing true sweeping action (0.0” IVB avg; -13” HM avg), 72-74 mph. His final offering was a fading changeup at 78-80 mph with developing feel. 

+ RHP Dylan Fawcett (Stevenson, 2027) gave one of the louder looks on the day with raw arm talent and an upper-80s fastball. The fastball played with some life and carry through the zone, sitting 84-87 mph with scattered strikes, but the fastball undoubtedly jumps out of the hand. His curveball has wipeout potential with over 23” of sweep, spinning over 2,400 rpm at 67-69 mph with some feel in the zone. To complete his mix he went to a changeup with slight arm-side fade, 76-79 mph. 

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