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Lincoln Trail Scout Day: Takeaways

October 16, 2025
By: Illinois Scouting Staff

On Thursday, October 9th, the Prep Baseball Illinois staff traveled to Lincoln Trail College to host the Lincoln Trail Scout Day, conducting a pro-style workout with over 30 of their players.

Today, we are taking a look at some of the biggest standouts from the day with scouting reports and videos, below. 

Position Players 

So. C Gabe Wilke (Evanville North, IN)
6-foot-3, 197-pounds, lean with wiry strength and room to continue to fill out. Looks to be a main returner for the Statesmen this coming spring, returning 72 at-bats across 26 games a season ago with a .264 average. He was on the barrel in his round of BP with an easy, balanced swing, showing loose wrists and jump off the barrel to his pull-side gap, peaking at 101 mph for his EV while averaging 93 mph (T396’ max distance). 

Fr. C JJ Darst (Mason, OH)
5-foot-11, 200-pounds, present strength throughout, rounded shoulders and developed lower-half. Intentful swing with controlled aggression from the right side, works to stay on top of the baseball with strong hands, middle pull-side approach with lift at times. Steady hands on the infield with deliberate footwork to the baseball. Clean glove to hand from the chute, works in-line while staying low from the crouch, 2.07 pop-time (T74 mph). 

So. C Alex Conrad (Walnut Hills, OH)
6-foot, 195-pounds, trim, broad shouldered frame, evenly proportionate strength. Saw a notable amount of time last spring, returning 60 at-bats across 25 games. Showed some loud tools across the board, 6.87 runner to pair with a 103 mph peak EV and 389’ max distance. Intent to work pull-side with lift, created notable BLAST metrics (23.5 avg hand-speed, 76.2 mph avg bat-speed, 26.9 Gs avg rotational acceleration). Moves well in the outfield, attacks the baseball with sure-handed actions, strong arm to pair (T91 mph). 

Fr. OF Owen Strahl (Lake Zurich, IL)
5-foot-10, 195-pounds, rounded shoulders with some physicality throughout, developed lower-half to pair. Took one of the louder rounds of BP on the day with a peak of 105 mph, averaged 99.5 mph with every single ball registering at over 95 mph. Line drive approach with length through the zone and through impact, balanced with strong hands, easy bat-speed with an 81 mph average, also averaged 24 mph for his hand-speed. 6.99 runner with clean actions in the outfield, 89 mph peak velocity from a crowhop. 

RFr. UTIL Bryce Brabender (Mooresville, IN)
Athletic build, trim with lean strength, more room to add. One of the loudest showings on the day, led the event with a 6.44 in the 60 - also led the event with a 106 mph peak EV. Showed natural lift pull-side at times, easy power with carry to the gap. BLAST metrics were off the charts, averaging 25 mph for his hand-speed, 83 mph for his bat-speed and 29.4 Gs for his rotational acceleration. 

RFr. 1B/OF Nicholas Sedam (Harrison, OH)
6-foot-4, 210-pounds, long-levered frame, proportionate, room to continue to add strength. Longer swing from the right side with natural lift, gets length through the zone and through impact, 105 mph peak EV, 373’ max distance. Intentful swings, pull-side approach - averaged 78 mph for his bat-speed and 23 mph for his hand-speed. 6.92 runner in the 60. Steady two-hand gather at first base. 

Fr. OF Stryker Swenson (North Central, IN)
6-foot, 192-pound frame, broad shoulders, proportionate build. Worked on the barrel in his round with a peak EV of 95 mph, flat swing with strong hands, stayed on-plane, worked pull-side throughout the round. Impressive athlete with a 6.69 in the 60, rangy actions in the outfield with fluid footwork and steady, sure-handed actions. 

So. UTIL Adam Newell (Xenia, OH)
5-foot-11, 230-pounds, physical frame with strenght throughout, durable build. Strong right-handed hitter with clear bat-strength, showing an intentful swing with loud results pull-side, sent his furthest ball 387' with a peak EV of 101 mph, averaging 93 mph throughout his round. Creates well above-average bat-speed, averaging in the low-80s. Middle of the order type bat, big power pull-side with natural lift at times. 

Fr. INF Landen Smith (Greenwood Community, IN)
6-foot-2, 190-pounds, lean and athletic build. Loose and balanced right-handed swing, control of the barrel with pull-side feel and some lift, 104 mph peak EV, consistent loud contact in the air and on a line. 6.95 runner in the 60. 

Fr. UTIL Colin Wilbon (Lausanne Collegiate, TN)
5-foot-9, 180-pounds, compact and strong frame, round shoulders with a developed lower-half. Switch hitter with strength from both sides: right-handed he works on top of the baseball with a flat path, intent to keep the ball on a line up the middle and pull-side, clean round. Left-handed is slightly more closed off, strong hands that work direct and on top of the ball, stayed middle/pull-side - recorded 100 mph EVs from both sides. Moves well in the outfield, quick first step, some bounce, soft hands. Strong arm with life to his target, arm-speed from a high ¾ slot (T88 mph). 

Fr. OF/INF AJ Gundler (Archbishop McNicholas, OH)
5-foot-11, 175-pounds, evenly proportioned frame with room to add more strength. Quality all-around showing for the true freshman. Simple and clean swing, stays short to the ball with line-drives and some lift pull-side, 94 mph peak EV. Defensively, long athletic strides in the outfield, soft hands. Comfortable on the infield, sure-handed with confidence in his glove, patient actions (T85 mph). 

So. INF Pernell Whitsett (Northrop, IN)
6-foot-1, 200-pounds, rounded shoulders, present muscle throughout. Took one of the loudest rounds of BP on the day, peaking at 104 mph while averaging 97 mph. Also averaged 295’ for his distance with a peak of 371’. Balanced swing with controlled aggression, pull-side intent with a flat path, looks to do damage. Returns a .329 average in 79 at-bats from a season ago, also collecting five doubles, 24 RBIs and 21 runs scored. 

Two-Ways

So. 1B/LHP Cameron Baker (Upper Arlington, OH)
6-foot-1, 190-pounds, broad shouldered with present strength throughout. At the plate, showed rhythm in the hands and a swing that stayed on top of the baseball, intent to work pull-side with some loft at times, on the barrel throughout with loud results, averaged 93 mph for the EV with a 100 mph peak, 368’ max distance. On the mound, showed an athletic delivery that works in-line, intentful and powerful down the mound, gets his momentum moving downhill, drop/drive lower-half. Clean arm from a higher ¾ release, worked the fastball up to 86 mph with carry traits, paired with an over-the-top curveball with depth at 74-75 mph and a changeup with slight fade, 79-81 mph. 

Pitchers 

So. RHP Kade Tislow (Avon, IN)
Tislow is a key returning arm for Statesmen and shined during the event. 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame with room to add strength. The right-hander operates from a simple, controlled delivery with a high leg lift. Long, loose arm action from a ¾ arm slot. His fastball sat 90-92 mph with arm-side run. He also showed a sinker that sat 88-89 mph. Tislow mixed in a changeup that sat 85-87 mph while keeping it low. The sophomore showed two impressive breaking balls during the pen. His slider sat 79-81 mph with sharp actions. The pitch had an average horizontal movement of -15.9 inches. The curveball rounded out his five-pitch mix and sat 76-79 mph with late actions. The pitch had an average spin rate of 2624 RPM.

So. LHP Lucas Davids (Fairfield, OH)
Davids looks to be an impact transfer arm for the Statesmen. Physical 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame. The left-hander operates from a stretch-only delivery with a high leg lift. Long, loose arm action from a ¾ arm slot. His fastball sat 86-89 mph while topping out at 90 mph. Davids showed a changeup that sat 80-83 mph with sinking action. He showed a tight slider that sat 76-78 mph. Davids rounded out his four pitch mix with a curveball that sat 72-76 mph with downer action.

Fr. RHP Jarett Stewart (Spencer County, KY)
Stewart is a young arm that impressed during his pen. 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame with room to add strength. The right-hander operates from a controlled delivery with a high leg lift. Long, loose arm action from a low ¾ arm slot. His fastball sat 89-91 mph with arm-side run. He mixed in a changeup that sat 80-83 mph that kept low. The pitch had an average horizontal movement of 15.1 inches. His slider also sits 80-83 mph with sharp, late actions. The pitch has an average spin rate of 2725 RPM.

Fr. RHP Owen Murphy (Sayre, KY)
Murphy is another impact freshman arm to keep an eye on. 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame. The right-hander operates from a simple delivery with a high leg lift. Long, whippy arm action from a ¾ arm slot. His fastball sat 87-90 mph with straight actions. Murphy showed a sinker that sat 83-85 mph. The pitch had an impressive average horizontal movement of 19.7 inches. His changeup looks to be a standout pitch as it sat 76-79 mph. The pitch had an average horizontal movement of 21.7 inches. Murphy rounded out his four-pitch mix with a slider that sat 71-73 mph with late bite.

Fr. RHP Matthew Fortner (Kings, OH)
Fortner looks to be a two-way player for the Statesmen, but he stood out on the mound during the event. Strong 6-foot, 185-pound frame. The right-hander operates from a simple delivery with a high leg lift. Long, whippy arm action from a ¾ arm slot. His fastball sat 86-89 mph with straight actions. He mixed in a changeup that sat 82-85 with slight sinking action. Fortner showed a cutter that sat 81-83 mph. He rounded out his four-pitch mix with a curveball that sat 76-78 mph with depth.

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