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Summer ID Games : Quick Hits

July 9, 2025
Cooper Trinkle
Scouting Director

Our first annual Summer ID Games, hosted on July 1st, brought a strong group of talent to the campus of Grand Park. Nearly 75 players ranging from the class of 2026 to 2029 participated in a pro-style workout, followed by simulated gameplay, allowing our staff the opportunity to evaluate each prospect from both a tools & game perspective. Several players stood out, and those performers are broken down by class below.

Find the full event breakdown- HERE. 

2026

+ RHP Luke Freel (Bloomington North) walked away as the biggest winner, regardless of age. Standing at 6-foot, 170 with an athletic look, Freel peppered the zone with a strong four-pitch mix. His fastball played with true sinker properties in the 87-89 range and tunneled nicely with wipeout spin coming out with the same look. He spun a 75-77 SL and 73-75 CB, two distinct shaped pitches that both spun north of 2500 on average. He commanded his spin well to the gloveside, while also offering a low-spin change in the mid-70s. A multi-sport athlete with still room for refinements and strength, Freel's performance at this event catapulted him into a tier of our favorite rising senior arms still uncommitted. 

Two more arms in this class made strong impressions in RHP Ashton Castillo (Western) and RHP Brendon Stwalley (Monrovia). Castillo is a durable-framed, 6-foot-2 righty with outlier spin that we have become familiar with. His SL and CB will both approach 3000 RPM spin rates and there is enough on his mid-80s (T87) fastball to keep hitters honest. The innate ability to spin a breaking ball is the calling card for Castillo, but his velocities trending in a positive fashion is another noteworthy takeaway in his development. Stwalley is more of an upside play with still projection to his 6-foot-2, 165 pound frame. The delivery/arm action both check boxes, and he pitched at 83-86 to show enough present stuff to dream on more to come. He spun two breaking balls (69-71 CB, 73-75 SL) with flashes of a swing-and-miss pitch shown, but it was inconsistent in total. There are several intriguing traits with this young-for-class, projection arm to follow. 

+ OF Landon Hughes (Cathedral) showed as the best bat of this bunch with a loud round of batting practice that included 96+ peak exits and the furthest batted ball of the day (364 feet). A quick paced barrel tip-to-trigger comes from a wide-based stance, and he uncoils with aggression as he looks to lift balls from gap-to-gap. The bat speed that the physical, 6-foot-2, 210 pounder produces jumps out from the left-side of the dish, and he also turned in a 7.07 60-yard dash along with an outfield arm that reached 84 mph. 

Three more position players to note include: OF Nate Risley (Perry Meridian), SS/P Jayson Connor (Union City), and CINF Bige Asher (Columbus East). Risley shined during the workout with the most well-rounded toolset of any participant as he posted: a 6.98 60-yard dash, a 97 mph peak exit (event-best), and an 85 mph arm from the outfield. The swing is short and repeatable, with a flatter barrel delievered through the hitting zone. There is some twitch to produce above average bat speed, as well, with athletic traits to point towards defensive impact. Connor, another 'workout winner', shined most with the loudest positional arm of the event - touching 90 mph across the diamond. The 6-foot, 170 pounder also turned in an event-best 6.72 60-yard dash. His bat is a bit behind the other tools, but the twitch/athleticism are traits to suggest this tool can elevate. Even though he did not pitch at this event, his infield arm and athleticism both point towards two-way intrigue. To conclude this group, Bige Asher showed barrel feel in the game setting, grabbing a pair of loud barrels there. He immediately stands out with a XL, 6-foot-5, 240 pound frame and worked behind the ball well in batting practice for some pullside strength. It is a bat-first profile from the R/R 1B, but the in-game barrel feel shown is worth noting. 

2027

+ A pair of arms stood out most from the rising juniors at this event in RHP Keaton Miller (Twin Lakes) and RHP Eli Shoppell (Homestead). Miller, a projectable, 6-foot-3, 180 pounder, pitched with a low-pulse demeanor and filled the zone with four pitches. His fastball played at 84-86, touching 87, and there is rawness to the delivery that could bring velo in a hurry if adjustments are made. The arm works in an uninterrupted fashion, with balance present, that allowed him to show quality control of an upper-70s change and spin that ranged from 72-78. There was some feel to add/subtract with spin, another intriguing trait. Miller walks away as a winner with a chance to make real jumps in the next calendar year.

+ Shoppell is lumped into the same bucket, an upside arm within this 2027 class that has a chance to make real jumps soon. A wiry athlete with a 6-foot, 155 pound frame - there is ample room to add to this athletic body that could increase velocity on his present 83-86 fastball in a hurry. I love the way he moves, and the arm is just as clean. Shoppell spun a 74-77 slider that averaged 2481 RPM, and played with sweeper shape. The SL has a chance to be a swing-and-miss offering and there was some feel for a 78-80 CH as well. Both arms do not jump off the page at the present moment, but there are serious traits to dream on to make them both priority follows moving forward. 

+ Three more 2027s stood out amongst their peers in SS Brayden Hoover (Triton Central), RHP/OF Reid Dikos (Westfield), and OF Nolan Winicker (Concordia Lutheran). Hoover does his best work at the dish with a controlled-but-aggressive right-handed swing. His exits reached 93-plus and he also showed barrel feel in-game with a pair of thru-the-middle knocks versus quality arms. Hoover has shown barrel feel over a two-year follow and continues to stand out with the bat each time we get eyes on. Dikos is an intriguing two-way with some traits that project on both sides. He showed above average tools as a position player with a 6.93 60-yard dash, exits at 94+ from a twitchy RH swing, and an 85 mph OF arm that translated to the bump. The 6-foot-1, 175 pounder pitched at 83-85 on a well-located fastball, and poured strikes with a low-to-mid 70s CB. The strike-throwing nature and projectable frame point at a higher ceiling on the bump, but there are also present traits to like offensively. Winicker, a muscular, 6-foot, 180 pounder, showed at least average tools across the board during the workout - but shined most in the game setting. The right-handed hitter showed a simple stroke at the dish that includes some strength to pair, and was able to grab multiple barrels versus good arms. 

2028

+ There was a strong crop of 2028 grads in attendance, with the biggest winner being SS/P Matthew Kulig (Andrean). A standout from our spring coverage who earned varsity time for an Andrean club that finished as a T50 team in the country, and as 3A State Champions, Kulig showed plenty of traits to dream on to pair. His right-handed swing worked on-plane to pepper line drives from gap-to-gap, with upper 80's exits at his peak, and a 7.19 60-yard dash to pair. His infield actions look the part of a long-term infielder and he showed the best infield arm amongst 28s at this event (84 mph). He showed equally as well on the mound, pitching at 82-84, touching 85, with feel for a breaking ball. The actions standout across the board, with plenty of room for the frame to develop usable strength. 

+ Landon Ball, RHP, Brownsburg: Wiry, 6-foot, 165 pounder. Quirky delivery/arm action, but present stuff stands out with fastball that played at 81-83.6 mph. Best present trait is his feel to spin a 68-71 mph SL. Was able to get true sweep from a mid-3/4 arm slot. Tougher slot created deception, intiriguing young follow. 

+ Drew Brita, SS, Leo: Fundamental player that stood out in multiple looks this summer. Undersized for now with a 5-foot-8, 145 pound frame, maturation should help bring more twitch. Sure-handed actions in the middle with body control present. Showed barrel feel with an on-plane right-handed stroke. Exits reached 88 mph on the top-end. 

+ Ben Finney, OF/SS, Kouts: Finney continues to show off tool enhancements with 'strong follow' next to his name for several reasons. Coming off a strong season statistically for 1A State Runner-Up Kouts, Finney has shown well in our staffs' looks this summer. He did much of the same at this event, beginning with a well-rounded workout where he posted 90+ exits, an 85 mph arm from the outfield, and a 7.16 60-yard dash. The right-handed hitter uses a heavy backshift load to begin the operation, with a controlled-but-aggressive forward move and a twitchy, level bat path to pair. His shined in-game against older competition with an energetic motor to enhance quality tools and skill. 

+ Max Gurnic, OF, Crown Point: Gurnic posted loud tools at our Freshman All-State and showed much of the same in this look. Physical for the class at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Gurnic used an uphill swing to produce 95+ exits and the furthest batted ball amongst underclassmen at this event (358 feet). The 7.07 60-time adds speed/power intrigue and cements him as a quality follow for this class. 

+ Cooper Luzadder, C, Yorktown: I got a good look on the undersized backstop this spring as he was contributing on varsity, and he showed excellent receiving skills for the age then. He showed the same energetic presence behind the dish while catching quality arms at this event, and the defensive abilities establish a safe floor moving forward. He also turned in the best pop amongst his 2028 peers at the event. His defensive skills are ahead of the bat, but he did produce a near 90 mph peak exit to show some compact strength. There is some athleticism to the operation in the right-handed batters' box, and his 7.17 60-yard dash is a well-above average time for this class at the present moment. 

+ Brady Martin, RHP/OF, Greenfield-Central: Martin was a big standout this spring for Greenfield-Central, logging significant innings on the varsity squad as a freshman. He showed the same feel at this event, pouring strikes with an 80-83 mph FB and 68-70 mph SL. The delivery is balanced, with a longer arm stroke, and easy projections in the 6-foot-3 athletic frame. He showed some two-way prowess with some power for the age as a RHH OF, but I believe the future is on the mound with the projection and present stuff/feel considered. 

+ Calvin Snyder, C, West Lafayette: Snyder showed a highly-intriguing look at this event, standing out at check-in with his 6-foot-5, 190 pound frame. His best present attribute is the raw power that his levers create, peaking at 96+ (event-best amongst 28's) in batting practice while also leaving the yard to the pullside. The swing has some rawness to it with length to the turn, but there is serious acceleration when it connects and turns on a flatter plane. He showed some arm strength for the age (75 mph) from the crouch, while also showing as a 1B at this event. In summation, the frame builds serious intrigue, but there is polishing still to be done. 

+ LJ Whitford, SS, West Lafayette: Fundamental player with a compact, 5-foot-9, 165 pound frame. Showed sure-handed actions on the dirt while a short swing was shown offensively. Exits peaked at 88+ mph. Skill-over-twitch prospect at the moment with a chance to develop more twitch/explosiveness as he matures. Showed the ability to get barrel to ball versus quality velocity, handles the bat well for the age. 

+ Milo Ziegler, 3B, Penn: Quality follow from a strong program with solid skills across the board. 6-foot, 178 pound frame. Stood out in the box with one of the higher peak exits amongst his 2028 peers at this event (93.4 mph EV). Turns the barrel on an upward path with some strength to the pullside already. Is sure-handed on the dirt with a clean arm to pair.