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Engaged Athletics Scout Day: Quick Hits

March 3, 2025
Eliott Wilk
Central Region Operations Director

On Saturday, February 15th, the Prep Baseball Kansas staff traveled to the Engaged Athletics Indoor in Lecompton, KS to host the annual Engaged Athletics Scout Day. This event, featured 50+ players from the Engaged Athletics program in attendence.

All of our events offer players the opportunity to update their recruiting resume and showcase their talents in front of our staff. We also use these events as identifiers for future invite-only events, like the Preseason All-State, our summer Top Prospect Games, and the prestigious Prep Baseball Future Games that takes place at the tail end of the summer. To see what our events offer, click HERE.

Earlier, our staff rolled out the day’s statistical standouts in leaderboard format within our ‘Stat Story’, which you can find HERE. Today, after combing through our notes from the day, we’ve compiled some of the event’s standouts within these ‘Quick Hits’. Read below to learn about 9 names that popped to our staff from Sunday's trip to Overland Park.

QUICK HITS

+ 2024 Super Sophomore Games alum Max Shepherd (Liberty North, MO) continues to solidify his status as one of the top two-way talents in Missouri’s 2027 class. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound right-hander put on a standout performance on the mound, showing significant gains across the board since our last look in the fall. Shepherd’s fastball topped at 89.2 mph, comfortably sitting in the 86-88 mph range. He also showcased a developing curveball (72-73 mph) and changeup (73-74 mph). With his projectable frame, there’s still plenty of room for added strength—and even more velocity—in his future. At the plate, Shepherd displayed a middle-of-the-field approach, barreling a ball at 91.4 mph at his peak. His ability to impact the game on both sides continues to reinforce his status as a prospect to watch.

  

+ One of the most imposing athletes in the state’s 2027 class, RHP/1B Brock Lubbers (Rock Creek) showcased his two-way impact, emerging as a standout performer on both sides of the ball. At 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, Lubbers brings plenty of raw strength, swinging with intent to elevate to the pull side. His best swing of the day sent a ball 321 feet at 89.3 mph. That power seamlessly translated to the mound, where he worked 86-87 mph with his fastball, spinning it at 2,400+ RPM. Even more impressive, he showed advanced feel for a curveball/slider mix, consistently landing both for strikes. Lubbers is a name to watch this spring as he looks to play a big role in the Mustangs state title defense.

  

+ OF/RHP Cole Haubold (Topeka, 2027) emerged as another intriguing two-way sophomore prospect in this look. At the plate, he showcased developing power, consistently driving the ball back through the middle during BP. On the mound, Haubold ran his fastball up to 84.5 mph, working in the low-to-mid-80s, and paired it with a sweeping curveball at 66-68 mph.

  

+ INF/RHP Gabriel Escobar (Shawnee Heights, 2028) made a strong impression in his Prep Baseball debut, establishing himself as a freshman to watch in the coming years. A quick-twitch athlete, Escobar set the event’s fastest 30-yard dash time at 3.80, showcasing his elite speed. That athleticism translated seamlessly to the infield, where he displayed fluid footwork, natural range, and a quick arm, firing an 85 mph strike across the diamond. On the mound, Escobar worked in the low-80s, mixing in a curveball/slider combo to keep hitters off balance.

  

+ Another standout freshman from the Topeka area, C/INF/RHP Michael Dobbs (Seaman, 2028). The 5-foot-11, 165-pound backstop showcased his advanced arm strength and versatility, posting impressive 1.97-2.06 pop times with a 75 mph arm from behind the plate. His athleticism carried over to the infield, where he fired an 85 mph strike across the diamond. At the plate, Dobbs displayed developing power, while on the mound, he ran his fastball up to 83 mph, further highlighting his all-around potential.

  

+ Saturday’s event provided another glimpse at one of the premier arms in the 2026 class in RHP Zane Shaw (Lawrence Free State). The 2024 Future Games almni showcased an improved fastball that exploded out of his hand with life through the zone, spinning at 2,300+ RPM. He sat 87-91 mph, topping out at an impressive 92.4 mph. Beyond the heater, Shaw showed two sharp, swing-and-miss breaking balls—a curveball at 72-73 mph with 18.8 inches of total movement and a slider at 75-76 mph with -13.2 inches of horizontal break. He also mixed in a changeup at 73-74 mph, rounding out a true four-pitch mix. With the ability to land all four pitches for strikes, Shaw appears primed for a breakout spring with the Firebirds.

  

+ RHP Carter Cushing (Seaman, 2025; Barton CC) showcased his physical presence on the mound at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, impressing with a three-pitch arsenal. The senior filled up the zone with a fastball at 82-83 mph, reaching 84.2 mph from a near over-the-top arm slot. His most impactful secondary offering was a sharp slider at 73-76 mph, spinning at 2,500+ RPM with -19.9 inches of horizontal movement, flashing swing-and-miss potential. To complement it, Cushing also mixed in a sinker at 81-83 mph, adding depth to his arsenal.

  

+ RHP Malachi Coleman (Staley, MO, 2026) was another Missouri arm on the rise, showing noticeable gains on the mound in this look. At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, he has a projectable frame with plenty of room to add strength. Coleman ran his fastball up to 87.2 mph, sitting comfortably in the 85-87 mph range. He paired it with a curveball (71-75 mph) and a slider (75-76 mph), demonstrating advanced feel for landing both for strikes. Rounding out his mix, he also turned over a changeup at 77-78 mph.

  

+ C Benjamin Highley (Liberty North, MO, 2027) solidified himself as a name to watch in Missouri’s 2027 class, showcasing high-level tools on both sides of the ball. At the plate, Highley displayed impressive strength and bat speed (80.4 mph), recording one of the day’s top exit velocities at 99.3 mph. Defensively, he showed advanced arm strength, firing an 81 mph throw to second with 1.93-1.98 pop times. 

  

+ Another standout catcher from Saturday’s trip to Lecompton, C Wyatt Otto (Shawnee Mission West, 2026) posted the day’s top pop times, clocking in at 1.92–1.98 with a 77 mph arm to match. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Otto showcased his all-around athleticism, registering a 92.5 mph exit velocity at the plate and one of the day’s fastest 30-yard times at 3.87 seconds. As he continues to polish his game, the junior is certainly a name to watch moving forward.

  

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