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Another busy week of games across the state of Maryland, as this scout blog edition will highlight four games across the backend of the week that included Sussex Tech vs Polytech (DE), Stephen Decatur vs James M. Bennett (MD), Smyrna vs Sussex Central (DE), and finally Northeast-AA vs Chesapeake-AA (MD). Below you will find impact players from the games with video and scout notes on each.

Sussex Tech

Sean Ely Jr LHP / Sussex Tech, DE / 2025 The Ravens kicked off their 2025 season last Tuesday as they locked horns with Polytech and the ace of the Ravens staff got the call. The southpaw and Salisbury University commit tossed 6 scoreless innings of one-hit ball, walking two while striking out ten on the afternoon. Even though Ely works from a smaller frame, the fastball has still shown to overpower hitters, working in the mid-80s while getting up to 88. With it being the season's first outing, the slider wasn't as sharp as we've seen in past looks but was still effective, especially to left-handed hitters in and out of the zone for swing and miss. Flashed a couple of changeups throughout, working primarily arm side with success away from hitters. Ely is yet another southpaw who's continued to impress across the First State, and I expect him to have much of the same success as he saw last season as he takes over the ace role of this deep Sussex Tech staff. Although he won't hit at the next level, he gets it done in the game at the dish as he collected a double into left-center field.

Polytech

Elijah Benton OF / Polytech HS, DE / 2025 The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) commit got the start across from Ely in a battle against #7-ranked Sussex Tech, and he definitely opened some eyes. Benton went four innings, allowing two runs over three hits while striking out four. The fastball continues to tick up in velocity, getting up to 86 early in the game while steadily in the low to mid-80s throughout the day. The fastball has some ASR that induced some occasional swing and miss in the zone, mixing in a low-70s curveball to play off the fastball working down below the zone to both sides. Mixed in a select few changeups later in the outing, showing mixed feel. Benton was a standout last fall at the DCP Battlegrounds and, once again, put together a strong outing in his first start of the season.

Cameron Allen RHP / Polytech, DE / 2027 Cameron Allen initially caught my eye back in the beginning of the summer and definitely showed some upside heading into last fall, where he exploded onto the scene. Following the outings I witnessed last fall, this was one of the biggest priorities on my "must-see" list headed into the spring, and I had a chance to see Allen come out of the bullpen late in Tuesday's contest against Sussex Tech. It wasn't a super extensive look, but he came out of the 'pen and was explosive as ever, pumping the fastball to both sides for heavy swing and miss, sitting consistently in the high 80s in his first inning, grabbing one 90. Velo dropped off slightly in the second inning, sitting more 84-87 during the seventh. One of the biggest things that caught my eye was the ability to land a tighter curveball in the zone, which was a little erratic at times in the fall. If Allen continues to pound the zone with both pitches effectively this spring, he will be a helium name to watch heading into the summer as he continues to add strength to the frame.

James M. Bennett

Blake Bunting OF / James M. Bennett, MD / 2026 It seems that every time I get the opportunity to see Blake Bunting in action, whether it's during a showcase or a game, he always finds ways to spray line drives. Bunting had a tough matchup ahead of him on Wednesday but showed the offensive ability as he sprayed a bullet into right field late in the game. A tough look here from behind with the video, but Bunting has a smooth left-handed stroke and some sneaky pop in the bat, especially to the pull side. Although it's more of a line drive hitter gap-to-gap, there is definitely extra-base hit potential, and as Bunting continues to add strength, he will likely turn into the top hitter among this Clippers lineup.

Stephen Decatur

Nate Berzonski RHP / Stephen Decatur, MD / 2025 A 2023 Future Games alum and Mount St. Mary's commit, Nate Berzonski has continuously impressed over the last three years that I've had the opportunity to watch him. One of the more consistent pitchers you'll find across the Delmarva Peninsula, Berzonski started his season on a high note as he turned in a dominant outing against rival James M. Bennett on Wednesday, tossing five scoreless innings while striking out seven. As he's continued to show the ability to throw four different pitches for strikes in other in-person looks, there was no need for many other pitches besides the fastball in this outing, as he located it virtually wherever he wanted with success, overpowering hitters at 85-88 in the first, before making a jump in velo in the second at 86-89, grabbing a 90 before settling back in through innings 3-5 in the mid to upper-80s. The curveball showed some solid feel when utilized but was primarily a fastball and cutter all day. The hit tool may not blow anyone away, but he can definitely swing it in-game, as he used the strength to crush an absolute bomb about 20 feet over the fence in right-center field. Berzonski has always been a force to reckon with in the Bayside, and I expect no different this spring as he will be the leader of the Decatur pitching staff.

Johnny Hobgood OF / Stephen Decatur, MD / 2026 It's been a while since I've seen Johnny Hobgood on a baseball diamond as he comes off yet another football state championship win in the fall. The multi-sport athlete can get it done on both sides of the ball as well, as his role as QB certainly helps with the arm strength shown on the mound and in centerfield. Although Hobgood wasn't on the mound during this one, he showed off the hit tool throughout the game. After striking out to a high fastball in his first at-bat, Hobgood got one in on the hands, showing the strength to dump one into shallow right-center for a single. He followed up his second at-bat with an absolute bullet line drive into the left-center gap in his third AB for a triple before flying out to deep left and producing an RBI sac fly in his final two at-bats. Some of the best hitters are the ones who can produce in-game, and Hobgood always seems to do when I am in attendance. The 2024 Future Games alum should be primed for another strong spring.

Smyrna

Hunter Strauss 3B / Smyrna, DE / 2027 I got the opportunity to see Hunter Strauss showcase the two-way ability on the backend of last week against Sussex Central. The righty tossed five innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out three. Throughout most of the outing, he was able to control the zone and limit walks, but some defensive mishaps behind him due to the wind led to his pitch rising quicker than expected. On the other side of the ball, he battled in the zone at the plate and worked deep into counts before finally collecting a single on his third at-bat, sending one into right field. Strauss showed some intriguing two-way actions that will play a big role for a younger Eagles team.

Northeast-AA

Jayden Saraullo LHP / Northeast-AA, MD / 2026 When looking for players with a bulldog mentality, look no further than Jayden Saraullo. His high energy and competitiveness on the mound, especially in big-time moments and rivalry games, is nearly unlike anyone else across the state. Saraullo got the start against Chesapeake and went as far as pitch count allowed the southpaw, throwing 6.2 innings and allowing two runs while tallying four strikeouts. Looking to induce weak contact throughout, which he continuously does every time we see him. Outside of a home run in the second, every other hit allowed was either a weak grounder through the infield or a blooper into the shallow parts of the outfield. Worked heavy fastballs early on arm side, sitting 80-83 in the first before grabbing an 84 in the second frame. Started to implement the offspeed effectively to both sides, working a mid-60s curveball and a low-70s slider. Mixed in a couple of changeups below the zone for swing and miss. The hit tool always seems to show itself every single look, and it was no different as Jayden went 3-4 on the day, all singles to the opposite field. Saraullo had to battle throughout the game but made some big pitches in key moments, ultimately keeping them in the game and leading them to the win.

Chesapeake-AA

Dylan Adams RHP / Chesapeake-AA, MD / 2026 Adams got the start for Chesapeake-AA opposite Saraullo, and he also turned in a lights-out outing as this was a pitchers' duel from the very start. The righty tossed seven innings, allowing zero earned runs while striking out eight at over 70% strikes. The biggest takeaway was the feel for all three pitches, only allowing one walk all evening while working around some early damage. Fastball heavy early on against left-handed hitters, he worked the pitch in the mid-80s while getting up to 87, settling in at 83-85 during the third and fourth innings. He implemented the secondary mix in the zone with some feel for swing and miss, which allowed him to set down hitters left and right. Adams broke out last spring as the ace of this Chesapeake Cougars pitching staff, and expect him to fill that role once again as they look to get back to the final game of the season, just like they did in 2024.

Dennis Bailey RHP / Chesapeake High, MD / 2027 Over the past two weeks, I've had the opportunity to see a plethora of intriguing underclassmen arms, and Bailey certainly is a member of that list. This was a very brief look, working one inning out of the bullpen in extra innings, and the adrenaline definitely contributed to a jump in velocity. After seeing him at 84-86 nearly a month ago in the cold, Bailey came out firing with the fastball while holding velo at 87-88, grabbing two 89s during the eighth inning, showing feel for the pitch down at the knees for swing and miss. The sophomore continues to develop the breaking ball but was able to land a couple away from righties in the low-70s. In a deep Cougars rotation filled with sophomore arms, Bailey will be a name to watch heading into the summer as he continues to develop the mix while adding strength to the frame.