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I was in attendance at an intriguing mid-week matchup between Marriotts Ridge and Hereford. The Bulls got the scoring started early, as senior Leighton Alsip reached on a two-out E6 to drive in the first run of the game in the bottom of the 1st. The Mustangs wasted no time answering back, as they took advantage of four walks, an error and a few wild pitches in the 2nd inning to tack on four runs and take a four to one lead. Hereford would answer back in the bottom of the 3rd, as Alsip cashed in on a two-out RBI single before fellow senior Liam Kopajtic knocked in another one an E5 to pull the Bulls within one, four to three. MR would answer back right away once again, as senior University of Chicago commit Jonah Obitz sent a bullet RBI single back up the middle that got by the center fielder to score another run, as the Mustangs took a six to three lead heading to the bottom of the fourth. Hereford would scratch across one more in the 5th before tying the score in the 6th behind two RBI groundouts by junior Kreis Metz and senior Leighton Alsip. Both offenses would go down quietly in the 7th, and in the bottom of the 8th, Hereford would capitalize on back to back leadoff walks to start the inning. With runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out and Kreis Metz at the dish, both runners would take off on the pitch, as Metz would ground one to the right side that kicked off the second baseman. The runner from second never broke stride and scored easily, giving Hereford the 7 to 6 victory in extras.  

Hereford

Gavin Jacker LHP / OF / Hereford , MD / 2025 Still uncommitted in the 2025 class, Jacker is finally back from injury and looked like his old self in the 1st inning of work. The fastball came out well, running the heater to both sides of the plate with more feel to the arm side at 83-85 mph. The difference maker was the changeup, killing the spin in the low 1100’s rpm’s with the ability to get whiffs to both sides of the plate. The curveball is still developing feel, however, the fastball/changeup mix works well off each other and should bode well for success at the next level.

Aidan Ciurca RHP / OF / Hereford High, MD / 2026 This is one of the more impressive young arms I’ve seen this spring, as the uncommitted junior came out of the ‘pen and worked 6.2 innings, giving up just two hits and striking out nine to keep Hereford in the game. It’s a low slot righty with plenty of intrigue in the pitch arsenal, flashing all four with feel throughout. The fastball showcased hard run and sink at 82-84, grabbing an 85 midway through his outing that seemed to get stronger as the day went on. The slider was devastating consistently to opposing batters, showcasing “frisbee” like movement in the low 70’s up to 2550 rpm. Also flashed a changeup and cutter sparingly that look to have plenty of potential as feel increases. The ability to backdoor the slider to lefties was impressive, and work off the heater certainly kept opposing batters guessing all day. As maturity in the frame increases, look for this to be a highly regarded uncommitted arm in the 2026 class as we inch closer to the summer.

Kreis Metz 2B / 3B / Hereford High, MD / 2026 Middle of the order type power that looks to translate well to the next level, Metz continues to impress year in and year out each time we get eyes on him. The approach at the dish is simple, staying true to a whole field line drive approach with the ability to create backspin to the middle. Power numbers will continue to rise as the strength is added to the frame, and if this approach stays consistent as it has for years, this is a can’t miss hit tool to jump on this summer.

Marriotts Ridge

Jonah Obitz C / OF / Marriotts Ridge High, MD / 2025 A physical backstop with game-changing ability on both sides of the ball, Obitz impresses with his calm and controlled nature. At the dish, it’s a simple operation with quick, explosive hands through the zone that stays mostly middle with the approach. It’s more of a high contact, liner drive type offensive catcher than that of a true power guy, however the hit tool should tick up as the approach continues to make strides at the next level.

Owen Snow OF / RHP / Marriotts Ridge, MD / 2026 We’ve been on the hit tool ever since we saw Snow at a showcase early last summer, and the bat continues to open our eyes in each look. In this edition however, I got a chance to see the arm talent on the bump and it certainly impressed in his short outing. It’s an opposing look, standing at 6-foot-4, 190-pounds with even more to come as the frame fills out. It’s a shorter arm action, showcasing feel for the fastball and curveball with the ability to mix both in any count for strikes. The fastball comes out well, running the heater mostly to the top of the zone with the ability to consistently get whiffs at 85-88 mph. The breaker was sharp and kept hitters off balance in the low 70s, playing extremely well off the fastball especially late in counts. As the feel for the zone and flexibility increases on the bump, this potentially could be one of the top true two-way prospects to hone in on come summer time. Plenty more in tank and plenty to dream on when it comes to projection in the body.