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This past weekend, our staff hosted the first tournament of the fall, the Maryland Fall Championships, at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex in Salisbury. With 35+ teams and a slew of talent across four grad classes, I turn my attention to the Class of 2029 and take an in-depth look at ten players who made a notable impression ahead of their initial rankings release in just over three months. Players are listed in alphabethical order by last name.

Future Follows: Class of 2029

Cameron August 2B / Delaware Military Academy, DE / 2029 Tournament Stats: .444 AVG, 4 1Bs, 2 RBIs August’s weekend-long impression started with the very first game of the tournament on Friday night, collecting a pair of hits en route to a 4-9 weekend at the dish over four games. It’s a smaller 5’8” frame with room to grow, but it’s a middle approach with the ability to spray line drives and put the ball in play consistently. This was our first look at August, and it certainly was an eye-opening one. With baseball running deep in the August family, his father Brian, a former MLB draft pick and current head baseball coach at Wilmington, and his older brother Tyler, a Super 60 alum and the #2 RHP in the 2023 class, there is certainly much intrigue behind Cam as he begins his high school career at DMA.

Andrew Black 1B / LHP / Calvert Hall College, MD / 2029 Tournament Stats: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K // .300 AVG (3-10) Yet another Calvert Hall product, Andrew Black, had one of the most well-rounded weekends of any underclassman at the tournament. Started the opening game on the mound for Ole Liners, striking out nine over five scoreless frames while only surrendering one hit and one walk. It’s a mid-70s fastball that fills up the zone, working at nearly 70% strikes on the day, but what really stood out was the ability of the breaking ball to collect heavy swing and miss from start to finish. The hit tool also showed its spurts, going 2-for-3 in the championship game. As the velo starts to uptick, this is one to follow.

Scott Fillingame RHP / Saint Mark's, DE / 2029 Tournament Stats: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 7 K Fillingame has been someone that’s been on our radar for a couple of months now, but it would be hard not to mention the outing he produced on Saturday night to secure a bracket spot for DCP 2029 National. In a low-scoring affair throughout most of the game, Fillingame tossed six innings of shutout ball while racking up 7 total strikeouts. It took a little bit to settle in, but once he did there was no looking back. The velo ticked into the low-80s while touching 83, showing increased feel for the breaking ball to collect swing and miss below the zone. It’s an extremely long-limbed 6’3”, 151-lb frame, but as he adds on strength to the frame, expect him in the mid-80s as soon as next summer.

Jack Gustavson C / Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, MD / 2029 Tournament Stats: .333 AVG, 2B, 2 1B In a weekend full of standouts from Dig In across multiple grad classes, Gustavson was a name that I hadn’t circled initially heading into the weekend, but he impressed across a couple of games. Collecting at least one hit in nearly each game played, the 5’10”, 160-lb freshman smacked an opposite field standup double to right-center to bring his average to .333 on the weekend. Along with the offensive ability, he showed some versatility, logging innings both behind the dish and at third base.

Mason Guth RHP / St. Georges Technical High School, DE / 2029 Tournament Stats: 4 IP, 5 Ks // .286 AVG Both sides had their respective flashes, but we will start with the ability on the bump. Our staff had a chance to see him Friday night, and it definitely caught our attention. As to be expected with developing arms, the control was scattered with the secondary mix, but the fastball showed ride and was able to beat hitters in the zone in the low-80s. Expect much more velo to be in the tank, especially from a long and lean 6’3”, 155-lb frame.

Terez Jacobs OF / Caesar Rodney High School, DE / 2029 Tournament Stats: .833 AVG, 5 SB Another guy who seemed to be on base throughout the entire tournament, Terez Jacobs, showed off the hit tool over three games, batting an outstanding .833 on the weekend. There is intent behind the swing as he uses a majority of his upper half, so as he starts to use the lower half of his body more, expect the hit tool to uptick further. He was also able to adjust to different velocities nicely, collecting multiple hits off both the fastball and offspeed pitches. There’s also intrigue behind the run tool, as he swiped a total of five bases this weekend. Caesar Rodney continues to turn in talent, especially in the 2029 class, and Jacobs may have very well added his name to that list.

Chase Sanderson C / Salesianum, DE / 2029 Tournament Stats: .875 AVG, 7 H, 6 RBI, 3 SB From a performance standpoint, there may not have been an individual who had a better weekend. Sanderson possesses a physical frame and saw a majority of his time behind the plate, leading the charge of the pitching staff. Offensively, the present ability to work all fields was impressive, while also showing some physicality and strength to the pull side, smashing one off the fence on Friday night. As strength continues to be added to the frame, it’s undoubtedly a freshman to follow.

Lee Santoro  LHP / St. Mark's, DE / 2029 Tournament Stats: .667 AVG // 2 IP, 0.00 ERA One player I was extremely excited to see in-game this weekend was Lee Santoro, and he didn’t disappoint in the limited action we were able to see. He started the tournament with the top outing of anyone on Friday night, starting with two scoreless innings on the bump, striking out five batters while running the fastball up to 83. Although the arm talent impressed, I think the hit tool may have been the “x-factor” of the weekend. Santoro ripped a single through the right side in his first at-bat before launching an RBI triple to the fence in deep right field for his second hit of the game. After that, teams weren’t as interested in pitching to him, drawing a slew of walks the rest of the weekend. The plate presence when challenged was impressive, working to a full count in both at-bats that resulted in base hits. Lee Santoro is certainly a name to pay attention to when coming to the initial 2029 rankings released in December.

Justice Smith LHP / Caesar Rodney, DE / 2029 Tournament Stats: 5.2 IP, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K // .500 AVG Had to sneak in a 2025 Junior Future Games alum, and Justice Smith continued much of the same as he advertises. The hit tool continues to develop, hitting .500 over the weekend, highlighted by a pair of singles in their first game. What really impressed was the increased feel for the arsenal, continuing to locate pitches at a higher rate and keeping the walks down. Justice came out of the bullpen for a brief nine-pitch look on Saturday, striking out both hitters he faced to help secure a win for Canes before getting the start Sunday, going five scoreless with seven strikeouts. Velocity was down this weekend, but this could be attributed to multiple appearances with limited notice. The frame and projectability stand out, making him another southpaw to follow.

Topher Thatch RHP / Georgetown Prep, MD / 2029 Tournament Stats: 4 IP, 0 R, 7 K Ole Liners took home the crown in the underclass bracket, and much of that can be attributed to Topher Thatch’s ability on the bump, tossing a 4-inning CGSO with seven strikeouts against one of the best offensives in the division in the semifinal game. At 6’1”, 175-lbs, the frame certainly stands out, and for a freshman, the arm was one of the more mature for the age level, pounding the zone at nearly 75% strikes during his outing. The fastball velo was there, sitting low-80s up to 82, landing it to both sides at an efficient rate with the occasional high-60s curveball collecting swing and miss below the zone. At the plate, he produced a base knock in their 2nd game of the tournament as well.