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2025 College Crosscheck Week Six: CUSA Prospects

March 27, 2025
David Seifert
Director of College Scouting

Week Six update on CUSA’s top ten preseason prospects, plus several others who have stood out this spring.

1- James Ellwanger (Dallas Baptist)- The long, projectable-bodied righthander regularly touches the upper-90s with his fastball and has averaged 95.6 mph this spring. He was brilliant this past weekend against Middle Tennessee State, topping out at 99 mph and repeating an 82-84 mph hammer curveball. He powered it for strikes early in the count and finished hitters with a chase version below the knees for swing/miss strike three. To date this season hitters have chased this breaker out of the zone at a 28.9% rate, good for the 89th percentile and his Z-Whiff (Total swing-miss inside the zone / Total swings inside the zone) grades even higher in the 97th percentile. Ellwanger struck out nine over four shutout innings and for the season has 31 punchouts in 21.1 innings to go along with a 1.27 ERA. The sophomore-eligible is a day one draft prospect who will have options in July. At this point in the season he’s not a slam dunk first rounder, but with another year of development, there’s a good chance that he could become one in 2026.


2- Grant Jay (Dallas Baptist)- The strong-bodied, quick-twitch catcher possesses bat speed galore, plus arm strength and above average run speed. He turns his bat speed into plus-plus raw power as evidenced by a max exit velocity of 116.2 mph last season. His swing is built for the home run with big lift and the ball explodes off his barrel. He’s one of only two in Dallas Baptist’s history to hit 50 or more career home runs. As good as his power, his strikeout rate is a large detractor to his draft value. Currently sitting at 26.7%, it’s down a bit from last season’s 31.4% and career rate of 30.1%. Anything over 20% in college is a red flag for success in professional baseball. Overall, Jay easily has first round tools for a catcher, but will need to significantly cut his strikeout rate to be considered any earlier than the third round.

3- Ryan Wideman (Western Kentucky)- Has continued to impress since grabbing crosscheck-level attention last October in Nashville against Tennessee. Also ranked No. 4 on our Impact Juco Hitters, Wideman currently leads the C-USA in OPS, SLG, batting average, doubles, RBIs and stolen bases. He recently entered a mid-week conference game against EKU with a .459 batting average and four HRs. Four hours and 24 minutes later, he finished the game with a .489 average and five round-trippers. At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds he’s a “freak” athlete who looks the part and possesses every tool. His top exit velocity this spring is 110.5 mph which grades out on the higher side of average, but with an average of a 2.6 degree launch angle he is far from mastering how to maximize his EVs. He’s a plus-plus (6.51 sixty) straight line runner and is a base stealer (19-for-23) who accelerates well (4.21 H-1B). This base-running quickness is what separates him from other long-legged flyers whose speed doesn’t play. He also uses his speed to easily track down fly balls from gap-to-gap. Depending upon how his frame fills out, he could easily stay in centerfield over the long term, but a move to a corner could result if he fills out like his father (listed as 6-foot-10, 250 pounds) who was a basketball player at Clemson in the late-90s before playing professionally overseas. As a mid-major prospect who spent his previous two seasons at a mid-level juco, it will be difficult for Wideman to be selected much higher than the fourth round, even though his tools and performance show otherwise.

 4- Braden Osbolt (Kennesaw State)- Was removed mid-inning from the Owls’ March 7 game against West Virginia after feeling pain in his elbow. The righthander has not returned to date.

5- Trace Phillips (Middle Tennessee)- Returned to the mound against Dallas Baptist in Week Six after missing his previous weekend start due to a back issue. The former two-way player is still somewhat raw after pitching 41 innings last spring, but he is making steady progress. Standing 6-foot-3, 185 pounds with a wiry frame, Phillips has a loose arm and a low-spin fastball (1900 rpm) up to 97. His fastball does show some ride and run, but played below its velocity against DBU and has “dead zone” characteristics. He also throws a curve, slider and changeup. His change–of-pace has the best chance to become above average. It’s a low-spinner in the 1300-1400 rpm range with good horizontal movement. Both of his current breaking balls are fringey offerings. Phillips currently projects to a late day two draft selection this summer, but his sophomore-eligibility is a complicating factor.

 6- Nathan Humphreys (Dallas Baptist)- His comeback has been a great storyline this spring. Back issues plagued the Patriots’ centerfielder last season as he played through discomfort and the results were well out of line from his previous career production. Now a senior, he’s currently slashing .374/.450/.681 which is well in line with his sophomore season of .351/.450/.644. Just as importantly, he’s cut his strikeout rate nearly in half to just 14.5% this year. The lefthanded hitting centerfielder is a middle of the diamond player with well-rounded tools. He’ll likely be selected as a bonus pool-saving senior prospect during day two this July.

7- Caleb Johnson (Jacksonville State)- Athletic and wiry-bodied at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Johnson is a plus runner underway with better than average arm strength and very good baseball instincts. He’s a true shortstop who will remain in place at the next level and projects to become an average defender with a bit better than average range. Entering this spring the largest concern was swing/miss after the switch-hitter struck out in 31.7% of his plate appearances last year. He has largely lessened that weakness, cutting it down to 19.7% so far this spring. He’s also a threat on the bases, swiping 11 in 12 attempts this spring and 30 of 36 in his career.

8- Micah Buckman (Dallas Baptist)- After two seasons as a seldom used reliever at LSU, Buckman took his talents to Dallas and now fronts the Patriots’ weekend rotation. The righthander pitches in the 94-96 mph range with his fastball and his slider has really come along since his transfer. It’s a swing/miss offering with tight rotation and late action that spins in the 2600-2700 rpm range at 86-87 mph. Buckman struck out 14 in seven innings this past weekend against MTSU with a majority coming via empty swings against this pitch. For the season both his Whiff% and Z-Whiff% are 99th percentile. He’s also a strike-thrower, boasting an 88th percentile strike rate on all pitches of 68%. Bucknam also shows good feel for a big fading changeup in upper-80s that draws plenty of chase. He’s a mid-day two prospect.

9- Mason Peters (Dallas Baptist)- He was recently featured in Rising Southpaws. Peters’ best pitch is an upper-70s big-breaking curveball. It’s a hammer that has induced a 90th percentile, 30.1% Whiff rate to date this spring. He backs up Uncle Charlie with a fastball that touches 96 and has averaged 93.2 mph. He’s currently in line to receive consideration late in day two.

10- Joe Scarborough (Jacksonville State)- A big bullpen arm with a fastball that touched 98 against FIU this weekend, Scarborough has averaged 95.9 mph this spring. At 2400-2500 rpm it’s fairly straight with both double digit IVB and HB, but the 6-foot-4  righthander unleashed a 97 mph running heater that exploded the bat handle of FIU’s lead off hitter in the sixth inning of Sunday’s rubber game. Scarborough’s slider is also an effective pitch, averaging 83.5 mph and drawing 100th percentile Whiff% and Z-Whiff% per Synergy.

Other notable prospects who have performed well to date include:

Florida International’s swing-man Juan Villarreal has arm strength and a fastball that sits 88-91. The pitch plays up to a 94th percentile Whiff% of 30.4% due to an effective 79-81 mph changeup as his prime secondary pitch and a big-breaking curve at 73-74. He’s a strike-thrower who finds the strike zone at a 65.6% clip. To date the juco transfer from Odessa College (Tex.) has struck out 36 in 25 innings. Easton Marks is the Panthers’ Friday night starter. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound physical bodied righthander has taken a liking to the humid air of south Florida after transferring from the altitude of Reno (Nev.) where he walked 42 in 46.2 innings last spring. His strike rate last year was 15th percentile at 54.4%, this season it has improved to the 58th percentile with a 62.1% strike rate. The most significant improvement has come from his secondaries that include a 83-85 mph changeup that has jumped from a 48.2% rate to a current season 68.9% and a low-80s curve that has made similar progress – 46.3% to 66.3%. With a long arm action to an over-the-top release point his fastball tops at 95 and has averaged 92.6 mph this spring, up from 91.8 mph last year. For the season Marks is 2-0 with a 2.25  ERA and 16 walks against 38 strikeouts in 28 innings. Six-foot-3, 215-pound senior leftfielder Kishon Frett leads FIU’s offense with a .337 batting average and eight home runs.

Senior centerfielder Chris Cole (Kennesaw State) is a top–of-the-scale runner who has stolen 12 bases in 16 attempts this spring after swiping 17 of 20 last season. He’s also a career .320 hitter for the Owls. With the injury atop the rotation to Osbolt, the pitching staff has needed others to step up. One who has is freshman Ty Bayer. The righthander was a 19th round pick of the Diamondbacks last summer and has jumped into the Friday role. Bayer throws both a two and four-seam fastball in the 90-94 mph range, as well as an effective low-80s slider. He has struck out 24 in 23 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .225 average. He’s one to watch develop for the 2027 draft.

Liberty’s Joseph Webb is having a strong season out of the bullpen. He’s struck out 31 in 23 innings, while limiting opponents to a .147 batting average and posting a 1.17 ERA. The 6-foot-1 righthander has averaged 89.2 mph on his fastball this season and boasts two 90th percentile secondaries in his breaking ball and changeup. Another Flames’ righthander, Dylan Mathieson, has been used in a piggyback role this season, starting eight games already but throwing four or fewer innings in all but one of those starts. Relatively small in stature at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds but athletic on the mound, the righthander shows a fastball up to 95 mph and has found a good balance in using both a cutter and a slider effectively.

The Flames also boast two of C-USA’s top prospects for 2026 in righthanded pitchers Ben Blair and Tyler August. Blair oozes projection with his long limbs, high waist, and 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame. He generates quality arm speed and typically sits 92-94 while touching plenty of 96s with his power sinker. His cutter is a new pitch and currently his best secondary. It sits in the mid 80’s and can be a putaway pitch at 86-87 mph. Blair also shows average feel with a low-80s sweeper and a changeup as a fourth pitch, but overall he wins at-bats with his fastball that has generated a 68% ground ball rate this spring. He has struck out 39 in 33.2 innings. August is a big-bodied righthander at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds. After spending his freshman season at Delaware, where he battled command issues, he has emerged as a trusted relief arm for Liberty, showing much improved strike-throwing ability without compromising his ability to miss bats. With a high-effort delivery and a three-quarters release, he leads with a fastball that averages 95 mph and reaches 98 with sink and run, a pitch that he throws just under 80% of the time. When he reaches for something else in his arsenal, he alternates between a cutter and a slider, both of which are far behind his fastball in terms of present effectiveness.

Louisiana Tech's Logan Forsythe has a background similar to Bucknam. He spent two seasons as a seldom used reliever in an SEC bullpen (Mississippi State). So far the results have been mixed (5.09 ERA, 17.2 IP, 23 SO, .183 OPPAVG), but the power-armed righthander still possesses a big fastball that averages 94.5 mph. It’s his primary pitch that he throws over 85% of the time. When thrown, his heater also draws some swing/miss as his Whiff% and Z-Whiff% reside in the 93rd and 96th percentiles, respectively.

In addition to Phillips, Middle Tennessee's Drew Horn has stood out in the Blue Raiders’ rotation, recently pitching a no-hitter on March 9th. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound righthander is a redshirt sophomore whose primary pitch is a fastball that averages just under 92 mph. He fills the strike zone at a 67.4% clip with this pitch, while mixing three effective secondaries in 75-77 curve, 82-84 cutter and mid-80s changeup. For the season Horn has struck out 43 in 29.1 innings while posting a 1.12 ERA. He’s also limited opponents to just a .112 batting average. Eston Snider is second in batting average for C-USA at .420. The senior centerfielder is a double-plus runner who sets the table with some sneaky pop (three home runs) from the leadoff spot. He’s stolen 17 bases in 19 attempts.

New Mexico State has a pair of strong-armed starters led by Jack Turner on Fridays. The 6-foot-1 righthander runs his fastball up to 95 with some slingy funk to his delivery. The juco transfer from New York adds a quick-spinning slider 82-85 at 2700+ rpm and a usable changeup in the low-80s with spin in the 1600s. Saturday starter Hayden Lewis shows a loose arm and a fastball up to 95 as well. He’s an aggressive strike-thrower whose best pitch is a low-80s hard curveball (2500+ rpm spin rate) that has drawn a 28% Z-Whiff (83rd percentile) this season and he’ll also mix a harder version slider/cutter at 85-87 mph.

Sam Houston State has been led by senior corner outfielders Brady Christensen and Hunter Autrey. Christensen leads in batting average at .304 while Autrey leads the club with three home runs and 22 RBIs. He’s also second in average at .301.

Western Kentucky’s Jack Bennett is a strike machine who entered Friday’s game at Kennesaw State with a 0.00 ERA and just two walks against 22 strikeouts in 22 innings. The loose-armed righthander pounds the zone with a 88-90 mph fastball from a high three-quarter slot and also mixes a 78-80 mph slider (2500-2600+ rpm) and a same-speed changeup that spins in the 1900s. Third baseman Carlos Vasquez has also attracted some pro interest for his glovework and arm strength at the hot corner and bat-to-ball skills at the plate. He’s second in batting average at .376 and has struck out in just 8.7% of his plate appearances. He also has stolen seven bases in eight attempts. Catcher Camden Ross was a big part of the Toppers’ success a year ago and slashed .296/.438/.451 with 13 doubles and three home runs while leading the team’s defense behind the plate. An arm injury in early May ended his 2024 season prematurely, but he has returned behind the dish this spring. He’s a mega strong-framed catcher and fringe athlete who is not quite average defensively. He may need to move to first base over the long term where he should hit for enough average, but his raw power and resulting power production will need to improve to carry that corner profile.