Cam Appenzeller, LHP, Tennessee- In limited action (two innings in two appearances), Appenzeller was highly effective, allowing no hits or runs while striking out two and walking one. The loose-armed lefty showed good control of his 88-91 fastball, a plus 85 mph changeup and ever-improving action to his breaker which was loose curve as a prep, but it has now transitioned into a harder, short slider. He kept hitters off-balance with this mix that plays up due to deception and location. Athletic and long-framed at 6-foot-5, 190 pounds, there’s top 50 overall potential in Appenzeller for 2028 after his selection in the 19th round by Seattle out of an Illinois high school last summer.

Tyler Baird, RHP, Vanderbilt- Baird tossed two scoreless innings in one relief appearance for the Stripes, allowing two hits, walking two and striking out one. The long, lanky righty showed a fastball up to 96 mph, a slider with two-plane break at 80-82 mph and a changeup at 88-89 mph, but showed rusty control of his arsenal.

Jack Bauer, LHP, Mississippi State- Bauer worked three scoreless innings in two relief outings for the Stripes, allowing just two hits, walking two and striking out four. Touching 97 mph with his fastball and featuring a darting, swing-and-miss slider in the low-80s, the Illinois prep and now Mississippi State lefty is a premium arm talent, yet his palm-up arm action and spotty command will continue to cloud his 2028 draft profile.

Aidan Flinn, LHP, Illinois- The third lefthander at the Trials from the Illinois prep Class of 2025, Flinn delivered four innings across two starts for the Stripes, allowing six hits and one unearned run with three strikeouts and no walks. The long-bodied southpaw operates with funk and deception from a low three-quarters release point, yet overcomes a less than ideal delivery by consistently finding the strike zone. His fastball sat 88-91 and best pitch was an average grade 79-80 mph changeup. He also showed a 80 mph slurve and 75 mph curveball.

Marcelo Harsch- RHP, Wake Forest- Harsch struggled in 3.2 innings of relief for the Stripes (7.36 ERA), allowing five hits, five runs, two walks and five strikeouts with four wild pitches. Despite that performance, he’s a top round arm talent who touched 97 mph with his fastball and flashed a power slider at 88-90 mph. He’ll obviously need to make a large leap with his current spotty control, but his raw stuff remains elite and his frame oozes projection at 6-foot-5, 190 pounds.

Luke Hemric, LHP, NC State- A late addition to the Trials roster, Hemric threw a perfect inning in relief for the Stripes, striking out one. With a dart-throwing delivery he used an 89-90 mph fastball paired with a 79-80 mph slider at 79-80.  Due to a different look and deception in his delivery, hitters didn’t pick up his fastball well despite the lack of premium velocity. Although he does it differently, he reminds me, at the same age, of another NC State lefthander who progressed into a 5th round pick this summer – Ryan Marohn.

Evan Jones, RHP, Wake Forest- Jones worked two scoreless innings in two relief appearances for the Stripes, allowing one hit, walking one, striking out one, and inducing weak contact – .167 opponent average. He played catch with a low-effort 94-96 mph heater, a firm 87-89 changeup, and an 80-84 breaking ball. Using a high leg kick and with a whip-fast arm, he showed a heavy fastball up to 99 mph alongside a slider at 84-87 mph that had as much as 17 inches of horizontal break on it. A first-round talent for 2028, the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder should be a fun one to watch develop in Winston-Salem over the next two seasons.

Xander Mercurius, RHP, Oklahoma- Likely still recovering from his recent use at the College World Series and throughout the postseason, Mercurius posted a 9.82 ERA in 3.2 innings across two starts for the Stripes, allowing three hits, four runs, three walks, and one strikeout. His fastball velocity was down a tick from the CWS, but was still good enough at 92-94 mph to miss barrels. His secondaries were also solid, as he mixed an 80-82 changeup, 75-77 curve, and 85-86 slider into the strike zone. The 5-foot-10 righthander has plus feel, well beyond his 19 years of age and is built similar to Jurrangelo Cijntje, a 1st round pick (15th overall) by Seattle in 2025.

Cord Rager, LHP, Oklahoma- Another Sooner who was in need of rest, Rager struggled in his lone start (2.0 IP, 9.00 ERA), allowing two hits, three runs, one walk and one strikeout while surrendering a home run. Despite this outing, Rager consistently showed his future potential throughout the spring season – he’s a first round prospect for 2028.

Aiden Stillman, LHP, Vanderbilt- Stillman worked five innings for the Stripes, allowing four hits, one run, one walk, and four strikeouts. Long and loose, he sat 92-95 mph with his fastball with more control than command. His fastball got firmer as the outing progressed (up to 95-96 mph) and he paired that with a slider at 81-83 mph and a changeup at 82-85. He struggled to repeat his release point and is a bit raw at this point, but there’s a lot to dream on. There’s certainly first-round upside for 2028, but that comes with a lot of development for the 6-foot-3, 200-pound southpaw.

Henry Zatkowski, LHP, Virginia- With an operation similar to Aidan Flinn, Zatkowski threw three innings in two relief appearances for the Stars, allowing three hits, two runs, no walks and two strikeouts. Using a fastball at 89-92 mph, a 2800 rpm slider at 75-77 mph and a changeup at 85-86 mph he showed the ability to miss bats with his breaking ball.