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2026 WA Scout Blog - Union, Kelso, Jackson, Mount Vernon

March 19, 2026
Dan Jurik & Dylan Grenz
Prep Baseball PNW

The 2026 Washington Scout Blog provides information and scouting notes from Prep Baseball staff during the WIAA season. The running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects and other notable performers. The Scout Blog is compiled of content and information gathered only from Prep Baseball staff. All featured games in the Scout Blog were attended by staff. 

On Wednesday March 18th, Prep Baseball staff traveled to different parts of Washington to take in a pair of quality HS matchups. Earlier in the afternoon, Union visited Kelso, featuring a great matchup of starting pitchers and a late flurry of runs resulting in a Union victory. Later that night, Jackson defeated Mount Vernon in a tight battle of Power 25 Teams. Below are scouting and game notes from Wednesday evening.

Union vs. Kelso (3.18.26)

Union

'27 RHP Rylan Howe (Oregon Commit)
The top-ranked player in Washington's junior class looked the part in an abbreviated outing, throwing a scoreless first inning in this contest. Howe's long 6'6 frame moved with the same repeatability and comfort seen across multiple looks in 2025. The steeper angle on the heater was apparent, generated naturally from the long frame and a higher slot release. The fastball was 87-90 MPH in this one and we would expect the velocity to tick up as the weather warms. Howe showed quality feel for his slider at 79-81 MPH and a SPL at 80 MPH, and we've seen the cutter move off the barrel in past looks as well. The junior's second outing of the spring, Howe took a batter or two to settle in, but once he did he filled the zone and worked a scoreless frame. Must-follow in the class.

'26 INF/RHP Parker Christian (Anderson University Commit)
The offensive leader of the afternoon, Christian was on base all game long, finishing 4 for 4 with 4 singles and a run scored overall. The stocky-framed senior hit to all fields, showing exceptional plate coverage to both sides throughout. The righty maintained a simple, shorter approach with a flatter path. Christian's aggression was paid off, as he jumped on heaters early in counts for the majority of his knocks in this one. The senior also had a shorter stint on the mound, where he had some mixed results but showed the ability to miss some bats with a pair of strikeouts in an inning of work. 

'26 INF/RHP Drew Hertenstein (Uncommitted)
Hertenstein set the tone to begin the game, driving a hard-hit single back up the box against a tough arm to get the Union offense rolling. From there, the uncommitted senior was aggressive on the bases to take second and third base before scoring the first run of the afternoon. Hertenstein wasn't rewarded with any other hits in this one but worked deeper counts and QAB's throughout. He then put together one of the better outings on the mound, running a low 80's fastball to the bottom part of the zone successfully. Though he walked a pair of hitters at one point, he settled in and threw the final two frames of the game scoreless to secure the Titan victory. Important two-way piece this spring. 

'29 INF/RHP Caden Fields
One of two impressive freshman seeing some early varsity time for Union, Fields was circled after an impressive two-way showing at this winter's PNW Preseason All-State. The compact-framed athlete showed soft hands and quick actions that could play anywhere on the dirt defensively, starting at 3B in this game. At the dish, Fields went hitless but has already shown upper 90's EV power at his best. Fields found his best results on the mound on Wednesday, throwing 1.2 innings of hitless ball as a part of Union's staff day on the pitching side. The righty worked with tempo and peppered the bottom of the zone with a fastball up to 83 MPH, mixing in a CB/CH as well. Talented, well-rounded skillset. 

'29 OF Christian Florestant
A young talent that popped despite a lack of in-game results, Florestant will be a name to keep an eye on as the spring continues. The lean-framed freshman moved well in center field during pregame INF/OF, catching attention with accurate, strong throws to each bag. Florestant didn't get the start, but came in about midway through the game and looked comfortable in varsity action. At the dish, the righty worked a short, sudden hand path to contact, resulting in a hard lineout in his only plate appearance. Quality collection of tools shown, will be a player to monitor moving forward.

Kelso

'27 INF/RHP Adam Swanson (Uncommitted)
On what was a quiet afternoon for the offense overall, Swanson delivered the biggest hit of the game for the Hilanders. The long, lanky junior hit a ball hard the other way for a single, driving in two runs as a part of Kelso's massive 5th inning comeback. Swanson finished 1-3 with a walk overall. Known for his prowess on the mound as an upper 80's junior arm, Swanson played a sound first base in this look, making some nice digs and showcasing range at the corner INF spot. Name to know in the junior class.

'26 RHP Bryce Collins (Ole Miss Commit)
One of the top-ranked arms in the area had several pro scouts in attendance, and despite mixed results in this one still carries plenty of ability moving forward. The Future Games alum features a longer, fluid arm action with a high-slot release, maintaining arm speed with all offerings. The fastball sat more in the upper 80's in this look but has run into the low 90's at his best. Collins also leaned upon a kick change in the low 80's and a low-to-mid 70's slider. A key bat for Kelso as well, Collins was held hitless but will be a regular in the middle of the Hilander order this spring.

'26 RHP Sosefa Logotaeao (Uncommitted)
The senior had the best in-game results of any Kelso arm, doing a nice job working around traffic at times. Logotaeao was not overpowering with the fastball but changed speed with two different breaking balls to induce softer contact at times. Final line: 2.2 IP, 4 H, BB, 0 R. 

Jackson vs. Mount Vernon (3.18.26)

Jackson

Yet again we had another early season Power 25 match-up at night with #7 Jackson hosting #8 Mount Vernon. Thankfully temperatures were pretty mild throughout the night although some steady rain became pretty annoying in the middle innings. 

In the end, Jackson prevailed with a tightly contested 3-1 victory in a well played, competitive showdown. 

For the host team, they handed the ball to Senior RHP Quin Johns (Puget Sound) for the start and got a terrific effort for 5 innings. Final line of 5 IP, 3 H, R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. Showed control of a 3 pitch mix with FB topping at 86 on this look and consistently staying 83-85. Plays well up in the zone with life. Sharp SL at 73-75 was best secondary and he utilizes it well vs both RHH and LHH. Saw a CH or 2 at 78 as well. Especially on a tough night, the command was really solid and Johns kept his poise in some tense moments. His 2-way athleticism translates well to the mound. Giving him consistent body control and a clean, continuous arm action. 

After the 5th, Jackson turned the ball over to ‘27 INF/P Austin Halvorson. In the final 2 frames, Halvorson allowed 2 hits, 0 R, 0 BB and punched out 4. The FB velocity varied a bit and the rain was at its heaviest during his innings. But when he reached back he got up to 87 mph with the heater. Pitched pretty exclusively off of the FB but did go to the CB in the biggest spot of the game and executed well for the K. CB shows 11/5 shape in the low 70s. 

Overall, Johns and Halvorson combined for 13 strikeouts while only allowing 2 BB. Highly efficient performances, especially given the conditions. 

On offense, it was a balanced effort from Timberwolves with some team ABs in big spots and well executed small ball. They got on the board early after a throwing error in the 3rd inning to tie the game at 1-1. Then in the 5th, they tacked on 2 and would hold that lead till the end. 

‘26 Colby Bossert had a nice game offensively with a sharp single through the left-side to set up their first run of the game. Then with runners on 2nd and 3rd, 1 out in the 5th, he got down the bunt for the safety squeeze to give Jackson the lead and added another hit in the process. After that, ‘26 Ashton Bergman (Everett CC) pulled a ball to the right side and allowed the next runner from 3rd to score. This is an offensive approach that definitely values contact and overall they do a nice job of grinding out ABs

Mount Vernon

For the defending 3A champs Mount Vernon, they came up just short in this one but overall you could see the potential of their offense with some key returners as well as the different looks they can bring to the mound. 

‘27 LHP Connor Swanson got the start and went 4.1 IP, 0 ER, BB, 3 K. Fits the crafty lefty mold and showed quality feel for how to use his arsenal. Saw mostly FB/CB on this look with a cut FB at 77-79 that induces weak contact and creates enough late action to miss barrels regularly. The CB has big sweeping action in the mid 60s and the speed differential was tough for hitters to handle at times. Could certainly see Swanson be an innings eater this spring given what he showed on this look. 

After Swanson we got a quick look at up and coming prospect ‘27 RHP Gunnar Rindal. The tall, lanky righty is another projectable arm to keep an eye on in the PNW this season. With a 6’5 frame and the chance to fill out considerably more, it’s easy to dream on the pure stuff making a jump. Already since last year he has shown considerable growth and there’s still more in the tank. Pitched in the low 80s on this look and snapped off an above average SL in the 70-73 range. Keeps a tight, compact arm action with a loose finish out front. Easy mover down the slope and controls his leverage well. Would expect his role and workload to steadily increase throughout the year. 

Offensively it was a tough night for the Bulldogs and they just couldn’t get that key hit with runners on base at any point. Leading the way for them was ‘26 OF Brady Collins (Edmonds CC) who went 2-4 with a run scored. Collins has been a staple in the line-up for a long time now and his physicality stands out in a big way from the leadoff spot. Overall he took some of the best swings on the night and went both pull-side and backside for his base hits. 

‘27 Reece Roberts and ‘26 Baird Brewer (Seattle U)each added hits of their own. Roberts started the game off with a hard single up the middle in his 1st AB but was ultimately stranded. Brewer, a Seattle U commit, got MV on the board in the 3rd after his RBI single brought home Collins.

MV added 1 final hit from Gunnar Rindal later in the game as well after he pulled a 2B down the left field line but he failed to advance any further than that. The top of the line-up is really potent and we’ll see how the additional pieces contribute as we get deeper into the spring.