Ryan
Pipkins

OF Ryan Pipkins (Champaign Central, 2028) stands out physically for his age with a 6-foot, 170-pound frame, boasting round shoulders with some present strength and more room to add in the coming years. At the plate, the left-handed hitter flashed some loud contact with a peak EV of 95 mph, averaging 88 mph throughout. He has a shorter swing that stays direct to the baseball with some backspin feel up the middle of the field at times. Defensively, Pipkins plays with a very soft glove and showed rangy actions as well. He topped out at 82 mph from the crow-hop.

OF/RHP Ryan Pipkins (Champaign Central) was a steady performer on both sides of the ball for Team Illinois. Listed at 6-foot, 163-pounds, the left-handed hitter finished the week 1-for-4 with an RBI, run scored and three walks. He has a simple and easy swing that stays flat through the zone and balanced through impact, making adjustments to velocity and off-speed easily. On the mound, the right-hander fired two scoreless innings with just one hit allowed, no walks and two strikeouts. There’s plenty of arm-strength to dream on, and he’s a controlled mover with minimal perceived effort; reaching into the low-80s with his fastball.

OF/RHP Ryan Pipkins (Champaign Central, 2028) is an intriguing freshman to know from the event. Pipkins showed well in all facets on Tuesday, starting the event with a 6.95 60 time, while also recording a max vertical of 30”. The 6-foot, 163-pound prospect then swung the bat well from the left side, showing loose and easy hands paired with a line drive approach. His athleticism carried over into the defensive workout in the outfield where Pipkins displayed easy movements and body control throughout his round. He later jumped on the mound and impressed with his easy actions and control down the mound. His fastball sat 77-81 mph, throwing it for strikes 100% of the time. He also mixed in a curveball with 11/5 actions and a change-up with slight fade to the arm-side. Pipkins is an upside prospect in the 2028 class.

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-0, 165-pounds. Tall, wiry frame, projectable.
Hit: LHH. Wide setup, minimal leg lift with a short stride. Loose, easy hands, on time and line-drive approach. 66.6 mph bat speed with 17 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 87 max exit velocity, averaged 85.1 mph. 336’ max distance.
Arm: RH. OF - 76 mph. Long arm action, high 3/4 slot.
Defense: Easy mover, plays with body control and minimal effort, clean release.
Run: 6.95 runner in the 60.

Positional Profile: OF/RHP
Body: 6-0, 165-pounds. Tall, wiry frame, projectable.
Delivery: Simple, easy mover, control down the mound, high leg lift, tall/fall delivery.
Arm Action: RH. Long, loose arm action, 3/4 slot. FB: T82, 78-81 mph. Clean, easy out of the hand, ride through the zone. T2111, 2039 average rpm. CB: 61-66 mph. 12/6 shape, slows down arm slightly. T2141, 1885 average rpm.
SL: mph. Short, horizontal actions. T, average rpm.
CH: 63-66 mph. Fade and depth, deceleration. T2131, 1755 average rpm.

Pipkins impressed across two games Saturday on the mound and at the plate. In his first game, he toed the rubber and tossed five and one-third innings. Across the frames, he struck out nine using a fastball that worked up to 80 mph. Flashed feel for a breaking-ball that hovered in the low-70’s that was used to generate swings-and-misses. In his second game of the day, Pipkins launched a two-run home run over the center field wall to tie the game. Was compact to the ball and demonstrated quick bat-speed.