Naulivou
Lauaki Jr.

A mountain of a man and built like a nose guard, Lauaki strikes a true intimidating presence on the mound and at the plate. A threat at the plate with ++ raw power and can leave the park in any direction. When he “hits” it, it stays hit. Junior was on pace to lead the state in HR’s, but opponents stopped pitching to him late in the season, as he was walked intentionally 10 times over a 3 game span in the 5A regional playoffs. The one time he was pitched to in the 3 game series, he belted a 2-run HR and the IBB came at an alarming rate. On the mound, I’ve seen Junior up to 95 and he comfortably sits 91-93 with 2444 spin at the ProCase. A breakout star at last year's Future Games, Lauaki was offered on the spot and committed to the U of Oregon a week later. The SL 80-83 with 2426 spin is hard and late with tunneling effect off the FB. Another 2 pitch power type, that needs to incorporate the CH to complete a starters mix, but with the development of the bat and the power arm, a legit two way type in a lineup with the bat and coming out of the pen, is a real possibility at the PAC 12 level. An engaging, fun loving personality, Lauaki keeps things loose and light on and off the field and in the dugout. A great teammate and friend to all, Junior has the makeup and competitive drive to feature success. 

Junior came out of the shoot this spring firing 90-94 for the mound in the preseason St. George tourney with his 82-84 mph SL w/late tilt and biting TQ depth, however as with that day and throughout the spring, his control has been off and has had issues with the BB and going deep into games with pitch counts. One thing that hasn’t changed and has taken an even higher step forward has been the bat. Lauaki has been crushing baseballs at an alarming rate and putting up state player of the year numbers. A .580 hitter through the regular season with 8 HR’s and 27 RBI, with 40 total hits, has been pitched around as of late, and for the life of me, pitchers continued to challenge him up to this point and he made them pay. ++ type raw power, that can hit it out, to any part of the ballpark, Lauaki is showing legitimate D1 type hitting ability and it remains to be seen what he will be at Oregon, but one thing is for sure, is that a massive individual with the ability to touch the mid 90’s with his FB and drive balls out of the park, lends to a good problem to have, as Lauaki could be an intriguing two way type, with the ability to hit in the middle of a lineup and come out of the pen, using two weapons in a power FB/SL combo on the mound. Has been fun to watch thus far!

Three days after returning home from the PBR Future Games, Lauaki made the commitment to play for the Oregon Ducks. Junior should jump to the top in the 2024 Ducks recruiting class. With an arm and bat, but more so the arm, Junior should be an immediate impact type rotation piece right away. Although with two years of HS remaining, Lauaki will jump to the #2 spot in the class of ‘24 rankings when they are released in 2 weeks. Lauaki made his presence felt right away on workout day with a couple of long HR’s during BP, as he launched an event best 404’ shot to deep LCF and threw EZ bullets across the INF from 1B. But it was on the mound that sealed the deal for his college choice, as he showed his best stuff to date. Lauaki has been 86-88, 88-91 T92 this summer, as he’s played all around the country. But it was in the humidity of Atlanta that he featured one of the two best FB’s recorded at the Future Games. Lauaki displayed an EZ effort, med kick to delivery with a fluid arm stroke, the FB sat 90-92 and topped out at 93.1 on the Trackman system and held his velocity in his 3 innings of work vs a very good hitting Team Kentucky. But the secondary pitch was just as lethal, with his SL coming in at 80-82 with late sharp tilt, that bottomed out. The pitch is a put away pitch, as he has abv avg feel to land and bury beneath bats for swing/misses. With an imposing 6-3 240 Lb build, Junior is not even close to gaining his man strength at 16 yrs old, it’s easy to dream of a mid to high 90’s heater as he reaches campus. The sky's the limit for the incoming junior at Springville HS. 

Positional Profile: 3B/RHP

Hits: RHH.
Power: 100 max exit velocity, averaged 94.4 MPH. 364' max distance.
Arm: RH. INF-83 mph .
Defense:
Run: 7.36 runner in the 60.
Vizual Edge: 67.86 Edge Score

16u National

6-foot-3, 230-pound third baseman and right-handed pitcher, strong, sturdy build, board frame with strength throughout, powerful to say the least. On the mound, short arm action with a soft stab on the back-side, arm motion remains continuous, quick arm speed, slot varies between over-the-top and low ¾. Throws his fastball from over-the-top, 88-91, touched 92, swing and misses up in the zone. Throws slider from a low ¾ slot, 78-81, sharp sweeping action, swing and miss, catches batters off guard.

A BIG DUDE, that looks the part of a football player, and is physically imposing for a kid his age. Right now the jury is out on whether he stays a hitter or lands on the mound. As a hitter, with hand and bat speeds of 25.2 and 73.7, Lauaki showed an EV of 94.6 and drove a few out of the park with a distance max of 379’. The ball jumps with a slightly elevated path, giving him NOW power and projectable plus raw power down the road. On the mound the FB 84-88 looks to be a low 90’s or better tool, as he has 3 years of HS ahead of him. As long as he doesn’t get any bigger and can maintain what he is now physically and allow his man strength to kick in, he could be a force to be reckoned with, in Utah HS baseball.