In its second year, the Five Tool Festival grew from 14 good teams to 26. That’s a great thing, and we’re still smiling after three days of outstanding baseball around the DFW area. But it does make picking the Five Tool All-Festival Team even more difficult than it was last season. More games, more teams, more players. So, excuse us if we went a tad overboard. The Five Tool staff went through its notes, examined our extensive video library, looked at event statistics and did their best to come up with the 2024 Five Tool All-Festival Team. 

READ: FIVE TOOL FESTIVAL DAY ONE STANDOUTS

READ: FIVE TOOL FESTIVAL DAY TWO STANDOUTS

MVP - Pearson Riebock - Rockwall 

Picking a MVP proved extremely difficult, but we selected Rockwall’s Pearson Riebock for a few reasons: as a hitter, he went 4-for-12 with two home runs, six runs, four RBI, one double, five walks and two steals; in an impressive relief role against one of the top offenses in the event, he threw 4.0 shutout innings to help his team hang in the game and eventually tie Santa Margarita; as a position player, he made one of the top plays of the tournament when he sprinted from shortstop to deep foul territory and made an incredible catch while also showing the versatility to play outfield and infield. We strongly considered Luke Billings (Prosper), Chander Hart (Allen), and Grady Emerson (Argyle) as well. In the end, Riebock’s two homers, including an exciting inside-the-park round-tripper, proved to be the tiebreaker. An Oklahoma signee, Riebock remains one of the most consistent hitting performers in the state with a good feel for creating impact off a loud barrel. 

Most Outstanding Offensive Player – Grady Emerson - Argyle
Most Outstanding Defensive Player - Braden Ruiz – Mater Dei
Most Outstanding Pitcher – Marcos Paz - Hebron
Most Outstanding Catcher – Jake Overstreet – Rockwall
Most Outstanding Two-way Player – Luke Billings – Prosper

Emerson was outstanding Friday and Saturday and showcased his outstanding offensive tools and completed his plays at shortstop. Routinely, the 2026 TCU commitment hammered the baseball to all parts of the field and opened Friday with a sky-high homer over the Argyle scoreboard in right field. Mater Dei had some of the strongest defense up the middle of any team in the event and Braden Ruiz (St. Mary’s) was a big reason why. A smooth defender with good actions and a calm heartbeat, Ruiz made playing the very difficult position look easy. While things like snagging extremely hard balls deep in the hole and easily completing throws to first with carry grabbed attention, he also did the little things like using his feet to work around the baseball and field it in front instead of settling for backhand. 

Our breakdown of Paz’s performance during our daily standouts coverage pretty much says it all. He was phenomenal and his dominance has become so consistent we might not truly appreciate what we’re watching each time he’s on the mound. But we should because he’s special. Like his teammate Riebock, Overstreet has become a model of consistency. He somehow figures out a way to impact every game he plays in, and his all-around performance earned him the nod over some really good catchers. Billings has become so good on the mound it’s fair to wonder if he’s one of the top right-handed pitchers in 2025 in addition to being one of the best hitters. How feared is he as a hitter? He walked eight times. On the mound, his impressive fastball and deep arsenal led to nine strikeouts in 4.2 dominant frames. 

CATCHERS

C – Johnny Elliott – Mater Dei
C – Cody Cashon – Southlake Carroll

Elliott excellent in all areas a catcher can excel in. An impressive athlete who still projects to fill out considerably as he matures, Elliott used quick hands to hammer pitches as a hitter, received premium stuff well, and moved with notable agility and bend. Cashon caught two runners stealing during a single game against speedy Queen Creek and later mashed a homer from the right side. Like Elliott, he received good high school stuff well and made an all-around impact.

INFIELDERS

INF – Brody Mattox - Prosper
INF – Brody Schumaker – Santa Margarita
INF – Kellen Frizzell – Deer Creek
INF – David Hernandez - Marcus
INF – Ben Finnegan – Santa Margarita
INF – Ryker Waite – Queen Creek
INF – Cooper Kardokus – Edmond Memorial
INF – Kyle Branch – Lovejoy
INF – Jayden Montero – Kamehameha – Kapalama
INF – Joshua Viars – Walnut Grove
INF – Victor Montanez – Rockwall
INF – Jack Smejkal – The Woodlands
INF – Micah Roberts – Argyle
INF - Jabin Moore - Rockwall-Heath

Mattox was a force from the right side of the batter’s box and repeatedly hit the ball hard with impressive production. Prosper was one of the better lineups in the event and he was a big reason why. Schumaker, a 2026 TCU commitment, took some of the Festival’s best at-bats consistently, had a ‘WOW!’ moment at second base defensively, and was a threat on the bases each time he reached, which was often. Santa Margarita teammate Ben Finnegan used one of the event’s top left-handed swings and hitting feel to finish a very productive 5-for-11. Frizzell was part of a Deer Creek duo – along with Logan Hedrick listed in the outfield section – that repeatedly annoyed pitchers with its ability to put the ball in play and reach base. Impressive bat-to-ball ability. Hernandez was a treat to watch and he’s on the short list of players who exuded winning intangibles in everything they did on the field. Ballplayer. 

When Waite reached base, he usually ended up on second base a pitch or two later and then maybe stole third, too. In addition to solid plate skills, Waite showed impressive bat-to-ball skill from both sides of the plate and could fly down the line and around the bases. He was also a surehanded infield defender. Kardokus was another standout sophomore hitter with an advanced feel for hitting, which, once upon a time, was what Kolby Branch was like as a sophomore. Now, the Lovejoy product is one of the top hitters in the state, and he was constantly pushing the action once he reached first base. Jayden Montero used quick, strong hands to smoke line drives around the yard and was one of the most productive hitters from Hawaii. 

Joshua Viars just missed a mammoth homer way out to left field in one game, and recorded hits in several others. Noticeably stronger with improved bat speed, Viars looked poised to be one of the top prospects in the state for his class. In addition to blasting a clutch grand slam, Montanez was an on-base machine for Rockwall. Often, he either worked a walk or put the ball in play hard. Jack Smejkal, another exciting sophomore from Texas, blasted a home run, showed some flashes of strong shortstop play with the leather and finished the Festival as one of its most impressive hitters. When Argyle scored a lot of runs, Roberts, who hit .455 across 11 at-bats, was typically in the middle of it and he racked up extra-base hits. Jabin Moore found his groove offensively to make a loaded Rockwall-Heath lineup even more dangerous and finished the event hitting .500.

OUTFIELDERS

OF – Brock Golwas - Marcus
OF – Jack Fuller – Southlake Carroll 
OF – Jace Souza – Kamehameha - Kapalama
OF – Logan Hedrick – Deer Creek
OF – Brycen Amick – Marcus
OF – Shaun Cover – Conway
OF – Kaden Robardey – Prosper
OF – Josiah Kemp – Westmoore
OF – Byron Burrell – McKinney Boyd
OF – Estavan Herrera – Americas

Golwas is committed to Texas Tech for football, but Tim Tadlock might want to see if he’ll entertain playing both sports. A plus runner who looks like a mini-Mike Trout running around the bases, the right-handed hitter ripped extra base hits, mashed a bomb with impressive strength and also used his wheels to put pressure on the infield defense. He hits with a lot of confidence and his teammate Brycen Amick looked like one of the top uncommitted seniors in the Festival. Thanks to his outstanding production and left-handed swing that peppered line drives around the field, Amick was in the running for Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Southlake Caroll’s Jack Full is a similar left-handed hitter and ended up hitting .500 in 12 at-bats. Unfortunately for Texas Tech signee Jace Souza, he didn’t see much to hit. When he did, he usually hit something hard and took out his frustration by terrorizing pitchers and catchers on the bases once he reached. 

Last year, Shaun Cover was one of the top freshmen performers in the Five Tool Festival. This year, he proved last year was no fluke and was again one of the top hitters in the event. Kaden Robardey was part of a potent Prosper lineup, adding some thump from both sides of the plate. Oklahoma 2026 commitment Josiah Kemp went 3-for-8, repeatedly reached base, used his speed on the bases and was one of the most exciting players to watch. Speaking of excitement, Byron Burrell can fly and went home-to-third on a triple in 11.29 seconds. He’s an uncommitted senior. For Americas, Estavan Herrera was the most consistent at-bat in the lineup thanks to his impressive bat-to-ball skill and pitch recognition. He’s the type of hitter who can adjust his swing when it’s in motion to spoil pitches or slap base hits. 

PITCHERS

P – Matthew Manis – Memorial (Houston)
P – Isaiah Salas – The Woodlands
P – Wylan Moss – Mater Dei
P – Griffin Lewis - Marcus 
P – Ethan Hunt – Hebron
P – Max Wu – Southlake Carroll
P – Luke Davis – Marcus
P – Bradley Ruby – Westmoore
P – Trent Collier – Walnut Grove
P – Landon Ammerman – Rockwall-Heath
P – Elai Iwanaga – Kamehameha – Kapalama

We covered a lot of these pitchers at detailed length in our standouts story… Manis looked like one of the top left-handed sophomore pitchers in Texas with electric stuff and electric on-mound competitiveness while Salas looked like one of the top 2025 lefties but did it with more slider execution and fastball life down as opposed to Manis’ four-seamer up. Moss looked every bit of one of the best pitching prospects in the nation and impressively held 90-94 MPH his entire outing in frigid conditions. College coaches looking for 2024 players should go check out Marcus because Griffin Lewis lived up to his billing as one of the top uncommitted pitchers in the state. While a lot of people fairly shower Pax and Minjae Seo with praise at Hebron, Ethan Hunt needs to be included in that mix, too. He was outstanding during the Festival. 

Max Wu is a definite name to know in the 2025 class with a deep arsenal, fastball that plays up, and impressive feel for spin. Something about Luke Davis’s fastball-curveball combination made it really difficult for hitters to pick him up and the lefty racked up a very impressive 12 strikeouts during a strong start. Ruby (Seminole State) spun a gem and tossed 7.1 shutout innings and gave up just three hits against a solid Allen lineup. At times, his control was touch-and-go, but when Trent Collier (Weatherford) had feel for the baseball, he was dominant. His stuff recorded whiffs and strikeouts as well as any pitcher in the Festival. All Landon Ammeran does is throw gems and his outing this past weekend was no different. He gets the job done and gets deep into games. The same could be said about Elai Iwanaga (BYU) because the righty went the distance and gave up just two runs in an efficient complete game win. 

TWO-WAY PLAYERS

UTIL – Caleb Hoover – Rockwall-Heath
UTIL – Chandler Hart - Allen
UTIL – Grant Moore – Southlake Carroll
UTIL – Brady Coe – Allen
UTIL – Nano Mendoza – Frenship
UTIL – Cole Prosek – Magnolia Heights

All of the UTIL players were top two-way performers. Hoover was solid on the mound, was intentionally walked like he was prime Barry Bonds, and showed why people often walked him when he was pitched to by barreling the baseball. Known mostly as a speedy center outfielder, Grant Moore, an uncommitted senior, performed well on the mound, too. Hart was in the mix to be named top two-way player and MVP thanks to an excellent 5.0 innings versus Friendship and a solid tournament in the batter’s box. His teammate, Coe, threw an 8.0-inning complete game shutout. And he wouldn’t have been able to go the distance if he weren’t efficient with his deep arsenal. For Frenship, Mendoza (Odessa) was one of its best hitters and one of the few players who proved capable of challenging Hart with good at-bats. He also was one of the team’s top pitchers. Cole Prosek (Ole Miss) is a shortstop all the way at the next level, but he also pitched 6.0 shutout innings for Magnolia Heights. In an event that featured several good shortstops, he was one of the best with consistent performance in the batter’s box and good defense, including multiple highlight plays.

Dustin McComas
National Scout and Senior Editor