After the Five Tool staff rushed home/to its hotel to beat the incoming storm, it was greeted Friday morning with perfect conditions. Sun-soaked baseball complexes greeted the 14 teams participating in the inaugural Five Tool Festival and set the stage for another outstanding day of competition, highlights and more. Some highlights from Friday’s action:

Marcus left-handed hitter Caden Sorrell followed an excellent Thursday with another homer on Friday. The Texas A&M signee continued to show his bat speed and ability to drive the ball all over the field and not just to the pull side. He smacked a bomb over the center field wall at Rock Hill and showed his arm strength and athleticism on the mound. The lefty touched 89 MPH from an uncomfortable, low-slot look for hitters and is truly a do-it-all star at the high school level. 

Like Sorrell, Caleb Hoover is known for his bat. But he gets it done on the mound, too. The Rockwall-Heath product and 2024 Oklahoma State commitment gave up just one run in 6.0 impressive innings and showed a heater up to 88 MPH. 

Speaking of do-it-all stars at the high school level who can drill homers and throw hard on the mound, Prosper’s Luke Billings made the ‘Green Monster’ at his home park look short when he mashed a no-doubt bomb deep into the night. Earlier in the day against a loaded Magnolia Heights squad, Billings, a Tennessee commitment in the 2025 class, showed his promising pitch with four distinct offerings - fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. 

In the same game Billings hit the homer, Americas then called on right-handed pitcher Adrian Quintana to shut the door. The El Paso Community College signee didn’t just earn the save. He toed the rubber and fired heavy fastballs up to 91 MPH and snapped off sharp sliders up to 81 MPH. Quintana, who is undersized but is a good athlete with a lightning-quick arm, attacked Prosper hitters and tossed 2.0 scoreless frames with two strikeouts and one walk. 

Quintana and Stephen Sepulveda, who threw a complete game gem against Southlake Carroll to open the festival, aren’t the only pitchers who eclipsed 90 MPH for Americas. Santana Hernandez, who is heading to New Mexico Junior College, touched 92 MPH and struck out seven hitters across 6.0 impressive frames. Good luck to those El Paso teams in Americas’ district because they’re going to see some heat each week.

Getting back to hard, sinking heaters on the mound with sharp sliders, Deer Creek (Oklahoma) right-hander and Wichita State signee Brady Hamilton tossed 5.0 impressive innings. He touched 92 MPH and punched out six hitters with the help of a 78-80 MPH slider. 

Among the many talented Mater Dei pitchers is tall right-hander and Vanderbilt signee Brennan Seiber. In a short appearance, Seiber showed a very intriguing three-pitch mix and struck out five in 2.1 innings. Southlake Carroll’s talented lineup was able to get into the Mater Dei bullpen, but Seiber showed why he’s one of the top arms in California. 

In that same game, Seiber was opposed on the mound by Tyler White. One of the best kickers and punters in the nation who is going to Texas A&M, White was really sharp and used two distinct breaking balls and a heater up to 91 MPH to keep a loaded Mater Dei lineup in check. Southlake Carroll is looking to replace two of the best pitchers in the nation from last year's roster and White showed yesterday he can certainly help with that.

Programs in and around Arkansas should keep an eye on Conway right-handed pitcher Preston Prock. With a fastball up to 88 MPH and a slider with depth that was tough on right-handed hitters, Prock is an uncommitted pitcher who doesn’t lack intrigue.

Another uncommitted pitcher who showed promise was Prosper junior Erick Thompson. A tall, physical presence on the mound, Thompson ran his fastball up to 88 MPH and showed a sharp slider/cutter up to 81 MPH that was tough on right-handed hitters. 

You’re probably notice yesterday featured more pitching standouts than hitting, but there were bats that stood out, too. Rockwall is one of the best, deepest lineups in Texas with a bunch of the usual, veteran suspects at the top. But don’t sleep on sophomore switch-hitter Landyn Locke. In addition to throwing well on the mound, Locke came up clutch and cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple. 

Luke Schimmels showed some major juice by blasting a solo shot way out to left field for Deer Creek. Hopefully, he didn’t dent the building or break any windows. Five Tool does not offer reimbursements for bombs that break windows. 

Ethan Melton continued his role as hitting machine for Magnolia Heights and began a game versus Prosper going 3-for-3 with three doubles. A South Alabama signee, Melton tracks pitches well and is totally comfortable in the batter’s box with promising bat-to-ball ability and strike zone awareness. 

Let’s wrap up some day two highlights with two brilliant web gems:

Rockwall-Heath’s Drew Smith, one of the top athletes in the 2024 class, read the ball off the bat well, showed his speed and dove to save a run with this catch:

The early favorite for top defensive play of the tournament might be the play Frenship’s Landon Hutcheson made late in a game against Rock Hill. With the game tied 4-4 in the sixth inning, Hutcheson, an uncommitted 2024 prospect, robbed Rock Hill of a game-winner. He made an excellent read, took a great route, and showed his outstanding athleticism to make the play, which seemed impossible off the bat. 

Stay tuned into FiveTool.org, “The Line” and Five Tool on Twitter for more Five Tool Festival coverage. And check back in later next week when we present our scouting notes, observations, a podcast recapping the event and more. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor