Baseball season is here, and that means the Five Tool staff is out there working, evaluating and filming. If you know anything about Five Tool, you know we capture a lot of baseball video. A LOT. And that means we see a lot of amazing plays and excellent performances. 

Each week, we’re going to share with readers, fans and baseball junkies 10 of the best plays and performances we recorded and covered from across the nation during the previous week. This week, the Texas Private School Classic provided us all 10 plays on the list, which featured three no-hitters or perfect games, homers galore, another elite performance from a top name and much more.

10. We’re starting this week with a walk-off. Cornerstone Christian’s Mason Anania, a St. Mary’s signee, delivered the game-winning knock when he lined a pitch into center field. It looks like Anania was so excited he nearly tossed his helmet to the moon. 

9. Be careful parking out there. There’s something visually appealing about a good left-handed swinging smashing a rocket over the left-center fence, especially with a great camera angle. Trinity Christian Academy’s Samuel Jenkins showed his power by mashing this solo homer and is an uncommitted name to follow in the 2024 class. 

8. I hope whoever owns that roof has insurance! Covenant Christian Academy’s Christian Wells showed grown-man strength by blasting a line drive rocket way over the left field fence and off the roof of the building in the near distance. No, that's not Santa and his reindeer making all that clatter, but that is a power hitter delivering the gift of a big fly to his team.

7. The first member to make the list twice and go back-to-back is Prestonwood Christian Academy’s Dondreone “Dee” Kennedy. Okay, so this is only the second time we’ve published a top 10. But it was impossible to keep him off the list after again standing out on the mound, with the bat and defensively. Although he’s not the biggest player, Kennedy, who is a future Texas Longhorn, creates some pull-side power with his quick bat, athletic rotation and developing strength. Kennedy is major a major impact on games in almost every way imaginable. 

6. Since he’s recently been making plays on the hardwood you’d think 2025 Liberty Christian do-it-all star Brady Janusek would need a few games to get his timing down, right? Wrong. It didn’t take the uncommitted prospect long to show how he translates his unique athleticism to power in the batter’s box. This is a BIG fly, indeed. And he should be on the radar of every major D1 program, especially ones in the region.

5. Some of the pitching performances were so good - just wait until you see the rest of the list - that giving up just one hit and one run across 6.0 innings doesn’t top the list. We’ve heard Southwest Christian 2024 right-hander Jackson Burns made a jump this offseason and it appears that intel was accurate. The Texas Tech commitment touched 92 MPH in chilly, early-season conditions and completely dominated the opposition with eight strikeouts. 

4. Big-time player. Big-time moment. Big-time result. Trailing by two runs in the semifinal, Southwest Christian felt good about Northwestern signee Will Johnson in the batter’s box with good reason. The left-handed hitter slugged a game-tying two-run bomb deep into the night beyond the right field fence. His team went on to win the game and won the entire tournament. Clutch. 

3. Get to know Cornerstone Christian’s Nick Rodriguez because the 2024 right-handed looked like a name to follow closely after an impressive no-hitter. During his 5.0 IP, Rodriguez, currently uncommitted,  touched 88 MPH, generated whiffs (nine strikeouts) with his slider and was in total control from pitch one until the final out. Yes, a no-hitter with nine strikeouts could only finish as high as No. 3 on the list because...

2. I don’t know what’s more impressive about Aidan Hoffman’s performance for Dallas Christian: throwing a perfect game or needing just 42 pitches to complete a game? Sure, the game lasted just fine innings, but that's still, for those of you who didn't major in Math, just 8.4 pitches per inning. Hoffman, obviously, threw a ton of quality strikes, challenged hitters and avoided hard contact all game long. Incredible. And yet he's somehow No. 2 because a pitcher threw a no-hitter and made the best defensive play of the entire tournament. 

1. Pitchers are athletes, too. Well, if we’re being completely honest, Xavier Mitchell is more than just a pitcher. The 2025 standout from Prestonwood Christian Academy is a legitimate two-way talent who can impact the game in a variety of ways, although his long-term future is very likely going to be as a stud left-handed pitcher. Here he is making a sensational diving catch before firing a perfect strike to home plate to nail a runner that tried to tag and score. 

Oh, did we mention pitching? Yeah, Mitchell did that, too. A day earlier, he fired a no-hitter in 6.0 IP with 13 strikeouts. With an overpowering fastball, especially up, and a breaking ball that racked up countless whiffs, Mitchell showed why he's one of the top 2025 prospects in the nation. 

Five Tool Staff