Before we get to an exciting first day of action at the inaugural Five Tool Festival, let us dedicate this opening to the real MVP: our meteorologist friend in Oklahoma City. The weather forecast looked brutal all week long and optimism about Thursday was low. But we listened to the expert. So, the Five Tool Festival brain trust, led by Ryan Brewer and Drew Bishop, moved up games, stuck to the intel from their weather source and we lost just 1.5 games all day, which was a major victory considering the outlook.

What followed was an awesome day of action featuring a seemingly endless amount of video coverage. I’m going to do my best to highlight some of those performances, footage and moments. Also, I encourage all readers to make sure they check out “The Line” at FiveTool.org and click the "follow" button for the Five Tool Festival.

A warning was issued early this morning: a water moccasin was sighted near the ballpark. Americas right-hander and Baylor signee Stephen Sepulveda tossed a complete game to beat Southlake Carroll, 2-1. Known for his excellent mound makeup and for possessing one of the best sliders in the state, Sepulveda punched out 11 across 7.0 brilliant innings and gave up just two hits. 

If stars are truly stars, they show up and impact games all the time. Flower Mound Marcus outfielder Caden Sorrell, and Magnolia Heights shortstop Cooper Pratt did exactly that. While scouts lined up to catch a look at the swing, each senior hit a home run during games at Rock Hill. Sorrell also ran 4.12 seconds down the line and sent a sizzling liner right at the right fielder. Pratt wasn’t challenged at shortstop, but everything about his actions at the position was smooth, quick and confident. Over in Rockwall, Brayden Randle hit a homer for the second straight weekend in front of Five Tool.

Old, well-known names weren’t the only ones making loud statements today. Edmond Santa Fe (Oklahoma) had a couple of underclassmen baseball fans, and major college coaches, need to be very familiar with if they aren’t already. 

Savion Sims, a tall, lanky, very projectable athlete with loud two-way tools, made the Five Tool Podcast look smart for pumping him up during this week’s preview episode. The right-handed hitter smashed a bomb over the big ‘Green Monster’ at Prosper. He’s only a freshman. 

Teammate and sophomore Carson Brumbaugh made what had to have been the top defensive play of the day when he ranged into the hole at shortstop and showed a future plus, maybe plus-plus arm by throwing across his body to get the out at first base. Later, that arm strength showed on the mound when he touched 92 MPH and struck out the side to earn a save. High-level two-way tools and immense upside. 

Allow Magnolia Heights (Mississippi) left-handed masher and uncommitted prospect John Ellis Price who swung a quick bat and confidently tracked pitches, lead off the additional members of Thursday’s bomb squad:

Van Klein is a Five Tool favorite. Known for his outstanding intangibles and leadership, Klein is also a physical right-handed hitter who can mash, too. He hit a bomb off one of the top arms throwing in Thursday's games. I don’t know if Will McClure is a Freddie Freeman fan, but his swing reminded me of the former Atlanta Braves star and current Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star first baseman; it’s short, quick, and finishes with that upward finish that Freeman uses to destroy MLB pitching.  

Teammates Mac Stillman and Colin Moore showed some bat speed for Rock Hill. Moore doesn’t lack intent when he swings and when his bat is in motion, he’s trying to do damage.   

On the mound, Frenship received an outstanding effort from 2024 Louisiana Tech commit Brooks Roberson. Known for having a swing-and-miss changeup that baffles left-handed hitters, Roberson is growing into more velocity and has really intriguing upside. He’s a better pitcher since the last time we saw him in the summer, where he was already really good.

Southlake Carroll right-hander Caden Orr and Rockwall righty Remington Spoerl both showed the arm strength and competitiveness their future college homes saw when they locked them into the commitment list. 

Although the outstanding Marcus duo of Sorrell and Klein tagged him for a homer, I really liked what I saw from Mater Dei right-hander Kalani Santos. A recent USC commit, the 2023 right-handed pitcher touched 89 MPH in the first inning and held 88 MPH into the fifth inning. He’s a future strike-throwing machine at USC with a steady head and intriguing four-pitch mix (fastball, curveball, slider, cutter). 

In that same game, Marcus right-hander Griffin Lewis showed intriguing potential. The athletic right-hander was unafraid to routinely mix in his quality changeup in right-on-right situations, and when he missed the strike zone, he barely missed; it’s a control and command profile that’s easy to bet on in the future. Lewis touched 89 MPH early and settled in at 84-86 MPH later. 

Of course there were some web gems, too. There’s something uniquely awesome about infielders fearlessly running into the outfield to make very difficult, Willie Mays-style catches. That’s what Southlake Carroll’s Hayes Melville did yesterday. Teammate and Five Tool Academic team standout Tanner Carson is off to a great start to the season. The talented 2025 prospect is making things happen with the bat, and showed some impressive defensive ability at the hot corner when he made a tough pick look easy to start a clutch 5-4-3 double play.

Americas first baseman Gonzalez, who also swung the bat well, tracked a deep fly ball in foul territory near the fence and made a really tough catch. Frenship’s Blaine Chancy welcomed the challenge of the tying run trying to score on a ball hit to him in right field. He fired a bullet into home and nailed the runner with room to spare. 

Stay tuned into FiveTool.org, “The Line” and Five Tool on Twitter for more Five Tool Festival coverage. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor