It was a typical Five Tool summer week, which means we have stuff going on everywhere. I spent Thursday through Saturday in the Houston area bouncing between Twelve Baseball Scout League and the Houston College Championships. Always one of my favorite events from the summer, here are some thoughts, based mostly on my in-person looks with some other notable performances, from the event:

1) After watching 5 Star Performance 2024 National at Houston Christian on Friday, I thought it was going to be really hard for someone to keep that group from winning the 17U National Division. That proved to be the case. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this group is how many uncommitted players it featured. 

Rockwall catcher Jake Overstreet was among the major standouts. Unfortunately for Jake, he always gets hit by a pitch when I watch him. I’ve now seen him get plunked in Melissa, Waco, Austin and now Houston. Overstreet hit .429/.667/.545 with zero strikeouts in addition to competing well behind the dish despite miserably hot conditions. Overstreet had one at-bat where he kept quick hands inside of an inside fastball and unleashed some bat speed while keeping the line drive down the left field line fair; it was maybe the best swing I saw that weekend. ULM commitment Zeke Seoane put a charge into a couple of balls and teamed with Overstreet to give his team an outstanding catcher duo. 

The last time I watched Landon Hutcheson, I marveled at the Frenship outfielder’s defense. This time, I was impressed with his left-handed hitting. An athletic, plus runner who is a standout receiver in football, Hutcheson had no issue making contact, which included burning the center fielder with a triple to the wall. There is some length in the swing that can sometimes affect barrel accuracy while Hutcheson times pitches, but his quick hands worked well. The other part of the Hutcheson duo, Hudson, made a stellar play at third base and was on base often. And their high school teammate and summer shortstop Brady Boles ran down the line in 4.07 seconds on a bunt, played a clean shortstop with good actions and competed in the box well. 

It was good to see big Timothy Haynes back after he injured his knee in a fluke accident celebrating a big tournament win last summer. The Lubbock Cooper product launched a couple of majestic doubles to left-center that nearly left the yard. He creates a lot of carry off the bat despite using a very simple, short swing that is easily repeated; it might have been the best right-handed swing I saw that week and as he continues to add strength, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be able to hit for quality average and power. On the mound, Haynes was up to 88 MPH and featured a slider and changeup. 

In addition to Hutcheson flying around in left field, the duo of Caleb Watkins (Royse City) and Drew Smith (Rockwall-Heath) flew around the outfield and covered a ton of ground. In particular, Watkins played outstanding in center field and showed a big arm too. He swung the bat much, much better than his stats suggested and is going to be a quality add for some D1/top JUCO program. 

On the mound, Texas A&M commitment Jack Sharp touched 90 MPH and gave up two runs across 4.0 innings. At times, his slider had up to 2300 RPM and flashed as a swing and miss pitch. A high-waisted athlete with long arms and projection remaining, Sharp’s timing was inconsistent, but when it all was in sync, the ball came out of his hand easily. Texas Tech commitment Grant Origer touched 87 MPH and showed a 66-70 MPH curveball with spin up to 2800 and a high-spin, 74 MPH slider, too. In 5.0 innings, he issued five walks, but when he was in the zone, he was tough to handle.

Like Origer, Jackson Jordan is a right-hander who showed more of a relief profile on the mound. Jordan comes at hitters from a unique, lower slot and delivery and ran his fastball up to 90 MPH. His control/command got him in trouble at times, but he also was overpowering in others with seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings. 

2) Really liked the way Branden West’s hands worked in the batter’s box. The right-handed hitter from Aubrey used a simple, repeatable approach and swing that freed his strong hands to do the work and although he hit .286/.500/.286 with zero strikeouts, I saw him tattoo a couple of deep fly balls that were really well-struck and found gloves. West played shortstop for Dallas Tigers Williams 2024 but looked more like a third baseman to me long-term. 

3) The Scorpions 17U Black trio of right-handed hitters Lane Stockton (Tomball Memorial), Austin Hardy (Klein Oak) and Reed Osborne (Klein Oak) caught my eye. Stockton had a quick bat at the top of the order and Osborne really flew around the field. Speaking of the Scorpions, 2026 Easton, after a strong showing at the Alex Bregman World Series, ended up winning the 15U National Division. 

And a lot of the usual suspects showed up: Jackson Marshall (Lake Creek) didn’t strike out once, was a run-scoring machine, and hammered the ball multiple times. Shortstop Grant Stratta (Klein) also didn’t strike out once and terrorized pitching, again. This time, Cy-Fair product and Rice commit Isaac Robles showed he could do some damage with the bat, too, and delivered some loud impact. As a staff, Scorpions 2026 Easton finished with a 0.236 ERA thanks in large part to Colton Sikes, Jacob Howard, Luke McNeil and Luke Peterson. 

4) Really liked what I saw on the mound from South Texas Sliders 17U Mayer right-hander Brandon Stewart. The Sweeny prospect threw a complete game one-hitter with eight strikeouts. Short but with a compact, physical frame, Stewart fired his fastball up to 88 MPH, carried his velocity and his heater had some notable ride through the hitting zone, which allowed it to play up in the top of the strike zone. He snapped off some short sliders at 74-76 MPH with some feel for glove side execution and also mixed in a 78-80 MPH changeup that has a chance to be an average third offering. A quick worker who wasn’t afraid to attack, Stewart challenged hitters all game and pitches with a “here it is” mentality as opposed to thinking of command.

On the hitting side for the Sliders, left-handed hitting infielder Ty Powell has a smooth stroke and made hard contact three times in the game I was at. Coming off a very strong season for Johnson in San Antonio, Chad Pantuso was unsurprisingly a pesky on-base machine near the top of the lineup. Reagan’s Jeter Battles made a phenomenal defensive play at shortstop, showcasing his arm strength and athleticism; he also hit .667/.800/1.000. I’d like to see him play shortstop – Reagan had very talented senior Ashton Beaird there last season – more often because it looked like it could be an impact glove at the premium position. Colleges should keep a close eye on Battles’ high school and summer teammate, left-handed hitting outfielder Connor McCabe. He definitely passes the eye test, has interesting all-around tools and could be a sneaky candidate to become a college prospect. 

5) Winners of the 16U National Division, 2025 Texas Twelve Black flexed its muscle offensively. This was my second extended look at center fielder and left-handed hitter Kai Hood (A&M Consolidated) and he again was a top performer, working five walks and hitting .400/.600/.400 while flying around the outfield. A skilled switch-hitter who also catches, Wes Baker (Second Baptist) continued to establish himself as a major name to follow in 2025 by smacking liners from both sides of the plate and looking the part of a catcher who could stick there long-term defensively. 

On the mound, my second look this summer at Christopher Gutierrez (Bridgeland) just added more fuel to the fire: he’s going to be a dude in the 2025 class and has a chance to emerge as one of the top left-handed pitchers in the state. A quick, efficient mover on the mound without a lot of effort, Gutierrez should fill out considerably in the future and his very quick arm threw fastballs in the 85-89 MPH with spin of nearly 2500 RPM often to his glove side; sharp, short sliders executed well up to 82 MPH and a changeup that got whiffs at 79-80 MPH. There is a lot to like about his long-term outlook as a starter with three quality pitches, a feel for pitching and the ability to repeat his delivery with noticeable hand/arm speed. 

6) In the Saturday morning game at Rice, Clear Springs 2025 prospect Hunter Heath mashed a grand slam for Gulf Coast Pirates and hit it off a very good right-handed pitcher. Heath showcased a quick, strong swing that was able to put the barrel on a fastball inner half and pull over the left-center field fence. 

That same game, he also tossed a complete game shutout and gave up just two hits and issued one walk. Up to 86 MPH with his fastball, Heath utilized a long, steep takeaway but was able to quickly get his arm into a good motion to work well out in front; he mixed in a big curveball and quality changeup for strikes and avoided hard contact all game. 

7) Wildcatters 16U Montano’s Ethan Chavez (Pasadena Memorial) continued to perform at a high level in Five Tool events this summer. He launched a deep extra-base hit to center field and profiles as a future slugger in the middle of the order with a short swing that takes a good path to the baseball without being steep. 

8) Houston Heat 2024 Scout found its groove as the event ended. Magnolia West infielder and Texas State commitment Dawson Park unsurprisingly had a very productive event and colleges should keep a close eye on left-handed hitting outfielder Parker Blackman. A Grand Oaks prospect, Blackman mashed a homer, didn’t strike out once, and can really, really run; he’s added some improved torque and bat speed over the last year, allowing him to impact the baseball more often. 

Two-way talent Oscar Salazar produced at a high level with the bat and on the mound, an impressive feat considering he’s been dealing with a left elbow injury since late in the high school season.  High school and summer teammate Tyler Espinosa had one of the event’s best swings when he crushed a homer the opposite way off a tough right-handed pitcher throwing good fastballs. 

9) Finally, a couple standout pitching performances from the event: Midway right-handed pitcher and uncommitted 2024 prospect Cameron Johnson threw a complete game and gave up just one run on three hits and struck out nine. A 6-5, 220-pound righty who will undoubtedly add strength and fill into his frame, Johnson continued to show he can pound the zone with a heavy sinker and sharp slider; in particular, he really worked to his glove side well. 

Rice 2024 commitment Maddox Keo put on a show at his future home with eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings and a fastball up to 89 MPH. His low three-quarters slot profiles well with his fastball and devastating changeup that looks like a future plus pitch.  

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor