As usual, the 2023 Utter Family Dealerships Pudge Rodriguez World Classic, powered by Scott Birmingham - Baird Private Wealth Management, delivered in a memorable and entertaining way. Top teams were tested early, and the eventual championship game matched up two teams who lost their second game of the double-elimination tournament. We saw a long list of interesting prospects, standout performances and top teams. 

Our notes following the event are broken down into a story for each National pool, and we’ll continue with Pool B:

(A large portion of these notes are based on in-person evaluation and supplemented with our video coverage. If you missed our three stories during the event that featured standout players and teams, click HERE, HERE and HERE.) 

MIDLAND REDSKINS 16U
We covered Keller 2026 prospect Connor Davenport already, and he’s an obvious pitching prospect to follow in addition to showing some strength in the batter’s box, too. The Midland Redskins 16U rode the strength of their pitching staff to win the bracket so Davenport, who threw just 3.0 innings, wasn’t the only notable pitcher. Grayson McKelvey (Southwest Christian) showed a promising four-pitch mix – fastball (80-84 MPH), splitter (75 MPH), curveball (67 MPH; 2100-2200 RPM) and slider (79 MPH; 2100-2200 RPM). He wasn’t overpowering, but he routinely made quality pitches to strand runners on base and pitched with a calm heartbeat with a willingness to throw and execute different pitches in different counts. 

Across 9.2 innings, lefty Riley Wood (Richland) struck out eight and gave up just two earned runs. He attacked hitters with some deception in his delivery thanks in part to a short takeaway/arm action and showed a sharp breaking ball. Speaking of tough looks for hitters, Lucas Banner (Birdville) gave up just one run on nine hits, four walks and struck out six in 11.0 innings and threw a sinking fastball from a sidearm slot that frustrated hitters. 

On the hitting side, Hogan Nelson (Liberty Christian School), emerged as one of the tournament’s best bats. Each time I watched or peeked in on a Midland Redskins 16U game, Nelson was in the middle of something offensively. A physical athlete, Nelson thrives on catching the ball out in front with his barrel and pulling the ball with authority and he hits with a very simple approach that doesn’t include much movement before or during the swing; he keeps a good path once his barrel gets into the zone. Nelson finished with a .417/.444/.458 and also made a standout play in center field. 

I left a fan of Carter Alderson’s skill as a right-handed hitter. He tracked pitches well and made quality contact on pitches all over the strike zone. A Richland prospect, Alderson hit .421/.593/.579 with eight walks, just one strikeout and is a candidate to fill out considerably and add strength in the future. Left-handed hitter Alex Stumm hit just .063 but swung the bat much better than his stats suggest. 

DALLAS TIGERS – HERNANDEZ
I mean this in the most affectionate way possible: Case Hogg (Midway) is a very annoying hitter. A .571/.588/.571 hitter from the right side, Hogg routinely spoiled pitches, extended at-bats and figured out a way to put the bat on the ball even against some quality pitcher’s pitches. Kentucky commitment and Jesuit standout Jake Fults made a couple of sensational plays at shortstop and showed his all-around hitting ability from the right side. 

As a varsity contributor for loaded Rockwall-Heath this past season, Brady Ladusau is already becoming a well-known name in the state. And yes, the hitting is as advertised, which could project to include some impact power from the right side. But the thing I was most impressed with was how well Ladusau moved in center field at his size – listed at 6-3, 200 pounds. Very, very intriguing long-term prospect. 

On the mound, long, lanky lefty Landon Ammerman, a high school teammate of Ladusau, baffled hitters with a fastball that punched above its weight and a big curveball with depth. Hitters didn’t pick up the ball well at all against him and he struck out 10 in 6.0 innings and gave up just one unearned run. Rowlett right-hander Tyler Holmes spun one of the best curveballs of the tournament, a sharp, tight, 12-6 offering that helped him rack up 12 strikeouts in 9.2 innings. He also touched 86 MPH with his fastball and showed a 69-73 MPH changeup. 

HAWAII ELITE 2G 16U
Alaka'i Kiakona (Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus; Hawaii) was one of the best competitors and pitchers we saw. His stuff – fastball up to 86 MPH, 73 MPH curveball and 71 MPH changeup – won’t blow you away, but he carries himself with immense confidence and competitiveness with a changeup that will baffle right-handers. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his start and had impressive arm speed, which helped his changeup play up. Some guys have a way of carrying themselves on the mound that seemingly adds a little bit extra to their stuff. He is one of those guys.

Kiakona is a polished, slightly undersized left-handed pitcher. The opposite is probably Lucas Yamanaka (Waiakea), a tall, projectable right-hander who is clearly still learning on the mound and gaining reps. But he was up to 84 MPH with a lively fastball and spun a curveball with a spin rate up to 2586 RPM and sometimes manipulated the pitch to include some slider-like tilt. 

In center field, Allin Yap tracked down balls naturally and exceptionally well, gliding around easily and looking like an impact defender. He has work to do offensively but is an easy athlete to project. High school and summer teammate Tanner Fujino (Maryknoll School) played shortstop with good bend, athleticism, hands and had a clutch knock before closing out a win in extra innings on the mound. If his arm strength continues to improve, Fujino should have a good chance to stick at shortstop and impact the game with his defense. 

Kainoa Kaneshiro (Kamehameha Schools) smashed a double and created some of the loudest contact on the team. He ended up hitting .500/.500/.750 across 14 plate appearances and his line isn’t a fluke. Left-handed hitter Logan Honma did strike out six times, but it’s partially because he's unafraid to unleash his bat speed. And when he does make contact, he often finds the right part of the bat and hits the ball with authority. 

GPS LEGENDS 16U MONTGOMERY
If you like strong teams up-the-middle, GPS Legends 16U Montgomery your type of squad. Conner Helms (Dripping Springs) made a fantastic defensive play at shortstop and flashed his impact hitting tools; Joseph Sandusky (McNeil) put the bat on the ball consistently from the right side and looked the part of an athletic middle infielder; center fielder Colby Fowler (Lago Vista) found his way on base often and tracked the ball well in center field; and Hudson Hartgrove (Cedar Ridge) and Alexander Covar (McNeil) had bright moments, too. 

Sandusky (.455/.500/.527) had statistically the strongest tournament and flashed his aggressive approach that didn’t include many whiffs and similar skill compared to what I saw during the high school season. Covar is already a notable physical presence and Helms might have the highest ceiling among all of them with all-around talent. 

COOPERSTOWN COBRAS 16U KLECKNER
The Cobras made a run at winning the bracket thanks mostly to its offense. Led by Brody Bradley (.400/.700/.400), Masen Malone (.444/.583/.444), and Noah Murphy (.444/.643/.444), the Cobras nearly had as many walks as strikeouts. Bradley (Boswell) uses a simple right-handed approach to make contact at a high rate. Malone (V.R. Eaton) is a physical right-handed hitter who does a good job of letting the baseball travel and using his strong hands. From the left side, Murphy (Northwest) made a lot of quality contact with a short swing and did a good job keeping his weight back and pulling pitches he could handle into the right-center gap. Mak Lerma (Boswell) caught my attention in the past with his left-handed swing and hitting ability and he also showed some intrigue on the mound, too. 

KYLE CHAPMAN WHITE 16U
I wasn’t familiar with Preston Sullivan before the tournament, but it only took me one inning to immediately become a fan. During the tournament, I excitedly wrote a breakdown I’m going to again share because I think it clearly explains why I’m so high on Sullivan in the future. 

“A well-built 6-1, 185 pounds, Sullivan fired fastballs routinely in the strike zone with a hint of sink and angle up to 89 MPH and carried his velocity the entire way through his lengthy start, which included a couple of long innings in the dugout while his team hit and on the mound against a very pesky Dallas Tigers - Hernandez lineup. Sullivan threw a true overhand curveball at 71-73 MPH with spin around 2100-2200 RPM that featured good, consistent shape visually and could be thrown for a strike in fastball counts. But the true weapon was the best slider I’ve seen thus far, which was up to 80 MPH and north of 2300 RPM. Sullivan, who struck out eight batters, routinely used the pitch as a backfoot, swing-and-miss offering against left-handers and utilized it sometimes in fastball counts against right-handers or buried it to the glove side. This is one of those instances when the box score – he was charged with seven earned runs – doesn’t at all depict the actual outing and stuff.”

Another standout pitcher was Angleton left-hander Kade Dobbs. With a long, Madison Bumgarner-esque arm swing from the left side, Dobbs created a look that was tough on left-handers. But even though he had the long, visible arm action in the back, Dobbs did a few things very well: his chest positioning at foot plant was good; he kept a steady head throughout his delivery; he showed impressive shoulder rotation, layback and a quick, loose arm; he repeated his sidearm slot and showed athleticism and lower half strength through his finish. His fastball was up to 84 MPH and his sweeping breaking ball owned left-handers. Very intriguing prospect because everything about his delivery, physical profile and arm action suggests the velocity will continue trending up. As a hitter from the left side, Dobbs was one of the most productive bats on the team. Nothing Easton Wolf (Taylor) threw was straight and his sharp, 12-6 curveball complimented his heater that often danced towards home plate. He threw a complete game shutout and pounded the zone his entire outing. 

Pasadena Memorial prospect Logan Johnson showed bat speed and a fluid right-handed swing that did some damage. An excellent athlete who plays football and basketball as well, hitting came easy to Johnson and his swing was both polished and dangerous. He didn’t strike out once in 10 plate appearances and finished the tournament with a 1.314 OPS. 

MORE NOTES
- If you missed our report during the tournament, NTXBC Dirtbags 2025 – Navy’s Davis Perkins emerged as a very, very intriguing right-handed pitcher to watch in the 2025 class. The Southlake Carroll prospect faced a loaded Hawaii 2G Elite lineup and gave up one run on four hits across 5.0 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. A high-waisted athlete with projection who utilized a short takeaway and arm action, Perkins threw a fastball (85-86 MPH, 1900-2100 RPM), true curveball (73 MPH, 2300 RPM), swing-and-miss slider (76-77 MPH, 2500 RPM) and changeup (78 MPH, 1318 RPM) all for strikes and each pitch generated at least one whiff. 

In particular, he really executed his slider well and got a lot of Hawaii bats to swing over the top of it as it disappeared in two-strike counts. There’s a lot to like about his long-term projection but also the current strike-throwing and four-pitch arsenal is advanced; don’t be surprised when he becomes a major dude on the mound for Southlake Carroll in the future.

Chisholm Trail right-handed pitcher Austen Govea also threw well for the Dirtbags. Heck, he threw better than well. In his first appearance, he tossed a no-hitter in 5.0 innings with eight strikeouts. Up to 83 MPH, Govea pounded the glove side with his fastball and his 73-76 MPH curveball generated whiffs often and overwhelmed the opposing lineup. Visually, the breaker had good overhand shape with depth, and he dropped it in for a strike early in counts and buried it late. Govea is a physically mature righty with a very easy delivery and good strike-throwing feel. 

On the hitting side, I liked the long-term outlook for right-handed hitting outfielder Jaxon Wylie. A Mansfield product, Wylie should fill into his loose frame in the future and his relaxed hands in the batter’s box worked quickly and he hit with good posture/steady head. 

- Impact Baseball Club Worley’s Adam Pearson (Keller) looks like the type of strong, sturdy left-handed hitter that should pound the baseball with some authority and that’s what he did. He hit .429/.556/.714 with two doubles. Center fielder and leadoff hitter Aiden McNulty is a skilled two-way athlete with promising long-term projection and a simple, repeatable hitting approach. 

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor