Franklin Ranch Community Park is home to Twelve Baseball’s annual Battle of the Branches and the weather and setting couldn’t have been more perfect for an entertaining day of baseball. While so much attention is fairly given to high school prospects, the Battle of the Branches offered a glimpse at the youth level and a look at who is in the Twelve Baseball pipeline. 

When we last covered the event in 2022, several 14U standout players would later become high-major D1 commitments. In addition to our excellent video coverage @FiveToolYouth, I spent Saturday bouncing around from field-to-field getting a look at the top 14U teams. Who caught my attention? Let’s take a look:

(Note: I didn’t get to see each 14U team so not all teams will be mentioned. But Five Tool had video coverage of each 14U game and you can find those videos attached to player profiles and also on Twitter.)

2027 Maroon - College Station 

I contemplated a second coffee early in the morning, but then I sat down and saw Dylan Stallones pitch. Once the left-hander started firing fastballs, I immediately woke up because the radar gun started showing 82-85 MPH, an incredible number for a 2027 prospect. Stallones ended up touching 86 MPH later in his outing and was, unsurprisingly, often overpowering. Like most breaking balls at his age, Stallones’ is a work in progress, sometimes showing curveball characteristics and other times slider traits. But the arm talent, promising physical frame and present athleticism are undeniable. 

Plus, Stallones was the best left-handed hitter I saw. Routinely, he smashed loud line drives into both gaps and displayed an advanced feel for hitting and controlling the barrel. He was such an impressive hitter that I left wondering if he was a better future pitching prospect or hitter, which is saying something because he touched 86 MPH. Regardless, he looked like a future elite talent. Stallones will attend Franklin High School. 

I was really impressed with the athleticism and skill up the middle for the teams I saw and Jordyn Morales and Owen Finke were a big reason why. Morales is an impressive athlete with good bat speed, bat-to-ball ability, a strong arm at shortstop and plays with gamer-like actions. Plus, he caught the second game I saw and might have a bright future behind the dish, too. The future College Station High School prospect was really impressive all-around. 

Finke was taller than Morales and profiles as a more projectable infielder who could grow into being a power hitter at third base. A future Brenham Cub, Finke showed strong hands/wrists, a big shortstop arm and pulled some very hard extra- base hits. 

The catch-and-throw skill from Joseph Young (A&M Consolidated) caught my attention and so did the swing and bat-to-ball ability of left-handed hitter Wyatt Hoffart (Lake Creek). Anthony Menchaca (Rudder) profiles as a future middle-of-the-order bat with an imposing physical presence and big-time strength. He also tossed 5.0 scoreless frames and struck out seven with some angle to his heater. Speaking of pitching, Hudson Hartstack (Brenham) spun an impressive overhand hook and had an advanced feel for generating quality spin. 

Katy Silver

Against a big-time fastball and premium velocity for his age, future Bridgeland prospect and right-handed hitter Payton De La Cruz used impressive bat speed to pull a hard RBI double. There was very little wasted movement in his swing and he projects well. Evan Horsley (Fulshear) did a good job of seeing spin out of the hand and it resulted in a hard RBI single in the game I saw. 

Eli Edmonson burned the left fielder for a double and showed some surprising pop for probably being a few cheeseburgers over 100 pounds. For Katy Gold, Jett Durrett (Hargrave) showed one of the best right-handed swings I saw, covered the plate, and should grow into the type of power that will impact games at the plate. 

Woodlands Maroon 

Drake Cox (Montgomery) looked like he’s going to have some really exciting tools as he matures and his combination of bat speed and athleticism should really project well. In the second game I saw, Cox stayed on a pitch deep into the zone during a tough left-on-left matchup and hammered it; a lot of what he showed in the box looked like a natural hitter. Speaking of athleticism, teammate Jayden Morales (Klein Oak) flew around center field impressively and has the type of skill and athleticism that could profile a lot of places. Plus, in the second game I saw, he jumped on the first pitch of the game and smoked a hard double with a noticeably quick bat.

In the future, it’s a good bet that Ethan Kerze (College Park) will be a big, physical right-handed hitter who should show some arm strength on the mound, too. He hit a couple of very loud line drives. On the mound, his fastball was 76-78 MPH with some carry out of the hand and his feel of a 63 MPH curveball suggested the pitch has major promise.

Reid Traeger, the younger brother of TCU pitcher Jax Traeger and Concordia Lutheran standout Nolan Traeger, is a skilled player and a major projection candidate. He’s currently showing some promise as a catcher and as a hitter. Jefferey Whitten had a bright moment defensively at the hot corner. The future Magnolia prospect also handled the bat well and made hard contact in the box. In center field, Miguel Perez made an impressive catch and threw a runner out at home plate. 

San Antonio Black

Was impressed with the way Gus Beck (San Antonio Johnson) played third base - he made a really tough backhand play and throw look easy and also pulled a hard line drive single in the game I saw. Matthew Bustamante is an undersized catcher who moved with impressive agility, blocked pitches well and competed very well on both sides of the ball. You can tell he loves the game. Julius Johnson made one of the top defensive plays I saw when he made a tough diving stop at shortstop and flipped to second base to start a slick 6-4-3 double play. With the bat from the left side, Johnathan Carraway had some of the loudest contact I heard the entire day. 

South Texas Maroon 

Veterans Memorial coaches should be fired up about MJ Vela’s future if they aren’t already. He was among my favorite players thanks to his impressive instincts, skill and athleticism at shortstop, where he played the position like a seasoned upperclassman. He ranged into shallow left field and fearlessly made a tough catch look easy on a fly ball. With the bat, Vela showed the ability to get the barrel to pitches up and also make contact consistently. Exciting player. 

Barrett Irwin had one of the top highlights of the day when he caught a shallow fly ball in right field and unleashed a rocket to third base to nail a runner who tried to tag. A muscular player with a compact frame, Irwin also ripped a hard double to left-center, and showed a promising three-pitch mix on the mound - fastball (78 MPH), slider (70 MPH) and a good changeup feel. There couldn't have been many players with better future tools and he’ll be a true two-way prospect. 

Sinton High School has been home to two of the best high school catchers in recent memory - Rylan Galvan and Blake Mitchell. Julian Suarez looked like he’s the next one. He was a walking highlight reel because he hammered the ball almost every at-bat, caught a runner stealing easily, and can run down the line in 4.3 seconds. He looked like a good 2025 prospect who was lost and on the wrong field in a 2027 tournament. 

Ryan Morgan was among my favorite hitters to watch. Tracking pitches and timing them with a quick barrel came easy to the left-handed hitter, who looked like a future power-hitting corner infielder that could also get on base at a very high rate. He wasn’t shy about unleashing swings with the intent to do damage but did so in a controlled manner. 

Evan Waters (Victoria West) gave off major ballplayer vibes with his calm actions; the game came easy to him on both sides and he was never overwhelmed; good swing to bet on. He also ran down the line in 4.33 seconds. JT Benitez was another impressive athlete who can run and that athleticism translated to the mound, too. He ran his fastball up to 81 MPH. 

From the left side, both Andrew Bonilla and Kelby Broughton both hit very loud liners and had good barrel feel. Carson Klostermann had one of the best at-bats I saw when he competitively worked very deep into the count and smacked a single up the middle. 

Check out FiveToolYouth on Twitter for more coverage and Twelve Baseball player profile pages.

Dustin McComas
Senior Editor