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Tournaments  | Story  | 12/31/2021

Regional Review: Midwest

Travis Ice
Photo: Tommy Specht (Perfect Game)
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Biggest 13U Breakout Player
 
One of the most impressive summer circuits amongst any class was Beau Peterson of Shawnee, Kan.  In 133 plate appearances, he posted a 1.295 OPS with 18 extra-base hits. He’s the top-ranked player in the state for 2026 and has committed to Nebraska. His smooth left-handed stroke has natural loft to it to go along with quality bat speed through the zone. He has shown solid defensive chops behind the dish and has shown he has the versatility to play some corner infield too. There’s a lot to like with Peterson but there’s not doubt that the bat is the carrying tool and it will be fun to continue to watch him develop.





Biggest 14U Breakout Player
 
Sebastian Norman of Springfield, Mo. made a name for himself and represented the Midwest well at the WWBA Freshman World Championship. He was named to the All-Tournament Team and showcased his talents on both sides of the baseball. He threw 7 1/3 innings while striking out nine and not allowing an earned run. With the bat, he posted a 1.763 OPS in 18 plate appearances in the event. Norman really raised eyebrows with his performance at the Central Prospect Showcase where he ran a 6.60 60-yard dash and showed explosive bat speed on the offensive side of the ball and touched 87 mph with his fastball and a sharp breaking ball from a deceptive arm slot. Norman is a true two-way prospect that took a huge leap forward this year and is going to be a top prospect in the 2025 class.

Best College Moments

It wasn’t so much a single moment as it was an entire body of work, but Head Coach Travis Lallemand and Crowder College put together one of the best seasons in an already-rich program history. They ended the 2021 season with a 55-8 overall record and one game short of the championship game in Grand Junction. The squad was headlined by NJCAA First-Team All-Americans Logan Chambers and Landrey Wilkerson. Chambers led the D-I JUCO ranks in hits (107) and doubles (36) while Wilkerson ended the year with 20 home runs and drew over 50 walks.



Individual moment wise, Oklahoma State’s two-way prospect Justin Campbell tossed a no-hitter, while striking out 11 opposing batters along the way. Campbell sat 88-92 and showed advanced command of the heater in the outing. He also featured a deep, 12-6 curveball and an upper-70s changeup. Campbell has a very projectable frame and already flashes game action power from the left side of the plate. He’ll be draft eligible in 2022 and is an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on.



Biggest Breakout/Ranking Riser

Zack Stewart from Lebanon, Mo. went to PG National this year and really left an impression on everyone with his power display at the plate. He creates plenty of loft in his path and generates a lot of leverage. He makes sure to always get his money's worth with his aggressive intent in his stroke. Really showed a feel for being able to barrel balls up and elevate them consistently. He’s a corner infielder on the defensive side of the ball where he showed some softness to the hands.
  


Biggest Draft Moment

Perfect Game All-American Jackson Jobe was the first high school pitcher selected in the 2021 draft when he was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the seventh overall pick. Jobe’s fastball sits in the mid-90s and has more in the tank when he needs it. Unfortunately for opposing batters, the fastball isn’t his best pitch. He has a 3,000+ RPM slider that has extremely late break and he shows advanced feel for the offering. He’ll also show a 11-5 shaped spike curveball that has bite and is a pitch he’s still developing feel for as well. His changeup has significant depth to it and he throws it with conviction. Jobe has the stuff to be an outlier to the track record of first round high school pitchers and he’ll be fun to watch come up through the Tigers system.

Top Midwest Travel Teams:

2022 Grads: Hitters 2022 Navy (WI)
National Rank: 49
 
2023 Grads: Building Champions UA 17U Navy (KS)
National Rank: 87
 
2024 Grads: Cangelosi Sparks 2024 Black (IL)
National Rank: 56
 
2025 Grads: Hitters 2025’s (WI)
National Rank: 49
 
2026 Grads: KC Crusaders 14U (KS)
National Rank: 23
 
 A Look Ahead



High School: There will be plenty of exciting names to watch around the Midwest throughout the 2022 season. 6-foot-1, 180-pound Jackson Holliday from Stillwater, Okla. is ranked in the top-20 nationally for the 2022 class and is a smooth swinging infielder with impressive present tools and a frame that has projection to it. Caden Marcum out of Paola, Kan. is uber-projectable with his 6-foot-5, 160-pound frame as well. His fastball sits 89-91 mph and complements it with a slider and curveball while also flashing a fading changeup. Marcum is committed to Tennessee but will be on many MLB team's radars this high school season. Kentucky commit Tommy Specht of Dubuque, Iowa is always a treat to watch and he’ll look to build on a strong 2021 season. Specht is a quick-twitch athlete who has posted 6.40 second 60-yard dash times at PG events. Uses an all-fields approach at the dish which pairs well with his clean, flat path through the zone.



College: There will be plenty of names catching draft buzz in the Midwest next season, but in the Sooner State especially. Peyton Graham of Oklahoma will be looking to build off a successful 2021 where he put up a .902 OPS, including 11 home runs. The frame has room for added strength in the future and pair that with his feel for barreling up balls, he could be a name that jumps even higher on lists. Bryce Osmond from Oklahoma State will look to rebound from an inconsistent 2021 campaign where he posted a 7.42 ERA but still exhibited impressive enough pure stuff at times to catch a lot of eyes. The stuff is and always has been sharp, but the control and command are still very inconsistent. Osmond’s heater in the Cape was up to 95 mph and he has a slider with late bite and tilt that he relies on to get swings and misses. He has one of the higher ceilings in this college class so it will be worth watching to see if he makes the necessary adjustments from last season.
 
 
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