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High School  | General  | 3/24/2022

Gulf Coast HS Showdown Preview

Tyler Russo     
Photo: Cooper Dossett (Perfect Game)
As Panama City gets set to serve host to the inaugural Gulf Coast High School Showdown, the third out of three High School Showdowns running this spring, we’ve got insight into each of the eight teams set to compete in a four-game format where the top two teams at the end of all pool play will advance to play for the championship. As a whole, there’s a good amount of talent set to play in this event, including a few potential draftees among the senior prospects, but the abundance of talent at the underclass level this year is what really stands out and will set the stage for what this event should look like in the years to come. Five teams from in the state of Florida are represented and are joined by teams from the states of Georgia, Arkansas and Tennessee. With as many talented uncommitted prospects as there are committed, it will certainly be a content-filled weekend for college recruiters to follow along with. Make sure to check out our in-depth preview on each of the eight teams below and follow along with the action and scouting coverage on the following pages (@PG_Scouting, @TRussoPG).

Arnold Marlins (Panama City Beach, Fla.)
Record: 7-3



Serving as the host city team for the event, Arnold comes into this weekend looking to bounce back from a tough three-game stretch after a hot 7-0 start. It has been the offense that has carried them for the most part early on this spring and it’s two physical seniors leading the way as corner-infielders Warrick Wilmot and Sam Mudge are both hitting above .450 through 10 games with a healthy amount of their hits going for extra-bases. They’ve got a couple more guys hitting near the .400 mark as well which has helped them to score just under 10 runs per game, but the impressive story lies on the mound where two freshmen have carried the weight so far this spring. Talented righthander Cooper Moss (Florida) and projectable lefthander Eli Blair have combined to throw 35 of the team’s 60 innings while Moss has posted a 34:7 K:BB ratio in his 21. They’ve got one of the smaller rosters at the event so depth could become a concern as the weekend goes on but there’s definite talent and some uncommitted bats to see.

Doral Academy Firebirds (Doral, Fla.)
Record: 7-2-1

Doral is a program that seems to reload with an abundance of talent each and every year and this year is no different as many of the underclassmen that gave this team huge depth a year ago have stepped up into starting roles and done so well. From top to bottom there’s either athleticism or physicality and that shows in their 13 home runs and 16 stolen bases as a team so far this spring. Seniors Jake Gorelick (Stetson) and Jake Santos give the experience needed to keep the team going but it’s highly touted freshman Michael Torres (Miami) and the junior class that motors this club with guys like Adrian Santana (Miami), Pedro Acosta, Daniel Restrepo, Robert Rodriguez (FIU) and Justin Ruiz (High Point) making this a potent offense. They’ve got weapons on the mound as well led by hard-throwing left-hander Frank Menendez (Florida) and the formerly mentioned Torres and Gorelick, while Keyler Gonzalez, Luis Rodriguez, Rances Suarez and a variety of others all contribute quality innings to make this team more than capable of getting through an event like this one with pitching to spare.

Har-Ber Wildcats (Springdale, Ark.)
Record: 8-1

One of Arkansas’ top programs, Har-Ber, comes into this event with high expectations as they sit at 8-1 on the young spring with their only loss coming in a 12-inning affair. They’ll be tested here this weekend though as they match up in pool play with a few programs who know what it’s like to win the big games. A pair of talented two-ways in Cooper Dossett (Arkansas) and Ross Felder (Arkansas) have led the way for them offensively so far, both hitting at least .385, while they’ve done the same at their primary positions on the mound combining for nearly half of the team’s innings and just about half of the team’s strikeouts. Dossett is one of the bigger names scheduled to be at the event as he sits at No. 164 on our latest 2022 draft board with the ability to run the fastball into the mid-90s at its’ peak. Seniors Clark Jenkins (Arkansas State) and Ethan Fender (Arkansas State) also bring some thump to the lineup giving the Wildcats a nice core on the offensive end alongside their strong one-two punch on the mound.

Houston County Bears (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Record: 11-2

This program is no stranger to success as they’re coming off a big year in which they took home Georgia’s highly regarded 6A State Title and finished the year inside the Top 25 nationally. While that senior class from a year ago was a good one, this year’s team has an abundance of talent as well and currently sits at No. 15 in the latest edition of the national rankings. It starts at the top with one of the best pure athletes in the country in Gage Harrelson (Texas Tech) who has been a strong hitter on the tournament circuit while Kaden Galason (Belmont) and Blaydn Alaniz (Gordon CC) are a pair of fellow seniors with significant athleticism as well. The roster stays deep with the youth as well as they have one of the top underclassmen in the country in Drew Burress (Georgia Tech) while Ryker Chavis (Georgia) and Andrew Dunford are two real talented junior arms. This is one of the deepest rosters at the event and they’ll be a fun group to watch given the talent they possess across multiple grad classes.

IMG Academy Grey (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 7-2

Coming off a championship in the White bracket of the High School Showdown in Hoover earlier this month, IMG Academy’s second national team undoubtedly comes in as one of the favorites to take home the title here at the Gulf Coast edition. It’s an extremely talented roster with youth at the forefront as their three highest-ranked prospects come from the 2024 and 2025 classes. Dean Moss (Vanderbilt) and Noah Franco (Mississippi State) are two of the country’s top freshman and the latter went on an absolute tear earlier this month racking up 11 hits in just four games on his way to MVP honors at that Showdown, while Andre' Modugno (Duke) might be the most physical sophomore in the country. There’s plenty of talent in the older classes as well with guys like Max Kaufer (Texas A&M) managing an impressive pitching staff with the likes of Ryan Rushing (Indiana), Cooper Consiglio (NC State), Gunther Braendel (Miami) and Jaden Stockton (FSU), among a few others. Its deep talent combined with guys that seem to produce often which is key for an event where you likely need to win four games.

Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Record: 2-4

It’s been a bit of an underwhelming open to the spring for Knoxville Catholic as they’ve got out to just a 2-4 start through their first six games but there’s some things to like given the production they’ve gotten from the core of their roster. They’ve got some solid seniors in the lineup as Landon Lutterman (Volunteer State CC), Ian Hubbard and Adam Osborn are all out to strong starts individually while junior Daniel Parris (Tennessee) is swinging it well too. Parris is talented on the mound where he’ll a healthy amount of time along with some of the others mentioned already and talented sophomore Hudson Lutterman (Virginia Tech) is another to watch on the offensive end as a high-end prospect in the state. They’ve gotten tested with a variety of different ways of winning and losing games already so they should be ready for just about anything this weekend when it comes to a tournament setting and they’ve got plenty of talent at a variety of levels.

Mater Lakes Academy (Miami, Fla.)
Record: 8-2

A respectable program from down in the Miami area, Mater Lakes comes to the Showdown riding a strong start to their spring and having the upperclass talent to put together a nice showing here, and throughout the remainder of the spring. They’ve been productive on the offensive end led by a handful of their seniors in Joseph Mincey, Michael Mujica, Reynaldo Plasencia (Seminole State) and Brandyn Gonzalez (FIU) but power-hitting junior Damian Hernandez has also been strong early on and has hit pair of bombs already. Andrew Tano (Indian River) has taken on the bulk of the work on the mound throwing over 20 innings with nearly 30 strikeouts already against minimal walks while two-way talent Andy Hernandez is striking guys out at nearly a two-per-inning pace. This team on paper isn’t going to blow you away but there’s a handful of intriguing uncommitted guys on this roster for college coaches and they’ve been pretty productive as a whole through their first 10 games.

Mosley Dolphins (Lynn Haven, Fla.)
Record: 4-4

Coming off an impressive 2021 where they took home Florida’s 5A State Championship behind the play of a talented senior class, this Mosley team has a different look this spring but will play with the same gutsy mentality that the program regularly prides itself on. It’s been a new set of seniors that have led the way so far this spring, and although the bats have yet to really get going, there are some talented hitters on this roster, many of which are still uncommitted. Trevor Allan (Gulf Coast CC), Trent Nelson (Jefferson Davis CC) and Tyler Wave (Gulf Coast CC) are the three seniors leading the team on the offensive end with Cole Horton not far behind. On the mound they’ve got one of their biggest contributors to the state title a year ago back in talented left-hander Hudson Rowan (FSU) who is already averaging about two strikeouts per inning while the formerly mentioned Wave has seen extensive innings as well. It’s a bit of a shaky start to the spring for this team but they know how to win games and could show it here.
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