Houston area filled with elite talent
A wealth of quality baseball players will be featured across the Greater Houston area this spring. Here are just a few of those athletes who should be well worth a visit to the ballpark.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Brayden Sharp, The Woodlands, P/OF, Sr.
Sharp, who has signed with Tennessee, hit .352 a year ago with three home runs, 10 doubles and four triples. When he was on the mound, the southpaw went 6-2 with a 0.68 ERA, fanning 97 in 51 innings. The 6-2, 175-pound Sharp also possesses stellar defensive skills in center field.
Zane Adams, Porter, P, Sr.
Adams, who has signed with Alabama, should be one of the dominant pitchers in the Houston area, with a fastball topping out at 94 mph. The 6-4, 180-pound lefthander also possesses a looping curveball that buckles hitters’ knees. A deceptive changeup provides Adams with a deadly three-pitch arsenal.
Boots Landry, Friendswood, 1B/3B, Sr.
Landry, who has committed to Texas A&M, hit .350 a year ago in helping Friendswood reach the Class 5A state title game. He batted .350 with six home runs, five triples, 12 doubles and 45 RBIs. The 6-3, 205-pound Landry is also a solid hand at either first or third base.
Caden Ferraro, Pearland, 1B/P, Sr.
The Texas A&M-bound Ferraro hit .330 last season with six home runs, seven doubles and two triples while driving in 31 runs. On the mound, the lefthander finished 7-0 with a 1.54 ERA in 45-plus innings. Ferraro will be one of the driving forces behind a Pearland team ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 6A in at least one poll.
Alexander Petrovic, Concordia Lutheran, P, Sr.
Petrovic, who has committed to Auburn, fashioned an 8-1 record with a 0.26 ERA in 53 innings, struck out 71 and walked just 10 a year ago. At 6-4, 215 pounds, Petrovic can’t be a fun sight for opposing hitters. Equipped with a fastball which tops out at 91 mph, the impressive hurler should post gaudy numbers again this season.
Diego Luzardo, La Porte, P, Sr.
The righthander has fired his fastball at 92 mph, but generally works in about the 85-87 mph range. Luzardo, who has committed to UH, complements it with a big curveball, and commands both pitches well. At the plate, the 6-0, 180-pounder can power the ball into the gap with a smooth stroke and good bat speed with consistent barreled contact.
Easton Tumis, Friendswood, P, Sr.
Tumis, who has committed to Texas, has a 93 mph fastball, but the 6-4, 165-pounder’s best weapon is probably his slider with which the hard-throwing righthander consistently finds the strike zone. Tumis, who also throws an effective changeup, has added considerable velocity each of the last two years to his array of pitches and is expected to be an immediate contributor at the next level.
Omar Serna, Dobie, C, So.
Serna, who has committed to LSU, hit .431 last season with nine doubles, two home runs and 27 RBIs. He also carried a .957 fielding percentage on 117 chances. The 6-1, 215-pounder can play third base, from which he has an infield throwing velocity of 89 mph. Also blessed with a fastball that can reach 92 mph. Even as a
sophomore, he’s rated as highly as anyone from the Houston area among scouting services.
Kendall George, Atascocita, OF, Sr.
George, who is committed to Arkansas, belted two homers, five triples and two doubles while driving in 23 runs and batting .417. The 5-11, 165-pounder bats and throws left, and has excellent speed which can frustrate opponents on the bases or in the outfield. His 85-mph velocity from the outfield is a bit scary, too.
Tristan Russell, Cy Woods, SS, Sr.
Russell, a Houston commit, has great lateral movement and gets rid of the ball quickly from shortstop, and it doesn’t hurt that he possesses 91 mph velocity from the infield or the outfield. The 6-foot, 190-pounder can also be called on to pitch, and owns a fastball that can hover around 88 mph. A switch-hitter, Russell can spray the ball to all fields.
HONORABLE MENTION
Chase Batten, Jr. Foster (committed to Arizona State); Weston Moss, Sr., Lake Creek (signed with Texas A&M); Braylon Payne, Jr., Elkins (committed to Houston); Luke Pettitte, Sr., Second Baptist (signed with Dallas Baptist); Hayden Morris, Oak Ridge, Sr. (committed to Texas); Nolan Traeger, Jr., Concordia Lutheran (committed to TCU); Connor Bennett, Oak Ridge, Sr. (signed with Houston); Anthony Avalos, Sr., Pearland (signed with Houston)