Fort Myers

What they have going for them:

2023 LHP Dane Bjorn (Mizzou) is coming off a summer in which he won MVP in the Area Code games. Bjorn had 10 starts a season ago with an impressive 69 strikeouts in 50 innings. He also boasted a .340 avg and proved to be a quality hitter for the Flyers. He seems like a safe bet as the Flyers’ ace and profiles as one of the better arms in the area.

2022 LHP Ethan Smith (Missouri Southern) returns with his perfect 7-0 record and 39 innings pitched. Smith pounds the zone with a mid to upper 80’s FB that has shown tremendous improvement from last season. He will step into a starting role after making 11 relief appearances and 4 starts a year ago. It will be fun to see if he can top the 42 strikeouts that he pilled up in his 15 appearances.

2022 3B/RHP Drew Politte (uncommitted) is one of the best two-way players in the state. He didn’t put up eye-popping numbers in 2021, but the talent is undeniable. He can provide a back-end bullpen arm to close out tight games while giving Lindbergh a power bat at third. Politte will need to pick up a lot of the slack offensively in replacing the key pieces that graduated in 2021.

2022 OF Zane Roos (Jeff Co) is another player that will have to produce offensively in the heart of the Flyers’ lineup. He finished the year with 4 home runs, though his batting average was a bit underwhelming. To be fair, though, Roos was able to produce 30 free passes along the way to put up a respectable OBP. He will be a vital part of the Flyers’ offensive success and play a big role in their outfield defensively.

Concerns:

The Flyers lost a lot of talent in their 2021 class, with perhaps no player tougher to replace than Shea McGahan. He was a difference maker in the batters box and behind the plate. He was able to shut down the running game and lead the pitching staff all while hitting over .500. They will need Eastern Illinois commit Luke Melton and Will Stockmann to step up and fill this void. 

The Flyers will also have to replace almost 90 innings on the mound. This will be a tough task with limited varsity experience on the roster. They will also have to replace 90+ hits from their offense, and if the guys mentioned above cannot have big seasons offensively, the flyers may find themselves in a tough spot.

There’s no doubt that Lindbergh will be relying on some key players to step up along with other players that have limited varsity experience due to last year’s team being so stacked. That said, the team is undeniably still talented enough to conceivably make a run at the state title in 2022. 

Unmentioned players to watch:

2022 OF Chris Ammons

2022 INF Adam Dupont

Historic Terry Park in Ft. Myers, Florida was the scene for the Presidents’ Day edition of Up & Coming’s Florida Winter Series. The event featured players from several cooler climate states like Illinois, Missouri, Michigan and Wisconsin. The event featured a total of eight games, with the majority of them being competitive and the championship ending on a sac-fly.

2023 Outfielder/LHP Landen Graves showed well all weekend, smashing a couple balls for extra base hits and running an event best 6.68 60. He was also up to 81 on the mound, earning a win for his team.

2023 1B/OF/LHP Carson Kaye was another upperclassmen that proved to be a standout performer. Kaye showed terrific feel for the barrel, leading the event in extra base hits. He possesses a very physical frame, and his swing path allows his barrel to stay through the zone, producing hard hit balls up the middle of the field.

2023 Infielders Tyler Floyd and Landon Potts both turned in quality performances, helping the Red team at the plate and on the bump. Floyd was arguably the event’s top performer at the dish, showcasing a high level swing pattern that creates natural loft and good carry on balls that he barrels. Potts hit several pull side line drives for singles and extra base hits, while showing developing actions on the infield. He was also excellent on the mound, leading the event in strikeouts.

A few other standout upperclassmen were Dallas Phillips (Michigan), Alex Ford (Missouri) and Andre Carl (Michigan). Phillips led the event in fastball velo, topping out at 87 mph from the right side. The Adrian College commit filled up the zone and has a projectable frame that will allow him to continue to add velo as he heads into his senior year. Ford on the other hand was more of a finesse pitcher, utilizing several pitches to keep hitters off balance. His gutsy performances on the mound were one of the primary reasons the White team was able to walk away victorious. Andre Carl (Michigan) delivered the best performance of the weekend statistically speaking, as his complete game for the Gray team handed the white team its only loss of the weekend. Carl has an athletic, projectable frame and was able to land all 3 of his pitches for strikes. If he adds velo, he will be an arm that generates a lot of collegiate interest.

One of the most striking aspects of this event were the amount of extremely talented underclassmen. Steven Whitted was an immediate standout because of his clean infield actions during the showcase portion of the event, as well as his plus bat speed from the left side. He was able to utilize these tools in game as well, producing several hits, stolen bases and smooth actions on the infield. Joseph Rutledge of the White team was the youngest player at the event, but that didn’t stop him from having one of the better performances of the weekend. His infield actions are excellent and he demonstrated a patient approach to compliment a balanced, linear swing. Once he develops physically as an athlete, he has a chance to be an elite high school player. 2025 OFer Jack Burle stood out at the plate, putting together one of the better BP rounds and amassing several hits over the course of the weekend. His skillset in the outfield is still developing, but he creates natural extension in his swing and clearly has feel for the barrel at a young age. It is easy to imagine him becoming a legitimate power bat as he gets older.

It was a memorable weekend at Terry Park, and it will be exciting to see how these players progress in the next six months through their high school and travel ball seasons.

All-Tournament Team

1B – Carson Kaye

2B – Joseph Rutledge

SS – Steven Whitted

3B – Tyler Floyd

OF – Landen Graves, Jack Burle, Kaleb Knaust

C – Carden Underwood

UTL – Alex Ford

Pitcher – Dallas Phillips, Landon Potts, Andre Carl