This past week, I made the trek to Cary, NC, and the USA Baseball National Training Complex for their 17u National Team Championships. Throughout the week, I was able to get live looks at some of the nation’s top 2025 recruits. Here, we’ll be diving into some of the standouts from the week as we start to look at the 2025 prep class and how they’re performing on the summer circuit ahead of next year’s draft.
1. Ethan Holliday (OK), SS/3B, Oklahoma State recruit
One of the top players in the class, Holliday, had a strong showing in Cary this past week. 6’4” 200lb frame, Ethan is significantly larger than his former number 1 overall pick brother Jackson. Holliday used this strength well throughout the spring, consistently posting exit velocities north of 100mph early on the summer circuit this year. The batted ball data is certainly enticing, but it’s what he’s doing when he’s not swinging that caught my attention. He just does not chase. It’s pretty evident top of the scale plate discipline and pitch recognition led to many walks and some backwards Ks due to HS summer ball umpires. The swing decisions might border on passive, but if he can consistently impact the baseball when he does swing, it will be a moot point. There is some swing and miss in the swing, and it currently profiles as power over hit, but I am a fan of the plate discipline and willingness to take his walks and not offer out of the zone. In the field, he looked smooth at SS, but there is a likely shift to 3B in pro ball, in my opinion.
2. Jaden Fauske (IL), OF/C, Louisville recruit
Fauske has, potentially, been my favorite swing in the class. Standing at 6’2” 205lbs, Fauske has a stocky frame with plenty of strength. I didn’t see much action in the field from him, but the actions at the plate more than sufficed. It’s a whippy left-handed swing that always seems to be under control and on the barrel with some authority. He picked up a pair of hits in my look at him, most notably with a blast of a double to the right-centerfield gap. It’s probably hit over power, but the power potential is real here as he possesses top-end bat speed and consistently impacts balls out front. It will be a top follow for the summer.
3. Joey Lorenzini (CA), LHP, Uncommitted
Currently uncommitted, Lorenzini certainly looked the part in his outing in Cary. Lanky, athletic frame at 6’5” 215lbs. Clean mover down the mound with a consistent, repeatable delivery and a high ¾ arm slot. Lorenzini worked mostly 90-91 mph in this outing with the fastball, touching 92 mph a few times. The pitch featured plenty of armside run with above-average command and a good bit of extension, causing it to jump on hitters. He worked in a slider at 79-82 mph as his primary secondary offering. The pitch had tight spin and sharp, late break with good feel to land it whenever in counts. He also mixed in a changeup in the low 80’s that had fading life to it. Some starter traits are present here with three solid pitches, and the projection is certainly there. High follow for both colleges and professional scouts this summer.
4. Dylan Dubovik (FL), 3B/UTL, Miami recruit
Standing at 6’4” 210lbs, Dubovik has a wiry, athletic frame with some twitch present throughout his game. I got a limited look at Dubovik, but he was really impressive at the plate. It’s a smooth, compact swing with some real hand speed present. Stays inside the ball with a good feel for the barrel and some power present. Unfortunately, he was the DH in the game I saw, so I didn’t get to see him play the field, but he was measured at 98 mph from both the outfield and infield this past winter. Also ran a 6.59 60. There are tons of average to above-average tools across the board, though the arm strength may be the highest of them all. Will be a good follow throughout the summer.
5. Kayson Cunningham (TX), MIF, Texas Tech Recruit
Cunningham may lack some of the size of some of these other players on this list, but don’t let it fool you. He stands at 5’9” 170lbs with a lean, athletic frame. He’s an incredible athlete, posting run times under 6.55 before this summer. In the field, he’s smooth with soft hands and solid arm strength. A shift to second base is likely coming moving forward, but he currently plays shortstop on the summer circuit. Cunningham’s carrying tool will be the hit tool, which did not disappoint in Cary as he played himself onto the All-Tournament team. He utilizes a leg kick for timing but stays controlled throughout the swing, leading to consistent barrels. There’s some sneaky power present here, as he does a really good job of getting the most out of the smaller frame. The athleticism and barrel-to-ball skills will continue to carry him as he progresses to the next level.
6. Caleb Barnett (AL), 3B, Alabama recruit
Standing at 6’5” 210 lbs, Barnett is physically imposing with the tools to back it up. At the plate, there’s some serious raw power that he put on display throughout the week. He does a good job of leveraging the baseball out front, and his direction keeps him working primarily gap-to-gap and through the middle of the field, though he could stand to work to the pull-side more frequently. There’s a bit of swing-and-miss and chase in the profile, but the raw power and bat speed are impressive and fun to watch. In the field, he’ll need to clean up some of the footwork and his hands to stay on the hot corner, but he has the arm to stick there. It’s an intriguing power profile that scouts will want to see on the summer circuit.
7. Tate Southisene (NV), MIF/OF, USC recruit
The Southisene family keeps producing really solid baseball players. Tate’s older brother, Ty, is a draft prospect in the 2024 class who’s committed to Tennessee, and the skillsets are eerily similar here between the two brothers. Tate stands at 6’ even, weighing in at 170lbs. There’s tons of athleticism and twitch in the frame, yielding itself plus raw power with some intriguing batted-ball data. The swing is whippy and explosive, and he gets the ball in the air frequently to tap into the raw power in the game. On the dirt, Tate shows advanced actions in the middle infield with smooth hands and solid footwork. The arm is above-average, and there’s a chance that he could stick at short at the next level. He also played center-field in one of the looks I got, where the actions looked just as smooth. Not an elite straight-line runner, but there’s plenty of acceleration that plays up in games on the field and on the basepaths. High follow. I would imagine he’ll fly up boards this summer.
8. Kruz Schoolcraft (OR), LHP/1B, Uncommitted
One of the bigger (pun intended) names in the 2025 class, Schoolcraft stands at a massive 6’8”, weighing in at 215lbs. It’s a lanky frame with plenty of room to fill out. For his size, he’s incredibly athletic and features some highly impressive body control. He’s young for the class as well, at 17.1, after reclassifying from the 2026 class. While Schoolcraft does hold legitimate 2-way potential, my money is on him being a pitcher at the next level. During his outing in Cary, he featured 3 quality pitches. The fastball sat 92-94, touching 96 a couple of times along with a handful of 95s, though he has been up to 97 in the spring. He gets pretty elite extension on the pitch and a fair amount of armside run. He also utilizes a changeup with plenty of depth, acting like a splitter for the most part. He has a very advanced feel for the pitch and goes to it often. He also incorporates a tight slider, although it grades out a step or two below the fastball/changeup combination. There’s still tons of projection left here, and as he works to find a tertiary option to the glove-side, he’ll continue to be a tough task to handle for opposing hitters due to the outlier extension and release angle.
9. Cole Raymond (CT), RHP, Georgia Tech recruit
Raymond looks to join the long line of elite pitching prospects to hail from the colder regions of the United States. Standing 6’3”, he has a longer, lanky frame with lots of room to fill out. Raymond put his full arsenal on display last week in Cary. With the fastball, he sat mostly 92-94 mph, topping out at 95 mph a handful of times. The pitch shape can be a bit inconsistent, but it features a good bit of ride to it when he stays behind it. He also brought a sharp, tight cutter to the table, which induced weak contact. His sweeper showed lots of glove-side horizontal break with a decent feel to land it. He’ll throw a changeup with both depth and fade to the arm side to cap off the impressive arsenal. It’s clear when watching that Raymond doesn’t have much in-game experience under his belt to this point, but the arm talent is certainly special. Should fly up boards in the 2025 class this summer.
10. Ryan Mitchell (TN), MIF, Georgia Tech recruit
Mitchell stands at 6’1” 180lbs, has a wiry frame, and plenty of room to fill out. He’s a solid athlete with some real twitch that shows up in the swing and the infield. The swing is explosive from the left side with natural loft to all fields. In my look at him in Cary, he blasted a 3 run home run to the opposite field, showcasing the twitch and strength. The bat speed jumps out, though I did have some concerns about the swing-and-miss and swing decisions as a whole during the look at him. However, the raw power, bat speed, and pure athleticism will surely pique scouts’ interest in him this summer.
11. Vincent DeCarlo (FL), C, NC State recruit
Quite possibly the premier defender at catcher in the 2025 class, DeCarlo stands at 6’ even with a sturdy 185lb frame. Behind the plate, he’s incredibly smooth with his receiving and has an impressive arm, featuring accuracy and velocity on his throw downs. He handled a really solid pitching staff with ease. Moves well behind the plate, blocking balls most of the time. It’s comfortable 60-grade defense at present, and he’s a lock to stay behind the plate at the next level. He’s a good athlete for a catcher, having posted 6.74 60 times before this summer. At the plate, it’s a disciplined approach with some hand speed present. The swing can get a bit pushy sometimes, but there’s not much swing and miss, and he flashes some raw power. There certainly is offensive projectability here, but the defense will be his carrying tool moving forward.