Connor Clark Switch-Hits and Switch-Pitches in Northwest Texas
Connor Clark did a little bit of everything on Sunday March 15 at Wayland Baptist University in Planview, TX — as the Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout tour rolled through Northwest Texas, with a stop in the Lubbock area.
As if it weren’t enough to be a switch-hitting catcher, he also jumped on the mound and threw pitches as both a right and left-hander. As a position player, his tools were solid to above-average pretty much across the board. His tools fell off when he got on the mound, especially left-handed, but it was impressive nonetheless to see a switch-pitcher (I’m not really sure that’s exactly what you call it, but it sounds good enough to me).
A 2016 graduate (Lubbock HS – Lubbock, TX), Clark posted a respectable 7.15 in the 60 yard dash, fell just short of nine feet in the broad jump at 8-foot-9, and posted release times between 2.03 and 2.20.
2017 C Dylan Moon (Randall HS – Amarillo, TX) posted the lowest pop time of the day, with a 1.94. When we saw him in May of 2014, his low time was 2.00. Since then, in addition to lowering his pop times, he has improved his fielding ability and hitting ability by around a half-grade on the Baseball Factory 10-70 scouting scale.
He posted 82 mph raw velocity, 84 mph bat exit velocity and got down the line (4.60 from the right side of the plate) better than he ran the 60 yard dash.
2016 OF Clay Schmid (Alpine HS – Alpine, TX) posted the only sub-seven 60 yard dash of day, with a time of 6.87. He recorded 83 mph at both the raw velocity and bat exit velocity stations, and featured a well-rounded set of tools without a glaring weakness.
Just an eighth-grader, 2019 SS/OF Jordan Matthews (Lee HS – Midland, TX) posted an impressive bat exit velocity of 89 mph. He generated speed through contact, and clearly was able to apply strength as well in order to generate ball speed approaching 90 mph.
The rest of his tools showed “younger”, but still advanced for his age. He ran better down the line (4.40 from the right side of the plate) than he did in the 60 yard dash, and posted a respectable raw velocity of 76 mph. He was better in the infield than he was in the outfield, but seems to be a versatile defender capable of playing both in the dirt and the grass — giving him options as he matures physically.
The Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout Tour is rolling through all 50 states. Tryouts are held for players ages 12-14 and 14-18. Don’t miss your opportunity to Be Discovered.
Find an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout near you and register online or call (800) 641-4487.