Ethan Stith

Founder of @463network
Scouting/Media @ZionAthletes

[Aaron Cunningham 🇺🇸 @HPBAac]

Players,

I promise the 24-48 hour dopamine hit you’re going to get posting your commitment isn’t worth years of picking the wrong fit in college.

Take your time. It’s not a race. Find the right fit for YOU!

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

👀 Juco Sophomores to keep a close eye on this year:

@rowindonaldson @MorganGarrett06 @g_compton5 @TrevorM3408 @dyllanthiebaud1 @TobiasImming @TrentProsperi @CollinToedter @Luke__Beeler @GageKooyers @_KaiReid_ @KanyonMillar5

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

Baseball is electric

[Avi Miller @AviMiIIer]

Side view camera angle of Colton Cowser's home run robbery that the highlight clips are missing:

[Wharton Baseball @WCJC_Pioneers]

SmartPark is officially live at Corbett Park! Another big addition to our player development program and our commitment to giving our guys the tools to get better every day.

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

5 Texas JUCO programs I’m especially excited to watch this year:

@BlinnBaseball - Arguably the most talented roster they’ve ever had. The coaching and pitching development here are elite, and after coming that close last year, I expect them to be right back in the mix. I would not be surprised at all if this group won the whole thing.

@NavarroBasebal1 - A program I already really like on the pitching side that added a ridiculous amount of high-level offensive talent. There are some freshmen in this lineup that I think could really stand out. I’m expecting the offense to take a huge step forward this year, and that makes Navarro really interesting to me.

@PanolaBaseball - A program I’m expecting to bounce back in a big way. Last year was disappointing by their standards, but they added some top-shelf pitching and there’s talent all over the diamond. Wouldn’t surprise me if they’re one of the bigger turnaround teams this year.

@WCJC_Pioneers - Really liked what they did recruiting-wise. This is a program that always seems to hang around and be competitive, and I think this year’s group has a chance to make some real noise.

@SJRaven_BB — The talent is undeniable. Once again, there are legitimate dudes all over this roster. When you have that much ability on the field, the ceiling is always going to be high and they have more than enough talent to make a run.

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

Fastball shape is something I’ve started paying a lot more attention to when evaluating HS/JUCO arms.

I watched a guy in the playoffs last year throwing 85-87 mph two-seamers with a ton of arm-side run. He was facing a lineup with multiple P4 commits and still stood out as one of the best players on the field. Hitters just couldn’t pick it up. That stuck with me.

85-87 isn’t going to jump off the radar gun, but an outlier shape that good hitters consistently struggle with gives you something really interesting to build around.

That’s also why I love seeing young arms experiment with different fastball shapes. You could have a five-pitch arsenal where three of the five are technically fastballs. If a four-seam, sinker and cutter are coming out of the same tunnel and taking three different shapes, think about how difficult that makes life on a hitter.

Compare that to knowing you can sit on a four-seam that’s coming 50% of the time.

My advice to young pitchers: experiment. Try different grips and shapes and figure out what your arm naturally does well. Then learn the purpose of each pitch, where it plays and what types of hitters it works against.

You don’t need to chase someone else’s idea of a “perfect” fastball. Find the shapes that make your arsenal difficult to hit.

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

Seeing a ton of hate for this, but attention to detail is exactly why TCS isn’t going to have communication issues when it comes time for the season. They’ll be better prepared than most because they spend time on meticulous things that may not seem like they matter in the moment.

At the highest levels of baseball, the small things are magnified and they matter a ton. Getting those details right now is what prepares guys for those moments when they actually do matter.

There’s a reason TCS has produced 349 college commits and 40 D1 players over the last 10 years. You can call this excessive, but I’d argue this level of attention to detail is a big part of why their players are so prepared when they get to college baseball.

[TCS Baseball @TCSPostGrad]

The ball was caught.

IT STILL WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH. ⚾️

After 30+ minutes of the 21-Out Drill in 100° heat on turf, the final out was secured on a pop-up.

But the communication was wrong.

Coach Cunningham - an 18-year college baseball coach - didn't let it slide.

Lower-priority fielder: 1 ball call.
Higher-priority fielder: 3 ball calls.
The SS, moving into the outfield, made a 3 ball call when his priority required only 1!

Some call that too demanding.

GREAT COACHES CALL IT THE STANDARD.

A good result doesn't excuse poor execution.

THE CATCH MATTERS.
THE COMMUNICATION MATTERS MORE.

Details win games. 🔥⚾️

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

Traditionally smaller JUCO programs are finding ways to create an edge.

Something I’ve noticed more and more is programs that haven’t traditionally been considered powers finding creative ways to compete with the schools that have been at the top for years.

Some are doing a tremendous job with social media, visibility and promoting their players. Others are leaning into analytics and finding new ways to develop, especially on the pitching side.

Recruiting has changed too. If competing for the same players in Texas isn’t your advantage, go find them somewhere else. More programs are expanding into other states and internationally and finding really good players.

The interesting part is how these edges can build on each other. Better development leads to more players moving on. That creates more visibility, which helps recruiting, which brings in better talent and creates even more success.

Once a program starts building that momentum, the gap can close pretty quickly.

Smart programs are finding their edge, building on it, and making JUCO baseball deeper because of it.

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

Part of why I feel so strongly about this is that I hate seeing the in-person side of professional scouting continue to shrink.

I understand there’s a lot that goes into how organizations structure their departments, but I’ll always believe there’s tremendous value in having great evaluators at the field.

A scout with a great eye for players can impact an organization for years.

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

One of the biggest green flags for me when evaluating a player is someone who consistently plays above their raw ability.

Not everyone is going to have the loudest tools. Some guys are undersized, don’t have huge power or velocity, or just aren’t going to jump off a metrics sheet. But when the game starts, they consistently find ways to impact it.

Competitiveness and baseball IQ are two traits I value extremely high. Understanding situations, making adjustments, rising to the level of competition and finding ways to perform when things aren’t going perfectly all stand out.

I especially notice it with pitchers. Seeing a guy compete through an outing without his best stuff and still find ways to get outs can tell you a lot about him.

This is also a big reason why I value seeing players in person. You can learn a lot from video and data, but competitiveness, feel for the game and how a player handles different situations become much more visible when you’re actually at the field.

When talent levels are similar, those traits can be a massive separator.

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

One of the biggest green flags for me when evaluating a player is someone who consistently plays above their raw ability.

Not everyone is going to have the loudest tools. Some guys are undersized, don’t have huge power or velocity, or just aren’t going to jump off a metrics sheet. But when the game starts, they consistently find ways to impact it.

Competitiveness and baseball IQ are two traits I value extremely high. Understanding situations, making adjustments, rising to the level of competition and finding ways to perform when things aren’t going perfectly all stand out.

I especially notice it with pitchers. Seeing a guy compete through an outing without his best stuff and still find ways to get outs can tell you a lot about him.

This is also a big reason why I value seeing players in person. You can learn a lot from video and data, but competitiveness, feel for the game and how a player handles different situations become much more visible when you’re actually at the field.

When talent levels are similar, those traits can be a massive separator.

[WIN Reality @WinReality]

@WCJC_Pioneers just signed on with WIN SmartPark.

Coach @treyporras & the Pioneers have built a pipeline that reaches the professional level and now they’re adding elite tracking technology to keep it going

The future of development is here!

Link Below: https://t.co/Ubn5pNa0yU

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

@JustinEclavea Well deserved!

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

I think Murray State deserves to be talked about with some of the best offensive programs in JUCO baseball.

The amount of D1-ready hitters they consistently recruit and develop at an NJCAA DII in small-town Oklahoma is pretty remarkable. Power bats, table setters, different types of hitters — they find them and develop them.

And every time I watch Murray State, their guys are ready to go. They’re prepared, they compete, and they play like they expect to win. That goes beyond just the hitters too. They’ve developed some really high-level arms over the years as well.

They may be DII, but from a talent and development standpoint, I think they can compete with just about anybody in JUCO baseball.

Murray State is a powerhouse.
@MSC_Baseball @sambjorling @JustinEclavea

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

JUCO sophomore to keep a close eye on this fall 👀 Has some light tower power @KanyonMillar5 @TC_Leopards @nathanmedrano9

[Kevin Millar @KMillar15]

Okayyyyyy @KanyonMillar5 1st ab of fall 112 exit velo homer! I’m learning the lingo. Dad used to say circling the pillas 🇺🇸 @TC_Leopards

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

One thing JUCO players cannot afford to overlook is getting consistent video.

A lot of guys do a great job of getting video throughout high school because they’re trying to get recruited. Then they commit to a JUCO, get on campus, and get complacent with it.

Getting to JUCO isn’t the finish line. For a lot of guys, it’s where the recruiting process really starts again.

And that process isn’t just about how good you are. It’s also about who knows about you and who can get your name in front of the right people.

That’s where video matters.

A coach can send your video to another coach. A scout can send it to someone in his organization. Someone who follows you can put it in front of a program that has never seen you play.

MLB organizations are relying more on video and data in evaluation, and college coaches simply can’t be at every field to see every player they’re following.

Don’t get complacent just because you’ve already been recruited once.

Keep getting video. Keep putting yourself out there. Make it as easy as possible for the right people to find you and evaluate you.

Being good matters. Making sure people know you’re good matters too.

[WIN Reality @WinReality]

@NTCC_Baseball just signed on with WIN SmartPark.

1996 NJCAA DI National Champions. Home to a 25-ft Green Monster replica at Eagle Field in Mount Pleasant, TX — the Eagles are one of JUCO baseball’s most unique programs.

Link Below: https://t.co/Ubn5pN9sJm

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

Region 5 North could be really interesting this spring.

Weatherford, McLennan and Grayson are the established powers and you expect all three to be right in the middle of it.

But Hill College is the team that could make things interesting. They took a big step forward last year, return a lot of quality pitching from that group, and competed well with Midland in the postseason. There’s a lot to like about where that program is headed.

Temple is another program you can never really count out.

Should be one of the more competitive races in JUCO baseball this spring.

#JUCObaseball | #TXJUCO

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

Every pitch should have a purpose.

Pitching is more than having good stuff. It’s understanding how each pitch in your arsenal plays, what shapes you can create, where those pitches are most effective, and how they work together to get hitters out.

The best pitchers are constantly processing information. How does my plan change against a RHH vs. LHH? What does this hitter do damage on? Is he looking to ambush early? Does he expand with two strikes? When does he trigger? What are his swings telling me about what he’s seeing and looking for?

I think arsenal building is one of the more underrated parts of pitcher development, and something more time should be spent on. It’s not just about developing better pitches, but understanding how those pitches complement each other and building an arsenal with a purpose.

Then you have to know how to use it.

To me, that’s part of being a competitor. Study hitters, read swings, understand your own strengths, make adjustments and look for every possible edge you can find.

Good stuff matters. Knowing exactly how, when and why to use it can separate you.

[Ethan Stith @EthanStith1]

Navarro’s incoming freshman class is loaded.
@NavarroBasebal1

A lot of athleticism, physicality and legitimate next-level talent coming into that program this fall. There are several names I’m extremely high on that I think people will know pretty quickly once the season gets going.

This group is going to be a lot of fun to follow this year.