By: Trey Daly

Impact Baseball ID Camp hit the road to Greenville, North Carolina and the home of J.H. Rose High School. If you know anything about North Carolina High School baseball, this place is a treasure! Nothing like walking up and seeing the real “Goat” (Greatest of All Time) Coach Ronald Vincent. It was a great day for baseball, check out the details below!

Our ID Camps have been a big hit with college coaches. We’ve been flooded with player information requests from college coaches at all different levels. I’ve said it many times, if you are a good player and you are not getting recruited it’s likely because college coaches just don’t know who you are yet. Attending one or more of our ID Camps is a sure-fire way to be evaluated by people who can help you start the recruiting process. If you can play – we can help you.

Like always, in this article I’m going to break down my opinion of the Top 5 Prospects based off of what I saw at the ID Camp. This is not based off of what I may have seen in the past, strictly what I saw at camp. Also, you’ll find results and more opinions based on several other categories below.

*If you are a talented middle school or high school baseball player, we’d love to see you at our next ID Camp!  [Click Here for more information]

*College Coaches/Professional Scouts: If you have any questions or need any information on any of these players, please contact us!

Top 5 Prospects

1. Layton Dupree, INF/C/RHP, Tarboro HS – 2022 Grad
Layton Dupree does alot of things well on the baseball diamond. The first thing that sticks out to you is how athletic he is standing at 6 foot 5. Most of the time, when you see a kid that tall and lean kid, you think pitcher. This was not the case for Dupree! Although I do think his ticket is on the mound, he doesn’t need to hang up the position quite yet.

2. Jack Dalton, C/INF, Wake Christian – 2025 Grad
Jack Dalton might be a 2025, but his skill set is very advanced for his age. He’s a physical right handed hitter with impressive arm strength. The part I really like about Dalton, was in the box! He has a short compact swing that stays in the zone a long time. Keep an eye on this youngster as he continues to develop.

3. Cole Watkins, INF/RHP, JH Rose – 2022 Grad
The product from J.H Rose will be a guy to keep a close watch on. Watkins standing at 6’3 showed arm strength across the diamond reaching 85 mph. I really like Watkins on the bump, where he shows loose easy arm action where his fastball would also touch 85 mph. Cole has feel for a really good change up that sits around 70-71 mph that shows really good downward action. If Cole can master the breaking ball, he will be a problem on the bump. Alot to like on Mr. Cole Watkins!

4. Neo Drew, OF, SE Raleigh – 2023 Grad 
Drew is one intriguing player, I personal can’t wait to watch in the Spring. He showed tools all over the diamond including a 6.87 in the sixty yard dash. Even better news – he hits from the left side of the box! As they say, “you can’t teach athletic” and Mr. Neo Drew is that!!

5. Porter Braddy, OF/LHP, First Flight – 2022 Grad
Braddy put impressive numbers up all day on Sunday, but where I really liked the Junior is on the mound! This guy, I can tell is a nightmare for left handed hitters. The southpaw throws from a lower 3/4 slot that is very deceptive on the hitters. His fastball would touch 85 mph and showed a 73 mph breaking ball..

“Just missed” Top 5
Noah Smeltzer, C/INF, First Flight – 2022 Grad
Noah is another very athletic kid that had an impressive day on Sunday. He would show a 1.96 pop time and also show some bat speed from the right side of the dish. Noah would run a 7.27 to go with 80 mph infield velocity. Don’t let the “Just missed” Top 5 fool you, this kid can play!!

Trace Simmons, C, Rose – 2024 Grad
Physical, strong, good arm, receives these are all the qualities you want in a catcher! This describes Trace Simmons; yes he is a 2024 graduate, which is even scarier. Huge upside to this young man over the next few years and will be a very intriguing player to follow.

Thomas Conrad, INF, Indian River – 2024 Grad
The 2024 graduate Thomas Conrad has a chance to be a very good player! Long, lean, athletic, wiry Conrad will be a guy to keep a very close eye on in the next three years. He has really smooth hands and feet in the middle of the diamond that will allow him to stay there!

Top 5 60 Yard Dash Times
1. 6.87 – Neo Drew, OF, SE Raleigh, 2023 Grad
T-1. 6.87 – Logan Charlesworth, OF, Jack Britt, 2022 Grad
3. 6.90 – Porter Braddy, OF/LHP,  OF/LHP, First Flight, 2022 Grad
4. 6.91 – Shamon Thompson, OF/INF, Jonesboro, 2021 Grad
5. 7.00 – Xadiel Alejandro Frontanez , OF, South View, 2021 Grad

Top 5 Catchers Pop Times/Velocities
1. 1.96 – Noah Smeltzer, C, First Flight, 2022 Grad
2. 2.07 – Landon Fleming, C, Heritage, 2023 Grad
3. 2.14 – Trace Simmons, C, JH Rose, 2024 Grad
4. 2.16 – Colby Humphries, C, Crest, 2022 Grad
5. 2.19 – Layton Dupree, C, Tarboro, 2022 Grad

Top 5 Infielders
1. Layton Dupree, INF, Tarboro, 2022 Grad
2. Thomas Conrad, INF, Indian River, 2024 Grad
3. Jack Dalton, INF, Wake Christian, 2025 Grad
4. Cole Watkins, INF, Rose, 2022 Grad
5. Bromley Thornton, INF, New Hanover, 2023 Grad

Top 5 Infield Velocities
1. 87 – Layton Dupree, INF, Tarboro, 2022 Grad
2. 85 – Cole Watkins, INF, Rose, 2022 Grad
3. 80 – Noah Smeltzer, INF, First Flight, 2022 Grad
4. 77 – Ben Peeler, INF, Athens Drive, 2022 Grad
5. 76 – Jackson Moore, 1B, Ashley, 2023 Grad

Top 5 Outfield Velocities
1. 80 – Neo Drew, OF, SE Raleigh, 2023 Grad
2. 77 – Porter Braddy, First Flight, 2022 Grad
T-2. 77 – Xadiel Alejandro Fontanez, South View, 2021 Grad
T-2. 77 – Cole Drewery, Crest, 2022 Grad
5. 75 – Logan Charlesworth, Jack Britt, 2022 Grad

Top 5 Hitters in BP (No Live At Bats)
1. Jack Dalton, Wake Christian, 2025 Grad
2. Noah Smeltzer, First Flight, 2022 Grad
3. Cole Drewery, Crest, 2022 Grad
4. Neo Drew, SE Raleigh, 2023 Grad
5. Trace Simmons, Rose, 2024 Grad

Top 5 Power Hitters in BP (No Live At Bats)
1. Cole Drewery, Crest, 2022 Grad
2. Cole Watkins, JH Rose, 2022 Grad
3. Noah Smeltzer, First Flight,  2022 Grad
4. Ben Peeler, Athens Drive, 2022 Grad
5. Porter Braddy, First Flight, 2022 Grad

Top 5 Hitting Exit Velocities
1.  90 – Cole Drewery, Crest, 2022 Grad
2.  85 – Porter Braddy, First Flight, 2022 Grad
3.  84 – Cole Watkins, JH Rose, 2022 Grad
T-3.  84 – Graham Wike, Corinth Holders, 2023 Grad
5. 82 – Trace Simmons, Rose, 2024 Grad

Top 5 Pitching Prospects
1. Porter Braddy, First Flight, 2022 Grad
2. Layton Dupree, Tarboro, 2022 Grad
3. Cole Watkins, JH Rose, 2022 Grad
4. Jackson Moore, Topsail, 2023 Grad
5. Michael Gurganus, Bear Grass, 2025 Grad
T-5  Broomley Thornton, New Hanover, 2023 Grad

Top 5 Fastballs Velocities
1. 85 – Porter Braddy, First Flight, 2022 Grad
T-1 85 – Layton Dupree, Tarboro, 2022 Grad
3. 84 – Cole Watkins, JH Rose, 2022 Grad
4. 80 – Austin Moore, East Wake, 2022 Grad
5. 78 – Jackson Moore, Topsail, 2023 Grad