About the only thing disappointing about the first day of games of the highly anticipated 2024 New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series National Combine was the weather finally catching up with us in the end.
But even an on again, off again, and then very on again series of persistent showers couldn’t put a damper on the festivities at Hawkins Field at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where some big arms and some FSS veterans put on a show until the third game was finally suspended heading into the fifth inning.
Here’s a quick look at a few of the standouts from the first day of games…
RJ COPE, LHP, CLASS OF 2026
One of the top talents of the 2026 grad class, Cope dazzled at times during his two inning outing for the Black team on Tuesday, striking out two batters while touching 91 miles per hour with a fastball that had little trouble cutting through the rain. Having been up to 93 earlier this summer, it’s fair to say that a slick mound with some challenging conditions that would affect someone’s confidence with their landing spot may have contributed to an outing that wasn’t quite as crisp as we’d seen in the past, but the big, lanky lefty was overall pleased with an effort that puts him in contention for a trip to Minute Maid Park.
“It was really good,” he said. “My first inning, I came out and dominated. I always try to stay in the zone as much as I can, that’s the biggest thing for me, throwing strikes. My slider was on today, my changeup, my fastball was on. I could command everything in the zone really well. That second inning, I came out and faced some really
good hitters. But I faced adversity, and I came through and got out of it with a (three-pitch) strikeout to end it, and I was pumped.”
With FSS CEO and president Jeremy Booth having put a David Price comp on Cope, it was certainly interesting to see him get to pitch at Price’s alma mater at Vandy…his focus, however, was on a different venue, with the National Combine serving as the final proving ground to potentially earn a trip to the Main Event in Houston.
“I’m excited,” Cope said. “If I get the call to go to both (Fenway and Houston) or one, it doesn’t really matter to me, I’ll go showcase what I got. That’s all I do, I just like to pitch and hit and do everything I can.”
MA’KALE HOLDEN, INF/RHP, 2025
While Cope has long been one of the darlings of the amateur circuit — and rightfully so — it’s only been somewhat recently that there’s been some attention given to Alabama commit Ma’Kale Holden. It was easy to see why on Tuesday night. On a day full of some of the top arms at the event, it was Holden who topped the velo charts with a 93.5 MPH fastball that came after he played the field earlier in the game for the Red squad.
“Just going out there and being myself,” Holden said. “Wanted to compete in the zone, throw a lot of strikes and execute my pitches, and I felt like I did that today. To God be the glory.”
Holden certainly has plenty of God-given ability, and displayed that on both sides of the ball, delivering a hit at the plate and two scoreless innings from the bump. A true, legitimate two-way player, he hopes to be able to keep that going, whether his next step is heading to campus at Alabama, or going in the 2025 MLB Draft.
“Two-way is something I want to do,” he said. “I’m committed to Alabama as a two-way, so I want to two-way as long as I can.”
BENTON HICKMAN, RHP, 2025
A recent commit to the University of Arizona, Hickman continues to open some eyes. His outing on Tuesday in the finale of the first day of games did so and then some, as he carved up the competition for two innings relying heavily on a slider-fastball mix with the latter sitting between 88-89 on the gun. An FSS veteran with no less than eight event appearances under his belt, he’s another name to watch as the focus starts to shift towards the 2025 MLB Draft.
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