08/21/2016 - College PREP - Lebanon (Nashville), TN
Sam showed at 3B and in the OF for the first time at the event. At 3B, feet are active as he works around and plays through balls well with his body. Hands are soft / sure as he presents well out front. In the OF, he takes proper routes / angles in tracking down balls. Feet are aggressive as he works behind balls and plays through with momentum to his target. At the plate, he shows an athletic setup. Hands are quick and work to stay inside the ball, utilizing all fields through a line drive approach.
06/29/2016 - Under Armour Firecracker Classic 18U, powered by Baseball Factory's Team One
Sam had a solid showing at the event. At the plate, he showed an athletic setup. Hands are quick (80 mph exit velocity) and work through a level swing path. He shows a feel for the barrel with power showing best to the pull side. At 3B, he displays smooth, fluid actions. Feet are quick as he moves well laterally, displaying range. He plays through balls and presents glove well out front. Hands / feet work well together and he shows off his athletic abilities on his feeds of the double play. Mental makeup is a plus as he has a great personality, is very coachable and works hard to be the best player he can be.
05/22/2016 - College PREP - Murfreesboro (Nashville), TN
Sam continues to show improvements in his baseball tools at SS and on the mound. At SS, defensive abilities are now well above average, displaying smooth / fluid actions. He works to get around balls and moves well laterally, flashing range. Hands are soft / clean as he presents on time. He shows off his athletic abilities on the slow roller play. At the plate, hitting / power potential have improved through an athletic setup. Hands are quick) and work to and through a level swing path, creating extension. He staying inside the ball, utilizing all fields and shows a feel for barrel with the baseball jumping off the bat when centered. Power will increase as he works to use his lower half more efficiently. On the mound, breaking ball displays 11/5 shape with gradual break. He throws a knuckleball that flashes floating action. Getting on a long toss program will help to increase arm strength which will aid in his development on the mound. Sam has impressed our staff with his improvements over the years and his hard work has paid off. He will make a good addition to a college program next year.
08/16/2015 - College PREP - Lebanon (Nashville), TN
Sam showed on the mound and at SS at the event. On the mound, he works through a strong balance point and shows a loose / easy arm action. Fastball showed in the mid 70 range with solid arm side run. Breaking ball displays 10/4 shape with gradual break. He shows a promising knuckleball that displays good tumbling action. We have seen this pitch on a few occasions and it has been effective each time. Stock on the mound will rise quickly as he builds more arm strength through a long toss program. Control is a plus as he throws strikes with all his pitches. At SS, feet are active as he works to square balls up, displaying clean hands and confident actions. At the plate, he works to stay inside the ball, utilizing all fields through a solid line drive approach. He has a balanced set up and a level bat path.
06/13/2015 - Omaha National World Series - Session 1
Schau continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities. Foot speed has improved as he ran his best 60 time to date. At 3B, defensive grade has improved, displaying smooth / clean actions. Hands / feet work well together through the fielding process, presenting hands well out front. Defensive grade will continue to improve as he attacks balls more and plays through with his body. At the plate, he shows an athletic setup. Hands are quick and work through a level swing path. He shows a simple approach and makes consistent contact, mainly to the pull side. Lower half works and shows some pop in his bat. Hitting grade will continue to improve as he works to stay inside the ball to utilize all fields. On the mound, fastball showed a range of 67-70 mph with arm side run. Breaking ball displays 10/4 shape with sharp break. He maintains arm speed on his changeup showing a feel for with sinking action. Off speed stuff show potential as being quality pitches at the next level. Control is well above average as he throws strikes with all his pitches. Stock on the mound will continue to improve as he builds more arm strength. Mental makeup is a plus as he is great team player and carries himself in a positive manner with high energy -- very few players, if any, will outwork Sam. He is very coachable and works hard to be the best player he can be.
04/12/2015 - College PREP - Chattanooga, TN
Sam worked out as a 3B/RHP and continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities. At the plate is where he has improved the most through a squared / athletic setup. Hands are loose and quick, working through a level swing path. He shows a feel for the barrel and makes consistent contact as he works to stay inside the ball to utilize all fields. Power numbers will increase as he builds more overall body strength and creates more extension through the point of contact. At 3B, he shows active feet and clean hands as he attacks balls more and plays through. Defensive grade will continue to improve as he utilizes two hands through the fielding process and continues to increase foot quickness. On the mound, arm strength has improved as he threw his top velocity to date, topping out at 75 mph. Fastball shows a range of 73-75 mph. Breaking ball displays 10/4 shape with gradual break. He throws a knuckleball that flashes potential of being a quality pitch, displaying downward action. Stock on the mound will continue to improve as he builds more arm strength.
07/31/2014 - Baseball Factory Pro Select Training & Tournament at Historic Dodgertown
Sam showed as a 3B/RHP at the event and really improved his offensive / defensive numbers. Foot speed has improved as he ran his best 60 time to date. Defensive grade has improved as he displayed sure hands in making the plays. Feet are active but needs to attack balls more, playing through to continue to improve grade. At the plate, hitting grade has improved as well through an athletic setup. Hands are quick, flashing bat speed with hands working through a level line drive approach. Hitting grades will continue to improve as he works to get stride foot down sooner to work on timing, as well as developing a smoother, unrushed load. He had several quality at bats at the event. On the mound, fastball showed a range of 69-72 mph with arm side run. Breaking ball displays 11/5 shape with gradual break and he maintains arm speed on his change, displaying arm side run. He throws a knuckleball that resembles change but has sinking action. Stock on the mound will improve as he builds more arm strength, throws more strikes, and develops better off speed stuff. Mental makeup is a plus as he is very coachable with a strong work ethic. Sam is a smart baseball player and he wants to learn to take his game to the next level.
05/25/2014 - National Tryout - Murfreesboro (Nashville), TN
Sam continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities still projecting slightly better on the mound. Arm strength has improved as he threw his top velocity to date, topping out at 74 mph. Fastball shows a range in 72-74 mph. Breaking ball displays 11/5 shape with gradual break. He throws a knuckle ball but slows arm speed, tipping off pitch to hitters. Stock on the mound will continue to rise as more arm strength gained and works to throw more strikes. At the plate, his hitting has improved, through an athletic setup. He works on time, showing loose hands through a level swing path. Hitting grades will continue to improve as he increases bat speed. Power numbers will continue to improve as he learns to use his lower half more. At 3B, he works to square balls up and has improved his foot speed as he ran his best 60 time to date. He moves well laterally and displays clean hands but needs to attack balls more and play through while presenting hands more out front to improve defensive grade.
07/26/2013 - Baseball Factory National World Series at Pirate City
Sam is a young player who has a great attitude and has a positive influence on the game. In the infield, he has a good low fielding position and squares the ball up well. He has solid footwork and works through the ball towards his target. He can continue to work on loosening up his fielding position to make him quicker to react and improve his range. On the mound, Sam has a good presence and fills the zone up with strikes. He has a controlled balance point and separates on time showing athleticism. Grades will improve as he works on lengthening his arm action, getting better extension/finish, and using his lower half more (especially out of the stretch). Sam can also work on getting a better differential between fastball and off-speed pitch speeds. At the plate, he is a smart hitter and works his way into hitter's counts. He loads his hands well showing a short stride and a level swing. He can work on keeping his balance more centered instead of getting onto his front foot. Overall, we felt that Sam was a good team leader and a very positive player who worked hard to improve while at this event.
05/19/2013 - College PREP - Lebanon (Nashville), TN
Sam is a young SS/RHP with a strong lower half that will graduate in 2017. Defensively, his feet are active as he works to square balls up. He makes the routine plays, displaying clean hands. To improve defensive grades, he needs to attack balls more, improve foot quickness, and present hands more out front. Throws are accurate and he gets rid of the baseball quickly but needs to can work on building more arm strength through a long toss program. At the plate, Schau shows a squared / balanced approach. Hands are loose and work through a level swing path and he makes consistent contact, mainly to the pull side. For grades to continue to improve, he can work on keeping hands inside the ball to utilize all fields. Power numbers will continue to improve as he physically matures and as he learns to load more and use his lower half more efficiently. On the mound, fastball shows a range of 67-70 mph. Breaking ball displays 11/5 shape with gradual break. He throws a knuckleball that flashes good tumbling action. With 4 years of high school baseball to further develop, Sam has abilities with time and room to continue to improve.