Cary, North Carolina spent the better part of this week functioning as an unofficial pre-draft audition. Evaluators lined the fences. Org notebooks filled up. And when Orange Lutheran walked off with the title Saturday, the scouts in attendance packed up their gear with a clearer picture of the 2026 class than they had when they arrived. Some players confirmed what the industry already believed. Others did something more valuable and surprised. Here are five names whose draft stock moved in the right direction.
Gary Morse, RHP -- Orange Lutheran
Everything else on this list comes with some level of nuance. Morse doesn't.
He threw a complete-game one-hitter against Regis Jesuit in the opening round and struck out 16 batters, tying the NHSI single-game record. One hit. Sixteen punch-outs. Going the distance against a quality lineup in a high-profile tournament environment with every evaluator in the building watching certainly won't hurt …