John Smith of Puxico throws under the watchful eye of PRO-DAY staff member Matt Wood on Tuesday at at Raider Field. (Alex Abate/DAR)

By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer

Puxico's John Smith got set and fired a fastball to the catcher as hard as he could. This fastball was one of many Smith threw Tuesday afternoon.

Smith, along with other pitchers and position players, was at Raider Field displaying their various baseball skills at the PRO-DAY Southeast Missouri Baseball showcase.

The players were graded on skills such as hitting, fielding, baserunning, arm strength, accuracy and pitching. The players evaluations are kept on file throughout their high school career or are sent off to college's of the players choice. It really helps players get noticed by college coaches, PRO-DAY director Jeff Gross said.

"They can get on the radar of other colleges so they can start recruiting them at an early age," Gross said. "That is why we start players when they are freshman, they get their name out there before their senior year and they don't get left behind."

Bernie pitcher Quinton Stevens attended the showcase just to get more knowledge of the game.

"I want to better myself and learn from people that know what they are talking about," Stevens said. "I need to work on placement of the ball and accuracy and different pitches."

Gross feels like there is a place to go for many players that might not be your top Division I schools like Texas or Arkansas.

"What we tell guys is to go somewhere where you can play right away," Gross said. "It might be the smaller school, might be the JUCO, might be the mid-level. We feel like there is a place for everybody and their skill level and our evaluations help guys to get a more realistic idea of where they are."

In a one-day showcase such as this, the staff looks for tools that might benefit the players as they move ahead in their baseball careers. However, some aspects of the game just come naturally for players that attend the clinics.

"A guy can throw so hard and hit with power and the five tools and all that but a guy that runs well, that is just God-given," Gross said. "We can teach them how to throw a little harder and swing a little bit better."

Many players dream of playing baseball in college and this can become a reality if a player can run, throw or hit the ball productively.

"If you can do one of those really strongly, you can play college baseball," Gross said. "If you can do two-out-ofthree, you have a chance to be a pro prospect. Doing the showcases here, our goal is to help players get to the next level."

Smith, a lefty, has a goal of gaining speed on his pitches with an eye on the future.

"My goal is just to gain miles per hour so I can get to the next level at college," Smith said.