February 23, 2023

Andrew Ciechanowski | Operations | Firecracker Sports

Elevated Exposure Event scouted by NTIS/USA Baseball (2.20.23)

In partnership with USA Baseball, Firecracker Sports hosted the first stage of the National Team Identification Series (NTIS) at the CT Sports Arena this past Monday.  We saw 33 players attend the inaugural event, with ages ranging from 10 years old to 15.  Thank you to the CT Kings and CT Sports Arena for allowing us to host at their facility.

While each player displayed their abilities for the evaluators, we would like to highlight some top performers from the event as well as some younger guys to keep an eye on this spring and summer.  Click on each player throughout this article to see their recruiting profile!

1. Christian Robitaille LHP/UTIL 2026. New Milford High School (CT) 6’1” 158lbs Bats R Throws L

Christian is a freshman southpaw with a ton of potential.  He showed very well at the event, landing himself in the top 5 for both hitting and pitching metrics.  It will be fun to watch him develop throughout his high school career.

2. Griffin Blum RHP/1B 2025. Shepaug High School (CT) 6’4” 180lbs Bats R Throws R

Griffin is a sophomore pitcher with a very solid arm.  He led the group on Monday in both peak FB velocity (80.2mph) and IF velocity (75mph).  He has four pitches, and likes to use the bottom half of the zone.

3. Trevor Hodne 2B/CF 2029. Hopkinton Middle School (MA) 5’0” 95lbs Bats R Throws R

Trevor was one of the top performers from our younger group.  He had a great day all around, most notably his hitting performance.  He has great swing mechanics for his age, posting an average exit velocity of 69.8mph and a peak of 73mph.  It will be exciting to watch him as he grows into his body over the next few years.

Event Leaderboards

30 Yard Dash

• Gianni Barberio (3.70s)
• Griffin Blum;  Bethlehem, CT (3.81s)
• Josh Cirillo; Waterbury, CT (3.91s)
• Christian Robitaille; New Milford, CT (4.03s)
• Sean Figueroa; Hamden, CT (4.06s)

Catcher Pop Times

• Miles Wilson; Washington Depot, CT (2.12s) 
• Conor Mullin; Congers, NY (2.25s)
• Kasen Aybar; Waterbury, CT (2.31s)
• Lawrence Roccamo; Danbury, CT (2.33s)
• Niko Verses; Bethel, CT (2.35s)

OF Velocity

• Luke Panasci; Middlebury, CT (74mph)
• Christian Robitaille; New Milford, CT (70mph)
• Alex Landau; Wilton, NY (70mph)
• Adam Chila; Danbury, CT (68mph)
• Gianni Barberio; (62mph)

INF Velocity

• Griffin Blum; Bethlehem, CT (75mph)
• Sebastian Herrera; Pittsfield, MA (75mph)
• Niko Verses; Bethel, CT (75mph)
• Tucker Whitley; Hope, ME (74mph)
• Conor Mullin; Congers, NY (73mph)

Hitters: Peak Exit Velocity

• Franklin Flippone; Southbury, CT (88.4mph)
• Lucas Hodne; Hopkinton, MA (83.1mph)
• Luke Panasci; Middlebury, CT (81.9mph)
• Christian Robitaille; New Milford, CT (81mph)
• Alex Landau; Wilton, NY (80.9mph)

Pitchers: Peak FB Velocity

• Griffin Blum; Bethlehem, CT (80.2mph)
• Alex Landau; Wilton, NY (78.5mph)
• Luke Panasci; Middlebury, CT (77.7mph)
• Christian Robitaille; New Milford, CT (76.1mph)
• Sebastian Herrera; Pittsfield, MA (75.9mph)

Be sure to check out our College Showcase Camps in 2023! Registration for these events is OPEN, and can be found here.  Remember, spots are limited to maximize your attention from college coaches and pro scouts while giving you more reps than other traditional showcases.  So be sure to register soon! Do you have an indoor facility? Are you interested in hosting a USA Baseball NTIS event?  Reach out to us today!  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact dkennedy@firecrackersports.com for more information