Two of the Philadelphia Phillies’ top pitching prospects have their roots in the prep ranks. Could they go back to high school for another?

The Phillies are waiting patiently on Andrew Painter, who is currently at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia has been incredibly patient as the right-hander missed all of the 2023 and 2024 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. He should join the Phillies sometime this year.

Mick Abel, another former prep right-hander, made his MLB debut recently and looked sharp. He was there to fill a gap in the rotation, but he should return to the Majors at some point soon.

It’s not easy developing prep talent into Major League pitching. Could the Phillies head back to that well in July’s MLB draft?

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel recently published his first mock draft, and he had the Phillies selecting a prep right-hander, Matthew Fisher, from Evansville Memorial High School in Indiana.

Naturally, the Phillies have some experience selecting right when it comes to high school pitching. It’s possible they could try to replicate those positive experiences with Fisher, who is McDaniel’s No. 40 overall player.

Painter developed quickly, going from first-round pick to potential MLB call-up in just two minor-league seasons. Abel needed much more time, as he made his debut after four full seasons in the minor leagues.

Chances are, the Phillies would be waiting a while on Fisher. But, given Philadelphia’s track record, they may end up with a future starter one day.

The Phillies selected shortstop Dante Nori out of Northville High School in Northville, Mich., with last year’s first-round pick. Nori is playing his first full professional season with Class A Clearwater.

In 2023, the Phillies selected Miller out of J.W. Mitchell High School in Trinity, Fla., in the first round. He is playing at Double-A Reading and bucking for a promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The Phillies’ 2022 first-round selection was outfielder Justin Crawford from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev. The son of former MLB outfielder Carl Crawford is at Lehigh Valley and in play for an MLB promotion if needed.

Painter was the Phillies’ first-round pick in 2021 out of Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Abel was Philadelphia’s first-round pick in 2020 was pitcher Mick Abel from Jesuit High School in Beaverton, Ore.

The 2025 MLB draft will be held Sunday and Monday, July 13-14, during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.

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Nouvel claimed its third consecutive Division 4 girls soccer district title, but it wasn’t easy.

The 14-5-1 Panthers edged Valley Lutheran, 3-2, in a district final Friday at Valley Lutheran, earning a trip to the Division 4 regional at Clare.

MORE: Frankenmuth tops Garber for D3 district title.

Nouvel, ranked seventh in the state, had beaten Valley Lutheran twice during the regular season, both by 5-0 scores. Valley Lutheran finish the season with an 11-7 record.

The Panthers head into a tough showdown in the district semifinals, taking on a 13-2-1 Leland team that is ranked third in the state. The two teams play at 5 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the regional semifinal between 8-8-2 Midland Calvary Christian and 6-13-12 Shelby.

Softball

Division 3 at Hemlock: St. Louis claimed its second consecutive district title with a 5-3 win over Ithaca and a 6-3 victory over Hemlock in the championship game. Paige Luneack allowed four hits and struck out nine in the semifinal win over Ithaca. Ellie Katt led the offense with two hits. Luneack threw another four-hitter in the win over Hemlock, striking out five. Katt had two more hits in the title game, while Olivia Brown hit a two-run homer.

Division 4 at Montabella: Coleman ended its season at 18-19 after dropping an 11-1 decision in a district semifinal to Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart. Kendall Allen led the Comets with three hits, while Isabelle Lewis added two.

Swan Valley 5-7, Birch Run 1-1: Chloe Bryce had two hits to lead Swan Valley in the opener, then two RBIs in the nightcap of the non-conference sweep. Shiloh Charboneau added two runs and a stolen base, with Mia Robinson earning the win. Robinson allowed four hits and three walks, striking out nine. Taylor Belanger had two hits for the Panthers. Grace Kerby earned the win for Swan Valley in Game 2, allowing three hits and one walk in five innings with eight strikeouts. Violet Boehler and Layla Shanks had two hits each in the second game.

Reese 6-10, Bay City Western 5-11: Reese split a pair of one-run games against Bay City Western in a non-conference doubleheader. Riley Vondette earned the win in the opener in relief, allowing two runs and six hits in five innings. Sydney DuRussel led the Reese offense with two hits and two RBIs. Ashtyn Frost paced Reese in the Game 2 loss with four hits and three RBIs, while Keira Campbell and Jaidyn VanOchten had two hits each. Campbell also drove in two runs.

Baseball

Division 3 at Sandusky: Caro lost a district semifinal game, 5-1, to Cass City to end its season at 20-16-1. Xander Grice suffered the loss despite not allowing an earned run in 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and three walks with six strikeouts. Ramona Zamora Jr. and Xander Grice led the offense with two hits each. The Tigers committed four errors.

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Top-ranked Blaine defeated Anoka on Friday night at Blaine Sports Complex with 12 unanswered runs to advance to the Class 4A Section 7 semifinal.

***Click the video box above to watch highlights from this game***

The quarterfinal matchup began with underdog hopeful Anoka going up 2-0 in the top of the second inning.

Blaine swiftly responded, putting up four runs to take a 4-2 lead heading into fourth inning.

The floodgates opened from there, as Blaine dominated and piled on seven more runs in the fourth and fifth innings to make the score 11-2. Blaine hit the 10-run rule to end the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Blaine moves on to play Andover in the section semifinal, while Anoka takes on Cambridge-Isanti in the elimination bracket.

To view the complete Class 4A Section 7 bracket, click here.

PEORIA (25News Now) – Peoria Notre Dame edged Morton, 1-0, to win a Class 2A Sectional soccer title.

In Class 2A softball, Brimfield won a Sectional title with a win over St. Bede. Henry, Havana and LeRoy all advanced to the 1A Elite Eight with Sectional Title wins.

In Class 3A softball, Washington, Pontiac, Dunlap and Metamora all earn Regional titles.

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