Zippp. Pop. Zipppp. Pop. Zippp. Clunk. Pitchers trying to find the strike zone. Infielders trying to scoop up grounders and outfielders aiming for the cutoff man. Catchers grabbing the pitch and firing to an imaginary second base … sometimes high into the drywall way above the padding.

Over and over, more than 75 high school, college and junior college players, by invitation only, showcased their baseball skills for about 30 pro scouts and another 30 junior college and college coaches Sunday at the Spring Training indoor facility south of Sherman Field.

“I was found at one of these things,” said former Kansas City Royals pitcher Byron Embry. “I was at Indian Hills Community College and drove to Lexington (Ky.). I got drafted and played in the minor leagues because some scouts who had no idea of who I was saw me throwing at 95 miles per hour.”

Embry, who has played with the Lincoln Saltdogs lately, and Saltdogs’ All-Stars Bryan Warner and Josh Patton ran the showcase for promising baseball players.

“This is a great deal for those of us in coaching because once the season starts, we don’t get much time to see players,” said longtime Bellevue University coach Mike Evans. “We can get a feel for a kid’s ability, and we get to see them physically. That means a lot.”

Cleveland pro baseball scout Steve Abney, who was the pitching coach at Kansas the last three years, said the exhibitions for the scouts were invaluable.

“Nebraska, like most northern states, has high school baseball in very late March and April and then they’re done by mid-May,” he said. “A lot of the good players in Nebraska don’t even have high school ball. So we go to things like this because we don’t want to go into the June draft and have a kid pop up out of nowhere.

“It’s important to see a kid run the 60 (yard dash), throw a little, hit some balls and try a little fielding,” he said.

Although NCAA Division I coaches were prohibited from attending the exhibitions — Division I has a dead period in contacting and evaluating recruits from December to March — the rest of the college divisions are allowed to attend.

“I wouldn’t mind finding a pitcher or two,” said new Nebraska Wesleyan head baseball coach Bill Fagler. “If we can find a kid who is smart and can play baseball, we’re probably interested.”

Some of the players trying out were looking for a chance to go to a college or a junior college. Tyler Siegert of Omaha Skutt was recruited by Arkansas. But he wanted to leave the school, head for a junior college and get back to Division I in the future.

Andy Cotton of Lincoln Southwest already has signed a letter of intent to accept a scholarship from Nebraska, and Ian Dike, also of Southwest, has signed with Creighton. But both players wanted to go through the testing.

“It’s fun to see if you’re progressing or regressing in the offseason,” said Dike, who also plays football and basketball at Southwest. “I can say, I’m progressing. Thank goodness.”

Cotton, who also played football and now plays basketball for the Silver Hawks, said he went through the workouts to test himself and see how he compared with the other high school players. Cotton had the fastest 60-yard dash.

Dike and Cotton also work part time with Warner and Patton at the Spring Training facility.

“I’ve been working on hitting with Warner for a long time and that helps,” Cotton said. “It’s nice to see what you can do in the offseason. A lot of us have been through the showcases in different parts of the country, but it’s nice to have one right here at home. I think the Nebraska players will learn to appreciate the mid-winter showcase here.”

Warner said he was impressed with the effort of the high school kids working out in front of the pro scouts and college coaches.

“It’s good to get some baseball going when it’s 15 degrees outside, and it’s good to see a lot of these kids we’ve known for a long time get a chance at playing some more baseball after high school,” Warner said.

Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7314 or khambleton@journalstar.com.