Prep Baseball Report

River Run Fall Games: TrackMan Files


Prep Baseball Alabama Staff

NORTHPORT, AL - On Sunday, August 17th, the River Run Fall Games highlighted Opening Weekend at the newly opened River Run Park in Northport, AL, the new home for Prep Baseball Tournaments in Alabama. This event was an open event that consisted of prospects from the 2026-2030 classes. These players went through an pro-style workout that included batting practice using Trackman, defensive workout, Vizual Edge testing, and more. Pitchers were able to throw simulated innings during gameplay and were able to get numbers and metrics off of our Trackman unit, such as pitch velocity, spin rate, horizontal & vertical movement & much more. There were some players who showed up and continued to build off of prior performances, but there were also some new names who jumped onto our radar with a strong showing on Sunday.

Continuing our post-event coverage for this event, we dive into the TrackMan leaderboards gathered from the event. Please continue to check back over the next week, as we will release other leaderboards and individual scouting reports on each player present at the event. 

To view all statistics from the event, CLICK HERE.


MAX FASTBALL & AVERAGE SPIN RATE

Rank Name State School Class Pos Velocity (max)
1 Dylan Jordan AL Wetumpka 2028 LHP 86.3 mph
2 Kade Brantley AL Thompson 2027 1B 85.4 mph
3 Mick Tyrrell AL Bob Jones 2026 C 85.2 mph
4 Austin Kightlinger AL Northside 2027 SS 85.0 mph
5 Ryan Nichols AL Tuscaloosa County 2027 2B 84.7 mph
6 Brooks Smith AL Tuscaloosa County 2026 RHP 84.0 mph
7 John Lawrence Chittam AL Athens 2027 SS 83.9 mph
8 Bryson Boyington AL Tuscaloosa County 2027 OF 83.9 mph
9 Avery Haynes AL Etowah 2027 1B 83.8 mph
10 Bryce Lackey AL Lincoln 2028 3B 83.6 mph

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Austin Kightlinger AL Northside 2027 SS 2251 rpm
2 Ryan Nichols AL Tuscaloosa County 2027 2B 2229 rpm
3 Dylan Jordan AL Wetumpka 2028 LHP 2185 rpm
4 Matthew Murray AL Springville High School 2027 1B 2154 rpm
5 Avery Haynes AL Etowah 2027 1B 2147 rpm
6 Brooks Smith AL Tuscaloosa County 2026 RHP 2137 rpm
7 Layton Owensby AL Weaver High School 2028 RHP 2128 rpm
8 Mick Tyrrell AL Bob Jones 2026 C 2116 rpm
9 Kade Brantley AL Thompson 2027 1B 2080 rpm
10 Bryce Lackey AL Lincoln 2028 3B 2017 rpm

Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.

Spin Rate: This metric calculates the rate of spin on the baseball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Historical data shows that high-spin fastballs lessen the impact of gravity, allowing for more ‘rise’ (or less fall, in other words) as it carries through the zone. Low-spin fastballs typically indicate the pitch has greater horizontal action, often making it tougher to square up, but generally easier to make contact with, leading to more ground balls, while high-spin fastballs show a correlation with swings and misses.


AVERAGE INDUCED VERTICAL BREAK

Rank Name State School Class Pos IVB (avg)
1 Layton Owensby AL Weaver High School 2028 RHP 17.4 in
2 Avery Haynes AL Etowah 2027 1B 17.4 in
3 Christian Roberts AL Gulf Shores 2028 RHP 17.3 in
4 Ryan Nichols AL Tuscaloosa County 2027 2B 17.0 in
5 Elijah Degante AL Bob Jones High School 2026 SS 16.6 in
6 Dylan Jordan AL Wetumpka 2028 LHP 16.4 in
7 Jackson Drake AL Leeds High School 2027 SS 16.4 in
8 Matthew Murray AL Springville High School 2027 1B 16.3 in
9 Camden Cullen AL Fairview High School 2027 OF 16.0 in
10 Alex Kightlinger AL Northside 2030 C 14.9 in

Induced Vertical Break: As far as deception and importance goes, fast induced vertical break (IVB) may be the most important. Induced vertical break is not what is sounds. IVB simply means the pitch is "breaking" upward from the average level a pitch falls from release to home plate. This is a stat that you want to stay away from being average at. Fortunately, this can be tweaked slightly depending on release height. To put it simply, the higher number = more "rise" the pitch has compared to average. 


AVERAGE FASTBALL HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 Braden Mccrory AL Orange Beach 2026 RHP 18.3
2 John Lawrence Chittam AL Athens 2027 SS 15.5
3 Austin Kightlinger AL Northside 2027 SS 14.5
4 Jackson Drake AL Leeds High School 2027 SS 14.3
5 Mick Tyrrell AL Bob Jones 2026 C 13.1
6 Matthew Tucker AL Buckhorn 2027 1B -12.9
7 Elijah Degante AL Bob Jones High School 2026 SS 12.9
8 Dylan Jordan AL Wetumpka 2028 LHP -12.5
9 Matthew Murray AL Springville High School 2027 1B -11.6
10 Chase Williams AL Oxford 2028 OF 11.3

Horizontal Break: Outlined on TrackMan’s own website: “... horizontal movement is measured in inches between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate side-wise if had it traveled in a perfectly straight line from release. A positive number means the break was to the right from the pitcher’s perspective, while a negative number means the break was to the left from the pitcher’s perspective.”


AVERAGE CURVEBALL SPIN RATE

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Brooks Smith AL Tuscaloosa County 2026 RHP 2764 rpm
2 Dylan Jordan AL Wetumpka 2028 LHP 2389 rpm
3 Ryan Nichols AL Tuscaloosa County 2027 2B 2316 rpm
4 Eli Cantrell AL Madison County 2027 3B 2309 rpm
5 Avery Haynes AL Etowah 2027 1B 2140 rpm

Spin Rate: The metric calculates how fast the ball is spinning as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, reported in the number of times the pitched ball would spin per minute (“revolutions per minute” or “rpm”).


AVERAGE SLIDER SPIN RATE

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Austin Kightlinger AL Northside 2027 SS 2336
2 Layton Owensby AL Weaver High School 2028 RHP 2263
3 Kade Brantley AL Thompson 2027 1B 2233
4 Mick Tyrrell AL Bob Jones 2026 C 2132
5 Matthew Tucker AL Buckhorn 2027 1B 1763

Spin Rate: The metric calculates how fast the ball is spinning as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, reported in the number of times the pitched ball would spin per minute (“revolutions per minute” or “rpm”).


AVERAGE CHANGEUP HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 Austin Kightlinger AL Northside 2027 SS 17.7
2 Jackson Drake AL Leeds High School 2027 SS 15.8
3 Ryan Nichols AL Tuscaloosa County 2027 2B 14.3
4 Camden Cullen AL Fairview High School 2027 OF 13.9
5 Nolan Nicholson AL Madison Academy 2029 3B 13.6
6 John Lawrence Chittam AL Athens 2027 SS 13.2
7 Matthew Tucker AL Buckhorn 2027 1B -12.6
8 Christian Roberts AL Gulf Shores 2028 RHP 10.7
9 Bryce Lackey AL Lincoln 2028 3B 10.1
10 Chase Williams AL Oxford 2028 OF 6.7

Horizontal Break: This metric measures the distance, measured in inches, between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate side-wise if had it traveled in a perfectly straight line from release. A positive number means the break was to the right from the pitcher’s perspective, while a negative number means the break was to the left from the pitcher’s perspective.


PEAK EXIT VELOCITY (HITTING)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (max)
1 Donovan VanScyoc AL Thompson 2026 1B 106.2 mph
2 Jaxson Dohrman AL Chelsea 2027 OF 100.7 mph
3 Ryan Nichols AL Tuscaloosa County 2027 2B 99.2 mph
4 Mason Gandy AL Guntersville 2027 C 99.1 mph
5 Mick Tyrrell AL Bob Jones 2026 C 99.0 mph
6 Charlie Hare AL Springville 2027 OF 98.0 mph
7 Grayson Cannon AL Northridge 2026 2B 97.5 mph
8 Cole Spanier AL Bob Jones 2026 3B 97.1 mph
9 Cohen Thompson AL Scottsboro 2026 SS 97.0 mph
10 Avery Haynes AL Etowah 2027 1B 96.5 mph
11 Patrick Henderson AL Vestavia Hills 2027 OF 96.0 mph
12 Bryce Odom AL Ariton 2028 OF 96.0 mph
13 Camden Cullen AL Fairview High School 2027 OF 95.5 mph
14 Matthew Murray AL Springville High School 2027 1B 95.3 mph
15 Austin Kightlinger AL Northside 2027 SS 95.1 mph

Exit Velocity: This metric measures the speed of the ball, measured in miles per hour, as it comes off the bat at the moment of contact.


TOP AVERAGE EXIT VELOCITY (HITTING)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (avg)
1 Donovan VanScyoc AL Thompson 2026 1B 97.5 mph
2 Patrick Henderson AL Vestavia Hills 2027 OF 90.5 mph
3 Riggins Rogers AL Spain Park 2028 SS 90.5 mph
4 Avery Haynes AL Etowah 2027 1B 90.3 mph
5 Judd Sanford AL Northside 2026 SS 90.2 mph
6 Charlie Hare AL Springville 2027 OF 89.9 mph
7 Cole Spanier AL Bob Jones 2026 3B 89.8 mph
8 Andrew Edwards AL Brooks 2027 SS 88.8 mph
9 Ryan Nichols AL Tuscaloosa County 2027 2B 88.8 mph
10 Austin Kightlinger AL Northside 2027 SS 88.5 mph


PEAK ESTIMATED BATTED DISTANCE (HITTING)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Distance (max)
1 Avery Haynes AL Etowah 2027 1B 369 ft
2 Donovan VanScyoc AL Thompson 2026 1B 367 ft
3 Austin Kightlinger AL Northside 2027 SS 362 ft
4 Camden Cullen AL Fairview High School 2027 OF 360 ft
5 Cole Spanier AL Bob Jones 2026 3B 360 ft
6 John David Adkins AL Vestavia Hills High School 2026 3B 357 ft
7 Kade Brantley AL Thompson 2027 1B 355 ft
8 Dylan Jordan AL Wetumpka 2028 LHP 354 ft
9 Patrick Henderson AL Vestavia Hills 2027 OF 353 ft
10 Dylan Parrish AL Northridge 2026 C 352 ft
11 Walt Etheridge AL Southern Academy 2027 C 343 ft
12 Charlie Hare AL Springville 2027 OF 342 ft
13 Mick Tyrrell AL Bob Jones 2026 C 342 ft
14 Aiden DeRamus AL Thompson 2027 SS 342 ft
15 Riggins Rogers AL Spain Park 2028 SS 336 ft

Distance: This metric measures the estimated “carry flat” distance, measured in feet, meaning the distance that the ball travels before it lands, or would have landed if it were not caught or obstructed.


UPCOMING EVENTS ⤵️

SHOWCASE DATE LOCATION
Central Alabama Fall ID September 14th, 2025 Opelika High School (Opelika, AL)
North Alabama Fall ID September 28th, 2025 James Clemens High School (Madison, AL)
South Alabama Fall ID October 5th, 2025 Orange Beach Sportsplex (Orange Beach, AL)
Birmingham Fall ID October 26th, 2025 Pelham High School (Pelham, AL)

 

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