POPLARVILLE, MS — The South Mississippi Preseason ID was held on Sunday, January 18th at Pearl River CC in Poplarville, MS that featured top talent from the 2027-2030 classes. Players went through a pro-style workout with TrackMan and VALD Performance tech, while pitchers threw in a bullpen setting and were able to get data and metrics on our TrackMan unit.

Some prospects built on past showings, while others made strong first impressions.

We continue our post-event coverage with a look at some of the TrackMan leaderboards from the event, with more breakdowns and full scouting reports coming soon.

+ View all event stats HERE.

 

+ To view the updated Player Rankings, CLICK HERE.
+ Interested in attending an event? CLICK HERE for event schedule.
+ To stay updated on news around the Magnolia State, CLICK HERE.
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MAX FASTBALL & AVERAGE SPIN RATE

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 FASTBALL HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

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 SLIDER SPIN RATE

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 CURVEBALL SPIN RATE

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

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)

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.

PEAK ESTIMATED BATTED DISTANCE (HITTING)

 

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.

 

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UPCOMING 2026 PRESEASON EVENTS ⤵️

SHOWCASE	DATE	LOCATION
South Mississippi Preseason ID	01/18	Pearl River CC - Poplarville, MS
Central Mississippi Preseason ID	01/19	GRIT Training - Flowood, MS
Mississippi Preseason All-State	01/25	Mississippi State University - Starkville, MS

 

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