Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Data Dive: North Carolina Pitchers from the NC/SC Border Battle

June 26, 2026
Staff
Prep Baseball NC

2026 NC/SC Border Battle: Leaderboards, Notes & Analysis

The 2026 NC/SC Border Battle once again brought together many of the top underclass prospects from the Carolinas, as more than 120 players from the 2027, 2028, and 2029 grad classes gathered at UNC Charlotte's Robert & Mariam Hayes Stadium for two days of evaluations and competition.

The event began on Tuesday, June 9th with a complete workout day. Position players participated in offensive and defensive evaluations while collecting a wide range of measurable data and advanced metrics. Hitters went through multiple rounds of batting practice with TrackMan technology capturing batted ball data and BLAST Motion providing swing analytics. Defensively, players worked from their primary positions, allowing the Prep Baseball scouting staff to evaluate athleticism, range, footwork, arm strength, and overall feel for the game.

Players also completed athletic testing throughout the day, including laser-timed 60-yard dashes with 10-yard and 30-yard split times, along with jump testing to measure explosiveness and overall athletic ability.

Competition shifted to game action on Wednesday, June 10th as players took part in 8-11 innings of controlled scrimmages. The live game environment allowed scouts to evaluate how each player's measurable tools translated at game speed while providing valuable opportunities for hitters and pitchers to compete against some of the top talent from both North Carolina and South Carolina. Pitching data was collected throughout game play using TrackMan technology, providing advanced metrics and in-game performance analysis.

Following the event, each player's Prep Baseball profile will be fully updated with statistics, advanced metrics, video, and scouting reports, allowing college coaches and professional scouts to continue tracking player development throughout their high school careers.

Prep Baseball North Carolina and Prep Baseball South Carolina would like to thank all of the players, parents, coaches, and scouts who helped make the 2026 NC/SC Border Battle another outstanding event.

Over the coming days, Prep Baseball will release statistical leaderboards, scouting notes, and player reports highlighting the top performers from both days of action.

More information, including the full roster, statistics, and advanced metrics, can be found here:

Border Battle - North Carolina Pitchers Data Dive

FASTBALL

MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos Velocity (max)
1 Brax Thompson NC Providence 2028 RHP 91.0 mph
2 Ryder Anderson NC DH Conley 2028 RHP 88.0 mph
3 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP 88.0 mph
4 Elijah Martin NC Green Hope 2027 RHP 86.9 mph
5 Jack Vannoy NC Needham Broughton 2028 RHP 85.7 mph
6 Blake French NC Davie County 2027 OF 85.5 mph
7 Philip Daly NC C E Jordan High 2027 RHP 85.3 mph
8 Cooper Redfern NC Eastern Carolina Academy 2027 RHP 85.2 mph
9 Kaiwi Sharp NC First Flight High School 2029 SS 84.7 mph
10 Karsen Dodd NC Providence 2029 SS 84.5 mph
11 Joyner Haddock NC Junius H Rose 2027 OF 84.4 mph
12 Connor Stein NC Emsley A Laney High 2029 1B 83.8 mph
13 Cayden McFalls NC Lincoln Charter 2028 LHP 83.7 mph
14 CJ Nixon NC Grace Christian School 2029 LHP 83.7 mph
15 William Fansler NC Willow Spring 2028 RHP 83.4 mph

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

HIGHEST AVG. SPIN RATE

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Brax Thompson NC Providence 2028 RHP 2403 rpm
2 Joyner Haddock NC Junius H Rose 2027 OF 2207 rpm
3 Cooper Redfern NC Eastern Carolina Academy 2027 RHP 2170 rpm
4 Blake French NC Davie County 2027 OF 2141 rpm
5 CJ Nixon NC Grace Christian School 2029 LHP 2126 rpm
6 Trevor Snyder NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2029 1B 2106 rpm
7 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP 2102 rpm
8 Karsen Dodd NC Providence 2029 SS 2075 rpm
9 Aiden Kirk NC Grace Christian School 2028 LHP 2064 rpm
10 Jack Vannoy NC Needham Broughton 2028 RHP 2046 rpm

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.

HIGHEST AVG. IVB

Rank Name State School Class Pos IVB (avg)
1 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP 19.4 in
2 Connor Stein NC Emsley A Laney High 2029 1B 19.1 in
3 Philip Daly NC C E Jordan High 2027 RHP 18.0 in
4 PATRICK REYNOLDS NC Calvary Day School 2028 SS 17.9 in
5 Elijah Martin NC Green Hope 2027 RHP 17.8 in
6 Cayden McFalls NC Lincoln Charter 2028 LHP 17.0 in
7 Blake French NC Davie County 2027 OF 16.2 in
8 Jack Vannoy NC Needham Broughton 2028 RHP 15.8 in
9 Tyler Garnett NC Northside High 2028 LHP 15.7 in
10 Grayson Durrant NC Pro5 Academy 2029 C 15.5 in

Induced Vertical Break: Used in short form as "IVB," this metric is most important on fastballs for creating rise and on curveballs for creating depth – it can also have some use when measuring sliders and cutters as well. Sliders tend to be closer to zero inches while cutters are generally between 5 and 15 inches. Usually fastballs and curveballs with large IVB have higher spin efficiencies as well. Sliders generally have very little (closer to zero) IVB and very low spin efficiency. You could also categorize IVB into spin rate as this is part of the “useful movement” you’re looking for, and it’s also important to consider the pitch’s velocity as well as its release height when evaluating IVB measurements against each other.

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 William Fansler NC Willow Spring 2028 RHP 15.7
2 Brax Thompson NC Providence 2028 RHP 14.5
3 Ryder Anderson NC DH Conley 2028 RHP 14.3
4 Cooper Redfern NC Eastern Carolina Academy 2027 RHP 14.2
5 Trevor Snyder NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2029 1B -14.1
6 CJ Nixon NC Grace Christian School 2029 LHP -13.3
7 Aiden Kirk NC Grace Christian School 2028 LHP -12.2
8 Dylan McAvoy NC First Flight High School 2029 RHP 12.0
9 Bennett Bush NC Hoggard 2029 SS 11.8
10 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP -10.3

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.”

HIGHEST STRIKE ZONE RATE%

Rank Name State School Class Pos Zone %
1 Connor Stein NC Emsley A Laney High 2029 1B 80 %
2 PATRICK REYNOLDS NC Calvary Day School 2028 SS 75 %
^ CJ Nixon NC Grace Christian School 2029 LHP 75 %
3 Bennett Bush NC Hoggard 2029 SS 61 %
4 Ryder Anderson NC DH Conley 2028 RHP 61 %
5 Philip Daly NC C E Jordan High 2027 RHP 61 %
6 Cooper Redfern NC Eastern Carolina Academy 2027 RHP 60 %
7 Kaiwi Sharp NC First Flight High School 2029 SS 57 %
^ Karsen Dodd NC Providence 2029 SS 57 %
8 Elijah Martin NC Green Hope 2027 RHP 51 %
9 Blake French NC Davie County 2027 OF 50 %
^ Julian Guthrie NC Hoggard 2027 RHP 50 %
^ William Fansler NC Willow Spring 2028 RHP 50 %
10 Cayden McFalls NC Lincoln Charter 2028 LHP 47 %

For some context, in 2023 MLB pitchers averaged an In Zone% of around 49 percent in live game settings measured across all pitch types, according to Statcast.

CURVEBALL

HIGHEST AVG. SPIN RATE

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Brax Thompson NC Providence 2028 RHP 2716 rpm
2 Aiden Kirk NC Grace Christian School 2028 LHP 2492 rpm
3 Trevor Snyder NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2029 1B 2314 rpm
4 Blake French NC Davie County 2027 OF 2285 rpm
5 PATRICK REYNOLDS NC Calvary Day School 2028 SS 2140 rpm
6 Elijah Martin NC Green Hope 2027 RHP 2121 rpm
7 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP 2090 rpm
8 Connor Stein NC Emsley A Laney High 2029 1B 2046 rpm
9 Cooper Redfern NC Eastern Carolina Academy 2027 RHP 2004 rpm
10 Kaiwi Sharp NC First Flight High School 2029 SS 1990 rpm

HIGHEST AVG. IVB

Rank Name State School Class Pos IVB (avg)
1 Connor Stein NC Emsley A Laney High 2029 1B 10.5 in
2 Grayson Durrant NC Pro5 Academy 2029 C 9.8 in
3 PATRICK REYNOLDS NC Calvary Day School 2028 SS -9.4 in
4 Trevor Snyder NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2029 1B -7.4 in
5 Elijah Martin NC Green Hope 2027 RHP -7.1 in
6 Blake French NC Davie County 2027 OF -6.2 in
7 Brax Thompson NC Providence 2028 RHP -5.7 in
8 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP -4.3 in
9 Dylan McAvoy NC First Flight High School 2029 RHP -3.1 in
10 Cayden McFalls NC Lincoln Charter 2028 LHP 2.7 in

HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 Brax Thompson NC Providence 2028 RHP -18.7
2 Trevor Snyder NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2029 1B 15.2
3 Aiden Kirk NC Grace Christian School 2028 LHP 13.7
4 Blake French NC Davie County 2027 OF -12.7
5 Cooper Redfern NC Eastern Carolina Academy 2027 RHP -9.3
6 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP 9.1
7 PATRICK REYNOLDS NC Calvary Day School 2028 SS -8.1
8 Kaiwi Sharp NC First Flight High School 2029 SS -6.6
9 Julian Guthrie NC Hoggard 2027 RHP -4.9
10 Connor Stein NC Emsley A Laney High 2029 1B -3.2

SLIDER

HIGHEST AVG. SPIN RATE

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Jack Vannoy NC Needham Broughton 2028 RHP 2405
2 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP 2335
3 Karsen Dodd NC Providence 2029 SS 2145
4 Cooper Redfern NC Eastern Carolina Academy 2027 RHP 2131
5 Tyler Garnett NC Northside High 2028 LHP 2051
6 Philip Daly NC C E Jordan High 2027 RHP 2044
7 Joyner Haddock NC Junius H Rose 2027 OF 1985
8 Ryder Anderson NC DH Conley 2028 RHP 1976
9 Elijah Martin NC Green Hope 2027 RHP 1952
10 William Fansler NC Willow Spring 2028 RHP 1880

HIGHEST AVG. IVB

Rank Name State School Class Pos IVB (avg)
1 Caleb Anderson SC Wando 2027 2B 7.6 in
2 Kooper Evans SC Beaufort Academy 2029 3B 6.5 in
3 Ryder Thompson SC Mid-Carolina 2028 SS 5.7 in
4 Ryder Anderson NC DH Conley 2028 RHP 5.5 in
5 Brody Phillips SC Trinity Collegiate 2027 SS 4.9 in
6 Tyler Garnett NC Northside High 2028 LHP -3.8 in
7 Bennett Bush NC Hoggard 2029 SS 3.5 in
8 Callen Flowers SC West Ashley High 2029 3B 3.1 in
9 Cayden McFalls NC Lincoln Charter 2028 LHP 2.9 in
10 Jacob Wiggs SC Southside Christian 2027 3B 2.8 in

HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 Jack Vannoy NC Needham Broughton 2028 RHP -12.5
2 Joyner Haddock NC Junius H Rose 2027 OF 12.5
3 Tyler Garnett NC Northside High 2028 LHP 9.5
4 William Fansler NC Willow Spring 2028 RHP -9.3
5 Elijah Martin NC Green Hope 2027 RHP -9.0
6 Cooper Redfern NC Eastern Carolina Academy 2027 RHP -7.3
7 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP 5.9
8 Karsen Dodd NC Providence 2029 SS -5.5
9 Philip Daly NC C E Jordan High 2027 RHP -3.3
10 CJ Nixon NC Grace Christian School 2029 LHP 2.8

CHANGEUP

HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 William Fansler NC Willow Spring 2028 RHP 18.1
2 Trevor Snyder NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2029 1B -17.2
3 Brax Thompson NC Providence 2028 RHP 16.5
4 Joyner Haddock NC Junius H Rose 2027 OF -14.9
5 Julian Guthrie NC Hoggard 2027 RHP 14.4
6 Philip Daly NC C E Jordan High 2027 RHP 13.9
7 Blake French NC Davie County 2027 OF 12.3
8 Grayson Durrant NC Pro5 Academy 2029 C 11.7
9 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP -11.1
10 Ryder Anderson NC DH Conley 2028 RHP 11.0

HIGHEST AVG. IVB

Rank Name State School Class Pos IVB (avg)
1 Grayson Durrant NC Pro5 Academy 2029 C 16.7 in
2 Connor Stein NC Emsley A Laney High 2029 1B 16.3 in
3 Aiden Kirk NC Grace Christian School 2028 LHP 13.9 in
4 Jack Vannoy NC Needham Broughton 2028 RHP 11.2 in
5 Tyler Garnett NC Northside High 2028 LHP 11.0 in
6 Elijah Martin NC Green Hope 2027 RHP 10.9 in
7 Julian Guthrie NC Hoggard 2027 RHP 9.5 in
8 Trevor Snyder NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2029 1B 9.3 in
9 Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP 9.3 in
10 Ryder Anderson NC DH Conley 2028 RHP 8.5 in

HIGHEST STRIKE ZONE RATE%

Rank Name State School Class Pos Zone %
1 Ryder Anderson NC DH Conley 2028 RHP 85 %
2 Philip Daly NC C E Jordan High 2027 RHP 75 %
3 Brax Thompson NC Providence 2028 RHP 60 %
4 Aiden Kirk NC Grace Christian School 2028 LHP 50 %
^ Jack Vannoy NC Needham Broughton 2028 RHP 50 %
^ Connor Stein NC Emsley A Laney High 2029 1B 50 %
^ Trevor Snyder NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2029 1B 50 %
^ Parker Simo NC Junius H Rose 2027 LHP 50 %
^ CJ Nixon NC Grace Christian School 2029 LHP 50 %
5 Bennett Bush NC Hoggard 2029 SS 42 %

+ Click here to view the event statistics in its entirety.

RELATED CONTENT