Data Dive: Preseason All-State South Pitchers
March 5, 2026
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Preseason All-State South Wraps at Arena Lake Norman in Mooresville
Held Sunday, February 15, 2026, the Preseason All-State South assembled a talented group of prospects from the greater Charlotte and southern North Carolina region. As an invite-only showcase — built from prior evaluations and scout recommendations — the event offered an early season look at players expected to make an impact this spring and into future recruiting cycles.
Pitchers began the workout with a controlled bullpen session while TrackMan captured ball flight data, allowing scouts to evaluate velocity, spin traits, and pitch movement profiles through objective metrics.
Position players then moved into a full offensive and defensive evaluation. The offensive workout incorporated TrackMan and BLAST Motion technology to measure swing efficiency, bat speed, and contact quality. Defensively, players worked from their primary positions so scouts could evaluate arm strength, pop times, footwork, exchange, and release in a realistic workout setting.
Athletic testing completed the day, featuring laser-timed 30-yard sprints, jump metrics, and grip strength testing to provide a measurable snapshot of each player’s explosiveness and physical tools.
In the coming weeks, we will break down individual performances and identify names to follow across the 2026–2029 classes as players begin to separate themselves heading into the high school season.
DATA DIVE -Pitchers
+ FASTBALL
MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY
Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.
HIGHEST AVG. SPIN RATE
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) as the pitch carries through the zone. Low-spin fastballs typically indicate greater horizontal action, often making them tougher to square up but generally easier to make contact with, leading to more ground balls. High-spin fastballs show a correlation with swings and misses.
HIGHEST AVG. IVB
Induced Vertical Break (IVB): 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 be useful when measuring sliders and cutters. Sliders tend to be closer to zero inches, while cutters are generally between 5 and 15 inches. Fastballs and curveballs with large IVB usually have higher spin efficiency. Sliders generally have very little (closer to zero) IVB and low spin efficiency. It’s important to consider pitch velocity and release height when evaluating IVB measurements.
HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT (AVG.)
Horizontal Break: Horizontal movement is measured in inches between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-to-side and where it would have crossed if 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.
HIGHEST STRIKE ZONE RATE%
For 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
HIGHEST AVG. IVB
HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT
SLIDER
HIGHEST AVG. SPIN RATE
HIGHEST AVG. IVB
HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT
CHANGEUP
HIGHEST AVG. HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT
HIGHEST AVG. IVB
HIGHEST STRIKE ZONE RATE%
+ Click here to view the event statistics in its entirety.