Border Battle.  Returning once again to the pristine Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium on the campus of UNC Charlotte, this year’s event brought together close to 130 of the top players from North Carolina and South Carolina for two highly competitive and scout-packed days. The talent did not disappoint.

Tuesday, June 10 featured the full evaluation circuit for position players. South Carolina’s group opened the day with offensive testing—multiple rounds of batting practice—followed by defensive evaluations and athletic testing.  Once SC concluded, the North Carolina group ran through their own athletic testing, defensive showcase, and offensive performance.  Coaches and scouts were treated to extended looks at each player’s skill set in a pro-style format, offering insight into their tools, movement patterns, and overall feel for the game.

Wednesday, June 11 was reserved for gameplay, with each player participating in one simulated game contest.  Over the course of the day, North Carolina and South Carolina squared off in four live games, allowing pitchers to throw against live hitters and players to compete in a true game setting.  As expected, the top talent from both states put on a show in front of a strong contingent of college coaches and professional scouts.

We now begin the process of breaking down all the action from the event. From advanced metrics and scouting notes to standout performers and analytical takeaways, we’ll unpack everything that happened over the course of the two-day Border Battle.

👉 To view the full roster and statistical breakdown, CLICK HERE.

QUICK HITS - 2027 POSITION PLAYERS

Chace Blackmon OF / 3B / Myers Park, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 48 / POS: 9 Athletic look with strength and quickness present. Flashes in game play, showing feel for the barrel and an ability to see spin. Strength and projection peaks in workout with a max exit velocity of 102.6mph.  Right handed hitter will catch eyes with his athletic build. The raw strength and bat speed will keep eyes on him.

Giovanni Buccino 1B / RHP / West Forsyth, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 26 / POS: 2 Physical 6-foot-4, 281 pounds. Right handed hitter does damage in BP with a max exit velocity of 104.5mph.  He carries a solid approach into game play, showing an ability to get to solid velocity while recognizing spin and staying on plan.  Agile around the bag for his size.  Good hands.

Luke Byers 3B / RHP / New Bern, NC / 2027 5-foot-10, 175 pounds. Switch hitter. On the right side, has solid whip and barrel feel. Simple setup and launch.  From the left side he lacks some of the rhythm but there is strength through contact. Solid actions on the infield.

Tillman Caskey C / 3B / New Bern, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 175 / POS: 23 Athletic frame at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds. Good arm strength with a positional velocity of 76mph from the crouch and a 2.02 pop time. Carried over the solid pop times in game action, between innings. Offensively, right handed hitter works with intent. Flat with good barrel feel. Bat speed translated to success in game play.

Jack Catron C / RHP / Homeschool (NC), NC / 2027 Still maturing but with strength present in a 5-foot-11, 154 pound frame. Right handed hitter settles pre-pitch waggle as he loads. Flat through the zone. Working for extension. Max exit velocity of 92.3mph. Good arm strength behind the dish at 78mph from the crouch with pop times between 2.06 - 2.16.

Leyton Guhl C / OF / Metrolina Christian Academy, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 66 / POS: 10 Strength present in an athletic frame at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds. Continues to impress with his barrel feel in BP and game action.   Strong hands, does damage at contact. Excellent feel for the strike zone and his plan throughout. Exit velocity peaked at 98.4mph and averaged 93mph.  Ran a 6.89 sixty with a 3.88 thirty yard split. Arm peaked at 82mph behind the dish.

Kaiden Harris OF / LHP / Corinth Holders, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 155 / POS: 36 5-foot-10, 172 pounds. Filled the stat sheet with a 4.03 thirty yard split, 96mph max exit, 87.8 average exit, and 85mph arm from the outfield. Left handed hitter works with strength over quickness and natural loft through contact.

Caleb Hasty OF / 2B / Wesleyan Christian Academy, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 81 / POS: 18 5-foot-9, 173 pounds. Athletic, ran a 6.93 sixty while peaking at over 20mph on the 60 yard course. Right handed hitter has solid rhythm, launching from a tipped position with good bat speed and some uphill leverage through contact.  Max exit velocity peaked at 95.8mph.

Grant Helms OF / 1B / Hickory Ridge High, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 55 / POS: 11 6-foot, 180 pound, right handed hitter. Simple setup and approach. Glides to the front side working for extension.  Flat through contact. Good hand strength. Max exit at 97.6mph.  Athletic through the ball with a clean exchange and release. Also worked out at 1B, showing solid versatility.

Carter Huff SS / OF / Reagan, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 29 / POS: 4 Athletic player with good feel for the game at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds. Solid defender. Shows lateral quickness.  Has the ability to make plays with accurate throws on and off platform.  Switch hitter peaked at 97.3mph with an average from both sides at 87.3mph.  Ran a 6.95 sixty with a 3.89 thirty yard split.

Cooper Marks SS / RHP / Walter M Williams, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 140 / POS: 28 5-foot-8, 153 pounds. Good athlete showed quickness in the workout and in game play. Ran a 6.88 sixty with a 3.90 thirty yard split. Exit velocity peaked at 95.8mph. 82mph arm across the infield. Switch hitter. From the right side, is stable with a rhythmic load.  Flat, direct, using both gaps.  From the left side,  a bit more quiet, working for more extension while staying flat through contact. Good actions on the infield.

Dylan Rodkin 2B / RHP / Stuart W. Cramer, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 182 / POS: 9 Solid performer in the workout and in game play. Still maturing in a 5-foot-11, 157 pound build. Right handed hitter. Average bat speed. Works for extension. Max exit at 92.9mph. Solid rhythm and actions on the infield. Arm has good carry.  85mph across the diamond.

Carter Rowe 2B / SS / Gaston Christian, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 70 / POS: 2 Good athlete. Has quickness and twitch. Youthful look and a frame that still has plenty of maturation still ahead. Stands 5-foot-10, 170 pounds.  Right handed hitter has good bat speed with some uphill leverage through contact.  Bat speed peaked at 92.3mph.  Excellent actions on the infield.  Plays with quickness.

Owen Shirey SS / RHP / Providence Day, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 192 / POS: 33 5-foot-10, 163 pounds. Left handed hitter has quickness through the zone with solid barrel feel. Average exit at 85.6 with a 90.8mph peak. On the infield, showed confidence in his hands with a solid exchange and release. Accurate arm, peaked at 88mph across the infield.. Ran 7.06 with a 3.97 thirty yard split.

Weston Sykes SS / RHP / Wesleyan Christian Academy, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 87 / POS: 15 5-foot-10, 161 pounds. Length with projection left in the frame. Right handed hitter. Steep through the zone, creating leverage off the barrel. Works for extension. Natural loft. Max exit velocity of 86.8 in the workout.

Luke Talley 1B / LHP / Green Level, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 52 / POS: 4 Lean left handed hitter with excellent rhythm and feel for the barrel. Stands 6-foot, 163 pounds. Max exit velocity of 95.3mph with an average of 88.2mph in the BP session.  In game showed gap power, driving the baseball to the pull side gap.  Simple and on-time throughout the event, showed feel for pitch and zone recognition.

Ryan Watters OF / SS / Cuthbertson High, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 107 / POS: 23 Strength and athleticism present in a 5-foot-8, 155 pound frame. Left handed hitter has quickness with a flat stroke, working the middle of the field. Plays with solid pace. Top end run speed measured at 19.6mph over his 60 yard time.  Good reads and angles in the OF. Arm peaked at 86mph in the workout.

Brady Williamson C / 1B / Cuthbertson, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 139 / POS: 18 Physical presence with strength in his play. Stands 6-foot-1, 231 pounds. Right handed hitter. Balanced. Solid bat speed.  Strength over quickness. Found the barrel throughout BP and flashed barrel awareness in the game play.  Has strength to both gaps. Max exit velocity of 96.2mph. Arm has carry with a 76mph positional velocity in the workout and 1.97 pop time.

Jaylen Witherspoon OF / LHP / West Forsyth, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 57 / POS: 12 Athletic in a lean frame with strength present at 5-foot-10, 202 pounds. Quickness and strength play on the field. Max exit velocity of 101.2mph. Rana 6.98 sixty with a 3.91 thirty yard split. Solid barrel feel with a 92.2mph average exit velocity.  Flooded the stat sheet in the workout and showed well in the game play.

Banks Woody C / 3B / North Raleigh Christian Academy, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 4 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 162 / POS: 16 Strength present in a 5-foot-9, 182 pound frame.  Ball jumps off his barrel with a different sound when compared to players in his class.  Exit velocity peaked at 99.8mph with an average exit velocity of 94.3mph. Showed well behind the dish as well, carrying a workout pop time of 1.94.

Tyler Wright RHP / 3B / Hickory Grove Christian School, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 122 / POS: 36 Athletic frame at 6-foot, 195 pounds. Right handed hitter. Tall in his base. Flat path working for extension.  Max exit velocity of 94.8mph.  Arm showed carry at 83mph across the diamond.

Baker York OF / RHP / Needham Broughton, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 112 / POS: 24 Broad shoulders and athletic cut at 6-foot-1, 189 pounds. Wide base from the right side. High hands and a flat barrel.  Direct attack path, working for extension and creating easy leverage through contact.  Has intent to do damage on each swing. Max exit velocity of 98.2mph.  Showed solid quickness with a 7.01 sixty and 4.02 thirty yard split.