The summer recruiting and evaluation season officially kicked off in June, and one of the marquee events in the Carolinas continues to be the annual NC/SC 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 - PITCHERS

Casey Murray RHP / OF / Middle Creek, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 91 / POS: 27 Broad shoulders and athletic build. Stands 6-foot-2, 184 pounds. Tall through the delivery. Long arm action to a high-¾ slot. Quick arm looks to be explosive at times. Natural scapular load. Easy release.  Fastball at 85-87, 2400rpm with sink metrics. Breaking ball is a potential out pitch at 74-76, 2760rpm.  Sweep over tilt now, but the breaking balls with tilt missed bats.

Dylan Rodkin 2B / RHP / Stuart W. Cramer, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 182 / POS: 9 Thin frame. Still maturing.  Stands 5-foot-11, 157 pounds. Frame will continue to mature and handle strength in the coming years. Tall over the rubber. Long arm swing with some uphill leverage through the shoulders.  Clean with good arm speed.  Will continue to make gains in the coming months.  Fastball ranged 84-86, playing true with solid feel for the zone.

Odin Ginader RHP / OF / Marvin Ridge High, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 117 / POS: 33 Strength present at 5-foot-11, 182 pounds.  Strike thrower.  Pounded the zone with a solid mix.  Lots of soft contact. High-¾  release.  Average arm speed. Fastball up to 84.8, 2030rpm.  Heavy sink and run with 8.6in of Induced Vertical and 16.7in of horizontal break.  Tight, short breaking ball tunneled with the fastball release at 72-75, 2300rpm.

Baker York OF / RHP / Needham Broughton, NC / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 112 / POS: 24 Strong, athletic build.  Broad shoulders. 6-foot-1, 190 pounds. Short arm action with the elbow leading the path.  Fastball up to 79 with early run out of the hand.

Luke Byers 3B / RHP / New Bern, NC / 2027 Average build. 5-foot-10, 174 pounds. Simple delivery.  Level and in-line.  Repeats. Long arm swing.  Athletic arm through an over-the-top slot. Average arm speed.  Fastball at 77-78 with sink metrics.

Tyler Sharp 1B / 3B / Millbrook, NC / 2028 Rankings  StateRank: 43 / POS: 3 Physical presence. Strength in the 5-foot-9, 191 pound frame. Arm plunges out of the glove working through a long arm swing and over-the-top slot. Some effort but around the zone with a solid mix.  Fastball up to 82.6, 2237rpm. Played true.  Solid arm side feel. Flashed solid arm speed on his changeup.

Corbin Kendrick OF / RHP / Junius H Rose, NC / 2028 Rankings  StateRank: 22 / POS: 5 Strike thrower that attached hitters.  Average build, still young, at 5-foot-9, 163 pounds. Good projection with the youthful look and easy release. Level through the shoulders.  Some pelvic tilt from balance to his foot-strike.  Long, clean, over-the-top release. Average to above arm speed.  Showed excellent feel for the fastball.  Worked 83-85, 1565rpm.  Induced Vertical Break of 7.9in. Created a ton of soft contact and ground balls. Two different breaking balls complimented the fastball.

Cooper Bolton RHP / C / Sanderson, NC / 2028 Rankings  StateRank: 74 / POS: 13 Lean and youthul at 6-foot, 167 pounds. Long arm swing with a small hand hook out of the glove. High-¾ slot. Good arm speed. Around the zone, showing some feel for moving the fastball side to side. Run present on the fastball at 79-82, 2356rpm. Slider spin up to 2413.  Four pitch mix has promise.