Prep Baseball Report

Preseason All-State West: Data Dive


Patrick Johnson
North Carolina Assistant Scouting Director

 
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

The Preseason All-State events have rapidly become one of the premier showcase events in North Carolina. Now in their seventh year, these events serve as a launching point for the high school baseball season, allowing Prep Baseball to identify emerging talent to monitor throughout the spring. Additionally, they play a key role in assembling the Team Carolina watchlist for prestigious events such as the Prep Baseball Future Games, Super Sophomore Games, NC/SC Border Battle, and more.

These high-caliber events provide players with an opportunity to showcase their offseason development while competing alongside top talent from across the state. The Prep Baseball staff frequently observes physical transformations, increased strength and agility, and athletes achieving personal bests throughout the Preseason All-State workout.

The Preseason All-State workout follows a professional, combine-style format, allowing players to record key performance metrics and analytics both on the field and in controlled athletic testing environments. While these events take place early in the year—when players are still ramping up for the season—they provide the Prep Baseball scouting staff with valuable insights into a player's current skill level and potential for growth.

This year’s events commenced with pitchers and catchers participating in defensive evaluations. Catchers are given the opportunity to record full-length pop times at each hosting facility, followed by pitchers throwing controlled bullpens. TrackMan technology is utilized to capture comprehensive ball flight data, providing advanced analytics on each pitch.

As bullpen sessions conclude, position players transition into athletic testing. Using VALD Performance lasers, each athlete completes a laser-timed 30-yard sprint, including a 10-yard split measurement. Players also undergo various jump tests and grip strength assessments. Following the athletic testing, infielders and outfielders participate in defensive workouts, while hitters conclude the day with live batting practice. BLAST Motion technology collects pre-contact swing metrics, and TrackMan captures detailed ball flight data off the bat.

Following the event, the Prep Baseball scouting team meticulously analyzes all collected data, video, and scouting notes. This information is then distributed to college coaches, professional scouts, and baseball enthusiasts across the state who are eager to identify and track North Carolina’s top prospects

CLICK HERE to see the full roster and statistical out put from the Preseason All-State West.

Preseason All-State West By The Numbers
+ 1 player recorded an exit velocity over 100mph
+ 8 hitters recorded an exit velocity of 95mph or higher
+ 5 hitters had a BLAST bat speed of 75mph of higher
+ 5 players had a max distance of 330ft or longer.
+ 7 pitchers had a fastball at 85mph or higher
+ 7 pitchers had their fastball spin recorded higher than 2200rpm
+ 4 pitchers had their breaking ball spin at 2400rpm or higher
+ 5 catchers recorded a pop time of 2.10 or better
+ 8 outfielders had arm strength at 85mph or better
+ 8 infielders tested with arm strength across the infield at 80mph or higher

Preseason All-State West Data Dive

TrackMan Max Exit Velocity in BP

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (max)
1 Luke Ponczka NC West Rowan 2026 1B 104.1 mph
2 Zeke Adwaters III NC Roberson 2026 SS 97.6 mph
3 Daniel Eber NC William Amos Hough 2026 OF 97.4 mph
4 Drew Bonhag NC Cox Mill 2025 2B 97.0 mph
5 Alfred Seaman NC Pdg 2027 OF 96.9 mph
6 Evan Hogg NC Southlake Christian Academy 2026 SS 96.9 mph
7 Jacson Taplin NC Ambassador Christian 2027 LHP 95.7 mph
8 Leyton Guhl NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2027 C 95.6 mph
9 Ethan Wisler NC Wakefield 2027 RHP 94.9 mph
10 Colby Epperly NC Ardrey Kell 2026 1B 94.7 mph
11 Jacob Cesarz NC Pro 5 Baseball academy 2026 SS 94.4 mph
12 Henry Tutera NC Christ School 2028 C 93.7 mph
13 Hayes Hillier NC Asheville 2025 OF 93.4 mph
14 Carter Rowe NC Gaston Christian 2027 2B 92.7 mph
15 Andrew Pegram NC South Rowan 2026 OF 92.0 mph

TrackMan Max Distance in BP

Rank Name State School Class Pos Distance (max)
1 Luke Ponczka NC West Rowan 2026 1B 371 ft
2 Alfred Seaman NC Pdg 2027 OF 360 ft
3 Daniel Eber NC William Amos Hough 2026 OF 335 ft
4 Jacson Taplin NC Ambassador Christian 2027 LHP 334 ft
5 Leyton Guhl NC Metrolina Christian Academy 2027 C 333 ft
6 Zeke Adwaters III NC Roberson 2026 SS 329 ft
7 Zackary Merchel NC Eastern Alamance High 2026 RHP 322 ft
8 Jalen Boyd NC Covenant Day 2026 OF 321 ft
9 Jacob Cesarz NC Pro 5 Baseball academy 2026 SS 321 ft
10 Evan Hogg NC Southlake Christian Academy 2026 SS 316 ft
11 Henry Tutera NC Christ School 2028 C 314 ft
12 Drew Bonhag NC Cox Mill 2025 2B 308 ft
13 Darrow Holder NC Hickory 2026 C 306 ft
14 Benjamin Edwards NC William Amos Hough High 2026 OF 299 ft
15 Andrew Pegram NC South Rowan 2026 OF 297 ft

BLAST Average Bat Speed

Infielder Arm Velocity

Outfield Arm Velocity

Catcher Velocity From the Crouch

Catcher Pop Times

30 YARD DASH

TrackMan Max Fastball