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.

TrackMan Pitching Metrics: Border Battle Team NC

FASTBALL STATS

Peak Velocity

Average Effective Velocity

Effective velocity is taking into account the velocity of each pitch, its release distance, the pitches time to the plate / hitting area, and the pitches movement.  With all of this information, Effective Velocity is allowing coaches and scouts to more accurately compare how a pitch is affecting a hitter.

Peak Spin Rate

Average Spin Rate

Average Induced Vertical Movement

Induced vertical movement tracks how the ball rides through the zone, or sinks through the zone.  For the purpose of this board we are tracking which fastballs showed the most ride, typically leading to more swing and miss opportunities

Average Horizontal Movement

Horizontal movement is often referred to as run.  This measurement does not distinguish between early and late movement, just the overall amount the ball tracks to the arm side out of the hand.

Peak Spin Score

The Spin Score is a measurement linking velocity and spin.  It is calculated by dividing the spin rate by the velocity of each pitch.  

CURVEBALL STATS

Peak Velocity

Peak Spin Rate

Average Spin Rate

Average Induced Vertical Movement

This is a measurement of how much the ball drops from its original position and trajectory.  It does not measure how late the movement happens.  This can be referred to as depth on a breaking ball.

Average Horizontal Movement

Peak Spin Score

CHANGEUP STATS

Peak Velocity

Average Induced Vertical Movement

Average Horizontal Movement