Prep Baseball Report

South Alabama Preseason All-State: Trackman Files


PBR Alabama Staff

The South Alabama Preseason All-State was held this past Sunday, January 23rd at The Performance Lab Training Facility in Mobile, AL. This event consisted of some of the top players ranging from the classes of 2022-2026. These players went through an extended pro-style workout and took batting practice using Trackman and Blast Motion sensors. Pitchers were able to throw in simulated bullpens and were able to get numbers and metrics off of our Trackman unit. There were some players who showed up and continued to build off of prior performances, but there were also some new names who jumped onto our radar with a strong showing on Sunday.

We continue our post-event coverage today by taking a look at those players that posted some of the best metrics using our Trackman B1 unit during batting practice and bullpens. Please continue to check back over the next few weeks as we will release individual scouting reports on each player present at the event. 

 

Max Fastball & Peak Spin Rate

Rank Name State School Class Pos Velocity (max)
1 Jonathan Stevens AL Briarwood Christian 2023 RHP 92.1 mph
2 Thrasher Steed AL Gulf Shores 2022 RHP 90.7 mph
3 Carson Joyner AL Bayside Academy 2024 RHP 89.8 mph
4 Eli Driskell AL Faith Academy 2024 RHP 89.1 mph
5 Chris Billingsley AL Bibb County 2023 RHP 87.5 mph
6 Brody Swindle AL Bayside Academy 2022 LHP 87.3 mph
7 Connor Gatwood AL Baker 2024 RHP 87.0 mph
8 Alex Sherman AL UMS-Wright Preparatory 2024 RHP 86.6 mph
9 Patrick Williamson AL McGill Toolen 2023 RHP 86.5 mph
10 Aiden Wright AL Dale County 2023 OF 86.5 mph

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (max)
1 Connor Gatwood AL Baker 2024 RHP 2468 rpm
2 Alex Sherman AL UMS-Wright Preparatory 2024 RHP 2376 rpm
3 Eli Driskell AL Faith Academy 2024 RHP 2347 rpm
4 Jonathan Stevens AL Briarwood Christian 2023 RHP 2312 rpm
5 Brody Swindle AL Bayside Academy 2022 LHP 2275 rpm
6 Carson Joyner AL Bayside Academy 2024 RHP 2268 rpm
7 Case Hager AL Gulf Shores 2022 LHP 2262 rpm
8 Bradley Irish AL St. Paul Episcopal 2025 RHP 2259 rpm

Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.

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, in other words) as it carries through the zone. Low-spin fastballs typically indicate the pitch has greater horizontal action, often making it tougher to square up, but generally easier to make contact with, leading to more ground balls, while high-spin fastballs show a correlation with swings and misses.

Average Fastball Horizontal Movement

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 Connor Gatwood AL Baker 2024 RHP 18.7
2 Mattox Johnson AL Gulf Shores 2022 LHP -15.8
3 Thrasher Steed AL Gulf Shores 2022 RHP 14.5
4 Bradley Irish AL St. Paul Episcopal 2025 RHP 14.1
5 Will Krehely FL Pensacola Catholic 2023 RHP 14.0
6 Bryce Masters AL PRATTVILLE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2025 LHP -13.4
7 George Meyers AL McGill Toolen 2022 RHP 12.5

Horizontal Break: Outlined on TrackMan’s own website: “... horizontal movement is measured in inches between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate side-wise if had 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 from the pitcher’s perspective.”

Average Slider Spin Rate

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Eli Driskell AL Faith Academy 2024 RHP 2554
2 Ethan Kick AL Spanish Fort 2024 OF 2552
3 Jonathan Stevens AL Briarwood Christian 2023 RHP 2497
4 Brendan Conner AL Corner 2024 RHP 2376
5 Chris Billingsley AL Bibb County 2023 RHP 2303

Spin Rate: The metric calculates how fast the ball is spinning as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, reported in the number of times the pitched ball would spin per minute (“revolutions per minute” or “rpm”).

Average Curveball Spin Rate

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Ethan Kick AL Spanish Fort 2024 OF 2497 rpm
2 Jonathan Stevens AL Briarwood Christian 2023 RHP 2472 rpm
3 Eli Driskell AL Faith Academy 2024 RHP 2443 rpm
4 Brody Swindle AL Bayside Academy 2022 LHP 2389 rpm
5 Carson Joyner AL Bayside Academy 2024 RHP 2348 rpm
6 Chris Billingsley AL Bibb County 2023 RHP 2339 rpm
7 Case Hager AL Gulf Shores 2022 LHP 2304 rpm

Spin Rate: The metric calculates how fast the ball is spinning as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, reported in the number of times the pitched ball would spin per minute (“revolutions per minute” or “rpm”).

Average Changeup Horizontal Movement

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 Case Hager AL Gulf Shores 2022 LHP -18.2
2 Carson Joyner AL Bayside Academy 2024 RHP 17.5
3 Will Krehely FL Pensacola Catholic 2023 RHP 16.5
4 Bryce Masters AL PRATTVILLE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2025 LHP -16.4
5 Bradley Irish AL St. Paul Episcopal 2025 RHP 15.9
6 Garrett Blacklock AL Virgil I. Grissom 2025 1B 15.8
7 Thrasher Steed AL Gulf Shores 2022 RHP 15.6
8 Ben Arendale AL Tuscaloosa County 2023 3B 15.1

Horizontal Break: This metric measures the distance, measured in inches, between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate side-wise if had 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 from the pitcher’s perspective.

Peak Exit Velocity (Hitting)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (max)
1 Kennith Dalton Jackson AL Florala 2025 3B 98.8 mph
2 Olin Ward AL UMS-Wright 2023 3B 97.1 mph
3 Taurus Ceasor AL Faith Academy 2024 OF 96.5 mph
4 Garrett Ruffin AL Faith Academy 2024 C 96.5 mph
5 Carson Joyner AL Bayside Academy 2024 RHP 96.4 mph
6 Gabe Young AL Mountain Brook 2023 OF 96.2 mph
7 Jacob Conway AL Fairhope 2023 1B 95.0 mph
8 Brady Keller AL Mobile Christian 2025 3B 94.8 mph

Exit Velocity: This metric measures the speed of the ball, measured in miles per hour, as it comes off the bat at the moment of contact.

Peak Estimated Batted Distance (Hitting)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Distance (max)
1 Kennith Dalton Jackson AL Florala 2025 3B 377 ft
2 Taurus Ceasor AL Faith Academy 2024 OF 363 ft
3 Olin Ward AL UMS-Wright 2023 3B 353 ft
4 Brady Keller AL Mobile Christian 2025 3B 352 ft
5 Gabe Young AL Mountain Brook 2023 OF 344 ft
6 Aiden Wright AL Dale County 2023 OF 337 ft
7 Carson Joyner AL Bayside Academy 2024 RHP 336 ft

DistanceThis metric measures the estimated “carry flat” distance, measured in feet, meaning the distance that the ball travels before it lands, or would have landed if it were not caught or obstructed.

For a complete look at each of the statistics measured at this showcase, CLICK HERE.

 

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