Prep Baseball Report

NC ProCase Preview: The Record Book


Brandon Hall
Mid-Atlantic Executive Director

On Sunday, February 13th, the 5th annual North Carolina ProCase will take place at Diamond Xtreme in Kernersville, NC.  Diamond Xtreme is a beautiful facility that allows for scouts and coaches to pile in to see some of the top upperclassmen in NC.  Position players will be able to simulate a full infield for their defensive work, while hitters will hit in the 90’x90’ box, seeing the ball fly. 

For the 1st four years of the event, the rosters have been loaded with talent and draft prospects.   The 2022 addition will again feature approximately 25 of the top players in NC.  As these players are working towards their spring season, lets take a look back at some of the performances from past NC ProCase events.

 

CLICK HERE for the 2021 PBR of NC ProCase Roster

 

Record Book: NC ProCase

 

Exit Velocity

In the first couple of years the exit velocity has been measured off of a tee.  As PBR has incorporated the use of TrackMan during live BP, this stat has become a live BP stat.  Below are the top exit velocities taken from past ProCases, both off the tee and during live BP.

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velo
1 Caleb Cozart NC Wesleyan Christian Academy 2019 RHP 104
^ John Newton NC Cuthbertson 2021 OF 104
2 Nick Neal NC Randleman 2019 1B 103
3 Brooks Brannon NC Randleman 2022 C 102
^ Alec DeMartino NC Millbrook 2021 OF 102
^ Graham Smiley NC East Lincoln 2022 C 102
4 Trey Truitt NC East Mecklenburg 2020 OF 100
5 Xavier Bussey NC Garner 2018 OF 99
^ Joey Rezek NC Northwest Guilford 2020 C 99
^ Bryan Arendt NC Holly Springs 2021 C 99
^ Chris Katz NC Heritage 2021 C 99
^ Vance Honeycutt NC Salisbury 2021 OF 99

 

Positional Velocity – Infielders

Infielders are able to see a ground ball off the bat from about 100 feet away then work through to a 3/4 distance throw across the infield.  The radar gun gives us a chance to gauge arm strength.  Austin St. Laurent took the top spot from Trent Harris with his performance at the 2019 ProCase. 

Rank Name State School Class Pos INF Velo
1 Austin St. Laurent NC Western Alamance 2020 SS 95
2 Trent Harris NC Crossroads Flex 2018 SS 94
3 Sam Zayicek NC Lake Norman 2018 OF 92
4 Gavin Mortenson NC Northwest Guilford 2020 SS 89
^ Matt Kemp NC Randleman 2020 SS 89
5 Jaylen Guy NC Southeast Guilford 2018 SS 88

 

Positional Velocity – Outfielders

The outfielders are able to work off of a batted ball, making a throw of about 110 feet towards a target.  With the shorter distances, we have seen some outfielders really work to be aggressive through their throws.  In year two, Vance Anderson peaked at 98 mph out of his hand.  Every outfielder that has thrown as been at least 87 out of his hand.

Rank Name State School Class Pos OF Velo
1 Vance Anderson NC Lake Norman 2019 OF 98
2 John Newton NC Cuthbertson 2021 OF 96
^ Alec DeMartino NC Millbrook 2021 OF 96
3 Xander Hamilton NC Broughton 2019 RHP 95
^ C.J. Conrad NC Apex 2018 OF 95
4 JD Brock NC Hough 2019 LHP 94
^ Trey Truitt NC East Mecklenburg 2020 OF 94
5 Sam Zayicek NC Lake Norman 2018 OF 93

 

Catcher Pop Times & Positional Velocity

The four years of the NC ProCase has featured a lot of talented backstops.  Several may shine with the bat, while others have performed at a high level behind the dish.  Below are top positional velocities and pop times from catchers at the PBR NC ProCase.

Rank Name State School Class Pos Pop Time
1 Bryan Arendt NC Holly Springs 2021 C 1.80-1.87
2 Trent Harris NC Crossroads Flex 2018 SS 1.80-2.01
3 Ryan McCrystal NC Fuquay-Varina 2021 C 1.85-1.96
4 Robbie O'Neal NC DH Conley 2019 C 1.86-1.88
5 Jacob Cozart NC Wesleyan Christian 2021 C 1.88-2.03

Rank Name State School Class Pos C Velo
1 Bryan Arendt NC Holly Springs 2021 C 89
2 Graham Smiley NC East Lincoln 2022 C 83
3 Trent Harris NC Crossroads Flex 2018 SS 82
^ Ryan McCrystal NC Fuquay-Varina 2021 C 82
4 Robbie O'Neal NC DH Conley 2019 C 81
5 Chet Sikes NC Wesleyan Christian 2020 C 80
^ Jacob Cozart NC Wesleyan Christian 2021 C 80
^ Devin Bartley NC Southeast Guilford 2018 C 80

 

Max Fastball

The first four years of the PBR NC ProCase has featured a plethora of arms that could be playing this game for a long time.  In year 1 of the ProCase, a talented lefty from East Mecklenburg touched 90.  As a Sophomore at San Jacinto JC in Texas, Luke Little was one of the top left-hander to come off the board in the 2020 MLB Draft.  Chris Villaman is now a Junior at NC State.  He attended each of the 1st two ProCase events and is considered one of the top LHP in the country this year. 

Rank Name State School Class Pos Max FB
1 Chris Villaman NC Ledford 2019 LHP 94 mph
2 RJ Sales NC Pinecrest 2021 RHP 93 mph
^ Bryan Arendt NC Holly Springs 2021 C 93 mph
3 Aubrey Smith NC South Brunswick 2022 RHP 92 mph
^ Hayden Summers NC Northwest Guilford 2020 RHP 92 mph
^ CJ Mayhue NC Crest 2019 LHP 92 mph
4 Tim Cao NC Northwest Guilford 2019 RHP 91 mph
^ Jackson Humphries NC Fuquay-Varina 2022 LHP 91 mph
^ Brett Banks NC Garner Magnet 2019 RHP 91 mph
^ Brandon Hudson NC Cuthbertson 2021 RHP 91 mph
^ Ben Peterson NC Apex 2020 RHP 91 mph
^ Merritt Beeker NC North Davidson 2021 LHP 91 mph
^ Logan Jarosz NC Eastern Alamance 2018 RHP 91 mph
5 Daniel Brown NC Needham Broughton 2020 LHP 90 mph
^ Coby Ingle NC Rockingham County 2020 RHP 90 mph
^ Cooper King NC Carmel Christian 2020 RHP 90 mph
^ Tyler Driver NC Pro5 Academy 2019 RHP 90 mph
^ Gus Hughes NC Grimsley 2020 RHP 90 mph
^ Xander Hamilton NC Broughton 2019 RHP 90 mph
^ Michael Forret NC Providence 2022 RHP 90 mph
^ Luke Little NC East Mecklenburg 2018 LHP 90 mph
^ Gianni Smith NC West Forsyth 2018 RHP 90 mph
^ Cyle Phelan NC Fuquay Varina 2021 LHP 90 mph
^ Mason Murdock NC Combine Academy 2022 RHP 90 mph
^ David Keith NC Fuquay Varina 2020 RHP 90 mph