Prep Baseball Report

Best of 2024: Top NC Fastballs


Brandon Hall
NC / Mid-ATL Director of Scouting

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2025: A Promising Year for North Carolina Prep Baseball

The arrival of 2025 brings exciting opportunities, particularly in the world of prep baseball. From a talent perspective, this may be one of the deepest pools North Carolina has seen in Prep Baseball's seven years of coverage. The 2025 and 2026 classes boast high-end draft prospects, with emerging talent in the 2027 and 2028 classes poised to achieve similar recognition. The widespread distribution of talent will ensure a competitive and dynamic year as players and teams vie for state championships and success on the club circuit.

As we embark on 2025, it’s worth reflecting on the achievements of 2024. Prep Baseball hosted numerous events across North Carolina, showcasing players and expanding its scouting network. The year began with January and February’s Preseason ID and Preseason All-State events. Following the high school season, events such as the Team Carolina Trials, NC/SC Border Battle, and Organizational Scout Days provided platforms for athletes to earn invites to represent Team NC at the Prep Baseball Future Games, Senior Future Games, and Junior Future Games. Players also had the opportunity to participate in the Summer Top Prospect Games.

The fall season saw further scouting opportunities, with evaluations conducted during Fall ID events and additional Organizational Scout Days. The year culminated in early November with the Upperclass and Underclass Top Prospect Games, highlighting standout athletes from across the state.

At every event, Prep Baseball scouts diligently evaluated players, leveraging advanced tools such as TrackMan, Blast Motion, and Vald Performance. These technologies captured detailed analytics on every swing, pitch, and throw. Comprehensive athletic testing included measurements of run times, height, weight, jump metrics, and grip strength. Verified statistics provided the most reliable information in amateur baseball—trusted across the country and now recognized internationally as Prep Baseball continues its growth.

Below is a reflection on key 2024 achievements. Today we analyze the top fastballs tracked over 2024.  These fastballs include all events in NC, Prep Baseball's NC HS coverage, and regional and national events like the Prep Baseball All-American Game, the Future Games, and the Super Sophomore Games.  In event fastballs are tracked by TrackMan with a variety of metrics used to capture each fastball, its action, and how it plays against the hitters.  HS game coverage saw NC Scouts using Stalker Radar Guns to capture the pitch velocity.

CLICK HERE to explore every 2024 event, including rosters, stats, analytics, stories, and more.

Best of 2024: Top Fastballs

Overall Top 20 Top Velocities

Top 10 Max Velocity in the 2025 Class

Top 10 Max Velocity in the 2026 Class


Top 10 Max Velocity in the 2027 Class


Top 10 Max Velocity in the 2028 Class


Overall Top 20 Top Effective Velocity

Effective velocity is a complete look at the fastball taking into account the movement, spin, and ride.  Not all fastballs are created equal and the Effective Velocity number is working to describe how the pitch plays against the hitter.  Some fastballs play up and some play down.  The higher the effective velocity, compared to the actual velocity, showcases a feel for how the pitch may play against a hitter.

 

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