Wed April 5, 2023
Hernando, MS - The North Mississippi/West Tennessee Rising Stars ID was held on Saturday, April 1st at the the Gatorade Fieldhouse (Elevate) in Hernando, MS. This event was an open event that consisted of some of the top prospects from the 2027-2028 classes from both Mississippi and Tennessee. These players went through extended pro-style workout that included batting practice using Trackman, ran the 60 yard dash using Swift Performance, and much more. Pitchers were able to throw in simulated bullpens during the workout and were able to get numbers and metrics. 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 Saturday.
Kicking off our post-event coverage for this event, we take a look back at some of the top performers and standouts from Saturday. Continuing over the course of the next week or so, we will release different statistical leaderboards for the event along with other pieces of content.
View all positional stats HERE.
| Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Velocity (max) |
| 1 | Will Britt | TN | Christian Brothers | 2027 | RHP | 83.5 mph |
| 2 | Daniel Hopper | MS | Grenada | 2027 | OF | 81.4 mph |
| 3 | Brady Rodgers | MS | Lewisburg | 2027 | 3B | 80.2 mph |
| 4 | Donavan Dickson | MS | Hernando | 2027 | OF | 78.0 mph |
| 5 | Eli Housel | MS | Grenada | 2027 | OF | 77.3 mph |
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.
| Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
| 1 | Will Britt | TN | Christian Brothers | 2027 | RHP | 13.8 |
| 2 | Eli Housel | MS | Grenada | 2027 | OF | -11.5 |
| 3 | Tallen VanOrtwick | TN | Maryville | 2028 | SS | 11.2 |
| 4 | Zachary Lott | MS | Northpoint Christian | 2028 | RHP | 11.0 |
| 5 | Daniel Hopper | MS | Grenada | 2027 | OF | 10.9 |
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.”
| Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
| 1 | Parker Hicks | MS | New Albany | 2027 | 3B | 2012 |
| 2 | Will Britt | TN | Christian Brothers | 2027 | RHP | 2004 |
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”).
| Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
| 1 | Donavan Dickson | MS | Hernando | 2027 | OF | 2008 rpm |
| 2 | Parker Hicks | MS | New Albany | 2027 | 3B | 1997 rpm |
| 3 | Will Britt | TN | Christian Brothers | 2027 | RHP | 1817 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”).
| Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
| 1 | Zachary Lott | MS | Northpoint Christian | 2028 | RHP | 18.1 |
| 2 | Dawson Ward | MS | Tupelo Christian | 2027 | SS | 15.0 |
| 3 | Tallen VanOrtwick | TN | Maryville | 2028 | SS | 14.3 |
| 4 | Parker Hicks | MS | New Albany | 2027 | 3B | 13.8 |
| 5 | Donavan Dickson | MS | Hernando | 2027 | OF | 12.0 |
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.
| Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Exit Velocity (max) |
| 1 | Crews Albritton | MS | Tri County Academy | 2027 | OF | 94.4 mph |
| 2 | Zaxton Aldridge | MS | Hernando | 2027 | C | 87.7 mph |
| 3 | Preston Sumner | TN | Collierville | 2027 | SS | 87.1 mph |
| 4 | Will Britt | TN | Christian Brothers | 2027 | RHP | 86.7 mph |
| 5 | Parker Hicks | MS | New Albany | 2027 | 3B | 84.4 mph |
| 6 | Donavan Dickson | MS | Hernando | 2027 | OF | 83.4 mph |
| 7 | Garrett Stephens | TN | Collierville | 2027 | OF | 81.9 mph |
| 8 | Eli Housel | MS | Grenada | 2027 | OF | 81.4 mph |
| 9 | Dawson Ward | MS | Tupelo Christian | 2027 | SS | 81.3 mph |
| 10 | Daniel Hopper | MS | Grenada | 2027 | OF | 80.6 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.
| Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Distance (max) |
| 1 | Crews Albritton | MS | Tri County Academy | 2027 | OF | 312 ft |
| 2 | Preston Sumner | TN | Collierville | 2027 | SS | 294 ft |
| 3 | Parker Hicks | MS | New Albany | 2027 | 3B | 290 ft |
| 4 | Zaxton Aldridge | MS | Hernando | 2027 | C | 286 ft |
| 5 | Garrett Stephens | TN | Collierville | 2027 | OF | 278 ft |
| 6 | Daniel Hopper | MS | Grenada | 2027 | OF | 278 ft |
| 7 | Axton Westmoreland | MS | Hernando | 2028 | LHP | 273 ft |
| 8 | Jaxzen Scheidt | TN | Munford | 2027 | SS | 268 ft |
| 9 | Will Britt | TN | Christian Brothers | 2027 | RHP | 262 ft |
| 10 | Brady Rodgers | MS | Lewisburg | 2027 | 3B | 258 ft |
Distance: This 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.
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| SHOWCASE | DATE | LOCATION |
| Madison Rising Stars | 5/28 | Bob Jones High School (Madison, AL) |
| Nashville Open | 5/30 | Trevecca Nazarene University (Nashville, TN) |
| Nashville Rising Stars ID | 5/30 | Trevecca Nazarene University (Nashville, TN) |
| LakePoint Summer Open | 5/31 | LakePoint Sports (Emerson, GA) |
| Oxford Open | 5/31 | The Farm (Athletic Performance Center) - (Oxford, MS) |
| Top Prospect Games: Upperclass (Invite Only) | 6/6 | Rose Park - Nashville, TN |
| Knoxville Open | 6/20 | Knoxville Catholic High School (Knoxville, TN) |
| Knoxville Rising Stars ID | 6/20 | Knoxville Catholic High School (Knoxville, TN) |
| Middle Tennessee Rising Stars ID | 6/27 | Columbia State CC - Columbia, TN |
Check out our website for more information on prep baseball in the Volunteer State.
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