With the high school season quickly approaching, it is time for our two Preseason All-State events to help kick off the year. The North AL Preseason All-State will be held this Saturday, January 7th at Hartselle High School in Hartselle, AL, and the South AL Preseason All-State will take place this Sunday, January 8th at Saraland High School in Saraland, AL. There are some big names registered for these events and our staff is pumped to get to both venues and check out all these players.

This Saturday, January 7th, some of the state's top players from the Class of 2023-2026 graduation classes will roll into Hartselle for this huge event. The past three events of this kind have been nothing but spectacular, with 34 commitments coming from the event in 2019, 51 commitments coming from 2020, 66 commitments coming from 2021, and 58 combined commitments from both of last year's events. It's easy to see that this event has continued to get better over the course of four years, which is why we continue to have two in 2023. This event provides the opportunity for players to show the PBR scouts the progress that they have made over the past few months in a showcase setting. It is also the last event for players to attend before they begin their respective high school seasons.

Below, you will find important information pertaining to this event, including players in attendance, itinerary, history of the event, and much more.

HEADLINE NAMES COMING TO HARTSELLE

Taking a glance at this roster, it's not hard to see some of the big names signed up for this event. The Preseason All-State provides a chance for these players to come and show our staff some of the physical gains they've made during the offseason and update their profiles with hopefully improved metrics, statistics, etc. There's no better way to get the year of 2023 started with a tune-up for the high school season that is slated to start in just over a month. 

The Preseason All-State has always attracted some of the best talent this state has to offer in all classes, and this year looks to be no different, if not better. This year's roster for the North AL Preseason All-State already features 18 players who have already pledged their commitment to college programs, 11 of which are to Division 1 schools. RHP Christian Chatterton (Auburn, 2024), 3B Caleb Barnett (Alabama, 2025), RHP/3B Braden Booth (Mississippi State, 2024) and SS Jaxson Wood (Tennessee, 2026) are all ranked inside the Top-5 in their respective classes and have pledged their commitments to SEC programs. Chatterton returns for his third-consecutive Preseason All-State event after bursting onto the scene in 2020. A few other notable prospects that will be in attendance who have pledged their commitments to Division 1 programs are LHP Chase Cartron (Troy, 2024), RHP Joseph Garrison (Troy, 2023), RHP Jackson Hunter (Alabama, 2024), SS Cade Miles (Jacksonville State, 2024), OF John Robicheaux (Samford, 2024), 3B Peyton Steele (Alabama, 2024), C Devante Wells (Jackson State, 2023) and INF Josey Williamson (Alabama, 2024).

UNCOMMITTED JUNIORS TO WATCH

Outside of the names mentioned in the section above, the roster for this event also has some names who may not be committed yet, but are sure to be playing at the next level when it's all said and done. The Class of 2024 in Alabama has plenty of talent still on the market and will be well-represented in Hartselle on Saturday. RHP/3B Brendan Conner (Corner, 2024), OF Andrew Pitts (Hoover, 2024), INF Jacob Pearl (Bob Jones, 2024), C Cameron Palahach (Hartselle, 2024), C Aiden Brunner (Alexandria, 2024), SS Jason Neal (Chelsea, 2024), OF Gage Wilson (Wilson, 2024), RHP Andrew Allen (Alexandria, 2024), RHP Brayley Smith (Pell City, 2024), INF Seth Walton (Brooks, 2024) and SS Carson Wideman (Hewitt-Trussville, 2024) are all prospects ranked inside the Top-85 in the junior class that are looking to boost their stock with a strong performance on Saturday.

UNDERCLASSMEN LOOKING TO MAKE AN IMPACT

We've talked about how players can use this event to springboard into the spring season with their high school clubs, and this can be the case with the current sophomore class. These players have a chance to slide up into bigger roles as underclassmen this spring and become impact players. The Class of 2025 is well-represented at this event with many players ranked inside the Top-50 signed up. Some of these sophomores to keep an eye on this Saturday are 3B Caleb Barnett (Mountain Brook, 2025), 3B Garrett Blacklock (Grissom, 2025), 1B Steven Cavaco (Huntsville, 2025), C Landon Cherry (Moody, 2025), SS Trey Greenwell (Decatur, 2025), SS/RHP Luke Holbrook (Whitesburg Christian, 2025) and 3B Ty Marsh (James Clemens, 2025). All of which are ranked inside the Top-65 in the sophomore class.

There are also some prospects from the Class of 2026 who will look to have standout performances this weekend in Hartselle. Although this class is still very young, it's got a chance to be one of the best we've seen in years. Numerous prospects ranked inside the Top-30 will be in attendance in Hartselle on Saturday, including SS Jaxson Wood (Hoover, 2026), 3B Aaron Bailey (McAdory, 2026), SS Mayson Elam (Northridge, 2026), RHP/SS Xander Hughes (Oak Mountain, 2026), RHP/3B Evan Malone (Northridge, 2026) and 3B/RHP Cooper Pennington (Shelby County, 2026).

In addition to these players, there are going to be many more players that are sure to make their names known at the North Alabama Preseason All-State. If you want to see the full roster for this event, CLICK HERE.

THE HISTORY OF THE PRESEASON ALL-STATE IN ALABAMA

The Preseason All-State Showcase is an invitation-only event that features the top players across the state. Every year the Preseason All-State Showcase highlights the Who’s Who of the state. This event is limited and exclusive to the top prospects in Alabama and serves as a springboard as players enter the high school season. The first-ever Preseason All-State in Alabama was held in 2019 and the event has continued to gain popularity ever since. All events have been held indoors due to the uncertainty of weather this time of year.

This event has certainly been no stranger for college commitments, as the first four years have a combined 209 players committed to college programs. This year should be no different, as there are some extremely talented uncommitted players still on the board. Let's take a look back and check out some of notable committed players that have attended from this event from year to year.

2019 Preseason All-State

• RHP Grayson Bray (Montevallo)
• OF Trey Burrell (Grambling State)
• RHP Luke Davis (Samford)
• C Stone Lawless (Tennessee)
• RHP Matt Manley (Samford)
• RHP Trey Mooney (Montevallo)
• RHP Reese Morrison (Jacksonville State)
• RHP/OF Will Passeau (Pearl River CC)
• OF Zac Rice (Chipola CC)
• OF/RHP Avery Seaton (Alabama A&M)

2020 Preseason All-State

• INF William Burgreen (Jacksonville State)
• RHP/3B Walter Ford (Alabama) 
• 3B Davis Gillespie (Southern Miss)
• C Stone Lawless (Tennessee)
• OF Jackson Lindsey (Alabama-Huntsville)
• RHP Matt Manley (Samford)
• RHP Javi Marrero (Troy)
• RHP George Meyers (Auburn)
• RHP Trey Mooney (Montevallo)
• RHP Thrasher Steed (Chipola CC)
• C Lawson Stricklin (Tennessee Tech)
• RHP Brendan Wall (Alabama-Birmingham)
• SS Peyton Watts (Troy)
• RHP Tyler Wilson (Auburn)
• C/OF Walker Zapp (Air Force)

2021 Preseason All-State

• 3B Henry Allen (Mississippi State)
• SS Drey Barrett (Southern Miss)
• C/3B Cade Carr (Samford)
• RHP Christian Chatterton (Auburn)
• RHP Jake DeValk (South Alabama)
• 3B Cole Edwards (Auburn)
• SS Cason Eubanks (Georgia Southern)
• OF Seth Farni (Mississippi)
• RHP/3B Walter Ford (Alabama)
• OF Christopher Johnston (Auburn)
• RHP Matt Manley (Samford)
• RHP Austin Morris (Alabama)
• SS Jace Norton (Mississippi State)
• SS Sam Robertson (Auburn)
• OF Jake Smith (Troy)
• RHP Zach Stevens (South Alabama)
• RHP Matthew Thompson (Troy)
• 3B Mac Turner (Southeastern Louisiana)
• OF Alex Wade (Auburn)
• RHP Brendan Wall (Alabama-Birmingham)
• OF JD Wilkins (Jacksonville State)
• RHP Tyler Wilson (Auburn)
• C/OF Walker Zapp (Air Force)

2022 North AL Preseason All-State

• SS Paul Andrzejewski, Jr. (Army)
• C Cade Carr (Samford)
• LHP Chase Cartron (Troy)
• INF Matthew Cash (Jacksonville State)
• RHP Christian Chatterton (Auburn)
• RHP Luke Davenport (Auburn)
• RHP Joseph Garrison (Troy)
• INF RJ Hamilton (Vanderbilt)
• SS Javen Hunter (Alabama A&M)
• SS Andrew Lawrence (East Tennessee State)
• SS Cade Miles (Jacksonville State)
• RHP Colin Patterson (Alabama-Birmingham)
• OF John Robicheaux (Samford)
• INF Evan Smallwood (Jacksonville State)
• 3B Peyton Steele (Alabama)
• OF Alex Wade (Auburn)
• INF Josey Williamson (Alabama)

2022 South AL Preseason All-State

• 1B Jacob Conway (Mobile)
• RHP Eli Driskell (Auburn)
• RHP Connor Gatwood (South Alabama)
• RHP Carson Joyner (Louisiana-Monroe)
• RHP George Meyers (Auburn)
• INF Gatlin Pitts (Samford)
• SS/RHP Brady Richardson (Troy)
• RHP Jonathan Stevens (Alabama)
• OF Gabe Young (Jacksonville State)

EVENT SCHEDULE & ITINERARY

+ Check-in Times:

• All Position Players: 8:15 AM

• All Pitchers-only: 12:45 PM

• Catchers will stay for both sessions.

*Times subject to change

Registered Infielders, Outfielders, and/or Catchers

• Pre-Event Meeting will begin at 8:45 AM

• Stretch

• Running Times (laser-timed 60-yard dash)

• Offensive Evaluations

  • Mechanical evaluation

  • Live batting practice

  • TrackMan ball flight analysis

  • Blast Motion swing analysis

• Defensive Evaluations

  • Arm strength

  • Agility/range

  • Positional analysis/profile

Registered Pitchers & Catchers

• Pitching Evaluations

  • 15-20 pitch bullpen (fastball and secondary pitches from both windup and stretch)

  • Mechanical evaluation

  • ProPlayAI’s ‘PitchAI’ biomechanical analysis

  • TrackMan pitch velocity, movement, spin analysis

• Catcher Evaluations (while receiving bullpen)

  • Receiving/pitch presentation

  • Blocking/mobility

Technology Package

Following a Prep Baseball Report event, players will receive unrivaled access to their advanced ball-tracking and swing metrics through the TrackMan and Blast Connect apps as well as visual skills through Vizual Edge testing. Furthermore, key metrics will live inside your Prep Baseball Report profile to help players in their recruitment process.  

TrackMan is the global leader in ball-tracking accuracy. Following a Prep Baseball Report event, all players will get unrivaled access to their performance data in the Trackman interactive app. Players can create custom dashboards that unlock both hitting and pitching data.

Pitching Features Include:

• Pitching data access includes: release speed, spin rate, spin axis, release height, extension, horizontal and vertical break, and location on each pitch 

• See each pitch trajectory in 3D from multiple viewpoints

• Create defined tags to label and compare pitches

• Pin pitches together to create tunneling visualizations between different pitch types

• Visualize each pitch location

Hitting Features Include:

• Hitting data access includes: Exit speed, distance traveled, launch angle, launch direction, spin rate, contact depth and contact side/height for each swing.

• Visualize plate coverage

• Pairing of all data points on each swing

Key ball flight metrics will also live inside player profiles at PrepBaseballReport.com for the benefit of college coaches and recruiters, which will help prospects advance to the next level. TrackMan’s advanced data metrics will augment what players already receive from a PBR showcase, which includes an edited video of their performance, personalized scouting reports, verified statistics, run times and positional velocities.

Blast is the global leader in swing analysis and used by nearly every MLB organization. Following a Prep Baseball Report event, players will receive access to BlastConnect in the Blast App, that unlocks critical insights and actionable data from their performance.

Features Include:

• Swing Analysis and Blast Motion hitting assessment

• Professional-level swing analytics to help players improve their hitting performance

• Free 30-day trial to Blast Premium Services subscription

Key hitting metrics and Blast Motion Scores will also live inside player profiles at PrepBaseballReport.com for the benefit of college coaches and recruiters, which will help prospects advance to the next level.

Vizual Edge is a market leader in visual performance assessment and training that multiple MLB clubs use for its players. During Prep Baseball Report events, players will take the Vizual Edge 15-minute baseline evaluation. Following the event, players will receive an email PDF of your results – labeled as your EDGE Score – that will identify your visual strengths and weaknesses and how they directly impact your on-field performance. Visual skills are critical for pitch recognition, reaction speed, timing, seeing spin on the ball, defensive performance and much more. Your EDGE Score will also live inside your Prep Baseball Report profile.

ProPlayAI will be delivering lab-accurate biomechanics data for purposes of player assessments and in-game analysis, all from a single video camera. ProPlayAI’s biomechanics platform for baseball pitchers, PitchAI, is powered by computer vision algorithms that extract 3D skeletal data from a single 2D video camera such as an iPhone. The platform provides full-body kinematics to analyze lead-knee dynamics, torso and pelvic motion, arm motion, and aspects of the kinetic chain and pitch efficiency. 

Prep Baseball Report events will be equipped with Swift Performance’s industry-leading athletic testing technologies to capture pinpoint accurate, actionable data for all participants, ultimately delivering new insights into athletes’ speed, explosiveness and power for recruiters to evaluate.

Through both systems, the Swift UNO timing gates and EZEJump mats, athletes will be evaluated on a multitude of metrics that goes beyond just the 60 yard dash. Participants will be put through a jump protocol as well as adding 10 and 30 yard splits to the 60 yard dash.

Athletic Testing Metrics include:

• 60 yard dash with 10 and 30 yard splits

• Top end speed (mph)

• Reactive Strength Index

• Vertical jump

 

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