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June begins the summer circuit for recruiting and player evaluation.  One event that has become a "must" for players, coaches, and scouts in the Carolinas is the NC/SC Border Battle.  This year's event took returned to UNC Charlotte's Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium for two days of action, featuring 130 of the best players in NC and SC.  They did not disappoint. 

On Tuesday June 11th, the position players went through their offensive and defensive evaluations.  North Carolina worked out first taking multiple rounds of BP, followed by their defensive evaluations and athletic testing.  As North Carolina finished, South Carolina started with their athletic testing, defensive evals, and finally their offensive evaluation.  Coaches and scouts were able to see multiple rounds of BP from each player plus see them move around at their primary defensive position, getting a feel for their athleticism and feel for the game.

Wednesday June 12th was game day.  Each player was scheduled to play in one 9 inning game with pitchers throwing live to hitters.  In total, NC and SC squared off in 4 exciting games and the roster of the top players in the two states put on a show.

Below we begin the process of unpacking everything we saw at the high level event.  From stats to player notes, to a deep dive into some analytics, we will work to uncover everything these players did and all the numbers they put up at the two day event.  To see the full roster and full statistical package, CLICK HERE.

By the Numbers:

• 5 Players ran under 6.74 on the laser timing system
• 22 Players ran 7.00 or under
• 39 Players tested their vertical jump at 30in or above
• 20 Players saw at least one of their splits come in at 20mph or higher
• 17 Infielders saw their arm strength at 85mph or higher across the diamond
• 6 Outfielders tested with arm strength at 90mph or higher
• 13 Catchers posted a pop timed of 2.00 or under in the workout
• 5 hitters saw an exit velocity of 100mph or higher
• 78 hitters peaked their exit velocity at 90mph or better
• 6 hitters carried an average exit velocity of better than 90mph over two rounds of 8 swings
• 14 hitters posted a BLAST bat speed of 70mph or higher
• 189.7psi was the top grip strength posted at teh event
• 89.3mph was the top fastball velocity
• 10 arms were above 87mph on the day
• 3 arms saw their fastball spin rate above 2400rpm
• 2975rpm was the top breaking ball spin rate captured on the day
• 1 committed player took part in the event

Data Dive - NC/SC Border Battle

60 Yard Dash and Top Run Speed

Swift Athletic Laser Timers were used to time each runner in the 10, 30, and 60 yard run.  Below we take a look at the best runners in the 60 and overall run speed from the event.  The 60 is timed by the lasers while the overall run speed is looking at split times and doing the math to calculate each player's top mph.  Look for more information coming from the Swift Athletics testing in the coming weeks.

TrackMan Max Exit Velocity (BP)

During BP, TrackMan tracked ball flight off the bat.  Each hitter took two rounds of BP and TrackMan is able to produce a lot of data on every ball put in play in fair territory.  One element TrackMan is able to produce is the exit velocity.  Below are the top Exit Velocities produced during live BP.

Positional Velocity - Infielders

Infielders were able to workout at shortstop throwing across the infield, or from 1B throwing to 2B and 3B in the pro-style workout.  While the throwing velocity of an infielder does not tell the entire story of their arm strength, it does give us a feel for how different players can compare.  During this drill, we did ask all infielders to work at game speed, making "game-type" plays.

Positional Velocity - Outfielders

Outfielders worked out from right field, making throws to the plate.  Throws were measured by a radar gun to gauge arm strength.  Players were asked to make "game-type" throws on balls hit from a fungo.

Catcher Pop Times & Positional Velocity

In the pro-style workout, catchers workout from behind home plate, making multiple throws to 2B, simulating a stolen base attempt.  Scouts timed each throw from glove to glove, asking the middle infielders to let the ball travel to over the bag.  A radar gun was used to gauge arm strength out of the crouch.

TrackMan Info - Pitcher Bullpens

Pitchers threw a controlled scrimmage, facing live hitters, showcasing their full arsenal of pitches. Velocity and spin rate information was gathered off of the TrackMan. TrackMan analytics are the official analytics and the velocities below were captured by TrackMan.

Max Fastball Velocity

Fastball Spin Rate (avg)