South Alabama Preseason All-State: Trackman Files
January 26, 2022
The South Alabama Preseason All-State was held this past Sunday, January 23rd at The Performance Lab Training Facility in Mobile, AL. This event consisted of some of the top players ranging from the classes of 2022-2026. These players went through an extended pro-style workout and took batting practice using Trackman and Blast Motion sensors. Pitchers were able to throw in simulated bullpens and were able to get numbers and metrics off of our Trackman unit. 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 Sunday.
We continue our post-event coverage today by taking a look at those players that posted some of the best metrics using our Trackman B1 unit during batting practice and bullpens. Please continue to check back over the next few weeks as we will release individual scouting reports on each player present at the event.
Max Fastball & Peak Spin Rate
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Velocity (max) |
1 | Jonathan Stevens | AL | Briarwood Christian | 2023 | RHP | 92.1 mph |
2 | Thrasher Steed | AL | Gulf Shores | 2022 | RHP | 90.7 mph |
3 | Carson Joyner | AL | Bayside Academy | 2024 | RHP | 89.8 mph |
4 | Eli Driskell | AL | Faith Academy | 2024 | RHP | 89.1 mph |
5 | Chris Billingsley | AL | Bibb County | 2023 | RHP | 87.5 mph |
6 | Brody Swindle | AL | Bayside Academy | 2022 | LHP | 87.3 mph |
7 | Connor Gatwood | AL | Baker | 2024 | RHP | 87.0 mph |
8 | Alex Sherman | AL | UMS-Wright Preparatory | 2024 | RHP | 86.6 mph |
9 | Patrick Williamson | AL | McGill Toolen | 2023 | RHP | 86.5 mph |
10 | Aiden Wright | AL | Dale County | 2023 | OF | 86.5 mph |
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (max) |
1 | Connor Gatwood | AL | Baker | 2024 | RHP | 2468 rpm |
2 | Alex Sherman | AL | UMS-Wright Preparatory | 2024 | RHP | 2376 rpm |
3 | Eli Driskell | AL | Faith Academy | 2024 | RHP | 2347 rpm |
4 | Jonathan Stevens | AL | Briarwood Christian | 2023 | RHP | 2312 rpm |
5 | Brody Swindle | AL | Bayside Academy | 2022 | LHP | 2275 rpm |
6 | Carson Joyner | AL | Bayside Academy | 2024 | RHP | 2268 rpm |
7 | Case Hager | AL | Gulf Shores | 2022 | LHP | 2262 rpm |
8 | Bradley Irish | AL | St Paul's Episcopal | 2025 | RHP | 2259 rpm |
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.
Average Fastball Horizontal Movement
Rank
Name
State
School
Class
Pos
HM (avg)
1
Connor Gatwood
AL
Baker
2024
RHP
18.7
2
Mattox Johnson
AL
Gulf Shores
2022
LHP
-15.8
3
Thrasher Steed
AL
Gulf Shores
2022
RHP
14.5
4
Bradley Irish
AL
St Paul's Episcopal
2025
RHP
14.1
5
Will Krehely
FL
Pensacola Catholic
2023
RHP
14.0
6
Bryce Masters
AL
PRATTVILLE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
2025
LHP
-13.4
7
George Meyers
AL
McGill Toolen
2022
RHP
12.5
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.”
Average Slider Spin Rate
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Eli Driskell | AL | Faith Academy | 2024 | RHP | 2554 |
2 | Ethan Kick | AL | Spanish Fort | 2024 | OF | 2552 |
3 | Jonathan Stevens | AL | Briarwood Christian | 2023 | RHP | 2497 |
4 | Brendan Conner | AL | Corner | 2024 | RHP | 2376 |
5 | Chris Billingsley | AL | Bibb County | 2023 | RHP | 2303 |
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”).
Average Curveball Spin Rate
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Spin Rate (avg) |
1 | Ethan Kick | AL | Spanish Fort | 2024 | OF | 2497 rpm |
2 | Jonathan Stevens | AL | Briarwood Christian | 2023 | RHP | 2472 rpm |
3 | Eli Driskell | AL | Faith Academy | 2024 | RHP | 2443 rpm |
4 | Brody Swindle | AL | Bayside Academy | 2022 | LHP | 2389 rpm |
5 | Carson Joyner | AL | Bayside Academy | 2024 | RHP | 2348 rpm |
6 | Chris Billingsley | AL | Bibb County | 2023 | RHP | 2339 rpm |
7 | Case Hager | AL | Gulf Shores | 2022 | LHP | 2304 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”).
Average Changeup Horizontal Movement
Rank | Name | State | School | Class | Pos | HM (avg) |
1 | Case Hager | AL | Gulf Shores | 2022 | LHP | -18.2 |
2 | Carson Joyner | AL | Bayside Academy | 2024 | RHP | 17.5 |
3 | Will Krehely | FL | Pensacola Catholic | 2023 | RHP | 16.5 |
4 | Bryce Masters | AL | PRATTVILLE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY | 2025 | LHP | -16.4 |
5 | Bradley Irish | AL | St Paul's Episcopal | 2025 | RHP | 15.9 |
6 | Garrett Blacklock | AL | Virgil Grissom High School | 2025 | 1B | 15.8 |
7 | Thrasher Steed | AL | Gulf Shores | 2022 | RHP | 15.6 |
8 | Ben Arendale | AL | Tuscaloosa County | 2023 | 3B | 15.1 |
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.
Peak Exit Velocity (Hitting)
Rank
Name
State
School
Class
Pos
Exit Velocity (max)
1
Kennith Dalton Jackson
AL
Florala High School
2025
3B
98.8 mph
2
Olin Ward
AL
UMS-Wright
2023
3B
97.1 mph
3
Taurus Ceasor
AL
Faith Academy
2024
OF
96.5 mph
4
Garrett Ruffin
AL
Faith Academy
2024
C
96.5 mph
5
Carson Joyner
AL
Bayside Academy
2024
RHP
96.4 mph
6
Gabe Young
AL
Mountain Brook
2023
OF
96.2 mph
7
Jacob Conway
AL
Fairhope
2023
1B
95.0 mph
8
Brady Keller
AL
Mobile Christian
2025
3B
94.8 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.
Peak Estimated Batted Distance (Hitting)
Rank
Name
State
School
Class
Pos
Distance (max)
1
Kennith Dalton Jackson
AL
Florala High School
2025
3B
377 ft
2
Taurus Ceasor
AL
Faith Academy
2024
OF
363 ft
3
Olin Ward
AL
UMS-Wright
2023
3B
353 ft
4
Brady Keller
AL
Mobile Christian
2025
3B
352 ft
5
Gabe Young
AL
Mountain Brook
2023
OF
344 ft
6
Aiden Wright
AL
Dale County
2023
OF
337 ft
7
Carson Joyner
AL
Bayside Academy
2024
RHP
336 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.
For a complete look at each of the statistics measured at this showcase, CLICK HERE.
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