By Brandon Hall
North Carolina Director of Scouting

On Monday September 4^th, Prep Baseball Report ran a PBR Scout Day with the South Charlotte Panthers organization.  The day included players from the South Charlotte Panthers and the South Charlotte Cougar programs.  Players from the programs ran through a complete pro style workout at Providence High School.

The Panthers feature a deep and talented pitching corp, highlighted by the number of left handed arms along with project-able bodies.  Threw 2018 LHP that are still uncommitted have some upside.  Both Jonathan Jagielski (Charlotte Christian) and Hayden Setzer (East Rowan HS) have a track record of getting outs at the high school level.  Both ran sub-7.10 sixties.  Both show advanced arm strength from their secondary position that may soon translate on the mound.   The third lefty, Connor Patterson (Providence Grove) has a very quick arm that fools hitters but is not lighting up the radar gun, yet.  A strong build, he is a long strider that gets extension and shows a potential out pitch in his breaking ball. 

From the right side, Tim Townsend (2018, Providence HS) is an intriguing prospect.  Sidearmer has won a lot in high school with movement and pitch-ability.  The bullpen setting does not let him showcase all of his strengths, but he did live down in the zone, flashing an ability to command the arm side.  In all, 10 Panther arms are profiled below, with only one committed.  The Panther pitchers range in grad years from 2018 - 2020. 

South Charlotte Panther Scout Day Quick Hitters
+ 34 total players took place in the scout day
+ 14 players from the 2018 class. 13 players from the 2019 class. 5 from the 2020 class and 1 from the 2021 class
+ 8 players ran a sub 7.10 sixty with another 4 under 7.30
+ 5 catchers went through the workout with 4 producing a 2.00, or better, pop time
+ 7 infielders were better than 80 mph across the diamond
+ 6 outfielders were better than 85 mph from right field
+ 11 hitters topped the 85 mph mark in their exit velocity testing
+ 5 pitchers worked 85 mph or better in their bullpen

CLICK HERE for the complete roster from the South Charlotte Panthers Scout Day

CLICK HERE for the complete statistics from the South Charlotte Panther Scout Day

 

South Charlotte Panthers - Pitcher Analysis

 

Cameron Arnold LHP / OF / Lake Norman, NC / 2020 Rankings  State Rank:33 POS:3 Average build with some strength present at 5-foot-10, 157 pounds.  Simple delivery with a stable head through balance as he works to stay tall.  Long arm action, barring at the bottom and as it begins to load.  Turns the ball over slightly early in the cocking phase.  Fastball ranged 75-78.  Good feel for commanding the pitch, especially to the arm side.  Change-up has deception, working out of the same window as the fastball with similar hand speed.  Sitting 70-72, with late sink.  Feel for the change to the arm side, throwing strikes consistently with it.  The breaking ball is a bit inconsistent as it is maturing.  1/7 arc at times, leaving it arm side as the front side rotates early.  There is hand speed and as the pitch was sequenced, he began to have feel for location at 67-72.  Works on-line, staying level through the shoulders.  Finishes with extension. Showed athleticism and quickness in the field, running a 6.92 sixty and carrying an arm speed of 83 mph from the outfield.  Left handed hitter works from a tall stance, balanced, with a vertical bat.  Smooth action, triggering back and cocking the bat head to a lagged position.  Short stride gets to better than average bat speed, working level through the zone.  Wants extension and there is a pull tendency.  Average barrel awareness with an exit velocity of 81 mph.

 

 

Jonathan Jagielski LHP / OF / Charlotte Christian, NC / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:149 POS:20 Athletic 6-foot-2, 170 pound frame with room to continue to add strength.  Quickness exists, running a 7.04 sixty and showing good arm speed on the bump.  Fastball ranged 83-85, seeming to play harder out of the hand.  Long, loose arm swing gets to an over-the-top slot.  Athletic delivery, working out of the stretch only, with an average leg kick and staying level and on-line with regular effort.  Will pull off, toward 3B at times, hurting some extension.  Good hand speed on the change-up at 74-75.  Works to fade the ball with the hand.   Early run at times as the body will leave the line to clear the arm swing on the change.  When working behind the breaking ball, it has late, hard 2/8 tilt.  Again, the front side can be early leaving the pitch to the arm side at times.  High ceiling to the breaking ball that has a chance to develop into an out pitch.  Offensively, the left-handed hitter works from an open base, using a leg kick to load the weight back.  Short stride gets to a short, level swing with high barrel awareness.  Showed an ability to spray the ball all over the field with some carry.  Exit velocity up to 86 mph off the bat.  Good bat speed.  In the outfield, the arm worked with ease to a loose over-the-top slot touching 89 mph from right field.

 

 

Connor Patterson LHP / OF / Providence Grove, NC / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:104 POS:15 Broad shoulders and a strong lower half.  Stands 6-foot-2, 185 pounds.  Extremely quick hand from a high-3/4 slot.  Fastball ranged 78-82 with arm side run to the arm side.  Ball played true out of the hand to the glove side.  Arm works with length out of the glove.  Shoulders are level while the foot strike is on-line.  Long strider, shows an ability to get extension but the arm does re-coil at times.  Breaking ball works for downer type action at 65-71.  Occasionally the hand works to the side of the ball creating more slider / cutter action.  Average arc working out of the same window as fastball.  Change-up played straight at 68-70 with deception as it mimics fastball.

 

 

Hayden Setzer LHP / 1B / East Rowan, NC / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:206 POS:29 Physical 6-foot-3, 190 pound frame with broad shoulders.  Strength is present but there is room to continue to add.  Fastball only ranged 78-81 on the mound but there is a jump coming and it may be quick as he touched 87 from right field in defensive drills.  ¾ slot as the arm works long with looseness.  Starts on the 3B side of the rubber with the lead foot strike in-line with the 1B side of the rubber.   Slight cross-fire does create some arm side movement to the fastball.  Tall through balance, works with some ease and flashed an ability to command all three pitches.  Change-up comes from a similar slot as fastball at 73-76.  The breaking ball can be inconsistent, lacking a mature shape.  The better spin pitch works with some late, hard sweep across the zone at 71-72.  At times working for more tilt the pitch can be early at 70. With the big frame there is some quickness, running a 7.06 sixty and flashing above average bat speed.  Left handed hitter is balanced, using a leg kick to load the body.  Strong hands take the bat on a direct path, staying short to the ball producing line drives, staying in the middle of the field with an exit velocity of 86 mph.  Defensively, works from a higher slot with a similar arm action to the mound.  Out of the high-3/4 slot, the feet tend to work on line with their throw and the head has stability.  Carry and accuracy present on the infield and in the outfield.

 

 

Matthew Siverling LHP / OF / Charlotte Christian , NC / 2019 Rankings  State Rank:57 POS:10 Lanky, with plenty of room for added strength, at 6-foot-4, 170 pounds.  Coordination is coming, with quickness in the body as he ran a 7.33 sixty, closing the final 30 yards.  One of his first bullpens of the fall, worked to stay under control and velocity was down from what will be expected in the fall.  Long arm action, with a slight bottoming out, release gets to a high-3/4 slot with average arm speed.  Lands slightly closed, creating a tough angle on left handed hitters.  Some rhythm to the delivery that will become better as he continues to grow into his length.  Fastball ranged 76-79, touching 81.  Straight, there is occasional cut with feel for both sides of the plate.  The change has some sink at 66-68.  Mimics the fastball hand speed and window.  Breaking ball works with gradual 12/6 action at 63-66.  Commands the strike zone with spin, but not the glove.  Left handed hitter works from a tall base with waggle in the bat head.  Short stride, the bat head works to a vertical launch position.  Average bat speed, works for extension with good rhythm.  Pull side tendency with high barrel awareness.  Exit velocity peaked at 77 off the barrel.  Defensively, works to play through the ball in the outfield.  Some caution working to transition the ball to an over-the-top slot.   84 mph out of the hand with average carry and good accuracy.

 

 

Nick Womack LHP / 1B / Lake Norman Charter , NC / 2019 Stocky build with strength in the lower half at 6-foot, 195 pounds.  Long arm action, reaches to the bottom of the arm swing as the weight is gathered with strength on the back side.  Front side reaches for foot strike with the shoulders working slightly uphill.  Lands on-line.  Elbow works slightly above the shoulder line as the scapular is loaded.  High-3/4 release, working for extension.  Fastball ranged 71-73, touching 74.  Change-up sat 66-68 with the arm slowing some.  Ball fades slightly to the arm side.  Breaking ball is still maturing at 61-63.

 

 

Jackson Bertelsen RHP / SS / Covenant Day, NC / 2019 Rankings  State Rank:156 POS:46 Long and lanky 6-foot-5, 180 pound frame.  Still growing into the body and quickness should maximize as there is better feel for the center of gravity.  Long arm action works clean to an over-the-top slot.  Slightly coiled at balance, the front side works high, creating some deception, as the shoulder follow, slightly uphill.  Lands on-line, creating downhill angle on the fastball at 80-82.  Occasional run to the arm side.  Breaking ball shows flashes of being sharp at 74-76.   Gradual 11/5 action from fastball type hand speed.  Change sat 72, around the zone, mimicking the fastball at times.

 

 

Ethan Reese RHP / 1B / Providence, NC / 2019 Rankings  State Rank:124 POS:37 Good projection left in the 6-foot-2, 170 pound righty.  Tall at balance with a high kick with some coil in the body at balance work to a high front side.  Long, loose arm action has some quickness getting to a high-3/4 release.  Easy effort and smooth delivery. Lands on-line.  Slight fall to the 1B side on finish.  Athletic delivery with looseness present throughout the body.  Fastball ranged 79-81 around the zone.  The breaking ball has a high ceiling with good spin.  Currently works with gradual 11/5 action at 68-69.  As the body works to gain extension through the line, the spin tightened creating later tilt.  Change-up has movement to the arm side, and occasional cut, at 71-73.  Hand speed and delivery mimic fastball creating some deception.  Athleticism is present, running a 7.09 sixty with an exit velocity of 86 off the barrel from the right side.  Works from a balanced position with a short stride.  Good separation on the stride.  Level through the zone, producing line drives in the middle of the field.  Average barrel awareness.  Hands set low on takes.  Average hands and fluid feet work to play through the ball on the infield.  Loose, over-the-top arm has some accuracy at 78 mph across the diamond.  Arm touched 80 on positional throws from the outfield as well.

 

 

Tim Townsend RHP / Providence, NC / 2018 Rankings  State Rank:107 POS:35 Low-3/4 to sidearm slot from the 6-foot-2, 170 pound righty.  Stayed down zone throughout the bullpen with command to the arm side as the pitch count rose.  Late run on fastballs ranging 75-77.  Misses were to the arm side.  Eyes were occasionally late to the target on misses.  Long, loose arm swing.  Quickness through the release in the hand.  Average leg kick with the hands below the belt and off the right hip.  Closes the line after balance, through the shoulders, landing closed, and falling slightly to the first base side.  Change-up has deception with fastball arm speed.   Arm side run on the change at 66-68.  In the zone with the pitch, working to attack the glove to the arm side.  Breaking ball worked from a slightly higher slot creating slight tilt at 68-69.  Late action with spin, lacking mature arc.

 

 

Trey Tujetsch RHP / OF / Ardrey Kell , NC / 2019 Rankings  State Rank:26 POS:10 South Carolina commit.  First bullpen action of the fall, working to stay under control and not cutting it loose just yet.  Athletic 6-foot, 165 pound frame.   Some quickness in the body with a sixty time of 7.09.  Fastball ranged 83-86, flooding the zone.  Good command of both off speed pitches.  Breaking ball sat 73-74 with sharp 11/5 action.  The change-up showed fade at 77-78.  Good hand speed in both pitches.  Average kick, staying in line and level with the shoulders.  Tall through balance with easy effort.  Loose arm swing to a high-3/4 slot.  Quick arm.  Finishes athletic with extension.  Right handed hitter begins tall and open with a narrow stance.  Uses a big leg kick to set the weight back.  Still working to gather his timing out of the kick.  Better than average bat speed stays level through the zone.  Pull oriented with some hook off the barrel.  Average barrel ability.  Exit velocity peaking at 84.  Defensively, plays with some ease in the outfield.  Clean catches and easy transitions to an over-the-top slot.  Flashes accuracy and carry at 85 mph out of the hand.