Rankings: Class of 2025 Update

November 29, 2023
Brandon Hall
Mid-Atlantic Scouting Director

PBR Scouts spent the fall of 2023 continuing their search for baseball players across the state of North Carolina. PBR ran events and tournaments in the area, plus scouts were on the road running Scout Days and watching workouts. As we head to the off-season and begin to prep for the 2024 High School season, it is time for an updated round of rankings. You can see the updated Class of 2024 Rankings here. Now we update, and expand, the Class of 2025 Rankings.

At the time of this update, over 40 players in the state of North Carolina's 2025 class have committed to their future school to play baseball. With the 2025 class, we are expecting 450 players to gain the opportunity to college baseball, based on what the state has consistently produced over the past decade. The new NCAA rules on visitations and communication have changed and the 2025 class is the first one to see some of their recruiting process slowed. But at this time, the number of players committed is similar to that of the past several classes at this time of their developement.

This release of the 2025 rankings expands the ranked class from 150 players to the top 175 players in the state. We are beginning to understand just how good this class in North Carolina has a chance to be, as they get closer to their graduation date. At this time, it is very easy to argue that 15 players will be heavy follows for pro scouts as they enter their senior season, and there are several very projectable athletes listed from No. 15 to No. 50. This is a big year of growth for most athletes, as they start to build their physicality through their maturation. Bottom line, the Class of 2025 will be a very fun one to follow in the coming year and a half.

See the full 2025 Rankings and the Top 175 in the State HERE.

Newbies to the Rankings

PBR Scouts were very active this fall, working to see as many players as their schedules would allow. With that said, 25+ players enter the rankings after not being in the summer release. Some of the new comers are players that have moved to North Carolina to be part of an Academy. Some of the players are players PBR Scouts identified a while back and continued to follow, seeing a jump as they become more physical and add quickness to their game. Others are added as they just missed the last cut and with the expanded list, they are players that need to be recognized.

Below are a couple of newbies to the rankings that PBR had interaction with this fall.

Jackson Evans RHP / 3B / Chapel Hill, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 41 / POS: 16

The big righty was very impressive during the PBR Scout Day for C35 Baseball at Boshamer Stadium in October. He flashed an above average fastabll paired with a late slider that had tilt. With the frame, arm action, and arm quickness, Evans is just scratching the surface of where he may be prior to setting foot on a campus.

Fastball: 85-88 | 2061rpm | 20.7in IVB
Slider: 75-78 | 2124rpm |

Ryker Butcher C / OF / D.H. Conley, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 49 / POS: 3

A very athletic catcher had an eye opening day at the 2023 PBR Top Prospect Games: Underclass in October. During BP he showed solid hand strength and bat speed with good feel for his barrel. Durin the catcher workout, Butcher leaped to the top of the page with his arm strength and carry from the crouch. His athleticism continued to shine in the game settings as well.

Catcher: 85mph from Crouch | 1.94 - 2.20 pop
Athletic: Ran 7.01 with a 3.86 30yd split | 34.1in Vertical
Hitter: 96.4 max exit | 366' max distance | 77.4 Bat Speed Avg

Hayden Heath OF / RHP / Millbrook, NC / 2025

Rankings StateRank: 82 / POS: 13

Left handed hitters with a feel for the barrel are a commodity year in and year out. Combine that with a well above average run tool that lends itself to create some havoc on the bases and applies to the defensive side as well and you have a prospect that will be watched entering the spring. Heath showcased his unique skill set at the Top Prospect Games: Underclass in October, standing out throughout the day while being compared to some of the top players in the state.

Swift Athletics: 6.73 on the laser with a 3.77 30yd split | 28in Vertical
Left Handed Hitter: 86.7 max exit | 69.9 Bat Speed Avg | 24.0 Rotational Accel Avg

The All-American Game Effect

PBR held its first PBR All-American Game in September at Milwaukee's American Family Field, home to the Brewers. A unique format showcased the nations top 2024 players vs. the nations top 2025 players. With the depth in North Carolina's 2025 class, the state was awarded with three slots to the games, and honestly there 6-7 players bantered about to represent North Carolina and the 2025 class.

Coy James, Josh Hammond, and Tyler Baird each played for the 2025 class and while all three were very well known commodities entering the weekend, everyone came away impressed with their current ability and completely bought in on the very high ceilings for each of these prospects. Hammond won the MVP of the All-American Game, striking out 3 and driving in a run on a double to the left center field gap. Hammond turned heads with the fastball reaching 95.6mph, but it was the slider that was the seperator. On the game call, PBR National Crosschecker, Shooter Hunt, described the slider as simply unfair, even against the top hitters in the country.

Below we take a look at all three players and their production at the 2023 PBR All-American Weekend.

Previewing the Class of 2025 Top 10

The Class of 2025 Rankings will continue to grow, again with a projected 450 college players in the class. Today we land at the Top 175 in the class with well over 90% of the ranked players have profiles with scout notes and video. Below we preives the Top 10 players in a loaded Class of 2025

Click Here to see the Full Updated Class of 2025 Rankings