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Tobacco Road State Games: Pitching Superlatives

September 2, 2026
Brandon Hall
NC / Mid-ATL Director of Scouting

Tobacco Road State Games

August 15–16, 2026 | Stick Williams Dream Field – Home of Queens University | Charlotte, NC

The 2026 Tobacco Road State Games brought together some of the top talent from across North Carolina for two days at Stick Williams Dream Field in Charlotte. The six-team roster featured players from the 2027–2029 classes, providing another opportunity for Prep Baseball scouts, college coaches, and professional scouts to evaluate many of the state's top prospects in one setting.

The State Games served as a culmination of Prep Baseball North Carolina's coverage throughout the preseason, high school spring, and summer circuit. The roster was built with players who performed their way into the event throughout the year, including standouts from the Preseason All-State, NC/SC Border Battle, and other events across the state. The field also featured players with experience at some of Prep Baseball's premier national and regional events, including the Future Games, Senior Future Games, Super Sophomore Games, and Junior Future Games.

With close to 20 college programs represented throughout the weekend, the event provided an opportunity for players to perform in front of evaluators while updating their Prep Baseball profiles. Position players opened the event with a pro-style workout, producing updated statistics, analytics, and video through a full offensive and defensive evaluation. Following the workout, players transitioned into game action, with each of the six teams playing two games over the course of the weekend.

Prep Baseball scouts were on hand throughout the event, collecting data, video, and evaluations. The coverage from the Tobacco Road State Games will continue with leaderboards, statistical analysis, scout notes, and player features highlighting the players and performances that stood out in Charlotte.

FULL EVENT SITE:
Rosters, Results & Leaderboards

Tobacco Road State Games: Pitching Superlatives

The inaugural Tobacco Road State Games brought together a deep collection of arms from across North Carolina, giving the Prep Baseball scouting staff an opportunity to evaluate pitchers in a live-game setting while collecting pitch-by-pitch data throughout their outings.

With each pitcher working against live hitters, the evaluation went beyond simply identifying the hardest throwers or the pitches with the highest spin rates. Our staff evaluated how the stuff played, the shape and movement of individual pitches, the ability to create uncomfortable swings, and each pitcher's ability to execute within the strike zone.

Below, we break down several of the top performances and pitch characteristics from the event with our Pitching Superlatives, highlighting the Top Fastballs, Top Breaking Balls, Top Changeups, and Best Command.

Top Fastballs

Velocity will always draw attention, but evaluating a fastball goes well beyond the radar gun. Our staff looks at the pitch's velocity, movement profile, release characteristics, angle, and ability to play in different areas of the strike zone. Ultimately, the biggest question is how the fastball plays against live hitters and whether it can consistently create poor swings, weak contact, or misses.

Inside the List

Locklear produced the top velocity of the group, reaching 92 mph, while Thompson was close behind at 91 mph. Thompson's fastball averaged 15.2 inches of horizontal movement, giving the pitch a heavy running profile. Locklear paired his velocity with 17.4 inches of induced vertical break, giving his fastball another quality movement characteristic.

Several of the arms below 90 mph produced intriguing movement profiles as well. Hancock's fastball averaged an impressive 20.8 inches of IVB while reaching 88 mph. Rodkin was also up to 88 with 18.9 inches of IVB, while Broadway's left-handed fastball reached 88 and averaged 16.9 inches of IVB.

Trogdon's fastball topped at 89 mph and stood out for more than its velocity. He consistently attacked hitters with the pitch, recording an 80% zone rate with the fastball while averaging 15.5 inches of IVB and 10.5 inches of horizontal movement.

Top Breaking Balls

Breaking-ball evaluation is centered on much more than spin rate. Our scouts evaluate velocity, shape, depth, horizontal action, and how late the pitch separates from the fastball. The ability to land a breaking ball in the zone is important, but so is having the confidence and movement to expand it when ahead. The best breaking balls can create multiple types of outs — freezes, swing-and-miss, chase, and weak contact.

Inside the List

Thompson's slider produced one of the loudest data profiles of the event. Working at 72–74 mph, the pitch averaged 2,833 rpm with 15.6 inches of horizontal movement. The combination of spin and late lateral action allowed the pitch to create discomfort while giving Thompson a weapon he could use both in and out of the strike zone.

Locklear showed a power curveball at 74–78 mph that reached 2,788 rpm, while Cunningham's curveball worked at 77–78 mph and averaged 2,549 rpm with 11.7 inches of horizontal movement. Broadway provided a different look from the left side, averaging 2,393 rpm on a 70–72 mph curveball with 13.7 inches of horizontal movement.

Ginader's slider also produced a strong combination of spin and movement, averaging 2,432 rpm with 14.1 inches of horizontal action. Keeler featured another high-spin slider, averaging 2,506 rpm, while Redfern's slider showed significant lateral action at 14.1 inches of horizontal movement.

The list illustrates the variety of breaking-ball profiles that were successful during the event, ranging from harder, tighter offerings to bigger pitches designed to create more horizontal separation and depth.

Top Changeups

A quality changeup is built around deception and separation from the fastball. Our staff evaluates arm speed, velocity separation, movement, and the pitcher's ability to maintain fastball intent while creating a different look as the ball approaches the plate. Location and confidence are also important, particularly when a pitcher is willing to use the changeup against hitters from either side of the plate.

Inside the List

Several different changeup profiles earned attention. Thompson worked at 77–79 mph, averaging 14.5 inches of horizontal movement to give the pitch significant action away from his fastball. Beam showed a similar velocity band at 77–79 mph with 12.6 inches of horizontal movement.

Cunningham's changeup stood out for its velocity and movement characteristics. The pitch was recorded at 80 mph, averaging just 1.0 inch of negative IVB with 13.1 inches of horizontal movement. Snyder's left-handed changeup worked at 74–76 mph and averaged 10.9 inches of IVB with 12.6 inches of horizontal action in the opposite direction.

Hancock produced another unique profile, showing a 74 mph changeup that averaged -5.0 inches of IVB, creating significant vertical separation from a fastball that averaged 20.8 inches of IVB.

Best Command

Command is not simply the ability to throw strikes. Our staff is evaluating whether a pitcher can locate with intent, move the fastball to different areas of the strike zone, land secondary pitches when needed, and expand those same pitches when ahead. Efficiency, confidence, sequencing, and the ability to execute a plan against live hitters all factor into the final evaluation.

Inside the List

Trogdon provided one of the clearest examples of strike throwing translating directly into an efficient outing. His fastball finished with an 80% zone rate, allowing him to work aggressively and retire all six hitters he faced across two clean innings.

Ginader also showed an ability to attack with his fastball, posting a 75% zone rate while pairing the pitch with a slider and changeup. Snyder filled the zone at an even higher rate with his fastball, registering a 91% zone rate, while his changeup finished at 50%.

Beam's fastball landed in the zone at a 69% rate, and his slider registered a 63% zone rate, giving him the ability to work with multiple pitches. Thompson's raw zone percentages do not tell the entire story of his outing. His ability to move the fastball around the zone, land and expand the slider, and incorporate a third pitch allowed the stuff to play beyond simple strike percentage.

Ultimately, the Best Command group reflects what our scouts saw against hitters. Each showed an ability to control an at-bat, trust his arsenal, and use his pitches with a purpose rather than simply throwing them over the plate.

Tobacco Road State Games Coverage