By John Nolan
Assistant Director of Scouting

Centreville lefthanded pitcher Carter Bach has committed to attend Wake Forest University in the fall of 2016. The Wildcats had a strong spring in 2015, reaching the 6A North Regional semifinals with road victories over Patriot and West Springfield before being eliminated by rival and eventual State Runners-up Chantilly. The Wildcats bring a big chunk of their core back in 2016 and will have Bach to anchor the rotation, which will make them dangerous again in the deep Concorde Conference.

Bach stands a lanky 6-foot-6 with a strong lower half. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot and has a smooth delivery. He has a short, quick arm action and generates easy velocity. His shoulders are closed as he strides out on line before coming to a complete finish. During a playoff outing in May, Bach’s fastball was 84-86 in the first inning, touching 87, before settling into 80-84 for the rest of the game. His fastball had late armside run and good angle due to his height and arm slot. His command was very good early in the game as he pounded the outside corner and showed the ability to attack inside whenever he wanted to. His slider had late 2/8 break and ran 68-71. He also threw a fading changeup with decent armspeed that sat at 70.

When Bach arrives at Wake Forest, he should be able to immediately help the Demon Deacons as a lefthanded option out of the bullpen who will be very tough on lefties because of his size and angle, but who should also be able to face righties because of his changeup. As his career progresses, Bach has the potential to become a weekend starter as his lanky frame fills out and his velocity increases and his feel for his secondary stuff improves. He has the size and physical talent to follow in his older brother, Connor’s, footsteps as a professional draft pick at some point during his career.

Congrats Carter!