These baseball players from Central Indiana are improving after impressive rookie campaigns or hitting it big in Year 2.
These are a few of the best performers from the Class of 2026.
Roncalli Ash, Collin Ash
The left-hander struck out.364 with seven doubles, one triple, one home run, thirteen stolen bases, and 24 RBIs. Ash had a 4-2 record and 37 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched.
Hauser Blair, who went by Kameron Blair, batted.448 with 24 stolen bases, seven doubles, 34 RBIs, and 23 runs scored. Blair threw 18 innings, going 2-0 on the mound with a 1.94 ERA and 22 strikeouts.
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These Central Indiana freshmen made a big impression in their varsity debut.
Franklin and Owen Bullington each batted.338 with two doubles, two stolen bases, and 17 runs scored and 13 RBIs. In 27 games, Bullington did not make a mistake.
University of Cooper Cammack Cammack batted.351, scoring 20 runs, driving in 30 RBI, hitting seven doubles, three triples, one home run, and stealing four bases.
Ryan Castetter from the University
With 30 runs scored, 34 RBIs, 13 doubles, three home runs, and six stolen bases, the Northwestern commit batted.393. Over 32⅔ innings pitched, Castetter added 27 strikeouts to his total.
Center Grove’s Kobe Cherry
Cherry’s 6-4, 240-pound physique makes him an intimidating presence on the mound. By his sophomore year, the right-hander had established himself as Center Grove’s ace. Cherry concluded with a 3.06 ERA, 42 strikeouts in 31⅔ innings, and a 6-1 record.
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Covenant; Blake Cope Prep Baseball Report ranks Christian Cope as the top-ranked in-state first baseman in his class. The lefty batted in his debut season on the varsity team.373 with four stolen bases, seven doubles, two triples, one home run, and sixteen RBIs in addition to 22 runs scored.
Mooresville’s Tyler Denny
In Mooresville’s strong lineup, Denny was positioned second, behind his brother Hogan. With 32 runs scored, 18 RBIs, six doubles, three home runs, and 17 stolen bases, the younger Denny batted.278. In center field, he can cover a lot of territory because to his exceptional athleticism. Over 35 games, Denny had a flawless fielding % on 58 opportunities.
DeVaughan Hudson, Mooresville
According to Prep Baseball Report, the Alabama commit is listed as a Top-30 recruit nationally and as the top sophomore in Indiana. DeVaughan finished 5-0 with a 2.05 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 30⅔ innings during his sophomore year of high school.
Doane Beckett, Noblesville
Prep Baseball Report ranks Doane as the top-ranked left-hander in the state for the Class of 2026 and among the top 100 recruits in the country. Before becoming a star this season, Doane appeared in just one varsity game as a rookie. Over 40⅓ innings, Doane had 50 strikeouts and a 1.74 ERA.
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Noah Dasgupta, Cascade In his second varsity season, Dasgupta emerged as the team’s top pitcher. With a 6-2 record, 2.84 ERA, and 60 strikeouts in 49⅓ innings, the southpaw was quite effective.
Park Tudor and Desmond Francis
Francis had a breakthrough season in his Park Tudor sophomore year. Francis took a batting position.493 with 14 stolen bases, two home runs, three doubles, two triples, and twenty-six runs scored and 21 RBIs. Francis had a 4-1 record, a 2.03 ERA, with 42 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched.
Center Grove’s Gannon Grant
The renowned shortstop pipeline in Center Grove has Grant next in line. Grant batted.367 with 34 runs scored, 29 RBIs, two doubles, four home runs, one triple, and four stolen bases in his second varsity season. Grant pitched 7⅓ innings and had 13 strikeouts.
Heritage, Alex Jackson Jackson, Christian batted 324 with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 11 stolen bases, and 26 runs scored and 23 RBIs.
Cascade Lewis’s son Braxton Lewis batted 408 with four doubles, one triple, twenty runs scored, and twenty RBIs. He also had one stolen base.
Southport’s Riley Matlock
The second-year catcher took the bat.423 with eight doubles, three home runs, two triples, eleven runs scored, and twenty-one RBIs. Matlock’s fielding percentage was 977 at the end.
Matthias Rykin, North Central
In his rookie year on the varsity team, Matthias had excellent bat-to-ball abilities and a sharp eye at the plate. The left-handed pitcher hit.411 with seven doubles, ten stolen bases, 10 RBIs, and 24 runs scored. In 23 games, Matthias hit out just six times while walking fifteen times.
Hudson Mills, Lutheran Lutheran had a strong season on both sides. With five doubles, four triples, one home run, 25 RBIs, 36 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases, Mills’ batting average was.464. Was 5-4 with a 2.98 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 56⅓ innings pitched on the mound.
Morris, Jacob, in New Palestine
Rebuilding off a stellar rookie campaign, Morris became a formidable two-way player for a great New Palestine team. Morris batted at the plate.423 with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, five stolen bases, 29 runs scored, 34 RBIs, and so forth. Morris pitched 47⅓ innings and finished 5-3 with a 1.04 ERA and 49 strikeouts.
Gavin Neal of New Palestine batted.348 with five stolen bases, two doubles, one triple, and seventeen runs scored and RBIs.
Nickols Chase, Cathedral
Nickols turned into an on-base machine during his Fighting Irish varsity debut season. The right-handed batter batted.457 with three doubles, one triple, ten stolen bases, and 26 runs scored and 23 RBIs. In 25 games, Nickols struck out just seven times while walking twelve times.
Whiteland Palmer’s Jordan Palmer batted.449 with five doubles, two stolen bases, nine RBIs, and ten runs scored.
Brady Scecina, Ray
Ray had a 3.45 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 50⅔ innings pitched on the mound. Ray batted at the plate.246 with three doubles, 13 RBIs, and six runs scored.
Noblesville’s Aiden Reynolds
According to Prep Baseball Report, the IU commit is the class’s top-ranked in-state third baseman. Reynolds took a batting position.373 with eight doubles, one triple, one home run, seventeen stolen bases, and 29 runs scored and 27 RBIs.
With 29 hits, a team-high, Brayden and Avon Salyer finished second on the Orioles.Together with a club-high 21 stolen bases, 20 runs scored, 13 RBIs, three triples, and one double, the squad has a 322 batting average.
Triton Central Sego batted for Eli Sego.409 with nine doubles, five triples, 25 stolen bases, 32 runs scored, and 23 RBIs.
Shelbyville’s Aiden Smith
According to Prep Baseball Report, Smith is the 51st overall prospect in the country and the third-ranked sophomore from Indiana.
Smith continued his impressive rookie campaign, finishing with a 4-3 record, 1.87 ERA, and 82 strikeouts in 48⅔ innings. Smith had a.346 batting average, 25 runs scored, 11 RBIs, two triples, two doubles, two home runs, and two stolen bases in his at-bat performance.
Brayden Smith from Central Decatur
Smith pitched 36⅓ innings, went 1-0, and had a 3:08 ERA with 47 strikeouts. A five-inning, 13-strikeout game against Perry Meridian was his greatest start.
Blake Smythe, Franklin Following a strong rookie campaign, Smythe’s stats increased overall. Over 42 innings, the 6-3, 270-pound southpaw recorded a 2-0 record, 1.33 ERA, and 58 strikeouts. Smythe hit at the plate.240 with three doubles, one home run, 20 RBIs, and 14 runs scored.
Center Grove’s Kellen Thompson
Together with fellow sophomore Kobe Cherry, Thompson led the Trojans in scoring. With 44 strikeouts in 45 innings and a 2.64 ERA, the 6-4, 205-pound righty finished 6-1. In terms of victories, strikeouts, and innings thrown, Thompson topped Center Grove.
Tate Troxell, Catholic in Guerin
Prep Baseball Report has Troxell classified as a right-handed pitcher in the top 100 and as the 15th-ranked sophomore for Indiana. The Alabama commit hit.322 at the batting with eight doubles, a home run, sixteen RBIs, thirteen runs scored, and one stolen base. Troxell threw 27 innings and was 2-2 on the mound with a 2.33 ERA and 40 strikeouts.
Covenant; Gabe Unger With 14 runs scored, seven RBIs, one double, and three stolen bases, Christian Unger batted.345 throughout his batting career.
Pike and Rory Weaver batted together.400 with 15 stolen bases, five doubles, 16 RBIs, and 25 runs scored. In 25 games, Weaver struck out just seven times while walking eight times.
From Martinsville, Rhys Wolf
The Notre Dame pledge is listed by Prep Baseball Report among the top 200 recruits in the country. Wolf had a 2.70 ERA, 46 strikeouts in 23⅓ innings, and a 2-2 record.
Yerman Tristan, Center Grove
The second-year catcher took the bat.309 with six doubles, two triples, one home run, three runs scored, and 24 RBI. Yerman played in 28 games and had a.982 fielding percentage, with just three mistakes.
