The Arkansas high school baseball season kicks off on Mar. 2, opening day for regular season action under AAA regulations. Leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2026 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down to the official Prep Baseball Arkansas Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2026 preseason coverage continues today.

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2026 SEASON OUTLOOK

No. of Returning Position Players: 3
No. of Returning Pitchers: 2

Top Returners:

• Johnathan Dilworth (2026) - CF, 5'9", 155, R/R
  • Dilworth is an outstanding defender with plus speed. He is a leader on our team, and he will be a top of the lineup guy that has the ability to hammer the middle of the field.
• Will Russell (2027) - P/1B, 6'0", 175, R/R
  • Russell is one of our top returners on the mound. Will go FB, CH, CB, with arm-side run, and he will fill up the zone with multiple pitches.
• Jayden Stegner (2028) - C, 6'2", 210, R/R
  • Stegner is one of the most talented sophomores in the state. He will be our everyday catcher, and he started every game at 3rd as a freshman. Middle of the lineup bat that can spray it all over the field. Really smart young player that will be instrumental to our success.
• Ronin Ketchum (2028) - P/INF, 6'1", 200, S/R
  • Ronin will be one of our best arms on the mound. He is a mid 80s arm with arm-side run, and a 4-pitch mix. He will also be a key part of our infield, and is a switch hitter who has the ability to be a big part of our lineup on both sides of the ball.
    

Top Newcomers:

• Spencer Leatherman (2027) - UTL/P, 6'0", 170, R/R
  • Spencer is a guy that was ineligible last season. He will be a big part of our lineup, and he will eat up a ton of innings on the mound for us.
• Kade Williams (2028) - UTL, 5'7", 135, R/R.
  • Kade is a really smart young player that has the potential to help out our lineup in a number of ways.
• Noah Keifer (2029) - SS/P, 6'1", 165, R/R
  • Keifer is one of the best freshman in our state that will be coming off an injury in the middle of the season.

Key Players Lost:

• McLane Moody - Pittsburg Pirates
• Alex Martinez - South Arkansas JC
• Maddox Kincannon 
• Evan Ross

Coach’s Insight: “Our team is built behind an identity of being solid defensively, and playing small ball offensively. We will be a group that makes plays and steals momentum in the field. Overall we have good team speed that gives us a chance to manufacture runs on the bases. We have a young team that is going to pride ourselves on effort. These guys have done an outstanding job at building a culture, and that alone gives us a chance to be successful. We are just a really young group. With only 4 returners that have seen varsity innings, we will have to adjust to the speed of the game. With this being the case, our guys will not be used to seeing the pitching that we will see week in and week out. This is a group of guys that will make mistakes due to us being so young/experienced. However, this should allow this group to continue to get better as the season rolls along.” – Adam Winter, head coach

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Find more information on the 2026 Fort Smith Northside program below:

+ Follow them on X: @FSNorthsideBsb
+ Visit Prep Baseball Arkansas’ 2026 AAA Team Previews page to learn more.

+ If you are a high school coach and didn’t receive our questionnaire, please click HERE to fill out the form

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