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: 3

Top Returners:

• Jonah Jester (2028) - SS/P, 5'9 175, R/R
  • One of the most athletic players in southern Arkansas.
• Nate Newton (2027) - 1B/3B/P, 5'11 185, L/R
  • Natural left-handed bat. Had a .425 batting average as a sophomore last year.
• Hayden Smith (2027) - OF/C, 5'10 190, R/R
  • Lock down outfielder and also splits catching duties.

Top Newcomers:

• Jeremiah Hunter (2029) - 3B, 5'10 190, R/R
• Bennett Gonzales (2029) - 1B, 6'4 215, R/L
• Benji Evans (2028) - C/OF, 6'0 165, R/R

Key Players Lost:

• Rhett Ledbetter 
• Dakota Bradshaw 
• Aiden Hughes 
• Remi Ellis 
• Landon Rogers 
• Bradyn King 

Coach’s Insight: “Our team speed will be above average this season, but we will have a very young baseball team returning only three starters from last years team.” – Austen Halliday, head coach

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Find more information on the 2026 Gurdon program below:

+ 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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