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LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - With the conclusion of the spring season portion of the calendar in the state of California coming to a close, our staff was able to get eyes on players through Prep Baseball California events in the preseason and over the course of the CIF High School baseball season. The busy period of the year allowed our staff to observe the continued improvement/development of players in the 2026 class. With that visibility afforded to our staff to evaluate players over the last couple of months, Prep Baseball California presents our updated Class of 2026 Player Rankings.

With the continued exposure provided this spring for our staff to the 2026 class we have made a slight expansion within our rankings to now 350 players. Included in that expansion, we saw quite a bit of change, especially within the Top 100, as we saw several players making strong moves up the board, both from within our Top 100 and entering into the Top 100. 

Beyond the Top 100, we have seen several players continue their rise up the rankings and several players coming into the rankings for the first time after this spring. All players included are looking to carry their progress from the 2025 CIF high school seasons into their final full year of travel baseball and high school baseball next year.

This class is now fully engulfed in the recruiting process after the rule change in April of 2023 to halt early communication with players prior to August 1st of the summer headed into their junior season of high school. As a result of the new rule, we have seen several notable commits in the last few months, but numerous players in these rankings will come off the "uncommitted board" in the coming months. Additionally, now this class will be the focal point for MLB scouts as the being preparations for the 2026 draft this summer.

Below you'll find the Top 10, Top 10 Uncommitted Players, along with notes on Rankings Risers and Ranking Newcomers. 

+ CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

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CLASS OF 2026, TOP TEN

***As we conclude the 2025 High School spring season and prepare for the busy summer circuit for the college coaches that are continuing to work through their follow lists for the 2026 class, we offer the Top 10 ranked uncommitted players in California.

Rank	Player	POS	School
22	Jensen Hirschkorn	RHP	Kingsburg
27	Mateo Villanueva	RHP	Coronado
31	Jordan Walczykowski	OF	Jesuit
40	Noah Everly	INF/RHP	St. John Bosco
41	Ian Brooke	C/OF	Patrick Henry
46	Parker Smith	OF/3B	Poway
49	Jameson Berigan	RHP	Thousand Oaks
53	DJ Delaney	OF	St. Ignatius
58	Gavin Hottle	INF	Orange Lutheran
62	Eric Zdunek	OF	Marantha

+ CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

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CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: RISERS

TOP-10 RISERS:

+ Tyler Spangler, SS - De La Salle HS (Stanford Commit): Previous: 2 Now: 1

The uber talented LH hitting SS out of the Bay Area has steadily climbed his way up the Top 10 since debuting inside the Top 10 in March of 2024 and now for the first time takes over the number 1 spot in the 2026 class. With tools across the board as a defender and hitter the foundation of what Spangler is as a player is highly impressive and he doesn't look to be done improving which projects an extremely bright future for the Stanford commit. Spangler for the spring season impressed not only Hank LoForte and the Prep Baseball California scouting staff in NorCal, but in front of Vice President of Scouting Shooter Hunt during a spring break tourney in NorCal which earned him an invitation to the 2025 Prep Baseball All American Game to represent the 2026 team. Spangler for the spring hit .385 with nine homers, five doubles, three triples that added up to a 1.372 OPS while driving in 34 runs with 27 runs scored in 98 plate appearances. Spangler added seven steals while playing strong defense up the middle at SS.

+ Anthony Murphy Jr., OF - Corona HS (LSU Commit): Previous: 6 Now: 3

Murphy makes a move back up the 2026 board after a dynamic spring playing CF and hitting atop the lineup for the Corona Panthers program which is chasing back to back Prep Baseball National Titles on top of a second straight CIF-SS D1 title. Murphy is a dynamic athlete who can impact a game both defensively in CF, at the plate with his RH bat or on the bases with his game changing run tool. For the 2025 spring high school season Murphy has posted a team leading .421 average with a 1.286 OPS in 124 plate appearances adding a team leading 10 homers, six doubles, two triples, drove in 33 runs while scoring 38 runs. For good measure his nine stolen bases top a team which only stole 20 bases all spring accounting for nearly half of their steals and has walked 10 times to 14 Ks.

+ Gary Morse, RHP - Orange Lutheran HS (Tennessee Commit): Previous: 10 Now: 9

The 2023 Prep Baseball Future Gamer for Team California and 2024 Prep Baseball All American makes a small one spot move back up the Top 10 into the nine spot. A Tennessee commit with a low 90's FB and feel for an interesting off-speed arsenal posted an impressive spring in the Trinity League for the OLU program. Morse made 10 starts with an 8-2 record facing off against high level high school competition he posted an astounding 0.94 ERA over the 52.1 innings he has thrown. The 6'8 righthander struck out 65 hitters with an opponents batting average of .134 against him on the spring. He topped the Lancers in wins, ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts in a dominant spring campaign.

TOP-100 RISERS:

+ Logan Georges, RHP - Clovis HS (TCU Commit): Previous: 31 Now: 19

The talented TCU commit out of the Central Valley showed off the lively arsenal the earned him that commit this spring for the Clovis Cougars in 22 innings of work. Over that span Georges had 32 punchouts while allowing only 20 baserunners (14 hits. one HBP and five walks). Opponents hits .175 with a .233 OBP over his seven appearances with a 3-0 record and a 0.64 ERA on the spring. Georges fastball was in the mid 90's with life while still flashing his impressive offspeed arsenal. NorCal Associate Director Hank LoForte was able to get eyes on him during a bullpen session during Hank's Central Valley trip this spring and the profile was heading in the upward direction based on all factors and we now see Georges trend up 12 spots inside the Top 20. Georges will be at the NorCal Procase on 5/31/25.

+ Braden Oliver, SS - Agoura HS (UC Irvine Commit): Previous: 33 Now: 21

Oliver made his debut in the rankings during spring of 2024 as a Soph. after impressing SoCal Associate Director Steven Hardesty and from there he has seen his profile move up our board with consistently strong performances in front of Hardesty. Plus after a loud 2025 spring season where the standout defender started to tap into his offensive tools at a high level including a .342 average, 1.082 OPS, three doubles, two triples, four homers, drove in 14 runs, scored 20 runs, stole nine bases and drew 18 walks on the year. With the uptick in his offensive profile to go with emerging strength in his frame Oliver slides up 12 spots to just outside the Top 20 and will be in attendance at the 2025 ProCase West on 6/1/25.

+ Dustin Dunwoody, RHP - Royal HS (Arizona Commit): Previous: 66 Now: 24

Dunwoody jumped into the rankings on the backside of his Soph. season at Royal and then earned his spot on Team California at the 2024 Prep Baseball Future Games which brought him an Arizona commitment. The athletic righthander makes an impressive 42 spot jump up our board on the back of an upward tick to his FB velocity, life on his breaking pitches, control of his arsenal and a loud spring performance for the Highlanders ascending to the ace spot on their staff. For the year Dunwoody threw 67 innings with 96 Ks against 20 BBs while opponents hit just .183 on the year against him. Dunwoody posted a 1.15 ERA, 7-0 record, made 12 starts with one no-hitter. His FB lived at 89-93 MPH and touched 94 MPH with a sharp mid 80's SLD, low 80's CB, and a developing 79-81 MPH CHG. Dunwoody will be in attendance at the 2025 ProCase West on 6/1/25.

+ Jake Ourique, RHP - Gahr HS (Loyola Marymount Commit): Previous: 50 Now: 34

Ourique has found himself atop the Gahr rotation for two years now and was a member of the 2024 Team California squad at the Prep Baseball Future Games on the strength of his advanced feel to throw strikes, impressive CHG and upper 80's velocity on his FB. This spring Ourique saw his FB velocity trend into the low 90's consistently added life to his breaking pitch while still maintaining his impact CHG. The upgraded quality of his pitch arsenal to go with his high level control helped Ourique to a strong JR. campaign with 31.1 innings pitched striking out 38 hitters against only five walks on the spring and opponents hit just .188 against Ourique. His ERA was an 2.01 for the spring winning two games in six appearances. Ourique comes up 16 spots with strong showings in front of Shooter Hunt and California State Director Les Lukach which brings him an invite to the 2025 ProCase West on 6/1/25.

+ Hudson Flora, C - Foothill HS (UCSB Commit): Previous 61 Now: 45

The Flora name generated plenty of buzz across the baseball world this spring and it wasn't just older brother Jackson at UCSB, but the future Gaucho Hudson made his own mark with a strong spring performance. Flora kicked his year off by impressing Hank LoForte and Les Lukach during his performance at the 2025 NorCal Preseason All-State event from there he put up strong numbers for the Foothill High program. Flora posted a .346 average, .931 OPS, with seven doubles, two homers, driving in 21 runs and scoring 22 runs with a nearly even 10 BBs to 12Ks rate over 91 plate appearances on the year. Even more impressive was how well Flora utilized his impact catch/throw tools by nailing 11 of the 12 runners who attempted to steal a bag on him this spring. Flora will be in attendance at the NorCal ProCase on 5/31/25.

Non-Top-100 Risers

+ Finn DeMuth, RHP - St. Ignatius Prep (Uncommitted): Previous: 181 Now: 107

DeMuth made his mark on the NorCal baseball scene this spring with his high quality arsenal which included a FB that is now up to 93 MPH and loud numbers over the course of the 2025 spring season. The righthander toed the rubber for the Wildcats this spring for 23.1 innings striking out 33 hitters walking eight on the spring with his opponents hitting just .143 on the spring against him. DeMuth made seven appearances to account for those innings with a three wins and an eye popping 0.30 ERA. The upward tick to his arsenal quality and loud spring numbers all result in a 74 spot move up the rankings board and is now knocking on the Top 100 door.

+ Hugo Gonzalez, SS/OF - Rancho Bernardo HS (Uncommitted): Previous: 268 Now: 118

The compact RH hitting SS for the San Diego based Rancho Bernardo program was outstanding in live looks for the Prep Baseball California staff in San Diego including Matt Monk with his impressive feel to hit. On the spring, Gonzalez posted a .360 average with a 1.038 OPS with knocking nine doubles with three homers. His 29 runs scored topped the offense and Gonzalez drove in another 12 runs with 17 BBs and six stolen bases in 109 plate appearances on the spring. Gonzalez showed off long-term middle of the diamond defensive potential with 55 assists over 27 games played and turned four double plays. The impressive spring performance brings Gonzalez up 150 spots on our rankings board.

+ Mason Trigo, 3B/SS - Buena HS (Uncommitted): Previous: 165 Now: 128

An intriguing RH hitting INF defender out of the Central Coast region, Trigo joined our rankings after his Soph. campaign at Buena High, and his profile has remained on an upward trend ever since then with his consistently high level performances for Steven Hardesty. Trigo makes a strong 37-spot rise up the rankings board after the RH hitter consistently demonstrated his offensive ability with a .390 with a loud 1.100 OPS, including nine doubles, two triples and walked nine times with only four Ks over 73 plate appearances as the Bulldogs played 21 games this year. Trigo fielded .961 on the spring, playing both 3B early in the spring and moving to SS later in the spring with 47 assists against only three errors all spring in 76 total chances. Trigo will be at the 2025 California State Games.

+ Branson Wade, RHP - Laguna Beach HS (Loyola Marymount Commit): Previous: 283 Now: 133

The Loyola Marymount bound righthander out of Orange County made his debut at the end of the Fall period of the baseball calendar and now sees his name move 150 spots up the board after an impressive spring showcasing his pitch arsenal with loud numbers of his JR. campaign. Wade made an appearance in early April in front of the Prep Baseball California scouting staff and for the spring, the righthander tossed 68.2 innings with 92 Ks and 16 walks while opponents hit just .171 against him. Wade made 14 appearances to account for his 68.2 innings with 10 wins on the spring and posted an eye-opening 0.92 ERA in all of that work. 

+ Jose Borrego, RHP/OF - Sultana HS (Uncommitted): Previous: 215 Now: 150

Borrego may not blow you away with his physical stature, but the tools the Hesperia-based right-handed hitter and right-handed pitcher possesses will. Borrego was electric in a CIF-SS D2 opening round outing in front of Steven Hardesty where his FB was up to 92 lived at 88-91 MPH while adding a sharp 77-80 MPH SLD and intriguing 81-83 MPH CHG with heavy arm side action, but he is far from an arm only with an impressive RH swing that flashes feel to hit, bat speed and middle to pull side impact. Borrego put up huge numbers on each side of the game this spring for the Sultans with 55.1 innings pitched, 68 Ks, .193 opponents average, seven wins and a 2.15 ERA while saving three games. Plus, he hit .386 with a 1.053 OPS, four doubles with four homers, drove in 15 runs, scored 28 runs, walked 12 times against 10 Ks in 101 plate appearances, adding 13 stolen bases. Borrego was a 2024 California State Games standout and jumps up 65 spots in our rankings.

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CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: NEWCOMERS

Top-100 Newcomers:

+ Ian Brooke, C/OF - Patrick Henry HS (Uncommitted): Now Ranked: 41

Brooke burst on the scene this spring with a loud showing at the 2025 San Diego Preseason All-State in front of Les Lukach, Matt Monk and then throughout the spring in front of the Prep Baseball California scouting staff in San Diego. Brooke was the top offensive performer for the Patriots this spring by posting a .377 average, 1.050 OPS, walking 11 times to 10 Ks, four doubles, three homers, driving in 26 runs and scoring 17 runs in 99 plate appearances. With the combination of his performances, Brooke makes his debut in the rankings inside the Top 50 and will be in attendance at the 2025 ProCase West on 6/1/25.

+ DJ Delaney, OF - St. Ignatius Prep (Uncommitted): Now Ranked: 53

Delaney capitalizes on a strong spring showing where he put together impressive live looks for Shooter Hunt and Hank LoForte while showing a high level of consistency to his full spring performance. A LH hitting OF Delaney's spring numbers were strong with a .325 average, 1.010 OPS, walking 18 times, slugging four homers with three doubles and two triples in 103 plate appearances. Delaney added 27 RBIs while scoring 22 runs on the spring. His combination of tools, athletic ability and performance across the spring, including those live looks, brings Delaney into the Top 100 for his rankings debut. 

+ Will Grable, RHP - Flintridge Prep (Duke Commit): Now Ranked: 75

The two-way product out of the SoCal region has earned a Duke commit with an intriguing baseball toolset, emerging physicality in his frame and now coming off a loud JR. campaign at Flintridge Prep has earned his spot inside the Top 100 players in the Prep Baseball California 2026 class. Grable showed off an impressive righthand pitching profile by throwing 26.1 innings with 41 Ks, an opponents average of just .191, with 10 appearances accounting for his workload and a 2.13 ERA. But, where Grable really stood out was in the LH batters box with a .403 average and an impressive power/discipline approach earmarked by a 1.318 OPS, six homers, seven doubles, one triple, walking 15 times to just eight Ks. Grable drove in 19 runs while scoring 23 runs. Over 50% of Grable's hits in 2025 went for extra bases over the course of 84 plate appearances.

+ Gavin Loeb-Keene, RHP - Los Osos HS (Cal Baptist Commit): Now Ranked: 82

Loeb-Keene's name began generating buzz to the Prep Baseball California staff during the fall. But, the Cal Baptist bound righthander announced his presence with an impressive showing at the 2025 Inland Empire Preseason All-State as one of the best arms in attendance and then again during a live look for Steven Hardesty in the spring high school season. Loeb-Keene features an upper 80's to low 90's FB, impressive CHG and emerging SLD with an athletic delivery, strong feel for his control and a long-term starter profile that helped the Los Osos program win a Baseline League title in 2025. Gavin made nine starts over 11 appearances for the Grizzlies with 44.2 innings pitched, struck out 40 hitters with six wins and a 2.35 ERA. He makes his debut in the rankings inside the Top 100 with room to rise as he continues to develop/polish his intriguing present foundation.

+ Elius Kelly, 3B - Damien HS (Uncommitted): Now Ranked: 83

Kelly's physicality found him on the radar of the Prep Baseball California staff and an invite to the 2025 Inland Empire Preseason All State where he put on an impressive display of his tools, earning a spot amongst the top overall players in attendance for Les Lukach and Matt Monk. The physical RH hitting corner INF backed up the performance during a live look for Steven Hardesty in the 2025 high school season. Kelly for the year demonstrated a hit with power profile for Damien, including a .406 average with a 1.117 OPS on the spring, posting three doubles, two triples and two homers in 88 plate appearances. Kelly scored 17 runs, drove in 12 runs while walking 15 times on the year. He makes his debut inside the Top 100 and has the type of profile that can continue to rise up this board over the coming year ahead of his graduation from high school.

Non-Top 100 Newcomers:

+ Brody Buoncristiani, LHP/1B - Chino Hills HS (Uncommitted): Now Ranked: 132

Buoncristiani first caught the eyes of the Prep Baseball California scouting staff by taking the ball in the CIF-SS D5 title game and pitching the Huskies program to a win while showing an interesting LH hitting offensive profile. Steven Hardesty caught Buoncristiani during a live look in the 2025 spring high school season where his frame had added noticeable strength while retaining his athletic ability to be an impact defender at 1B, top of the order bat, but also a FB which has added life into the upper 80's consistently while maintaining his feel for a strong offspeed mix. Buoncristiani posted a .407 average with a .981 OPS, walking 13 times against only eight Ks, hitting two doubles with two triples, scored 12 runs and drove in nine runs, stealing 12 bases. On the mound, the southpaw went to the bump 13 times, won six games, posted two saves with a 1.37 ERA in 61.1 innings pitched. He struck out 73 hitters against only 15 walks and opponents only hit .155 against him on the year. Buoncristiani debuts at 132 in the rankings and has the upside to make a move inside the Top 100, potentially in the future.

+ Dean Barkman, LHP - Royal HS (UCSB Commit): Now Ranked: 135

Barkman exploded onto the scene over the summer and the fall, which earned him a UCSB commit and garnered significant interest from Steven Hardesty, who saw him pitch on four different occasions in the 2025 spring. Smaller in stature at around 5'10, there is athleticism to Barkman's delivery with quickness and strength in his arm that generates a FB living at 84-89 MPH in a starting role and touches 90-91 MPH in shorter stints while mixing in a pair of high-quality breaking balls and an interesting CHG. Barkman was very strong in each of Hardesty's live looks, which was backed up by his overall 2025 numbers with 11 appearances, five starts, two complete games, one no-hitter, one save, six wins and a 1.02 ERA over his 41.1 innings pitched. Barkman's underlying numbers are just as impressive with 65 Ks to only 19 BBs, opponents his just .172 off the southpaw and picked off three runners, allowing only two steals all spring. Barkman jumps into the rankings at the 136 spot.

+ Kaden Kuhn, RHP/3B - Cathedral Catholic HS (Uncommitted): Now Ranked: 165

Kuhn arrived on the Prep Baseball California radar during his Future Games Tryout at Fullerton College in 2024 and has steadily trended upward, including a FB that is now into the low 90's with the ability to miss bats. The San Diego based righthander has been impressive for Matt Monk in live looks, along with other members of the Prep Baseball California scouting staff in a spring that saw him make 12 appearances with two starts. For the spring, Kuhn threw 30 innings with 44 Ks against 13 walks, with hitters posting a minuscule .124 batting average off the righthander who had four wins, two saves, and a 1.87 ERA to earn himself a spot at 166 for his rankings debut.

+ Kyle Casey, LHP - Simi Valley HS (Uncommitted): Now Ranked: 191

Casey jumped quickly onto the radar of Steven Hardesty during a pair of live looks in the Fall/Winter scrimmage baseball season and then made an outstanding appearance at the 2025 Central California Preseason All-State to kick off a dominant 2025 high school campaign, which featured a dominant outing in front of Hardesty. Casey is a high-pitchability southpaw who throws three pitches for strikes in any count, including a CHG which flashes impact ability while adding a low 80's FB and low 70's SLD that all come from a clean delivery and a low 3/4 slot that features deception. While the stuff for Casey isn't eye-popping, the way he utilizes it in games and the numbers he put up this spring are. Casey made 12 appearances on the spring, predominantly in a starting role to throw 69 innings with 67 Ks against just 11 walks, while hitters only hit to the tune of a .190 clip across the spring off Casey. He won nine games against zero losses for the Coastal Canyon League champs and added an astounding 0.91 ERA over his spring workload. Casey debuts at 191 in the rankings, but has the upside in his profile to make future rises up this board going forward.

+ Shane Wally, OF - Millikan HS (Uncommitted): Now Ranked: 262

Wally is a smooth swinging, athletically built LH hitter out of the Long Beach area who impressed in a pair of live looks between Les Lukach and Steven Hardesty in the 2025 high school season. Wally found a home in the Millikan lineup this spring with 87 plate appearances and he made the most of his time by posting a .392 average (second on the team), .907 OPS, drew nine walks against only five Ks on the spring and doubled three times with one triple. Shane added 25 RBIs to go with 22 runs scored in 28 games played in the spring. His feel to hit and disciplined approach earns him a spot on the rankings board at 261 for his debut and with room to add strength to his wiry frame, there is projection to see him rise up the board in the future.

+ CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

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Upcoming Events

Showcase	State	Date	Location
2025 Future Games Tryout: Fullerton	CA	05/31	Fullerton College
2025 Future Games Tryout: Los Angeles	CA	05/31	Loyola Marymount University
2025 Future Games Tryout: Malibu	CA	05/31	Pepperdine University - Malibu, CA
2025 ProCase - NorCal	CA	05/31	Cosumnes River College
2025 Future Games Tryout: Northern California	CA	06/01	Consumnes River College - Sacramento, CA
2025 ProCase - West	CA	06/01	Loyola Marymount University - Los Angeles, CA
Orange County Summer ID	CA	06/04	Hart Park - Orange, CA
2025 Future Games Tryout: Central California	CA	06/07	Antelope Valley College - Lancaster, CA
Sacramento Summer ID	CA	06/10	Franklin High School - Elk Grove, CA
Central California Summer ID	CA	07/08	Ventura College
Senior Future Games (Class of 2026)	NATIONAL	07/22	LakePoint Sports
Future Games (Class of 2027)	NATIONAL	07/23	LakePoint Sports
Junior Future Games (Class of 2029/30)	NATIONAL	07/24	LakePoint Sports
2025 California State Games (Invite-Only)	CA	07/30	Fullerton College - Fullerton, CA & Fullerton High School

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