Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

2026 Freshman All-State: Pitchers Notebook

February 24, 2026
Cooper Trinkle
Scouting Director

Day 2 of our post-event coverage of the Freshman Preseason All-State leads us to the pitchers notebook. In total, we had over 70 players throw a bullpen at this event with the heavy two-way nature of young prospects. The top fastball mark was 88, with six arms going 85+, and 39 of the 70 arms in attendance throwing 80 mph or better. With that being said, velocity at this stage is valued lower than it is with recruitable/draft prospects at the upperclass levels. At this stage, the movement patterns, arm action, ease of operation, and the athleticism factors in a little more than the stuff is due to the volitile nature of evaluating players at different stages of development/maturity. There is a velocity threshold for upperclassmen that are being evaluated versus their next level competion, but at this stage jumps happen quickly and there needs to be a foundation to allow the jumps to happen, and the ability to consistently control that stuff when it does develop. Today, we unpack notes on 24 of the 70 of the arms in attendance that we leave most-bullish on. Look for an even bigger group of hitters (& some 2ways included in there too!) to come soon in notebook fashion...

 Find the entire event pitching stats here. 

Event Superlatives

+ Best Bullpen: Colten Russell/Townes Cinninger/Adler Kellams

+ Breakout Winner(s): Fletcher East/Paul Morgan/Hudson Walker

+ Best Mover: Hudson Walker

+ Best Fastball: Colten Russell

+ Best Breaking Ball: Levi Welty

+ Best Changeup: Royal Durham

+ Easiest Velocity: Adler Kellams

+ Control: Adler Kellams/James Wong/Hudson Walker

+ 2030 Top Arms: Kyler Thomson/Asa Anderson

+ Sleeper Candidates to 📈: Ben Zartman/James Wong/Rex Samardzija/Jayden Gray/Brody Myers

Notes

+ RHP/OF Asa Anderson, 2030, Pendleton Heights: Advanced arm speed & athleticism for a 2030. Simple delivery that he repeats well before quick arm comes through at a 3/4 slot. Upper-70s heater touched 80 mph and played with above average carry and arm side run. Shaped the breaking ball well,  showed a CH too that he killed spin on. Was the top runner amongst 2030s in attendance, ran a 6.82, which leaves me bullish on future velo jumps. Clear follow. 

+ LHP/OF Townes Cinninger, South Bend Saint Joseph: Looked the part of the potential SP1 in the class during his bullpen. I see some shades of Jared Grindlinger in the operation. Arm works loose in a compact circle with real whip to the front. Gets down the mound very well to gain extension while also carrying the heater with 19-inches of vert on average. 74-76 change played with sinker-like action; showed real feel for a mid-60s CB with 2-plane depth and a chance to sharpen. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound young-looking frame leaves me bullish. Premier projections. Good athlete, as well, who ran a 7.18 and showed two-way potential with a clean left-handed swing. 

+ RHP Caith Coffey, Corydon Central: Clean gather with a faster pace to a moderate balance point. Drops and drives with slight open gate on the front side. Clean/full arm stroke w average arm speed. Pitched at 80-82 T 83, some bore. Feel for spin, showed two grips with similiar shapes and velocities, both in the upper-60s. Low-70s CH appears as a usable third. 6-foot, 165-pound frame holds projection still. Good follow. 

+ LHP/1B Royal Durham, Noblesville: T10 in our initial rankings with one of the highest floors in the class amongst arms we've identified. Athletic, 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame projects nicely down the road with above average athleticism present as he turned in a 7.1 60-yard dash. Athletic lift before getting down the mound to gain big extension with a slight cross-body stride. Loose full-circle arm action speeds to the front. Spins the fastball at 2300+ for 81-83 velo. Spin, extension, and 20" of IVB average should play the fastball higher as it provides a heavy look for low-80s at this stage. Kills spin on a straight change at 72-75; shapes a big mid-60s CB with sweep and some depth.

+ RHP/SS Fletcher East, Franklin Central: One of the biggest winners of the event in our first look. 6-foot, 160-pound frame projects very well. High-waisted with a young look to the face. Chance to grow & could end up physical if projections go the way I think they can. Starts in a relaxed, taller stance with rhythm in the handset. Loose, later takeaway w/ some timing inconsistencies; when synced the load flowed seamless into launch for an on-plane stroke that worked with length out-front. Exits reached 94-plus, if the body trends the way I think it can there is power potential down the road. Also looked the part on the bump. Short, repeatable lift with later hand break as the arm flips up on time. Solid foundational arm action. Slight supination at release led to multiple fastball profiles. 82-83 2200+ FB. Spun a CB w/ big two-plane depth in the upper-60s; 2200+ average. Killed spin on an upper-70s change. 3 usable shapes that he controlled. True two-way follow. 

+ LHP/1B Jack Evener, 2030, Crown Point: Plenty to like with this young arm, immature look to a 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame that is just scratching the surface of maturity. Liked it best on the mound. Sequences well with minimal drive down the mound. Velocity jumps to come. Works in-balance for now and repeats well. Showed four distinct shapes. Fastball up to 78 with ASR, two distinct breaking balls that spun into the 2200s. Also, sold a CH with fastball arm speed. Showed control for all. Still young enough to leave two-way options open; simple LH stroke worked into the low-90s exits with balance and easy intent. High follow in the class. 

+ RHP/SS Abe Freeman, Brownsburg: One of the top-ranked righties in the class showed as one of the top righties at this event. Athletic, 6-foot, 165-pound frame. Polished mover who gets down the mound well with a clean/quick arm on the backside. Arm action/athleticism leaves me bullish on future jumps. Pitched at 84 with the FB, touched 86, with carry at times from a lower release height. Showed two breaking ball grips that blended into a similiar shape, more of a true SL in the low-70s that spun north of 2400. Wipeout upside on SL. Killed spin on a 76-78 CH with some arm-side fade. Controlled all. Holds upside as a two-way. Glove appears ahead of the bat, looks the part at short, with exits peaking at 90 mph from the right side. Average runner. Ceiling appears higher on the bump. High-floor on bump considering present stuff. SP aresenal/athleticism. 

+ RHP Evan Goodwin, Merrillville: Projectable, 6-foot-3, 200 lb frame with sturdy hips. Balanced lift is followed by a short stride. 80-82 T 83 fastball powered by arm strength, minimal usage of the hips. True ride/run to the fastball. Slowed up on CB; mid-60s offering with loose spin, still developing. CH came out with a fastball look appearing usable. Ton of projection to the frame; also young for the class. Good follow with a chance to mature into further velocity. 

+ RHP Jayden Gray, Heritage Hills: 5-foot-11, 160-pounds and all legs. Chance for growth knowing the family & following his older brother from the same stage thru his HS career. Smooth pace to the delivery; efficient patterns as he lifts to a taller balance point and rides the slope with good direction before landing square. Sequences well. Loose, moderate-lengthed arm circle with front-side working on target and tucking in-line. A lot to like about the movement patterns and projection to the frame. FB 77-79 w/ big lift; 19" VB avg and 20" max. Showed some feel to spin the baseball and land it for a strike. CB is soft for now, 64-66, spinning 2085 avg. Showed feel for a low-70s CH. Sleeper favorite to develop quickly. Great foundation. 

+ LHP/OF Adler Kellams, Fort Wayne Carroll: Continues to reaffirm his status as the top overall prospect in the class. Lean, twitchy, wiry, 6-foot-ish L/L OF/P. Body control has taken strides and really took shape in his look on the bump. Played catch at 83-86, T 87 with lift to the fastball from a lower release height (5-foot-2). SL is abv avg for the age; low-70s with short sweep and feel to land. CH at 72-73 profiles well and should end up as a strong third, or even his go-to secondary. Burned a 6.7 60-yard dash to begin the day; easy plus projections for that tool down the road. Repeats a simple left-handed swing well for all-fields impact. Exit velocities peaked at 97 mph; averaged 87 and also showed the ability to flush the ball in the air pull-side. 89 from the OF; profiles as a true CF. Chance for 5 tools on the offensive side with about as high of a floor as any pitching prospect in the class. 

+ OF/RHP Brooks Miller, Danville: True two-way follow with explosive athletic ability. Ceiling appears equal on both sides. Fast pace to the delivery, short strider that gets to a unique OTT slot. Short arms it with stiff arm action. Carries the fastball well with true ride at 82-84.4. True downer CB at 71-73; some armside fade on 74-76 CH. Showed abv avg control. Offensively, it is a simple swing with some crudeness and plenty of raw twitch. Peaked at 92.2 while averaging 86.6 throughout. Quick hands with present above average bat speed. Also a 6.95 runner who was 86 from the OF. Intriguing follow. 

+ RHP Paul Morgan, Plainfield: One of the higher ceiling frames of the day standing at 6-foot-3, 175-pound with long legs and plenty of room to fill out. Also young for the class. Chance for further growth. Moderate lift with inefficient patterns, still powered the fastball at 82-84, T85 with 22-2300 spin & 18" of IVB on average. Real upside to the breaking ball. 72-74 w/ inconsistent shape but spun up to 2402. Higher 3/4 slot is more conducive to CB than the SL he showed at this event. Developing upper 70s CH. Morgan is just scratching the surface and could make jumps quickly with further polish. High follow. 

+ RHP Brody Myers, South Bend Saint Joseph: Undersized-but-athletic at 5-foot-9, 140-pounds. Young look. High waist. I caught some of this bullpen in-person and the way the arm worked jumped out at me a bit. The delivery works in a controlled fashion as he coils during the lift and seamlessly uncoils as he makes a slight crossbody stride. It is very balanced throughout as the arm works loose throughout a stroke that gets deep into scap retraction. Arm spirals out of retraction to a 3/4 slot. Chance for big jumps here depending on how the body/athleticism trends. Heavier FB played w ASR; 79-81 at 22-2400. Some arm-side misses due to timing issues. Both secondaries were shaped well and controlled at an average clip; 67-70 SL - sweep and 2095 avg, 73-74 8" VB 18" HZ. Sleeper favorite to make big jumps. 

+ RHP Colten Russell, Franklin Central: One of the top right-handers in the class and continues to trend towards the top spot. Wiry athleticism prevelant in the 6-foot-2, 165-pound frame. Showed control for a sinking mid-80s fastball that worked up to 87 and tunneled nicely with his low-70s 2300+ SL that holds future wipeout upside. Sunk a 79 CH to change pace off the heater. Some slot-drop on secondaries. Controlled 3 pitches. SP upside. Holds front-side closed as he works down the mound & rotates w/ late intent. Some of the best arm speed at the event. Future velo feels easy to project. 

+ RHP Rex Samardzija, Valparaiso: "Light-but-right" candidate with tremendous projection to the levered 6-foot-2, 155-pound frame. Some of the cleanest/easiest arm action of the day. Upper-70s fastball for now; chance for quick jumps. 2000s fastball spin with heavy arm side run and plays higher with above average extension. Shapes a short slider well; best secondary was 67-70 CH, has feel to turn it over & execute with similiar to FB shape but more depth. Strength/maturity will pay dividends. Good follow. 

+ RHP Parker Sexton, Benton Central: Athletic pace w uphill shoulders and taller lift. Slight hitch at the top of the delivery with quirky, short/quick arm action coming from an over-the-top slot. 78-80 FB touched 82 and played with some riding life thru the zone. 69-70 CB played w some sharpness at 21-2200 spin. Showed above average control. Deceptive operation with a mature look to the 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame. Abv avg athlete. 

+ RHP Bowen VanHook, Terre Haute North: Wiry, athletic, 5-foot-10, 155-pound frame that projects best on the mound. He showcased a quick-paced, efficient delivery with his arm speed jumping out as his most noticeable present trait. The Terre Haute native pitched at 82-84 T85 with a carry fastball that he was able to fill the zone with. Both offspeed offerings showed quality shape, and he controlled both; 70-72 SL (2102 avg | 2200+ max) & 71-74 CH (1548). There is some projection / development to be had that should louden his arsenal as he matures, but the three distinct shapes for strikes and quick arm speed leaves me confident in the floor he provides. 

+ RHP Hudson Walker, Huntington North: One of the best movers at the event. The operation reminded me of Griffin Tobias in some ways at the same stage. Silky pace throughout as he coils into an inward turn with a slight cross-body stride. Gets down the mound very well to gain extension. Loose/clean arm stroke. Pitched at 82 with 22-2400 fastball spin and 18+ inches of carry on average from 5-foot-1 release. Breaking ball looks like a future wipeout SL; 68-70 for now with 26-2700 spin and sharp action. Also controlled a mid-70s straight CH. Young look to the 5-foot-10, 160-pound frame. How the body trends will ultimately determine how high the ceiling goes, but the movement patterns, arm action, control, and ability to spin the baseball are all highly-valued.

+ RHP/3B Noah Weber, Andrean: Intriguing follow with athleticism in the 6-foot, 160-pound frame. 6.8 runner who I thought showed best as a RHP. Good athlete on the mound. Pitched at 80-82 T 83 with semi-stab, short arm action on the backside. Some riding life. Unique top-down & firm breaking ball in the mid2low 70s; 2148 average. Developing CH. Chance for future jumps. Primary 3B on the offenside side; reached a peak exit velocity of 93.9 mph while showing bat speed on a more downward plane. Tends to over-rotate/leave the zone early. At this stage it is a true 2 way follow with the physicality & athleticism providing the intrigue. 

+ RHP/SS Levi Welty, Mooresville: Super interesting arm outta Mooresville. Athletic, lean look at 6-foot, 160-pounds. Short, remedial lift; lands soft on the front leg. Rotates well, loose/supinated arm comes through at a quick pace. True cutter profile on an 80-81 FB; averaged -4 HZ & 5 vert while spinning 22-2400+. 70-71 SL is a future wipeout pitch. He spun it at 26-2700 with 20" of sweep and it was the sharpest breaking ball that I saw all day. Some top-down bite on a softer CB that he spun well. 71-73 CH provides intrigue to the pitch profile. Excited to see where this goes. 

+ RHP Evan Wischmeier, Center Grove: Athletic, 5-foot-11, 165-pounder. Quick paced operation with lower, wrapping lift. Swings to square and does it in-control and balanced. Loose/clean/quick arm with a chance for jumps quickly. 78-80 FB; bore, 2023, controlled for strikes. Swept a 70 SL; looser spin with some feel. Best secondary was his low-70s CH that played with 5" VB and 13" HZ on average at 1562. Threw the CH w confidence and visually it appears to play with arm-side tilt. Athletic w/ clean patterns - good follow. 

+ RHP James Wong, Andrean: "Light-but-right" arm with a chance to grow into future velocity. Projectable 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame. Tall/tucked lift before an exaggerated drop and drive lands crossfired. Straight-back takeaway w/ loose arm action as he gets to a mid 3/4 slot. Gains big extension with low release height for outlier release traits. 72-75 SL showed out-pitch upside with short sweep and spinning into the 2200s. Wong spun the second-firmest breaking ball at the event, a general indicator of future jumps, and shaped it with 7" of sweep on average. Some arm side fade and tumble on a low 70s CH. Fastball played 78-80. Good follow who showed above average control. 

+ LHP Jameson Young, Mt. Vernon: 6-foot-3, 158-pound frame jumps out with lean, thin-hipped look. Remedial delivery; short quick lift w/ shorter step that he lands soft on. Some sling to a quick arm stroke that plays from a lower release. Pitched at 79-81 sink/run to the fastball; fringy control of this pitch. Slowed up on a low-70s CH for similiar properties to the FB. Spin was best pitch from a stuff perspective. 2 grips, flashed 2 shapes, but raised arm slot for CB. SL is the long term pitch and is presently an upper-60s sweeper with avg to better action. The projection and left-handed nature provides the value with a chance to polish into a prospect.  

+ LHP Ben Zartman, Warsaw:  My favorite "light-but-right" arm at the event. Showed awesome gains since the fall. As projectable of a frame as any at the event standing at 6-foot-2, 165-pounds with long levers. Athletic delivery with polish to come, got down the mound at an above average clip. Strength gains will pay dividends. Shorter/clean arm circle with some present quickness to an over-the-top slot. Some cutting properties to a fastball that played in the upper-70s (T79). Shaped two different breaking balls well, while also executing an upper-60s change. With four distinct pitches that he controlled and athleticism in a frame that will only contiue to pack on strength, look for Zartman as a sleeper favorite to make big jumps up our board at some point in the next couple years.