2026 Indiana Player of the Year Watchlist
January 13, 2026
While too early to tell, several players come to mind when attempting to predict the to-be 2026 Player of the Year in Indiana. Max Clark dominated the award two years in a row before Hogan Denny's record breaking senior year won him the award in 2024. Caden Crowell led Valparaiso to a 4A State Title en route to his Player of the Year honors last spring, allowing just 2 earned runs during the course of his entire senior season. This years' class features four favorites, all seniors with decorated prep careers in their own regards. The four at the top seem most likely in our eyes, but we do follow with a list of clear contenders, followed by a group of darkhorse candidates with a path to the award.
Stay on the lookout for more high school preseason coverage in the coming weeks, including team previews, team rankings, and much more...
Player of the Year Watchlist
4 front-runners for our Player of the Year award heading into the spring...
 |
Sean Dunlap C / OF / Crown Point, IN / 2026+ The top prep draft prospect from the Hoosier State in this year's crop, Dunlap enters as one of the favorites for this award after a decorated underclass career that includes: a 2x selection as a Prep Baseball All-American, appearing at the Prep Baseball Future Games, Fall State Games MVP honors, an Area Code Games selection, and 4A 1st Team All-State honors as a junior. A Tennessee recruit, Dunlap put up a monsterous 1.286 OPS last spring and enters his senior season as the headliner for a Crown Point club that is expected to be one of the top teams in 4A. Another big spring could pay big in terms of draft bonus dollars, but could also win him this award outright. |
 |
Gannon Grant RHP / SS / Center Grove, IN / 2026+ Another player with a decorated underclass career, Grant is another heavy favorite for this award with a chance to cap off his prep career with a bang. A Tennessee signee, Grant was also a Prep Baseball All-American in 2025 on top of being a 4x Future/Junior Future Games participant, one of few prospects to be invited to this prestigious event four times. He brings some of the most impactful two-way abilities of any player in the state this spring, and will do it for a Center Grove team that is favored to be the top team in Indiana heading into the spring. The top prep pitching prospect in the state for the 2026 draft, Grant's sights are set on leading the Trojans to Victory Field, and he could easily follow the path that led Caden Crowell to this award last spring. |
 |
Dylan Bowen SS / RHP / Hanover Central, IN / 2026+ Bowen continues the trend here, looking to cap his decorated career with Player of the Year honors. His accolades include: a 3x Future/Junior Future Games selection, 2x Area Code Games selection, and 3A 1st Team All-State honors as a SS last spring. He is the top rated shortstop on our board in the senior class and coming off a junior year where he posted a 1.180 OPS. An Oklahoma State signee & a highly-regarded draft prospect in his own right, if Bowen builds upon his personal successes and leads Hanover Central to a successful spring, Player of the Year honors could come with it. |
 |
Aiden Smith RHP / OF / Shelbyville Sr High School, IN / 2026+ There may not be a more impactful player for their respective program than Aiden Smith for the Shelbyville Golden Bears. A Kentucky recruit, Smith enters the spring with some of the best varsity statistics of any player in the class over the past three springs. First and foremost, he is known in the scouting world for his work on the mound, likely to draw a crowd of scouts throughout the spring with a chance for his name to be called in late July. He enters his senior year with 14 career wins, a 2.21 career ERA, and over 200 strikeouts to his name in just three seasons. On top of his abilities on the hill, his impact as a right-handed hitter at the varsity level has been astounding to this point in his career. He has maintained a .397 average over his first three seasons, including 20 doubles, 11 home runs, and a career OPS of 1.182. Another loud statistical spring should keep his name in the Player of the Year talks for 2026. |
Contenders
5 Candidates with a clear path to the award
 |
Rob Czarniecki OF / RHP / Chesterton, IN / 2026+ The top-ranked OF in Indiana's senior class, Czarniecki has a clear path to POY honors. His Chesterton team has a chance to be one of the Region's best, and the Kentucky signee will be a big factor on both sides of the ball. He is a career .380 hitter with 15 doubles, 9 home runs, and a career 1.200 OPS, while also boasting a perfect 4-0 record on the mound with only 8 earned runs in 34 innings of work throughout his career. If he returns to the form he showed as a 4A 1st Team All-State performer as a sophomore, and leads Chesterton to a successful spring, he could easily throw his name in the hat for POY talks. |
 |
Hudson DeVaughan RHP / OF / Mooresville, IN / 2026+ Likely to bring one of the loudest fastballs of any player in the state this spring, Devaughan is yet another highly-intriguing draft prospect in this years' class with a clear path to the POY award. He has been flat-out dominant for the Pioneers over the course of his career, maintaining a perfect 13-0 record through his first three seasons. The Alabama signee has struck out 170 batters in 107 innings of work and will yet again be a force in the Mid-State conference, and one of the top pitchers in the state of Indiana this spring. |
 |
Sammy Swank RHP / 3B / Mccutcheon High School, IN / 2026+ Swank, a Kentucky signee, looks to lead McCutcheon to a bounce-back 2026 spring as one of the state's most talented right-handed pitchers. His absense last spring was felt, leading to an up-and-down season for the Mavs, but he appears to be healthy entering 2026 in order to give McCutcheon a proven ace with a chance to post a huge year statistically. |
 |
Aiden Reynolds 3B / SS / Noblesville High School, IN / 2026+ Reynolds has been one of the most impactful hitters in Central Indiana for three straight seasons and will be once again in his senior campaign. The Indiana recruit leads the offensive side of things for a Noblesville club slated as a top team for 4A. Reynolds boasts 24 career doubles, 5 triples, and 6 home runs with a career OPS north-of 1.000. Leading the Millers to an HCC and Sectional 8 title, while posting stats that match-or-better what he's already done, could put his name in POY talks. |
 |
Beckett Doane LHP / Noblesville High School, IN / 2026+ The state's top-ranked senior southpaw, Doane will team with Reynolds to create premier frontline talent on both sides of the ball for the Millers this spring. The Mississippi State signee creates one of the toughest looks of any pitcher in the state for this spring, and he's maintained a sub-2 ERA over the course of his last two springs while racking up 118 strikeouts and allowing just one extra-base hit. |
Darkhorse Candidates
______ could enter player of the year talks IF _______
+ Troy Barrett, LHP/OF, 2026, Chesterton: he leads Chesterton to a deep playoff run and outperforms teammate Rob Czarniecki. A Purdue signee, Barrett has some of the more-dominant pitching stats of any player in the senior class at the varsity level. In the past two springs, Barrett has posted a 14-2 record, a 1.14 ERA, 178 strikeouts to 27 walks in 104 IP, and a 0.90 WHIP. He's been productive offensively, as well, a career .393 hitter with 20 doubles in two seasons and a north-of 1.000 OPS.
+ Tate Troxell, RHP/CINF, 2026, Guerin Catholic: he builds upon his 3A All-State junior year and Guerin lives up to the hype they have headed into the spring. An Alabama signee, Troxell was the lone junior pitcher to be named to the 3A All-State team last year. He struck out 100 batters in 56 innings pitched last spring, leading the Golden Eagles to a 3A Final Four appearance. Guerin returns nearly that entire team, likely to debut as one of, if not the top team in 3A.
+ Gavin Jackson, 3B/RHP, 2026, Providence: he leads Providence back to Victory Field, picks up his second state championship ring, and posts big stats on both sides of the ball while doing so. An Indiana State recruit as a third baseman, Jackson has hit .405 between the past two springs with 10 doubles, 7 home runs, and an OPS of 1.248. However, his work on the mound in each of the last two springs has made him a 2x 2A All-State performer as a pitcher - with even more impressive numbers on that side. Jackson has gone 15-4 in the last two seasons combined, maintaining a 1.45 ERA (0.51 ERA as a JR) with a less-than 1 WHIP and 149 strikeouts in 110 innings pitched.
+ Billy Miller, SS/RHP, 2028, Kouts: he (somehow) builds upon that eye-popping stats he put up as a freshman and leads Kouts to a 1A State Title. One of the top-ranked prospects in the state's sophomore class, Miller established himself with authority in his freshman season by earning 1A 1st Team All-State honors and leading Kouts to a 1A State Runner-Up finish. As a FRESHMAN, Miller hit .514 with 12 doubles, 4 triples, 5 home runs, stole 20 bases, and maintained an absurd OPS of 1.460. He served as the Kouts ace on the mound, pitching to a 0.67 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched, and finishing the season with a 0.68 WHIP. Kouts will be one of, if not the top, team in 1A in our preseason polls with a year of experience likely to play in Billy's favor.
+ Davis Moore, LHP, 2027, Zionsville: he establishes himself as the premier arm on the northside of Indianapolis and leads Zionsville to an HCC title, gets Zionsville past Sectional 8, and takes the Eagles on a deep playoff run. A Crowell-esque statline will be required, but the Vanderbilt recruit has a chance to do it after he went 5-1 as a sophomore with a sub-2 ERA.
+ Grady Nelson, 1B/OF, 2027, Warsaw: he leads 4A in slugging and helps Warsaw to another 20-win season and a playoff run. The Ole Miss recruit hit .394 as an underclassman with 11 doubles, 8 home runs, and a 1.155 OPS and is primed to build even further upon those strong power numbers. There is a real chance Nelson establishes himself as the premier power hitter in the state, and Warsaw is loaded with young talent and returning experience that could protect him in the lineup, and lead them on a playoff run.
+ Isaiah Snavely, SS, 2027, Fort Wayne Snider: he is able to lead Snider to another deep playoff run, despite the departure of Brandon Logan and Landen Fry, while building upon a breakout sophomore campaign. The state's top-ranked 2027 prospect, Snavely hit .359 with 8 doubles, 4 triples, and 3 home runs as a sophomore as Snider went 24-7 and made a semi-state appearance.
+ Cole Cheatham, RHP/3B, 2027, Union County: he is able to produce an absurd statline this spring. A West Virginia recruit tabbed as the top right-handed pitcher in Indiana's junior class, Cheatham posted wild numbers at 2A Union County last spring. He struck out 95 batters in 37.1 IP, while also batting .453 with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, and finishing with an OPS of 1.302. His team will need to build on the 7-19 record they posted last year, but undoubtedly the craziest stats of any player in the state, of any class, could come from Cheatham this spring.
+ Lannon Nicoloff, SS/RHP, 2026, Harrison: he leads Harrison to Victory Field. Nicoloff will headline a Harrison club that is expected to be a top team in 4A, and his impact as the everyday SS, the teams' top hitter, and their closing pitcher will be immense. He missed much of his junior year to injury, but his return was a key reason why Harrison was able to make a run in the playoffs.
+ Drake McClurg, CF, 2027, Center Grove: he returns from injury early enough to make an impact on opening day, outperforms teammate Gannon Grant, and helps the Trojans live up to sky-high expectations. The most intriguing darkhorse candidate, McClurg suffered a football injury that will lead to his release right before the spring starts. With that being said, you can NEVER count out the performer/competitor that is Drake McClurg and when healthy he may be the most dynamic bat in the state. He led Center Grove in several offensive categories as a sophomore, and could easily be on his way to a huge junior spring if the injury timeline plays in his favor.
+ Caden Matusak, SS, 2026, Crown Point (OR) Jake Winger, INF, 2026, McCutcheon: outperform high-ranking teammates en route to a state title. While it is hard to imagine McCutcheon or Crown Point winning the 4A state title without Swank (McCutcheon) or Dunlap (Crown Point) performing at an astronomical rate, both Matusak and Winger bring highly-impactful skillsets of their own to each respective club. If either team makes a huge run, and one of these two breakout in a major fashion in doing so, there is a path to the award for each.
+ Cayden Stockbridge, RHP, 2026, Penn: leads Penn to a 4A State Title and big production comes with it. Year-in & year-out, Penn is a force in the northern part of the state and despite graduating several starters from last years' team, we expect this group to be very competitive. Stockbridge, a Purdue signee, will play a huge role as the likely ace after he went 6-0 as a junior with 66 strikeouts in 48 innings of work.
+ Jaxon Lueken, RHP, 2026, Forest Park: posts yet another strong statistical season and is able to lead his club past Evansville Mater Dei in sectionals, the likely top-ranked 2A team in the state for 2026, and ends his season at Victory Field. While Mater Dei returns a loaded squad on paper, Lueken is expected to be the top arm in the southwest part of the state for this spring and he is more than capable of quieting that lineup. An Indiana signee, Lueken returns after pitching to a 2.31 ERA as a junior with 61 strikeouts in 45.1 IP.
+ Kaden Maxwell, LHP/OF, 2026, Andrean: helps Andrean to back-to-back 3A state titles while serving as the teams ace and top hitter from a statistical perspective. The 59ers graduate a host of arms from last year's state championship club, which leaves the Illinois signee in a position to really make his mark on the program in his senior season. As a junior, Maxwell went 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA, punching out 30 in 21.1 innings of work, and his workload is expected to make a big jump this spring. He is also the top returning hitter from a season ago and will be a huge force in the 59ers lineup this spring. As a junior, he hit .415 with 5 doubles, 2 triples, and a home run while driving in 31. As always, the 59ers will reload and see themselves near the top of our 3A preseason rankings, and Maxwell will look to lead that team back to Victory Field in order to throw his name in the POY talks.
+ Cooper Collins, C, 2027, Vincennes Lincoln: builds upon the successes he had as a sophomore and carries Vincennes Lincoln out of a tough 3A region of the state and deep into the state playoffs. The Texas A&M recruit was one of, if not the top position player in the southwest corner of the state as just a sophomore. He hit .451 last spring, including 7 doubles, a triple, a home run, and he reached base at a .554 clip, while also providing some of the state's best defensive abilities from behind the dish. If he builds even further on that, and the Alices emerge victorious amongst several strong 3A programs in the area, there is a clear path to the award.