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2026 Indy Preseason ID: Quick Hits

February 18, 2026
Cooper Trinkle
Scouting Director

Our 2026 Preseason ID tour featured two talent-filled events during Week #2. Our second stop for this week took us to Roundtripper Academy and featured nearly 50 prospects from Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. A couple upperclassmen improved their stock in a major fashion, while I walked away impressed with a handful of underclass follow is attendance. Read along to find reports on the top performers, along with a follow list that we took away from the event. 

Find the full event statistics, at this link. 

Upperclass Winners

Reid Dikos RHP / Westfield, IN / 2027

+ Dikos showed outstanding improvements from last summer's showing at the Summer ID Games and is set for a big rise in our next 2027 rankings update after a huge performance at this event on the mound. He has made noticeable strides in his athleticism, now a lean, muscular, broad-shouldered, 6-foot-2, 185-pounder. There is a controlled pace to the delivery as he sets himself to work downhill and breaks the hands higher before letting his arm work in a loose fashion for a shorter circle. He gets behind the ball from an over-the-top slot, carrying the heater at 86-88 while touching an 89 on his best bullet. He spun a downer, 72-74 mph CB off the heater for strikes at a consistent clip and the separation between the FB/CB should allow the CB to be effective when a hitter is in the box. He also flashed a quality change that looked the part of a usable offering at 78-81.5. A 6.79 runner with projection left in the frame, Dikos has a chance to tick further this season and is set up for a breakout junior campaign. 

Jackson Lancaster OF / McCutcheon, IN / 2027

+ Lancaster took the loudest batting practice of the day, showing awesome strides compared to his last event with us last March. There is projection remaining in the 6-foot-3, 188-pound lean, athletic frame to suggest even more bat speed / impact is to come. For now, he sets up in a balanced stance and is able to whip the barrel head with quality bat speed for exits peaking at 101.7 mph. He works on-plane and behind the ball with occasional over-rotation, but there is plenty to like with the swing foundation nonetheless to set the stage for a potential breakout junior season for the Mavs. Along with the offensive upside and skillset, Lancaster turned in a 7.18 60-yard dash and was up to 81 from the OF. 

Underclass Follows

Wesley Matheny RHP / Center Grove, IN / 2029

+ Matheny's first bullpen with us was about as good as it could be and I leave extremely bullish on the future of this young arm. It is a long-framed, 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame with a ton of projection to it. He took to the mound and showed a clean, athletic lift, followed by a slight crossbody stride as the shoulder worked downhill. There is balance throughout and the clean nature of the arm is what makes projections feel safe. He was up to 85 and pitched at 82-84 with 2400+ FB spin at times, while spinning a 69-70 2300+ breaking ball that has the makings of a future wipeout if development trends well. He killed spin on a change at 76-78 that looks the part of a usable third, as well. From both a scouting & metric perspective there is a lot to like / bet on here, especially with the strike-throwing nature shown in this look.

Ben Aho  LHP / St Theodore Guerin High School, IN / 2028

+ I had a couple sources give me a heads up that Aho was a name to follow, and he lived up to it in his first event with us. 6-foot, 160-pound pound frame with athleticism and plenty of room to add. Gradually builds intent within the delivery, sequences well to whip a loose arm to a mid-3/4 slot. Showed some 4S/2S manipulation, with the 4S playing with flatter run vs. the devastating sinker profile that the 2S presents. The 2S has a real chance, 0 vert & -17-plus horizontal working 82-85.6. The 2S set the tunnel for a 66-68 change that should toy with hitters if used properly. There was feel to sweep a softer slider that played with big shape, and holds some upside. All in all, Aho is a good athlete with deception from the left side & a fastball that should play tough on hitters, and is yet another talented southpaw we've uncovered within a DEEP group of them in Indiana's 2028 class. 

Caleb Salsbery SS / Noblesville High School, IN / 2029

+ Salsbery showed well and looks the part of a strong follow in the class. He is 5-foot-11, 180-pounds with projection to the frame, a young look, and above average athleticism presently for the age. He stood out in batting practice with whip in the barrel head as he uses the ground well from a strong base. His exits reached up to 95.6 mph, and he has a chance to grow into more strength there. On the infield he showed solid actions with abv average arm strength for the age at 80 mph. I think he could end up as a strong-bodied infielder with an abv avg run tool and there is hit/power upside. High follow in the class. 

Michael Burke RHP / Noblesville High School, IN / 2029

+ Burke is yet another 2029 from Noblesville that has impressed in early evaluations on the class. At this event, the 5-foot-10, 155-pound right-hander pitched at 82-83 mph with a cut fastball that he showed some control of. The calling card here is going to be the ability to spin the breaking ball, though. He is a natural supinator with a loose arm stroke and already spins it at 73-74 in the 25-2600s. He commands that pitch well, and as he matures into more arm speed it will sharpen & firm even more. Armed with a potential wipeout and extremely young for the class, Burke will be a name we follow in this class undoubtedly. 

Logan Buffie SS / Perry Meridian High School, IN / 2029

+ Buffie's skillset is advanced for the age with innate hand eye allowing for the floor to be set high. He has added very noticeable strength since last June, and it translated best to the bat where he showed much more impact offensively. The left-handed swing starts from a lower handset that flows seamless into the gather/forward move to launch. There is feel to match plane with exits into the upper-80s & plenty of length to the swing out-front. The feet play quicker on the infield than in the 60, where he plays light-footed with confident hands and average arm strength. Maturity should pay dividends as he becomes more explosive as an athlete. 

Quick Hits

*in-event highlights linked into player's name if not shown below*

+ OF Max Coates, 2027, Seymour: Physical, 6-foot-2, 195-pound athletic frame. Starts pre-coiled in a hinged setup before controlled hover into an uphill swing that works behind the ball. Rotates well with above average bat speed. Can produce best exits in the air, chance for XBH power as he moves through his HS career. Peak exit velocity of 92.5. Fringy run tool; up to 84 from the OF. 

+ C/RHP Dominic Cromer, 2027, Roncalli: Physical-framed, 6-foot-2, 200-pound C/P. I liked it best as a C; has arm strength, is a solid reciever, and there is some barrel strength present. Rotates well and present well above average bat speed, path tends to get steep. Exits reached 95+, chance to develop hit tool further along with power. Reached 81 from the crouch with sub-2 pops at times, another well above average tool. Pitched in the low-80s on the bump. Good follow for Roncalli this spring with a chance to breakout. 

+ C/3B Isaiah Hopkins, 2027, Lafayette Central Catholic: 6-foot, 210-pounds with noticeable improvements to body composition. Turned in a 7.02 60-yard dash. Best tool is the arm & he receives at a solid clip; was 80 mph from the crouch. Offensively, gets off quality bat speed with some over-rotation causing inconsistencies at times. Stems from strong rotational capabilities, reached exits up to 94 mph with likely more in the tank there. Solid follow. Strong makeup. 

+ OF Charles Ranek, 2027, Carmel: Athletic, 6-foot, 185-pounder. Ran a 7.16 60. Hits from athletic base with heavier forward move and direct bat path. Some intent behind the swing, has some pull-side strength and middle of the field impact when synced, exits up to 96 at this event and 98.5 previous. Average to slightly above arm for the class, reaching 84 mph. 

+ 3B Brayden Cravens, 2028, Cascade: Stocky-strong, 5-foot-11, 195-pounder. Took aggressive hacks in BP. Overstrides at times, but when synced the uphill path works behind for some ability to drive the ball. Likely a little more strength than his 92 mph EV shows. Rotates well & flashes bat speed. Arm is best tool and up to 84 across, sure hands defensively. 

+ OF Will Marciniec, 2028, Westfield: Starts tall with a higher handset that works connected to the back shoulder. Holds torso back as he makes forward move with slight inward turn hinge. Turns connected with strong rotational abilities and above average bat speed for the age. Chance to hit here. Average runner, reached 84 from the OF.  

+ SS Kail Zulkowski, 2028, Franklin Community: 5-foot-11, 185-pounder who has gained notable strength in a more physical look. Athletic setup with quick hands standing out most in the box. Some drift to the forward move before he uses a direct path. Some ability to leverage along with flashing bat speed. Athletic defender w a loose arm, shows glove-to-hand. 81 across, 91.3 mph peak exit velocity. 

Follow List

+ 2027 LHP/1B Cayden Keller (Lafayette Central Catholic)
+ 2027 C Bryce Marrow (Knightstown)
+ 2028 RHP Aaron McDurfee Jr. (Whiteland)
+ 2029 SS Finn Curnutt (Center Grove)
+ 2029 3B Cole Hoeppner (Hamilton Southeastern)
+ 2029 2B/RHP Luke Leach (Noblesville)
+ 2029 LHP William Sheets (Lawrence North)
+ 2030 1B/RHP Kingston Dumes (Mt. Vernon)