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2026 Preseason All-State Underclass: 2028 Hitters Notebook

March 17, 2026
Cooper Trinkle
Scouting Director

To wrap up our coverage of a deep group of prospects from our Underclass edition of the Preseason All-State, we go in-depth on forty of our favorite position players that were in attendance. The 2028 class has an adundance of talent, and most of the top prospects from our 2028 rankings list showcased at this event. First, our top twenty prospects, listed alphabetically, followed by another twenty that reaffirmed bullish expectations or emerged as breakouts. 

Find a similiar version of this article focused on the top 2028 pitchers from the All-State Weekend at this link.

Find our Cheat Sheet for recruiters that features the top prospects from the event at this link.

Find the full event stats, here.

Top Prospect List

20 names that stood out amongst the rest...listed alphabetically

CF Mason Biernacki, Penn
Continuing to show the dynamic all-around abilities that our staff has come to expect, Biernacki was easily one of the top offensive prospects at this event. Uber-athletic and explosive at 6-foot, 180-pounds, Biernacki turned the barrel tight for a familiar look from the right-side with as much or more barrel feel than any in attendance. Peaked at 102.4 and averaging 95 throughout, the combination of launch quickness and length through the zone calls from premier hit/power projections that are elevated by a 6.71 run time. For good measure, Biernacki concluded his performance with an event-best 93 mph OF arm. 

SS Callum Birdzell, Cathedral
The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder continues to look like a premier prospect for the class with the toolset trending nicely at this event. He has elevated his athleticism/strength in a noteworthy fashion, now a 6.70 runner reaching a peak exit of 96.4 mph. The strength was noticeable in the bat speed created during a familiar, smooth-paced right-handed swing that works short-to with leverage ability. He pranced around the infield with polished actions and reached 84 across the diamond while looking the part of a next-level shortstop. He reminds me a lot of Matt Mansbery at the age, an Ohio 2026 who has been a buzzy name in the past year. 

SS Donovan Craig, Munster
Another flat-gamer in the class, Craig did his best work on the offensive side with polished hit-ability. Setting up in a deep crouch from the left-side, Craig deployed an in-place leg kick stride before turning behind the ball and driving it with authority to the tune of 96 mph peak exits. He averaged 87 throughout with an on-plane stroke and exceptional rotational capabilities. On the infield, he provided a sure-handed look while firing it across at 86 mph. A 7.1 runner who has been sub-7 previously, I expect another strong season from Craig who batted north-of .400 as a freshman for Munster last spring. 

SS Drew Dalton, Decatur Central
Wiry & athletic at 6-foot, 175-pounds, Dalton showed a strong toolset across the board with quality athleticism to pair. He is a 6.88 runner who hits from the right-side, setting up in a balanced stance before hovering with control and working behind the ball with a whippy, uphill stroke. The exits reach 94-plus, and there is some gap-to-gap power starting to show up. On the defensive side, the footwork is a bit raw, but he fires the ball across at 90 mph already. He fits multiple defensive profiles moving forward, and has plenty of room for future strength in his athletic frame. 

SS Isaac Fernandez, Fishers
Looking the part of a prospect with a high-waisted, athletic, 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame, Fernandez left as one of the biggest breakouts of the day. A switch-hitter with the swing mirroring on both sides, Fernandez delivered smooth-paced swings from both sides with a clean path and projectable strength. A 7.1 runner, he worked in-control on the infield with fluid actions and average arm strength that played with carry, and he got into it with ease. Look for Isaac to be one of the biggest risers in the class in our next update, with a chance to explode as a prospect if he can crack the Fishers lineup this spring and make an impact. 

RHP/C Matthew Fields, North Decatur
The upside is immense with Fields just scratching the surface of his potential at present. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame is far from a finished product and he provided a quality look on both sides. On the bump, it is an old-school step-and-throw delivery as he finishes over the front-side with balance. It's a short, quicker arm stroke that he repeated well as he filled the zone up with fastball strikes at 86-88, touching 89. He pulled the string on a quality upper-70s change and showed an at-least average slider at 76-77. While there are room for refinements here, his ability to get to upper-80s velocities with ease and control leaves bullish projections moving forward. On the offensive side, the primary backstop showed a highly-valued profile as a LHH catcher with arm strength. There is some rigidness in the box, but he turns the barrel on-plane deep and reached a peak exit of 93 mph, while also firing it 80 mph from the crouch, good for second amongst all participants.

OF Jacob Forystek, Lake Central
A highly-intriguing prospect for Lake Central, Forystek showed well amongst the outfield crop and is a definite region-area name-to-know. A 5-foot-10, 170-pound twitchy athlete, Forystek turned in a 6.95 60 before taking to batting practice and showcasing some of the best bat speed at the event, averaging 77.5 mph throughout his round. The handset works connected and climbs a touch as he moves out of a balanced stance with a controlled-but-aggressive forward move. The barrel has some electricity as it works through the zone on an uphill path for a 96-plus peak exit. He has one of the best outfield arms in the class, as well, reaching 92 out there. I am excited to follow Forystek this spring who appears to be a major breakout candidate for the Indians, and if he can replicate the bat speed he showed at this event versus the quality arms they will face, he could soar up the board. 

SS/RHP Zac Glander, Noblesville
Making quality strides in his development along with maturing at a noticeable rate, Glander showed well in all-facets. Now 5-foot-11 and 165-pounds, Glander threw a polished 'pen where he sat 84-85 with two quality secondaries, including a 2500+ slider, and showed immense feel for all three pitches. On the offensive side, he turned in a 7.1 60 to start the day, and showed a familiar, athletic-paced, level, right-handed swing with exits up to 93 mph. To conclude, he took a proper-looking round on the infield, securing the ball with soft hands, showing a playable transfer, and getting into an 86 mph across quickly. The skill here stands out and continues to elevate with maturity. 

1B Cooper Harmon, Guerin Catholic
While first baseman tend to get overlooked early in the recruiting process, it is hard to ignore the left-handed bat strength that Harmon showed at this event, producing the top peak exit of the day as he reached 105 mph, and led the event with an average exit of 96-plus. There is present strength in the 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame and it helped him produce hard contact with a quiet load/stride combination and usable effort. The bat speed is explosive and his hard contact worked to the middle of the field. While the bat carries the value here, he turned in a 7.2 60-yard dash and moved around the bag with some ability to control his feet. A bat we will follow closely for Guerin this spring, the left-handed barrel strength shown here was some of the more-eye opening of any 2028 at this event.

CF Canyon Koonce, Brownsburg
Looking the part in the box with as sweet of a swing as any, Koonce has added quality strength to a 6-foot, 160-pound frame since the early part of the offseason. The left-handed stroke worked in a familiar manner for louder impacts, up to 96.4, with exceptional length out-front that produced middle-of-the-field bullets. A 6.6 runner, the impact metrics taking a step up reaffirms his status as a must-know bat in the class, especially considering the plate discipline and in-game contact rates he's shown in the past - the most valued traits in his game offensively. He is a lock to stick in center, and providing in-game power while maintaining the hit-ability he's shown previous during his sophomore season should make him highly-regarded amongst recruiters from across the country come August.

SS Brody McGaha, Mooresville
Noticeably more physical with a much-improved run time of 6.70, McGaha made outstanding strides over the winter as he's packed on strength to a 6-foot, now 180-pound frame. Showing some of the best infield actions of the bunch while attacking the baseball with fast feet and confident hands, McGaha fired the ball across at 91 mph with actions to suggest he's got a true shot of sticking at short in college. Using slow feet and fast hands from the left-side of the dish, McGaha deployed a short, level swing that produced thru-the-middle liners that peaked at 93 mph. After hitting well-over .400 for Mooresville as a freshman and making quality strides in his athleticism this winter, look for this event to foreshadow a big sophomore campaign. 

C Cooper Nichols, FW Carroll
Looking the part of a pro-style backstop at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds, Nichols was another who set personal bests in nearly every valued category after adding 25 lbs of muscle this winter. The right-handed swing has polished into a more-connected, more-fluid look. Starting in a taller, more-athletic stance than previously seen, Nichols timed a short takeaway in-conjunction with a smaller stride before quick hands whip a heavy barrel thru. Reaching triple-digit exits with ease for head-high liners through the middle, Nichols averaged 92 throughout the round while looking more-and-more like the future power bat we've projected him out to be. The arm ticked up for a +6 mph improvement from last August's Super Sophomore Games, now reaching 79 from the crouch with at least above average projections placed on that tool now.

CF Andrew Noble, Westfield
Beginning the day with a blazing 6.4 60-yard dash, Noble continues to push the plus run tool he's shown us even higher as one of the top pure athletes in the class. A 3-sport standout with extreme competitiveness, Noble's batting practice swings brought a familiar, simple look with a bit more loft in the path than he showed his freshman season. The exits reached 94-plus, and the bat speed took a noticeable jump as he's added muscle to a 6-foot, 185-pound frame. Another premium centerfield athlete in this class, the hit/speed combo from the left-side will warrant serious attention this spring & summer.  

C/RHP/IF Spencer Schiff, Evansville Mater Dei
There may not have been a more-skilled prospect in attendance as Schiff not only impressed on the mound, but turned in a quality run time (6.9 60), had the best throwing metrics of any catcher in attendance (81 from crouch, sub-2 pops), looked the part on the infield, and may have took the most polished round of batting practice as any. The athletic, 6-foot, 185-pounder toed the rubber to start and pitched at 86-88, touching 89 with one of the cleanest/easiest operations of the day. The fastball is heavy with abv avg life and he spun a quality breaking ball at 72-73 off of it. He also showed a cut-change in the mid-70s that was controlled. The batting practice round was outstanding for Schiff as he set up with high hands in a strong base and hinged into a strong, repeatable launch position. The swing works connected off the back shoulder with proper spacing to allow for all-fields impacts, and he easily got to a 97 mph peak while averaging 90-plus throughout. The jury is still out on what the exact future profile is, but Schiff has real two-way projections for now, and is one of the top right-handers, catchers, corner infielders, and pure hitters in this group undoubtedly. 

OF Colton Shipp, Whiteland
Showing quality hit-ability from the right-side, Shipp was T5 in peak distance amongst hitters at this event while showing an efficient stroke. He setup with an athletic, slightly hinged, slightly open stance as the hovering stride worked in place with quiet hands in the load. Turning the barrel tight and working behind the ball, Shipp matched plane effectively with impacts up to 97 mph as he drove the ball with authority to the big part. While the bat provides most of the value and holds hit/power projections, the other tools took a noticeable stride as he reached 87 mph from the outfield and turned in a 7.10 60-yard dash. 

OF/RHP Braylon Storey, Center Grove
The advancements on the offensive side for Storey were on full display as one of the most impressive prospects at this event. The athlete wows you; a 6.4 runner who produced 105 mph peak exits with a fastball that runs into the low-90s already. There is premier projections to the explosive, 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame that already holds unteachable twitch. The run time was one of the top marks of the day and he coupled that tool with 77 mph bat speed on average. He is more grounded in the swing than ever before, coiling the upper body as he hinges into a strong launch position. The uncoil is explosive as the barrel works more-uphill and he drove the ball with authority to the big part of the field. On the mound, the arm talent is just as impressive and he rotates in a similiar fashion from a coiled setup in a stretch-only look. It is a shorter arm action that produced 89-91 mph fastballs from a higher slot. The fastball explodes thru the zone with life. The 79-82 change is a touch ahead of the spin as he is able to create some arm-side tumble with it. He spun a slurvey 76-78 mph breaking ball that grades as average for now. The overall control is fringy to this point. In total, the defensive profile on paper looks like a slam-dunk CF, though he has minimal outfield time as he is transitioning there now. The control on the mound must be monitored, as well, but there is no doubt that the unteachable blend of speed and power that he brings warrants a follow from P4 programs and he has plenty of time to polish the rawer parts of his game. 

OF Leon Torres, Andrean
Another one of the most intriguing bats in the class, Torres looked like a premier power bat in the batting practice setting. Setting up balanced in the left-handed box with a unique handset, Torres loads the hands with a slight tip-to-trigger before a positive forward move. He unleashes the barrel on a semi-uphill path with north-of 96 mph exits and in-the-air quality contact. He is an average runner, with an 87 mph arm from the outfield. The bat carries the value here and there is tons of projection to the 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame. A quality spring for the 59ers could elevate his stock further.

SS Jack Whaley, Columbus North
One of the top blends of hit/power in the class, Whaley's well-rounded performance at this event reaffirmed his prospect status. Standing at 6-foot-3, 185-pounds with equal athleticism and projection, Whaley whipped the barrel head through with fast hands and an accurate barrel. The exits peaked at 99, averaged 91, and he produced the top max distance of the day amongst all 2028 grads. A 6.80 runner, Whaley showed actions that project him to stick on the dirt long-term, with an 87 mph arm across that he got to in a playable fashion. A must-know Midwest shortstop that has done nothing but hit in our follows, Whaley's combination of athleticism, size, and hit-ability will be coveted come August. 

SS Ty White, Plainfield
A multi-sport, hard-nosed, gamer who made excellent strides in his toolset, White continues to establish himself as a strong follow in the class. A 6.9 runner, White took to batting practice with a strong-based setup while hovering with control and working behind the ball with an explosive, on-plane, right-handed stroke. The impacts were substantial as the compact, 5-foot-10, 180-pounder peaked at 97 mph while driving the ball from gap-to-gap. He isn't flashy on the infield, but just makes routine look routine before firing the ball across with event-best infield arm strength, reaching 93 mph across. 

CF Hayden Zellers, Greenfield-Central
Rounding out a DEEP crop of tantalizing centerfield prospects, Zellers showed the most noticeable improvements of the group with personal-bests in each metric category. The bat speed made a 7 mph jump, now 76+ on average, and it led to impacts jumping to 96 mph off the bat. While the silky operation in the left-handed box looked familiar, the noticeable improvement in the pace in which the bat moved was encouraging. A 6.78 runner, Zellers showed some arm strength improvements, as well, reaching into the mid-80s. With still room to add strength to a 6-foot, 170-pound frame, look for a breakout spring from Zellers and I expect usable power to start to show in 2026. 

More Standouts

Infielders

+ SS Jacob Caldemeyer, Evansville Mater Dei: One of the more polished infield defense looks of the day. Clear feel there as he plays with proper pace as he attacks downhill and picks the right hop. Soft hands with excellent glove to hand abilities. Gets into a low-80s arm in a playable manner. Arm is accurate. 7.28 runner; feet play quicker on the infield than in the 60. Glove-first profile for now. Offensively, sets up in a more-upright stance with connected handset. Sinks into the load before working on-plane and rotating in an efficient manner. Exits peaked at 87 mph. Skill over tools. 

+ SS TJ Richason, Carmel: Proportional frame at 5-foot-10, 170-pounds with some athleticism and twitch starting to show up. Left-handed hit tool is his best tool present; uses a short step back loading mechanism as a connected handset makes a small tip-to-trigger. Works direct and out-front while spraying line drives for an upper-80s peak. 7.15 runner with solid average defensive abilities on the infield. 

+ SS Landry Russell, Southridge: It is a high-waisted, 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame that still projects for more strength; added a significant amount of it this offseason while looking much-more physical than he did last summer. 6.87 runner. Offensively, he showed a short, simple, repeatable swing that worked with a loose-wristed, flicky delivery out-front. Best swings were struck in the air from gap-to-gap, reached a peak exit of 95 mph. Defensively, the actions are crisp with on-time feet and sure hands. The arm path has some length and he showed above average strength, reaching 87 across. High follow. 

+ 3B Stathan Thompson, Mooresville: Twitchy, strong, 6-foot-1, 180-pounder. Starts in a wider base with an elevated front heel; small coiling load as quiet hands prepare to launch. Hits from no-stride. Loose buggy-whip type swing works down-to-level. Exits peaked at 95.8 mph while showing some ability to hit to all parts. Sound defender on the infield who was 84 across. 6.78 runner. Twitch stands out most in his game. Promising follow. 

+ SS Kalieb Walter, Columbia City: Clean, athletic mover with a younger-look to the projectable, 6-foot, 150-pound frame. Light-footed on the infield with clear feel there. Uses proper footwork with sure-handed look and a low-80s arm across. 7.39 runner; strength should elevate all tools including the run. Starts open in the left-handed batter's box. Operation is paced well; small backshift as the hands load with the barrel vertical at launch. Sweet stroke w average strength presently. Exits peaked at 88.3 mph.

Catchers

+ C Jack Bradford, Warsaw: High-waisted with projection remaining in the 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. Chance to hit with twitch starting to blossom in the box. Small, quicker-paced load/stride before he works down-to, long-thru with some strength at impact; exits peaked at 96.4 mph. Projects to at least develop gap-to-gap pop, maybe more. Above average runner for the position as he turned in a 7.16. Also worked up to 78 from the crouch with above average throwing arm at this stage. Is a serviceable receiver. Good follow with more strength likely on the way. 

+ C Isaac Genth, Columbus North: Athletic look at 5-foot-11, 170-pounds with some twitch in the frame. Quick hands at the dish lead the barrel on a more-direct path with exits up to 92 mph. Quality defender; receives well and reached 79 mph from the crouch with consistent pops from 2.05 - 2.14. Above average athlete for the position; ran a 7.2. 

+ C Caiden Ragan, New Castle: Intriguing backstop with strong measurables across the board. Above average to better athlete for the position, stands at 6-foot, 185-pounds, and turned in a 7.08 60-yard dash. Twitchy, uphill swing reached a peak of 94 mph; some tendency to come out of legs causing misses under. Flashed a quality offensive look that can refine. Throw tool is above average as he reached 79 from the crouch and pops registering from 2-flat to 2.10. Good follow. 

+ C Will Rees, Northwestern: Fundamentally-sound backstop with above average hit and throw tools. Simple right-handed swing with fast hands produced a 90+ mph peak exit. Showed quality receiving abilities while also reaching 80 mph from the crouch (T 2nd) and pops as low as 2.00. 5-foot-10, 170-pounder with above average athleticism for the position. Skill over tools. 

+ C Graham Vinson, Hagerstown: Athletic look at 6-foot, 180-pounds. Arm is best tool; reached 80 mph from the crouch which was good for second amongst all backstops at the event and translated to pops into the 2.0s. Sure-handed receiver. Offensively, hits from a balanced, strong base before a handsy swing brings the barrel through with some loft. Exits reached 95-plus; holds power potential. Good follow in the class. 

Outfielders

+ OF Cameron Dixon, Lawrence North: Very athletic with a 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame that jumps out. Taller stance at start with quick, rigid moves as he sinks into the back-side before turning a slightly uphill barrel. Knob works tight to the chest throughout. Clear strength at impact; reached 97.7 mph peak at the top-end. Chance to polish into power on the offensive side. 6.9 runner; also reached 84 from the outfield. 

+ LHP/OF Brody Drake, Center Grove: Intriguing two-way follow with a plus run tool; turned in a 6.45 60-yard dash at this event. Shows raw athleticism in the left-handed batter's box with a more-uphill swing. Tight turn. Exits reached 94-plus. Arm and feet are best tools. Reached 88 from the outfield and showed promise as a LHP. Fastball worked into the low-80s at this event, has reached higher, showed feel for a change and breaking ball. 6-foot, 180-pounder with advanced athleticism in the compact frame. 

+ OF Mitchell Finelli, Zionsville: Projectable athlete with long-levered, 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame. Loose takeaway as the knob and front-foot work in-sync, delivers the barrel with loose-wrists on a level plane. Exits reached 94-plus for now, chance for power down the road. Projection pick at this stage. 7.32 runner at this event; has reached 86 from the outfield in the past. 

+ OF/SS Ben Finney, Kouts: Lean, wiry, 5-foot-10, 145-pounder with polished movement patterns and fundamentals. 7.00 runner who hits from the right-side and fits a true utility mold. Heavy backshift load as he gets ready to hit; active hands during the load w/ minor tip-to-trigger. Quick hands create natural lag within the path while exits peaked at 93 mph. Above average look at both positions and the arm is an above average tool as well that reached 86 from both the outfield and infield. Good follow; can game. 

+ OF Maxwell Gurnic, Crown Point: 6-foot-1, 185-pounder with well-proportioned strength. Short load/stride from a more-upright stance, works direct as he delivers a heavier barrel that produced a 97 mph peak. Averaged 89 mph throughout his round. Able to elevate the ball to the big part; holds power potential. 6.96 runner; average arm strength. 

+ OF Panayoti Limberopoulos, Penn: Looked the part in batting practice with one of the more-consistent batting practice rounds of any in attendance. Strength is present within the 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame. Started in a taller stance with higher hands before repeating a simple trigger consistently. Showed the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field as his exits peaked at 98.4 mph, and he averaged 92-plus throughout the round. 7.09 runner with fringy arm strength. 

+ OF Tommy Pedersen, Zionsville: Quality hit-tool stands as best present ability. Above average athlete standing at 6-foot, 180-pounds. Starts hinged before repeating a simple load/stride consistently. Matches plane well with an adjustable swing that produced a 92-plus mph peak exit velocity. 7.04 runner with average arm strength. 

+ OF Caleb Wilson, Crown Point: One of the more polished looks of the day in batting practice. Athletic, 5-foot-9 frame. Sets up balanced before using a quicker-paced toe-tap stride while the hands load minimally. Direct, out-front path works from gap-to-gap and he flashed emerging pull-side strength. Efficient rotator; real chance to hit & power isn't out of the question if he adds strength to his frame. 7.06 runner; showed serviceable actions in both the outfield and infield. 

Corner Bats

+ CIF/RHP Bentley Baird, Penn: Sturdy, 6-foot-3, 230-pounder. Starts in an open stance before a drifty forward move. Quick hands create some whip and lag in the path; tendency to get around the ball. Clear strength at impact when synced, reached a peak of 99 mph, averaged 83 mph. Below average runner, but the arm is above average, playing 85 across. Showed some upside on the mound where he sat 80-85, touching 86 with the fastball. 

+ 1B/OF Slade Hodges, Noblesville: Strong, 6-foot-1, 205-pounder with a quality hit tool. Starts balanced with connected handset. Super simple load/stride timing mechanism. Works short to the ball with strong wrists and plenty of strength at impact; finishes level. Exits peaked at 95-plus, averaged 90 mph throughout his round. Clear barrel feel pairs with above average bat speed. Real chance to hit. Also a 7-flat runner who can play first, and is athletic enough to pop out to the outfield. Chance to breakout this spring for Noblesville.