Preseason All-State: 2026 Uncommitted Arms to Follow
March 5, 2025
The arm talent in this 2026 class is getting to a point with velocity that we haven't seen of a class at the age - currently boasting 15 pitchers armed with a 92-plus fastball. Several talented arms are already off the board, but our All-State brought some of the best uncommitted arms to Westfield this past weekend, and they did not disappoint.
Today, we go in depth to highlight all of the arm talent that our Upperclass All-State brought, including three breakout winners, seven standouts to see this spring, nine more names-to-know, and finally a list of ten to keep tabs on.
Find the uncommitted hitter article from this event, here.
Find the pitching stats from this event, here.
Breakouts
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Gavin Lykins RHP / Plainfield High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 35 / POS: 15
Frame: Super projectable, 6-foot-5, 215 pound frame still has 20+ pounds to hold. Athletic for size. Delivery/Arm Action: Simple, stretch-only mover w upright torso in tall lift. Controlled, tall-and-fall move lands with shorter, crossfired stride and upright, balanced finish. Moderate to below effort throughout. Later takeaway causes some sync issues, but the arm works uninterrupted and fast to a high 3/4 slot. Stuff: 91-92 fastball touched 94 with bowling bowl sink at times (2400s, 17.6" armside, 12" vert), also flashed ride/run w carry up to 18-plus inches of vert. Some feel to manipulate spin w short, two-plane 73-74 CB and short sweep on a 73-76 slider, both spinning in the 21-2200 range. Developing change 79-80. Summation: Lykins was a Future Gamer for us last July and has made huge jumps since making the trip to Atlanta. He's now armed with a lively low-to-mid 90s heater that plays with power sink and occasional carry. His fastball will likely get all-kinds of swings-and-misses at its' current velocity and his feel to spin showed significant improvements in this look, as well. It is likely still a bullpen profile at the next level but has a chance to polish into starters' territory with further development.
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Jeremy Lowrey RHP / Harrison (West Lafayette), IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 31 / POS: 14
Frame: Young look with projection to the 6-foot-3, 190 pound frame. Delivery/Arm Action: Slower pace to a tall, even balance point. Subtle sink as he controls his move down the mound with well-timed, later intent. Recoil finish. Shorter arm path with looseness as on-time arm flips up in-sync. Stuff: Fastball played at 91-92 touching 93 with higher intent. 6'5" extension plays the fastball velocity even higher. Played catch using easy intent with secondaries, changeup shows plus upside with heavy armside fade at 80-81. Shorter, two-plane curveball spun in the 2100 range mostly. Shows above average control. Summation: Lowrey is another Future Games alum that exploded at this event with much-higher velocities than we saw from him in Atlanta last summer. He has added weight to his late-blooming, projectable frame that has paid dividends. There is real starters' upside with a solid track record of strikes & his above average control of three pitches should only elevate with maturity, as well. He used more intent than normal in this 'pen, especially with the fastball, normal given the nature of the event. Regardless, I expect Lowrey to hold 88-92 in game while he pitches with above average secondaries. RC's should be booking trips to Lafayette this spring before its too late...
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Cayden Stockbridge RHP / Penn High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 48 / POS: 19
Frame: Athletic, 6-foot-2, 195 pound frame. Some projection left in the leaner frame. Delivery/Arm Action: Slower tempo to tall, inward turn lift before dynamic drop and drive move is made. Really good mover creates quality hip-to-shoulder with in-line shoulders. Lands square w recoil finish. Full circle, clean arm action works to a high 3/4 slot. Stuff: Fastball played at 90-92 with abv avg extension and life out the hand. Flashes some feel to carry, though fastball played with mostly dead-zone properties. Spin has elevated with feel to manipulate shape, 76-79 SL plays w sweep and occasional bite, 73-74 CB works w two-plane shape. Both have out-pitch upside and grade out at an above average clip currently. Straight CH plays at 80-82. Summation: Stockbridge was another huge winner on the mound during the Upperclass portion of the event & is another big riser for us. We've followed Stock since his pre-HS days and he has always offered a clean look while making steady gains. He came out after this offseason with not steady, but huge jumps, pitching at a +7 mph tick compared to what he did at our Top Prospect Games last June. He's a really good mover with a clean arm to pair with it and now the stuff should get even more swings-and-misses than we've seen in the past.
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Standouts
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Kobe Cherry RHP / Center Grove, IN / 2026+ Cherry is newly-released from injury and our look at him at the Preseason All-State came shortly after getting back on the mound after knee surgery. Cherry is a powerful, 6-foot-5, 270 pound righty armed with an 89-92 mph fastball that likely climbs even further as he gets back to full strength. He spun a slurvey-shaped, 78-80 mph breaking ball that spun in the 23-2400 range to tunnel off of the fastball, while also showing a low-to-mid 80s straight change. The delivery was a bit out of sync in this look, to be expected with him throwing so close to his release date, but the arm works in the same long, explosive, full arm action we saw previously. Cherry will be a close follow this spring, & I'm betting on the hard-nosed, athlete as he returns...
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Kaden Maxwell LHP / Andrean, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 37 / POS: 4
+ Maxwell was a huge winner from our Fall State Games in October and came back even better in this look. He used below-moderate effort while pitching with a balanced, in-line delivery. The arm action is short but he keeps the ball moving to produce an 86-88 mph fastball that played with carry (17" IVB). He shows feel to manipulate shape w spin, showing a sharper, 73-74 mph sweeper & also a big, two-plane shaped, mid-60s curveball. The slider is the better of the two breaking balls, but the curveball tunnels best with the heater, it just needs to firm up at this point. The 75-76 changeup is a usable pitch and rounds out a solid 4-pitch mix. Maxwell continues to polish & is one of the top uncommitted lefties left within this uber-talented 2026 class.
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Jacob Morris RHP / SS / New Palestine High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 38 / POS: 17
+ I love the athleticism that Morris brings to the bump, and strikes come with it in bunches. The 6-foot-1, 195 pound RHP/SS added quality strength to his frame this offseason allowing for a velocity tick. He pitches with an up-tempo, athletic delivery that lands cross-strided and he gets elite scap retraction during a long, deep, full-circle arm action. The arm is super quick and produced an 87-89 mph heater that came outta the hand with life and played with ride (16" IVB, 2400). The feel for spin is present and he showed a swing-and-miss slider that played in the mid-70s & spun in the 25-2600 range with big sweep (17" plus) & depth. The 77-78 change is also a really good pitch, fading off the table late with 18" of arm side. There is starters' upside here with the aforementioned athleticism and strike-throwing nature, especially considering that the stuff continues to tick.
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Lyrik Neal RHP / Harrison High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 63 / POS: 23
+ I loved Neal's pen at this event and there is serious upside within the operation. It is a deceptive look coming from a low 3/4 slot with some funk in the athletic arm action. The fastball plays with turbo sink spinning in the 2300s at 85-87 with 20" of arm-side run at times, and his projectable, 6-foot-3, 175 pound frame suggests velo is on the way with strength gains. His late-biting, mid-70s slider tunnels perfectly off of the heater with swing-and-miss upside. The change is another pitch that could be a future plus, falling off the table with 74-75 & playing with 21" of arm side. I am super bullish on this projectable, athletic arm that provides a unique look with a track record of strikes in my previous looks.
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Eric McAtee RHP / Center Grove High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 36 / POS: 16
+ McAtee is an upside play with a chance to develop into a real power arm as strength is added to a loose, wiry, 6-foot-4, 195 pound frame. It is an intentful operation w levers flying all over, but the ball jumps out of his hand at 85-88 with 2400+ spin. He flashed a couple well-shaped sliders in the low-70s, though that pitch was inconsistent in this look. He killed spin on a diving, 75-80 mph splitter to round out his 3-pitch mix. The feel for command needs to be developed, along with delivery refinements, but it is a premier frame & the arm really works...
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Kaleb Hacker RHP / Portage High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 43 / POS: 18
+ Hacker toes the rubber with a massive, 6-foot-6, 230 pound frame and attacks from a high OTT slot. He is a stretch-only mover that lifts to a tall, inward turn before getting down the mound with some aggression as the arm works clean to its higher slot. He really gets down the mound with 7+ feet of extension to play his upper-80s (T 90) heater even higher. The fastball plays with cut & occasional ride, tunneling well with his 75-77 mph breaking ball that plays with sweep and depth. He showed a 78-81 mph change that is still in the developing stages. Hacker fits the mold of a back-end bullpen profile with two above average pitches.
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Ben Pickering RHP / C / Jefferson High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 61 / POS: 22
+ Pickering is a converted catcher with serious arm talent that showcased one of the louder fastballs of the day. He is physical, standing at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, and uses an up-tempo delivery that lands soft & open-toed before an electric, full arm follows. The fastball played at 88-91, touching 92, with some arm-side life. The 71-73 slider plays with more-sweep, while his 78-80 change plays more off the fastball with arm-side fade. The front-side of the delivery needs to be refined, but there is electric arm talent shown to make Pickering a close follow heading into the spring.
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Nine More to Know
*Event highlights hyperlinked into name*
+ Grayson Betts, RHP, Franklin Community : Betts is a stocky, 6-foot, 190 pound righty that pitched at 87-89 and touched 90 on his best bullet. He threw a firmer, tight , late-breaking (2300s) 77-79 mph bullet slider and faded a low-80s change as well.It is a simple, tight operation with a quick arm flipping up in-sync. Betts is a bulldog and his overall feel & polish continue to improve.
+ Connor Couch, RHP, Bloomington South : Couch is a really intriguing follow out of Bloomington that showed a high ceiling look at the All-State. He is an up-tempo mover that gets down the mound with pace & lands open toed. The arm is fast and used with high intent to produced a 86-88 fastball. He showed feel for sharp spin that is his best attribute - showing a 70-72 curveball and 77-80 slider, both spinning in the 25-2600 range, and the slider played with bite. He kills spin on a 77-80 change to round out a 4-pitch mix. He sprayed the fastball here but there is a lot of interesting layers to the prospect. The spin is really good & his 6-foot-3, 200 pound young-for-class frame is easy to bet on.
+ Colton Watts, RHP, Harrison : Watts emerged as a big winner with his physical, 6-foot-4, 205 pound frame. The fastball is unique from a metric perspective, sitting 88-89 from a 6'5" release height & 6'4" extension & averaging 19.4" of IVB while reaching over 23" at times. The fastball provides a super steep vertical approach & his 73-76 curveball plays off it with top to bottom action. He lacked repeatability at times, but it is a super deceptive look with a fastball that likely plays above barrels.
+ Harrison Haq, RHP, Penn : 6-foot-3, 230 pound big, physical look. Fastball played at 88-90, and showed a slurvey, 77-79 breaking ball to play off of it. 82-84 straight change thrown with fastball arm speed. Showed control for all. Overhead pump with lead leg starting behind the rubber begins an up-tempo delivery. Gets to an even lift before tilt-and-topple delivery. Arm works clean on the backside to OTT slot.
+ Jaden Norris, RHP, Sullivan : 6-foot-2, 195 pound muscular, strong build. Stretch-only mover that lifts to a high inward turn. Swings to square with a fast, compact arm following to an OTT slot. Intent throughout the operation. The fastball played at 88-89 with life out of the hand. The slider is his best pitch, spinning in the 2400s at 80-82 with late bite and sweep. Developing 81-82 change. Norris fits a 'pen profile offering a swing-and-miss breaking ball.
+ Clayton Walther, RHP, Westfield : Walther provides a unique look with a sidearm, athletic slot coming from a loose, athletic delivery that lands cross-strided. It is a super deceptive look with the fastball coming outta the hand at 83-85 & playing with 20" of arm-side run. The slider plays with frisbee sweep (18" avg.) at 70-71 & he fades a change at 79-80. It is a matchup 'pen guy at the next level but this is a super tough look and the 6-foot, 160 pound wiry frame has room for strength gains.
+ Dylan Cope, RHP, Hamilton Southeastern : 6-foot-2, 185 pounder pitches from low 3/4 slot (4'5" release height) & really gets down the hill to gain 7-foot extension. The arm is loose & whippy and he uses a glove pat to begin the arm swing. The fastball plays with arm-side run at 83-85 and up to 86. He sweeps a tight slider in the low-70s that plays east-to-west with the arm slot. Cope shows above average control for his arsenal.
+ Hayden Poeppleman, RHP, Center Grove : 6-foot-3, 190 pound with projection to the frame. His fastball played with big carry at 20-plus inches of vert @ 86-87. His 77-78 change plays with 15" of fade and is an out pitch. He throws a gradual 73-74 CB with some feel to land it. Moderate length to the arm action, solid arm speed, uses a double pump back heel to begin an up-tempo lift to taller balance point and a slight drop and drive. Lands softer with balanced finish. Above-moderate intent with above average control.
+ Jayden Adorno, RHP, Columbus North : Compact, 5-foot-10, 190 pounder. 87-88 FB plays with some ride (2308, 17" avg, 20.2" max IVB), showed good control. Abv avg breaking ball plays w two plane shape at 77-79, 2221 avg spin. 77-79 CH plays with sink & kills spin, 74-75 SPL more flat ASR break. Tight, in-line delivery with good hip-to-shoulder included. Loose, quick arm works to 3/4 slot. Super young will graduate at 17.
Ten to Keep Tabs On
*Listed alphabetically, name hyperlinked to profile*
+ Ashton Castillo, RHP, Western
+ Aiden Grabowski, LHP/1B, Westfield
+ Luke Gremelspacher, RHP/3B, Guerin Catholic
+ Ty Hamilton, RHP/3B, Sullivan
+ Griffin Morgan, LHP, Bluffton
+ Carson Paulik, RHP/3B, Rochester
+ Jacob Siska, RHP, Hanover Central