Preseason All-State: 2026 Uncommitted Bats to Follow
March 6, 2025
The 2026 class is one of our more talented classes to come through in recent years. While the arm talent jumps out in this group with fifteen arms already eclipsing the 92 mph mark before their junior season even starts, however the position player group continues to elevate themselves with maturity. The uncommitted talent on the position side of this class was abundantly clear at our Upperclass Preseason All-State, and the top performers at the event are highlighted below.
Find the full stat breakdown, here.
Standouts
Uncommitted winners on the postion side...
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Caden Matusak SS / RHP / crown point high school in, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 50 / POS: 11
Profile - 6-foot-3, 195 pound left-side infielder with younger look & projection left. 18.2 @ '26 draft. Really intriguing toolset is as follows: 95 mph arm across, 104-plus exits, & 6.87 60-yard dash. Present abv avg bat speed (74 mph avg). Upside on the mound, as well, the arm is the best tool presently with several to dream on. Actions - Offense: Starts tall w heavy backshift load as stiffer arms hold angles as the knob climbs slightly to counter a heavy forward move. Linear operation w fast hands delivering a vertical bat. Present strength with more to come. Defense: Fluid actions. Feet play on-time with the catch, soft glove actions with quality glove-to-hand. Real shot to stick at short. Arm is a plus - short, loose, and quick. Summation: Matusak was the biggest winner of the event and will see a significant rise in our next rankings update. RC's should be planning trips to go see Matusak this spring and the tools & frame are that of a pro follow moving forward. The forward move in the swing is big and needs to be evaluated further in-game, but you bet on the athlete to make that adjustment especially considering the present abv avg bat speed that likely ticks further with maturation. He can really catch the baseball and the arm is a plus tool to set a safe floor on the dirt, with the arm leaving intriguing upside on the bump...
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Ian Taylor OF / Guerin Catholic , IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 27 / POS: 3
Profile: Stocky, compact, 5-foot-10, 185 pounder w strength and twitch. 6.94 runner in the 60-yard dash with a 90 mph OF arm to pair. Likely fits best in RF at the next level but has upside in CF. Some of the best force-plate measures of the event with 29-plus standing vertical. Force production is evident in the box. Present plus bat speed in controlled-but-violent rotational right-handed swing. Exit reached over 105 mph for present above average raw power and chances of plus to be developed. Fast barrel works w above average feel. Actions - Offense: Sets up in wide, grounded stance and uses a hovering leg lift stride to pair with an active hand load. Looks to do damage w dangerous intent. More-level path leads to present gap-to-gap power with flashes of it shown to the pull-side. Rotates down. Defense: Aggressive athlete w quick, twitchy arm. Summation: Taylor is coming off an injury-plagued sophomore season and reintroduced himself with a bang with standout force production data. Point blank, Taylor is ultra-twitchy and uses the ground to his advantage to create the aforementioned present plus bat speed. His barrel is in the way of the baseball for a long time with the ability to make hard contact to all fields prevelant. It is more of a strength over speed type athlete, but he is an above average runner underway. Taylor is a savvy, hard-nosed, throwback type kid that has a real chance to impact the game at the next level with his abilities at the plate.
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Reed Robinson C / OF / New Prairie, IN / 2026Profile: Stocky, 5-foot-10, 195 pound C/OF, S/R. Bat is the best tool and can do it from both side with bat strength evident in triple digit exits. Present abv avg bat speed (75 mph avg) pairs with a tick above averge run tool (6.94). Shows abv avg arm strength from the crouch (81 mph). Actions - Offense: (LH) - sets up in a slightly crouched, athletic stance before a hovering stride and repeatable load happen. Turns the barrel on-plane with g2g strength and flashes present pull-side power. Similiar swing from the RH side, though less aggressive. Defense: Average receiver, arm has continued to develop working quick, high-motor. Summation: Robinson is a middle of the order bat and that tool leads a bat-first profile. The switch-hitting ability is real and he creates bat speed from both sides with strength and accuracy. He is a solid-enough runner to allow that tool to be impactful offensively, as well. There is some defensive versatility with a chance to stick behind the dish, but if you need a run-producers' bat in this class, you should see Robinson this spring/summer.
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Blake Cope OF / Covenant Christian, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 32 / POS: 5
Profile: 6-foot-1, 205 pounder w a leaner-more athletic look that I've seen of him in the past. Burned a 6.56 60-yard dash while reaching 100-plus exits to allow for power/speed LH profile. Creates present plus bat speed (79 mph avg). 87 mph arm from the OF. Likely still profiles to a Corner OF spot, though run time elevating open CF possibilities, & is a serviceable 1B. Actions - Offense: Starts tall before a subtle sink into heavier forward move. Rigidness to the upper body in the load, holds angles as he works out. Front foot hitter at times. Turns the barrel with present bat speed and fast hands on more upward path. Present strength from middle of the field to pullside foul pole. Summation: Cope continues to develop as a freakish athlete while polishing up his baseball skills in total. The 6.56 60-time is super intriguing considering the mass that he has to carry in order to do so. He creates a ton of ground force that shows up in advanced batted ball metrics and bat speed. The left-handed bat and versatile defensive profile also works in his favor with a LH run-producers' profile standing out most.
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Trey Deckman SS / Columbia City High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 41 / POS: 9
Profile: Loose, wiry, athletic, 6-foot-2, 175 pound projectable frame. Younger for class, 18.4 @ '26 draft. Frame has a chance to really pack on, continues to polish. Exits peak at 97 with future above average power projections as the body reaches full maturation, above average barrel feel shown with fluid swing & 45 present bat speed. Loose, athletic arm works at 87 across and is a future tool as well. Shows clean actions with quality glove-to-hand. Fits several defensive profiles with a chance to stick at short. Above all, your getting a projectable athlete with quality actions that have a chance to seriously louden. Actions - Offense: Starts tall with high back elbow & makes a small backshift hinge into the backside before a small stride is counterbalanced by a short hand load. Loose, whippy barrel works on-plane with above average bat speed. Can leverage at the front. Defense: Clean actions are highlighted by serious glove-to-hand. Shows average quickness laterally. Arm works with a loose whip and can use multiple slots with above average strength. Summation: Deckman is an upside play that I loved at this event. He oozes projection with a wiry, athletic, 6-foot-2, 175 pound loose-moving frame. Offensively, I really like the swing and with some imagination you can dream on above average raw power being developed considering the twitchy bat speed he creates with the still-lean frame he holds. He is a fluid, loose mover on the dirt with a chance to stick up the middle or pack on strength and move to 3B. The projection here is pristine and I am super bullish on Deckman as we walk away from this event.
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Karson Smith SS / ST THEODORE GUERIN HIGH SCHOOL, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 55 / POS: 12
Profile: Athletic, 6-foot, 170 pounder. Toolset has elevated with 6.60 60-yard dash being his best tool at the moment aside from the glove, though followed closely by the 91 infield arm shown at the All-State. He has the footspeed, actions, and arm strength to profile as a next-level shortstop. The right-handed bat works with present above average bat speed (74 mph) and his exit peaked at 100 mph. There is at least average raw power developed, along with some barrel feel with fast, accurate hands. Actions - Offense: Starts in taller, athletic stance w barrel set perpendicular to shoulder plane. Subtle sink as barrel lifts to counter a small stride. Loose swing plane works short & on-top with line drive ball flights through the middle. Balanced & athletic throughout. Defense: Plays fast. Attacks with aggressive feet & fundamental actions to pair. Soft hands w very good glove2hand. Loose, whippy arm works from multiple slots with future plus strength. Summation: Smith added quality strength to an athletic frame this offseason & it paid serious dividends at this event with one of the louder overall toolsets of any infielder in the class. He has a real shot to stick at short & that is what I have always liked him for. There is an aggressive but confident nature he takes to the middle infield and the arm ticking up reaffirms those projections. The strength has paid off most within the offensive profile. The used-to-be light bat has developed present average power now with above average projections seeming safe. There is hand-eye and zone control in my track record on this prospect that will be elevated by a now plus run time, and as even more strength gets added to the still-lean frame.
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Gavin Jackson 3B / Our Lady of Providence, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 34 / POS: 3
Profile - Strong, 6-foot, 205 pound right-handed hitter. Present abv avg power with 102-plus exits and a solid hit tool is paired with that. Tick abv avg bat speed (72 mph). Profiles as a CIF, middle of the lineup type bat. Abv avg thrower now with arm taking a step up, fringy runner. Actions - Offense: Starts in athletic, strong stance with small backshift and hands climb to offset a heavier forward move. Doesn't get cheated, looks to do damage at the front of the hitting zone with shorter path that works steep at times. Hands are quick and deliver a heavy barrel. Linear operation, present g2g & pull-side power developing w innate feel to get the ball in the air pull-side. Defense: Fundamental footwork, feet are heavy at times. Hands are sure and best attribute on the dirt. Summation: Gavin is a high-character kid with great makeup that takes a heavy barrel with him to the plate. He has a chance to stick at 3B in college, but make no mistake, you are getting a run-producers' bat here. The bat has played in-game over a long track record & he can control the zone while swinging an accurate barrel. He reminds me in many ways of 2017 grad Tanner Craig, the current all-time HR leader at the University of Evansville.
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Jace Watson OF / C / Castle High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 52 / POS: 7
Profile - 6-foot-2, 195 pound left-handed hitting OF that came up as a C. Foot speed has elevated into a tick below plus, turning in a 6.72 60-yard dash to enhance an already solid offensive profile. Exits reach 103 with present abv avg to better bat speed (76 mph avg) the frame has room to pack on quality strength that could lead both of those to pluses down the road. 88 mph OF arm is an abv avg tool. Actions - Offense: Starts wider with small lift and active hand load. Handsy, rotational swing with present pull-side power developed. Some whip to the barrel in a flatter path. Aggressive. Summation: Watson has made tremendous improvements in his body composition and overall athleticism that paid big dividends to the toolset. He is make the switch to become a primary OF and the run time elevating into the low-6.7s should help him there. He is 6-foot-2, physical, impacts the baseball, and runs well while hitting from the left-side, a profile that should draw schools to see him this spring for Castle and also on the summer circuit.
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Nolan Ratcliff SS / CF / Guerin Catholic, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 73 / POS: 14
Profile - 5-foot-9, 165 pound twitchy, athletic frame. Event-best 60-yard dash, 6.45, sets a safer floor with present plus run tool. S/R. Much more impactful from natural (RH) side with exits up to 98 there, 91 off the bat from the left-side. 72 mph avg bat speed is a tick abv avg. 88 infield arm is an abv avg raw tool. Profiles best as 2B/CF. Actions - Offense: (RH) - Starts balanced w slight pre-coil and active hand load. Short leg lift stride w minimal forward move. Twitchy, rotational swing. (LH) - Starts tall w high hands & slight pre-coil. Leg lifts into short stride. Torso retracts to create handsy, uphill path. Defense: Feet are best infield attribute. Tremendous quickness forward & laterally. Presents glove late, glove pat for rhythm. Lengthy exchange, takes time to get into arm strength. Slingy 3/4 arm action. Summation: The feet are the best tool here and they play in-game with plus H-1st times taken last summer. The twitch shows up all over the diamond. The right-handed swing works w present twitch, the arm is twitchy, and the aforementioned feet. The left-handed swing is still a work in progress but if it can get ironed out the feet really play from that box to apply pressure. He can really cover ground in the middle of the diamond though the actions are raw with effort present to suggest his future home ends up in either CF or at 2B, where he has the arm strength to turn the double play.
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Bennett Hartford 3B / Penn High School, IN / 2026Rankings StateRank: 80 / POS: 7
Profile - Stocky, 6-foot, 195 pounder. Bat is best tool and holds power potential. 104-plus exit allows for present abv avg power grades, hit the furthest batted ball of the event per Trackman (404 feet). Present plus bat speed with 79 mph avg & flashed higher. He is a tick above average runner (6.90) with fringe average arm strength (83 across). Profiles as bat-first 2B/3B. Actions - Offense: Starts tall & relaxed. Toe tap stride retracts early in the operation and he counterbalances a heavy forward move with a handsy, lower load. Aggressive intent w flatter path and heaviness to the barrel. Best balls are struck pull-side. Defense: Fundamental actions w solid glove to hand. Can quick release. Summation: The raw strength in the box is what I like most about Hartford. He turns the barrel w tremendous bat speed for the age with big impacts presently. Hartford was an unofficial "MVP" of our Fall State Games and should continue to see his name rise on our list as he gears up for a big junior spring for Penn. He is more athletic than the stocky frame suggests with solid actions on the dirt.
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Spring Follows
*Video from event hyperlinked into name*
+ Nathan Sutherlin, SS, Greencastle : Sutherlin is an interesting uncommited infielder with a premier, 6-foot-3, 190 pound frame. He uses a big leg kick stride and counters with a handsy, barrel-tip load. He matches plane w above average strength and exits peaking at 96-plus. He moves well for his size evident in the 6.99 60-yard dash that he turned in. On the dirt, he profiles as a 3B/2B with sure-handed glove actions and an 88 mph arm across.
+ Kendrick Pena, INF/C, Harrison : Pena is an upside follow with a chance to blossom. He is a left-handed hitter with a lean, 6-foot, 170 pound frame that has room for future projections. Presently, he shows a fluid stroke with exits peaking at over 98 mph and g2g feel. He is a primary infielder with some arm strength (84 across) and fits a right-side infield mold, and he also has upside behind the dish with athletic actions and a 78 mph arm from the crouch.
+ Chase Nickols, 3B, Cathedral : After a big sophomore spring for Cathedral and quality looks on the circuit last summer, Nickols came back to the All-State with a more physical-looking, 6-foot-2, 175 pound frame - and still room for strength gains. The bat is his best tool and the lanky right-handed hitter offers a well-paced, well-connected, right-handed stroke that is very playable & his exits peaked at 96-plus. He now has an above average run tool to pair (6.90) and likely profiles best as a 2B/3B.
+ Collin Ash, OF, Roncalli : Left-handed hitting athletes are at a premium and Ash fits that mold. He is a 5-foot-10, 170 pounder that ran a 6.70 60-yard dash to begin the day. He hits from the left-side with a short, handsy, on-top swing that produced line drive ball flights at 95+ mph on the top-end. The swing and feet fit a table-setters' mold, while his 89 mph outfield arm is another tool that he provides.
+ Tristan Yerman, C, Center Grove : A showcase setting isn't necessarily where defense-first catchers standout, but Yerman put together a solid day in total with the bat strength taking a tick up compared to his results at the same event last year. It is an athletic operation in the right-handed box with a short, on-plane swing & exits at 95 mph. His catch-and-throw is solid with pops reaching 2.01 - but to get a full glimpse of his game you have to watch him receive in a real game.
+ Brock Kintner, OF, Columbus North : A physical-looking, 6-foot-2, 195 pounder. Solid toolset accross the board, the right-handed swing is his biggest strength. Looks the part of a next-level run-producer with a repeatable stroke & bat speed included. The swing is short with power lurking evident in the 99-plus exits he produced. Kintner also turned in a 7.07 60-yard dash to pair with an 88 mph arm from the outfield.
+ Reed Sawa, OF, Center Grove : Sawa is a highly-athletic outfielder from Center Grove that burned a 6.66 60-yard dash to go along with the best force plate data of the day (32.7" vertical). He's got a chance to stick in centerfield at the next level with the aforementioned foot speed and an above average arm to pair. Offensively, the right-handed hitter shows a short swing with abv avg accuracy and some whip to the barrel head + fast hands.
+ Cooper Cammack, 1B, University : Cammack's batting practice was loud - with exits peaking at 104-plus while he averaged 94 mph throughout. There is a ton of upside in the projectable, 6-foot-5, 190 pound young-for-class frame to dream on plus raw power developing at some point. There is abv avg bat speed present with likely more on the way as he adds more mass to his leaner frame. It is an aggressive operation with a direct barrel working to the front of the hitting zone & his best balls are struck pull-side. A primary 1B now, the 7.11 run time leaves a corner OF profile open, or he could pack on strength and go all in on the bat to stick at 1B.
+ Tyler Denny, OF, Mooresville : Denny is another young-for-class prospect beginning to blossom. It is an undersized, athletic, 5-foot-10, 165 pound frame with his best present tool being his feet, as he turned in a 6.64 60-yard dash to begin the day. He profiles in CF with fringy arm strength. Offensively, it is a short, on-top swing with more strength that the frame suggests with exits peaking over 97. Denny showcased his barrel accuracy with several balls hit on the screws in his round, averaging 92.5 mph off the bat during batting practice.
+ Ryan Rodman, C, Western : Athletic backstop. Bat-first with athletic RH swing, rotates well. Has fast hands with on-plane swing that produced 99-plus exits, and averaged 92.5 throughout. Very solid catch-and-throw skills with an 81 mph arm from the crouch and pops into the 1.9s. 7.10 runner that could likely double as a corner OF to get the bat in the lineup.
+ Josh Newton, OF, Hamilton Heights : 5-foot-10, 185 pound stocky body. Solid toolset across the board is highlighted by a 6.78 60-yard dash and 90 mph OF arm. Offensively, he uses an up-tempo, toe tap stride with a small hand climb in the load to offset forward move. Ambush tendencies, looks to get the ball in the air to pull-side with 97-plus exits. Solid rotator w present above average bat speed (73 mph). Profiles best in the corner OF w CF upside.
Tools Trending 🆙
*Listed alphabetically, hyperlinked to profile*
- Mekyel Almond, C, McCutcheon
- Drew Bostic, SS/CF, Brownsburg
- Chase Bradle, 1B, Hamilton Southeastern
- Matthew Cunningham, C/SS, Lawrence North
- Alex Jackson, SS, Heritage Christian
- Kye Jacobs, SS, Clinton Prairie
- Rykin Matthias, OF, North Central
- Zaire McKinney, OF, Michigan City
- Parker O'Steen, C, Hamilton Southeastern
- Carrington Pitts, C/OF, Roncalli