Preseason All-State: Upperclass Breakouts
March 6, 2025
Breakout performers are what makes the Preseason All-State such a vital event for our scouting staff. Each year, a handful of players from each class come back after an offseason spent grinding away at their craft, and perform above our expectation level. We begin with 10 name-to-know juniors that elevated their stock after a strong perfromance at this event.
Find the full stat breakdown, here.
Breakout Winners
Prospects who elevated themselves with breakout performances...
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Caden Matusak SS / RHP / Crown Point, 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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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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Lannon Nicoloff SS / RHP / William Henry Harrison High School, IN / 2026Profile: 5-foot-11, 180 pound athletic shortstop. S/R with feel to hit from both sides and developing gap-to-gap power with 100 mph exit peak. Bat speed is average to slightly above (68 mph avg). Arm is turning to a plus tool, was 92 on the bump before taking a skillful round of infield with a 92 arm across there as well. Glove is an abv avg tool, as well. Has made significant strides to athleticism, turned in a 6.77 60-yard dash. Placed top 10 at the event in the standing vertical leap (28"). Actions: Offense: Wide, squatty setup from both sides with small stride and short load that gets repeated. Short, on-plane path plays with barrel feel. Defense: Bouncy feet work in-rhythm with soft hands, excellent glove-to-hand, & flashy actions at times. Electric arm action is playable from multiple slots. Summation: Nicoloff is one of the best defenders in the class and I have always been high on him for his in-game abilities and present actions. The toolset took a massive step up after the offseason. He cut his 60-time by over 0.3 of a second with exits improving by 6 mph compared to the Future Games as well. The speed and strength begin to louden a high-contact offensive profile, while projections of him sticking at short continue to become more concrete with the arm continuing to enhance. George Mason commit.
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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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Matthew Cook RHP / Hanover Central , IN / 2026Frame: Projectable frame, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. 18.1 @ '26 draft. Delivery/Arm Action: Faster tempo with some quirk in a deceptive delivery. Lands soft & in-line w balanced finish. Moderate length to the arm action, whips to low 3/4 slot (4'11") release height. Funky look. Stuff: Fastball played at 90-92 with heavy two-seam action averaging over 16" of arm-side run with 2400 spin. 77-81 slider plays w hop/sweep to provide a unique look to the low-slot breaking ball. 79-81 change plays off both pitches with 20" of fade at times. Above average control for all. Summation: Cook is a projectable, reliable arm that verbaled to Evansville shortly after the 2024 Future Games. He has taken serious strides since then with a more-physical look to provide more life to a now low-90s fastball that likely plays at 88-92 this spring. The slot provides a tough look and his velocity gains enhance a 3-pitch mix that plays off of one another. Cook's strike-throwing nature provides starters' upside with more jumps likely considering the young-for-class draft age.
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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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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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Blake Cope OF / 1B / 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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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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