Recruiting Cheat Sheet: Top 10 Uncommitted Junior Bats

Brayden Ring SS / Zionsville, IN / 2027

+ From Conner Madding: I got seven at-bats on Ring during a Saturday round robin, and he finished with three singles and a walk. The right-handed swing is repeatable, starting from a wide base with a short toe-tap stride. He works on-plane through the zone and has shown consistent barrel accuracy for four-plus years now. Defensively, Ring is steady and dependable at shortstop with quality body control and an above-average arm. An above average runner, as well. The athletic 6-foot-1, 180-pounder plays with a quiet confidence and brings a well-rounded toolset across the board. A former Future Gamer, Ring is the top uncommitted position player on our board and one of our favorite shortstops in the class.

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. top 4A competition (faced at least 6 D1 recuits + double-digit college-commit arms) - .393/.514/.464, 7/5 BB/K.

Cam Gates C / Bedford-North Lawrence, IN / 2027

+ From Preseason All-State: Gates stands as the top uncommitted catcher in the class and is one of the top bat-to-ball guys remaining on the board. A 7-flat runner who got out the gate at a 1.64 10-yard split, Gates setup with a slight pre-coil and deep handset before a simple swinging stride helps him uncoil and rotate on-plane. The hand-eye is something I've seen consistently over 3+ years, and he reached a peak exit of 95 mph while averaging 86 at this event. Gates shows well-above average arm strength from the crouch, up to 81 there, good for pops into the 1.9s. He is also more-than-capable of playing an average to better 2B at the D1 level, with the hand-eye showing up there also and the arm strength translating to 88 across. 

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. 4A competition - .469/.575/.813, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 8/1 BB/K.

Shane Bardwell OF / Homestead Senior, IN / 2027

+ From Conner Madding: I saw Bardwell hitting out of the leadoff spot and playing right field on opening night. The strong, 6-foot, 200-pound left-handed hitter went 2-for-2 with a single through the middle and an infield hit to the left side, beating it out with a 4.2 down the line. He hits from a taller, open stance with a slight forward drift, and the swing is direct with a level, sometimes steep path. A more contact-oriented approach than I have previously seen in this look. Bardwell is off to a solid start to his junior year, totaling a handful of hits with a couple of extra-base knocks. The arm plays from the outfield, as well. The left-handed hitter remains one of the top uncommitted bats on our board.

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. 4A competition - .375/.519/.550, 5 2B, 1 3B, 6/4 BB/K, 15 SB's.

Eli Harris 1B / OF / Jeffersonville, IN / 2027

+ From Conner Madding: I saw Harris as Jeffersonville traveled to Center Grove. A physical, athletic 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame, he immediately stands out in the box. Harris didn’t get much to hit in this look, drawing three walks across his first three plate appearances, but took a quality swing in his final at-bat, driving a ball deep to left field for a flyout. He hits from a balanced stance with a slightly open setup. The barrel works with present bat speed on a slightly uphill plane. Harris has big-time power potential from the right-side. While there wasn’t in-game production in this look, Harris has gotten off to a strong start this spring; hitting .406 through 12 games with four doubles, two triples, and three home runs. A quality uncommitted bat to follow.

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. mostly 4A competition - 14/35 (.400 average), 4 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 11/8 BB/K.

‘27 1B/OF Eli Harris (@EliHarris_42) walked three times and put a good swing on this deep F7.

6’4” 215, massive frame jumps out in the box. Heavy RH barrel. 6.69 runner.

Homered twice on Wednesday.

A top @PB_Uncommitted bat in the class👍 pic.twitter.com/5xQwYK4Kzk

— Prep Baseball Indiana (@PrepBaseballIN) April 11, 2026

Jackson Treadway SS / Carmel, IN / 2027

+ From Preseason All-State: Treadway, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder, looked the part of a must-know name for Mid-Major recruiters with a chance to elevate himself even further. The swing is mechanically sound as he works down-to, long-thru with exceptional length at the front. Peppering liners from gap-to-gap, Treadway peaked at 98+ while also showing proper infield actions with at least average run and throw tools; 7.1 runner & 85 across. Still a bit of a projection take, Treadway will need to solidify this status for Carmel this spring in order to fulfill bullish expactions. With that being said, the frame is right, the athleticism and actions check boxes, and he is one of the youngest position players in the class. 

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. 4A competition - .321/.512/.607, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 9/4 BB/K, 

Mark Neels OF / Carmel, IN / 2027

+ From Preseason All-State: Providing speed/power upside, Neels brings value in the 6.5 speed that he brings and pairs with left-handed bat strength. There's noticeably more strength than last year in the 6-foot, now 205-pound frame and the swing continues to polish. He starts open with a connected handset before hovering in a smaller leg kick stride. He is able to hold ground with the stride and turns the connected barrel tight off the back shoulder to get on-plane early. The swing adjustments paid dividends from a metric perspective as he peaked at 99 mph off the bat and averaged 93-plus. There is some tendency to exit the zone early, but the ability to present the barrel flat and deep in the zone should allow for quality contact rates. The arm is an average tool and he holds centerfield upside. 

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. 4A competition - .333/.412/.500, 5 2B, 2/7 BB/K.

Micah Toler OF / Heritage Hills High School, IN / 2027

+ From Conner Madding: An athletic, projectable 6-foot-3, 185-pounder, Toler really stands out visually with his frame. I saw him in four at-bats during my look where he went 1-for-4 with a single and a couple fly balls. Offensively, he features an athletic right-handed swing with some present rawness in the operation, leaving room for continued polish. He posted a 6.65 60-yard dash at a fall scout day and the arm strength plays above-average from the outfield as well. While the impact in my look was modest, the production this spring has been loud; through 10 games, Toler is hitting .510 with 10 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 home runs. The frame and athletic actions really standout for the three-sport athlete. Toler is an uncommitted junior we’ll continue to monitor closely moving forward.

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. 3A/2A/1A competiton - .526 avg (3rd on team), 10 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 8/2 BB/K, 12 SB's. 

Chase Nelson SS / Andrean, IN / 2027

+ From Preseason All-State: Nelson may have the most polished hit-tool amongst all of the uncommitted players in this 2027 class. Stocky with strength in a compact 5-foot-9 frame, Nelson sets up in a balanced, crouched stance before controlling a leg kick stride with a rhythmic handset that works connected. A 7-flat runner, Nelson worked from gap-to-gap with a pristine path that produced a peak exit of 100 mph, and he averaged 90-plus throughout. To round out a complete day, Chase showed fundamentally sound actions on the infield while firing it across at 90 mph. 

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. 3A/4A competition - 9/26 (.346 average), 2B, 2 HR, 12/2 BB/K, 6 SB's

Nolan Butcher C / Leo Junior/Senior High School, IN / 2027

+ From Preseason All-State: A fundamentally sound player in all facets, Butcher brings an undersized-but-athletic, 5-foot-8, 165-pound frame and quality defensive abilities to the table. He receives at an above average clip & has caught college-level arms for a long time; father is the Head Coach at University of Saint Francis. The glove-to-hand is outstanding and when paired with an 81 mph arm from the crouch, leads to pops into the 1.9s. Balanced right-handed swing is very sound; on-plane and the launch quickness stands out. Exits peaked at 97-plus. Ran 7.11 60 at this event and has been into the 6.9s previously. High-floor player.

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. 4A - 2A competion - .423/.531/.577, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4/3 BB/K in 7 games. 

Brody Langhans OF / Crown Point, IN / 2027

+ From Cooper Trinkle: Our #3 ranked uncommitted OF currently in the class, Langhans showed well in my look to begin the spring. He is stocky strong at 6-foot, 185-pounds with his plus foot speed being his best tool. A 6.41 runner in showcase, Langhans went 3.25 on a steal in my look and tracked well in the OF. Started in CF, played some LF later in the game, and ranged in impressive fashion to catch a routine ball in CF that the CF lost off the bat. Offensively, he hits from a strong base and uses a shorter leg lift with a smaller hand load. The swing works uphill and there is some strength to it. Collected a hit and a SAC fly in my look. 

2026 Stats thru 4/29/26: vs. 4A competiton - .283/.333/.457, 5 2B, 1 HR, 3/17 BB/K, 6 SB.