The Kansas high school baseball season kicks off on Mar. 19, opening day for regular season action under KSHSAA regulations. Leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2026 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down to the official Prep Baseball Kansas Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2026 preseason coverage continues today.

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2026 SEASON OUTLOOK

No. of Returning Position Players: 5
No. of Returning Pitchers: 3

Top Returners:

• Braxton Whittley (2028) - P/UTL, 5'9", 155lbs, R/R
  • Brax has Great Command on the mound and can throw his slider in any count. He is a solid hitter who understands the zone, he lead off for us as a freshman and worked 22 walks. He can play all over the diamond.
• Luke Elliot (2027) - 2B, 5'6", 145lbs, L/R
  • Luke is a high IQ player that is always in position. He gives us speed towards the top of the lineup and has a great eye. He understands what his job is at the plate and doesn't swing and miss much.
• Ethan Umbarger (2026) - OF, 5'11", 180lbs, R/R
  • Ethan is a strong kid who always seems to find a barrel. He provides some pop in the middle of the order.
• Levi Borton (2027) - C, 5'8", 160lbs, R/R
  • Levi is an elite receiver behind the dish. He does a great job stealing strikes. He does a great job of keeping balls in front. We are looking for him to take a step forward in the box this year, as well as throwing out more base runners.
• Wyatt Whittley (2026) P/1B, 5'9", 220lbs, R/R
  • Wyatt will look to have an increased role on the mound this year. He has thrown innings for us for two years now and is looking to eat more innings this year. He will provide some pop in the middle of the order and plays a good first base.

Top Newcomers:

• Remington John (2029) - P/SS, 6'0, 175lbs, R/R
  • Remington will bring an extremely high IQ and elite athleticism to our lineup this year. He does a great job on the mound controls the zone and mixes speeds well. He has a chance to be our best hitter as a freshman. He will play shortstop for us when not on the mound. He is a very capable catcher as well. He is a hard worker and competitor.

Key Players Lost:

• Carsen Ellis
• Peyton Modich

Coach’s Insight: “This year our strengths will be our pitching and defense. I think if we can build on the quality of at bats we showed at times last year we can be very good offensively as well. Our weakness could end up being the lack of pitching depth. While the top end of our rotation will be great, finding a few to be able to come in and provide quality innings. If we can get 2-3 guys to step in and compete for a relief role we will be fine. ” – Scott John, head coach

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Find more information on the 2026 Cherryvale program below:

+ Follow them on X: @Cvalebaseball
+ Visit Prep Baseball Kansas’ 2026 KSHSAA Team Previews page to learn more.

+ If you are a high school coach and didn’t receive our questionnaire, please click HERE to fill out the form

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