Prep Baseball Report

2026 KSHSAA Team Preview: Hutchinson Salthawks


Prep Baseball Kansas Staff

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.

High School: Hutchinson
Head Coach: Mace Krol (3 years)
Classification: 5A
League: Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League - Division 1
2025 Record (Finish): 15-12 (Lost in Regionals)

2026 SEASON OUTLOOK

No. of Returning Position Players: 2-3
No. of Returning Pitchers: 2-3

Top Returners:

  • Julian Lyons (2026) - INF/P/C, 6'1, 180, R/R
  • Gabe Valadez (2026) - INF/P, 5'10, 195, R/R
  • Merrick Giles (2026) - OF/P/C, 6'2, 175, R/R
  • Brodie McCuan (2027) - OF/P, 6'0, 185, R/R
  • Oaken Williams (2028) - OF/P, 5'8, 150, R/R

Top Newcomers:

Key Players Lost: Quite a few

Coach’s Insight: “[We have a] competitive bunch, looking forward to our challenging schedule and finding ways to win games. [Our weakness is that we are] inexperienced, only a few returners, lots of opportunities to earn playing time. ” – Mace Krol, head coach


Find more information on the 2026 Hutchinson program below:

+ Follow them on X: @HHSbathawks
+ 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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