Diamond Notes: Week 5 (4/13-4/18)

April 22, 2026
Cole Ledger
Director of Operations, Prep Baseball MD/DE

Follow @PrepBaseballMD
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Comprehensive Coverage of the 2026 Maryland High School Baseball Season

Throughout the 2026 Maryland high school baseball season, Prep Baseball MD and its dedicated staff will provide extensive coverage of all aspects of the sport across the state. Our coverage will feature Daily Roundup, a daily scoreboard, live scouting at high school games, a maintained Heat Sheet, and ongoing tracking of standout player performances.

Each week, our scouting staff will analyze box scores, consult with high school coaches, college recruiters, and professional scouts to select the Player and Pitcher of the Week. The recipients of these awards will be announced every Tuesday throughout the spring season. Each player submitted and considered for the Player of the Week Award will be recognized in the weekly Diamond Notes release. This list of players will allow fans, coaches, and scouts a place each week to follow some of the best performances weekly in Maryland.

To be considered, please look out for our weekly nomination form on Twitter/X and Instagram, where you can nominate the top performances of the week. Those nominations will also select our weekly Player of the Week Award. To be considered, you must fill out the form accurately and follow the directions.

2026 Prep Baseball MD High School Coverage

Daily Roundup
Power 25
MD/DE High School Scout Blog
Maryland Player / Pitcher of the Week

Diamond Notes

Week of April 13 - April 18, 2026 | Maryland

PITCHING PERFORMANCES

Tristan Merritt, RHP, Parkside, 2026

Tossed a no-hitter in a massive rivalry game vs James M. Bennett.
Final Line: 7 IP (CG), 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K
Still holds a 0.00 ERA over 20+ innings, committed to Frostburg.

Logan Powell, RHP, Patuxent, 2026

Showing the ability to eat innings over two appearances, going 2-0.
Pitching Line: 15 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 14 K
Committed to Siena as an offensive threat.

Pierce Quinn, RHP, John Carroll, 2026

Another shutout outing in conference vs #3 Calvert Hall.
Pitching Line: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K
Top-ranked RHP in the state of Maryland
Super 60 alum and Virginia commit.

Leo Antwerpen, LHP, McDonogh, 2026

Secured McDonogh's first series win vs Loyola Blakefield.
Pitching Line: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Committed to Duke University.

Kohen Madden, RHP, Allegany, 2027

Two appearances on the bump last week, leading the charge.
Pitching Line: 13.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Continuing to put the two-way ability on display across the state.

Nathan Smith, RHP, Long Reach, 2026

Dominant outing vs. the previous #25 River Hill in a high-stakes game.
Pitching Line: 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Big part of Long Reach's 10-1 start to the season.

Dakari Bailey, RHP, Chesapeake-AA, 2027

Third straight CG outing for the uncommitted junior two-way.
Pitching Line: 5 IP (CG), 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K
Worked the fastball up to 91, piling up the strikeouts throughout.

Derek Grossi, RHP, Kent Island, 2027

Massive win in a region matchup to hold the tiebreaker.
Pitching Line: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K
Continues to make an impression across the Bayside Conference.

Camden Hunter, RHP, Archbishop Spalding, 2027

Secured the series sweep over Curley with a dominant outing.
Pitching Line: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Continues to secure win-after-win in Friday deciders.

Trevor Zatkowsky, RHP, Aberdeen, 2026

Second straight appearance in Diamond Notes, this time on the bump.
Pitching Line: 7 IP (CG), 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 14 K
Big outing vs Joppatowne, also hitting the walk-off in the win.

Colby Benz, RHP, Severn, 2027

Strong showing in front of our staff on Tuesday vs Boys Latin.
Final Line: 7 IP (CG), 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Still undefeated in conference starts, now 4-0.

Landon Yoder, RHP, Northern Garrett, 2026

Took the hill in the Battle of Garrett County, emerging victorious.
Final Line: 7 IP (CG), 8 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Zane Kirkstan, RHP, Gilman, 2027

Our strongest look at the uncommitted RHP over 3 starts.
Final Line: 7 IP (CG), 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Continues to be a game-changer on the hill for the Greyhounds.

Sawyer Thompson, RHP, Poolesville

Two appearances vs Seneca Valley and Watkins Mill.
Final Line: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K
Been a reliable rotational arm on the backend.

Carson Dodge, RHP, Gilman, 2028

Continues to improve with each outing throughout the season.
Final Line: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Standout performance against top-ranked MSJ on Friday.

Maison Walsh, RHP, Mount St. Joseph, 2027

Emerged victorious in an absolute pitchers' duel on Friday vs Gilman.
Final Line: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
Been a contributing factor on the bump and across the infield.

Grant Semler, LHP, North Hagerstown, 2026

One of our first in-depth looks was a fantastic one vs #5 Urbana.
Final Line: 5 IP (CG), 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Been a catalyst to the Hubs' 7-1 start to the season.

OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCES

Daniel Metz, OF, Hereford, 2026

Named Maryland Player of the Week for Week 5.
On the Week: 8-11 (.727), 5 HR, 3B, 7 RBI, 7 R
4 homer performance on Monday vs Sparrows Point.
Committed to Harford CC, his first POTW award.

Darian Gaskins, OF, Boonsboro, 2026

Impressive week, capped off by a 2 XBH performance in front of our staff.
On the Week: 9-14 (.643), 2 HR, 2 2B, 11 RBI, 5 R
Committed to Shippensburg as a two-way threat.

Kreis Metz, INF, Hereford, 2026.

On the Week: 7-12 (.583), 2 HR, 3 2B, 6 RBI
Brothers dominating BCo, also committed to Harford CC.

Joey Coudon, OF, John Carroll, 2026

Hit a homer in 3 of the 4 games played last week.
On the Week: 8-11 (.727), 4 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R
Another podium finish for the UMBC commit.

Cooper Mengel, SS, Broadneck, 2027

Highlighted his week with a grand slam vs #4 Chesapeake.
On the Week: 8-11 (.727), 2 HR, 3B, 2B, 9 RBI, 5 R
Much anticipated return on the bump coming soon.
One of the top two-way players in the junior class.

Will Stark, SS, Loyola Blakefield, 2028

On the Week: 7-12 (.583), 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB
Been one of Loyola's top hitters all spring long.
Hitting .356 over 22 games this spring.

Carter Shanks, CIF, Liberty, 2026

Big matchups against Century and Westminster.
On the Week: 6-11 (.545), HR, 2B, 8 RBI, 3 R
One of the top offensive threats in Carroll County.

Cooper DeWaal, SS, Oakdale, 2028

Broke the miniture slump with another standout week.
On the Week: 6-10 (.600), HR, 2B, 6 RBI, 7 R, 4 SB
4th appearance on Diamond Notes this spring.
#2 ranked player in the 2028 class (#1 SS).

Parker Dix, 1B, Oakdale, 2027

Exploded with the hit tool across three matchups last week.
On the Week: 8-12 (.667), HR, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 4 R
Committed to ODU as a pitcher, working the FB up to 91.

Cooper Thompson, OF, Oakdale, 2026

Wasn't as explosive as last week, but the hits kept piling up.
On the Week: 8-11 (.727), 2B, 7 RBI, 4 R, 3 SB
2nd straight week on Diamond Notes for offensive showings.

Austin Pizer, 3B, Linganore, 2026

Led the Lancers offense against three formidable opponents.
On the Week: 6-9 (.667), 2 2B, 9 RBI, 3 R
First appearance of the season, committed to Wilson College.

Blake Wentworth, 2B, DeMatha Catholic, 2028

Four hit performance in front of our staff vs Riverdale Baptist.
On the Week: 7-13 (.538), 2 3B, 8 RBI, 6 R
One of the top preseason standouts translating to the spring.

Levi Grimes, INF, Severn Run, 2029

On the Week: 6-9 (.677), 2B, 6 RBI, 4 R, 3 SB
Strong week for an intriguing freshman in Anne Arundel County.

Nicky Soares, INF, Stephen Decatur, 2028

Showcased the hit tool across three matchups last week.
On the Week: 6-7 (.857), 2B, 8 RBI
Impressed with the hit tool ever since the 8th grade.

Braeden Martin, SS, Archbishop Spalding, 2026

On the Week: 7-10 (.700), RBI, 8 R
Committed to East Carolina University.
#4 ranked player in the 2026 class (#1 SS).

Cash Markel, MIF, Gerstell, 2027

On the Week: 5-9 (.556), 2 2B, 4 RBI, 6 R, 5 SB
3 conference games vs SJCP, Severn, & Mount Carmel.

Jason Gifford, 1B, Crofton, 2026

Propelling Crofton to another 3-0 week at the dish, now at 12-1.
On the Week: 6-10 (.600), HR, 2B, 9 RBI, 5 R (1.636 OPS)
Recently committed to Anne Arundel CC.

Anthony Badillo, 3B, Archbishop Spalding, 2027

Propelling Crofton to another 3-0 week at the dish, now at 12-1.
On the Week: 5-10 (.500), 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R
2025 Future Games alum, committed to Virginia Tech.

Grayson O'Donnell, 1B, Arundel, 2026

Hit a massive homer vs Broadneck on Friday.
On the Week: 6-8 (.750), HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R

Drake Weaver, 2B, Clear Spring, 2028

Two-homer game on Monday vs Smithsburg.
On the Week: 7-14 (.500), 2 HR, 2B, 5 RBI.

Tyson Sumner, SS, Georgetown Prep, 2026

Strong defensive actions + .500 week = That'll play.
On the Week: 4-8 (.500), 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R
Fairfield commit.

Jeremy McConnaughey, OF, Clear Spring, 2027

Similar to Drake, a two-homer game on Monday vs Smithsburg.
On the Week: 8-14 (.571), 2 HR, 3B, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 7 R

Tyce McConnaughey, OF, Clear Spring, 2026

Launched a solo homer against Jefferson (WV).
On the Week: 7-16 (), HR, 3B, 2B, 5 RBI, 7 R
Berry University commit.

TWO-WAY PLAYER PERFORMANCES

Ethan Pletter, OF, Walter Johnson, 2026

You might as well just expect to see his name on here every week.
Offense (week): 9-11 (.818), HR, 2 3B, 2B, 6 RBI, 8 R, 3 SB
Pitching (week): 4 IP, 0 R, 5 K
Been on the podium for 3 straight weeks for Player of the Week.

Diarmuid Gardiner, RHP/SS, Walt Whitman, 2028

One of the top two-way players in the 2028 class.
Pitching (week): 5 IP, 0 ER, 6 K
Offense (week): 6-12 (.500), 2 HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 5 R
Top underclassman in Montgomery County.

Parker DeBaugh, INF, Boonsboro, 2026

Pitching (week): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 K
Offense (week): 6-11 (.545), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 7 R
3 hit performance against Jefferson in the Barrel Nation tournament.

Evan Rayne, RHP/SS, Centennial, 2028

Four scoreless in Friday's big conference game vs the Swamp.
Pitching (week): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 7 K
Offense (week): 5-10 (.500), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R

Brandon Toadvine, LHP, Saint Michaels, 2028

Flashed on both sides of the ball in Monday's county matchup.
Pitching (week): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K
Offense (week): 5-7, 6 RBI, 5 R, 3 SB

Logan Garey, RHP/INF, Liberty, 2026

Eclipsed 100 career Ks in their game vs Westminster.
Pitching (week): 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 9 K
Offense (week): 7-10 (.700), HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 5 R