2026 Rankings Update: Inside the Numbers

The Prep Baseball North Carolina 2026 Rankings have been expanded to include the top 375 players, up from 325 in the previous update. This growth reflects a busy summer evaluation period that brought a wealth of new information to the scouting process.

Over the course of the summer, the Prep Baseball staff conducted 200 player evaluations within the 2026 class, at Prep Baseball events and conducted 350 additional evaluations from tournaments, workouts, and other showcases. This broad scope has led to the addition of 72 new players to the updated rankings as well as some big shifts within the player rankings list.

Positional Breakdown

The updated class highlights the depth and versatility across North Carolina’s 2026 talent pool:

• 121 Infielders
  
• 77 Outfielders
  
• 95 Right-Handed Pitchers
  
• 32 Left-Handed Pitchers
  
• 49 Catchers
  

This balance across positions provides college coaches and professional scouts a wide spectrum of prospects to follow over the next two years.

Commitment Trends

With a typical senior class in North Carolina producing 300–400 college commitments, the 2026 group has already seen 109 ranked players make their decisions.

NC Player Commitments

• 2025 Class: 315 tracked commitments
• 2024 Class: 365 tracked commitments
• 2023 Class: 350 tracked commitments
• 2022 Class: 390 tracked commitments

Class of 2026 Trends

• 76 commitments are to in-state schools
• 33 commitments are out-of-state
• 93 commitments are to Division I programs
• 21 players inside the Top 100 remain uncommitted, leaving significant talent available for recruiters

University Commitment Leaders

Recruiting momentum is beginning to take shape in-state among several programs:

• NC State leads the way with 9 commitments, highlighted by a strong group of shortstops (3) and right-handed pitchers (2).
• UNC Greensboro follows closely with 8 commitments, including 4 right-handed pitchers.
• North Carolina (6 commitments) and UNC Wilmington (5 commitments) also show strong presence in North Carolina in the 2026 class.

Key Takeaways

• The expansion of the rankings to 375 players underscores the depth of talent in North Carolina’s 2026 class.
• Early commitments are trending heavily toward in-state programs, showcasing the strength of North Carolina’s college baseball landscape.
• With more than 20 uncommitted players inside the Top 100, the class still holds high-level opportunities for college recruiters.

The 2026 rankings update reinforces the strength of this class and sets the stage for another pivotal year of development and recruiting.

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North Carolina News