Texas Diamond Notes: Week 1
February 24, 2026
The Texas Diamond Notes will focus on highlighting some of the top performances across the state based on nominations from high school coaches. We will highlight positions players, pitchers and two-way players every Tuesday evening of the high school season that had impressive weeks during their team's games.
A special thank you to all of the high school coaches for nominating their players.
WEEK 1 DIAMOND NOTES (LISTED ALPHABETICALLY)
+ Zander Ballenger, RHP/C (Cleburne, 2026):
Against Trinity, Ballenger pitched six innings, giving up zero earned runs and three hits while striking out five batters.
+ Jagger Batek, OF/DH (Calallen, 2027):
Batek posted an .818 batting average by going 9-for-11 across games against Economedes, La Joya Palmview, Valley View, Donna, McAllen, and Weslaco. During this stretch, he collected four doubles, seven RBI, seven runs scored, two walks, one hit-by-pitch, and two stolen bases.
+ Hunter Bulin, 3B (Heath, 2026; ETBU commit):
Bulin batted .500, going 6-for-12 with four doubles, three RBI, two runs scored, one walk, and one sacrifice fly.
+ Kenson Buth, RHP/MIF (Byron Nelson, 2027; Baylor commit):
During a five-game tournament, Buth recorded a .533 batting average, a .632 on-base percentage, a 1.133 slugging percentage, and a 1.765 OPS. He collected eight hits, including three singles, three doubles, and two home runs, along with five RBI, five runs scored, and three walks.
+ Collier Carroll, P (Calallen, 2026; Texas State commit):
Carroll pitched a five-inning complete game no-hitter against La Joya Palmview. He finished with a .000 ERA, zero runs allowed, seven strikeouts, and three walks.
+ Tyler Chapman, P (Forney, 2026):
Chapman pitched a seven-inning complete game on just 73 pitches. He allowed one run on four hits and zero walks while striking out six batters.
+ Landon Collins, P (Friendswood, 2026; Texas Tech commit):
Against Magnolia West, Collins pitched five innings, allowing two hits, zero earned runs, and one walk while striking out eight batters.
+ Hudson Cuevas, SS (Cedar Park, 2027; Oklahoma State commit):
In 17 at-bats, Cuevas tallied 12 hits for a .706 batting average and a 2.221 OPS. His offensive output included seven doubles, two home runs, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, and three walks.
+ Cannon Culp, OF/P (Harker Heights, 2026; Hill JC commit):
Culp went 7-for-15 at the plate with two doubles, one triple, and one home run. He also contributed three RBI, six runs scored, and three stolen bases.
+ Nate Eveler, C (Kingwood Park, 2026):
Eveler batted .688 by going 11-for-16 against opponents that included CE King, Grand Oaks, Clear Springs, Klein Cain, and Clear Lake. He posted an .875 slugging percentage while hitting three doubles and driving in four.
+ Will Fiedler, CF/RHP (Kingwood, 2026; Sam Houston State commit):
Fiedler posted a .474 batting average and a .542 on-base percentage, going 9-for-19 with three doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBI, seven runs scored, three hit-by-pitches, and three stolen bases. On the mound, he pitched five innings across two games and earned a 1-0 record.
+ Ryan Finley, 3B (Cleburne, 2027):
In nine at-bats, Finley recorded four hits, three home runs, seven RBI, and four walks.
+ Maddox Green, INF (Little Elm, 2026):
Green batted 5-for-10 with two doubles, four RBI, five runs scored, three hit-by-pitches, and two stolen bases.
+ Johnny Ray Guajardo, DH (Cy Lakes, 2026):
Guajardo recorded a .455 batting average and a .600 on-base percentage. He hit one double and two home runs, notably hitting both home runs in a single game against Houston Memorial.
+ Graham Hardin, RHP (Lubbock Coronado, 2027):
In his season debut against Azle HS, Hardin pitched a seven-inning no-hitter, striking out 15 batters while allowing zero runs. He allowed only two baserunners in the game via a walk and a strikeout-wild pitch, and only permitted one runner to reach second base.
*Hardin was named the Pitcher of the Week for his performance in Week 1*
+ Cutter Kennedy, 1B (Weatherford, 2027):
Kennedy compiled a .438 batting average by going 7-for-16 at the plate. He tallied twp doubles, one home run, three RBI, and three runs scored.
+ Evan King, 1B/RHP (Little Elm, 2026):
King went 5-for-13 with two home runs, three doubles, seven RBI, three walks, and four runs scored. He highlighted his performance by hitting two home runs and driving in five in a single game.
+ Garrett Koshkin, P (Kingwood Park, 2026; Johns Hopkins commit):
Pitching against Grand Oaks, Koshkin struck out eight batters over five innings.
+ Henry Kuenstler, P (Heath, 2029):
Kuenstler earned a 1-0 record over six innings pitched. He allowed five hits, one run (zero earned runs), and two walks while striking out eight batters.
+ Lucas Large, P (Heath, 2028):
Large posted a 1-0 record, giving up five hits, one run (earned), and two walks while striking out two batters.
+ Peyton Lopez, SS (New Caney, 2029):
Across 5 games and 19 plate appearances (11 at-bats), Lopez logged a .636 batting average, a .789 on-base percentage, a 1.545 slugging percentage, and a 2.335 OPS. He recorded seven hits, including four doubles and two home runs, while adding eight RBI, eight runs scored, six walks, two hit-by-pitches, and five stolen bases.
+ Will McIntire, P (Boyd, 2027; Texas A&M commit):
Against the 4A #8 ranked Seminole, McIntire threw a five-inning complete game shutout no-hitter. He struck out nine batters, walked none, pitched an immaculate first inning, and faced the minimum number of batters after picking off the only runner who reached on an error.
+ Jaxon McKnight, RHP/C (Atascocita, 2026; Texas State commit):
McKnight threw a 77-pitch complete game shutout against Oak Ridge, allowing zero runs and three hits while striking out four batters. Offensively, he went 7-for-14 with three RBI and three walks against tough competition, facing Allen (Chandler Hart), Clear Lake (Evan Mihlay), Grand Oaks, Oak Ridge, and Montgomery (Wyatt Clewett).
+ Jesus Merlo, P (Manvel, 2026):
Merlo secured a 1-0 record with two saves over six innings of work. He allowed only one walk and two hits while striking out 17 batters.
+ Dominic Naylor, P (Cedar Park, 2027):
Against Flower Mound High School at the Central Texas 1st Pitch Classic, Naylor pitched three innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out nine batters.
+ Alex Nevarez, 2B (Royse City, 2026):
Nevarez batted .684 by going 13-for-19 at the plate. He tallied four doubles, four runs scored, and eight RBI.
+ Chase Pearrow, INF (Waxahachie, 2026; Navarro JC commit):
During the opening tournament, Pearrow went 11-for-18 at the plate. He hit five home runs and two doubles while collecting 13 RBI and 10 runs scored.
*Pearrow was named the Hitter of the Week for his performance in Week 1*
+ Mick Randle, 2B (Heath, 2026; Texas Wesleyan commit):
Randle batted .400 by going 8-for-20. He recorded three doubles, five RBI, four runs scored, two walks, and one stolen base.
+ Jax Robinson, C (Waxahachie, 2026; Texas commit):
Robinson went 10-for-16 at the plate with one double, one triple, and three home runs while driving in 12 RBI.
+ Demarea Rodriguez, RF (Lufkin, 2027):
Over opening weekend at the Sweeny Tournament, Rodriguez stayed hot in all four games by going 11-for-13. He tallied two doubles, two triples, one home run, eight RBI, seven runs scored, two walks, and three stolen bases.
+ Mark Rojas, RHP/IF (Creekview , 2027):
At the plate, Rojas went 5-for-10 with two doubles, one triple, seven RBI, three runs scored, one walk, and one stolen base, notably hitting a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and triple against Garland. On the mound, he pitched four scoreless innings and struck out seven batters.
+ Carson Roy, OF (Rock Hill, 2027):
Roy went 8-for-11, collecting three singles, three doubles, one triple, one home run, seven RBI, and seven runs scored. He also recorded five walks and three stolen bases, capping off his performance with a walk-off double in the bottom of the 7th against Barbers Hill.
+ Brody Sharp, C (Rouse, 2028):
Sharp went 6-for-12 with two doubles and eight RBI. He hit a first-inning grand slam in the championship game against Mag West.
+ Landon Smith, SS (Burleson, 2026; Grayson JC commit):
Smith batted 9-for-13 with two doubles, two triples, and one home run. He also tallied five RBI and five stolen bases.
+ Kaleb Thomas, CF (Atascocita, 2026; Galveston JC commit):
Thomas batted .583 with a .706 on-base percentage, going 7-for-12 with three doubles, five walks, six stolen bases, and two RBI. He accomplished this while facing Allen (Chandler Hart), Clear Lake (Evan Mihlay), Grand Oaks, Oak Ridge, and Montgomery (Wyatt Clewett).
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