The weather is warming up and that means baseball season is here!
Meet the members of this year’s preseason ALL-USA Central Indiana Super Team, honoring the area’s best baseball players.
First Team
Ben Canada, INF
School/Year: Guerin Catholic, Jr.College: Northwestern
Why he’s here: Canada is a scrappy left hander in the mold of Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott. The Northwestern commit batted .407 with six home runs, five doubles, one triple, 33 runs scored, 30 RBIs and six stolen bases last season.
Toughest pitcher you’ve faced: “Connor Salerno (Mississippi State commit). He was throwing 95, 96 mph. He’s the No. 1 left-handed pitcher in the 2027 class. Toughest arm I’ve ever faced.”
Favorite moment of your career: “Winning a regional last year against Cathedral. We won on a walk-off. Probably the most intense game I’ve ever played.”
Blake Cope, OF
School/Year: Zionsville, Sr.College: Wichita State
Why he’s here: Cope brings power and speed to the lineup while playing multiple positions on the diamond. The Wichita State commit batted .446 with four home runs, nine triples, three doubles, 20 RBIs, 39 runs scored and 37 stolen bases.
Go-to pregame meal: “Salmon because it’s good for recovery and it tastes pretty good.”
Favorite moment of your career: “Playing at East Coast Pro was probably the favorite moment of my career because it was such an amazing experience to play in front of pro scouts.”
Tyler Denny, OF
School/Year: Mooresville, Sr. College: Wabash
Why he’s here: Denny brings speed to the basepaths while packing an immense amount of power into his 5-foot-9, 175-pound frame. The Wabash commit batted .460 with eight home runs, 11 doubles, two triples, 31 RBIs, 40 runs scored and 36 stolen bases.
Go-to pregame meal: “Subway. I go ham with American cheese, turkey sometimes, lettuce, pickle and light mayo. It’s not too heavy on my stomach, so I’ll go for the footlong with that.”
Favorite moment of your career: “Going to state with my brother (Hogan) and all those people that he grew up with, that I grew up with right behind him. That was an amazing feeling beating Avon and being able to celebrate at 11 o’clock at night, staying up late and being able to hang out with people we grew up with because that was a true hometown story.”
Hudson DeVaughan, RHP
School/Year: Mooresville, Sr.College: Alabama
Why he’s here: DeVaughan’s stuff would play in an SEC rotation right now. The 6-foot-4, 197-pound righty has a fastball that reaches 97 mph to go along with a sharp slider. The Alabama commit had a 4-0 record with a 2.26 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 43 1/3 innings.
Toughest hitter you’ve faced: “Hogan Denny (former Mooresville, current IU catcher). He just gets to the ball. He has a short swing. Especially facing him my freshman and sophomore year, my stuff wasn’t as good. … But he’s just one of those hitters that’s it’s hard to get a swing and a miss.”
Go-to pregame meal: “Double cheeseburger from McDonald’s and an Orange Crush.”
Desmond Francis, OF
School/Year: Park Tudor, Sr. College: Notre Dame
Why he’s here: Francis brings elite speed to the diamond, allowing him to cause havoc on basepaths and track down flyballs in the outfield. The Notre Dame commit batted .404 with two doubles, two triples, 15 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 25 stolen bases. On the mound, Francis pitched to a 2.19 ERA with 45 strikeouts over 38.1 innings.
Toughest pitcher you’ve faced: “Joseph Contreras, son of MLB All-Star Jose Contreras. He’s electric, his stuff was really, really good. Throwing 95-plus mph, wipeout slider. He throws a splitter and it just drops off the zone. It’s just a really tough look.”
Go-to pregame meal: “Eggs or a breakfast sandwich, a sausage and egg sandwich on a croissant from Illinois Food Street Emporium. That’s kind of my go to. That and maybe some bananas and water.”
Gannon Grant, RHP/SS
School/Year: Center Grove, Sr. College: Tennessee
Why he’s here: The Tennessee commit is one of the top recruits in the nation, ranked as the 175th prospect in the 2026 class by Baseball America. Grant’s fastball sits 93-94 mph paired with a tight slider and an above-average changeup. On the mound, Grant went 8-0 with a 2.02 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 55.1 innings. At the plate, Grant batted .376 with one home run, three doubles, 26 RBIs, 21 runs scored and three stolen bases.
Toughest hitter you’ve faced: “JD Stein (former Carmel shortstop, current Wake Forest INF). He’s got to be up there. He kind of owns me a little bit. He’s a tough guy; you can’t strike him out when you get two strikes. Good bat to ball skills.”
Favorite baseball player: “I love Paul Skenes, but I like Bobby Witt Jr. a lot. His personality, he’s a big-time Christian just like me, and he plays with swag, so I love him.”
Canyon Koonce, OF
School/Year: Brownsburg, Soph.College: Uncommitted
Koonce adjusted quickly to his first season of varsity baseball, establishing himself as one of the top sophomores in the state and a Top 100 prospect nationally per PrepBaseballReport. Koonce batted .411 with three doubles, four triples, eight RBIs, 32 runs scored and 20 stolen bases.
Go-to pregame meal: “I like to get my carbs in, so I’ll go fettuccine alfredo. That’s my favorite meal of all-time.”
Favorite moment of your career: “The sectional championship game last year. Seeing the Brownsburg community come out, there was so many people at that game even though it was an away game at Avon. Seeing this little baseball town come out and cheer on our baseball team, it was really cool for me to see.”
Drake McClurg, OF
School/Year: Center Grove, Jr.College: Texas A&M
Why he’s here: A standout on the football field and the baseball diamond, Texas A&M recruit plays the game elite athleticism. McClurg batted .320 with two home runs, seven doubles, four triples, 18 RBIs, 44 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.
Toughest pitcher you’ve faced: “I’ll give Gannon (Grant) props. I’ve faced him a few times, we’ve had our battles. … His stuff is good, but he knows how to pitch. He sees your weaknesses and he attacks them. He just knows how pitch, he’s smart. That’s what separates him from other guys.”
Go-to pregame meal: “Subway, footlong. Honestly, I don’t get the same thing every time, it really depends on how I’m feeling. It’s either Chicken Bacon Ranch or I’ll go Meatball Sub which probably isn’t good before a game. White bread always. “
Aiden Smith, RHP
School/Year: Shelbyville, Sr.College: Kentucky
Why he’s here: Smith has prototypical starting pitcher size at 6-foot-4, 192 pounds with fastball touching 95 mph and a wipeout slider. Smith has a fiery competitive streak and can elevate his game in key moments. The Kentucky commit went 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA and 55 strikeouts over 44 innings. At the plate, Smith batted .413 with 31 runs scored, 24 RBIs, seven doubles, seven home runs, one triple and nine stolen bases.
Toughest hitter you’ve faced: “Sean Dunlap (Tennessee commit). Because he’s so physical and you know what he can do with the ball. He’s a great hitter, super-fast bat speed so it’s tough to get anything by him. Great hitter.”
Go-to pregame meal: “Something from the gas station. Some sort of candy whether it be Blue Sour Punch straws, maybe a couple Slim Jims, maybe a Gatorade.”
Tate Troxell, RHP
School/Year: Guerin Catholic, Sr. College: Alabama
Why he’s here: Troxell has been a dominant two-way presence since his freshman season. The Alabama commit had a 1.00 ERA and 100 strikeouts over 56 innings and is closing in on the school’s all-time strikeout record. At the plate, Troxell batted .250 with seven runs scored, 11 RBIs, two doubles and one home run.
Toughest hitter you’ve faced: “A.J. Curry (Tennessee commit). I think he hit a double off me the first at bat and another double the next at bat. He had a good day at the plate against me. He’s tough to get out.”
Go-to pregame meal: “A Chick-fil-A sandwich. It’s what we get pretty much every time before our games, it always works. If you asked everybody (on the team), they’d probably say the same thing.”
Second Team
Collin Ash, Roncalli,
The Valparaiso commit batted .400 with 29 runs scored, 31 RBIs, 13 doubles, one triple and 16 stolen bases.
Connor Christiansen, Cathedral
Christiansen batted .387 with 24 runs scored, 23 RBIs, five doubles, four triples and six stolen bases. On the mound, Christiansen went 4-0 with a 2.96 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 28⅓ innings.
Liam Delp, Center Grove
The Michigan commit and Mooresville transfer batted .330 with 23 RBIs, seven doubles, one triple, one home run and 23 stolen bases
Beckett Doane, Noblesville
The Mississippi State commit had a 4-4 record with a 2.01 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 38⅓ innings.
Gavin Lykins, Plainfield
The South Florida commit had a 4-2 record with a 2.42 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 37⅔ innings. At the plate, Lykins batted .309 with 17 RBIs, four doubles and four home runs.
Rykin Matthias, North Central
The Bellarmine commit batted .386 with 27 runs scored, 28 RBIs, seven doubles, five home runs, four doubles and 18 stolen bases.
Mason Meyer, Mt. Vernon
The Arizona State commit batted .420 with 22 RBIs, four doubles, four triples, three home runs and 10 stolen bases.
Davis Moore, Zionsville
The Vanderbilt commit had a 5-1 record with a 1.84 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 38 innings.
Jacob Morris, New Palestine
The IU Kokomo commit batted .427 with 30 runs scored, 26 RBIs, four doubles, four home runs, one triple and 13 stolen bases. On the mound, Morris went 5-1 with a 2.12 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 33 innings.
Aiden Reynolds, Noblesville
The IU commit batted .309 with 19 RBIs, 18 runs scored, seven doubles, one triple and three home runs.
Toby Savini, Cascade
The DePauw commit batted .464 with 33 runs scored, 19 RBIs, 10 doubles, four triples and 26 stolen bases.
Ian Taylor, Guerin Catholic
The George Mason commit batted .363 with 35 runs scored, 25 RBIs, nine doubles, six triples, four home runs and 18 stolen bases.
Hayden Werner, Fishers
The Maryville commit went 4-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 44 strikeouts over 44 innings.
Third Team
Gio Ardizzone, Roncalli
The Bellarmine commit batted .383 with 37 runs scored, 20 RBIs, 11 doubles, two home runs and 17 stolen bases.
Carsten Bland, Franklin
The Dayton commit batted .333 with 32 runs scored, 10 RBIs, three triples and 23 stolen bases.
Henry Boyce, Covenant Christian
The Indiana Wesleyan commit batted .403 with 33 runs scored, 18 RBIs, four doubles, one triple and 34 stolen bases. On the mound, Boyce allowed just one earned run in 17 innings (0.41 ERA), scattering seven hits and striking out 16.
Ryan Castetter, University
The Princeton commit batted .340 with 39 runs scored, 25 RBIs, 12 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 10 stolen bases.
Noah Dasgupta, Cascade
The University of Rio Grande commit went 8-2 with a 2.28 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 64⅓ innings.
Grady Grant, Center Grove
The TCU commit batted .325 with 29 runs scored, 17 RBIs, six doubles and three stolen bases.
Ryan Murphy, Brownsburg
The Creighton commit had a 4-1 record with a 2.70 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 33⅔ innings.
Gavin Neal, New Palestine
The IU Kokomo commit batted .360 with 36 runs scored, 26 RBIs, 10 doubles, three triples, two home runs and eight stolen bases.
Nevan Jeffers, Purdue Poly Englewood
Jeffers batted .561 with 20 runs scored, 25 RBIs, 11 doubles, three triples, one home run and two stolen bases.
Kyler Jones, Purdue Poly Broad Ripple
The Union Commonwealth commit struck out 101 batters over 50⅔ innings. At the plate, Jones batted .377 with 23 runs scored, 16 RBIs, six doubles, two triples and 16 stolen bases.
Beck Jordan, Westfield
The Wabash commit batted .337 with 16 runs scored, 28 RBIs, 10 doubles and four stolen bases.
Gavin Markus, Greenfield-Central
Markus struck out 51 batters over 38⅔ innings to go along with a 3.98 ERA. Opponents batted just .208 against him.
Brady Ray, Scecina
Ray went 3-4 with a 3.83 ERA with 47 strikeouts over 38⅓ innings. At the plate, Ray batted .250 with seven RBIs, three doubles and two home runs.
Eli Sego, Triton Central
The Rose Hulman basketball commit batted .400 with seven doubles, one home runs and 12 stolen bases.
Brayden Smith, Decatur Central
Smith pitched to a 4-5 record with 3.38 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 56 innings.
Lincoln Sigmund, Pike
The Sauk Valley commit went 3-0 with a 2.85 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 54 innings. At the plate, Sigmund batted .281 with 14 RBIs, six doubles and two triples.
Hudson Stewart, Center Grove
The Dayton commit batted .319 with 19 runs scored, 21 RBIs, six doubles, one triple, two home runs and three stolen bases.
Kellen Thomson, Center Grove
The Ball State commit went 5-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 48⅔ innings.
Peter Ward, Zionsville
The Bellarmine commit struck out 29 batters over 16⅓ innings. He finished with a 1.71 ERA, and opponents batted just .121 against him.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2026 IndyStar baseball preseason Super Team: Meet Central Indiana’s top players
Reporting by Akeem Glaspie, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
