Here are the 2026 Journal Star baseball all-area honorees in alphabetical order, led by player of the year.
2026 Journal Star all-area baseball first team
RJ Duncheon, East Peoria
The 2026 Journal Star Baseball Player of the Year led East Peoria to new heights during his final prep campaign. Duncheon becomes the third EP player — Brian Meischner (2000) and Brian Quinn (1993) — to be named in the award’s 35-year history. The Raiders (28-14) finished third in the state in Class 3A, making the program’s first state finals in 52 years. Duncheon, a senior catcher, batted .542 on 65 hits with 14 doubles, nine home runs and 41 RBIs. He added 24 runs, walked 32 times and stole two bases. The Illinois State signee also had an 11-3 record with 149 strikeouts, 20 walks and a 1.47 ERA in 85.2 innings. He posted a .993 fielding percentage with one error on 138 total chances in 266.2 innings, while catching four potential base stealers and picking off three runners. His individual accolades include Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 3A all-state first team and all-Mid-Illini Conference first team.
Jackson Ahrens, East Peoria
The senior infielder batted .432 on 57 hits with 16 doubles, nine triples, 10 home runs and 35 RBIs for the Raiders. He added 49 runs, was walked 26 times and stole 17 bases. Ahrens, a Northern Illinois signee, posted a .928 fielding percentage with 11 errors on 152 total chances in 266.0 innings. His individual accolades include IHSBCA Class 3A all-state first team and all-Mid-Illini Conference first team.
Landon Crawford, Farmington
The senior outfielder batted .442 on 46 hits with 12 doubles, three triples, one homer and 22 RBIs for the Farmers (19-9-1). He added 38 runs, was walked 16 times and stole 19 bases. The Illinois Central College signee went 4-2 with 87 strikeouts and a 2.12 ERA in 43 innings. Crawford posted a .980 fielding percentage with one error on 49 total chances in 187.1 innings. His individual accolades include IHSBCA Class 2A all-state honorable mention and all-Prairieland Conference first team.
Andrew Dawson, Tremont
The senior infielder batted .518 on 71 hits with 15 doubles, six triples, six homers and 51 RBIs for the Turks (39-2), who won the Class 1A state title. He added 51 runs, was walked 15 times and stole 22 bases. The Valparaiso signee went 10-0 with one save, 94 strikeouts and a 1.86 ERA in 56.1 innings. Dawson posted a .946 fielding percentage with three errors on 56 total chances in 247.0 innings. His individual accolades include IHSBCA Class 1A all-state first team and unanimous all-Heart of Illinois Conference first team.
Carter Lippens, Dunlap
The junior pitcher went 10-2 with 90 strikeouts, 24 walks and a 1.08 ERA in 65 innings for the Eagles (30-8), who made the Class 3A Sweet Sixteen. Lippens added a .195 opponent batting average, while giving up 10 earned runs and leaving 47 runners on base. He posted a perfect fielding percentage with no errors on 11 total chances in 65 innings. His individual accolades include IHSBCA Class 3A all-state first team and all-Mid-Illini Conference first team.
Griffin Meeker, Tremont
The senior infielder batted .478 on 66 hits with 16 doubles, eight triples, five homers and 45 RBIs for the Turks. He added 63 runs, was walked 23 times and stole 29 bases. The Heartland commit went 3-0 with two saves, 41 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA in 56.1 innings. Meeker posted a .936 fielding percentage with seven errors on 110 total chances in 247 innings. His individual accolades include IHSBCA Class 1A all-state first team and all-Heart of Illinois Conference first team.
Eli Michanicou, Dunlap
The junior infielder batted .366 on 41 hits with 11 doubles, one triple, three homers and 28 RBIs for the Eagles. He added 31 runs, was walked 22 times and stole 19 bases. The Bradley commit went 7-3 with two saves, 71 strikeouts and a 1.87 ERA in 48.2 innings. Michanicou posted a .955 fielding percentage with three errors on 66 total chances in 220.2 innings. His individual accolades included an all-Mid-Illini Conference first-team selection.
Chase Rhodes, Tremont
The senior outfielder batted .347 on 42 hits with nine doubles and 29 RBIs for the Turks. He added 30 runs, was walked 14 times and stole 10 bases. The John A. Logan commit went 9-1 with 110 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA in 53.2 innings. Rhodes posted a .812 fielding percentage with six errors on 32 total chances in 32 innings. His individual accolades include IHSBCA Class 1A all-state first team and unanimous all-Heart of Illinois Conference first team.
Kaeden Schatsiek, Brimfield/Elmwood
The senior utility player batted .486 on 51 hits with 13 doubles, four triples, 17 homers and 61 RBIs for the Indians (32-6), who made the Class 2A Elite Eight. He added 47 runs, was walked 26 times and stole 11 bases. The Northern Illinois signee went 4-1 with one save, 99 strikeouts and a 3.65 ERA in 48 innings. Schatsiek posted a .929 fielding percentage with four errors on 56 total chances in 212.2 innings. His individual accolades include IHSBCA Class 2A all-state first team and unanimous all-Prairieland first team.
Johnathon Stunkel, Putnam County
The senior outfielder batted .438 with 57 hits, 14 doubles, five triples, seven homers and 39 RBIs for the Panthers (26-12), who were the Class 1A state runner-up. He added 49 runs, was walked 17 times and stole 13 bases. As a pitcher, Stunkel went 9-3 with 97 strikeouts and a 1.42 ERA in 78.2 innings. His individual accolades include IHSBCA Class 1A all-state first team and all-Tri-County Conference first team.
2026 Journal Star all-area baseball honorable mention
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
Journal Star Baseball Players of the Year
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: 2026 Journal Star all-area teams | Meet the top 10 Peoria-area baseball players
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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By Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
