As the years go by, the talent pool in Southwest Florida on the diamond is far from dwindling. It’s continuing to get deeper.
Naples High grad Johnny King took a massive leap in his first full season of pro ball, finishing as a top five prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays’ system last year. At the collegiate level, locals Aidan Knaak, Ryder Woodson, Presley Woodson, Nick Frontino, Timmy Lawson, and others are looking to make an impact for their respective clubs at the Power Four level.
In a perfect world, one might ask: in a winner-take-all state title contest, who and how would we craft a lineup featuring players from Southwest Florida?
Here’s what our dream starting lineup would be with analysis of each prospect. Below our starting nine are 31 players to watch across Southwest Florida heading into the 2026 season.
THE STARTING 9
Brody Baxmann, Bishop Verot OF
Baxmann had a solid sophomore season in the middle of the order for the Vikings, hitting .323 with 3 home runs, 3 triples, 3 doubles, and 19 RBI on 31 hits. Baxmann also stole 12 bases and had a .980 fielding percentage on defense in right field. He’s committed to Jacksonville State.
Gus Fusco, St. John Neumann OF
Fusco hit for average far better than anyone last year for the Celtics, hitting .393 with 33 hits, 4 doubles, 23 runs scored, and 14 runs batted in. He added 11 stolen bases and 17 walks with an on-base percentage over .500.
Brayden Habuda, Canterbury INF
Habuda played a big role in Canterbury winning a state title last season, hitting .413 with 45 hits. Of his 45 hits, he had 14 doubles, a triple, and 4 home runs with 22 RBI, 32 runs scored, and 23 walks. Habuda is committed to South Alabama.
Joey Lawson, Bishop Verot P
The North Carolina commit was elite for the Vikings last year, helping them to a 32-3 record and a state Final Four appearance. At the plate, Lawson hit .350 with 11 home runs, 13 doubles, and 38 RBI, adding 35 runs scored. On the mound, he pitched to a 9-1 record and a 0.72 ERA, with 113 strikeouts over 68 1/3 innings pitched. As a junior, Lawson threw three no-hitters.
Michael Magas, Canterbury OF
The Fort Myers transfer will be in a new uniform this season, playing for Frank Turco’s Cougars. With the Greenies as a sophomore, Magas batted .339 with 40 hits, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 29 RBI, and 29 runs scored with a team-leading 14 stolen bases. Magas also had a .985 fielding percentage, helping Fort Myers make a Final Four.
Anthony Meady, Canterbury INF
The Rutgers commit came through down the stretch last year for the Cougars, hitting .402 with 33 hits, 9 doubles, a triple, and 5 home runs with 24 RBI. On the bump, the junior went 7-2 with a 1.77 ERA, striking out 77 over 63 1/3 innings. Meady was the winning pitcher in Canterbury’s last four elimination contests, including the Class 1A title game against St. Johns Country Day.
Braylon Sheffield, Bishop Verot INF
The Virginia commit was an elite bat last season, batting .373 with 11 doubles, 4 triples, and a pair of home runs with 29 RBI. Sheffield had 41 hits with Verot a season ago, which was tied for second on the team. He also walked 21 times against just 13 strikeouts.
Ever Silvente, Canterbury C
Silvente was a run producer for the Cougars, hitting .364 with 39 hits, 10 extra-base hits, and 29 RBI, which was atop the Canterbury leaderboard. Silvente finished with an on-base percentage of .473, slugging percentage of .495, and an OPS of .969 to help Canterbury secure a state title. Silvente is committed to Miami-Dade College.
Cutter Smith, Community School INF
The UAB signee was a big reason why the Seahawks made the postseason, batting .458 with 33 hits and 30 walks, adding 9 doubles, 21 RBI, and 19 runs scored. Smith also swiped 10 bases and struck out just six times over 103 plate appearances.
OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH
David Amaya, Aubrey Rogers
Amaya had a productive season with the Patriots as a sophomore, hitting .351 over 64 plate appearances, logging more walks (19) than hits (13). His on-base percentage was .613 a season ago, tops among all Aubrey Rogers players. He also swiped 16 bases.
Christian Arias, Aubrey Rogers
Arias made an impact despite being a freshman, hitting .316 with 25 hits, 17 runs batted in, along with 18 stolen bases in 2025. His glove was solid as well, finishing with a fielding percentage of .925 on 73 total chances.
Owen Augustine, Fort Myers
Augustine was Fort Myers’ top arm a season ago when the squad ran the table and made it to a Final Four, pitching to a 4-4 record with a 2.74 ERA, striking out 52 over 53 2/3 innings pitched. The right-hander will lead a stable of arms that also includes Adler Cervio, Dylan Thomas, and others.
Nico Ayars, Bishop Verot
Ayars was a good piece last year for the Vikings as a freshman, hitting .247 with 22 hits, 4 doubles, and 13 RBI, adding 7 stolen bases and a .979 fielding percentage on 146 chances. He’ll all but surely build off of those lines this year, ranked as the 17th overall prospect in Florida by Perfect Game.
Jayden Bartlett, Aubrey Rogers
Bartlett was the Patriots’ most productive player as a sophomore, hitting .442 with 38 hits, 3 doubles, 3 triples, and 24 RBI with 27 runs scored. Bartlett was perfect in the field and added a team-high 20 stolen bases a season ago.
Anthony Cabrera, Evangelical Christian
Cabrera was a quality piece for the Sentinels in 2025, hitting .378 with 31 hits and 30 stolen bases. Cabrera finished with an on-base percentage of .495, which was No. 1 on the team.
Carter Chalder, Bishop Verot
The Verot catcher missed a little bit of time last year but still hit .324 with 22 hits over 68 at-bats, logging a pair of doubles. Chalder’s glove was near perfect, going 186 of 187 in the field with just one error.
Archer Ellis, Island Coast
Ellis is Island Coast’s top returning bat from last season, hitting .361 with a pair of doubles and 9 RBI. He’ll look to build off of his slugging percentage of .389 and OPS of .784 as the Gators’ next big bat.
Eric Hermanson, Gulf Coast
Hermanson was a key arm for the Sharks last year, compiling a 7-3 record with a 2.08 ERA. Over 57 1/3 innings, he struck out 52 and limited opposing teams to a .235 batting average.
MJ Hough, St. John Neumann
Hough is the Celtics’ top right-handed arm returning from last season. The North Florida commit pitched to a 5-4 record and a 2.37 ERA over 41 1/3 innings, striking out 47 during that span. Hough logged more appearances (18) than anyone on Neumann’s staff last year.
Casey Johnson, Barron Collier
Johnson broke out his junior season, batting .402 with 39 hits, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 26 RBI, and 34 runs scored for the Cougars. Johnson added 12 stolen bases and led the team in on-base percentage (.492).
Darian Kester, St. John Neumann
Kester was a big piece in the second half of last season for the Celtics, hitting .301 with 25 hits, 9 doubles, a triple, and 13 RBI with 15 runs scored. He helped them to a 20-13 record and should be in position to make a larger impact this year.
Ryder Lutz, Evangelical Christian
Lutz put together a solid sophomore campaign a season ago, hitting .391 with a team-leading 34 hits and 26 runs. He struck out just nine times in 106 plate appearances, adding an on-base percentage of .491.
Princeton Marino, Mariner
Marino’s production behind the plate was impressive for the Tritons, hitting .349 with 31 hits, 9 doubles, 1 triple, and 3 home runs to go along with 18 runs batted in. He also stole 21 bases offensively, and will be a big key to Mariner’s success in 2026.
John Minerva, Barron Collier
Minerva’s impact as a leadoff hitter for Barron was noteworthy, hitting .367 with 33 hits, 20 RBI, and 27 runs scored. Minerva was perfect in the field on 40 total chances, helping the Cougars advance to the regional finals.
OB Osceola III, St. John Neumann
The Florida State commit will be expected to carry a big load on the mound this season for the Celtics, especially with Owen Phypers and Jackson Clark graduated. Osceola pitched 22 1/3 innings last season, going 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA. He struck out 31 during that span and had four scoreless outings.
Cam Otterbeck, Community School
Committed to Villanova, Otterbeck’s a catcher worth following this year, coming off a .318/.523/.921 slash line a season ago. Otterbeck had 3 home runs, 9 doubles, and drove in 20 runs while scoring 17.
Alan Overmyer, Barron Collier
Overmyer pitched to a 6-4 record last season with a 2.71 ERA, striking out 53 over 54 1/3 innings. At the plate, he drove in 26 runs and had 9 extra-base hits, helping the Cougars win 24 games. Overmyer is committed to Louisiana Tech.
Luke Parrish, St. John Neumann
Parrish comes from Glynn Academy in Georgia and will look to make an impact right away wearing a St. John Neumann uniform. In two preseason games, Parrish went 4 for 6 with a pair of walks.
Jackson Perkins, Evangelical Christian
Perkins comes from LaBelle, where he put together a productive sophomore campaign with the Cowboys. He went 1-0 with a 1.18 ERA, allowing 19 hits and 10 walks over 23 2/3 innings pitched. At the plate, he hit .288 with 19 hits, two triples, a double, and 9 RBI.
Ashby Piatt, Canterbury
Piatt was strong on the mound for the Cougars with an 8-2 record and a 0.67 ERA. The sophomore struck out a team-leading 77 over 52 1/3 innings pitched, with a WHIP of less than 1. At the plate, Piatt hit .301 with 28 hits, 25 RBI, and 6 extra-base hits. He is committed to USF.
Nick Raber, Bishop Verot
Raber was a strong two-way player for the Vikings in 2025, hitting .387 with 29 hits, 6 doubles, 2 triples, and 18 RBI across 75 at-bats, while pitching to a 6-0 record on the mound with a 0.49 ERA. Raber had a WHIP of .714 and helped Verot finish 32-3.
Tyler Reeder, Bishop Verot
The junior right-hander was a key reason why Verot got to the Final Four, compiling an 8-1 record with a 1.35 ERA. Reeder allowed just 9 earned runs over 46 2/3 innings of work, striking out 39.
Taylor Reidy, St. John Neumann
Another out-of-state transfer at Neumann, Reidy comes from Massachusetts, where he played at Worcester Academy. He’ll play catcher for Charlie Maurer, who lost Beau Rurey to graduation. Reidy’s uncle, George, coached at Naples and Seacrest Country Day from 2013-17, where he went 84-32.
Jhon Rodriguez, Bishop Verot
Rodriguez was arguably the biggest transfer of the offseason, making the move from Bonita Springs to Sunrise Drive. With the Bull Sharks as a freshman, Rodriguez struck out 58 over 34 1/3 innings pitched, allowing a WHIP of .970.
Austin Schoolcraft, Island Coast
Schoolcraft is expected to step into the role of being the Gators’ ace, especially with Ryan Mueller (6-2, 1.97 ERA in 2025), Bobby Wilenius (6-2, 1.99 ERA), and Grady Schwiezer (4-1, 2.19 ERA) all having graduated. In 23 1/3 innings last year, Schoolcraft allowed just 10 hits and 8 walks, striking out 29. He went 3-1 with a 1.20 ERA.
Boston Selig, Bishop Verot
Selig flexed his muscles as a solid arm for the Vikings last year, logging 31 innings with 52 strikeouts, pitching to a 3-1 record and a 0.90 ERA. Opponents hit just .153 against Selig, the third lowest on the team amongst qualified pitchers.
Slater Smith, Evangelical Christian
Smith enters his senior season having played five years of varsity baseball. As a junior, Smith hit .403 with 29 hits, 9 doubles, a home run, and 19 RBI, swiping eight bases while adding a .960 fielding percentage.
Anthony Tenuto, Canterbury
Tenuto was Canterbury’s closer last year and embraced that role. Over 23 innings pitched, Tenuto allowed just 11 hits and 8 walks while striking out 35, pitching to a 2-2 record, a 1.52 ERA, and six saves, including the Class 1A title game against St. Johns Country Day.
Noah Torres, Canterbury
The Miami-Dade College commit hit .291 last season for Canterbury, logging seven extra-base hits and 23 singles. If the preseason was any indicator, where he hit a home run and a double, Torres could be in line for a massive senior season.
Cole Travers, St. John Neumann
Travers did not play for much of the last season due to a broken wrist bone. Over 57 at-bats, Travers hit .228 with 13 hits, 13 runs scored, adding 19 walks for an on-base percentage of .430. The Stetson commit will look to send Neumann to a Final Four for the first time since 2023.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Our SW FL dream Starting 9, plus 31 Baseball Players to Watch in 2026
Reporting by Alex Martin, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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