The Star Press is pleased to announce the 2026 All-Area baseball team, as well as our Player, Pitcher and Coach of the Year.
After several teams put together solid seasons, seven different schools are represented on this year’s all-area team. The area’s two sectional champions are well-represented with Delta producing two all-area players, including the Pitcher of the Year, and Monroe Central producing one all-area player plus the Coach of the Year.
Wapahani has the most players on the all-area team with three after splitting the Mid-Eastern Conference title with Cowan, who had two players make the all-area team. Jay County, Shenandoah and Winchester were also represented on all-area after each posting seasons with at least 15 wins and single-digit losses.
Last year saw Shenandoah senior Collin Osenbaugh sweep both the Player and Pitcher of the Year Awards. While the Raiders didn’t go back-to-back with Pitcher of the Year, they did on the former.
Player of the Year: Shenandoah senior Drew Fredenburg
Fredenburg filled the massive shoes left by Osenbaugh by becoming the Raiders’ top slugger and ace pitcher. The Indiana Wesleyan commit led the team in batting average (.403), slugging percentage (.821), OPS (1.440) and RBIs (22). His slugging percentage was the third-best in East Central Indiana, and he also led the area with seven home runs.
Perhaps even more valuable to Shenandoah than Fredenburg’s hitting was his pitching. He led the Raiders in innings pitched (39⅓) and appearances (10) and finished with a 4-2 record and 47 strikeouts. His 0.89 ERA was the best among starting pitchers in the ECI area.
Fredenburg adds Star Press Player of the Year to a long list of accolades this season. He was also named all-MEC, the District H Player of the Year, and was the lone ECI player to play in the North/South All-Star game.
Pitcher of the Year: Maddox Huffman, senior, Delta
Huffman made a name for himself as an elite closer last season, and while he still operated as a relief arm for the most part this season, he handled a much heavier workload to help Delta win both Delaware County and sectional championships for the third year in a row. The IU-Kokomo commit made 14 appearances and pitched a team-high 40 innings with a 3.68 ERA, 53 strikeouts and two saves.
Huffman was at his best when the lights shined brightest. He entered the Delaware County Championship game against Yorktown in the top of the fifth inning looking to protect a 1-0 lead with one out and two Tiger runners on base. Huffman got out of the jam and proceeded to strike out four batters over the last two innings to clinch another county title.
The Eagles turned to Huffman with the game on the line once again in the sectional championship against Connersville. He entered the game with a 3-1 lead to start the fifth inning and surrendered three hits and one walk with two unearned runs while striking out four, and Delta won the game 4-3.
Coach of the Year: Sean Richardson, Monroe Central
Richardson coached Monroe Central to its first baseball sectional championship in 12 years. The Golden Bears defeated Blue River Valley in a 4-3 thriller before dominating Cambridge City Lincoln 16-1 in the Sectional 56 championship to bring home their first sectional title since 2014.
Richardson did not have the luxury of an experienced roster, as the Golden Bears had just three seniors and three juniors on the team and saw most of its production come from sophomores. There were some growing pains with such a young team — after a 4-4 start, the Golden Bears lost eight in a row and were 4-12 at the start of May. However, the team rallied down the stretch to win five of its last eight regular season games before the postseason run.
Without further ado, here is our full All-Area baseball team for the 2026 season.
The Star Press 2026 All-Area Baseball Team
Catcher: Quentine James, senior, Wapahani: James led the Raiders with a .500 batting average and a 1.506 OPS. The Grace College signee also logged 33 RBIs, seven doubles, five triples and five home runs, leading the MEC co-champions in each statistic. He was named all-Mid-Eastern Conference, all-Delaware County and the Delaware County Baseball Player of the Year at the Muncie Sports Commission’s Delaware County Athletic Awards.
Infield: McCormac Anderson, senior, Winchester Community: Anderson posted a team-high .425 batting average and a 1.164 OPS. He also led the Golden Falcons with 23 RBIs and 3 home runs, and was their ace pitcher, posting a 6-4 record with a 1.55 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 54⅓ innings. Anderson was named all-Randolph County, all-Tri-Eastern Conference and won the IU Health fan vote for Star Press Player of the Year.
Infield: Joseph Geesaman, junior, Jay County: Geesaman hit .338 with a 0.993 OPS and led East Central Indiana with 35 RBIs. He also posted a 5-1 record on the mound with a 2.51 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 47⅓ innings of work. Geesaman helped the Patriots win the Allen County Athletic Conference title and was an all-ACAC selection.
Infield: Everrett Linn, senior, Delta: Linn posted a team-best .397 batting average with a .989 OPS and 20 RBIs as he helped the Eagles win their third consecutive Delaware County and sectional titles. He was named all-Delaware County and all-Hoosier Heritage Conference.
Infield: Caleb Luedike, sophomore, Monroe Central: Luedike was crucial to Monroe Central’s first sectional title since 2014. He led the Golden Bears with a .468 average and a 1.169 OPS along with 18 RBIs, five doubles and two triples. He also posted a 4-3 record on the mound with a 2.35 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 38⅔ innings pitched. Luedike was named all-Randolph County and all-MEC.
Outfield: Eli Andrews, senior, Wapahani: Andrews earns all-area honors for the second year in a row after hitting .400 with a 1.397 OPS for the MEC co-champion Raiders. He also had 19 RBIs and five home runs while earning all-county and all-MEC honors.
Outfield: Garrett May, senior, Shenandoah: May hit .375 with a 1.075 OPS and logged 14 RBIs, five doubles, three triples and a home run while earning all-MEC honors.
Outfield: Lucas Terrell, senior, Cowan: Terrell hit .328 with a .758 OPS and 10 RBIs for the MEC co-champion Blackhawks, earning all-county and all-MEC honors in the process.
DH/Utility: Drew Fredenburg, senior, Shenandoah.
Pitcher: Maddox Huffman, senior, Delta.
Pitcher: Thomas Brooks, senior, Cowan: Brooks served as the ace pitcher for the MEC co-champion Blackhawks, compiling a record of 7-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 49⅓ innings pitched. He also posted a team-leading 0.975 OPS, was second on the team with 19 RBIs, and hit both of Cowan’s two home runs this season. Brooks was named all-county and all-MEC.
Pitcher: Brandt Longfellow, senior, Wapahani: Longfellow emerged as the go-to arm for the MEC co-champion Raiders and finished his senior season with a 7-2 record to go along with a 1.92 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 54⅔ innings pitched. He also earned all-county and all-MEC honors.
Honorable Mentions: Caleb Aikin, senior, Daleville; Jaydon Auker, senior, Cowan; Carson Bell, junior, New Castle; Jesse Benion, senior, Muncie Burris; Gabe Bilby, senior, Blue River Valley; Leighton Brown, senior, Jay County; Ryan Burkholder, senior, Yorktown; Aiden Coffey, senior, Shenandoah; Kaden Crist, senior, Delta; Kaden Crumes, junior, Yorktown; Jed Ferguson, sophomore, Monroe Central; Hunter Gard, sophomore, Monroe Central; Luke Garrett, senior, Cowan; Haiden Hassett, freshman, Wes-Del; Jhonny Howe, senior, Blue River Valley; Hayden James, junior, Wapahani; Fletcher Kahle, senior, Muncie Central; Trey McIntire, senior, Blackford; Arrin Murray, junior, Shenandoah; Corbin Parrott, sophomore, Blackford; Landen Porfidio, senior, Winchester Community; Andrew Schemenaur, senior, Jay County; Parker Shelley, sophomore, Muncie Central; Eli Sherfy, junior, Wes-Del; Bryson Sigler, senior, Daleville; Cormac Stilwell, junior, New Castle; Aven Thomas, junior, Delta; Jaxyn Wesley, sophomore, Wes-Del; Trey Weist, senior, Winchester Community; Aiden Witt, junior, Yorktown; Isaac Whitt, junior, Yorktown; Evan Zentz, senior, Blue River Valley
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Meet the 2026 Star Press All-Area Baseball Team and award winners
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press | USA TODAY Network
