At some point during their run to the Class 4A state championship game, every starter did something important to make that happen for the Bloomington South baseball team.
Whether it was a stolen base, a big pitch with two on and two outs, a spectacular catch, a game-winning homer, suicide squeeze bunt or throwing out a runner at the plate, everyone was valuable. Everyone was there for each other.
Two of the ring leaders for that culture of togetherness were seniors Xavier Hemingway and Connor Couch, who just happened to be South’s top pitchers and in Couch’s case, one of the Panthers’ most clutch hitters as well. That combination makes them the 2026 Herald-Times Baseball Players of the Year.
“Just their work ethic and leading by example, their genuineness with their teammates,” South coach Phil Kluesner said. “You can say that with the entire group, which is the reason why they did so well. They were connected and their work ethic was second to none.
“Those kids worked behind the scenes more than anybody could imagine. They set a good example for everyone else and that’s contagious. You see what that work does. They worked on the process and they worked on the whole body, their game, academics. It was the total package.”
High ceilings for Hemingway, Couch
They also learned from each other and talked pitching any chance they got. Kluesner recalled the old-school feel of seeing Hemingway and Couch and others hanging around the bullpen after practices discussing and bonding over their craft.
“They would talk grips of pitches, then take it out the next day and work on that stuff,” Kluesner said. “We used to do that. It’s hard to see nowadays. Kids are so mechanical, they don’t watch baseball, they don’t understand it as much.
“That’s what was special with Xavier the ringleader with that stuff. Collin, Couch, Gavin Banks, they all did that.”
Hemingway (7-2 with a 1.61 ERA, 65 strikeouts, 20 walks in 56⅔ innings) is headed to Marian.
“He’s got a high ceiling,” Kluesner said. “He’s got everything you want in a pitcher. He knows how to pitch, the science of pitching. He understands the Xs and Os of pitching. And he grew even more this year. If he starts to fill out a little bit, Marian got a steal.
“I think he’s going be in the 90s (with his fastball). And it’ll look like mid-to-upper 90s the way he sets up his off-speed stuff. He’s a student of the game. He’s kind of a throw-back.”
Couch (6-2, 4.29 ERA, 49 strikeouts, 21 walks in 45⅔ innings; batted .337 with four homers and a team best 33 RBIs), who also played tennis, started at third base when he wasn’t pitching and will likely continue to be a two-way threat at Ivy League member Columbia.
“When get gets into a system where he can concentrate on (baseball), he has a huge ceiling as well,” Kluesner said. “When he gets more strength put on his body, he’ll be pretty good on the mound and he’ll do all right hitting-wise. He’s adaptable.”
Getting through the tough times
It was anything but a smooth journey in high school for both of them over the past few years.
South went the entire season without Indiana University bound pitcher Collin Marcum, who was limited to pinch running duties. Hemingway’s junior year started late due to injuries, limiting him to work as an overqualified closer, and he had another offseason issue to hammer out before becoming almost unbeatable since.
Couch was fighting an injury early and it got his pitching form out of whack. South fixed it in time, giving the Panthers the 1-2 punch on the mound they needed to win sectional and semi-state titles which both required two wins in one day. In 20⅔ post-season innings, Couch gave up just two earned runs.
“It was up and down,” Kluesner said. “They all had it. Collin (Marcum), all three missed time with injuries. Xavier, he worked at it. He didn’t make any excuses. He wasn’t a victim in any of that stuff. He took the information from the doctors and put his head down and worked at it.
“Connor did the same thing. He was different (late in the year) because he was healthy. We asked him to do things on the mound he really could do when he was full go. He was compensating and once he got healthy, it just gave him a little bit of a confidence boost. Once he snapped back to form, he was a dominant force when the calendar hit May, at the plate and on the mound.”
Not being there for their teammates, or being at their best for them, bothered them. But they leaned on each other through their troubles and teammates were always there to pick them up in the down times. That included two-year starting senior catcher Jake McCammon and a defense that turned 36 double plays this season.
“Those guys were a fraternity,” Kluesner said. “Thankfully, it worked out.”
2026 Herald-Times All-Area Baseball Team
First Team
Luke Arnett, South, Sr. 1B
Batted .327 (32-98) with six doubles, four homers and 28 RBIs. Scored 26 runs and walked 21 times. Stole nine bases. Had a .438 on-base percentage and a .531 slugging percentage. Just one error in 197 chances. All-Conference Indiana. IHSBCA Class 4A All-State and named an All-Star. Will play at NAIA national runner-up Taylor.
Connor Couch, South, Sr. P/3B
H-T Co-Player of the Year was the top two-way threat for the Panthers. Went 6-2 with a 4.29 ERA, 49 strikeouts and 21 walks in 45⅔ innings. In 20⅔ post-season innings, gave up just two earned runs. Batted .337 (31-92) with five doubles, four home runs and a team high 33 RBIs. Scored 13 runs and had a .522 slugging percentage. All-Conference Indiana. Second Team All-Area last year. IHSBCA Class 4A All-State honorable mention. Will play at Columbia.
Luke Freel, North, Sr. P/SS
Leading hitter and pitcher for the Cougars again this year. Batted a team best .458 (38-83) with 10 doubles, 17 RBIs, 14 stolen bases and 36 runs scored. .591 OBP, .602 slugging, struck out just seven times while drawing 27 walks. Went 3-2 with a 3.07 ERA with 60 strikeouts, 22 walks and 42 hits given up in a team best 45⅔ innings. All-Conference Indiana. Three-time All-Area. Will play baseball and football at DePauw.
Xavier Hemingway, South, Sr. P
H-T Co-Player of the Year was the Panthers’ postseason ace, going 7-2 with a 1.61 ERA, with 65 strikeouts, just 20 walks and only 40 hits and 13 earned runs surrendered in 56⅔ innings. Opponents hit just .194. All-Conference Indiana. Named an IHSBCA All-Star. Three-time All-Area. Will pitch at Marian.
Sam Lawson, Edgewood, Jr. C
Top hitter for the Mustangs at .373 (25-67) with five doubles, six RBIs and 15 runs scored. Had a .494 on-base percentage and stole eight bases. Just one error in 177 chances. All-Western Indiana Conference.
Mason Marotz, Edgewood, Jr. P
One of the Mustangs’ top arms finished 2-2 with a 0.68 ERA over 30⅔ innings with 29 strikeouts and just six walks while giving up only three earned runs. All-Western Indiana Conference.
Elio Miller, North, Jr. P/OF
Did a lot for the Cougars, going 4-1 with a 1.75 ERA, 34 strikeouts and just eight walks over 28 innings on the mound. Also batted .286 (24-84) with a homer, seven doubles and 18 RBIs, second on the team with 23 runs scored. Committed just one error. All-Conference Indiana.
Saxton Pennycuff, Eastern Greene, Fr. SS/P
T-Birds top all-around player, batting a team best .468 (37-79) with 12 doubles, three triples, two homers and 24 RBIs. Scored 30 runs. Stole 13 bases. On the mound, went 1-3 with a 3.34 ERA over 35⅔ innings with 48 strikeouts to 16 walks, giving up 33 hits. Opponents hit .226. All-SWIAC.
Bohdi Pulley, North, So. P
Sophomore took another step up after a nice freshman season, earning the start in the sectional final. Finished 4-1 with a 3.53 ERA, 43 strikeouts to 23 walks and gave up 36 hits in 39⅔ innings. All-Conference Indiana honorable mention.
Anthony Shields, Edgewood, Sr. P/OF
Mustangs’ ace went 1-2 with a 2.90 ERA over a team best 38⅔ innings with 70 strikeouts and just 22 walks, giving up just 29 hits. Opponents batted just .196 against him. Batted .286 (18-63) with a homer, 11 RBIs and 12 runs scored. All-Western Indiana Conference. Repeat All-Area. Will play at IU Kokomo.
Liam Smith, North Sr. 3B/DH
Big stick for the Cougars at .370 (34-92), with seven doubles, 21 runs scored and a team high eight homers and 32 RBIs. Finished with a .728 slugging and .929 fielding percentages. All-Conference Indiana. Will play at Bellarmine.
Max Surdam, South, Sr. LF
Batted .343 (36-105) with five doubles and two triples, 18 RBIs and 30 runs scored. Drew 15 walks and stole 19 bases. Had a .972 fielding percentage with just one error. All-Conference Indiana.
Reid Walker, South, Jr. SS/P
Sparkplug at the top of the lineup for the state runner-up Panthers, batting a team best .422 (43-102) with 37 runs scored. Had 10 doubles and 14 RBI and stole an area best 27 bases. Had a .512 on-base percentage, slugged .520 with a 1.032 OPS. Also a key reliever, going 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA and a save over 17⅔ innings with 18 strikeouts and just four walks. Helped turn 12 double plays. All-Conference Indiana. Second Team All-Area last year.
Second Team
Rudy Burton, North, Jr. 2B
Had a solid year at the plate hitting .348 (22-64) with 12 RBI and 15 runs scored. Struck out just four times, drew seven walks and was hit by pitch six times for a .450 on-base percentage.
Braxton Carpenter, Edgewood, Jr. CF/P
An important arm and defensive piece for the Mustangs, going 4-2 with a 1.25 ERA over 22⅓ innings, with 26 strikeouts. Gave up just 12 hits as opponents batted .154. At the plate, batted .259 (14-54) with six RBIs and six stolen bases. Had a .909 fielding percentage.
Brogan Hanna, North, Sr. P
Member of the Cougars deep staff, finishing 5-3 with a 2.92 ERA, 35 strikeouts to 24 walks and giving up 29 hits in 38⅓ innings. All-CI honorable mention. Will pitch at Thomas More.
Carter Hayden, Edgewood, Sr. 1B/3B
Three-sport athlete was an important leader and led team in RBIs at 12 while batting .278 (15-54), with a homer and 11 runs scored. Was hit by pitch nine times, leading to a .452 on-base percentage. Will play football at Wabash.
Boston Held, South, Sr. 2B
Hit .277 (23-83) with three homers, eight doubles and 18 RBIs, with 17 runs scored. Hit by pitch six times, had a .408 on-base percentage and stole seven bases. Clutch hitter with a team best 10 RBIs with two outs. Defensively, had a .961 fielding percentage.
Harrison Lloyd, North, Jr. LF
Had a breakout season after coming up from the JV, batting .344 (22-64) with 13 RBIs and 19 runs scored. Drew 12 walks to just eight strikeouts for a .456 on-base percentage. Didn’t commit an error. Went 1-0 with a 4.85 in limited innings on the mound.
Jake McCammon, South, Sr. C
Experience behind the plate invaluable for state runner-up Panthers, had a .992 fielding percentage and threw out 10 would-be base stealers. Batted .261 (24-92) with 15 RBIs. Will play at Franklin.
Tyler Morris, South, Sr. P
Used in 41 innings, mostly out of the bullpen, went 4-0 with a save and a 1.88 ERA. Had 39 strikeouts to 21 walks and gave up 24 hits and just 11 earned runs. Opponents hit just .173. Gave up just one earned run in 6⅓ postseason innings.
Landon Norris, Eastern Greene, Jr. 3B
One of the young T-Birds’ top producers at the plate, hitting .365 (27-74) with 18 RBIs, 17 runs scored and eight stolen bases.
Drew Palileo, South, Jr. RF
Hit .273 (27-99) with two homers, six doubles and 28 RBIs for the 4A state runners-up. All-CI honorable mention.
Chaz Perry, Eastern Greene, Jr. P
As a pitcher was T-Birds ace, going 2-5 with a 2.36 ERA over 59⅓ innings, striking out 90 with 29 walks and 52 hits. Opponents hit just .221. Second on team in hitting at .375 (27-72) with eight doubles and 13 RBIs, 17 runs scored. All-SWIAC.
Nick Richey, Edgewood, Jr. P/IF
Multi-tasker for the Mustangs went 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA over 26⅔ innings on the mound, with 33 strikeouts to just 13 walks. At the plate, hit .297 (11-37) with seven RBIs.
Conor Steele, North, Sr. CF
Second-leading hitter for the Cougars at .405 (32-79) with seven doubles, 15 RBIs and 18 runs. Stole nine bases. Finished with a .478 on-base and .519 slugging percentages. All-CI honorable mention.
HONORABLE MENTION: Nolan Arthur, Edgewood, Sr. 2B (.283, 8RBI, 6SB); Grady Bough, Owen Valley, P (All-WIC); Jackson Cosby, Edgewood, Jr. LF (.294, 8 RBIs, 17 runs, 9 SB .456 OBP, 9 HBP); Jake Heidrick, Owen Valley, Jr. OF (All-WIC); Rowan Heitink, Edgewood, So. RF/C (.236, 9 RBIs, no errors); Collin Marcum, South, Sr. PR (16 SB); Trevor Stogsdill, Eastern Greene, Jr. C (.329, 15 RBIs; .977 fielding).
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: South’s Xavier Hemingway, Connor Couch lead 2026 All-Area Baseball Team
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
