With the 2026 Iowa high school baseball season complete, it’s time to honor some of the best performances.
Our All-Iowa teams have arrived after a historic 2026 campaign that saw first-time state champions, ample upset victories and some star-studded efforts from across the state.
The Des Moines Register has selected an Elite team and a team from each of the state’s four classes. Those are made up of one catcher, four infielders, three outfielders, a pitcher and one utility player. There are an additional 15 honorable mentions from across all four classes as well. The main criteria included in the decision-making are season stats and overall team success.
Players are listed first by position and then alphabetically by last name. Statistics and records are current on GoBound as of July 30.
Elite Team
Ryan Stedman
Pitcher | Senior | West Des Moines Valley
An arm that’s attracting professional baseball’s attention, Stedman is as fierce a pitcher as they come. Despite pitching in just nine games, he had 105 strikeouts (11.67 per outing) for the Tigers with an 0.75 earned-run average.
Elijah Scott
Catcher | Junior | Marion
Scott was a slugger from the catcher position, racking up seven home runs, 39 runs-batted-in, a .464 batting average and a .562 on-base percentage. Defensively, he tallied only two errors and a .990 fielding percentage behind the plate.
Nolan Dittmer
Infield | Senior | Davenport Assumption
The Knights rolled to a state championship as the No. 7 seed largely behind the bat of Dittmer. His final batting stats were a .508 average, a .599 on-base percentage, eight home runs and 45 RBIs.
Ty Heydon
Infield | Junior | Coon Rapids-Bayard
Heydon was a do-it-all player for the Crusaders. He owned a .593 batting average (No. 3 in Iowa), a .699 on-base percentage (No. 3 in Iowa), eight home runs and an Iowa-best 65 RBIs. On the mound, Heydon also dominated with a 1.65 ERA, 6-1 record and 88 strikeouts.
Cal Jepsen
Infield | Senior | Sioux City East
The Black Raiders were one of Iowa’s top teams statewide once again behind several batters including Jepsen. He was one of three batters in Class 4A to carry a batting average over .500 at .507, as well as tallying a .637 on-base percentage, six home runs and 45 RBIs.
Colton Wight
Infield | Senior | Martensdale St. Mary’s
The senior slugger went out with a bang, tallying 11 home runs, 51 RBIs, a .578 batting average and a .649 on-base percentage. While Martensdale St. Mary’s was upset in the regional finals by a Cinderella story-Moravia squad, there’s no denying Wight’s stardom in 2026.
Brandon Bea
Outfield | Senior | Davenport North
Let’s hear it for Iowa’s home run leader. Aside from an Iowa-best 13 home runs, he also tallied 40 RBIs, a .409 batting average and a .514 on-base percentage.
Tru McBride
Outfieldd | Junior | Fort Dodge
Another big-time slugger, McBride had 12 home runs (tied for second-most in Iowa), 56 RBIs (tied for fourth-most), a .412 batting average and a .514 on-base percentage.
JJ Phillips
Outfield | Junior | Pleasantville
Another Iowa star that carried his team to a state title, Phillips led the state with 66 RBIs. With a .495 batting average, a .565 on-base percentage and 10 home runs, he was a consistent threat each time he swung the bat.
George Blake
Utility | Junior | Indianola
This two-way star carried Indianola to its first state title. At the plate, Blake starred with nine home runs, 42 RBIs, a .417 batting average and a .579 on-base percentage. On the mount he shined as well with a 1.38 ERA and 68 strikeouts.
Class 4A
Class 3A
Class 2A
Class 1A
Honorable mention
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Introducing the Des Moines Register’s 2026 All-Iowa baseball teams
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Eli McKown, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
