Our annual Fall State Games has become the premier event for our staff in the fall and this year's edition featured several talented rising sophomores. Our staff goes in-depth on those that caught our attention below, while the event stats can be found at this link. 

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Sophomore Standouts

OF Caleb Smith, Center Grove: Smith has done nothing but continuously enhance his stock since June and the fall showed zero signs of slowing down. He capped it with another strong performance at the State Games to further solidify my evaluation that he is one of the top bats in the class. A wiry, 5-foot-11, 160-pounder, Smith continues to steadily improve his 60-yard dash time and turned in a 6.88 at the State Games. He then went on to take a solid round of batting practice, offering a better look from the right side in BP than the left, the opposite of what I’ve seen to this point. I am pretty solidified in my thoughts on what he can do from the left-side, it is a bit spinny at times but the barrel presentation is not only quick but on-plane. At this event, however, he showed off more pull-side power than I’ve seen of him from the right-side, tallying several homers during batting practice. He went on to collect hits from both sides during gameplay while taking quality at-bats throughout the day. If strength continues to get added, and the athlete trends how it has, Smith should end up with p4 attention this time next year. 
- Cooper Trinkle

SS Zac Alexander, Hanover Central: Alexander was one of my personal favorites from our Midwest Super Sophomore Games team this past summer and after his performance at this event, I’ve pushed all chips in on him. It is a broad-shouldered-but-athletic frame at 6-foot, 180-pounds with even more physical development to be had. A 6.9-runner, Alexander plays even faster on the field. He almost plays like a linebacker/runningback would in football; ultra aggressive.. Which is certainly my flavor. There is some swing-and-miss in his game, but there is also real raw power developing. He went for triple digit exits in batting practice, hit multiple batting practice homers, and had zero trouble getting the barrel up to speed to meet upper-80s velos out-front. The ceiling is a shortstop with a path to plus arm strength as he easily exudes those traits as his defensive game is highlighted by soft hands and one of the top infield arms in the class. Overall, there are still some rough edges, but I am betting on this hard-nosed, Region kid to end up as one of the top prospects in the class. 
- Cooper Trinkle

MIF Oliver Wilkinson, Mt. Vernon: The ease at which Wilkinson does everything is alluring and he is just strength/exposiveness gains away from exploding as a prospect. The 5-foot-11, 160-pounder burned a 6.85 60-yard dash to leave plus foot speed projections on the table as/if the aforementioned athletic development occurs. Ultimately, the bat is the carrying tool, and he hardly breaks a sweat while reaching 96-plus peak exits and carrying balls to the track in bp. Against arms much older, he more than held his own, and found the barrel on multiple occasions. The defense/arm is just average but the athleticism allows him to hold several interesting profiles while there is still a chance he develops into adding value as a defender. While I am not sure what that defensive profile looks like, the bat & athlete are going to intrigue Division I recruiters next spring/summer, and if those tools get louder he could end up pushing even further up our board. 
- Cooper Trinkle

RHP Beckett Dubord, Evansville Christian: The biggest winner on our fall circuit amongst 2029s, Dubord backed an enticing Scout Day look with a quality performance at this event. It is a prototypical pitching prospect’s build at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds with broad shoulders, long legs, and lean muscle throughout. Using a quicker paced, even lift, Dubord gets down the mound at a quality rate to gain above average extension while a looser arm works in a compact manner. The fastball is the present pitch to like, working 85-87 mph on this day and controlled well. There are ride/run properties at times with the heater, though it leans more towards carry than run, with several shapes in the tank with the way the arm works. The breaking ball could morph several ways, presently a low-70s offering with lateral break that he shows some feel for. While it lacks bite for now, the arsenal could go in several directions, as could the shapes he can develop in terms of spin. Regardless, Dubord is set to debut in a premier spot on our 2029 board and I am excited to see what he gets to after a winter of development. 
- Cooper Trinkle

LHP Peyton Treece, Valparaiso: Another big winner from our fall circuit, Treece capped quality looks at Grand Park with a last impression at the Fall State Games. There is still some projection to a stronger, 6-foot-1, 172-pound frame while the loose, full arm action feels safe to bet on. His fastball is his pitch - an 82-85+ mph offering with significant bore that he used to get whiffs and freeze takes alike. If this pitch takes another jump this winter, Treece could miss bats with this pitch in bunches versus quality hitters in 2k27. The change is ahead of the breaking ball for now as it works in the mid-70s with arm-side fade. The breaking ball is thrown firm and is more of a chase pitch at the moment working 76-80. He was able to get 2k s/m’s with the SL, especially when he sequenced it properly with the fastball. Ultimately, his first frame at this event left the impression. He struck out the first four batters he faced in dominant fashion. While the control wavered a bit in his second inning, the flashes of dominance early in the outing was impressive to say the least. Treece’s strong fall will send him up our board as one of the better 2029 lefties we’ve seen to this point in our evaluation process while I will be looking for him to continue to make velo/control jumps, and am interested to see how the breaking ball trends.  
- Cooper Trinkle

RHP Brody Myers, South Bend Saint Joseph: A name that gained significant traction with our staff this summer, Myers continues to perform in our looks while looking like a young arm who could continue on an upward trajectory. Long-limbed with projection to a 6-foot-2, 155-pound frame, Myers lifts to a tall inward turn balance point before getting down the slope with an athletic move. The arm is loose and works in a compact manner before releasing with some whip to a ¾ slot. His fastball worked up to 85 in this outing, playing with some sink. The slider is his best offering, a 73-75 pitch with sharper gloveside break. He was in the zone with both pitches consistently, helping him strike out 7 of the 9 batters he faced. If strength is added this winter to a frame that can handle plenty of it, his stuff should greatly enhance. 
- Cooper Trinkle

RHP Abe Freeman, Brownsburg: Athletic, 6-foot, 175-pounder with one of the better breaking balls we’ve seen in the rising sophomore class. 83-86 mph fastball at this event with carry properties at times from a lower release height. Spun a 73-75 mph slider mostly in the 2500s with a twelve inches of horizontal break as he induced some freezes and ugly hacks with the pitch. A pitch with wipeout upside. Killed spin on a changeup in the upper 70s that he used sparingly. Arm speed and athleticism stand out most, and Freeman remains a high-follow arm in the 2029 class. 
- Conner Madding

RHP Landon Craycraft, Heritage Christian: One of the more fascinating prospects in the ‘29 class, Craycraft has a massive 6-foot-8 191-pound frame with extreme projection and very long levers. There is plenty of room for added strength and increased mobility. While command can be an issue at times, Craycraft competed well in gameplay and has a very strong repertoire. The FB is a true outlier pitch working in the low-to-mid 80’s up to 87mph with huge cut/ride properties from a massive 6.9 RelH with abv/avg extension to pair, a fairly uncommon combination for a pitcher to possess. The SL has even-plane double-digit HB metrics sitting in the low 70’s with high spin that tunnels well off of the FB. Now the more encouraging pitch of the bunch that generated lots of swing and miss in gameplay is the Splitter. Working in the low-to-mid 70’s up to 76mph, Craycraft kills huge spin averaging around 700-800 rpm. The movement profile isn’t quite on par for what we are used to seeing from Splitters, but there is no denying its effectiveness in-game. Craycraft will be a fun follow for the future as there are huge jumps to be made.
- Cooper Woodward

OF Rowan Bell, Carroll-Flora: Bell is a left-handed bat that has been a standout to this point in the eval process, but the tools are starting to now trend in a noteworthy manner. Measuring in at 5-foot-11, 177-pounds at this event, Bell showed a quality trend in foot speed as he’s added noticeable strength since the preseason while cutting his sixty two-tenths to a 7.15. The bat carries the profile for now and the bat speed is beginning to look the part of a prospect. He remains in balance during a leg kick stride while working on a flatter plane w/ buggy-whip. He produced a peak exit of 101-plus during batting practice while hammering the ball to the middle of the field. He added quality trips during gameplay, highlighted by a backside triple that was firmly struck. The arm is a tick above average, reaching 84 mph at this event. While the secondary tools will continue to be monitored, Bell has asserted himself as one of the better OF bats to follow in this 29 group moving forward. 
- Cooper Trinkle

C Isaiah Ruiz, Portage: Ruiz was a big winner from the workout and showed well in gameplay, as well. A 5-foot-10, 145-pound backstop with ample room to add strength to his athletic frame. The arm is his best current tool, as he recorded the second-best catcher velocity at the entire event and led all underclassmen (83 mph). He also reached 92 mph from the outfield. He handled himself well behind the dish, showing solid glove work throughout gameplay. At the plate, Ruiz found a couple of barrels in gameplay, showing an athletic swing from a wider base with a toe-tap stride before delivering the barrel on a level path. The swing is more contact-oriented presently, but added strength should lead to bigger impacts. Ruiz also turned in a 6.82 60-yard dash, which should project out as at least a slightly above-average tool. The Portage product established himself as a clear follow moving forward and should see a significant rise in our next rankings update.
- Conner Madding

3B/C Jackson Simerly (Cathedral): The sturdy corner infielder/backstop boasts a strong 6-foot-2 201 pound frame with compact, balanced proportions. Simerly was a workout winner posting a 7.05 60 time, impressive for the size, and sub 2-second pop times with an 83 mph INF arm to pair. At the plate, Simerly is oozing with strength and operates a compact, repeatable swing with cruel intentions. The Cathedral product had a ton of success on the summer circuit, showing real feel for the barrel to all fields, while also having production against velocity. Simerly continues to be a high follow with some real power potential for the future.
- Cooper Woodward

C/RHP Bowen Akers (Carmel): One of the more 2-way potential prospects in the class, Akers was all over the barrel on the summer circuit with impressive stuff and actions on the mound. There have been consistent improvements throughout the year for the 5-foot-11 177 pound Carmel product. In the workout, Akers flashed an 84mph arm in the infield with modest 2.1 second pop times. Simple, repeatable movements at the dish paired on an aggressive, even-plane stroke w/ bat speed. On the bump, Akers is a smooth, athletic mover with a loose, on-time arm action from an over the top slot. The 4-seam FB worked in the low-to-mid 80’s up to 85mph with heavy riding traits and relatively good extension (6.2). Off of the heater, Akers offers a huge 2-plane CB in the low 70’s and a developing, mid 70’s CH. It will be exciting to see how the pitchability and presence at the plate develop in the future.
- Cooper Woodward

OF/RHP Drake Carnahan (Fishers): An extremely athletic 5-foot-11 187 pound 2-way prospect, Carnahan impressed both at the plate and on the bump in gameplay while also being a workout winner. Carnahan posted an impressive 60 time at 6.88, and had one of the best OF arms clocking in at 91mph. It's a balanced, simple setup at the plate with quick, short load & stride mechanics, firing hands through the zone on a compact overall stroke. On the mound, Carnahan flashed a true 3-pitch mix, working in a low-to-mid 80’s 4-seam FB up to 86mph with heavy riding traits. Off of the heater he works a huge 2-plane CB with >-20+ IVB and similar HB numbers, working in the low 70’s. The cutter profiles more as a Sweeper, with larger gloveside sweep on a relatively even plane operating in the mid-to-high 70’s. All three offerings spin around 2500+ rpm, extremely impressive for the class.
- Cooper Woodward

LHP Nathan Clayton (HSE): A projectable 6-foot 150 pound athletic southpaw with a lengthy, controlled movement down the slope who can really control the zone. The arm action is a longer, one-piece action with scapular retraction at foot strike. Clayton displays very interesting shapes with extension and ability to effectively execute all offerings off of the heater. The FB is more of a 2-seam shape with bigger run properties. The SL/CB combo is interesting, both offerings in the high 60’s to low 70’s with the CB having slight depth and short gloveside sweep, and the Slider having more of a Slutter shape, with ride and gloveside movement properties. Clayton also works an extremely low spin, armside toppling CH in the low 70’s. Looks to be a strong contributor for the Royals come spring time.
- Cooper Woodward

RHP Chris Patton (HSE): The 6-foot-2 180 pound HSE product is a highly projectable athlete with a chance for some big jumps in the future. While he had some slight trouble with command in gameplay, Patton displays some electric shapes and athleticism that show some real promise for the future. The right handed prospect has a loose, sub ¾ arm action & powerful back-side rotation at foot strike. Patton works a sinking, high spin 2-seam FB that worked in the low-to-mid 80’s up to 85mph with huge armside sinking metrics and extension (6.3) to pair. The SL is an even plane moving breaker in the low 70’s that projects with some pitch shaping. While there is some inability to kill spin on the CH, the movement profile is very impressive with big armside fade in the low to upper 70’s. Patton joins an impressive group of ‘29 arms for the Royals.
- Cooper Woodward

RHP Liam Eder (HSE): Eder was a huge winner from the event, showcasing athleticism on the mound as well as solid shapes. Eder operates with a high leg kick and lengthy stride down the mound with a longer, one-piece arm action. Strong torque in the backside at foot strike on a consistently square land. Eder’s FB works a 2-seam shape with run over ride properties in the low-to-mid 80’s up to 85mph. Off of the heater Eder shows both a gloveside sweeping SL and an armside diving CH. Showed feel for all pitches with plenty of strikes. Intriguing follow.
- Cooper Woodward

C/MIF Henry Cherry, Fishers: Cherry is a fundamental player that has added some strength to his 5-foot-10, 165 pound frame. Hits out of a taller, open stance with active hands in the load and a moderate stride forward. The swing works short and direct, Cherry peaked at 86.5 mph in batting practice and took a quality hack versus an older arm in gameplay. High-level baseball IQ behind the dish with above average catch-and-throw skills and quality receiving skills. A steady all-around player with a solid foundation to build upon as he continues to mature physically.
- Conner Madding

C Sam Maryan, Center Grove: One of the better backstops in Indiana’s 2029 class, Maryan had a solid all-around showing. Reached a peak exit velocity of 99 mph which was a 10 mph jump from the summer. Starts tall with a short stride forward, delivers the barrel on a flat path with some occasional steepness. Hands standout behind the dish with a quick glove-to-hand transfer and quality receiving skills, arm strength is average from the crouch. 7.2 runner. Good follow in the class and could be in-line for a breakout spring.
- Conner Madding

C Wyatt Rowe, Waldo J Wood Memorial: Rowe was a huge workout winner from the event while shining defensively during gameplay. The 6-foot 174-pound catcher has longer levers with lean athleticism throughout showing lots of promise for future strength gains. Rowe has some of the better pure metrics for the class at the Catcher position, posting sub 2 pop times as well as a 6.9 60-yd time. Rowe displays an aggressive, handsy swing w/ an explosive barrel turn with simpler lower half mechanics, with a shorter load and leg lift stride. True athlete out of the crouch from behind the dish up to 79mph, and up to 87 mph from the OF. The competitive fire is a non-quantifiable metric that Rowe possesses and had it on full display in gameplay, throwing out multiple baserunners. Rowe looks to be an intriguing follow for the future and has the tools to be an offensive and defensive threat at the Catcher position.
- Cooper Woodward

RHP Bowen VanHook (Terre Haute North): VanHook was a huge winner in gameplay, retiring 8 of 10 batters faced with very good secondary offerings. The 5-foot-11 160 pound Terre Haute North product shows some projectability on the frame while displaying athleticism down the mound. The FB is a heavy riding 4-seam that has been up to 85 in the past. During gameplay the heater sat upper 70’s to low 80’s with low-slot ride. The CB is more of a SL shape with short, tight gloveside movement operating in the low 70’s to upper’60’s. My favorite pitch of the bunch is the CH. Working in the upper 60’s to low 70’s, VanHook kills substantial spin while generating consistent armside fade and soft contact from a similar slot as the other 2 offerings leading to effective tunneling. There is real pitchability present with confidence in the sequencing.
- Cooper Woodward

RHP Henley McCormick, Bloomington North: McCormick was a winner showing quality stuff on the bump with a quick arm to pair. Holding a lean, wiry, 6-foot, 163-pound frame, the Bloomington native worked up to 84 while sitting mostly in the low-80s with a fastball that he controlled at a 67% clip. The 71-73 slider he showed has legitimate swing and miss potential and he showed the ability to not only control it, but miss bats with it at this event. He rounded out his arsenal with a mid-70s change, as well. 
- Cooper Trinkle

LHP Kahlil Pirani, Bloomington North: While Pirani might not display some of the most eye opening stuff on the mound, the pitchability and feel for the zone is impressive. There is still some projectability for the 6-foot 175 pound southpaw to have additional strength gains. Pirani works 3 distinct shapes with a shorter riding 4-seam FB in the low 80’s topping out at 83, with a short, tight SL in the low 70’s and an even-plane armside fading CH with strong movement properties in the low 70’s. As for the delivery, the actions are relatively simple and repeatable with a longer, loose arm swing with a quick hinge into the back hip at the start of the stride. The arm is consistently synced up on a square land leading to Pirani having very strong command over all 3 pitches. Pirani looks to be a strong contributor for the Cougars in the coming Spring.
- Cooper Woodward

RHP Braden Leins (DeKalb): The 6-foot 164 pound righty shows projection for the future on a lean, athletic frame. Leins operates strictly from the stretch with loose actions and rotational power at foot strike. The arm action is loose and whippy from a three quarters slot and the athletic ability down the mound leads to strong extension properties in all of Leins’ pitches. From a pure stuff standpoint, Leins possesses a very impressive FB profile, achieving up to 21” of IVB from a lower, 5.1 RelH with abv/avg extension (6.5) while sitting in the low 80’s up to 84. Leins works a depthy 2-plane Slurve with bigger HB numbers working in the upper 60’s to low 70’s. While he didn’t flash the CH in gameplay, the Prep Baseball team has seen it in the mid 70’s with a substantial difference in spin. There are big jumps on the way as Leins will continue to be a high follow in the ‘29 class.
- Cooper Woodward

OF Hayden Becker, Lake Central: Becker looks in-line to be yet another talented bat from the powerhouse program that Lake Central is while showing quality trends in all tools. Holding a lean, young, athletic, 5-foot-11, 157-pound frame, Becker stood out with the bat showing clear feel to hit in both the batting practice and game settings. Holding fixed upper body angles before coiling into a strong launch position, Becker turns in a connected fashion while delivery a path that blends on-plane & direct. A 7.14-runner, Becker turned in 93-plus peak exits and multiple in-game barrels / hits. 
- Cooper Trinkle

SS Garrett Lowry, Avon: I am a fan of the way Lowry plays the game and he continues to look like a strong follow in the class. Undersized at 5-foot-9, 135-pounds, his twitch and movement patterns allow his tools to play well-above the frame while the present skillset is noteworthy. Working from a wider setup before using a short takeaway and stride that match tempo, Lowry was on-barrel throughout the day with a clean right-handed swing that produced peak exits at 91-plus. A 6.81-runner, the Avon product also made routine play after play at short while showing an above average arm across. 
- Cooper Trinkle

IF Austin Ramsey, Noblesville: Ramsey continues to make strong strides in his overall development. He continues to gain strength/twitch and has grown into at-least an above-average athlete with plenty of room to project continued strength gains in his 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame. The swing continues to polish as he works from a simple setup before setting his hands into launch and making a short, balanced stride and working short and direct to the ball. The bat works level through the zone with some impact budding; reached a 92 mph peak exit at this event. Also a 6.9-runner who looks the part of a player who can stay on the dirt defensively. 
- Cooper Trinkle

OF Isaac Gauthier, Cathedral: Gauthier is an athletic, twitchy outfielder who posted impressive metrics at this event. Beginning with a 6.74 60 time, the 5-foot-9, 160-pounder proceeded to post 97-plus exits during batting practice while flashing some pull-side lift. The swing works with quick tempo as he makes a shorter leg lift stride as he lifts and tips the bat into launch. There is some raw parts to his game, but the twitch stands out clearly amongst his peers. 
- Cooper Trinkle

OF Jordan Anderson (LaPorte): LaPorte had an impressive workout showing steady improvements throughout the year. The 5-foot-11 180 pound frame has strength throughout with lots of athleticism and still shows some projectability. At the plate, Anderson displays a minimal load into the drive leg with a quick hover stride to follow. There is some bat and hand speed through the zone on an even-plane. Anderson had convincing at bats in gameplay with a couple hard-hit knocks and steadily found the barrel. There is some real rotational ability while displaying the ability to stay comfortable coiled into the back half in load. Short, quick overall stroke with some twitch.
- Cooper Woodward

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More Noteworthy Names

C Dominic Chiodo, Avon HS
OF Malachi Cox, Floyd Central
RHP Keegan Filley, Penn
RHP Cale Hazelip, Tecumseh
SS Brennon Holland, Andrean
1B Luke Koons, East Noble
RHP JD Marcano, Carmel
3B Will Mattingly, Evansville Central
1B Kaiden Middleton, Jeffersonville
TWP Garrett Pace, Bedford North Lawrence
C Cayden Rasmason, Illiana Christian
TWP Logan Scheeringa, Highland
TWP Gavin Spalding, Floyd Central
OF Grady Springer, Orleans
TWP Rayden White, Danville
C Jacob Witter, Covenant Christian
OF Atticus Zartman, Avon