Alec
Novotney

Verbally committed to Valparaiso University.

Positional Profile: RHP/SS
Body: 5-11, 192.7-pounds. Lean and athletic frame.
Delivery: Staggered setup, quick, high leg kick, works with intent downhill.
Arm Action: RH. Whippy, loose, full-circle arm action. 3/4 slot.
FB: T89, 86-89 mph. Firm with cutting action, true cutter shape, can ride at times. T2224, 2115 average rpm.
CB: 70-77 mph. Lots of sweep with sharp break and depth, high spin. T2797, 2582 average rpm.
CH: 76-76 mph. Similar profile to FB, with arm-side run. T1281, 1281 average rpm.

Uncommitted, currently ranked No. 49 in the state. Athletic 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame with room to add strength. On Friday, started on the mound and hit out of the lead-off position. Novotney threw two innings while striking out two batters. Also went 3-for-3 while driving in four runs. On the mound the right hander has a smooth delivery with a compact short arm action from a high ¾ slot. His fastball sat 85-87 mph with life through the zone. Showed two true breaking balls; A slider that sat 73-76 mph with late bite, and a curveball that sat 69-71 mph with 11/5 shape and depth. At the plate, the right-handed hitter works out of a balanced setup with a toe-tap trigger. Short, direct bat path with pull-side power, collected two doubles to left field, and also connected on a hard line drive down the third-base line for a single. On Saturday, Novotney threw three innings in relief, struck out three, walked two, allowed one run and four hits. Also tallied two hits on the day with one run scored. Uncommitted name to know.

Novotney continued to solidify himself as a two-way follow after showing well on the mound the prior day at the Preseason All-State. Novotney is a natural, fundamentally sound middle infielder and he topped at 88 mph across the diamond. He also looked to control the barrel throughout his round of BP while topping at 90.1 mph. Name to know in the 2026 class who has been a key varsity contributor since his freshman year.

RHP Alec Novotney (Ottawa Marquette, 2026) came away a big winner from the event after showcasing a polished ‘pen. Checking in at 5-foot-11, 183-pounds, Novotney has an athletic frame with strength. Coming off a basketball season after a playoff loss, Novotney looked the part of one of the Crusaders’ top players on the hardwood, scoring 36 points in a game just a little over a week before the event. At this event, Novotney showed a fastball that sat 88-89 mph with mostly straight actions. He then showed two separate breaking balls, both of which he threw with confidence and looked like well above-average offerings. His curveball sits in the low-70s with sharp, 11/5 shape, spinning for an average of 2553 rpm, and generating -13.1 inches of IVB and -15.9 inches of HM, on average. His slider played with similar shape, spinning for an average of 2612 rpm, and generating an average of -8.7 inches of IVB and -15.5 inches of HM. To round out his mix, Novotney threw a changeup with fade, and he showed the ability to work down in the zone. Novotney continues to trend up, and with his present polish with a four-pitch mix, Novotney is a must-know arm to see this spring.

Positional Profile: RHP/SS
Body: 5-11, 185 pounds. Compact with an athletic build, some present strength in the lower-half, round shoulders.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, simple load and short stride. Quick hands, lets the ball travel, on time and on the barrel, pull-side tendencies 68 mph bat speed with 8g of rotational acceleration.
Power: 90 mph max exit velocity (84.1 avg.); 306-foot max batted distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 88 mph. full circle, loose with some effort, athletic, primary 3/4 slot with ability to vary.
Defense: Quick gather, patient, athletic mover, works well laterally, sure-handed actions with range up the middle.
Athletic Testing: 7.30 runner in the 60-yard dash; 22.70-inch max vertical jump. 

Positional Profile: RHP/SS
Body: 5-11, 185-pounds. Strong lower-half, broad and rounded shoulders.
Delivery: Clean, repeatable mover, athlete, high leg lift with tuck and coil, in-line down the mound.
Arm Action: RH. Clean, quick arm action, 3/4 slot.
FB: T89, 88-89 mph. Mostly straight out of the hand. T1932, 1885 average rpm.
CB: 71-73 mph. 11/5 shape, sharp actions, lands. T2592, 2553 average rpm.
SL: 75-77 mph. 10/4 shape, lands, sharp action. T2651, 2612 average rpm.
CH: 79-81 mph. Heavy fade and sink. T1483, 1448 average rpm.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-10, 169-pounds.
Delivery: Slower windup, relaxed, high leg kick, extends glove arm toward home, works in-line.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm path, 3/4 slot.
FB: T87, 84-86 mph. Firm with slight cut, most comfortable pitch. T2494, 2300 average rpm.
CB: 71-74 mph. Quality spin at 2500-2600, 11/5 shape with depth. T2767, 2608 average rpm.
SL: 75-77 mph. Sharp break with 2600 rpm, some downer action. T2654, 2628 average rpm.
CH: 78-78 mph. Plays with some drop and arm-side fade. T1592, 1487 average rpm.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-10, 169-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Wide, slightly open stance, toe-tap trigger, short stride. Flat path, looks to elevate, middle/pull-side approach. 73 mph bat speed with 9 G’s of rotational acceleration.
Power: 90 max exit velocity, averaged 82.9 mph. 320’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 81 mph. Quick, clean arm action, 3/4 slot.
Defense: Quick hands that secures the ball into the body, soft hands, moves well to both sides, athletic footwork.
Run: 7.07 runner in the 60.

Athletic, compact 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame, ranked No. 45 overall in the Illinois’ 2026 class. Earned the start for the Crusaders in their state semi-final matchup against Routt Catholic, throwing five innings with six strikeouts, three runs and six hits allowed. Tempo’d, athletic mover, gets down the mound in rhythm and with intent. Keeps his direction to the plate, finishes onto a firm and stable lead leg with an in-line landing. Arm draws back into scap retraction out of his glove, travels on a short and compact path to finish out of a high ¾ slot. Fastball works clean out the hand, played straight at 83-85, touching 86 mph early in his outing. Spun two different breaking balls with above-average feel for both. Slider played at 74-78 mph with true lateral tilt, grabbed swing-and-miss in this look. Spun curveball in the low-70s, has more arch and depth than slider, flashed bite, feel for strikes. A soon-to-be junior arm to follow.

MIF/RHP Alec Novotney (Marquette, 2026) is slowly trending up after having a successful spring where he started at shortstop and led off for the Crusaders. The right-handed hitting middle infielder stands at 5-foot-10, 150-pounds and looks to have grown since our last look during the 2023 IHSA season. An athletic prospect all around, he has an easy and simple swing at the plate with an accurate barrel. His athleticism played well in the infield with his smooth hands and ability to move to both sides. During gameplay, Novotney made a tough back-hand play and threw a runner out at first while moving on the run. On the mound, Novotney displayed an impressive four-pitch arsenal. The two-way prospect paired a low-80s fastball with a high-spin curveball (T2592 RPM) to navigate through a lineup of much older competition. Novotney also showed feel for a wipeout slider (T2423 RPM) and a changeup with 14.1 inches of horizontal movement. An intriguing two way prospect to watch moving forward.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-10, 150-pounds.
Delivery: High leg lift with upper-body tuck, tall/fall delivery, works in-line, easy.
Arm Action: RH. 3/4 slot, long and loose stroke, repeatable.
FB: T82, 81-82 mph. Attacks hitters at the top of the zone and not afraid to come inside; ride to the pitch. T2243, 1943 average rpm.
CB: 69-72 mph. Good depth, 11/5, sharp action, tunnels off the FB. T2592, 2495 average rpm.
SL: 74-76 mph. Out-pitch potential, late, sharp break. T2423, 2354 average rpm.
CH: 70-72 mph. Slows down arm slightly, fade to the arm-side. T1378, 1297 average rpm.

Stands at a projectable 5-foot-9, 135-pounds. Started at shortstop and batted leadoff. On the day went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Impressed on defense where he showed smooth infield actions with confidence to make plays, especially on the move. Consistently made plays with an accurate arm on throws. At the plate, showed a short and direct swing with a line-drive approach.

At 5-foot-9, 135-pounds, RHP Alec Novotney (Marquette Academy, 2026) has an unassuming presence, but showed an advanced skill set on the mound.      He’s a small wiry frame who works athletically on the mound with a clean arm and repeatable delivery, showing a high level of pitchability for his age. As a freshman, his fastball is on the verge of breaking 80 mph, but the arm action and curveball spin says he’s not far off from reaching it. His breaking ball was a separator for his age, he flashed sharp action on an 11/5 plane with good overall feel and confidence in the pitch, on top of spinning it in the 2400’s.

Positional Profile: SS/RHP
Body: 5-9, 135-pounds. Long levers, well proportioned, projectable build.
Hit: RHH. Wide, balanced setup, short toe-tap stride. Short to the ball, fast path, creates some whip through the zone, on the barrel up the middle with some authority at times.
Power: 81 max exit velocity, averaged 74.7 mph. 282’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 79 mph. Clean arm, multi-angle release and accurate.
Defense: Smooth defender, loose-levers, soft hands, plays through the baseball in rhythm, soft hands.
Run: 7.58 runner in the 60. 

Delivery: Repeatable delivery, works athletically, slight load at top of balance point.
Arm Action: RH. High 3/4 slot, full arm circle.
FB: T78, 77-78 mph. Mostly straight four-seam type, slight arm-side run. T2147, 2069 average rpm.
CB: 65-67 mph. 11/5 shape, spins with confidence, flashed sharp action. T2489, 2436 average rpm.
CH: 67-69 mph. Plays with more sink than fade. T1428, 1379 average rpm.

Positional Profile: SS
Body: 5-5, 115-pounds.
Hit: RHH. Balanced setup, bat rests vertical at load, short stride.  Short and level bat path, comfortable to all fields, line drive approach and repeats.
Power: 76 max exit velocity, averaged 68.5 mph. 218’ max distance.
Arm: RH. INF - 74 mph. Carry from a clean 3/4 slot.
Defense: Smooth, athletic actions, soft hands, plays through, fluid feet.
Run: 8.31 runner in the 60. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Delivery: Fluid/controlled tempo, slight drop/drive lower-half, remains in-line to the plate, strong front shoulder into footplant.
Arm Action: RH. Long/loose arm out of the glove into a 3/4 slot.
FB: T74.6, 72.9-74.2 mph. Some life to the armside.  T2043, 1966 average rpm.
CB: 63.3-64.2 mph. Feel with 11/5 shape, kept down.  T2258, 2203 average rpm.CH: 67.4-67.9 mph. Fading action to the armside with feel. T1193, 1146 average rpm.