The 2026 high school baseball season made its debut last week, so let’s take a look at the Bloomington area’s five squads as they prep for the start of sectionals in the last week of May:
Can South’s experience and depth pay off?
COACH — Phil Kluesner, 18th season. LAST YEAR — 17-7, 4-1 CI.
RETURNING STARTERS — Connor Couch, Sr. P/3B; Collin Marcum, Sr. P/OF; Xavier Hemingway, Sr. P; Amos Ewer, Sr. P; Jake McCammon, Sr. C; Luke Arnett, Sr. 1B; Max Surdam, Sr. 2B; Reid Walker, Jr. SS; Drew Palileo, Jr. OF; Boston Held, 2B/3B.
OUTLOOK — There’s a lot to like about this year’s Panther squad, a preseason top 10, that will put more than a half-dozen players committed to play in college on the turf. Unfortunately for now, that list does not include Indiana signee Collin Marcum, who hurt his arm at a showcase event. No surgery is required, Kluesner said, but the time frame for return is unknown. Which means a next man up mentality and South still has plenty of live arms, speed and big bats and several players heading into their third year as varsity regulars to win plenty of games. “We’ve got experience, which I hope helps us,” Kluesner said. “And they’ve got high expectations and we’re trying to help them realize those expectations. It’s one day at a time, trying to get better each day. We’re inconsistent right now, but I think a lot of that has to do with the kids wanting to do things, but not doing what we need to do to get to that point. We’ve got depth. We’ve got 11 guys who can pitch, which is probably more than anyone in the state. Our defense is mostly veterans. So if you can pitch and play defense, you’ve got a chance to win most of your games. I think they’re buying into that.”
Pitching: It’s quite a lineup when it’s whole with starters Marcum, Couch (Columbia) and Hemingway (Marian), who missed the first part of last season due to injury, and reliever Ewer, who is also out to start the year. Marcum was looking every bit the part of a Big 10 recruit. “(He) was carving our guys up,” Kluesner said. “He has good command and velocity up to 95. Cutter, slider. He was in command of all that stuff. Couch has got some nasty stuff. His secondary stuff is wipeout and if you don’t focus on that, he can take his fastball and make you look like you’re two pitches behind. He’s really balancing his stuff. He’s can be in the lower 90s but doesn’t have to throw it by people. Hemingway has looked good with his secondary stuff. He can throw against anybody. Ewer hasn’t thrown since the middle of last year. We hope he’ll be back to form.” Arms taking up some slack will be junior Conner Parker, seniors Tyler Morris and Caleb Oliver, Cam Myers, Jarrett McGlothlin, Palileo, Walker and junior Jonathan Winstead, South’s backup quarterback. “They pick each other up,” Kluesner said.
Batting order: Winstead will be in center, with Marcum and Palileo also in the outfield and Blake Azcui and Corban Dalton in the mix. Surdam (Franklin) can also play some outfield along with his usual spot at second. Couch is at third, with Held (Hanover) there when Couch pitches. Arnett (Taylor) is at first and McCammon (Franklin) is back behind the plate again. The offense should be there on a more consistent basis this year. “I think they understand what they’re supposed to and how to do it,” Kluesner said. “I think last year, their swing decisions were not very good. I think it was the speed of the game. They understand now. We’ve been doing live at bats since February and sparring with our better pitchers, so they should be comfortable.”
Can North find its offensive groove again?
COACH — Richard Hurt, 32nd season. LAST YEAR — 15-11, 3-2 CI.
RETURNING STARTERS — Luke Freel, Sr. P/SS; Ryan Grupenhoff, Sr. P; Brogan Hanna, Sr. P; Elio MIller, Jr. P/OF; Bodhi Pulley, So. P; Zach Sipes, Sr. 2B; Liam Smith, Sr. 3B; Conor Steele, Sr. OF.
OUTLOOK — Like South, the Cougars have a squad dominated by college-bound seniors. Will it be enough in a tough sectional that also includes Indiana-bound Briar Goda and defending champs Terre Haute North? The Cougars have strong pitching, it’ll be the offense that needs to be sustained all season long if they are to have a chance. “We’re going to miss our seniors from last year, especially Chris Barnett, he was outstanding,” Hurt said. “But we feel good about this team. We started off really hot last year, something like 64 runs in our first four games while giving up just one. Then we struggled in the middle and then played good baseball toward the end. We have to be more consistent. The schedule is a little tougher this year. We added Castle, Roncalli and the Laughman Tournament is always tough (Carmel, Batesville, Mt. Vernon).” The focus must remain on execution, toughness and willingness to compete.”
Pitching: Freel (DePauw) will once again be the ace as he was last year in getting North into the sectional title game and earning H-T Player of the Year honors, going 4-2 with a 1.58 ERA and showing the knack to make the right pitch at the right time. Other seniors back are Gruppenhoff (Kalamazoo) and Hanna (Thomas More), Miller and Pulley. “Luke will be our best,” Hurt said. “Teams will have to play well to beat him. He’s a good athlete and throws the ball well. We’ll hang our hat on him for big games. Elio has come around. He throws well and he’s bigger. Pulley also throws it well. His ball really moves. He has good breaking stuff. We’re going to get him involved in more games.” Other arms Hurt is counting on are senior Jake Flynn and juniors Harrison Lloyd and Grady Naugle.
Batting order: Defensively, Hurt is pleased with what he’s seeing from a mostly veteran lineup. There’s speed and athleticism in the outfield with senior Aiken Urbanski and Steele in either center or left. Miller gets the call in right while junior Gabe Cohen is another option. Smith (Bellarmine) is back at third and has some pop in his bat, while Freel will man short when he’s not pitching. Sipes (Bethel) is the second baseman and will play short as well. Lloyd and junior Rudy Burton will back them up. At first, senior Jack Williamson returns and shares the spot with Naugle. The catchers are new in juniors Briar Anderson, up from JV, and Franco Cubillan, who had pinch-hitting duties last year. They were busy this winter building chemistry with the staff. As for getting more runners across the plate. “That’s the big question for us,” Hurt said. “We started off red-hot and had trouble scoring again (as was the case most of 2024). It happens when you’re facing better pitchers. I don’t think we had a lot of home run power. We have to be tough with two strikes, run the bases well, manufacture some things. We’re capable, but can you beat someone on the mound who is that tough? We just have to put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense.”
How will Edgewood’s lineup come together?
COACH — Bob Jones, 41st season. LAST YEAR — 12-9, 8-2 WIC.
RETURNING STARTERS — Anthony Shields, Sr. P/OF; Carter Hayden, Sr. 3B; Sam Lawson, Jr. C;
OUTLOOK — The Mustangs are under going a rebuilding project, much like their baseball field will be getting this summer when a new turf surface is installed. Just three full-time starters are back (with senior Gunnar Perry graduating early to start his football career at Valparaiso) while the rest of a varsity roster of around 14 have only limited varsity time, or none at all, under their belts. The pitching staff will be thin on experience to start as head coach Bob Jones hopes a couple of injured hurlers can return by the end of the year. But the new guys got a better head start on the season thanks to the new fieldhouse. “We have two tunnels where we’ve been able to go with more live pitching,” Jones said. “Our guys can see actual batters and the batters can see live pitching instead of a coach or machine. We’re hoping that extra ability we have can benefit us. Our kids are working hard.” And also trying to adjust to the speed of the varsity game by not rushing things on defense or trying to make the perfect play. And making sure they’re making contact and putting the ball in play on offense. “It’s a challenging schedule right out of the box,” Jones said.
Pitching: Outside of Shields, who brings back a good fastball, development is only going to come with time as the Mustangs rebuild the staff. Jones is putting most of his lineup into the mix: Hayden maybe, juniors Braxton Carpenter, Nick Richey, Mason Marotz, Jack Cosby and Kit Collier and sophomore Rowan Heitink, whose athleticism was apparent in a breakout football season, and freshman Cooper Myers. “Almost everybody except for two or three may pitch,” Jones said. “We’re emphasizing throwing strikes, getting ahead. then you can throw your junk and nibble. We also want them to work at a good tempo. It keeps the guys behind you on their toes. Marotz has good off-speed and hits his spots. Maybe he can be a relief pitcher. Hayden pitched as a freshman, just in mop up, but we haven’t needed him to pitch.” Getting them each settled in with some innings will be a focus early on. Junior Noah Cosby and Jack Armstrong are also both possible options later on as both are coming off injuries.
Batting order: “We’ve got more infielders than outfielders,” Jones said. Outfielders include Jack Cosby, Carpenter, Shields, junior Kellan Moore and Collier. Marotz is at first base, senior Nolan Arthur at second, Richey and Myers at short, Hayden at third and Heitink behind the plate with Lawson, who can fill in at short and Moore will provide some utility on the infield as well. “It’s a team where I can move some of the chess pieces,” Jones said. “I’ve toyed with three different lineups and batting orders. We don’t have what I would consider big sticks with Perry not returning. We’re working a lot on making contact with the ball. We’re emphasizing more of a two-strike approach, just putting the ball in play. We have to be disciplined at the plate. We have some experience but not a lot of experience. We’re still working on that part.”
How quickly can Eastern Greene rebuild?
COACH — Auston Matricardi, 1st season. LAST YEAR — 16-8, 5-2 SWIAC.
RETURNING STARTERS — Chaz Perry, Jr. P; Trevor Stogsdill, Jr. C/P.
OUTLOOK — The T-Birds have all but called tech support, trying to upload a new rookie head coach and, after graduation of a big senior class that made Eastern competitive again, an almost brand new lineup. “It’s been really interesting,” Matricardi said. “These guys are an amalgamation of parts from last year and guys new to the team. It’s a whole program reset, to lose as many guys as we did and to bring in a few new coaches. We spent the first few weeks in the off-season just figuring each other out. But it’s been great. The boys have bought into our vision of what we want to do. They’re good about asking questions and having ideas of what we can do to help them.”
Pitching: Perry is now the leader of pitching staff after working a bit in the shadows last year. He’s worked hard to bulk up and refine his mechanics in the off-season, Matricardi said. “He’s throwing the ball well.” A big add is Saxon Pennycuff, less of a raw freshman than he was back in August after a year spent as the starting quarterback in football and forward on the basketball team. “He knocked my socks off last night (at Salem),” Matricardi said after a two-hitter. “I was hoping he’d give us three, four, five solid innings and he spun a gem. He has a chance to be a big impact player. He’s one of the better Eastern pitchers I’ve seen in a while.” Also in the pen are Stogsdill, crafty lefthander senior Wyatt Craig and junior Landon Norris. The rest it’s too early to tell as they sort themselves out and gain innings at the JV level.
Batting order: A couple of seniors headline the outfield. In left, it’s Zach Herndon, who was totally new to baseball last year, but is quickly figuring it out, and in center, it’s Aiden Jones, who covers a lot of ground in the fall playing soccer and has some pop in his bat. Right field is a work in progress, but sophomore No. 9 hitter Carter Bailey gets the nod early. Stogsdill is the only returning player with multiple sectional at-bats and will catch, with sophomore utility player Wyatt Hawkins backing him up. Perry and Craig will handle first base while senior Kasch Cullison brings a high baseball IQ to second base, Matricardi said. Pennycuff is at short and Norris is the new man at third after pinch-running mostly last year, but he’s worked hard, first in, last out, to earn a spot and nod as a team captain. “We’ve got some guys with power, we’ve got some guys with speed and we have guys who can go gap to gap and hit line drives,” Matricardi said. “We need to utilize bunts and steal bases. We’re preaching putting pressure on our opponents’ defense, give them opportunities to make mistakes.”
Can Owen Valley overcome its youth?
COACH — Levi Clark, 1st season (interim). LAST YEAR — 10-8, 5-5 WIC.
RETURNING STARTERS — Jake Heidrick, Jr. OF; Parker Greene, So. P/INF; Camden Kay, So. C; Grady Bough, So; INF/P; Javen Hutchison, 3B/P, Jr.
OUTLOOK — Head coach Trent Heckman is taking the season off, turning things over to eight-year OV assistant Levi Clark. So there’s plenty of familiarity as a younger group of Patriots inherit the program with no seniors on board. “It’s been real nice and it feels really new to me,” Clark said. “It feels like new a team. We’re so young, it’s like we’re turning over a new leaf. It’s exciting. My brother Laban is helping. He had few of them in third grade. We’re both elementary teachers and we’re both born and raised here, so we’ve seen the kids growing up. Now, we’re seeing them strive to get better in practice and put it together for games. They work real hard and they’re a close team. A lot have played some baseball, travel and such. We seem to be a quick team with some athleticism.” They will go as far as their work ethic and it’s there. Many of the younger players have been tested in other varsity sports already this school year. “A lot of these freshmen and sophomores we’ll be seeing for the next couple years,” Clark said. “They just don’t have the experience, so they’ll be growing together.”
Pitching: Only 35 innings return for the Patriots, Clark said. Top arms this year include sophomores Grady Bough, Parker Greene and Blake McIntosh, freshmen Braxton Miller, Wyatt Harmon and Caddy Michael and junior Javen Hutchison. “The top four are still being sorted out,” Clark said. “We’re still figuring it out. Bough and Greene have some experience. They’ve played a lot of ball in their lives. It’s just getting those innings, competing and getting us through tough situations.” Bough and Greene need to answer that call. “They have to be leaders for us even though they are only sophomores,” Clark said. “They’ll have to pitch a lot more than last year.”
Batting order: With just a few practices left before opening day, that was still up in the air like a Major League pop up. With only 12 on the varsity roster, it’s going to take everyone contributing at some point. “There are a lot of battles going on,” Clark said. “We’ve told them it’s not where you start the season it’s where you end it. If you can hit, we’ll find a place for you to play in the field. That’s the strategy.” OV’s roster right now lists Hutchison, junior Ethan Wright, Bough, Greene, McIntosh, Harmon and Miller as infielders, Heidrick in the outfield and juniors Jaxon Dill and Brody Koch and Michael as utility players. “We’re playing them in different spots in practice,” Clark said. “We have some interchangeable features and we’ll rotate depending on who is pitching.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Taking a look at the Bloomington area’s 5 IHSAA baseball teams
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