MaxPreps 2016 Preseason All-American Baseball Team

Video: Highlights of Parkview's Will Ethridge

The 2016 MaxPreps Preseason All-American baseball team features 30 of the top players in the country, with 13 of them coming from the states of Texas, California and Florida.

California and Florida lead the way with five players each while Texas has three. Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia each have two apiece.

The Preseason All-American team is chosen based on past honors (All-American, Team USA, all-state), recruiting rankings and statistical performance.




P - Riley Pint, Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.), 6-4, 195

After going 8-0 as a sophomore and earning the No. 1 ranking in the Class of 2016 by Perfect Game, Pint went 5-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 35 innings during his junior campaign. However, with a 96-mph fastball, Pint is still the top prospect in Kansas and a top-five overall prospect in the nation.

P - Ian Anderson, Shenendehowa (Clifton Park, N.Y.), 6-3, 170

One of the nation's top pitching prospects, Anderson earned MaxPreps Junior All-American honors last season while posting a 7-1 pitching record with 91 strikeouts and just 17 walks with a 0.66 ERA in 53.1 innings pitched.

P - Austin Bergner, Windermere Prep (Windermere, Fla.), 6-4, 180

Ranked at one time by Perfect Game as the top player in the Class of 2016, Bergner still ranks near the top. He earned MaxPreps Junior All-American honors last year after batting .469 (30 for 64) with 28 RBIs and five home runs. He also pitched and went 6-1 with 85 strikeouts and a 0.40 ERA in 52.2 innings pitched.

P - Forrest Whitley, Alamo Heights (San Antonio), 6-7, 250

A member of the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 5A All-State Team and the San Antonio News Express All-Area Team, Whitley went 7-1 with 120 strikeouts and a 0.21 ERA in 64.2 innings pitched. He was also a MaxPreps Junior All-American.

P - Jason Groome, Barnegat (N.J.), 6-6, 180

Ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 1 overall player in the country, Groome played at IMG Academy (Brandenton, Fla.) last year, but returned to Barnaget for his senior year. He posted a 5-0 record last year with a 0.98 ERA. He also struck out 77 batters and walked just nine in 43 innings pitched.



P - Brax Garrett, Florence (Ala.), 6-3, 190

The Super State Player of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association as a junior, Garrett was also a member of the MaxPreps Junior All-American Team. He was one of the top strikeout pitchers in the nation with 141 Ks in 66.2 innings pitched. He was 7-1 with a 0.75 ERA.

P - Charles King, Coppell (Texas), 6-5, 205

King helped Coppell reach the regional quarterfinals last year as he posted a 7-0 record with a 1.46 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched.

P - Cole Ragans, North Florida Christian (Tallahassee, Fla.), 6-4, 190

Ragans earned All-Big Bend honors last year and helped North Florida Christian reach the Class 3A state championship game. He went 7-2 on  the mound with 94 strikeouts and a 0.89 ERA in 62.2 innings pitched.

P - Jason Barber, Oxford (Miss.), 6-0, 190

A MaxPreps Junior All-American last year, Barber was the Gatorade State Player of the Year after leading Oxford to the Class 5A state championship. He had a 12-0 pitching record with a perfect game and eight shutouts. He also struck out 110 batters with a 0.00 ERA in 78 innings pitched. Also batted .337 with 35 RBI and eight home runs.

P - Luca Dalatri, Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, N.J.), 6-6, 250

The Gatorade State Player of the Year as a junior, Dalatri was also the NJ.Com All-State Pitcher of the Year after posting a 9-0 record with a 0.88 ERA and 112 strikeouts with just seven walks in 71 innings pitched.

P - Will Ethridge, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 6-5, 190

A key member of Parkview's national championship team, Ethridge was named to the Gwinnett Daily Post All-Area Team. He also posted a 13-0 record with 49 strikeouts and a 1.47 ERA in 71.1 innings pitched.



C - T.J. Collett, Terre Haute North Vigo (Terre Haute, Ind.), 6-1, 220

Hitting 17 home runs as a sophomore, Collett was limited to just three during his junior year. Part of the reason is that opposing teams walked Collet 45 times and he had a career-low 65 at-bats. He batted .292 with 16 RBIs and four doubles, but he is still ranked as one of the nation's top catchers in the class of 2016.

C - Michael Amditis, Boca Raton (Fla.), 5-10, 185

Amditis was named the Palm County Hitter of the Year by the Baseball Network and he was also named all-county by the Palm Beach Post and the Sun Sentinel. He batted .500 with 35 runs scored, 33 RBIs, eight doubles and eight home runs.

C - Payton Henry, Pleasant Grove (Utah), 5-10, 145

The Gatorade State Player of the Year and a MaxPreps Junior All-American, Henry batted .527 with 46 RBIs, 11 doubles and nine home runs.

1B - Alex Kirilloff, Plum (Pittsburgh), 6-2, 195

Perhaps the No. 1 first baseman in the country, Kiriloff played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic and the Area Code Games. Last year he batted .500 (28-for-56) with six home runs, 29 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

1B - Spencer Brickhouse, Bunn (N.C.), 6-3, 220

Brickhouse is coming off a big junior year when he batted .585 (31-for-53) with 31 runs scored, 29 RBIs, nine doulbes, three triples and seven home runs. In three varsity seasons, Brickhouse has a .560 batting average with 93 RBIs and 12 home runs.

IF - Nick Quintana, Arbor View (Las Vegas), 5-11, 185

A member of the Las Vegas Review Journal All-State Team and the MaxPreps Junior All-American Team, Quintana batted .433 with 18 doubles, eight home runs, 49 RBIs and 44 runs scored.

IF - Cole Stobbe, Millard West (Omaha, Neb.), 6-1, 190

The Gatorade State Player of the Year as a junior, Stobbe was also a member of Team USA 18U. An all-state infielder in Nebraska, Stobbe batted .426 with 44 RBIs, 43 runs scored, 19 doubles, five triples and four home runs.

IF - Bo Bichette, Lakewood (St. Petersburg, Fla.), 6-0, 200

The son of former Major League slugger Dante Bichette, Bo was off to a tremendous start his junior year as he batted .632 with 18 RBIs, three doubles, two triples and four home runs in seven games before an injury ended his season. He earned All-Tampa Area honors as a sophomore when he batted .492 with seven home runs.

IF - Joe Rizzo, Oakton (Vienna, Va.), 5-11, 215

Rizzo was named the Class 6A State Player of the Year by the Virginia High School League. He batted .619 with 24 RBIs, 25 runs scored, nine doubles and seven home runs.

IF - Joshua Lowe, Pope (Marietta, Ga.), 6-3, 210

Lowe continues to rise up the Perfect Game rankings, coming in most recently at No. 4. He earned all-county honors from the Marietta Journal last year as a third baseman, but he is also seen as a pitching prospect after hitting in the 90s with his fastball during the summer. Participated in the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

IF - Greg Veliz, Key West (Fla.), 6-2, 200

Veliz earned all-county honors from the Miami Herald and he was also the Dade County Player of the Year by the Baseball Network. He batted .412 with 34 runs scored, 36 RBIs, four doubles, five triples and six home runs. He also had a 5-3 pitching record with 70 strikeouts and a 1.04 ERA in 47 innings pitched.



OF - Jaren Shelby, Tates Creek (Lexington, Ky.), 5-11, 183

Played in the Perfect Game Classic and was an all-state selection in Kentucky while also earning MaxPreps Junior All-American honors. He batted .368 with 13 home runs, six doubles, 35 runs scored and 45 RBIs.

OF - Micky Moniak, La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.), 6-2, 185

A standout on the La Costa Canyon varsity since his freshman year, Moniak was named to the San Diego all-section team last year after batting .426 with 29 runs scored, 28 RBIs, eight doubles and four triples.

OF - Blake Rutherford, Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.), 6-2, 190

Won the Gold Medal with Team USA 18U and was one of the top players in the Southern Section last year. He batted .435 with 20 runs, 14 RBIs, two triples and four home runs.

OF - Brandon McIlwain, Council Rock North (Newtown, Pa.), 6-1, 205

One of the top athletes in the state of Pennsylvania, McIlwain is also one of the state's top quarterbacks. Last year in baseball, McIlwain batted .433 with 25 RBIs, five doubles and five home runs.

OF - Jeremy Ydens, Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 6-2, 175

Ydens plays multiple positions for the Lancers as he can also pitch and play the infield. As a junior, he was the San Jose Mercury News all-Area Player of the Year after batting .404 with a 7-3 pitching record and a 1.69 ERA.

OF - Dominic Fletcher, Cypress (Calif.), 5-10, 185

A top notch defensive outfielder, Fletcher earned a spot on the Orange County Register's all-county team after earning Empire League MVP honors. He batted .452 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs.

Util - Zack Hess, Liberty Christian (Lynchburg, Va.), 6-6, 200

Hess earned all-state honors last season by American Family Insurance after leading Liberty Christian Academy to the VISAA Division I championship. Hess batted .400 with three home runs to go with a 7-1 pitching record, a 0.65 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched.



Util - Reggie Lawson, Victor Valley (Victorville, Calif.), 6-4, 187

Lawson played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic last summer, an honor he earned by batting .461 with 26 RBIs and four home runs while also posting a 6-4 pitching record with 67 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA in 53 innings pitched.

Util - Kyle Muller, Dallas Jesuit, 6-5, 210

Muller was a key member of Dallas Jesuit's deep run on the Class 6A state playoffs last year. He had a 7-1 pitching record with a 1.11 ERA and 99 strikeouts and he also batted .397 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs.