Best high school baseball player in every state heading into the 2025 season

Zack Johnson, Bob Jones (Madison)
Named the Class 7A Hitter of the Year, Johnson batted .384 with 11 doubles, five home runs and three triples. Was among the national leaders with 65 RBI.

Alaska
Sebastian Fournier, Service (Anchorage)
Fournier had a strong playoff run last year en route to a state championship. In the final two games he batted 3-for-6 with four runs, a RBI and a double. Top-rated player in Alaska by Perfect Game.



Arizona
Brett Crossland, Mountain Pointe (Phoenix)
Led the Pride with an 8-1 record that included 94 strikeouts and a 2.24 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched.

Arkansas
Landon Schaefer, Fayetteville
The top prospect in Arkansas according to Perfect Game, Schaefer was the lone junior on last year's All-Arkansas Preps All-State first team.

California
Seth Hernandez, Corona
The MaxPreps National Junior of the Year in 2024, Hernandez heads a Corona team that could be the No. 1 team in the nation to start the 2025 season. He batted .352 with 34 RBI and 8 home runs last year while posting a 9-0 record on the mound with 73 strikeouts and a 0.62 ERA.

Colorado
Mason Scott, Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village)
The Class 5A POY led the Bruins to a state championship while batting .439 with 32 RBI, 31 runs, eight doubles, six triples and two home runs.

Connecticut
Thomas O’Connell, Salisbury School (Salisbury)
Batted .375 last year with 11 RBI and three doubles. He will play at Virginia next year.

Delaware
Jase Mitchell, Cape Henlopen (Lewes)
Headed to play at Kentucky, Mitchell earned all-state honors as a junior and is ranked as the No. 1 player in the state by Perfect Game.



Florida
Sean Gamble, IMG Academy (Bradenton)
Ranked as the top player in Florida by Perfect Game, Gamble batted .333 last year with 19 runs and 18 RBI.

Georgia
Josh Gibbs, Forsyth Central (Cumming)
The infielder made the Class 7A All-State first team by the Georgia Dugout Club while batting .417.

Hawaii
Kaimana Lau Kong, 'Iolani (Honolulu)
Named to the Scoring Live All-State team, Lau Kong batted .377 with 14 RBI and three home runs.

Idaho
Ian Lenius, Middleton
Posted a 6-2 record last year with a 0.30 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 46.1 innings pitched. He also batted .297 with four doubles and a triple.

Illinois
Jaden Fauske, Nazareth Academy (LaGrange Park)
Fauske led Nazareth to a 37-1 record last year, earning all-state honors along the way by the coaches association. He batted .546 with 45 RBI, 43 runs, 15 doubles, three triples and three home runs.

Indiana
Blane Metz, Floyd Central (Floyds Knobs)
One of the top-ranked pitchers in the nation by Perfect Game, Metz had a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts last year.



Iowa
Taitn Gray, Dallas Center-Grimes (Dallas Center)
A first team all-state pick by the coaches association, Gray batted .538 with 39 RBI, 37 runs, 14 home runs and 13 doubles.

Kansas
Grady Westphal, Blue Valley (Stilwell)
A first team Class 6A All-State pick, Westphal went 5-1 on the mound with a 0.77 ERA and 70 strikeouts.

Kentucky
Owen Jenkins, Lexington Catholic (Lexington)
Jenkins earned all-state honors as a junior after batting .467 with 33 runs, 29 RBI, nine doubles, five home runs and one triple.

Louisiana
Jack Ruckert, Catholic (Baton Rouge)
Perhaps the top offensive player on last year's national championship team, Ruckert was the Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association Hitter of the Year after batting .456 with 40 RBI, 40 runs scored, 15 doubles, five home runs and two triples.

Maine
Wyatt Nadeau, Gorham
Nadeau returns to Gorham this year after playing at a prep school last season. As a sophomore, he struck out 45 batters in 35 innings with a 2.60 ERA.

Maryland
Johnathan "Bud" Coombs, DeMatha (Hyattsville)
A two-sport standout headed to Maryland, Coombs was All-Metro by the Washington Post in baseball last spring and in football this fall.



Massachusetts
Cooper Tarantino, Lincoln-Sudbury (Sudbury)
Made the Boston Herald All-Scholastic team at catcher last year after batting .431 with 28 RBI. Also a two-time all-league pick in football.

Michigan
Blake Ilitch, Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills)
Brother Rice came very close to winning a state championship last year. The Warriors could be the favorites in Michigan this year thanks to the return of Ilitch, who went 9-0 with a 0.63 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched.

Minnesota
William Haas, Rockford
Headed to play at Tennessee, Haas batted .397 last year with 23 RBI, five doubles and two home runs. He went 10-1 on the mound with a 0.92 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched.

Mississippi
Jacob Parker, Purvis
Edges out his brother JoJo for best player in Mississippi. He made the coaches association all-state team last year while leading Purvis to the Class 4A state championship game. He batted .422 with 35 RBI, 27 runs, 12 doubles and five home runs.

Missouri
Jordan Martin, Jefferson City
All-state in basketball and baseball, Martin will play baseball in college at Arkansas next year. Ranked No. 1 in Missouri by Perfect Game.

Montana
Nebraska
Danny Wallace, Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion)
An All-Super State selection by the Journal Star, Wallace batted .380 with 18 RBI and five home runs.

Nevada
Tate Southisene, Basic (Henderson)
Named the Class 5A POY in Southern Nevada last year, Southisene batted .576 with 49 RBI, 40 runs, 10 doubles, seven home runs and four triples.

New Hampshire
Brendan Horne, Pinkerton (Derry)
All-state the past two seasons for the defending state champions, Horne batted lead-off and is beginning his fourth year on the varsity.

New Jersey
Julius Rosado, South River
Had a huge year offensively while earning all-state honors. He batted .594 with 14 home runs, seven doubles and two triples with 44 runs and 34 RBI. He also went 5-2 on the mound with 80 strikeouts, a 1.57 ERA, and four shutouts.

New Mexico
Braiden Reynolds, La Cueva (Albuquerque)
Led the nation with 69 RBI and was the MaxPreps POY in New Mexico as a junior while leading the Bears to a state title. He batted .551 with 28 runs, 17 doubles, nine home runs and two triples. Also posted a 10-1 pitching record with 61 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched.

New York
Miguel Sime Jr., Poly Prep Country Day (Brooklyn)
Sime Jr. has risen up the ranks in New York after a strong summer that saw him hit 99 miles per hour on his fastball. Has moved up to No. 1 in the state by Perfect Game.



North Carolina
Josh Hammond, Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point)
Named to the NCISAA All-State team, Hammond was a threat on the mound and at the plate. He went 6-1 as a pitcher with 44 strikeouts and a 2.62 ERA in 32 innings. Offensively, Hammond batted .365 with 28 runs, 25 RBI, eight doubles and five home runs.

North Dakota
Carson Deaver, Minot
Led Minot to the state championship last year, earned all-state honors and went 8-0 on the mound.

Ohio
Zion Theophilus, Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati)
All-State as a junior, Theophilus has Moeller primed for a high ranking to start the 2025 season after he went 9-0 last year with a 0.47 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 45 innings pitched.

Oklahoma
Ethan Holliday, Stillwater
Tabbed by Perfect Game as the No. 1 player in the nation, Holliday could be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, just like his brother Jackson in 2022. Holliday batted .409 with 40 RBI and 12 home runs as a junior.

Oregon
Kruz Schoolcraft, Sunset (Portland)
One of the top pitchers in the nation, Schoolcraft led Sunset to the Class 6A state championship game last year while posting a 10-1 record with a 0.39 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 71.2 innings pitched.

Pennsylvania
Jason Fultz, Cathedral Prep (Erie)
The District 10 Player of the Year was a two-way standout. He went 7-1 with a 0.35 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 40 innings as a pitcher and batted .523 with 39 RBI, 28 runs, 11 home runs and six doubles.



Rhode Island
Patrick Clemmey, Bishop Hendricken (Warwick)
Clemmey hasn't played since his freshman year due to Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss his sophomore and junior seasons. Nevertheless, Clemmey has committed to play at Vanderbilt next year.

South Carolina
Peter Mershon, Eastside (Taylors)
Earned All-Upstate honors last year as a junior when he batted .522 with nine doubles and six home runs along with 21 walks. Ranked as one of the top catching prospects in the nation.

South Dakota
Eli Kokenge, Harrisburg
The summer American Legion tournament MVP as a sophomore two years ago, Kokenge was also all-state last year while leading Harrisburg to a state championship.

Tennessee
Ryan Mitchell, Houston (Germantown)
A past member of Team USA, Mitchell moved up this summer to the No. 1 ranking in Tennessee by Perfect Game.

Texas
Kayson Cunningham, Johnson (San Antonio)
Perfect Game lists Cunningham among its top five players in the nation this year. He was the San Antonio News Express POY as a junior as he batted .437 with 12 doubles, eight triples, 36 stolen bases and 37 walks.

Utah
Cal Miller, Viewmont (Bountiful)
Bashed 11 home runs to lead the state as a junior. He also batted .543 with 41 runs, 38 RBI, seven doubles and two triples. As a pitcher, Miller was 6-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched.



Vermont
Langdon Hazen, Mt. Mansfield (Jericho)
Hazen earned All-Division honors for Mt. Mansfield last year and is ranked as the top player in the state by Perfect Game.

Virginia
Noah Yoder, Atlee (Mechanicsville)
One of the hardest throwers in the Class of 2025, Yoder has hit up to 98 miles per hour on his fastball. He earned All-Group 4 honors as a junior.

Washington
Xavier Neyens, Mount Vernon
Ranked as the No. 2 player in the nation by Perfect Game, Neyens went 7-0 on the mound last year with a 1.35 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched. He also batted .443 with 41 runs, 24 RBI, 10 doubles, three home runs and two triples.

West Virginia
Christian Alter, Martinsburg
A Class 3A All-State outfielder as a junior, Alter also pitched for Martinsburg and led the team to a 33-4 record.

Wisconsin
Ryan Brennecke, Oconomowoc
A four-year starter at Oconomowoc, Brennecke is the top-rated pitcher in the state by Perfect Game. He is headed to play at South Carolina.