High school baseball: Best player in every state heading into the 2024 season

MaxPreps kicks off its high school baseball coverage with a look at the top high school baseball player in every state. Among those on the list include 2023 MaxPreps All-Americans Derek Curiel of Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), Noah Franco of IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and Cade Arrambide of Tomball (Texas).

Players are selected based on a combination of past performance, draftability and recruiting service rankings. No players were chosen for Montana or Wyoming, which do not sanction baseball. Alabama
Carter Johnson, Oxford, SS
An all-state infielder, Johnson led Oxford to a Class 6A state championship while batting .407 with five home runs and 37 RBI. He has a 22-game hitting streak heading into the 2024 season.

Alaska
Coen Niclai, Service (Anchorage), C
Earned Gatorade State Player of the Year honors as a junior after batting .326 with two home runs and 27 RBI.

Arizona
Cam Caminiti, Saguaro (Scottsdale), LHP
The cousin of former MLB All-Star Ken Caminiti, Cam has reclassified to the Class of 2024 after making the MaxPreps Sophomore All-American team last year. He batted .446 with 25 RBI, seven doubles and four RBI.

Arkansas
Slade Caldwell, Valley View (Jonesboro), OF
A force on the mound and at the plate for the Blazers, Caldwell batted .512 with 54 runs scored seven doubles, seven triples and 40 stolen bases. He also had a 7-1 pitching record with 72 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched.

California
Derek Curiel, Orange Lutheran (Orange), OF
Regarded as the top player in the Class of 2024 by Perfect Game since his freshman season, Curiel batted .358 last year with 32 runs scored.

Colorado
Trey Gregory-Alford, Coronado (Colorado Springs), RHP
The 6-foot-5 righthander has emerged as one of the hardest throwers in the senior class, hitting 97 miles per hour over the summer. He had 91 strikeouts last year in just 43 innings pitched and had double-digit strikeouts in seven games.

Connecticut
Gabriel Tirado, Loomis Chaffee School (Windsor), C
The Founders League features a number of the top players in the state, according to Perfect Game. Tirado ranks as the top player in the state and the 20th best catcher in the nation.

Delaware
Nathan Arterbridge, St. Georges Tech (Middletown), C
The Pelican catcher was a heavy hitter last year, knocking nine home runs with 28 RBI and a .346 batting average. Already holds the school's career home run record with 16.

Florida
Noah Franco, IMG Academy (Bradenton), OF/LHP
The top returning player for the defending MaxPreps National Champions, Franco went 4-0 on the mound with 47 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched. He also had a strong year at the plate, batting .320 with 13 RBI and three home runs.

Georgia
Bryce Clavon, Kell (Marietta), SS
An all-state quarterback, Clavon also ranks as one of the nation's top shortstops and is considered a first-day selection ahead of the 2024 MLB Draft.

Hawaii
Jace Souza, Kamehameha Hawai'i (Kea'au), OF
Souza had an RBI triple to give the Warriors the state championship last year. The all-state pick batted .431 with 13 RBI last year.

Idaho
Dax Whitney, Blackfoot, RHP
Standout on the mound and at the plate, Whitney was 5-1 with 91 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched last year and batted .453 with 16 doubles and three home runs.

Illinois
Ryan Sloan, York (Elmhurst), RHP
The 6-foot-5 righthander had 88 strikeouts and a 0.91 ERA in just 46 innings pitched for the Class 4A state semifinalists.

Indiana
Brayton Thomas, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, LHP
Ranked among the top lefthanded pitchers in the nation by Perfect Game, Thomas is also ranked as the top player in the Hoosier State by the recruiting service.

Iowa
Joey Oakie, Ankeny Centennial (Ankeny), RHP
A two-way standout, Oakie had 91 strikeouts and seven wins on the mound with a 1.13 ERA. He also batted .341 with 20 RBI.

Kansas
Anson Seibert, Blue Valley Southwest (Overland Park), RHP
There are few bigger or harder-throwing than Seibert, who stretches out to 6-foot-9 and throws around 97 mph on the fastball. Made all-state second team last year by the coaches association.

Kentucky
Leighton Harris, Frederick Douglass (Lexington), LHP
Injured as a junior and missed entire 2023 season. The lefty had 38 strikeouts as a sophomore and has signed with Kentucky.

Louisiana
Landon Victorian, Barbe (Lake Charles), RHP
The MaxPreps National Junior Player of the Year in 2023, Victorian has a 39-1 record over the past three seasons. He went 8-0 in leading Barbe to its 12th state championship last year with a 0.97 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 50.1 innings pitched.

Maine
Drew Smith, Edward Little (Auburn), RHP
A varsity pitcher since his freshman year, Little struck out 67 batters in 42 innings as a sophomore and 68 batters in 44.2 innings as a junior.

Maryland
Jake Yeager, Archbishop Spalding (Severn), RHP
Yeager was part of a pitching staff that had five Division I arms last year but he still managed to go 4-1 with 47 strikeouts and a 1.00 ERA in 35 innings pitched.

Massachusetts
Maverick Rizy, Worcester Academy (Worcester), RHP
One of the tallest pitchers in the nation, the 6-9 Rizy played for Team USA 18U last summer.

Michigan
Caleb Bonemer, Okemos, SS
Made the coaches association Dream Team while batting .541 with 35 RBI and eight home runs.

Minnesota
Riley Leatherman, Wayzata (Plymouth), RHP
The righthander earned all-section honors by the state coaches association as a junior.

Mississippi
Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep (Jackson), OF/RHP
One of the nation's top two-way players, Griffin went 7-1 on the mound for the MAIS Class 6A champions with 81 strikeouts and a 1.38 ERA in 50.2 innings pitched. He also batted .537 with eight home runs, 43 runs and 30 RBI.

Missouri
Trey Snyder, Liberty North (Liberty), SS
Snyder is a two-sport standout for the Eagles as he also had six interceptions for the football team. He was an all-state shortstop last year for the Class 6 state champions.

Nebraska
Tyson Lewis, Millard West (Omaha), SS
An All-Super State player last year, Lewis led the state in base hits with 58 and stolen bases with 41. He batted .460 for the state runners-up with 37 RBI, 37 runs, 11 doubles and two home runs.

Nevada
Ty Southisene, Basic (Henderson), SS
One of four brothers to play for the Wolves, Southisene earned all-state honors last year while batting .460 with 41 runs scored 11 doubles and 22 RBI.

New Hampshire
Aiden O'Connell, Bedford, LHP
The MaxPreps Player of the Year for New Hampshire as a junior, O'Connell went 6-1 with 65 strikeouts in 33 winnings pitched. He also batted .453 with four home runs.

New Jersey
Ryan Costello, Ranney (Tinton Falls), 1B
Costello ranks among the nation's top first basemen after batting .409 with four home runs last year.

New Mexico
Zachary Kmatz, Sandia (Albuquerque), RHP
Kmatz saw a lot of action on the hill last year, pitching 71 innings and posting a 1.58 ERA. He struck out 61 batters and walked just 20 of the 293 batters he faced.

New York
Owen Paino, Ketcham (Wappingers Falls), SS
The player of the year by the Poughkeepsie Journal, Paino led Ketcham to a Class AA state championship and batted .425 with 35 RBI.

North Carolina
Cameron Seagraves, Grace Christian (Sanford), RHP
Pitching for Richmond (Rockingham) last year, Seagraves struck out 87 batters in 48 innings.

North Dakota
Drew Rerick, Fargo Davies (Fargo), RHP
The 6-5 righthander has hit 97 mph on his fastball this summer, putting him among the elite pitchers in the nation. He has committed to play at Texas A&M.

Ohio
Brayden Krenzel, Dublin Jerome (Dublin), RHP
A three-sport athlete and the son of former Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel, Brayden has signed to play baseball at Tennessee.

Oklahoma
Carson Wiggins, Roland, RHP
A standout in basketball and baseball, Wiggins (6-5) has hit as high as 99 mph on his fastball in the past year.

Oregon
Ryan Vandenbrink, West Linn
In addition to being recognized as the state's top baseball player, Vandenbrink earned all-state honors as a linebacker in football. Plays catcher on West Linn's back-to-back state championship baseball teams.

Pennsylvania
Tegan Kuhns, Gettysburg, RHP
One of the top strikeout pitchers in the state, Kuhns fanned 61 batters in just 29 innings pitched last year while posting a 4-2 record with a 1.21 ERA.

Rhode Island
Griffin Crain, Bishop Hendricken (Warwick), OF
A hockey standout as well, Crain was the Division I player of the year in baseball as a junior and earned All-American Gold Glove honors by ABCA/Rawlings as an outfielder.

South Carolina
P.J. Morlando, Summerville, OF
Made the state coaches association all-state team last year after batting .463 with six home runs, seven doubles, 28 runs and 19 RBI.

South Dakota
Nathan Motl, Lincoln (Sioux Falls), INF
A middle infielder who earned all-state honors last year as a junior.

Tennessee
Tomas Valincius, Baylor (Chattanooga), LHP
Made the Tennessee Baseball Report All-State team while batting .486 with 30 runs, 41 RBI, 14 doubles and 10 home runs.

Texas
Cade Arrambide, Tomball, C
Made the state coaches association's all-state team last year after batting .543. Ranked as the No. 2 catcher in the nation by Perfect Game.

Utah
Zach Edwards, Riverton, P/UT
Does a little bit of everything as a pitcher and utility at Riverton. He batted .402 with 34 runs, 28 RBI and 13 doubles. He also had a 4-1 record on the mound with 48 strikeouts.

Vermont
Wyatt Wolpert, Rice Memorial (South Burlington), LHP
An all-conference selection as an outfielder, Wolpert will also be one of the state's top lefthanded pitchers in 2024.

Virginia
Dalton Wentz, Amherst County (Amherst), SS
A 6-2 shortstop, Wentz batted .360 last year with four home runs. He earned all-state honors in Group 4 as a junior.

Washington
Zach Swanson, Toutle Lake (Toutle), RHP
Currently making his mark on the hardwood for the Fighting Ducks but he could end up as a high draft pick come July. He ranks as one of the hardest throwers in the nation with a 94 mph fastball.

West Virginia
Christopher Hartley II, Cameron, RHP
Hartley has led Cameron to back-to-back Class A state championships. A righthanded pitcher, he has struck out 138 batters in his 79 innings of varsity ball. He also has batted .424 with nine home runs in three seasons on the varsity.

Wisconsin
Jack Detienne, Verona, RHP
Touches 93 mph on his fastball and is ranked by Perfect Game as the top overall player in the state. Had a 1.08 ERA as a junior.