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Indiana Fall State Games : Uncommitted Juniors

October 15, 2024
Cooper Trinkle
Indiana Scouting Director

Our 3rd annual Indiana Fall State Games brought over 120 uncommitted players from the 2025 to 2028 classes to Grand Park. Both days were filled with talent, highlighted by 18 fastballs at 85-plus, 20 players with 95-plus exit velocities, and 17 sub-7.0 runners. The age of prospect varied greatly at this event, with unsigned seniors, high-ranked sophomores and juniors, along with some of Indiana's best up-and-coming freshman in attendance.  After highlighting the top unsigned seniors, we now shift the focus to the top uncommitted juniors from the event. 

Find the full statistical analysis, HERE.

On the 📈

A group of high-end players that will see themselves rise up the 2026 list after big performances

Collin Marcum RHP / Bloomington High School South, IN / 2026

+ Marcum is an exceptional athlete moving around on the mound with a high-level ceiling and his two-inning stint brought the most electricity of any arm on the weekend. Toeing the rubber with a high-waisted, ultra-athletic, 6-foot-2, 180 pound frame - the Bloomington native pitched at 87-91 mph with his heater to overpower hitters, and the firm fastball was only complimented by a sharp, upper-70s slider that spun north of 2500 and missed bats routinely. I was especially happy to see the slider player firmer, a pitch that has shown massive improvements in just a short 4-week window since I saw him at the Grand Park Fall Championships, and he also teased with a couple above average changeups that played in the low-80's. While the overall command grades out an average clip at this point, the arm works quickly and the delivery is super athletic, suggesting more growth will be had, especially when considering the fact that he is one of the youngest prospects in the 2026 class. 

Logan Johnston RHP / Crown Point, IN / 2026

+ One of the highest-ceiling arms in Indiana's 2026 class - Johnston reaffirmed a strong look at the Grand Park Fall Championships with another quality outing at the State Games. The 6-foot-6, 170 pounder provides pristine projection with the long-levered frame that holds ample room for strength gains that will continue to elevate his mid-80s heater (T 86.4) even higher. The fastball plays with arm-side run and already plays above its velocity due to the fact that he moves down the mound exceptionally well and gains nearly 8-feet of extension, on average. His best secondary is his fading, mid-70s change, a pitch that he was able to routinely command and induce groundball contact with, while he also showed a serviceable slider that played in the low-to-mid 70s. The strike-throwing nature, paired with above average stuff presently, a clean arm on the backside, and a frame that will pack on velocity in a hurry makes Johnston one of the best uncommitted arms in Indiana's 2026 class. 

Kaden Maxwell LHP / 1B Andrean, IN / 2026

+ Maxwell cemented himself amongst the top uncommitted lefties in the class with an outstanding outing on the bump at the State Games. The 6-foot-2, 220 pound frame boasts present strength that helped him run his fastball up to 87 mph, pitching at 83-86 with cut/ride properties, at times. While the heater played better than I've seen in the past, I was most impressed with his ability to spin the breaking ball. Maxwell was able to manipulate shape and velocity to produce two distinct breakers, a true sweeper at 73-75 (1" IVB, 14" HZ) along with a two-plane curveball that worked in the upper-60s and spun north of 2500. His hips work well within the delivery and allow for proper sequencing, and he found more repeatability when working from the stretch. While there is some reliever risk here, Maxwell's strong frame, present above average velocities, and aptitude to spin makes him one of the better uncommitted LHP options in the '26 group. 

Aidan Creasbaum 3B / Hanover Central High School, IN / 2026

+ Creasbaum has enjoyed a really strong fall season, showing bat strength in front of multiple members of our staff at the Grand Park Fall Championships, and showed much of the same at the State Games. The toolset is littered with above average grades, with the hit tool being his best at the moment. The 6-foot, 200 pound frame holds present strength, evident in the way he is able to create bat speed with simple moves in the right-handed batters box, and in the upper-90s exit velocities that he produces. Creasbaum showed gap-to-gap strength during batting practice, with flashes of present pull-side power, and followed that with a pair of hits during gameplay, including a double that he hammered off the LCF wall. While the bat is the carrying tool at the moment, Creasbaum turned in a 6.89 60-yard dash and showed arm strength across the diamond to the tune of 88 mph. 

Kaleb Hacker RHP / Portage High School, IN / 2026

+ Hacker missed bats in bunches in his outing at the State Games, racking up seven punchouts in total. A massive, 6-foot-6, 235 pound presence on the hill, Hacker attacks from a high, OTT slot (6'6" release height) that provides a unique look and allows for his riding, mid-to-upper 80s (T 89) heater to play above bats. The heater is his best offering, playing with 17-19" of IVB, setting the tunnel for mid-70s, 12/6 shaped breaking ball that plays very well off of the fastball and drew chase. The Future Games alum also showed an upper-70s slider and mid-70s change, though thrown less often than the fastball/curveball combo. 

Cayden Stockbridge RHP / Penn , IN / 2026

+ Stockbridge is an arm we've been following closely since he was a freshman, gradually climbing in velocity while maintaing his athletic delivery and clean arm action. Standing at a wiry, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds - Stockbridge showed off a better fastball than we've seen of him previously, working at 85-88 with flashes of carry and above average extension. The fastball should continue to climb, and is complimented by a firm, upper 70s slider and a change that plays with some fade. An above average strike-thrower, Stockbridge is a name-to-know arm for mid-majors with a chance to continue to tick into another tier with a strong offseason of development. 

Liam Smith 3B / Bloomington North, IN / 2026

+ Smith's 6-foot-4, 180 pound frame is equally as athletic as it is projectable, creating one of the more intriguing prospects of the event. The right-handed hitter showed off strength to the pull-side during batting practice, with his best ball leaving the barrel at 99 mph. The swing is fluid and is built for lift, screaming power potential when paired with the strength gains to be had in the long-levered frame. While he shows the ability to play both on both the dirt and in the outfield, I believe he profiles best in CF, an above average runner presently with above average arm strength, too. There is some rawness to the operation at this point, but the frame is one of the more interesting ones in the class and the upside is undeniable. 

More Top Prospects

6 more players that stood out amongst their peers, certaintly meriting a high follow moving forward...

+ A pair of bat-first corner guys stood out again and again with heavy barrels at the plate in OF Hudson Stewart (Center Grove) and 3B Bennett Hartford (Penn). Stewart, a physical, left-handed hitting, 6-foot, 200 pounder grabbed upper-90s exit velocities with a short, direct swing that was able to leverage balls at the front of the zone for loud pull-side barrels. We've seen Stewart produce in game settings throughout the 2024 season and his abilities in the box should garner the attention of mid-major coaches immediately. Hartford walked away as an "MVP" candidate after collecting three hits during gameplay, including an extra-base hit. None of his hits came cheap, reaffirming the 100-plus exit velocity that he posted during batting practice. The swing works on a looser, level plane with his best balls struck to the pull-side. 

Stewart Batting Practice

Hartford In-Game + Batting Practice

+ Two more arms that showed intriguing potential were RHP Ben Pickering (Lafayette Jefferson) and RHP Ashton Castillo (Western). Pickering offers some of the loudest arm strength in the class, reaching 90 mph on his fastball. Pickering was effectively wild with the fastball, and his slurvey, 68-71 mph breaking ball was able to cause hitters to get out on the front foot. Castillo, a 6-foot-2 righty, showed a much different profile with outlier spin metrics. While Castillo pitched at 83-85 with his fastball, his ability to spin two different plus breaking balls helped him carve through his two innings of work. The curveball is one of the better ones I've seen in regards to Indiana '26s, a two-plane offering at 72-74 mph that spun north of 3000 routinely, up into the 3100s a handful of times. The slider was spun with virtually the same velocity as the curveball, but he was able to manipulate shape with it for a true sweeper's profile (0" IVB, 11.7" HZ). 

Pickering

Castillo

+ A pair of athletic, left-handed hitting outfielders stuck out to me in Luke Goben (Andrean) and Dane Dudley (Batesville). Goben boasts an athletic, 5-foot-10, 170 pound frame that holds compact strength. Goben turned in a 6.95 60-yard dash before providing a table-setters look in batting practice, loading early in a quiet fashion before delivering the barrel on a short path to spray liners from gap-to-gap. While the swing is geared more towards a contact-oriented approach, he did show some strength with his best ball leaving the bat at 94.5 mph. Dudley showed off a leaner, more athletic body than we've seen of him in the past and it helped him decrease his 60-time to a 7.05. While the run tool has elevated, the left-handed hit tool is the best tool at the moment. The operation is fluid and well-sequenced and the bat works on an ideal path to match plane. The bat speed is just average at the moment, but strength gains will help to make the swing more impactful. Dudley rounded out a solid toolset with an upper-80s arm from the outfield.

Dudley Batting Practice

Goben Batting Practice

Sleepers

A group of interesting prospects that elevated themselves from this event.