All-American Game Biggest Event Ever For Van Engelenhoven

Parker Van Engelenhoven RHP / 3B / Olentangy Liberty, OH / 2026

SOUTH BEACH, Fla. - The Prep Baseball All-American Game received high praise from Parker Van Engelenhoven.

“It was one of my greatest baseball experiences ever,” the junior from Olentangy Liberty said after competing in the second annual event this past weekend. “It was great being around the best players from different states and cool playing in an MLB stadium.”

Loan Depot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, played host to some of the top talented high school players in the nation in the 2025 and 2026 classes. While the 2025 team was a 7-0 winner, Van Engelenhoven, the lone representative from Ohio, had an opportunity to pitch one frame for the 2026 squad.

“I wish I had hit a higher velo than 90, but my offspeed was great,” the ninth-ranked junior right-handed pitcher in the nation said. “My slider was 2,900 rpm and that’s solid for the future. I’m implementing a change and threw it one or two times and my fastball had movement.

“It was a pretty solid inning, 88-90, not what I’d hoped but something to work with in the future,” added Van Engelenhoven, who struck out one and allowed one hit facing four batters in his one inning on the mound. “I faced a righty from Kentucky and I slidered him to death and then the lefties came up. I needed to learn the approach with them.” 

The top-ranked 2026 RHP in Ohio threw 13 pitches in all.

“It was a pretty quick inning,” Van Engelenhoven noted. “All my pitches were moving pretty well.”

Shooter Hunt, Prep Baseball vice president of scouting, saw a lot of promise in the 6-5 205-pounder.

“It is clear that Van Engelenhoven holds considerable projection thanks to a big, wide-shouldered frame that utilized a loose arm to pump in low-90s fastballs,” Hunt said. “The ability to spin a tight, sweeping breaking ball with nearly 3,000 rpm is likely to be the separator moving forward. The Ohio native is a name to know in the midwest for 2026.”

Throwing in relief was certainly a challenge according to the second-rated junior in Ohio.

“I’m used to starting games,” Van Engelenhoven explained. “I was just trying to time it up the best I could, but it was definitely different coming in in the eighth inning.

“The bullpen was hot,” the 16-year-old added. “Miami heat is different.”

It was certainly a learning process for the Louisville commit.

“It was great to be on the mound in an MLB stadium with pro scouts there,” Van Engelenhoven related. “The adrenaline was pumping, so you’ve got to control that. Now it’s about fixing some mechanical errors and adding a sinker to my four-pitch mix.”

Being around some of the other top players in the country was beneficial according to Van Engelenhoven.

“It was great listening to each of the guys from different areas,” Van Engelenhoven explained. “Warming up to pitch, it was fun to watch and to learn the different ways things are done from southern guys to those up north.

“I didn’t know any of them before, but I made some friends like Cade Allen (South Gibson County, Tenn.)  and Briggs McKenzie (Corinth Holders, N.C. an LSU commit). All of them were friendly and you just fed off of that.”

The 42nd-ranked 2026 in the nation, a three-sport athlete up until this year who is no longer playing football, is back in action at Jupiter, Fla., on Oct. 6-9.

“This was the biggest event I’ve ever been a part of,” Van Engelenhoven said. “Now I’m looking forward to being part of more events like this. You don’t get to experience things like this anywhere else. There are no weaknesses in the lineup.”

After Jupiter, plans are to shut down and play basketball before prepping for the next baseball season.

“The main thing will be to get in the weight room,” Van Engelenhoven concluded. “The goal is to add 10 pounds of muscle. I need to get ready for the ProCase and then junior year of high school baseball.”