The ‘Hotlist’ is a series that provides weekly insight into the high school baseball scene spanning the country, curated by Prep Baseball’s state directors who are situated nationwide, with vital intel on the prospects who are in their own backyards. Each week, we’ll publish our ‘Hotlist’ on varying topics that are timeliest to the national baseball calendar at that point in time.

This week’s topic: We're onto Class of 2026 Rankings Week, and it's a good opportunity to share the name of the player who will be debuting the highest on the junior rankings among all the newcomers in each state's board.

+ Learn of our directors stationed nationwide by visiting the staff directory.
+ View which Prep Baseball events are headed your way next at this page.
+ Read about previously published ‘Hotlist’ topics here.

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♨️ The ‘Hotlist’ (9/6):

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Alabama

+ Ford Traweek, RHP/SS (Tuscaloosa County HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Uncommitted. 5-foot-11, 159-pounds. Slim, wiry build with solid athleticism and long, projectable levers. Mulit-sport athlete who is also a talented guard on the hardwood. Another noteworthy two-way prospect who performed well in multiple facets during the workout, including on the mound. Rhythmic right-handed operation who creates significant separation during his load with controlled aggression. Looks to drive to the pull-side with plenty of intent during the swing and did so during his round of BP while showing good bat and hand speed. Also a rangy defender at shortstop with bounce. Also impressive as a right-handed pitcher, sitting 83-85 mph and touching 87 mph on his final pitch of his bullpen. Athletic delivery with fairly low-effort intent and long, loose arm. Spins a tight slider at 71-73 mph with horizontal shape and spin rates near 2400 RPM and flashed a diving changeup at 71-75 mph as his third offering. Plenty of intriguing traits on both sides of the ball for this talented uncommitted prospect in the 2026 class in Alabama.”

– Austin Sharp, Alabama Scouting Director

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Arizona

+ Preston Berg, RHP (Corona Del Sol HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Preston Berg, a right-handed pitcher from Corona Del Sol High School comes in at #14 in the Arizona rankings, made the start in game 3 for Team Arizona at the Future Games and came out firing, with a fastball sitting at 89-90 mph and topping out at 91 mph. Berg embodies projection with his tall, lanky build, quick arm action, and smooth movement down the mound. ”

– Shea Sbranti, Arizona Scouting Director

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California

+ Julian Cazares, RHP (Los Banos HS, 2026) | Stanford:

“Cazares caught the eyes of Prep Baseball California scout Matt Monk by living in the low 90's with his FB and showcasing an impressive breaking ball at the Area Code tryout. He backed up that session with a very strong summer at a variety of different events and then came out on the mound at Blair Field to hit 94 MPH early in his outing and lived low 90's again. He quickly committed to Stanford after August 1 and now takes a meteoric rise up the rankings to 23 and within the Top 25.”

– Steven Hardesty, VTA/N. LA Scout

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Canada

+ Jack Potts, RHP (Saunders HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“From Ontario, Potts jumped on to the scene this summer with a long-limbed 6-foot-6, 170-pound frame that's easy to dream on. It's an athletic delivery with a quick arm and a fastball in the 84-86 range with a 12-6 breaking-ball and a splitter. Now the No. 7 ranked player in the province, look for the velo and overall stuff to continue to trend upwards as he heads into his junior year. ”

– Josh Arcé, Director

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Colorado

+ Jacob Combest, SS/RHP (Legend HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Combest comes in at 6'1'' with a wiry and athletic frame that has produced some fast twitch actions. In past events, we have seen Combest up to a 91 mph top exit velocity, an 82 mph infield velocity, and a fastball topping out at 83 mph off of the mound. Combest comes with quality feel in the infield and could be a pivotal piece for the 5A Legend Titans' program in 2025. ”

– Caleb Dameron, Colorado Staff

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Florida

+ Genson Veras, OF (TNXL Academy HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Veras is an imposing 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. Looks the part of a power-hitting outfielder. 6.8 runner, 95+ from the outfield. Easy power up to 104.5 exit velo. Natural athleticism and strength.”

– Rocco Iervasi, Florida Managing Director

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Illinois

+ Michael Pettit, LHP (Lincoln-Way West HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Pettit is an uncommitted southpaw to know, and he’s quickly proved to be one of the top left-handers in the state just in the past few months. Standing in a high-waisted 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame, Pettit has an extremely projectable frame with wiry limbs. He’s an easy mover with a simple operation, working into a medium/high balance point before working down the mound with a level front side, staying in-line. He hides the ball well in the back out of the glove before firing through with a loose ¾ release. He gets natural sinking action to his fastball, playing around 86-88 mph, topping out at 89 mph in this look - though we’ve seen him up to 91 mph in the past. He’ll also go to a slider at 72-73 mph that flashes tight, sharp 10/4 action, and he backs it up with a sinking changeup in the 76-77 mph range that he sells with arm-speed. Over his two innings of work, Pettit allowed only one run, one hit, two walks and struck out three.”

– Drew Locascio, Illinois/Wisconsin Scouting Director

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Iowa

+ Jett Kamberling, RHP (Tiption HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Kamberling has coupled a strong summer and fall together up to this point; to warrant moving up the Iowa 2026 rankings. The Tipton product threw extremely well in the high school season; almost leading his team to a cinderella berth in the State Tournament. This fall; Kamberling has shown velocity up to 88 mph. He is athletic on the mound, the arm works well, and shows flashes of a quality breaking ball.”

– Rob Allison, Regional Supervisor Upper Midwest

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Louisiana

+ Grant Sunstrom, RHP (University Lab HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“6’4” 180 lbs. frame with long limbs and plenty of projection. The U-High makes his State Rankings debut at #25, after two no-hit innings at this summer’s Future Games. Sunstrom hides the ball well from a lower 3/4 arm slot, which makes for an uncomfortable at-bat, especially against right-handed hitters. His FB sits 82-85 mph with heavy arm-side sink, and he tunnels a 70-73 mph SL well off of it. The uncommitted junior is one of the best follows in the state’s 2026 class, as there are likely some big jumps coming in the near future. ”

– Alex Armand, Louisiana Scouting Director

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Massachusetts

+ Ryan Ruggiero, OF (Winchendon HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Left-handed hitting outfielder with a good feel for the bat. He showed the ability to spread the field at the plate and produced competitive at bats. The foot speed is above average as is his feel for stealing bases. The defense is solid, gets good jumps off the ball and throws slightly above average”

– Dennis Healy, New England Co-Scouting Director

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Minnesota

+ Ryan Hjellming, RHP (Cannon Falls HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Hjellming was a late addition to Team Minnesota for the Futures games back in July and did not disappoint. The right-hander was much more than anticipated with the fastball sitting in the upper 80s to go along with a higher spin curveball. A smaller profile at the moment that anticipates growth and continuing to mature, could make for an intriguing prospect in the future. A big reason why Hjellming went from unranked to number 20 in the most recent 2026 class rankings”

– Andy Judkins, Minnesota Scouting Director

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Nevada

+ Colt Christman, LHP/OF (Arbor View HS, 2026) | LSU:

“The future Tiger has already made an impression on the National scene with present tools on both sides of the ball, putting them all on display at the Las Vegas Top Prospect Games, then shortly after at the Prep Baseball ProCase - West and most recently at the Dodgers Elite Scout Day. The recently reclassed Junior lead a number of key metrics including Top TrackMan Fastball Velocity at 90.7 mph and Top Outfield Velocity at 96 mph. At the Dodgers Elite Scout Day this past week, his TrackMan Fastball Velocity improved yet again, now up to 91.6 mph only to be outdone by his In-Game Velocity running up to 94 mph during a Dodgers Elite Scout Day. This will be a player we expect to make significant jumps up the 2026 National Rankings over the next year.”

– Brett Harrison, West Region Supervisor

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New York

+ Enmanuel Acevedo, RHP (The College Academy HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Standing on the mound at 6-4, 226 lbs. Acevedo has a easy effort delivery w/ a clean arm action through a high, 6-foot-3 release. FB features elite spin & ride through the top of the zone.

FB: 88-90 T91 MPH
2458 / 21.7”IVB / 4.3° Vertical approach angle
CB: 71-73 MPH - 2335 rpm / -6” IVB / -14.6” HM
SL: 74-75 MPH - Sharp 2452 / -7.8” HM

– Joe Walentin, New York Scouting Director

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North Carolina

+ Bo Moxley, 1B / RHP (Forbush HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Moxley has a physical presence at 6-foot-2, 226 pounds, but paired that with nimble feet and soft hands around the bag at first. His BP was loud, maxing with a 103mph exit velocity. He carried over solid barrel feel into game action at the 2024 North Carolina Top Prospect Games, driving several balls to the wall. On top of that impressive performance, Moxley also filled up the zone on the bump, touching 85.”

– Brandon Hall, Mid-Atlantic Supervisor

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Pennsylvannia

+ Braydon Bown, RHP/OF (Palmyra HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Backed up a solid sophomore season (2.68 ERA, 2-0, 2 Saves, .197 OBP, 23 K's in 15.2 IP) with a strong PA State Games. Long athletic frame (6-1, 180). Repeatable, high 3/4 slot with room to add strength.Clean mover down the mound. Attacks hitters early, does a good job driving the fastball down (FB sat 85-87). Breaking ball is late and sharp. Will debut in state rankings inside top 100. ”

– Charlie Spano, VP of Scouting PA/NY

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South Carolina

+ Walker Cox, RHP (Easley HS, 2026) | South Carolina:

“6'5 185 pound frame with tons of projection and present stuff. This long loose athletic right handed arm shows present stuff with plenty to dream on. Throws from a 3/4 arm slot and getting plenty of sink on his FB which leads to lots of weak ground balls. Runs fastball up to 88/89 with plenty more in the tank. Mixes in a SL and a CB while the SL shows the potential to be a whip out pitch. Change up shows good action with big time fade with depth, plays great off FB/SL. ”

– Sammy Esposito, South Carolina State Director

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Wisconsin

+ Gage Honeyager, LHP (Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln HS, 2026) | Uncommitted:

“Emerged as a must-follow arm from the Eastern Wisconsin Summer ID. He has a simple, stretch-only delivery that works into a medium balance point before moving down the mound with a drop/drive lower-half, staying in-line. His arm works long out of the glove in the back before transitioning into a ¾ slot with acceleration out front. His fastball stole the show, playing around 86-88 mph with carry and life that exploded through the zone, averaging 2,633 rpm in the process. His slider showed swing/miss potential with late bite off a 1/7 plane, playing around 74-77 mph with an average of 2,324 rpm. His final offering was a changeup that played with fade and feel to his arm-side at times, 76-79 mph. High-follow arm with a true three-pitch mix.”

– Josh Fields, Area Scout

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