Georgia Class of 2026 Rankings Update
May 23, 2023
As the GHSA State Championships have ended and we’re ready to begin the summer circuit, it’s the perfect time to adjust the Georgia Class of 2026 Rankings.
As always, the evaluation process is fluid and ongoing with multiple viewings in order to get the best feel for players’ tools and intangibles. It’s important to note that as players continue their development some show marked improvement at a much more rapid pace. That doesn’t indicate that other players got worse or went backwards, it’s just how player development works. As the year unfolds, players make improvements and new prospects pop up on the radar expanding the PBR rankings universe. In addition to the evaluations of players, our scouts, both those in Georgia and nationally, have also had multiple discussions with each other to review our individual lists and then make adjustments based on what we've each seen.
Our rankings are OFP (Overall Future Potential) based, and they aren’t determined by who will be drafted the highest in HS. The focus is on finding the players who will have the most successful baseball career long term, regardless of path. It’s a combination of a player's ceiling and their likelihood of reaching that ceiling. Below are the updated GA 2026 Rankings!
THE TOP-10
| RANK | NAME | STATE | SCHOOL | CLASS | POS | COMMITMENT |
| 1 | Deion Cole |
GA | Etowah | 2026 | OF | |
| 2 | Keon Johnson |
GA | First Presbyterian Day | 2026 | SS | |
| 3 | Bubba Coleman |
GA | Buford |
2026 | SS | LSU |
| 4 | Matthew Sharman |
GA | Etowah |
2026 | RHP/SS | Georgia |
| 5 | Cameron Jackson |
GA | Georgia Premier | 2026 | SS | South Carolina |
| 6 | Ty Tillery |
GA | Morgan County | 2026 | RHP/SS | Georgia |
| 7 | RJ Cope |
GA | Georgia Premier | 2026 | LHP/1B | |
| 8 | Taylor Fuller |
GA | Holy Innocents | 2026 | SS/RHP | |
| 9 | Colin White |
GA | Dominion Christian | 2026 | LHP/1B | Georgia Tech |
| 10 | Connor Langdon |
GA | Westfield School | 2026 | LHP/OF | Mississippi State |
FULL 2026 RANKINGS
ON THE CLIMB
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Ashton Roache OF / Tallulah Falls, GA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 20 / POS: 4
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11, 160 pounds. Although he’s relatively unknown to the US baseball industry, Ashton was a rising name as an international prospect in the Bahamas last year and had multiple MLB teams interested in his services. Just before deciding to come to school in the states for a good education and to play high level college baseball, an MLB team asked him if he’d take a strong six figure deal in preparation for him turning 16 this year. Roache is a native of Nassau, and his dad is a scout for the Cincinnati Reds on the island. A legendary player in his own right, his son shares that same talent. When watching him live, it doesn’t take long to see why. With extremely lean, perfectly proportional muscle and long levers, he’s built like a professional sprinter. When you see him take off like a Ferrari out of the box, on the basepaths, and into the gaps, you realize that this is an easy bet for a top of the scale run tool. Other than his run tool, the loudest current tool he has is the bat speed. It’s currently on the same level as the run, and projects to be top of the scale as well. He’s got fast twitch fibers you rarely see in underclassmen, and is currently the most explosive athlete in the class. What’s most exciting is that he also has high level swing mechanics, the kind you’d see in Rookie ball on the back fields of FL or AZ in Spring Training. The lower half sink, overall rhythm, separation timing, and linear connection are not only natural but extremely advanced for his age. He also showed eye opening pitch recognition on breaking balls, fouling a few off hard down the line. There’s rawness to him defensively, but he gets to balls that no one else in this class can get to. His future top of the scale range and ability to make difficult plays few others can will be another huge selling point on this future impact CF’s prospects. But he’s not just all speed in CF, his rocket arm is currently near MLB average and is a lock in the future to be plus. This is a special talent who already has SEC/ACC schools on him despite only being in the states for one school year. Interested colleges will have to wait until next spring for a real look at him, as he’s spending this summer being developed by his highly experienced father back on the island. Due to this 5 tool potential, Tallulah Falls is the 1st place I’ll be going next spring.
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Reiston Durham SS / Dacula , GA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 19 / POS: 6
5-foot-11 160-pounds. Durham was a member of the ‘21 Junior Future Games team and has made some impressive strides since then. He is now nearly 6 foot tall, and has filled out the frame nicely. He has exploded onto the scene for Dacula at shortstop, and has turned into one of the top players in the class. His ability to hit is going to continue to carry him throughout his career. We were able to catch him against Buford, and he put on a show against some of the top arms in the state. He has gap to gap power, but will also be the toughest out at any line up with his consistent approach. Reiston does not try to do too much, and when he gets his pitch he doesn't miss. He moves extremely well, exploding out of the box to make any play on the ground a tough one for opposing infielders. At short he lets his athleticism take over, and has a very strong arm for his age to make all the tough plays in the hole. Durham is going to explode this summer with his long list of tools.
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Diego Becerra LHP / Cambridge , GA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 26 / POS: 6
Uncommitted. 5-foot-11, 165 pounds. While we got our initial look at him last summer and came away wildly impressed, the mechanical and physical improvements he’s made on the mound in less than a year are extremely exciting. His arm path is now much more efficient, connected to the largest muscles on his backside, and much more repeatable. His lower half has gone from minimal usage to being the foundation and large power source of his delivery. Diego has added a textbook hip hinge that takes pressure off his arm, gets his hips moving down the mound, engages his strongest leg muscles, and fires with his arm path. Don’t get me wrong, the delivery was still advanced last year, but he wasn’t stacking power over the rubber and the arm was working harder. He’s also developed a very nice lead leg block and clears his backside into it with good direction. The results are amazing to see, as Becerra has gone from sitting 80-82 last summer to now sitting 85 for every pitch at our Georgia Jackets Scout Day over the weekend. The lefty has obviously improved strength since last summer, but he’s only at the tip of the iceberg physically. Having a good delivery is key to throwing strikes with consistent life, long term health in the game, and throwing hard. Diego now has one of the best (if not the best) deliveries in the entire class, and we expect him to continue to rise in the rankings to challenge for the top LHP spot as he gets stronger and grows into his frame. But that’s not the only advanced skill he has on the mound, the Cambridge Bear also has quality stuff near the same level of our top 25’s in the state. His 85 mph FB has near edge to edge tail, ripping across the zone straight out of the hand while creating the illusion of ride to hitters eyes with his well above average MLB IVB (18.3 - 21.5) numbers. He’s already painting the pitch consistently to the arm side edge, tunneling his 76-77 CH off it with nearly identical shape until it drops off the table just before reaching the zone. His sweeping CB in the 72-74 range takes a turn the opposite way of his other 2 pitches, going from 11 to 14 inches of horizontal break in the complete opposite direction with late depth. Hitters are going to have a miserable time vs this arm throughout the summer, and we’ll be there for it.
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AJ Rice SS / Pickens, GA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 24 / POS: 7
Rice posted some of the most impressive pitching numbers in the state. He threw 56.2 innings with a 9-1 record, a 0.988 ERA, 83 strikeouts, and 11 walks. These numbers are in the top tier at any level, but for a freshman at a 3A school in Georgia they are beyond impressive. His composure on the mound makes him look like he has been at the varsity level for years already. He attacks hitters, and has a plan. The fastball is 83-85 and tops out at 86. He has more in the tank, and can seemingly run it up to 86 at any time, whether it is the first inning or seventh inning, he has it in the arsenal and utilizes it when needed. He has a cutter that he uses just as much as the fastball at 76-77. This pitch puts everything together for Rice. He can throw it in any count, and he looks the same as the FB out of the hand. It keeps hitters guessing, and makes the rest of his pitches that much better. He has a slider he throws at 75-78. He will flip it over for strikes early in the count, and then throw a really hard and sharp one for strikeouts. It works out of the same slot as the fastball and cutter, so it is just as difficult for hitters to pick up. The change up is going to be a big pitch moving forward. It will continue to develop, and be yet another strong pitch in the arsenal. Rice is also one of the top shortstops in the class. He has all the right actions with a 90mph throw across the diamond. The swing is smooth and effortless. He will be a legit 2 way candidate for the years to come, and will continue to rise in the state of Georgia.
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Maverick Chitwood OF / Habersham Central, GA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 33 / POS: 9
Uncommitted. 5-foot-10, 150 pounds. This is a name who has been talked about for many years in the Habersham County community for his incredible athleticism and ability to excel at any sport he plays. We’re talking about a kid who’s a starting CF/LHP on the varsity baseball team, backup PG on the varsity basketball team, and starting WR/QB on the varsity football team. He does this all while typically being one of the smallest players on the field, and naturally plays with a whole bag of chips on his shoulder. His instincts, awareness, ability to adjust, body balance, hand eye coordination, mechanics, and toughness are all incredible for his age. There’s not a day where Mav isn’t playing a sport, and he’s always in better shape than his teammates that play baseball only. This is a player who is already taking care of his body like a pro, and knows the type of work ethic required to be great. We feel he’s a slam dunk Power 5 talent on the mound and he had an incredible performance vs one of the best teams in GHSA baseball this spring, Cherokee Bluff. He landed 10 of 12 CB’s for strikes, getting 6 in zone whiffs on the pitch. It's a sweeping CB in the 67-70 range with perfect shape and truly wicked two plane depth that gets ugly swing after ugly swing. Although his FB velocity is currently near the 80 mph range, the pitch has a gradual tail and he can paint it to both edges with ease. His CH in the low 70’s turns over like a pancake, with gradual fade that seems to halt just before the plate and fall off the planet. He can throw all 3 pitches for strikes to his desired location in any count. We believe he not only has the best pitchability in the class (and will continue to), but we feel this player will have plus command of his entire arsenal which will put him into some elite company nationally. His delivery is perfectly balanced and sequenced with ideal timing. Mav operates effortlessly with a fluid & deceptive full circle (mid depth) arm action from a H3/4 slot that's very tough for hitters to pick up. He has considerable fast twitch and will throw harder every year as he adds strength. As a position player, he has one of the best gloves in the class with innate instincts, fluid hips, and precise routes he learned to run on the football field. At the plate (.381 AVG, .491 OBP) he shows one of the most advanced all fields approaches in the class with unreal bat 2 ball skills.
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Kaleb Sexton LHP / North Hall , GA / 2026Rankings StateRank: 32 / POS: 7
6-foot-1 185-pounds. Sexton was able to work his way into the rotation at North Hall, and took advantage of the opportunity. We have been able to see Sexton on the youth circuit the last couple of years and he continues to mature and impress with the pitch ability. He threw 48.2 innings with a 2.15 ERA, 47 strikeouts, and 20 walks. We were in attendance when he gave one of the top teams in the state the first loss of the season. He is a competitor, and had the confidence to excel at the varsity level as a freshman. The ability to throw strikes down in the zone and manipulate all his pitches is what makes Sexton successful. His fastball will be 80-82 with arm side run and sink. He throws it down in the zone which results in soft contact ground balls and fly outs. He has a slider and curveball that are distinguishable, and have different shape to keep hitters guessing. The change up is what puts Sexton as one of the top left handed pitchers in the class. It dives away from right handed hitters making the fastball/changeup combo one of the best in the state. The velocity will continue to rise for the hard working lefty. The delivery is spot on, and the frame is projectable. Look for Sexton to burst onto the summer scene with some of the best pitch ability in the class.
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