Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

2024 High School Team Previews : 4A Preseason No. 1 - No. 5

March 18, 2024
Cooper Trinkle
Lead Scout

The IHSAA Baseball Season is quickly approaching and our preseason polls have been updated in preparation for the beginning of the season. Read along to find previews on the teams ranked No. 1 - No. 5 in our preseason 4A Top 25.

Find the full 4A Top 25, HERE. 

#1 Penn Kingsmen

Head Coach: Greg Dikos

Class: 4A 

2023 Record: 27-8

Conference (2023 Record):  9-2

Returning Starters/Pitchers: 3/3

2024 Team Strengths:

Pitching (Frontline & Depth) 

Impact Players:

Outlook : The Kingsmen are back-to-back 4A State Champions and enter 2024 as our top-ranked team in 4A. Penn will lean on SR Joe Trenerry and JR Dawson French to lead a strong pitching staff. Both have big game experience under their belt, and SR Chris Pelletier, SO Cayden Stockbridge, and JR Kyler Kaczmarski will add quality depth to a staff full of strike throwers. Notre Dame signee, SR SS RJ Cromartie, will pace the offense after hitting .319 as a junior. SR's Hunter Morrett and Casey Finn are also returning starters from a season ago. Look for JR River Pecina, SO Bennett Hartford, and JR power hitters Einar Fagerli and William Barnes to factor into the offense, as well. 

#2 Mooresville Pioneers

Head Coach: Eric McGaha

Class: 4A 

2023 Record: 23-5

Conference (2023 Record):  12-2

Returning Starters/Pitchers: 7/All

2024 Team Strengths:

Pitching, Hitting, Experience

Impact Players:

Outlook : The Pioneers return tons of experience from a team that won 23 games in 2023, and have one of the most talented rosters in the state on paper. SR Hogan Denny is a do-it-all type player for the Pioneers, one of the state's most feared hitters, that also doubles as the teams' starting Catcher, Closer, and will also see time at Shortstop. Head Coach Eric McGaha will have a two-headed monster atop his starting rotation, with SR Brendin Oliver and SO Hudson Devaughan teaming up to create a dominant 1-2 punch. A slew of relivers, SR's Bryce Brabender, Selby Barton, Levi Dorn, and Kaleb Kestler, will make up an experienced bullpen with Denny retaining his closer role. The same group of seniors in the bullpen will make up much of the batting lineup, as well, and they're all returning starters. SO Tyler Denny and SR Deklan Thompson are also returning starters that are coming off a solid 2023 season. Talented FR Liam Delp figures to mix in to a deep, talented lineup and the Pioneers have their eyes set on Victory Field in 2024. 

#3 Lake Central Indians

Head Coach: Mike Swartzentruber

Class: 4A 

2023 Record: 27-5

Conference (2023 Record):  14-0

Returning Starters/Pitchers: 3/9

2024 Team Strengths:

Pitching (Frontline & Depth)

Impact Players:

Outlook : The Indians are coming off a 27-5 season and return a strong core despite losing a chunk of last seasons' offensive production to graduation. Lake Central should have one of the best pitching staffs in the state, led by Griffin Tobias and Blake Sivak, who are returning with a combined 17 wins and over 90 IP from last season. These two will be a large factor in the Indians' successes and JR's Grant Mercer, Joshua Flores, and Luke O'Keefe will be counted on to step into larger roles. SR's Collin Cirks, Brenden Smith, and Alex Cuevas will all provide the Indians' pitching staff with plenty of depth. Tobias, Smith, and SR's Nick Robinson, Quinn O'Bryan, and Michael Szatkowski will pace the offense in hopes of making up the production that they lost to graduation. JR's Drew Kosteba and Ryder Fernandez both saw action in their sophomore season and will look to contribute on a daily basis this season. Freshman Parker Robinson, the top-ranked 2027 in Indiana, figures to be in the mix, as well. The team has a strong combination of pitching, senior leadership, and young talent, which should help them to be a top team in the state throughout the 2024 season. 

#4 Homestead Spartans

Head Coach: Nick Byall

Class: 4A 

2023 Record: 19-10

Conference (2023 Record):  N/A

Returning Starters/Pitchers: 7/5

2024 Team Strengths:

Pitching (Frontline & Depth) and Experience 

Impact Players:

Outlook : Homestead returns seven starters and a loaded pitching staff from a team that made a semi-state appearance a season ago. Pitching will be the strength of the team, as Head Coach Nick Byall has the luxury of turning the ball over to five different division one prospects. SR Mason Weaver is the ace of the staff, posting an 8-1 record with a 0.88 ERA in 2023, and SR Alex Graber, along with JR's Luke Neiswonger, Luke Riha, and Ryne Michaeloff, round out a deep, talented pitching staff. SR's Jacob and Nathan Bardwell will add depth to this unit, as well. Graber and Neiswonger, along with SR Brady Minnick and JR Johnnie Ankenbruck, are the top hitters on the team with Weaver, Riha, and SR 2B Caleb Bradford adding depth to the offense. This team will go as far as they can hit, as they have the pitching to go toe-to-toe with any team in the state.

#5 Fishers Tigers

Head Coach: Matthew Cherry

Class: 4A 

2023 Record: 19-12

Conference (2023 Record): 10-4

Returning Starters/Pitchers: 7/5

2024 Team Strengths:

Pitching (Frontline & Depth), Experienced Lineup

Impact Players:

Outlook : The Tigers return plenty from a strong group in 2023 and they figure to be in contention amongst the top teams in the state entering the 2024 spring. The Tigers will count on SR Jack Brown, one of the state's top talents, to be the leader of the squad once again. Brown has over 150 innings of varsity experience under his belt, and is also one of the most dangerous right-handed bats in the state, along with the top-ranked right handed pitcher. SR RHP Gavin Kuzniewski and Brown should be one of the better 1-2 punches in the state, a scary sight for opposing teams once playoff time hits. SR's Ben Hammond and Owen Backofen, along with JR Owen Sanders, provide depth to a strong pitching unit. Brown, along with JR SS Huston Dunn, will pace the Tigers offense, one of the best hitting tandems in the HCC. SR Noah McPeek returns after a strong junior campaign and SR Caulin Brown has been a mainstay in the Fishers' lineup, and behind the dish, over multiple seasons. SR's Evan Duran and Kuzniewski, along with JR Trevor Hall, will help to extend the lineup.