Prep Baseball KY 2025 Pitcher of the Year Watchlist

March 27, 2025
Jamie Tessoff | Wil Hannah | Carter Floyd
KY Scouting Director | KY Assistant Scouting Director | KY Social Media Director

The time has come to preview our 2025 Pitcher of the Year candidates! This award is given to the top performer on the mound among the senior class across the Bluegrass State. With yet another stacked class of prospects, it was difficult to choose just five to preview! Check out five seniors below with an opportunity for an incredible KHSAA season.

Kaine Samuels RHP/1B | Ballard High School

Rankings StateRank: 9 / POS: 5

Kicking off the watchlist today is the physical anchor of an absurd Ballard rotation in 2025 Kaine Samuels. The veteran two-way has turned into one of the most physically threatening arms in the state and is set to continue his dominance this season in a ridiculously tough 7th Region, featuring three of the top ten teams in the state. Samuels committed to Western Kentucky University last June, and the wheels remained turnings as he continued to gain strength and experience over the fall/winter offseason, having fully filled out a monster 6'7" 230lb frame. After working the FB at 85-87mph and topping at 88mph last July at Lakepoint's 17U National Championships, Samuels has now pushed the FB comfortably into the 90s, reaching 91.6mph at our Preseason All-State showcase in a fantastic bullpen. The physical righty rounds out his four pitch mix with an 80-82mph SL with tight movement, an 80-82mph late breaking CH and a 79-83mph CT. The RHP/1B is a competitor at the plate as well, with an exit velocity up to 94.6mph, hand speed of 23.1mph and bat speed of 70.6mph. Samuels hit .439 last season for Ballard, totaling 43 H, 30 R, 36 RBI, 13 XBH including 5 HR, and 11 BB. While the offense is a massive upside, it's Samuels' presence on the mound that is an absolute nightmare for hitters across the state. The 6'7" 230lb righty has been an immense contributor to the Bruins' rotation since his sophomore year, picking up nearly 100 combined innings of varsity experience during those two seasons. In 2023, Samuels totaled 47.2 IP, recording 52 strikeouts and a 2.06 ERA while allowing just 10 walks on his way to a 7-1 record. This past season for the Bruins, he went 50.2 IP with a 7-1 record again, this time boosting the strikeout count to 71 while allowing just 14 earned runs for a 1.93 ERA. The Ballard rotation is simply insane this season, with three additional senior arms in CIF/RHP Kevin Moore, LHP/OF Lucas Niemeyer, and LHP/1B Zeke House, who, with Samuels, all combined for a 27-4 record and 1.93 ERA. Samuels is shaping up to lead this insane rotation, as the WKU commit who is receiving legitimate MLB draft looks could manage to push the Bruins over the hump and get them to Lexington this June.

Dylan McIntyre RHP/3B | Larry A. Ryle High School

Rankings StateRank: 6 / POS: 3

A household name in the Prep Baseball KY circuit since 2021, the KY staff has watched McIntyre develop into truly one of the most lively arms in the state. A participant in both the 2023 Future Games and 2024 Senior Future Games, the 6'1" 190lb two-way pitches with a low pulse and has one of the highest ceilings of any arm across the Commonwealth. The highly projectible righty committed to the strong San Jacinto JC program back in November, and has been receiving frequent MLB draft looks recently with a definite chance to hear his name called in Atlanta this upcoming July. The RHP/3B is a competitor at the plate in addition to his dominance on the mound. With a 95.0mph exit velocity, 73.2mph bat speed and impressive 27.1mph hand speed, McIntyre helped anchor the Ryle High School offense last season. Mcintyre thrives even more on the mound and caught nationwide attention with the arm last summer, cracking the top 10 overall FB velocities from the full Senior Future Games roster with a 92.1mph heater and a ridiculous spin rate just shy of 2500. After continuing to put in the work over the offseason, McIntyre stepped on the mound at our Preseason All-State event and ran the fastball up to 93.3mph with strong arm side run. Complementing the FB is an 81-84mph hard breaking SL with a spin rate up to 2630rpm, an 85-87mph sweeping CH, and an 84-85mph late breaking CT. McIntyre led the entire event in the velocity categories for the offspeed pitches, and that comes with no sacrifice of movement as they all baffle hitters everywhere. This is evidenced by a ridiculous 85 Ks through just 57.2 IP last season in the Ryle rotation, limiting 9th Region hitters to just 15 ER for a 1.82 ERA and a 6-0 record. McIntyre has had just one outing so far this season, totaling 4.0 strong innings against the top ranked Trinity High School. The righty allowed just 1 ER and 5 Ks against the Shamrocks' dangerous lineup in a no decision during his first start. After losing a large majority of last year's innings to transfers or graduation, look for McIntyre to really step up this season and lead the Raider rotation in what is looking to be a phenomenal year for the righty.

Ryan Sanders RHP/OF | North Oldham High School

Rankings StateRank: 32 / POS: 12

Next up on the list of Pitcher of the Year candidates is the senior two-way out of North Oldham. Sanders is truly one of the most exciting arms to follow going into this year for the KY staff, as the 6'3" 195lb RHP/OF missed most of the 2024 season due to injury. The recent Wabash Valley JC commit has absolutely put in the work during his time recovering and is finally getting his time to shine in 2025. Sanders caught everyone's attention just a few weeks ago at our Preseason All-State showcase, his first Prep Baseball KY appearance in a full calendar year. The physical righty topped out at 91.4mph on the fastball from a towering and near vertical arm slot, with an impressive spin rate nearing 2500rpm and a ridiculous 23.0in of induced vertical break to lead all upperclassmen at the event. Sanders features a 77-78mph curveball, 80-81mph late breaking changeup and a 77-80mph splitter with late sink and almost -6in of horizontal movement. The RHP/OF was certainly one of the biggest winners of the event and might have even put himself on potential draft boards. A true two-way in the North Oldham lineup, Sanders is a strong middle of the order bat and will hold down the corner outfield when not on the mound. It has been a long journey for the righty to get to this point on the mound, as Sanders has held a big role in the Mustang rotation for years. As a freshman, Sanders allowed just 5 ER in 39.1 IP for a team leading 0.89 ERA as well as a perfect 5-0 record, incuding a gritty complete game, 3 hit, 1 run win in the 8th Region semifinals that caught the eyes of the KY staff for the first time. As a sophomore, Sanders led the staff with 49.1 IP and 48 Ks. In his shortened junior season, he picked up a dominant 41 Ks through 23.2 IP in 4 starts before being shut down. Through just 2 starts and 9.2 IP this year, Sanders has recorded 22 Ks and just 1 ER in a great start to his senior campaign. This season is shaping up to be a special one for Sanders and the Mustangs as he is fully healthy, has filled out his 6'3" 195lb frame, and has become a nightmare for hitters across the 8th Region and the rest of the Bluegrass State.

Eli Baker RHP/3B | Lyon County High School

Rankings StateRank: 23 / POS: 11

Another incredibly fun arm to watch is Eli Baker as the senior two-way out of the western part of the state finds himself on our Pitcher of the Year watchlist. Baker is not the type of prospect that will post the same type of frightening velocities or staggering metrics as some of the other candidates, but is certainly just as effective on the mound. The 6'3" 190lb righty committed to Radford University just over a year ago, making him one of five college commits on a talented Lyon County squad that reached #2 in the preseason rankings. Baker up to a very competitive 86mph fastball with spin rates nearing 2300rpm, as well as a 71-74mph curveball with solid 12-6 action, 71-73mph slider, and a 76-78mph running changeup. A very smooth and controlled delivery, fantastic command on the fastball and great feel for the breaking balls is what sets Baker ahead of the competition and gives him the certainty to compete at the next level. Another true two-way, the athletic RHP/3B led the Lions' offense last season with 34 H, as well as contributing 29 R, 17 RBI, 18 XBH, 13 BB and 15 SB with a .337 AVG. Baker is a seasoned veteran on the mound in the Lyon County rotation, pitching in 50 innings each of his first three seasons. As a freshman, Baker went 49.1 IP with 51 K and just 12 BB, giving up just 11 ER for a 1.56 ERA with a 6-3 record. The young righty continued the success into his sophomore campaign where he totaled 50.0 innings, boosting the record to 7-1 and striking out 57, all while allowing just 7 ER for a team leading 0.98 ERA. Last season, Baker really settled in to his role as the ace of the Lyon County squad with 10 starts, totaling 55.1 IP with a big jump to 73 strikeouts, still allowing just 10 ER for a 1.27 ERA. The two-way has quietly been producing one of the best high school pitching careers in the state, as this season especially is shaping up to be a dominant one for the Lions with Baker as the lead arm. Backed by three irreplacable seniors in Mississippi State commit RHP/OF John Bingham, Western Kentucky commit RHP Peyton Williams, and crafty LHP Brady Belt, Baker has the chance to lead the Lions to a deep postseason run in June.

Jack Willhite LHP/OF | Scott County High School

Rankings StateRank: 34 / POS: 3

Wrapping up the Pitcher of the Year watchlist today is the lefty two-way out of Scott County, as senior Jack Willhite is currently ranked as the #3 overall LHP in the 2025 class. The crafty southpaw committed to the University of Evansville last summer after three years of dominance on the mound for the Cardinals. Another arm who won't stand out in a crowd when it comes to velocity, Willhite is simply a true competitor who attacks every hitter that steps in the box, and it has led him to a great deal of success for years. With a max fastball velocity of just 84.4mph, the 5'10" 160lb lefty proves there's a whole lot more to pitching than just strength and velocity. At the 2023 Future Games, the young Willhite thrived against some of the best hitters in the country with a wicked 12-6 curveball at 71-74mph and a late sweeping changeup at 76-79mph. The KY staff has been arguably more impressed with Willhite's success than anyone else's due to the fact that he manages to beat nearly everyone who faces him, without physically overpowering anyone. This southpaw is a no doubt nightmare for hitters across the 11th Region, and he is certainly capable of suffocating the Missouri Valley Conference bats in the next few years. In addition to nasty movement on the breaking ball and changeup, a huge part of Willhite's success comes from great command of the zone that has been crafted throughout his high school career. The lefty has held an essential role in the Cardinal rotation since his freshman year, when he totaled an impressive 46.1 IP with 52 Ks, 16 ER and just 18 BB in 7 starts. In 2022, Willhite picked up right where he left off the year before, recording 9 starts and 47.2 IP, this time boosting the strikeout count to a stellar 77 and limiting the walks down to 12, all while allowing just 7 earned runs for a team low ERA of 1.03 during his sophomore campaign. Last season, the LHP threw 43.1 innings, striking out 65 with an ERA of 1.45 to comfortably lead the Cardinals' pitching staff. In just the first week of his senior campaign, Willhite is off to a fitting start with 10.2 IP and an outstanding 22 Ks with just 1 BB. Look for the 5'10" 160lb southpaw to continue his dominance for a potential Pitcher of the Year winning season, and maybe even a trip to Lexington if Scott County can put together enough pieces to make it out of an always-dangerous 11th Region.