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The end of the fall season gives the scouting staffs at Prep Baseball a chance to do a quick clean of their class rankings.  This week will feature the Juniors in high school, the 2026 grads.  The class expanded to the top 265 players in the state with several players making small moves within the rankings based on what our scouting staff saw this fall season.  Events like the Open IDs and the Top Prospect Games allowed our scouting staff to hone in on players with their eyes and the full analytical package, detailing players strengths and giving some feel for what their future could hold as they continue to develop.

The process of rankings players can be somewhat simple but it does take a ton of time and effort.  For every player the Prep Baseball scouting staff in NC sees, they work to put a player grade on the player and a confidence rating on the grade.  The confidence rating can be related to the number of times a player is seen, and the number of different ways that player is evaluated.  Once ready, the database is sorted blindly, with all player information hidden outside the player grade, confidence rating, and tool grades.  When the data base is sorted by player grade, the tool grades are used to flush out players with similar overall grades.   As the sorting process is finished, the rankings are basically set.  Our scouting staff will go through the list to see if there are any outliers, where the grade may have been off for one reason or another.  As this process is finished, the rankings are ready to post.

The recruiting world of high school baseball players has seemed to slow down a bit.  While the 2025 class is seeing a fairly normal amount of early signing period commits, many came late in the fall period.  For the 2026 class, many schools are in a holding pattern on their high school recruiting process.  They are working to manage the new roster limit of 34, the new scholarship process, and the transfer portal.  Much of the recruiting world will be quarter by quarter as teams work to constantly fill their roster with talent, depth, and balance.  The 2026 class is the first class seeing these changes affect their entire recruiting cycle.  We do expect a ton of attention on the 2026 class through the winter and into the spring as the winter transfer period closes and recruiting coordinators work to get a grasp on the talent as they are able to watch games in the spring, leading to a big summer period.

Below we begin the process of breaking down the top talent in the 2026 class.  The NC 2026 class has a lot of talent, but more importantly, it has a lot of players that have a lot of development ahead of them.  These rankings will evolve and adjust with the first big adjustment period coming after the winter sessions as we head into the spring season. The entire class of 2026 Rankings update, expanding it to the top 265 players in North Carolina, can be seen HERE.

2026 Class Rankings Update

Future Games Continues to Yield Commitments

The Prep Baseball Future Games has quickly become the most exciting event in the country for players and college coaches.  Hosted at LakePoint in Emerson, GA, the top uncommitted players in the country workout and play three games in front of a throng of college coaches, numbering over 350 in attendance in 2024.  The 2024 version of Team NC has already produced twelve commitments with many more expected in the coming months.  As an event, with players from all over the country repping their territory, the 2024 Future Games has produced over 350 college commitments.

Below are the three top ranked uncommitted players from the 2024 Future Games, Team NC.

Charlie Shaver RHP / North Stanly High, NC / 2026 Rankings  OverallRank: 256 / POS: 79 Polished pitch-ability righty with advanced feel for three pitches.  While the fastball / breaking ball combo creates a lot of issues for hitters at the high school level, it is the change-up that could be an instant impact pitch at the next level.

Addison Rowland C / SS / palisades high school, NC / 2026 Rankings  OverallRank: 259 / POS: 25 Athletic, lean, and wiry... It is easy to dream about the prospect of Rowland in the box and behind the dish.  With that said the current tools are impact tools and Rowland will present a future team with a ton of options on how to get him in the lineup early with his ability to play on the infield and in the outfield, along with being a high end catch and throw guy.

Colton Haire RHP / OF / Pro5 Baseball Academy, NC / 2026 Rankings  OverallRank: 447 / POS: 140 Right handed arm with a weapon in his arsenal.  The fastball plays but it is the breaking ball that will contribute early at the next level, allowing the fastball to play up vs. what the radar gun reads.  Another player that could impact the game in multiple ways, schools may want to see him swing in during his first fall to see if the bat sticks as well.

Welcome to the Rankings

The Prep Baseball staff in NC is constantly working to find and review players.  On top of tournaments, Prep Baseball Events, and organizational scout days, the scouting staff also saw over 400 high school games in 2024.  Even with all the coverage, new players emerge in every rankings cycle.  For this update, we are expanding the rankings from the top 250 to the top 265 players in the state.  While this is a relatively small update, we are adding 18 new players to the rankings.  Below are the top 3 players making their first appearance in the state rankings.

Parker Roland OF / LHP / Ayden-Grifton, NC / 2026 An athletic build with length and quickness present.  At the SBA Coastal scout day, Roland drew high praise both in the box and on the bump.  A true Dual Prospect, schools will be working to see where they project him first and if the talent could produce depth to a roster on both sides of the ball.

Trevor Friend OF / RHP / Wake Forest, NC / 2026 A big winner from the Fall Top Prospect Games, Friend flooded the stat sheet, showcasing athleticism throughout the day.  A right handed hitting outfielder, the frame suggests there is more to come with strength and quickness already present.

Jared Lehrer SS / RHP / Holly Springs, NC / 2026 A high level defender, Lehrer has good actions and excellent trust in his ability to catch and transfer the ball with ease. Lean, with more strength coming, the bat will continue to propell his prospects up, as the defensive ability is easy to project.

Previewing the Top 10

There is not a ton of movement in the Class of 2026 Top 10.  The top 8 ranked players remain in the same slot as the end of summer update.   All 10 of the players at the top of the state ranking have committed with 8 committed to ACC schools.  At times, the rankings see a big difference in the player grades at some point inside the top 10, signifying a stable top shelf of talent.  The 2026 class has a very wide ranging talent with players inside the top 20 in range to move past their peers as they continue to develop.

Below is a look at the top 10 players in NC and their college commitment.  You can see the entire Class of 2026 updated rankings HERE.

Full Rankings - Class of 2026

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