2026 Class Rankings Update: Summer Edition
September 6, 2023
The summer is over and school is back in session which means the 2026 class are now heading into their sophomore campaigns. The class is flooded with high-end talent as well as plenty of prospects that show the type of projectability that could see their stock rise in the coming years. After a busy summer that saw a record number of players heading to events and tournaments from the Natural State, we update the rankings and expand the list to 80 players. Today we take a look with breakdowns on this update's Top 10 and will continue to provide more analysis in the coming months on the rest of the class as it starts to round into form.
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THE TOP 10
| RANK | NAME | STATE | SCHOOL | CLASS | POS | COMMITMENT |
| 1 | Keaton Mathis | AR | Valley View | 2026 | C | Arkansas |
| 2 | Marcus Bates | AR | Benton | 2026 | SS | Arkansas |
| 3 | Owen Roach | AR | Valley View | 2026 | OF | |
| 4 | Shaun Cover | AR | Conway | 2026 | 3B | |
| 5 | Bowman Stein | AR | Little Rock Catholic | 2026 | OF | |
| 6 | Owen Davenport | AR | Conway | 2026 | LHP | |
| 7 | Madden Tatum | AR | Valley View | 2026 | OF | |
| 8 | Levi Martin | AR | Pocahontas | 2026 | RHP | |
| 9 | Parker King | AR | Valley View | 2026 | OF | Memphis |
| 10 | William Svoboda | AR | Pulaski Academy | 2026 | RHP |
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Keaton Mathis C / RHP / Valley View , AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 1 / POS: 1
The Razorbacks commit remains at the top spot in the rankings in this update as one the better backstops in the country that shows high skill levels on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Mathis shows advanced transfer skills with aggressive footwork out of the crouch and throws showing strong carry and accuracy to the bag. Offensively, the right handed hitter has a balanced swing with a simple approach that allows him to show above average gap power with more in the tank for the future. The defense is the carrying tool right now for Mathis but don't be surprised to see the bat continue to make big jumps in the near future.
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Marcus Bates SS / Benton, AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 2 / POS: 1
The physical infielder and Arkansas commit remains in the number 2 spot in this rankings update. Bates has a smoothness in his defensive work that plays up at a higher level and should remain on the left side of the infield in the future. At the plate he shows a loose and rhythmic swing and shows the ability to work the ball to all fields with ease. With his long and lean build currently, the power could start to show up at higher rates in the future as he continues to add strength.
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Owen Roach OF / RHP / Valley View, AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 3 / POS: 1
Roach sees a big jump in the rankings moving all the way up to number three on the list after showing explosive tools at the East Arkansas Open this past summer. The outfielder checks a lot of boxes running a 6.88 in the 60 and showing big arm strength from the outfield topping out at 89 mph. At the plate Roach uses quick hands and strong rotation around the core to generate exit velocities up to 93.6 mph. Roach will even provide some upside on the mound where the right-hander works the fastball in the low 80's making him an intriguing potential 2-way prospect to follow.
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Shaun Cover 3B / 3B / Conway, AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 4 / POS: 1
Cover is coming off an impressive showing at the Future Games where the third baseman showed off big metrics on the big stage. The right-handed hitter reached exit velocities up to 95.3 mph but it was his average exit velocity of 89.6 mph that really caught some attention. He uses above average hand speed and excellent rotation in the swing to get the barrel up and moving very quickly. Cover can also jump onto the mound and shows future power arm potential with the ability to work the fastball in the mid to upper 80's with driving life through the zone and showing a developing feel for shaping the breaking ball.
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Bowman Stein OF / Little Rock Catholic, AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 5 / POS: 2
Stein checks in at number 5 on the rankings list as one of the more physical left-handed bats in the state regardless of class. Stein uses his advanced bat speed and hand strength to drive balls with exit velocities into the upper 90's. Even with how violent the swing can be at times, Stein does a strong job of maintaining balance throughout the swing giving him true power potential in the future. Running a 7.04 in the 60, Stein showed some athleticism in the outfield and shows above average arm strength for the class running it up to 85 mph.
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Owen Davenport LHP / OF / Conway, AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 6 / POS: 1
The left-hander from Conway is starting to see some jumps in the velocity over where we saw him this Spring earning him the 6th spot on the list in this update. The 6-foo-1 and 175-pound southpaw ran the fastball up to 85 mph back in June at the PBR Showdown at Lakepoint, that when combined with his high end pitchability, makes him an intriguing prospect to follow. Davenport proved in the Spring that he is able to miss bats at a high rate and with the added velocity in the left arm it should only continue to give hitters fits in the box for the coming years.
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Madden Tatum OF / SS / Valley View, AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 7 / POS: 3
Tatum is another intriguing 2-way prospect from Valley View in the class checking in at number 7 on the list after a strong showing at this past summer's Future Games. The INF/OF had one of the more impressive rounds of BP from any 2026 at the event registering exit velocities up to 98.4 mph and an impressive average of 88.4 throughout both rounds. Standing at a lean 6-foot-3 and 170-pounds, the left-handed hitter uses his natural leverage to his advantage with a smooth and balanced stroke. He can showcase a strong enough arm to maintain his spot on the left side of the infield in the future and shows strong bounce with lateral range. On the mound Tatum also will show some upside where he has already seen the fastball work up into the mid to upper 80's and shows tight spinning action on the breaking ball with strong shape.
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Levi Martin RHP / 3B / Pocahontas, AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 8 / POS: 1
The right-hander from Pocahontas checks in at number 8 on the list as he continues to show well on the bigger stages. Martin has an athletic delivery with quick hand speed that has shown the ability to work the fastball in the mid 80's with heavy arm side running action. He pairs the fastball nicely with a heavy curveball with strong depth and action and feel for spin out of the hand. The changeup has nice fading shape and kills the spin efficiently giving him a potential starter's profile at the next level with added strength.
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Parker King OF / RHP / Valley View , AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 9 / POS: 4
The Memphis commit stakes his claim in the rankings at number 9 on the list as one of the top athletes in the class. King has already shown elite speed in his young career running a 6.65 60 this past winter and shows an athletic swing with a line drive approach and level path. Defensively he has enough arm strength to pair with his speed making him an intriguing potential center field prospect to follow in the future.
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William Svoboda RHP / OF / Pulaski Academy, AR / 2026Rankings StateRank: 10 / POS: 2
Svoboda showed off his high end potential in our looks at him this summer to round out our top 10 for the 2026 class. The Pulaski Academy prospect showed a fastball that worked up to 86 mph which from his 6-foot-3 and 180-pound frame is impressive, it was the shape and spin on the breaking balls that really caught our attention. Svoboda shapes the breaking ball nicely with strong depth and action with spin rates in the mid 2500's in the past. With his size and jumps he's already started taking, don't be surprised to see his stock rise in the future as he continues to add strength and experience on the mound.
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