High school baseball: 2023 Preseason MaxPreps All-America Team

Back to our preseason All-Americans, California has eight of the 30 players on the squad while Florida is next with seven and Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois Tennessee and Georgia each have two.
6-5 | 195
The Class 6A state pitcher of the year was 10-0 with 129 strikeouts and a 0.72 ERA in 58.1 innings pitched.

P — Ethan McElvain, Nolensville (Tenn.)
6-4 | 210
A state player of the year finalist as a sophomore, McElvain went 5-2 as a junior with a 1.76 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 35.2 innings.

P — Wesley Mendes, Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
6-1 | 190
Mendes went 10-1 last year with a 1.16 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched. Led Tigers to a Class 5A state championship.

P — Thomas White, Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.)
6-5 | 210
Gatorade State Player of the Year went 6-1 with a 0.21 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched.

P — Travis Sykora, Round Rock (Texas)
6-6 | 220
Sykora has one of the strongest arms in the nation, hitting 100 miles per hour on his fastball. He went 3-0 last year with a 0.00 ERA.

P — Liam Peterson, Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.)
6-5 | 195
Peterson emerged as a force for the Tigers last year during a 26-2 season when he went 5-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 37.2 innings pitched.

P — Charlee Soto, Reborn Christian Academy (Kissimmee, Fla.)
6-5 | 195
Soto is climbing the prospect charts thanks to a fastball that is closing in on 98 miles per hour. Ranked among the top two right-handed pitchers in the nation by Perfect Game.

P — Garrett Baumann, Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.)
6-8 | 240
One of the tallest high school pitchers in the nation, Baumann went 6-2 last year with a 1.62 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 73.1 innings pitched.

P — Dylan Goff, Etiwanda (Calif.)
6-0 | 160
The Southern Section Division II player of the year was 12-0 with 93 strikeouts and a 0.73 ERA in 86 innings.

P — Christian Rodriguez, Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
6-0 | 190
Rodriguez earned all-county honors last year while going 7-1 on the mound with 64 strikeouts and a 1.11 ERA in 44.1 innings pitched. He also batted .355 with 25 RBI and 25 runs.

C — Blake Mitchell, Sinton (Texas)
6-1 | 200
Mitchell led Sinton to the Class 5A state title while batting .465 with 49 runs, 17 doubles, five triples, 52 RBI and seven home runs.

C — Ryder Helfrick, Clayton Valley Charter (Concord, Calif.)
6-1 | 200
Helfrick batted .424 with 12 doubles and six triples last year and was a member of the MaxPreps All-NorCal team.

C — Zion Rose, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
6-1 | 210
As a junior, Rose was the Daily Southtown player of the year after batting .496 with 58 runs, 39 RBI and four home runs. He has transferred to play at IMG Academy for his senior year.

1B — Raffaele Velazquez, Huntington Beach (Calif.)
6-2 | 215
All-Southern Section player who led Oilers to Southern California Division 1 championship, batting .316 with 25 RBI and nine home runs.

1B — Bryson Eldridge, James Madison (Vienna, Va.)
6-7 | 220
Named the MVP of the Word Baseball Confederation as a member of 18-under National Team USA, Eldridge excelled at the plate with three home runs in the tournament

IF — Kevin McGonigle, Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast Catholic (Drexel Hill, Pa.)
5-11 | 185
Named the All-Delco player of the year by the Daily Times, McGonigle batted .506 with 11 home runs.

IF — Roch Cholowsky, Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
6-2 | 185
Cholowsky earned first team all-conference honors while playing for the Class 6A state champion Huskies. He batted .357 with 15 RBI, seven doubles and two home runs.

IF — Roman Martin, Servite (Anaheim, Calif.)
6-2 | 180
The Trinity League co-most valuable player batted .422 last year.

IF — Arjun Nimmala, Strawberry Crest (Dover, Fla.)
6-1 | 170
Ranked as the No. 1 shortstop in the nation by Perfect Game. He batted .271 last year with 14 RBI and three home runs.

IF — Aidan Miller, Mitchell (New Port Richey, Fla.)
6-2 | 210
A member of Team USA U-18 and the MVP of the Perfect Game All-American game, Miller batted .403 last year with 16 RBI and three home runs.

IF — Eric Bitonti, Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.)
6-4 | 215
Bitonti had a tremendous season at the plate last year, batting .526 with 41 RBI, 17 doubles and eight home runs.

OF — Max Clark, Franklin Community (Franklin, Ind.)
6-1 | 190
Clark has already been named two-time state player of the year and is ranked by Perfect Game as one of the top players in the nation. He batted .47 with 41 runs, 32 RBI, eight doubles and nine home runs.

OF — Walker Jenkins, South Brunswick (Southport, N.C.)
6-3 | 210
Currently ranked No. 1 in the nation by Perfect Game, Jenkins batted .527 with 4 runs, 40 RBI, 13 doubles and 10 home runs.

OF — Andrew Lamb, JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
6-0 | 185
Named the Southern Section Division I player of the year while batting .409 for the Lancers.

OF — Drew Burress, Houston County (Warner Robins, Ga.)
5-10 | 190
Burress led the state with 73 RBI and made the all-state team by Georgia Dugout Preview. He batted .486 with 45 runs, 11 doubles and 17 home runs.

OF — William Gasparino , Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
6-6 | 215
Selected to the Perfect Game All-American game, Gasparino could be one of the top power hitters in the nation this year for a Harvard-Westlake team that could be among the best in the nation.

OF — Dillon Head, Homewood-Flossmoor (Flossmoor, Ill.)
5-11 | 180
A speedy fielder, Head could be one of the top defensive outfielders in the nation this year. He was an all-state pick by the state coaches association as a junior.

AP — Colin Houck, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.)
6-2 | 175
Among the national leaders in home runs last year with 15, Houck also batted .412 with 43 runs, 44 RBI and 10 doubles.

AP — Carson Rucker, Goodpasture Christian (Madison, Tenn.)
6-2 | 195
Mr. Tennessee as a junior, Rucker batted .541 with 74 runs, 13 doubles, 14 home runs and 77 RBI.

AP — Gavin Grahovac, Villa Park (Calif.)
6-2 | 210
Named the player of the year by the Los Angeles Times after leading Villa Park to the Southern Section semifinals. He batted .376 with 31 runs, 24 RBI, 17 doubles and five home runs.