VOTE NOW for The Star Press IU Health 2026 Baseball Player of the Year

[ASFN Admin]

The dust has settled on the 2026 IHSAA baseball season, which means it's time for the fans to make their voice heard by voting for The Star Press East Central Indiana Baseball Player of the Year, brought to you by IU Health.

There will be a new Player and Pitcher of the Year this season, as last year's awards both went to Shenandoah senior Collin Osenbaugh. This is the fan vote portion of the Player of the Year selection process and does not determine The Star Press Player of the Year. The Star Press All-Area team, as well as the Player, Pitcher and Coach of the Year will be announced at a later date.

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The poll will remain open until Thursday, June 25 at noon. You may vote one time per hour, per device. For example, if you have a phone, laptop and tablet, you can vote three times every hour — once on each device. Please vote using the poll found by scrolling to the bottom of this page — votes submitted via email will not be counted.

Here's a quick look at the nominees for The Star Press Baseball Player of the Year IU Health Fan Vote:

• Caleb Aikin, senior, Daleville: Aikin hit .517 with a 1.297 OPS, including 15 RBIs, four doubles, two triples and a home run. He was named all-Delaware County.
• McCormac Anderson, senior, Winchester Community: Anderson posted a team-high .425 batting average and a 1.164 OPS. He also led the Golden Falcons with 23 RBIs and three home runs and was their ace pitcher, posting a 6-4 record with a 1.55 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 54⅓ innings pitched.
• Carson Bell, junior, New Castle: Bell hit .258 with 12 RBIs for the Trojans and posted a 3.54 ERA with 73 strikeouts over 53⅓ innings pitched. He was named all-Hoosier Heritage Conference.
• Jesse Benion, junior, Muncie Burris: Benion hit .267 with a team-high .983 OPS, including one home run.
• Thomas Brooks, senior, Cowan: Brooks served as the ace pitcher for the Mid-Eastern Conference co-champion Blackhawks, compiling a record of 7-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 49⅓ innings pitched. He also posted a team-leading 0.975 OPS, was second on the team with 19 RBIs, and hit both of Cowan's two home runs on the season. Brooks was named all-county and all-MEC.
• Ryan Burkholder, senior, Yorktown: Burkholder led the Tigers with a .408 batting average and a 1.223 OPS to go with 20 RBIs and three home runs. He also posted a 5.96 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 24⅔ innings. Burkholder received all-county and all-HHC honors.
• Drew Fredenburg, senior, Shenandoah: Fredenburg led Shenandoah with a .403 batting average and a 1.440 OPS. He posted a team-high 22 RBIs and led East Central Indiana with seven home runs, earning all-MEC honors in the process.
• Quentine James, senior, Wapahani: James led the Raiders with a .500 batting average and a 1.506 OPS. The Grace College signee also logged 33 RBIs, seven doubles, five triples and five home runs, leading the MEC co-champions in each statistic. He was named all-MEC, all-county and the Delaware County Baseball Player of the Year at the Muncie Sports Commission's Delaware County Athletic Awards.
• Fletcher Kahle, senior, Muncie Central: Kahle overcame two ACL surgeries during his high school career to put together a solid senior campaign, hitting .286 with seven RBIs and pitching 36 innings with a 7.00 ERA.
• Everrett Linn, senior, Delta: Linn posted a team-best .397 batting average with a .989 OPS and 20 RBIs as he helped the Eagles win their third-consecutive county and sectional titles. He was named all-county and all-HHC.
• Caleb Luedike, sophomore, Monroe Central: Luedike was crucial to Monroe Central's first sectional title since 2014. He led the Golden Bears with a .468 average and a 1.169 OPS along with 18 RBIs, five doubles and two triples. He also posted a 4-3 record on the mound with a 2.35 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 38⅔ innings pitched. Luedike was named all-Randolph County and all-MEC.
• Trey McIntire, senior, Blackford: McIntire hit .316 and led the Bruins with a .883 OPS. He logged 19 RBIs, seven doubles and one home run, as well as 59⅔ innings pitched with a 4.46 ERA and 67 strikeouts.
• Andrew Schemenaur, senior, Jay County: Schemenaur led the Allen County Athletic Conference champion Patriots with a .409 batting average and a 1.292 OPS. He also logged 22 RBIs and led the team with four home runs.
• Eli Sherfy, junior, Wes-Del: Sherfy hit .345 with a .857 OPS and 11 RBIs and posted a 5.12 ERA over 26 innings pitched. He was named all-MEC and an all-county honorable mention.
• Evan Zentz, senior, Blue River Valley: Zentz hit .423 with a 1.098 OPS and was second on the team with 23 RBIs. He also served as the Vikings' ace, posting a 4.13 ERA with 62 strikeouts over 39 innings pitched. Zentz received all-MEC honors.

Who should be The Star Press IU Health Baseball Player of the Year for 2026?

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Contact Cade Hampton via email at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: VOTE for The Star Press IU Health Baseball Player of the Year for 2026

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