Area high school baseball teams have been on the diamonds since official practice began Feb. 16 in anticipation for Wednesday’s regular season openers.

Which local players look to stand out the most during the 2026 season? Here is the annual preseason players to watch list: 

Ethan DeMercurio, Croatan: The senior catcher/pitcher batted .258 with 13 runs, 11 RBIs, two doubles and a home run and was 1-1 with a 1.52 earned run average and four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Harrison Thomas, Croatan: The junior third baseman/pitcher batted .284 with 18 runs, five RBIs, four doubles and a triple and was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 36 innings for the Cougars, who were 8-13.

Drew Barren, Dixon: The senior first baseman hit .306 with 14 runs, five RBIs and a double for the Bulldogs, who were 12-12.

Chris Guslander, Dixon: The senior shortstop/pitcher was second-team all-area at second base after he batted .312 with 11 runs, nine RBIs, two doubles and nine steals.

Nick Lacugna, Dixon: The sophomore outfielder/pitcher was second-team all-area at designated hitter after he batted .327 with 14 RBIs, 10 runs, five doubles and a home run with eight steals.

Trent Leal, Dixon: The senior third baseman/pitcher hit .227 with six runs, 10 RBIs and a double.

Gavin Holmes, East Duplin: The junior utility player was all-state and first-team all-area at third base after he batted .352 with 27 runs, 14 RBIs and 10 doubles and had 17 steals for the Panthers, who were 13-9.

Silas Jarman, East Duplin: The sophomore pitcher/outfielder looks to contribute after he was 1-for-2 in two varsity games.

Sawyer Marshburn, East Duplin: The senior center fielder batted .318 with 13 RBIs, a run and two doubles.

JP Murphy, East Duplin: The senior centerfielder/left-handed pitcher hit .230 with 13 runs, five RBIs and four doubles with nine steals and was 1-5 with a 4.73 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings.

Jack Tuck, East Duplin: The senior shortstop was second-team all-area after he batted .339 with 16 RBIs, 13 runs and two doubles and eight steals.

Jaron Buie, Jacksonville: The junior shortstop batted .310 with 15 runs, four RBIs and three doubles for the Cardinals, who were 15-11 and advanced to the third round.

Kaiden Cox, Jacksonville: The junior second baseman/outfielder was second-team all-area utility after he hit .307 with 25 runs, 14 RBIs, six doubles and one triple and had 11 stolen bases.

Maguire Lewis, Jacksonville: The senior pitcher/first baseman was first-team all-area at first base after he hit .236 with 17 RBIs, 13 runs, five doubles and a home run and stole five bases while going 3-3 on the mound with a 2.92 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings.

Cannon Smith, Jacksonville: The sophomore pitcher/outfielder was first-team all-area outfield after he hit .373 with 15 runs, 10 RBIs and two doubles with eight steals and was 5-1 with a 1.64 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings.

Vasco Sutton, Jacksonville: The senior catcher/pitcher was first-team all-area behind the plate after he hit .410 with 25 RBIs, 24 runs, 10 doubles and a home run with five steals. He was 3-1 with a 2.40 ERA, one save and 65 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings.

Austin James, Lejeune: The senior pitcher/outfielder hit .333 with 12 runs, nine RBIs and three doubles for the Devilpups, who went 2-12.

Grady Mahaffey, Lejeune: The sophomore pitcher/infielder was second-team all-area utility after he batted .294 with 10 runs, five RBIs and two doubles with eight steals. He was 1-4 with a 2.46 ERA and25 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings.

Breadon Martin, Liberty Christian Academy: The junior was a second-team all-area designated hitter after he hit .522 with six runs, three RBIs and two doubles for the Heat, who went 6-8.

Conner Taylor, Liberty Christian Academy: The junior was also a second-team all-area designated hitter after he batted .484 with nine runs, nine RBIs, two doubles and two triples with 14 steals.

Luke Foster, Living Water Christian School: The freshman pitcher/shortstop led the Warriors as an eighth grader in all categories during their first season.

Mason Appleman, Northside: The senior second baseman batted .356 with 11 runs, nine RBIs two doubles seven steals for the Monarchs, who went 3-20.

Austin Butterfield, Northside: The senior third baseman hit .333 with eight runs, 13 RBIs and five doubles.

Kiernan Posey, Northside: The senior shortstop/pitcher batted .295 with three runs, four RBIs and a double and was 0-4 with a 3.82 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings.

Peyton Mayhew, Northside: The senior centerfielder was first-team all-area after he batted .415 with 11 runs, four doubles and three triples and had 10 steals.

Jariel Santos, Northside: The senior pitcher/third baseman was second-team all-area on the mound after he was 1-7 with a 4.56 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings while hitting .309 with eight RBIs, five runs and two doubles.

Tanner Brinson, Richlands: The junior pitcher/catcher/infielder hit .245 with seven runs, five RBIs and two doubles with seven steals for the Wildcats, who went 7-13.

Marlon Machado, Richlands: The senior utility player hit .268 with 11 runs, nine RBIs and four doubles.

Christian Escalera, Southwest: The senior outfielder hit .308 with 10 runs, 14 RBIs and a double for the Stallions, who were 12-10.

Tito Escalera, Southwest: The senior pitcher was 1-2 with a 4.10 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings.

Kannon Huffman, Southwest: The junior catcher was a first-team all-area designated hitter after he hit .529 with 22 RBIs, 21 runs, six doubles and two triples and stole 15 bases.

Cole Jarman, Southwest: The senior third baseman was a first-team all-area designated hitter after he batted .413 with 30 RBIs, 18 runs, three doubles and one home run and was 6-2 with a 1.17 ERA and a save with 61 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings.

Logan Marks, Southwest: The junior shortstop was first-team all-area second base after he hit .403 with 23 runs, 15 RBIs, eight doubles and five steals.

Patrick Hollifield, Swansboro: The senior shortstop/pitcher is the area’s and Coatal Conference’s reigning player of the year and was all-state after he was 6-2 with a 0.79 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings and batted .368 with 15 RBIs, 13 runs, six doubles and one home run.

Landen Jenkins, Swansboro: The senior catcher hit .289 with five runs, 11 RBIs and two doubles for the Pirates, who went 13-8 overall, and shared the Coastal Conference title at 8-2 for their first league crown since 1978.

Zack Phillips, Swansboro: The senior first baseman/pitcher hit .246 with seven runs, 14 RBIs and one double.

Kevin Till, Swansboro: The senior third baseman/pitcher hit .212 with 11 runs, 10 RBIs and eight steals.

Isaac Baxter, White Oak: The junior pitcher/first base/third base, was first-team all-area shortstop after he battled .389 with 16 RBIs, 10 runs, three doubles and a home run for the Vikings, who went 7-13.

Gavin Ramson, White Oak: The junior pitcher/shortstop hit .242 with 16 runs, three RBIs and four doubles and eight steals. He was also 0-0 with a 4.11 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings.

Brandon Watson, White Oak: The senior pitcher/first baseman was second –team all-area at first after he hit .310 with nine runs, four RBIs, four doubles and a triple.Â