Liberty Hill catcher Carson Sharp runs to first base during a district baseball game April 17, 2025 at Liberty Hill High School.

Liberty Hill catcher Carson Sharp runs to first base during a district baseball game April 17, 2025 at Liberty Hill High School.

Paul Knight/Special to American-Statesman

Is baseball the strongest boys high school sport in Central Texas? 

That’s debatable, but it’s certainly in the top three. 

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There’s no shortage of talent in the Austin area, which showed in the first year of the UIL splitting into divisions for the playoffs last spring. Two Central Texas schools made the state championship game and three other programs reached the state semifinals. 

As the 2026 Texas high school hardball season gets underway, the American-Statesman presents its preseason all-Central Texas baseball team. These players come from a wide range of programs across the Austin area and represent all positions on the diamond.

First team

Pitcher: Jordan Andrews, Liberty Hill senior: It’s nearly an automatic win every time Andrews steps on the mound. The Blinn College signee went 11-2 with a 1.52 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 102 innings.

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Pitcher: Luke McBride, Lake Travis senior: A crafty and dominant southpaw, he finished 8-1 with a 1.10 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings. He’s a big reason the Cavs enter the season as Central Texas’ top team.

Pitcher: Cooper Webb, Lake Travis senior: The Texas commit is arguably the area’s top pitcher. He was dominant in 2025 going 8-1 with a 0.79 ERA and 73 strikeouts.

Catcher: Carson Sharp, Liberty Hill senior: Signed to play with Louisiana Tech, he’s the area’s top catcher and is also a force offensively. He tallied 40 hits, including 15 doubles and nine home runs, on the way to a .404 batting average and 38 RBIs.

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Infield: Jordan Benjamin, Weiss senior: An electric playmaker defensively, he’s a major factor to the Wolves making another playoff run. He hit .407 with 28 RBIs, 15 steals and a .561 OBP.

Infield: Connor Comeau, Anderson senior: Signed to play at Texas A&M, he’s also drawing interest from professional scouts. It’s not hard to see why after he produced a .345 batting average with 24 extra-base hits, 34 RBIs, 43 runs scored, 26 stolen bases and a .495 OBP.

Infield: Austin Knox, Westlake senior: The reigning District 26-6A defensive player of the year might be the area’s best fielder, which is saying something in Central Texas. He can also wield a bat, hitting .361 with a notable .504 OBP. 

Infield: Cole Taylor, Pflugerville senior: A Class 5A all-state pick, he only made one error at first base and hit .507 with 12 extra-base hits and 19 RBIs. He keys Pflugerville’s playoff hopes. 

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Outfield: Adolfo Arives, Rouse junior: He hit an eye-popping .429 with six extra-base hits, 18 RBIs and an OBP of .570. Also excellent with the glove, he’s part of a loaded Raiders team.

Outfield: Gannon Plummer, Johnson senior: Setting a school record for hits with 42, he produced a .385 batting average with 36 runs scored, 17 RBIs and a .507 OBP. One of many reasons the Jaguars have high hopes this spring. 

Outfield: Journey Lowery, Liberty Hill junior: Belted out 42 hits on the way to batting .360 with 30 runs scored, 16 stolen bases and a .460 OBP.  Combines with Sharp to give the Panthers a dangerous top of the order. 

DH: Max Satterwhite, McCallum senior: The returning District 24-5A MVP does a little bit of everything for the Knights. He hit .384 with 13 extra-base hits, 34 RBIs and a .513 OBP.

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Utility: Drew Wells, Vista Ridge junior: Arguably the area’s most complete player, who is committed to Tulane, the reigning District 25-6A pitcher of the year had 93 strikeouts and a 1.11 ERA in 56 innings and hit .342 with 10 doubles and 17 RBIs. 

Second team

Pitcher: Blake Cox, Dripping Springs senior: Now the Tigers’ ace, he was crucial to last year’s run to the Class 6A Division II semifinals and finished 6-0 with six saves, 47 strikeouts and a 0.77 ERA in 45 1/3 innings.

Pitcher: Louis Olmeda, Bowie senior: If the Bulldogs make another playoff appearance, he’ll be a reason why. He went 6-2 with a 1.43 ERA and 77 strikeouts.

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Pitcher: Jack Vasquez, San Marcos senior: Talented southpaw is the returning District 29-6A MVP and went 8-2 with a 0.56 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 50 innings.

Catcher: Darek Paiz, Anderson senior: Few run on the Trojans’ backstop, who had a .995 fielding percentage and hit .396 with eight extra-base hits and a .534 OBP.

Infield: Cristian Caro, Rouse senior: An all-state pick in Class 5A, he hit .407 and will feature with Arives at the top of a potent Raiders lineup. 

Infield: Hudson Cuevas, Cedar Park junior: He’s fully healthy, which is bad news for opponents. Missing half of last year with injuries, he still batted .479 with 13 extra-base hits and 12 RBIs.

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Infield: Selvin Garrett, Johnson junior: Texas commit hit .412 with an OBP of .471 and scored 36 runs. There are few who are better defensively.  

Infield: Rhett Peterson, Hendrickson junior: The District 23-5A offensive player of the year led the Hawks with 40 hits and 25 runs scored while batting .392 with a .466 OBP.

Outfield: Cooper Thomas, Georgetown junior: Rice commit is a five-tool player who hit .345 with 13 extra-base hits, 23 RBIs and a .430 OBP.  Probably the top player on a very good Eagles squad. 

Outfield: CJ Hansford, Lake Travis senior: Another reason why the Cavs are the area’s preseason No. 1, he produced a .508 OBP and can also pitch.

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Outfield: Jake Shoemaker, Cedar Ridge junior: Part of a loaded junior class for the Raiders, he’s arguably the best outfielder in District 25-6A. He hit .337 with 19 extra-base hits, 19 RBIs and stolen 10 bases.

DH: Luke Rodriguez, Round Rock senior: An impressive hitter who finished with a .392 batting average, he’ll fill multiple roles for the Dragons. 

Utility: Tyson Mcfarlin, Elgin senior: Whether it’s pitching, hitting or playing shortstop, the Texas A&M-Kingsville signee is one of the area’s most versatile players. 

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