All-RTC4 baseball: Rochester ace Paulik is Player of Year

Val T.
8 hours ago
6 min read

Updated: 3 minutes ago

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

**RTC4 Baseball Player of the Year Carson Paulik**

It was a standout season for two high school baseball teams in particular in our area in 2026.

North Miami won just their third sectional title ever and then followed it with their first regional title. Caston also won their third sectional title.

But our RTC4 Baseball Player of the Year, Rochester senior pitcher-infielder Carson Paulik, did not attend either of those schools.

Paulik singlehandedly transformed Rochester from a mediocre team to an almost unbeatable one when he was on the mound. He went 4-2 with an 0.81 ERA. He had more than twice as many strikeouts (79) than hits allowed (37).

He could throw both a two-seam or a four-seam fastball. He had both a curve and a slider, and he even added a change-up to his repertoire. Opponents only hit .188 against him, and keep in mind that coach Cory Good usually saved Paulik for the best opponents and the most important games.

Baseball remains a sport of muscle memory. It certainly does not hurt to lift weights and be well-conditioned, but baseball is not football or wrestling either.

Baseball is a sport of good habits done over and over again. When you watched Paulik pitch, you realized he was somebody who did not just start pitching yesterday but somebody with polish and a good approach to trying to get batters out.

Paulik also headlines our All-RTC4 baseball team. We would like to thank area coaches for sending us their box scores and updating websites like GameChanger and MaxPreps. Those websites are a necessity, and they help to bring our area a little bit closer.

We would also like to thank coaches for talking to us after games and sharing their thoughts and insights. Having said that, this list is ours and ours alone, and we take full responsibility for it after a long spring of watching games.

We do move some players around to positions that are not what they are most well-known for in order to get the best players recognized.

All-RTC4

Pitchers

Carson Paulik (Rochester) (Player of the Year) – In addition to his pitching, Paulik also led Rochester in homers (3) and RBIs (22) at the plate, and he had a very fine .846 OPS. He was also the quarterback on the football team and the point guard on the basketball team, and his experiences in high-leverage situations paid off for him on the diamond.
Carson Harness (Caston) – Seasons where a high school pitcher strikes out 100 batters are rare and to be appreciated. Harness, a junior with a dive-bombing curve ball, went 6-4 with a 2.60 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 64 ⅔ innings.
Braylon McIntire (North Miami) – McIntire’s stats do not jump out at you, but his toughness and composure under pressure both do. He walked only 20 in 67 ⅔ innings. He was brilliant in the regional win over Monroe Central.

Catchers

Gavin Mollenkopf (Caston) – Mollenkopf, a senior, was just about impossible to get out, posting a .604 on-base percentage and an 1.285 OPS when you combine his 32 hits, 18 walks and 14 hit-by-pitches. He also helped navigate three different pitchers through games – Harness, Logan Mollenkopf and Brodie Howard.
Zakk Parks (Rochester) – Parks hit .341 with 10 RBIs and a .786 OPS, and he produced both in the leadoff spot in the batting order and also down in the order. He also got more comfortable in his second year as a full-time catcher, cutting down on his passed balls and improving his throwing accuracy to cut down potential base stealers.
Jension Carr (North Miami) – Things can be difficult on a freshman catcher as the game is moving much faster and there are so many responsibilities. Carr handled those responsibilities like a veteran, and he’s already a terrific hitter, hitting .376 with a team-high 29 RBIs and a .977 OPS.

Infielders

Brady Coleman (Rochester) – Coleman, a junior, is both a talented athlete and an instinctive baseball player. He has been a leadoff hitter most of his career, but his .979 OPS is an indication that his future is probably at No. 2 or No. 3 in the order. He will also likely be Rochester’s mound ace next year.
Parker Zimpleman (Caston) – Zimpleman was among the top RBI men in the state with 45, and he seemed to get better at looking for a particular pitch and driving it. With the Mollenkopf brothers and Eli Holloway in front of him in the lineup, he was constantly hitting with men on base.
Hutch Martin (Winamac) – Winamac did not have a prolific offense against the better teams on their schedule, but Martin was not to blame. He hit .482 with a team-high 22 RBIs, and he also had a 2.60 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 37 ⅔ innings on the mound. He is also an excellent third baseman.
Quinn Hostetler (North Miami) – Hostetler hit .378 with 12 extra-base hits and a 1.030 OPS, and he is an extremely athletic shortstop on an extremely athletic team. A junior, he figures to get more mound time in 2027.
Hunter Paxton (Tippecanoe Valley) – Paxton hit .317 with an .849 OPS, and he is an asset at both shortstop and on the mound. You should ignore the 1-6 record. His 2.67 ERA tells more of a story of how good he was.
London Herd (Caston) – Herd, a sophomore, took over at first base for older brother Noah upon his graduation and hit .434 with 28 RBIs and a 1.054 OPS. In other words, he is a left-handed line drive hitting machine.
Logan Smith (North Miami) – Also a Class 1A Junior All-State offensive lineman and a state qualifier in wrestling, Smith is not too shabby on the diamond either. He hit .385 and hit five of North Miami’s six homers, including two long balls in the postseason. He finished with an 1.127 OPS.

Outfielders

Ryan Meredith (North Miami) – Meredith hit .404 with 23 RBIs, an impressive total for somebody who hit leadoff in the batting order. He also walked 22 times and had a .533 on-base percentage and a 1.001 OPS. Add in the fact that he was a good defender in center field, and you have an All-State player.
Logan Mollenkopf (Caston) – Like Meredith, Logan Mollenkopf had an impressive 21 RBIs for somebody who hit leadoff in the order. He hit .416 with 15 extra-base hits, 19 walks for an 1.152 OPS, and when you throw in 23 stolen bases, you have an elite offensive player.
Jonas McCuen (Culver) – Jonas McCuen, a senior, led Culver in batting average (.446), hits (25), extra-base hits (9), walks (11), RBIs (24) and OPS (1.215). He could be erratic on the mound, but his 81 strikeouts in 47 ⅔ innings are evidence that he was not a fun at-bat.
Lake Musall (North Miami) – Musall, a senior who played left field in the 25 innings in which he was not pitching, hit .375 with 28 RBIs and a 1.065 OPS. He was one of five North Miami players who had at least 20 RBIs. He also had an accurate throwing arm. He did not pitch as much as McIntire or Hostetler, but he was an important part of the staff.
Xavier Adriano (Winamac) – Adriano saw some time at catcher, but we liked him most as a center fielder. He raised his batting average from .288 to .367 from his freshman to his sophomore year, and he lifted his OPS from a very good .898 to an opponents-need-to-think-about walking-him-with-first-base-open 1.236.
Keaton Floor (North Miami) – Like Carr, you would never guess that Floor was a freshman if you did not see it in the program. He really knows how to work an at-bat, even when behind in the count. He hit .351, and when you add his 26 hits with 19 walks, and you have a guy who gave the opponent no respite at the bottom of the batting order.
Caleb McCuen (Culver) – Caleb McCuen, a senior, hit .383 with a .921 OPS out of the leadoff spot in the order and was a team leader from his center field spot. He also had a team-high 17 stolen bases. On the mound, he had 29 strikeouts in 18 ⅓ innings.