Ironmen Ranked #5 in Small Town Top 25 Baseball Preseason Poll

 Cherryville, NC (WNN) - MaxPreps has released its preseason top 25 small-town baseball poll, and Cherryville ranks fifth. Last season, Coach Scott Heavner led the Ironmen to a 20-8 record and a deep run into the state playoffs. All the starters from that team will return in 2026, giving Cherryville plenty of experience and team chemistry heading into the upcoming season. A team must be from a school with fewer than 1,000 students and a town with a population of fewer than 10,000 to be considered for the small-town top 25. Many factors go into the ranking, including the obvious of last year’s record and the number of returning starters. A few other considerations include statistics on team and individual players, along with school tradition and past performance. Cherryville High School has a long, rich tradition of quality baseball, which helped its ranking despite not winning a state championship last season.

The Top 25

1. Wall (Texas) 31-6 Conference 3A Division 2 State Champions
2. Southern Fulton (Warfordsburg, PA) 25-1 Class 1A State Champions
3. North Stanly (New London, NC) 26-2
4. Gordon Lee (Chickamauga, GA) 40-3 Class A Division 1 State Champions
5. Cherryville (NC) 20-8
6. Deshler (Tuscumbia, AL) 34-11 Class 4A State Champions
7. Brock (Texas) 29-5
8. Centerville (Texas) 29-6-1 Conference 2A Division 1 State Champions
9. Sumrall (Miss) 25-9
10. Coalfield (TN) 30-7 Class A State runner-up
11. Tuttle (OK) 34-8 Class 4A State runner-up
12. Lanier County (Lakeland, GA) 33-7 Class 1A Division II State Champions
13. Okarche (OK) 18-6 2025 fall Class A State Champions
14. Trenton (FL) 24-5
15. Miller (MO) 25-5 Class 2 State Champions
16. Washington (OK) 24-9 Class 3A State Champions
17. Eagleville (TN) 30-7 Class A State Champions
18. Boyd (TX) 35-7
19. Kouts (IN) 27-7 Class 1A runner-up
20. Hiland (Berlin, OH) 31-1 Division 6 State Champions
21. Collinsville (TX) 31-4 Conference 2A Division 2 State Champions
22. Freedom Area (PA) 18-8 Class 2A State runner-up
23. Auburn (Riner, VA) 26-1-1 Class 1 State Champions
24. Lexington (IL) 19-13 Class 1 semifinalist
25. Spotswood (Penn Laird, VA) 24-4 Class 3 State Champions

Three Key Players

 MaxPreps highlighted three players to watch in 2026 for each team in the top 25. The players highlighted for Cherryville are Brock Bumgardner, Talon Dalton, and Parker Anderson. The Ironmen roster is loaded with talent; these are the players the creators of the top 25 poll chose based on their MaxPreps statistics. 

Brock Bumgardner: Class of 2027 (Junior) .339 batting average, 47 runs scored, 58 hits, 50 RBIs, 19 doubles, 1 triple, and 6 homeruns, .463 on base percentage, 8 stolen bases, as a fielder 135 put outs, and as a pitcher 10 wins, 4 losses, 1,56 ERA with 117 strike outs.

Talon Dalton: Class of 2026 (Senior) .347 batting average, 39 runs scored, 59 hits, 42 RBIs, 16 doubles, 5 triples, .442 on base percentage, 20 stolen bases, and as a fielder, 56 put outs.

Parker Anderson: Class of 2027 (Junior) .281 batting average, 59 runs scored, 41 hits, 28 RBIs, 11 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 homeruns, .443 on base percentage, 26 stolen bases, as a fielder 37 put outs, and as a pitcher 9 wins, 1 loss, 1.09 ERA, and 94 strike outs.

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