When you're the top-ranked high school baseball player in the state, you don't just have a game plan for the diamond—you have one for life. Carter Shouse, a sophomore standout for Bishop Fenwick High School, is proving that preparation and talent go hand in hand.
Ranked No. 1 in Ohio's Class of 2028, Shouse is a rare two-way threat: a left-handed pitcher whose fastball has been clocked at 93 mph and a right-handed hitter who combines power with a high average. It's the kind of versatility that makes scouts take notice—and makes his coach, Doc Wieland, call him "the whole package."
"When your best player is also your hardest worker, that makes it easy on a coach," Wieland says. After 22 years in the dugout, he adds that Shouse is the most coachable kid he's ever worked with.
Shouse's plan is as clear as his mechanics. He expects to announce his college commitment this year, then lead Fenwick to a state title as a junior and senior. After that? A first-round MLB draft selection. "I want to land on a team that wants me and trusts me," he says.
That confidence comes from a foundation of support. His father, Jon—a former player at Springboro High School and the University of Cincinnati—has been his exclusive pitching and hitting coach since day one. They work out constantly in the batting cage behind the family barn. His mother, Kelly, handles travel plans and is his biggest cheerleader, win or lose.
Shouse also has a trainer and an agent managing his NIL deals, but his rise started long before the spotlight. In eighth grade, his fastball jumped from 82 mph to 90 mph, vaulting him from unranked to No. 7 in the state. Now, at 6-foot and 195 pounds, he credits his velocity to a love for the weight room. "Some athletes lift because they have to. I lift because I want to," he says.
He plays summer ball for the Motor City Hit Dogs in Detroit, Michigan, but chose to stay at Fenwick instead of transferring to a baseball powerhouse like Cincinnati Moeller or Badin. "The relationships I've made have been amazing," Shouse explains. "I want to enjoy high school and be around these kids."
Every time Shouse steps on the mound or into the batter's box, he knows all eyes—and radar guns—are on him. And he wouldn't have it any other way.