Citizen Times releases All-WNC high school baseball teams for 2026
Reynolds went farther than any WNC team, and Polk County's Gunnar Alm tied the state runs-scored record while powering the region's baseball debate.
Reynolds’ fourth-round playoff run made Buncombe County the clearest marker of Western North Carolina baseball strength in 2026. No other WNC school advanced farther, and that postseason edge now defines how the county’s programs stack up heading into next season.
The Citizen Times’ All-WNC high school baseball teams landed after the Western North Carolina season closed May 15, giving the selections added weight. Reynolds was the lone WNC team to reach the fourth round of the NCHSAA playoffs before falling to South Caldwell, a run that separated the Rockets from the rest of the region and turned their roster into the standard everyone else is chasing.
The broader field still belonged to stars, and Polk County senior Gunnar Alm was the region’s most recognizable one. The NC State signee tied the NCHSAA career runs-scored record on May 1 when he crossed home plate for the 150th time against Hendersonville. His regular-season production was as complete as any player in the mountains: 10 home runs, three doubles, two triples, 27 RBIs, 43 runs scored and 32 stolen bases.
That kind of individual dominance helps explain why the All-WNC honors matter beyond a simple honor roll. The 64th WNC Sports Awards Banquet, held by the Mountain Amateur Athletics Club on May 3, already had put a spotlight on the region’s top high school student-athletes, and the Citizen Times’ team-of-the-year fan poll on May 25 showed readers were still sorting out which schools and players owned the season.
For Buncombe County, the message is sharper than a list of names. Reynolds carried the county deepest into the state playoffs, which gives the program the strongest claim to regional respect. Polk County produced the most decorated star in Alm, but Reynolds produced the results that matter most in a pecking order: wins, rounds advanced and proof that the program can survive into late May.
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