Looking Ahead to 2020
January 10, 2020
It’s time to look ahead to this year, 2020, one that is sure to be a big and busy one for Prep Baseball Report, both locally and nationally. We’re preparing for round two at The Rock for a summer filled with PBR tournaments, gearing up for a huge season of baseball down at our state-of-the-art Georgia facilities at LakePoint, and it’s always exciting to turn the calendar to January because that means the WIAA season is just a few months away. And, of course, in between opening day in the spring and now, we’ll have travelled up and down the state for our winter showcase season.
Check out what we’re looking forward to in 2020:
PBR @ THE ROCK CHAMPIONSHIPS
We’re proud to report that our first summer slate of PBR-hosted tournaments at The Rock Complex in Franklin was a smashing success. We saw some of the top talent that resides in this state and also some of the best in the Midwest.
If you don’t know, The Rock Complex in Franklin harbors four high school-sized fields with a turf infield in a space that also hosts the brand new Milkmen Field, which our tournaments are also able to utilize. The best club teams from the Midwest made it out to these tourneys last summer and the field is a little larger, stretching a little further, already.
Here are the dates for this year’s PBR @ The Rock Championships
2020 WIAA SEASON
Last year’s season was extra special with the historic integration of summer ball teams merging into the spring season. We witnessed programs like Franklin, Muskego, and Oak Creek partake in their first spring seasons in their histories. The season ended on an emphatic note when Eau Claire North’s Sam Stange launched a late homer to give the Huskies a Division-1 title, but there’s plenty more to look forward to in 2020.
For a refresher, click here for a look at the final edition of the 2019 Power 25 after the state tournament. There’s a handful of teams to circle headed into this spring:
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Catholic Memorial: The Crusaders went 19-7 last year but they’re returning a ton of talent and should be buoyed by some underclass aid in 2020, too. Of course, they’re led by one of the state’s most decorated athletes, Luke Fox (Duke commit), who’s fresh off quarterbacking the school’s football team to back-to-back state titles. He’s long been one of the best lefties in the state on the mound, and he made a leap in the summer when we saw him light it up at the Badger State Battle so we’re excited to see how he can wrap up his illustrious high school career in his final semester – though, it appears he's dealing with an injury ahead of baseball season.
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Green Bay Preble: The legendary duo of LHP Ryan Stefiuk (Vanderbilt) and 3B/RHP Max Wagner (Clemson) will conclude their prep careers this spring in search of a state title after having made the trip to state in each of their three seasons thus far. The program has made four straight visits to the Fox Cities but has yet to win it all, and with Stefiuk and Wagner as seniors, the pressure is on. This group did graduate a number of last year’s everyday players, so it’ll be interesting to see where the Hornets fill in the blanks around their two stars.
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Webster: The Tigers haven’t lost since 2018 and are the reigning champs in Division-4 after winning the D-3 title the season prior. Of course, aces Jack Washburn (Oregon State) and Hunter Rosenbaum (West Virginia) have both graduated, as well as a few other dependable role players. Still, Webster might just be the best D-4 has to offer with South Carolina recruit Owen Wasburn set to star on the mound and in the batter’s box. It’s going to be fun to watch Webster go for a third straight state title, and just as fun to watch the rest of the D-4 field attempt to take them down.
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Whitefish Bay: It was exhilarating to watch the Blue Dukes’ youth break out in their first seasons in a varsity dugout. Whitefish Bay won 27 games last spring and look prepared to establish themselves in the D-1 ranks after spending last year in D-2. Three of the state’s – really, the region’s – best sophomores reside in The Bay: Michael Lippe (Louisville), Mitchell Voit (Michigan), and D.J. Kojis (uncommitted). They won’t be carrying the load alone, either. They’ll have some holes to plug, but there’s a core here that should keep the Blue Dukes competitive for the next three years.
2020 WINTER SHOWCASE SCHEDULE
| Showcase | State | Date | Location |
| Unsigned Senior Showcase | WI/IL | 1/12 | The MAX - McCook, IL |
| Kenosha Preseason I.D. | WI | 1/25 | Fielder's Choice Training Facility - Kenosha, WI |
| Super 60 Pro Showcase | NATIONAL | 2/2 | The MAX - McCook, IL |
| West Milwaukee Preseason I.D. | WI | 2/16 | STiKS Academy - Waukesha, WI |
| South Milwaukee Preseason I.D. | WI | 3/1 | Hitters Baseball Academy - Caledonia, WI |
| Fox Cities Preseason I.D. | WI | 3/8 | Players Choice of the Fox Cities - Appleton, WI |
| Future Prospects Showcase - Madison | WI | 3/14 | GRB Academy - Windsor, WI |
| Madison Preseason I.D. | WI | 3/15 | GRB Academy - Windsor, WI |
STATE 2023 RANKINGS
Throughout 2019, we saw the best our state’s 2023 class had to offer. There have already been a couple standouts to mention who have garnered attention outside of Wisconsin. RHP/INF Adam Switalski (Westosha Central) became the first freshman in the class to verbally commit when he announced his pledge to Indiana. INF Cal Fisher (Deerfield) followed closely behind Switalski’s announcement with one of his own when he verbally committed to Notre Dame.
In November, National Crosschecker Shooter Hunt, in collaboration with the country’s PBR state directors, released the first edition of the National Class of 2023 Rankings. Fisher landed at No. 61 overall on it, the highest in the state. Joining Fisher and Switalski on the national board: savvy switch-hitting shortstop Alexander Alicea (St. Thomas More) and big righty Evan Shapiro (Wauwatosa East).
It’s shaping up to be another strong class, so we’re excited to see more of this freshmen group on the showcase circuit in early 2020. We released our first in-state look at the 2022 class last September, after accruing a winter, spring, and summer worth of data and insight, but we're aiming to release our first look at the 2023 board closer to the end of April.
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