Wisconsin 2019 Signing Period: JUCO
December 13, 2018
Earlier in the week, we put together a story breaking down all 2019 Wisconsin commits headed to Division-I schools followed by combined story of all players headed to the D-II, D-III and NAIA ranks. Today, we will continue our 2019 commitment coverage by listing and analyzing the state's recruits headed the JUCO route.
On Tuesday, we put together a post laying out each and every one of the Wisconsin prep products belonging to the 2019 class who are making their way to D-I programs next fall. Then on Wednesday, we covered the 2019 recruits by listing and analyzing their commitments to D-II, D-III, and NAIA landing spots.
There's a ton of competitive JUCO opportunities in the region, especially right in our backyard at Madison, so there's quite a few ranked, talented recruits opting for junior college playing time upon their high school graduation. Check out the list of JUCO commits in full below, with in-depth analysis under it.
JUCO Commits
Name | School | Pos. | Commitment | Conference |
Trevor Adams | Baraboo | OF | Anoka-Ramsey CC | MCAC |
Brody Alexander | Kaukauna | RHP | Lake County CC | Illinois Skyway |
Jacob Arndt | Oconomowoc | RHP | Madison JC | North Central |
Miguel Baez | Milwaukee School of Language | OF | Rock Valley JC | North Central |
Masen Beatty | Pewaukee | C | Rock Valley JC | North Central |
Benjamin Bergeron | Waterford | C | Lake County CC | Illinois Skyway |
Jackson Bishop | Whitnall | LHP | McHenry County JC | Illinois Skyway |
Zachary Braunschweig | Slinger | 2B | Lake County JC | Illinois Skyway |
Nick Brazelton | Oconomowoc | RHP/SS | Triton JC | North Central |
Max Bruff | Indian Trail | OF/C | McHenry County JC | Illinois Skyway |
Sam Cincotta | Jefferson | RHP | Southeastern CC | ICCAC |
Colton Clark | Oshkosh West | RHP/INF | Lake County CC | Illinois Skyway |
Eli Davila | Oshkosh North | C | Heartland CC | MWAC |
Chase Dornfeld | Appleton West | RHP | Iowa Lakes CC | ICCAC |
Hunter Durbin | Slinger | LHP | Oakton CC | Illinois Skyway |
Reese Dutton | Tremper | SS | Heartland CC | MWAC |
Nathan Ebersole | Whitefish Bay | SS | Madison JC | North Central |
Maguire Fitzgerald | Fennimore | 3B | Madison JC | North Central |
Reese Gaber | Stevens Point | LHP | Rock Valley JC | North Central |
Noah Glidden | Nicolet Union | SS | Iowa Western CC | ICCAC |
Luke Hansel | Union Grove | RHP | Madison JC | North Central |
Jack Haufle | Oregon | OF | Southeastern CC | ICCAC |
DJ Hess | Germantown | RHP | Lake County CC | Illinois Skyway |
Jake Hesseling | Janesville Craig | SS | Lake County CC | Illinois Skyway |
Carter Highline | Bay Port | RHP | Heartland CC | MWAC |
Ryan Hubley | Marquette University | LHP/1B | Madison JC | North Central |
Kyle Huckstorf | Waterford | OF | Iowa Western CC | ICCAC |
Colin Kalinowski | Oak Creek | C | McHenry County JC | Illinois Skyway |
Collin Kovnesky | Mukwonago | OF/LHP | Lake County CC | Illinois Skyway |
Chance Larson | Elkhorn | OF | McHenry County CC | Illinois Skyway |
Kameron Laskowski | Sussex Hamilton | C | Madison JC | North Central |
Riley LeTourneau | Brookfield East | RHP | Madison JC | North Central |
Logan Mantz | Slinger | SS | Madison JC | North Central |
Bryce Miller | Green Bay Preble | 2B/RHP | Rock Valley JC | North Central |
Christian Montano | Racine Horlick | OF/INF | Prairie State JC | Illinois Skyway |
Adrian Montilva | Madison East | LHP | Madison JC | North Central |
Jacob Neese | Sheboygan North | 3B | Parkland JC | MWAC |
Jake Nelson | Altoona | SS | Madison JC | North Central |
Gabe O'Brien | Eau Claire North | OF | Madison JC | North Central |
Hunter Olson | Oconomowoc | C | McHenry County JC | Illinois Skyway |
Corbin Ovist | Beloit Memorial | SS | Rock Valley JC | North Central |
Sam Pederson | Verona | RHP/OF | McHenry County JC | Illinois Skyway |
Jordan Purdy | Kimberly | RHP | Lake County JC | Illinois Skyway |
Alex Redman | Marquette University | LHP | Madison JC | North Central |
Alex Salerno | Westosha Central | OF/RHP | Heartland CC | MWAC |
Michael Schroer | Bradford | C | Anoka-Ramsey CC | MCAC |
Jett Thielke | Bay Port | SS | Madison JC | North Central |
Hruz Wagner | Slinger | RHP | McHenry County JC | Illinois Skyway |
Nevin Wall | Holmen | RHP | McHenry County JC | Illinois Skyway |
Trevor Wanek | Fennimore | SS | Phoenix JC | ACCAC |
Jacob Wilde | Waukesha West | LHP | Madison JC | North Central |
MADISON JC
With only one D-I program in the state, Madison Area Technical College doesn’t have a lot of in-state competition for Wisconsin’s top recruits. Really, regardless of division or level, one of the top 2019 recruiting classes in the state belongs to the WolfPack. Madison JC is bringing in a total of 14 prospects and 12 of them can be found ranked on Wisconsin’s Class of 2019 Rankings. The appeal of attending Madison for a year or two while learning and developing under the expertise of Head Coach Mike Davenport is certainly appealing, and it’s apparent in the talent of its incoming 2019 class.
All 12 of the ranked recruits are on the state’s top 100 board and seven are top-50 prospects. Riley LeTourneau (Brookfield East) represents the top-ranked prospect headed to Madison next fall. The big and broad 6-foot-4 righty is a top-five prospect at his position and is within the state’s best 20 seniors. LeTourneau works in rhythm and makes it look easy, he’s also capable of running it up into the upper 80s. It’ll be interesting to see how much further LeTourneau can progress once he gets to campus.
Just a few spots beneath LeTourneau is fellow righty Luke Hansel (Union Grove). He stands in the mound at a solid and strong 5-foot-11, helping him touch 88 mph. He’s also demonstrated real feel for his curveball and it’s clearly a go-to for him and his an advanced pitch at this stage.
Two southpaws, Adrian Montilva (Madison East) and Jacob Wilde (Waukesha West), should also be able to contribute early to the WolfPack. Montilva is an athletic 5-foot-9 who has the innate pitchability to thrive at the next level – not to mention his ability to top 87 mph with feel over a sharp breaking ball. Wilde has a projectable 6-foot-3 frame who’s been up to 84 mph in the past and can pound the zone.
The top-ranked position players in Madison’s 2019 recruiting class are OF Gabe O’Brien (Eau Claire North) and 2B/3B Logan Mantz (Slinger). O’Brien, who just debuted on the 2019 rankings in the most recent update, is a left-handed hitter with bat speed and pop. We’ve seen a lot of Mantz this summer and he continued to demonstrate his feel for the barrel event after event. He’s a solid, strong build who plays light on his feet and has arm strength.
From Sussex Hamilton, Kameron Laskowski might wind up being the backstop receiving the aforementioned arms. He has above-average athleticism for his position who has strong hands and works the middle of the field.
Lastly, we’ll mention the highly projectable Jacob Arndt (Oconomowoc). The lanky righty put together one of the best outings at Senior Games in September, touching 87 mph with occasional life through the strike zone. Better feel for his offspeed could push Arndt to actualize his ceiling and he is perfectly equipped to do so during his time Madison.
NORTH CENTRAL COMMUNITY
Madison competed against Rock Valley and Triton JUCOs in the N4C for its own state’s recruits. Both Rock Valley and Triton are based in Illinois, but managed to snag a few recruits from the Badger State themselves.
Oconomowoc righty Nick Brazelton is the lone Triton JC commit. The No. 70-ranked prospect in Wisconsin has two-way traits but has looked best on the mound in our looks. Brazelton has a loose and quick arm and has topped out at 86 mph in the past. He generates above-average action on his curve and change, too.
Headed to Rock Valley JC in the fall of 2019: OF Miguel Baez (Milwaukee School of Languages), C Masen Beatty (Pewaukee), 2B Bryce Miller (Green Bay Preble), and INF Corbin Ovist (Beloit Memorial). Of the trio, Baez is the top recruit, ranked No. 100 in the state’s 2019 class. He has the raw toolset that could be effectively sharpened in Rockford, Ill., next fall.
Illinois Skyway
The Illinois Skyway conference is bringing in a haul of 18 players from the Wisconsin 2019 class. Of the eight total schools in the ISCC, half of them will be enrolling recruits from the Badger State. Lake County CC and McHenry County JC will bring in eight players apiece, while Oakton CC and Prairie State JC each signed one, respectively.
McHenry County JC may claim the most impressive haul of players in the state, behind only Madison JC. They will look to top their impressive season last year (16-4) in which they finished second in conference play to Elgin CC. Colin Kalinowski (Oak Creek), ranked No. 49 in the state, headlines their intake as a left-handed bat at a prime position behind the dish. He has an athletic build, a short stroke at the plate that produces line drive contact, and has feel for his position defensively. Hunter Olson (Oconomowoc) is another backstop headed to McHenry and he will look to add positional competition with Kalinowski. A duo of outfielders will don the Scots jersey come next fall in Chance Larson (Elkhorn) and Max Bruff (Indian Trail), both housed inside the state’s top-100 ranks. Larson is a long and lengthy right-handed bat who swings with aggressive intent looking to drive the ball to the pull side. He also runs a 7.07 60-yard dash, laser-timed. Bruff on the other hand is a strong, stocky outfielder who has also seen time behind the plate at Indian Trail. Bruff looks to attack the baseball to the pull side, and has strong hands that can back spin the baseball with ease. Another solid runner, at his last PBR event he clocked in at 6.98.
The final four players will all bid for time on the bump next fall at McHenry JC. Nevin Wall (Holmen) and Hruz Wagner (Indian Trail) are two righties who sit their fastball in the mid 80s. Sam Pederson (Verona) is yet another right-handed arm and has a fastball that sits a couple ticks higher that the two names listed just before him. LHP Jackson Bishop (Whitnall) is the lone southpaw headed to play for Head Coach Jared Wacker after his senior campaign. He has a solid frame for a lefty hurler at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds.
Lake County CC and their skipper Heath Cummings (ninth season) look to add to their roster depth as they finished just under the .500 mark in conference last season at 10-11. They have a bevy of right-handed hurlers headed to campus in Grayslake, Ill., in Jordan Purdy (Kimberly), Brody Alexander (Kaukauna), Colton Clark (Oshkosh West), and D.J. Hess (Germantown). Coach Cummings was able to snag a player within the state’s top-150 ranks in Purdy, who stands at No. 126. He will also bring in a pair of ranked position players in INF Jake Hesseling (No. 102; Janesville Craig) and OF Collin Kovnesky (No. 105; Mukwonago). Hesseling has a projectable body type, natural actions in the infield dirt, and produces line-drive contact from the right side of the plate. Kovnesky is a fleet-footed outfielder who recently ran a 6.91 60-yard dash and possesses a loose arm action with accuracy from the outfield grass.
Catcher Benjamin Bergeron (Waterford) and infielder Zachary Braunschweig (Slinger) were the last two names on the board for the Lake County Lancers and each will look to get into the lineup next fall.
The Others
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The top-two-ranked prospects on this list of recruits committed outside of the N4C or the Illinois Skyway are both headed to Heartland CC: SS Reese Dutton (Tremper) and OF/RHP Alex Salerno (Westosha Central). Dutton is the No. 35-ranked prospect and happens to be one of this class’ best defenders. He’s also got some feel in the right-handed batter’s box, with quick and loose hands. Ranked at No. 46, Salerno is lean and athletic and it plays on defense – he’s tallied 92 mph throws home, too. Salerno’s a right-handed hitter with a line-drive approach the plate.
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Headed to Southeastern CC in Iowa, OF Jack Haufle (Oregon). Filled with length and projection, the Oregon outfielder has loose hands and is looking to make hard contact from the left side. He’s one of 12 recruits headed to Southeastern next fall.
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RHP Chase Dornfeld (Appleton West) is also headed to Iowa, but rather than Southeastern CC, he’ll suit up for Iowa Lakes. He’s built strong at 6-foot-2 with present arm strength, sitting 84-86 mph.
Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the state’s best seniors without a home yet.
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