Wisconsin Class of 2020 Rankings Update

The high school spring season is on an indefinite pause, subsequently halting some critical seasons for prospects in the state, specifically the uncommitted seniors looking for next-level landing spots.

While there’s not much to divulge inside the top-100 or so, we added 50 names to the back of the board and most of those names remain uncommitted. Hopefully, they’ll still get the chance to prove themselves on the diamond at some point this spring, but we’ll spend some time shining a brighter light on them so if/when the season does kick back up, their names will be circled ahead of time.

For a look at the expanded 2020 rankings, click here. Continue on below for insight on some of the state’s most interesting uncommitted talent.

TOP OF THE CLASS

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, there just isn’t much that needs to be said that hasn’t been already about the top of the state’s 2020 class. 1B/OF A.J. Vukovich (East Troy; Louisville commit) remains at the very top of class rankings for his loud right-handed bat that produces some serious power, substantiated by TrackMan data compiled at the Super 60. RHP Tyler Chadwick (Marshall; West Virginia) was also a major winner at February’s Super 60 event, where he sat at an uber easy 91-93 mph at the bottom of the zone with excellent feel for his breaking ball and changeup.

Tyler Chadwick (2/2/20)

One of the few true ‘risers’ in the class reflected on the rankings in this update is RHP Charlie Campbell (South Milwaukee; Madison JC) who entered the year uncommitted but stood out at an unsigned senior event in Illinois, where he was up to 87 mph. That jump in velocity helped him earn a commitment to stick around the state in the fall when he joins Madison College. He’s up over 10 spots in this update, inside the top-60 now.

Apart from these three, we hadn’t seen many of the top 2020s in the state on our winter showcase circuit and we were looking forward to spring ball to check back in on some of the headlines ahead of the season. Could Clemson commit Max Wagner (Green Bay Preble) stir even more professional interest? Was Luke Fox (Catholic Memorial; Duke) all set to cap his illustrious prep career with a state title in baseball? Which prospect was set to pop off up the board after a big spring?

The answers here are on hold, but there’s still hope we’ll get them.

TOP UNCOMMITTED

Lanky Waukesha North lefty Johnny Kelliher remains an interesting uncommitted southpaw on the 2020 board. He was up to 83 mph last summer at a tournament and his 6-foot-4 size has us wondering how the offseason treated him. Badger’s Addison Hochevar is another lanky, loose-armed lefty who was into the low-80s last fall, and he’s another who could have used this coming spring as a platform to further break out.

Neenah’s RHP/CIF Steve Marhefke made an impact at his first-ever PBR event at the start of this month. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound two-way senior took a loud round of BP from the right-handed batter’s box and he was also up to 84 mph on the mound. The Rockets were poised as a dark horse squad to know this spring, and Marhefke was a reason why.

Steve Marhefke (3/1/20)

Austin Beyer (Stevens Point) and Nick Pica (Onalaska) look like two of the top uncommitted infielders left in the state. Beyer offers some upside on the mound, too. He was up to 82 mph all the way back in August of 2018 and he groomed a sub 1.30 ERA for his high school last season also.

Seth Sybesma (Delavan-Darien) was the top pitcher and hitter on last year’s Comets squad and it was around this time a year ago that he made his PBR event debut where he was up to 85 mph with above-average offspeed. He’s an interesting arm to know before baseball gets going again.

Appleton West two-way senior Ethan Gause showed well at our Fox Cities event a year ago where he was up to 83 mph with a clean and loose arm with upside offspeed. The Terrors have a couple uncommitted 2020s to look into, including 1B Tyler Tetzke. Tetzke has been one of the top hitters in the Fox Valley Association, and he’s fresh off a campaign in which he hit .489 with four homers. He’s a left/left multi-sport athlete who helped West from the mound, too, recording a 1.22 ERA in 2019.

If you’re in the market for a backstop, Madison Memorial’s Kyle Murphy has all of the necessary actions to transition into the role at the next level. He’s a strong 6-foot, 200-pound catcher who’s efficient out of the crouch and he’s simple to contact from the right side.

Kyle Murphy (3/10/19)

Jefferson has a couple intriguing, upside seniors to know: LHP Jared Vogel (UPDATE 3/27: committed to UW-Whitewater) and INF Reese Fetherston. Vogel is a huge 6-foot-7 left-hander who’s raw but has some big-time potential left to unlock, up to 78 mph in September of last year. At that same event, Fetherston is a 6-foot-3 middle infielder with a loose right-handed bat. He also moves around the infield well with above-average all-around actions. He can make a quick impact at the next level.

Marquette’s Joseph Pettit has shown the ability to harness a solid three-pitch mix. He utilizes a hard-running fastball, topping 82 mph in the past, with the feel to spin a tight breaking ball and sinking change.

MORE UNCOMMITTED NAMES TO KNOW

+ OF Cole Wilcox (Shiocton): A thin 5-foot-11 athletic outfielder who ran a 6.73 in the 60-yard dash last July and has topped 89 mph on his throws home.

+ RHP/INF Preston Viens (Turner): Viens has stood out in live game settings on a couple different occasions for us in the past, mostly for his ability to hit. But his arm may be his most useful tool, moving forward. He was up to 83 mph with short arm action at our Eau Claire event last year with solid-average offspeed, including a reliable changeup.

+ 1B/LHP Ethan Haefner (Milton): Haefner’s a 6-foot-5 left/left prospect who hit .397 for the Red Hawks in 2019. We saw him at the Badger State Battle last summer and he looked like a left-handed hitter worth following, so stay tuned here.

+ LHP Patrick Kraemer (Oconomowoc): A low-80s lefty who generates some sink and run with above-average feel for his curveball and changeup. He carries some projection, too, as a 6-foot-2, 175-pound pitcher.

+ RHP/INF Bryce Kerkman (Westosha Central): He’s a thin 6-foot righty who was up to 78 mph a year ago at this time, but his arm works loose and clean, suggesting that there’s some upside here.

+ RHP Kole Kerkhoff (Madison Memorial): Kerkhoff operated as the Spartans' No. 1 arm on staff a year ago, recording a 4-3 record with 2.33 ERA – and he hit .320, too. He’s listed at 6-foot-1, 170, and we were hoping to get a closer look at Kerkhoff this spring ourselves.

+ RHP Evan Provancher (Whitefish Bay): Provancher had an especially impressive statistical season for the Blue Dukes in 2019, earning First Team All-Conference and All-District honors along the way. He went 10-1, recording an 0.84 ERA in 60 innings with 68 Ks and just 13 walks over that stretch.

+ OF/RHP Mitch Voller (Eau Claire Memorial): The Old Abes’ best bat is back, Voller, who hit .434 as a junior last spring. He’s a 6-foot-3 two-way prospect who does it all for Memorial.

+ OF/RHP Chase Reinke (Pulaski): Reinke is another do-it-all prospect on this list. For the Red Raiders in 2019, he hit .453 from the left side en route to First Team All-Conference and All-District honors.

+ OF Cade Sivertson (DC Everest): Sivertson hit .389 for the Evergreens in 2019 as the team’s everyday center fielder. He was reliable in that role last year, too, and should lead this squad in 2020.

+ INF/RHP Camden Stampfl (Westfield): Stampfl has been one of the top players in the South Central Conference in his three years on Westfield varsity. The shortstop hit .484 for the Pioneers in 2019 and groomed an ERA of 1.74 as the team’s go-to option on the mound.

+ C Caden Crawley (Wauwatosa East): Tosa East has relied on Crawley to operate as the team’s everyday backstop in his three years on campus, and he’ll be charged with handling this talented rotation again in 2020. He hit .314 last year, too, in a talented conference.

+ C Cooper Pease (Whitewater): Pease is a strong 6-foot-1 prospect who hit .484 for the Whippets in 2019 and stole 15 bases, all while showing above-average actions from behind the plate.

Click here for a complete look at the state’s updated Class of 2020 Rankings.

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