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Wisconsin Class of 2023 Rankings: Update

November 2, 2022
By Andy Sroka & Isaiah Glidden
Wisconsin Staff

Wisconsin’s Class of 2023 is headed into its final offseason of these players’ prep career. We last updated this board at the start of September and it was an enormous update that covered the crucial summer circuit for these players. While this fall still allowed for us to catch glimpses of this group one more time before the winter, there wasn’t much movement up and down the board, though we did expand the list by 25 names, reaching a top-175 overall.

Today, we broke down the players who moved up the rankings this fall, including some tinkering to the top-10, and some names on the rise inside the top-50. We’ll highlight some uncommitted players later this week, as well as some players who made their debuts on the rankings inside this update.

 TOP-10 MOVEMENT

While there’s no change to the state’s top-three – with RHP Dylan Questad (Waterford Union; Arkansas commit), SS Cal Fisher (Deerfield; Florida State), and SS Ethan Hindle (Arrowhead; Kentucky) each retaining their spots Nos. 1, 2, and 3 inside this update – there is some movement elsewhere near the top of the class.

After a strong fall, C Evan Gustafson (Altoona; Oregon State) climbs a few massive steps to become the new No. 4-ranked player in the state’s senior class. It can actually be said that there might not be a player in Wisconsin’s ‘23 class with a higher ceiling than Gustafson, who’s listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds. The left-handed-hitting backstop has few weak spots to his game, equipped with big arm strength behind the plate and natural athleticism that’s allowed him to improve his skill set as both a receiver and run stopper at catcher. But Gustafson’s value is tied to the upside left-handed bat he wields. He has a smooth, quick stroke and innate power that, if it all clicks, can propel him to a professional future – whether that’s following his career at Oregon State or even as soon as next spring.

Milwaukee-area middle infielders Jack Counsell (Whitefish Bay; Michigan) and Alex Alicea (St. Thomas More; Louisville) are each on the rise inside this update. Counsell continues to demonstrate some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Midwest, and his increasing bat strength will only enhance his profile as he continues to mature. 

Jack Counsell (9/24/22)

Meanwhile, Alicea presents a different kind of profile than his club teammate. Alicea is a slick shortstop with a flair for the highlight reel-type of play on defense, something that’s earned him his status as an elite, true shortstop prospect. Offensively, he swings an authentic switch-hit bat with a similar batted-ball profile from both batter’s boxes, and his explosive burst out of the box and onto the basepaths, in addition to a savvy approach, helps him reach first base often enough to energize his team’s lineup regularly.

And for the first time, C Dominic Kibler (New Berlin West; Kent State) cracked our top-10. At our fall tournament hosted at The Rock Complex in Franklin, Wis., Kibler cranked extra-base hit after extra-base hit and he’s had a real knack for the sweet spot of the barrel going all the way back to the spring of 2021. He faced quality pitching at The Rock this past fall, and yet, Kibler was unfazed and just as productive. His simple left-handed swing is geared for naturally lifted and launched contact, and he’s demonstrated a dynamic barrel that capitalizes on pitches to hit all around the zone. Kibler has shown continued strides defensively from behind the plate, which has helped his case to climb into the state’s top-10 overall.

Dominic Kibler (9/24/22)

TOP-50 RISERS

Ben Berkhof LHP / Hudson, WI / 2023

Now ranked No. 20 overall in the state, Berkhof’s huge fall earned him the opportunity to announce his verbal commitment to North Dakota State, like a few other Wisconsin preps that had previously been on the market. Berkhof has long shown an intriguing mix for a left-hander, especially one listed at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds. He’ll sit in the mid-80s, occasionally touching 87-88 mph, on a fastball that features rise and run to help him dodge barrels. His fastball and changeup combo has flashed best for us, though his work-in-progress curveball has tight spin and is certainly trending to be a useful offering that can give him three pitches to lean on inside a starter’s mold.

Tyler Butina 1B / Jefferson, WI / 2023

Butina is back inside the top-25 after a strong fall in which he looked like one of the area’s top left-handed hitters. He’s developed a reputation as one of the most productive hitters in the WIAA, as he’s led Jefferson to the state finals in consecutive seasons. This fall, at our annual tournament at The Rock, Butina was barreling baseballs, and he homered against velocity, too, looking like one of the region’s most threatening sluggers once again.

(9/25/22)

Adam Switalski RHP / Westosha Central, WI / 2023

Switalski re-enters the top-25 as the top-ranked uncommitted prospect on our board currently. Switalski has long been one of this class’ most talented athletes, and his performance at The Rock this past fall made it look like his talent and athleticism is starting to materialize at the right time. At the September tournament, Switalski showed an uptick in velocity, sitting 88-90 mph for much of his outing, facing a lethal lineup. His trademark aggression and competitiveness on the bump was on display, helping him attack the strike zone with his hard fastball that leaves a lower slot, generating heavy arm-side action. His breaking ball has made developmental strides as well, flashing sharp, biting break in the upper-70s.

(9/25/22)

Hudson Turner OF / 3B / Baraboo, WI / 2023

Turner’s a versatile athlete who made a rise up the rankings at the end of the summer, and he climbed another seven spots inside this update after another terrific fall. He’s simply a well-rounded performer with a compact and quick right-handed swing that he connects for on-the-barrel contact on repeat. He’s also equipped with sub-7.00 foot speed that plays well in center field, granting him a sound profile that landed him a commitment to the Division III powerhouse UW-Whitewater just recently.

(9/24/22)

Ethan Brown 3B / 1B / Waukesha West, WI / 2023

After missing an extended period of time with an injury, Brown seemed back to full health during July’s Top Prospect Games event. There, the physical RHH took the day's loudest round of BP where his hardest hit ball came off at a scorching 102.7 mph and averaged an exit speed of 95.5. In the fall back at The Rock for our perennial tournament, Brown was equally impressive and made everyone both on and off the field that his bat strength translates seamlessly into a live batter’s box. Brown turned around an upper-80s sinker on the inner half for a line-drive double that carried all the way to the left field fence. Prior to his injury, Brown looked capable of handling himself at third base, and if he can get back his old self on defense this offseason, he might just make another jump up the board.

(9/25/22)

MORE ON-THE-RISE SENIORS

+ Camden Broske, RHP, West Bend West (Madison JC commit): The 6-foot, 170-pound righty has continued to raise his prospect stock this year, and a strong fall vaulted him to the No. 56 spot in this update. He spins a carry mid-80s fastball with swing-and-miss peripherals on its own, and it’s complemented effectively by his 12/6 type of breaking ball. Broske recently committed to Madison JC where we’re eager to follow his progress.

+ Edison Alonso, OF, Reedsburg Area (uncommitted): Alonso is another name who definitely caught our staff's attention during the PBR at The Rock Fall Championships thanks to his innate knack for the barrel. Back in the winter, Alonso first came onto our staff’s radar at our Madison Preseason ID after an impressive overall performance where he ran a 6.74 in the 60-yard dash and followed it up with a quality round BP where he registered a max EV of 95.5 mph. After a successful 2022 campaign, Alonso enters his senior year as an uncommitted name-to-know in the Badger State.

+ Daelen Johnson, RHP, Beaver Dam (UW-La Crosse commit): A travel teammate of the aforementioned Alonso, Johnson is an upside arm out of Beaver Dam who already possesses an above-average repertoire. On the mound, Johnson is an easy mover and this fall at The Rock he produced highs of 86 mph with his fastball, a bowling ball type of pitch that generates weak contact often. He also features a short wrinkle breaking ball thrown for strikes, and after an impressive performance this fall, Johnson moves up to No. 68 overall in this update. 

+ Landen Lozier, MIF, Notre Dame Academy (uncommitted): Lozier continues to look like an athletic left-handed-hitting middle infielder with actions – and those don’t come around all that often. He gets the most out of his loose, quick lefty swing to produce some sneaky gap-to-gap strength, and he showed it off in our lone look this fall. Now ranked inside the top-70, consider Lozier one of the area’s top uncommitted infielders. 

+ Ashton Kampa, 1B, Muskego (uncommitted): After a great spring for his high school, Kampa has only continued to show that it was no fluke. He was barreling baseballs throughout our fall tourney at The Rock Complex, and he has the advanced ability to use the whole field while still applying the inherent strength he has inside his stout 5-foot-11, 210-pound stature. 

+ Lucas Miller, RHP, Denmark (UW-Whitewater): Miller starred for his high school in the spring after looking like a high-follow, late-bloomer type of prospect in the state’s Class of 2023. Here’s what we had to say about him following his performance at the Fox Cities ID: “... Miller has a lean and athletic 6-foot build and he delivers the ball efficiently and with a fluid arm path that suggests a jump in velocity as he develops in his junior year. Up to an 81 mph high, Miller’s fastball spun at 2,252 rpm on average, which led the event, and he released at 6.8 feet down mound, measuring as the farthest average extension at the Fox Cities ID. His ability to spin translates to his curveball as well, which similarly projects as he gains the confidence to throw it more authoritatively, already featuring some noteworthy horizontal action.”

+ Jack Peterson, OF, Southern Door (uncommitted): Peterson’s impressed twice now this year, once at the summer’s Eau Claire-area showcase, and now following the fall’s Unsigned Senior event. We published our scout notes from that fall showcase, and reported on Peterson here: “... Peterson is an intriguing 6-foot, 185-pound prospect with a strong, athletic build and he started his day by showing off his speed with a 6.91 60-yard dash. This was followed by a solid round of BP from the left-handed batter’s box as he displayed a closed setup, with a quiet load and control. Throughout his round he showed the ability to hit the ball up the middle and to the opposite field, recording a max EV of 92 mph, one of the highest on the day. Defensively, he showed soft hands with athletic actions getting to the ball and topped at 79 mph on his throws from the OF.”

For a complete look at the most recent update to the state’s Class of 2023 rankings, click here.

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