Wisconsin's Signing Day 2019: D-II & D-III Commits

• Winona State had a banner recruiting class in 2019, bringing in RHPs Bailey Banaszynski (Brookfield East) and Nathan Platter (Oconomowoc), who were actually two of the better arms in the class. They’re keeping up the momentum with the 2020s, too. No arm in the class has risen in 2019 like Brookfield Central’s RHP Mitch Mueller. Up to No. 50 in the class today, Mueller is a strong 6-foot-2 with projection and a mid-80s fastball that really jumps and carries in the zone. As for the other Wisconsin recruit headed just across the border to Winona, INF Jess Ondell (Onalaska) has been dealing with an injury, but he’s still ranked inside the top-90 in the senior class with a barrel control right-handed bat and reliable middle infield actions.

  

• The state’s lone D-II program, Wisconsin-Parkside, snagged two huge prospects – literally. RHP Phillip Harper (Wauwatosa East) and LHP Kaleb Schulist (Stevens Point) are both listed at an imposing 6-foot-6. Harper works downhill in the low- to mid-80s and is still working on landing a consistent release point, but has some serious upside. Schulist works from a lower slot, more in the ¾ range, with a low-80s fastball featuring natural, late arm-side action generated from that aforementioned release window. His feel to spin is coming along neatly, too.

• Three prospects in the state’s top-50 range have each elected to play D-II ball: OF Call Verlanic (Bay Port; Lenoir-Rhyne College), RHP Carter Endisch (Arrowhead; Quincy), C Blake Carey (University School of Milwaukee; Lindenwood). Verlanic has been trending up in 2019, showing a really physical right-handed bat with gap-to-gap pop potential with the athleticism to slide into a corner outfielder role. He’ll join Lenoir-Rhyne’s program in Hickory, N.C., next fall. Endisch is headed to compete for a rotation spot at Quincy, a program that won 32 games in its 2019 spring. Endisch is an athletic 6-foot-2 righty with a live, loose arm that sits in the mid-80s, though has been up to 88 mph in the past. As for Carey, he’s a big 6-foot-2 backstop with a left-handed bat geared for low-lying, all-fields, line-drive contact and he’s also an adept blocker with above-average catch-and-throw skills.

Call Verlanic (7/16/19)

• Illinois-Springfield brought in a couple high-ceiling prospects from Wisconsin this fall, and they’ve got another competitive middle infielder headed their way next year: Brayden Gorecki (Sussex Hamilton). He’s a strong, tooled-up athlete who can help scratch across run from the top of an order in a multitude of ways. He can run, line balls into the gaps from the left side, and he’s a smooth up-the-middle defender on the infield dirt.

• And, from Fall Creek, keep an eye on LHP Isaiah Katz as he ventures over to St. Cloud State in the fall of 2020. His loose arm comes out of a deceptive slot that can really get on hitters, and it already sits in the mid-80s with natural run. He’s still working on polishing off his breaking stuff but the ingredients are here for an important staffmate at the next level.

DIVISION-III & NAIA COMMITS

• As per usual, the WIAC is teeming with recruits headed their way already, with more certainly on there way as they announce their commitments in the coming months. So far, and again no surprises here, Wisconsin-Whitewater look like early winners. The Warhawks managed to pry RHP Nick Cairo (Bradford) to campus, the No. 42-ranked prospect in the state. He attacks the zone with his fastball-slider combo that should allow him to grab a rotation role in the not-too-distant future. His fastball lives in the mid-80s with a heavy, sinking feel, with the offspeed to keep him successful early in his collegiate career. He’ll be joined by LHP Ayden Spykstra (Cedarburg), a southpaw who sits in the 82-84 mph range with long arm action with a slider that flashes some sharpness. He’s the No. 71-ranked prospect in the state and comes with some sneaky upside, too.

• Elsewhere in the WIAC, La Crosse has landed a couple early commits to its 2020 class: 2B/SS Logan Pye (Wilmot Union) and OF Andrew Rajkovich (Madison LaFollette). Pye is strong middle infielder with a reliable glove who makes hard, level contact. Rajkovich shined this summer in front of our staff, actually. He consistently struck the ball with authority and was constantly on base. He has upper body strength that allows him to punish baseballs with power potential and he can slot into a corner outfield role.

• Jonah Wronski (Marquette University) is one of the top-ranked catchers in the senior class and he’s decided to head to Atlanta’s Emory University to continue his playing career. Wronski is the No. 65-ranked prospect in the state for his prototypical compact catcher’s build that helps him suffocate balls in the dirt and he’s also a natural on throws down to second. At the plate, he hits right-handed and has some natural bat strength, too.

Jonah Wronski (7/16/19)

• Currently the lone prospect in the class headed to an NAIA program, OF/LHP Jack Leverenz (Lake Country Lutheran) committed to Indiana Unversity-Kokomo in the late summer. He has a defined 6-foot athletic build that works especially well from the left-handed batter’s box. He’s a sub-7.00 runner with a glove you can count on in an outfield corner with arm strength. He’s been up to 80 mph on the mound in our looks, with some added upside there as he develops.

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