Prep Baseball Report

Future Prospects Showcase - Madison: Statistical Analysis


By Andy Sroka
Illinois and Wisconsin Assistant Director

On March 13, the PBR Wisconsin team hosted the first of two Future Prospects Showcase winter events, beginning with this Madison date at GRB Academy in Windsor, Wis. This is an annual event for players in grad classes 2025 and 2026 designed to be a learning experience that, for most participants, will be their first showcase event – an initial step toward achieving a player’s baseball goals.

If you missed us on Saturday, check out our showcase page to learn more about April’s Future Prospects Showcase in Caledonia, as well as information on the final high school showcase on our winter slate, coming this Sunday in Franklin.

Today, we’re highlighting some of the top performers from Saturday’s event, as there were a handful of players who’ve managed to earn some attention even before their high school careers begin. Take a look at the event’s leaderboards below.

TOP 60-YARD DASH

Rank Name State School Class Pos 60-yard
1 Matthew O'Grady Jr. WI Badger 2026 OF 7.20
2 Sam Michaelis WI Arrowhead 2025 OF 7.39
3 Kiefer Parish WI Cambridge High 2025 OF 7.42
4 Jonah Borchardt WI Marquette University 2025 SS 7.44
5 Boden Frosch WI Sauk Prairie 2025 OF 7.48
6 Bennett Burke WI IMG Academy 2025 OF 7.51
^ Preston Yaucher WI Edgewood 2025 SS 7.51
7 Jack Welak WI Catholic Memorial 2025 RHP 7.53
^ Lucas Papendorf WI Fox Valley Lutheran 2024 RHP 7.53
8 Ezra Liggon WI Madison Memorial 2026 OF 7.54
9 Yamato Takahashi WI Arrowhead 2025 OF 7.61
10 Luke Baginski WI West Salem 2025 C 7.62
^ Alek Southworth WI Reedsburg Area High 2025 OF 7.62
11 Mason Gapinski WI Waterford 2025 RHP 7.64
^ Eli Bryant WI Beaver Dam 2025 SS 7.64
12 Carter Pontius WI West Salem 2025 OF 7.65

A member of the state’s 2026 class actually managed to pace this group by a fair margin: OF Matthew O’Grady (N/A). His 7.20 time is highly impressive for a player his age, and he swung a quick right-handed bat on Saturday, too. C/OF Jonah Borchardt III (Marquette University, 2025) is a player who you’ll notice across several leaderboards. He showed versatility across a couple positions and an overall athleticism that helped him run an above-average 60 time, especially for his age and size. INF Preston Yaucher (Edgewood, 2025) has quick feet and is another athlete to watch this summer. A pair of 2026s who look capable of becoming stand-outs within their class: Ezra and Caleb Liggon (N/A). The two are athletic, long-limbed prospects already, and both showed impressive actions and coordination as lanky 6-foot-1 two-way players.

TOP EXIT VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velo
1 Dane Vermillion WI Wauwatosa East 2025 1B 86
2 Bennett Burke WI IMG Academy 2025 OF 82
3 Sawyer Deering WI Kimberly 2025 RHP 81
4 Cullen Kirchberg WI DeForest 2025 3B 80
5 Drew Dobberstein WI Pewaukee 2025 RHP 79
^ Caleb Liggon WI Madison Memorial 2026 SS 79
^ Jonah Borchardt WI Marquette University 2025 SS 79
6 Matthew O'Grady Jr. WI Badger 2026 OF 78
^ Nolan Pierce WI Verona 2025 C 78
7 Owen Dobberstein WI Pewaukee 2025 RHP 77
^ Nolan Schmidbauer WI Waukesha West 2026 OF 77
^ Logan Young WI Pardeeville High 2025 RHP 77

Listed at an advanced, strong 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, C/1B Dane Vermillion (Wauwatosa East, 2025) was among the top players at Saturday’s event. His physicality is obvious, but he’s also able to generate bat speed from the right side to better complement his early strength. Vermillion paced this category by 4 mph, and it really translated to live BP, too.

OF/LHP Bennett Burke (West Salem, 2025) has actually shown well in-game in front of our staff, playing an age above his own. He’s a left/left, compact athlete to keep an eye on headed into his high school years.

Sawyer Deering (Kimberly, 2025) and Cullen Kirchberg (DeForest, 2025) are simply more physically advanced than their peers, and it showed across a multitude of categories. Both showed high promise from the mound, as two of the day’s top right-handed pitchers, but the pair were also able to reach the 80 mph threshold at this station. The aforementioned Caleb Liggon and O’Grady were two 2026 players to come close, at 79 and 78 mph highs, respectively.

MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos Max FB
1 Sawyer Deering WI Kimberly 2025 RHP 80 mph
2 Clayton Elliott WI Brodhead 2025 OF 78 mph
3 Cullen Kirchberg WI DeForest 2025 3B 76 mph
4 Liam St Denis WI Wauwatosa East 2025 RHP 75 mph
^ Nolan Meis WI Lakeside Lutheran 2025 SS 75 mph
^ Clayton Kroschel WI Wayland Academy 2025 OF 75 mph
^ Logan Young WI Pardeeville High 2025 RHP 75 mph
^ Drew Dobberstein WI Pewaukee 2025 RHP 75 mph
^ Jack Welak WI Catholic Memorial 2025 RHP 75 mph
5 Mason Gapinski WI Waterford 2025 RHP 74 mph
6 Luke Baginski WI West Salem 2025 C 73 mph
^ Charlie Slawinski WI Brookfield East 2025 SS 73 mph

Deering stands alone here, after sitting 78-80 mph – he was the only pitcher to reach either the 79 or 80 mark, and he virtually lived in that range. He’s a lean/wiry 5-foot-9, 150 pounds, and demonstrates excellent traits from the mound. Deering has a quick, loose arm that works cleanly and efficiently to his release, and he finishes athletically, in balance. Additionally, Deering showcased a feel to spin a breaking ball well beyond his year, featuring tight/sharp action off a 12/6 plane. This was an exciting look at a member of this 2025 class we’re looking forward to watching develop over his high school career.

RHP/OF Clayton Elliott (Brodhead, 2025) was the only other pitcher in attendance to touch 78 mph, sitting 73-75. He has a quick arm that helps his fastball jump to his target, promoting premium projection as he continues to mature and develop from an upside 6-foot-2, 180-pound stature. Elliott also showed real feel to locate a knuckle-curve, with tight spin and shape, under the zone.

RHP/INF Drew Dobberstein (Pewaukee, 2025) is a lanky, high-waisted athlete with a familiar last name. His loose, quick arm helped him reach a 75 mph high on Saturday, coupled with an advanced feel to spin his slider that flashed genuine bite.

Kirchberg sat 74-76 mph himself, emerging as another name to remember for the future stemming from this showcase. He, too, showed an early feel to snap off a sharp breaking ball.

MAX INFIELD VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos INF Velo
1 Cullen Kirchberg WI DeForest 2025 3B 75
2 Charlie Slawinski WI Brookfield East 2025 SS 74
3 Yamato Takahashi WI Arrowhead 2025 OF 72
^ Jack Welak WI Catholic Memorial 2025 RHP 72
4 Nolan Meis WI Lakeside Lutheran 2025 SS 70
5 Owen Dobberstein WI Pewaukee 2025 RHP 69
^ Aidan Dombrowicki WI Brookfield East 2025 RHP 69
^ Eli Bryant WI Beaver Dam 2025 SS 69
6 Drew Dobberstein WI Pewaukee 2025 RHP 68
^ Preston Yaucher WI Edgewood 2025 SS 68
^ Loren Georger WI Appleton West 2025 RHP 68
^ Colton Semmelmann WI Brookfield Central 2026 LHP 68

Kirchberg’s arm strength allowed him to lead this category, too, showcasing promising all-around upside. OF/INF Yamato Takahashi (Arrowhead, 2025) was responsible for one of the day’s best rounds of batting practice, and his impressive actions on defense helped him land spots near the top of this leaderboard and others. While a little further down the list, no prospect displayed more natural middle infield actions than Yaucher. His quick feet and soft hands helped him range around the infield at a well-above-average rate, and a rapid funnel to release boosted his arm strength, allowing it to play up. INF Jack Welak (Catholic Memorial, 2025) is another player who performed well across the board, and his loose arm placed him near the top of this board.

MAX OUTFIELD VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos OF Velo
1 Sawyer Deering WI Kimberly 2025 RHP 84
2 Clayton Elliott WI Brodhead 2025 OF 80
3 Ezra Liggon WI Madison Memorial 2026 OF 77
^ Liam St Denis WI Wauwatosa East 2025 RHP 77
4 Mason Gapinski WI Waterford 2025 RHP 76
5 Yamato Takahashi WI Arrowhead 2025 OF 74
^ Luke Baginski WI West Salem 2025 C 74
^ Clayton Kroschel WI Wayland Academy 2025 OF 74

No surprise, but Deering’s advanced arm strength produced an 84 mph high to home, and that easily led this group. His throws flashed true carry to his target. Elliott, also mentioned earlier for his work on the mound, managed to reach the 80 mph mark during this portion of the event. Ezra Liggon had one of the best overall performances of the day, regardless of age. He’s a left/left prospect in an advanced, highly projectable frame, and his loose/quick arm produced a 77 mph high to home. RHP/OF Liam St. Denis (Wauwatosa East, 2025) has clear arm strength, as he was able to reach a 75 mph high while on the mound, as well as a 77 mph best from the outfield.

MAX CATCHER VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos C Velo
1 Eli Bryant WI Beaver Dam 2025 SS 67
2 Dane Vermillion WI Wauwatosa East 2025 1B 66
3 Nolan Pierce WI Verona 2025 C 64
4 Jonah Borchardt WI Marquette University 2025 SS 62
^ PJ Hamel WI Arrowhead 2025 C 62
^ Kody Hage WI Union Grove 2025 3B 62
5 Jacob Huff WI Delavan-Darien High 2026 C 61
^ Carter Pontius WI West Salem 2025 OF 61
^ Ethan Trudell WI New Berlin West 2026 C 61

TOP POP TIMES

Rank Name State School Class Pos Pop Time
1 Dane Vermillion WI Wauwatosa East 2025 1B 2.22-2.38
2 Jonah Borchardt WI Marquette University 2025 SS 2.30-2.45
3 Eli Bryant WI Beaver Dam 2025 SS 2.31-2.58
4 PJ Hamel WI Arrowhead 2025 C 2.32-2.59
5 Jacob Huff WI Delavan-Darien High 2026 C 2.35-2.49

Vermillion’s robust toolset helped him average the lowest pop time at this event, and his arm stands to add significant velocity in the near future. Borchardt III has quick feet and his athleticism synced up accurate throws to second, helping earn a low average pop. From Beaver Dam, INF/C Eli Bryant (2025) had a quality showcase; he ran well, looked sharp on the infield, and also presented above-average actions from the crouch, too, reaching the top velocity from behind the plate.

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