Prep Baseball Report

Inside the Rankings: Wisconsin 2018 Risers and Newcomers



By Matt Huck
Area Scout

The other day the Class of 2018 Wisconsin Rankings were updated and we focused on the top ten prospects in this story. Today we continue to delve deep into the 2018 Rankings by taking a look at Risers and Newcomers.

Risers

+     LHP Brennan Dolwick (Lake Mills) was a known commodity around the state and participated in last year’s Future Games in Indiana. This winter Dolwick made a big jump on the mound sitting 87 with his fastball, and topping out at 89 mph and showde the ability to spin a slider at 74-78 mph. His improved repertoire saw him jump from No. 28 into the No. 9 spot. He is committed to Cincinnati.

+     Coming in at No. 10 in the rankings is RHP Paul Stefiuk (Preble). Stefiuk also participated in the Future Games last summer and showed improved stuff on the mound this offseason. He showed an improved curveball at 74-76 mph with sharp breaking action.

+     RHP Cedric Girard (Oregon) is another Future Games participant who made a jump this winter. Girard has a lanky frame and a fast arm. Recently, at the Madison Preseason ID Showcase, Girard worked 85-87 topping out at 88 mph. He also featured a sharp breaking curveball at 74-76 mph. An Illinois State commit, Girard will be an interesting follow this coming summer.

+     6-foot-4 RHP Eli Campbell (South Milwaukee) made the biggest jump of anyone in the 2018 Class going from No. 66 all the way up to No. 20. Campbell has always had the frame, but this winter the velocity finally made a jump into the upper 80s. Campbell committed to Bradley shortly following his performance at the Kenosha Preseason ID Showcase.

+     Catchers Jacob Kaiser (Catholic Memorial) and Matt Miller (Sussex Hamilton) check in at No. 32 and No. 39 respectively. Kaiser impressed with his bat this winter and strong arm behind the plate. Miller has advanced defensive skills behind the plate, he has soft hands receiving and creates a low target for pitchers.

Newcomers

+     Josh Leslie (Westosha Central) is the highest newcomer to the 2018 rankings. Leslie broke into the top 35 after showcasing advanced actions and a big arm at shortstop that will likely help him stick at the next level.

+     RHP Chandler Fochs (Wausau West) stood out at the Fox Cities Preseason I.D. with a hard swing and miss slider (74-77 mph) and a fastball at 84-86 mph.

+     RHP Parker Heidorf (Pewaukee) was a literal can’t miss prospect at the Fox Cities Preseason I.D., standing 6-foot-7, 185-pounds. Heidorf cracked the top 50 after sitting 84-85 mph, which looked much hard coming from his 6-foot-7 frame.

+     Left-handed hitting OF Mitchell Seager (Beloit Turner) hit .414 as a sophomore and impressed this winter on the Preseason Showcase circuit. Seager ran a 6.91 60 yard dash and has a line drive approach at the plate working gap to gap.

+     A pair of RHP’s Kyle Gendron (Wilmot) and Cole Surprenant (Kewaskum) jumped into the rankings. Gendron works 83-84 mph with his fastball and features a curveball with 11-5 shape and depth at 68-71 mph. Surprenant is a strong armed righty who can run his fastball up to 86 mph

+     Other newcomers  to the top 100 include Luke Howard, Frankie Cistaro, Jacob Tomassetti, Justin Paasch, Jack Jarecki, Kade Bohlman, Trevor Teske, Adam Cairo, John Breske, and Isaac Dirker.

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