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Inside the Wisconsin 2023 Rankings: Risers and Newcomers

September 14, 2022
By Isaiah Glidden
Area Scout, Staff Writer

With the summer circuit officially over and the fall season getting underway, it’s time for our staff to update the state’s player rankings, starting with the 2023 as they begin the start of their senior year which is a big one, and there's uncommitted names scattered throughout this list. 

We expanded the class rankings quite a bit, growing our board by 25 names, as we continue to build off the knowledge we’ve collected throughout the calendar year for this group. You can find the full up-to-date rankings list by clicking here. Today, we’ll be sharing with you a handful of players who making some big jumps and also prospects who are making their first-ever appearances on the state 2023 rankings.

RISERS

PITCHERS

Roman Trapani RHP / Eau Claire Memorial, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 19

North Dakota State commit: This summer, Roman seemed to have made his largest jump as a pitcher and put himself on the map as a dominant arm in Wisconsin’s 2023 class. Trapani shined all across the country throughout the summer circuit, most recently at The Rock during the 17U PBR at The Rock Summer Championships where he helped lead his GRB Rays Green squad to a first place finish. There, Trapani showed a slight uptick in velocity where he sat 88-89 mph in his first appearance of the weekend, and paired it with two above-average offspeed offerings - a 11/5 breaking ball and running changeup. He then followed this relief appearance up with a dominant start in the semi-final game where he twirled a gem, in which he allowed just one run against a talented opponent. The pitchability has always been there for Trapani, but his uptick in “stuff” warranted this jump of nearly 30 spots in this rankings update. 

Chayce Osterhaus RHP / INF / Markesan, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 28

Uncommitted: Last summer Osterhaus made the trip down to LakePoint to represent Team Wisconsin at the 2021 PBR Future Games. After a full winter of offseason gains, Osterhaus was standout WIAA performer for Markesan this spring where he struckout 102 batters across his 52.1 IP and allowed just 17 hits as well. He also was a key offensive threat for Markesan as he logged a .552 BA, which is second highest in Markesan’s program history, with 11 doubles, two triples, and four homeruns. Our most recent look at the uncommitted prospect came at The Rock with his GRB Rays Green squad where he ran his fastball up to 89 mph early on with an easy operation and he also showed feel to spin a tight slider for strikes. At 6-foot, 160-pounds, Osterhaus’ possesses a high ceiling and he remains as one of the top prospects still left on Wisconsin’s uncommitted board. 

Elijah Niemiec RHP / St. Thomas More, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 35

Uncommitted: Built at  6-foot-5, 205-pounds, Niemiec has some major upside while on the bump. Already, he has been up to 88 mph in our looks and pairs it with a big breaking ball that he spins at 2,655 rpm on average. He also is able to spin in a slider with more horizontal movement, roughly 20 inches on average and a running changeup. His above-average repertoire helped him string together an impressive junior campaign where he logged a 6-2 record and posted a 2.10 ERA with 100 strikeouts. His impressive spring led to an equally impressive summer where he was a standout performer at a talented Top Prospect Milwaukee event and now he enters the top 40 as an uncommitted arm to know in the class. 

Tristan Arnold RHP / Mukwonago, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 43

Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit: One of the biggest risers in this rankings update, Arnold is built at a projectable 5-foot-11, 145-pounds with long, loose levers. On the mound, Arnold is an athletic mover downhill with a quick arm and pairs with a true feel to pitch. We saw this firsthand at our Top Prospect Milwaukee event where he was able to hit spots with his fastball that sat 83-84 mph. Out of the same slot he was also able to throw a legitimate cutter in 78-80 mph range, which produced consistent weak contact during his outing. To round out his repertoire, he is able to spin in a slurvey type breaking ball with two-plane break for strikes. Arnold is a fierce competitor who works quickly and offers some upside while on the bump.

Samuel Wronski RHP / Marquette University, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 57

Uncommitted: Much like many other prospects making a jump in our most recent rankings update, Wronski was a winner from our Top Prospect Milwaukee event. There, the projectable 6-foot-2, 185-pound prospect twirled an impressive inning during the gameplay portion, where he sat at an easy 83-85 mph. The most eye-catching thing about Wronski’s fastball is his nearly 2,300 rpm and average of 17.3 inches of vertical break, which allows it to really sneak up on opposing hitters. Wronski’s spin traits also carry over to his two breaking balls - a slider and a curveball. Despite both pitches somewhat profiling the same, they are still both sharp offerings that he was able to land for strikes and also earn a handful of swings and misses. 

POSITION PLAYERS

Jake Schaffner MIF / Janesville Craig, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 22

North Dakota State commit: Last summer, Shaffner represented Team Wisconsin at the 2021 PBR Future Games where he put together a solid overall weekend. After that Schaffner continued to show well throughout the spring and into the summer the following year. One of his best performances was at our Top Prospect Milwaukee event back in July. While at The Rock, Schaffner started his day by running one of the faster times in the 60-yard dash, 7.02 seconds, he then followed it up with a quality round of BP, where he sprayed hard line drives all over the field. Schaffner really shined during the live gameplay portion of the event where he went 2-for-3, with a homerun, triple and two walks. In the week that followed, Schaffner made it back out to The Rock for the 17U PBR at The Rock Summer Championships and was equally impressive, as he found a plethora of barrels throughout the weekend, highlighted by a two-double performance in the championship game.

Connor Olson SS / 2B / Arrowhead, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 31

Uncommitted: A strong summer circuit from the uncommitted Olson helped him leapfrog up our rankings, which landed him at No. 31 overall. Olson was another name in attendance at our Top Prospect Milwaukee event back in July where he strung together one of the best all-around days during our time at The Rock. He started off his day with a 6.87 in the 60-yard dash and followed it up with a loud round of BP where he registered a 98 mph max exit velocity with a max carry distance of 362 ft. Olson is a versatile defender whose ability to hit, something we have seen multiple times in person, will help him when he reaches the next level.  

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

Rankings  State Rank: 41

Uncommitted: Turner is a toolsy prospect out of Baraboo who jumped 32 spots in this update, landing him at No. 41. In the winter, the athletically built 6-foot, 185-pound right hander, stood out at the Madison Preseason I.D where he started his day off by running a 6.98 in the 60-yard dash. He then moved over to the BP portion of the event where he posted a 96.2 mph exit velocity and averaged 91.4, with repeated line drives back up the middle part of the field. 

Marco Falletti SS / OF / Wilmot, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 49

Uncommitted: Falletti rose up to No. 49 in this rankings update after a quality showing at our Top Prospect Milwaukee event. There Falletti used his raw power to register a max exit velocity of 100.4 mph, which was second best from this talented event. We have seen Falletti’s hit tool in tournament play multiple times before and he continued that trend as he tallied a pair of hits, one being a double. Falletti is a prospect who oozes athleticism all across the field and pairs it with a legitimate power potential that led to his rise up in this rankings update. 

Ethan Brown cIF / Waukesha West, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 54

Dartmouth commit: Despite suffering an elbow injury that kept him out for an extended period of time, Brown came back maybe better than ever. Brown was in attendance at July’s Top Prospect Milwaukee event where he swung an aggressive yet controlled right handed bat that was responsible for the day's loudest round of BP, maxing at 102.7 mph on his hardest hit ball and averaging 95.5 mph. Built at a strong 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, with a strong arm we have seen in the past and his raw power, Brown projects to stick at the hot corner at Dartmouth once his prep career comes to a close.

Alex Hanneman OF / Appleton East, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 60

Uncommitted: Hanneman another prospect who made a significant jump in the rankings, settling in at No. 60. This jump can be attributed to an enjoyable junior year for the uncommitted prospect, starting off in the winter where he was a clear winner at our Green Bay Preseason I.D. Setting up tall and striding with a toe tap, Hanneman repeatedly created line drive contact to his pullside, with exit velocities as high as 98.2 mph. 

NEWCOMERS

Edward Eveland RHP / Lake Mills, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 53

Upper Iowa commit: Back in July, Eveland made a big splash at the Top Prospect Milwaukee event. There, Eveland twirled one of the more memorable innings in which he struck out all three batters he faced that can be attributed to his innate feel to spot up his fastball that he got up to 87.8 mph and built at a projectable 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, there is even more in the tank. This significant velo jump since we last saw Eveland during the high school season really caught our scouts attention and he also was able to spin in a handful of hard thrown curveballs in the high 70’s that he spun in the 2,300-2,400 rpm range. Shortly after this impressive performance, Eveland made his commitment to Upper Iowa and is now debuting at No. 52 in this latest rankings update. 

Hayden Hellenbrand RHP / Middleton, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 108

Uncommitted: Throughout the summer tour, Hellenbrand was a name that popped at our Western Wisconsin Open back in June. During his ‘pen, Hellenbrand impressed with his simple, athletic mechanics that produced a sneaky quick fastball with sink, in the 80-83 mph range. As for his offspeed offerings, he features a tightly spun breaking ball that he was able to spin at an average of 2,285 rpm. This two pitch combination is already an impressive one that should earn swings at the next level, and if his changeup keeps on developing, it will only add to his above-average skillset. 

6/28/22

Hayden Christiansen RHP / Wilmot Union, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 116

Wisconsin-La Crosse commit: At 6-foot, 155-pounds, Christiansen offers some upside while on the bump and couples it with a simple, clean delivery. In our looks we have seen Christiansen reach highs of 86 mph with a running fastball that he is able to throw for strikes on both sides of the plate. He also shows feel for two offspeed pitches, the first being a 11/5 action breaking ball with late depth and the second being a true changeup that he is able to effectively kill spin on. Overall, his three-pitch mix and his projectibilty offer a lot to like from this Wisconsin - La Crosse commit.

Bryce Erdmann OF / Manitowoc Lincoln, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 124

Uncommitted: Making his rankings debut, Erdmann is an interesting left-handed hitting infielder out of Manitowoc. Listed at an lanky 6-foot, 170-pounds with upside levers, Erdmann works from a tall setup and utilizes an uphill barrel path to drive the ball to all fields. Erdmann put this on display during the PBR Badger State Games where he seemed to be on the barrel all weekend long, highlighted by a 3-for-3 performance in his first game of the weekend.

Hunter Loser C / 3B / Kewaskum, WI / 2023

Rankings  State Rank: 127

Uncommitted: Built at a physical 5-foot-10, 200-pounds Loser is debuting at No. 127 in this rankings update. Loser was in attendance at our last summer event of the year, the Eastern Wisconsin Open where he put together a strong overall day. During the BP portion of the event, Loser impressed with a quick right handed stroke that averaged some of the best exit velocity of the day at 87.3 mph. Loser’s physicality transferred over behind the plate where he was equally impressive as his strong arm (75 mph) recorded pop times in the 2.06-2.14 range. 

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