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Madison Open: Quick Hits

June 29, 2023
By: Wisconsin Staff

On June 27, PBR Wisconsin hosted its first-ever Madison Open at Sun Prairie East High School's Summit Field in Sun Prairie, Wis. Around 30 players made it out to this event, providing us with updated looks and a new list of prospects to follow in an area of Wisconsin that regularly produces some of the state’s top talent.

Today, we’ll be highlighting the players who stood out in Madison within this Quick Hits piece. Stay tuned throughout the week as we continue to break down the in-depth metrics measured at this event, with the help of our tech partners TrackMan, Blast Motion, Swift, and Vizual Edge.

Quick hits

+ RHP/INF Luke Hurlebaus (Waunakee, 2025) provided an upside look during Tuesday’s showcase, especially on the mound. Listed at a proportional 6-foot, 180-pounds with some strength, Hurlebaus is a simple mover on the mound and pairs it with quick arm speed. As for his repertoire, he featured a running fastball that got up to 82.4 mph with life through the zone while spinning it at a fairly efficient 2,245 rpm on average. He was also able to spin tight sweeping slider in the low-70s in the 2,300 rpm range, and it complemented his fastball effectively. He rounded out his three-pitch arsenal with an changeup thrown with intent that played with fade and depth. Offensively, he features strong and easy hands that helped him record a max EV of 85.2 mph, looking to drive the ball back up the middle.

+ INF/RHP Bentley Wagner (Jefferson, 2026) is athletically built at 6-foot-1, 150 pounds, with room to add to his frame; he's also a 7.29 runner with a 19.0 mph top speed. During BP from the left side, Wagner showcased a direct bat path through the zone and was able to elevate the baseball. The righty also produced some hard contact and recorded a max EV of 87.7 mph, a number that will continue to increase as he grows and matures into his frame. On the infield, Wagner showcased steady actions, reliable hands, and an arm that plays from multiple slots. Throughout his bullpen session, Wagner ran his fastball up to 78.6 mph, while also displaying three different off-speed pitches: a tight breaking curveball, a fading changeup, and a true, no-spin knuckleball. Wagner started for Jefferson's state-run team this past spring, and he has athletic roots, making him a prospect to follow in Wisconsin's '26 in the process.

+ RHP Benjamin Ketelsen (Sun Prairie West, 2024) stands at a high-waisted 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, and he performed well on the mound during his showcase session. From a ¾ slot, Ketelsen's fastball topped 82 mph with large, raw spin (2,434 rpm avg.). From a methodical windup, the right-hander demonstrated his ability to mix off-speed pitches, throwing a sharp curveball (2,484 rpm avg.) and a heavy changeup. His curveball featured 11/5 shape, while the changeup had running action to it, illustrating how he found success at the varsity stage for Sun Prairie West this past spring. Offensively, Ketelsen swings a strong right-handed bat that reached highs of 89.8 mph and averaged 80.2 mph. In the outfield, he is a confident defender that attacks the baseball and topped at 79 mph on his hardest bullet to the plate. 

+ INF/RHP Bennett O’Connor (Middleton, 2025) stands at 6-foot-2, 170-pounds with a long and thin frame, projecting to add strength within his body as he gets older. O’Connor impressed our staff throughout the day with an overall athletic look on the diamond. During his round of BP, O’Connor took a relatively low-effort round with feel for the barrel, driving his furthest ball 292 feet on the day, all while showcasing the ability to impact pitches, producing a max EV of 88.7 mph. Defensively, at shortstop position, O’Connor showed off his athleticism and range to both sides on the infield. On the mound, O’Connor was equally impressive with an athletic delivery down the mound to pair with a quick, loose arm action. The right-hander ran his fastball up to 80.3 mph, displaying liveliness out of the hand with some armside movement. O’Connor also presented two off-speed pitches: A tight breaking curveball with sweep and a fading changeup, both thrown with intent. 

+ Keep an eye out for OF Luke Krull (Xavier, 2024) throughout this summer and after another offseason. He's a 6-foot-3, 180-pound athlete who recorded some of the day's best marks in the Swift athletic testing. His 1.63 time in the 10-yard split was the fastest of the event, and his 6.88 was nearly the day's top time too. Krull was 80 mph from the outfield on his throws home, and his top exit speed was 91.3 mph from the right-handed box. 

+ INF/RHP Brady Barman (Waunakee, 2025) is another noteworthy athlete from nearby Waunakee who made it out to this event. He's a 7.13 runner with a top speed recorded at 19.6 mph, which was among the day's highest. That athleticism works well on the infield defensively, especially, where he demonstrated some above-average actions overall, attached to a quick arm that flashed carry on his throws to first base.

+ INF/RHP Aidan Kammer (Jefferson, 2024) was responsible for the loudest round of BP during our inaugural showcase in Madison. Standing at an athletic 6-foot-1, 182 pounds, Kammer features a strong right-handed swing, geared for consistently ripping line drives back up the middle and to the pull-side. During his round, Kammer’s hardest hit ball came off at 95.8 mph, and he averaged 91.4 mph throughout, both of which were event highs. He would then move to the infield for his defensive session, where the right-hander showcased his reliable hands and fluid actions that have the ability to stick up-the-middle in the future. Kammer also flashed some upside on the bump, where he is an athletic mover with a clean arm action that topped at 79 mph, featuring feel for a fading changeup, and a 11/5 breaking ball. 

+ Standing at a proportional 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, 1B/RHP Ethan Hibicke (Sussex Hamilton, 2025) came away a winner from our time in the Madison Area. At the plate, Hibicke features a smooth, yet strong, right-handed swing that has the ability to backspin the ball to all parts of the field. Hibicke was consistently on the barrel during his round and recorded a max EV of 87.2 mph, and averaged 83.6 mph, too. On the mound, Hibicke features a simple, repeatable delivery, and pairs it with a clean arm that topped at 78.4 mph. As for his offspeeds, he spun in both a slider, with short horizontal action, and a 11/5 curveball for strikes. He rounded out his four-pitch mix with a fading changeup that flashed depth. 

+ LHP/OF Jeffrey Freund (Beaver Dam, 2025) is an intriguing southpaw that is built at an upside 6-foot-1, 155 pounds with athleticism. During his ‘pen, Freund reached a 77.4 mph high on a fastball that really projects as he adds strength, seeing as it comes from a clean and repeatable delivery inside a frame that can support some more muscle, which should in turn enhance the rest of his profile. As for his offspeed offerings, he featured both a slider that flashed tight horizontal action, and a 1/7 curveball with depth. It is also worth mentioning that Freund also ran the fastest 60-yard dash time of the day at 6.87 and he took a quality round of BP, with his hardest ball coming off at 88 mph. More on his performance in the athletic testing, Freund reached a top speed of 20.3 mph – which is a very high mark for a player his age – and he also led the event in both vertical jump tests, further illustrating his projectable athleticism.

+ Standing at an athletic 5-foot-11, 150-pound build, INF/RHP Jackson Guerrero (Middleton, 2026) provided our staff with an upside look at the Madison Open. To start the day, Guerrero ran one of the fastest laser timed 60’s at the event, a 7.17. Later on, during his round of BP, Guerrero was loose in the box and consistently used the whole field. During the defensive portion of the event, Guerrero was a smooth and fluid mover on the infield with an accurate arm across the diamond, up to 77 mph. On the mound Guerrero ran his fastball up to 77.9 mph with life and arm-side run through the zone. The right-hander showed feel for the curveball, throwing it with intent and a 11/5 break, all while mixing in a changeup that flashed depth.

+ INF/RHP Austin Adamowski (Sun Prairie West, 2024) stands at an athletic 5-foot-10, 195-pounds with strength throughout his frame. Adamowski took a strong round of BP, recording a max EV of 89.9 mph, spraying line drives across the whole field. During his defensive round, Adamowski showcased steady actions on the infield with an accurate arm, showcasing life throughout. On the mound, Adamowski ran his fastball up to 77.7 mph while presenting feel for two off-speed pitches, a 10/4 slider and a changeup that he throws with intent.

 + INF/RHP Aiden Smith (Johnson Creek, 2026) presents an athletic and projectable frame, standing at 5-foot-10, 160-pounds. The right-hander showed well on both sides of the field, but especially stood out at the plate. Smith finished his round of BP with a max exit velocity of 87 mph, featuring a stock base setup and relaxed hands in the batter’s box. Throughout the swing, Smith creates a short path to the baseball, showcasing the ability to spray line drives all over the field. On the infield, Smith displayed natural actions, reaching 75 mph with an over-the-top arm motion. He put forth a similar skill set on the bump, mixing three pitches effectively for strikes. fastball sat in the mid-70s throughout, featuring slight run. Went to a curveball and changeup with the off-speed arsenal, both thrown with similar arm speed as the fastball.

+ INF Jack Tubbs (Stratford, 2025) has some impressive athleticism for his age. He's a compact, strong 5-foot-9, 175-pound prospect with 7.02 speed (20.1 mph top speed, second-highest of the event) and his max exit speed during BP was recorded at 90.1 mph.

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