Prep Baseball Report

Madison Rising Stars ID: Takeaways & Statistical Analysis


By Wisconsin Staff

On March 12, the PBR Wisconsin traveled to GRB Academy in Windsor, Wis., to host the annual Madison Rising Stars ID. This event featured prospects from the 2026 and 2027 graduating classes and has consistently provided our staff with the names of players to consider inviting to the PBR Junior Future Games where they’ll represent Team Wisconsin at LakePoint Sports in Emerson, GA., at the end of the summer.

Now, at the event's conclusion, our staff will begin to compile some of our takeaways from this event while also hitting on some of the day's stat leaders. Below you'll find which players popped to our scouts, as well as which prospects headlined our respective statistical categories.

TAKEAWAYS

+ Trey Kerkhoff (Burlington, 2026) stands at 5-foot-10, 140 pounds, and started his day with a 7.38 time in the 60-yard dash. During his batting session, he set up tall and narrow with a vertical barrel set, and made a tight turn to impact with violence for his respective age. Kerkhoff worked up to 87 mph off the bat with an advanced look for this group. Kerkhoff worked from a compact delivery and athleticism in-line through the plate up to 79 mph with his fastball. He also mixed a curveball and a changeup to round out the arsenal.

+ Matthew O’Grady Jr. (Badger, 2026) stands at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, and ran the fastest 60-yard dash of this Rising Stars event (7.05). O’Grady Jr. was all over the board this weekend. Driving baseballs of the bat up to 92 mph with distances as far as 313 feet. As a left-handed pitcher, he also showed well. Throwing his fastball at 72 mph, and a changeup with significant action. O’Grady Jr. was one of the top performers of the day all around.

 +Colin Murphy (Waunakee, 2026) Standing at 5-foot-5, 140 pounds, and running a 7.48 in the 60-yard dash. Murphy worked well in the box from a balanced setup, a controlled leg kick. Murphy worked from above the ball with an inside path, and generated the day’s second highest exit (89 mph) as a smaller player. Really packing an impressive punch. Behind the dish, he popped a 2.28 down to second with 68 mph arm strength. 

+ Jacob Huff (Delavan-Darien, 2026) standing at 5-foot-5, 130 pounds, and popping a 2.19 down to second with quick feet, and feel for his pocket on quick exchanges. In the box, Huff worked from a tall setup with a high handset. Swinging a vertical entry with feel for his barrel through impact, and shooting line drives to all fields.

+ Henry Koopmeiners  (Waukesha North, 2027) standing at 6-foot-1, 172 pounds, and offering a nice upside look on the mound. Staying relatively tall down the mound, and working a long arm action, Koopmeiners ran the fastball to 73mph as a right hander. He also offered one of the event's best spin for a curveball at 2,200 rpm, and a changeup to round out his pitch set.

+ Luke Verch (Reedsburg, 2026) stands at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, and provided one of the better mound looks of the day. Working from a tall/fall style delivery and running the fastball into the mid-70s, spinning a usable curveball, and one of the day's best changeup actions. Verch has the frame to grow into and develop speed into over the coming cycles.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

TOP 60-YARD DASH

Rank Name State School Class Pos 60-yard
1 Matthew O'Grady Jr. WI Badger 2026 OF 7.05
2 Nolan Schmidbauer WI Waukesha West 2026 OF 7.17
3 Aidan Kolb WI Hartford Union 2026 SS 7.33
4 Trey Kerkhoff WI Burlington 2026 3B 7.38
5 Marty Hanna WI Sauk Prairie 2026 RHP 7.40
6 Alex Armiger WI Arrowhead 2026 RHP 7.44
7 Ethan Rudolph WI St Thomas More 2027 RHP 7.46
8 Colin Murphy WI Waunakee 2026 C 7.48
9 Winston Alonso WI Reedsburg 2026 SS 7.50
10 Nathan Hinek WI New Berlin West 2026 OF 7.51

MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos Velocity (max)
1 Trey Kerkhoff WI Burlington 2026 3B 78.9 mph
2 Brady Stelzer WI Sun Prairie East 2026 RHP 75.1 mph
3 Luke Verch WI Reedsburg 2026 RHP 74.7 mph
4 Cameron Nelson IL Hononegah 2026 OF 73.0 mph
5 Jackson Heidemann IL Harlem 2026 RHP 72.8 mph
6 Alex Armiger WI Arrowhead 2026 RHP 72.6 mph
7 Henry Koopmeiners WI Waukesha North 2027 RHP 72.5 mph
8 Marty Hanna WI Sauk Prairie 2026 RHP 72.4 mph
9 Matthew O'Grady Jr. WI Badger 2026 OF 71.6 mph
10 Ethan Rudolph WI St Thomas More 2027 RHP 70.5 mph

MAX EXIT VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (max)
1 Matthew O'Grady Jr. WI Badger 2026 OF 91.9 mph
2 Colin Murphy WI Waunakee 2026 C 88.5 mph
3 Trey Kerkhoff WI Burlington 2026 3B 87.0 mph
4 Luke Verch WI Reedsburg 2026 RHP 84.8 mph
5 Alex Armiger WI Arrowhead 2026 RHP 82.9 mph
6 Dieter Pommer WI West Bend West 2026 C 82.6 mph
7 Henry Koopmeiners WI Waukesha North 2027 RHP 82.3 mph
8 Josh Manchester WI Mount Horeb 2026 SS 82.2 mph
9 Nolan Schmidbauer WI Waukesha West 2026 OF 82.2 mph
10 Ethan Rudolph WI St Thomas More 2027 RHP 81.3 mph

MAX INFIELD VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos INF Velo
1 Trey Kerkhoff WI Burlington 2026 3B 77
2 Alex Armiger WI Arrowhead 2026 RHP 75
3 Josh Manchester WI Mount Horeb 2026 SS 72
^ Henry Koopmeiners WI Waukesha North 2027 RHP 72
4 Winston Alonso WI Reedsburg 2026 SS 71
^ Jonny Deets WI La Crosse Aquinas 2027 SS 71
5 Aidan Kolb WI Hartford Union 2026 SS 70
^ Luke Verch WI Reedsburg 2026 RHP 70
^ Ethan Rudolph WI St Thomas More 2027 RHP 70

MAX OUTFIELD VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos OF Velo
1 Matthew O'Grady Jr. WI Badger 2026 OF 74
^ Cameron Nelson IL Hononegah 2026 OF 74
2 Jackson Heidemann IL Harlem 2026 RHP 73
3 Nicholas (Niko) Frangopoulos WI Hartland Arrowhead 2026 OF 72
4 Aidan Stuck WI Craig High 2027 C 69
^ Alex Malich WI Waunakee 2026 CF 69

MAX CATCHER VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos C Velo
1 Colin Murphy WI Waunakee 2026 C 68
2 Ethan Trudell WI New Berlin West 2026 C 67
^ Peyton Poker WI Baraboo 2026 C 67
^ Nolan Medla WI Hartford Union 2026 C 67
^ Isaiah Ahlberg WI Solon Springs 2026 C 67
3 Nathan Hinek WI New Berlin West 2026 OF 65
^ Jacob Huff WI Delavan-Darien High 2026 C 65

TOP POP TIMES

Rank Name State School Class Pos Pop Time
1 Jacob Huff WI Delavan-Darien High 2026 C 2.19-2.25
2 Colin Murphy WI Waunakee 2026 C 2.28-2.40
3 Dieter Pommer WI West Bend West 2026 C 2.29-2.47
4 Isaiah Ahlberg WI Solon Springs 2026 C 2.31-2.37
5 Peyton Poker WI Baraboo 2026 C 2.34-2.50

For a complete look at all the statistics from this event, click HERE.

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