Prep Baseball Report

PBR Future Games: Team Wisconsin Preview


By Andy Sroka
Illinois and Wisconsin Assistant Director

On July 28, Prep Baseball Report will bring to you the summer’s premier recruiting event: the 2021 PBR Future Games. Taking place at the state-of-the-art LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson, Ga., this four-day event will pit some of the country’s top 2023 and 2024 prospects against each other in front of hundreds of college coaches and professional scouts.

On Wednesday, Team Wisconsin will join the rest of the country to participate in the event’s workout day, where position players will run, hit, and defend in a showcase setting. From Thursday through Saturday, Team Wisconsin will take on Future Games representatives from teams Minnesota/Iowa/Nebraska, Illinois, and Indiana in live game action.

Learn more about the event, each state’s roster, and schedule information here.

For now, let’s take the time to introduce you to Team Wisconsin.

TEAM WISCONSIN

POSITION PLAYERS

Jack Counsell SS / 2B / Whitefish Bay, WI / 2023

Listed at a lean 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, Jack Counsell is the latest member of his talented family to stand out from his peers. An incoming junior at Whitefish Bay, Counsell is invoking similarities to his brother Brady (2021; Minnesota commit), as a lean and lanky late-bloomer who really began to put it all together as he matured. The younger brother has been blossoming this summer offensively, and we’re looking forward to seeing him show well for himself in Georgia.

Thomas Curry C / Arrowhead, WI / 2023

From the Madison I.D. (3/14/21): "... has a 6-foot-1, 210-pound, physical, prototypical catcher’s build with strength throughout his frame. Defensively, he is clean out of the crouch and showed off the strongest arm of the day at 84 mph from the chute; Curry’s pop times ranged from 2.00-2.03. In the box he has a quiet, aggressive approach from the right side and his strength translates efficiently to his swing to create above-average pop. He generated a highly impressive average and max exit speed, at 93.3 and 99.8, respectively, which both led the event – and he also hit the day’s furthest batted-ball, traveling and estimated 344 feet. Curry landed a barrel with each physical/fast swing, while averaging the fastest bat speed (78.6 mph) of the showcase and the second highest average hand speed (26.8 mph)."

(3/14/21)

Ryan Drumm OF / Edgewood, WI / 2023

From the Lockport I.D. (2/14/21): "... made the trip to Lockport (IL) from Wisconsin and put together arguably the most impressive BP round of the day in terms of consistency. Drumm repeatedly barreled up baseballs off the back wall with authority. He generates a simple, repeatable stroke that has the ability to backspin the baseball and generate well-above-average pop for his size, at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds. He’s a solidly built athlete who ran a sub-7.00 time in the 60-yard dash, and showed an 85 mph arm from the outfield."

Quinn Falish 3B / RHP / De Pere, WI / 2023

From the Madison I.D. (3/14/21): "... stands out as a strong 6-foot-2, 195-pound third baseman with some pop at the plate. He reached a 96.6 mph max exit speed in BP, with a short right-handed stroke that gets through contact well. On top of his strength and size, he showed body control on the infield while running a 6.89, with an 85 mph arm across the diamond. Falish has immediately emerged as a follow sophomore in the state’s 2023 class."

Evan Gustafson C / Altoona, WI / 2023

From All-State Games (6/29/21): "The 6-foot-2, 185-pound, left-handed hitter has strength at the plate, generating loud contact to the middle of the field. He really shined during the defensive workout where he showed a plus arm (79 mph) and plus release for his age. Gustafson shows natural, athletic actions, clean glove-to-hand transfer and his throws were consistently on the bag with carry. Gustafson was routinely popping sub-2.0 times during his round. Looks to be a high-level uncommitted left-handed hitting catcher in the Wisconsin 2023 class."

(6/29/21)

Max Hennemann SS / OF / Oak Creek, WI / 2023

From Milwaukee I.D. (3/21/21): "... has an easy, athletic swing that played well in BP. It’s a line-drive, gap-to-gap approach that keeps things short and simple with little effort. An above-average athlete, he ran a 6.95 in the 60 as well."

Ethan Hindle SS / 2B / Arrowhead, WI / 2023

From Madison I.D. (3/14/21): "... is a high-level athlete who performed well across the board on Sunday, statistically. He clocked a 6.66 time in the 60 to start his day, and followed it up with a 94.6 mph max exit speed in batting practice, and looked smooth on defense, improving his arm strength to an 84 mph high, 10 ticks higher than it was in July."

Caleb Karll OF / C / Madison West, WI / 2023

From the Madison I.D. (3/14/21): "... showed equally as well in the outfield and behind the plate. In the outfield, he is aggressive to the baseball with clean actions, plays through in rhythm and showed off a quick arm that topped at 88 mph. Behind the plate, he is light on his feet, quick out of the crouch, and flashed a low pop time of 1.94 with a peak velocity of 76 mph to second. Offensively, Karll is a physical right-handed bat at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, and he possesses clear bat strength and a solid feel for the barrel. He registered one of the furthest batted-balls of the day, as his best travelled an estimated 331 feet."

JT Kelenic OF / Catholic Memorial, WI / 2023

From the South Milwaukee I.D. (3/10/21): "... again showed promise with the bat. At a high upside 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Kelenic works with a mature approach at the plate that flashes gap-to-gap power, above-average for his age."

Dominic Kibler C / INF / New Berlin West, WI / 2023

From All-State Games (6/29/21): "... was another left-handed hitting catcher who stood out at the event. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound, Kibler took a polished, professional round of BP, resulting in an event-best 91.92 mph average exit velocity off the bat. Kibler is quiet and relaxed in the box with loose, athletic hands and he peppered backspun line-drives right back up the middle of the diamond. Kibler had some of the best barrel control of the day and was also 77 mph from the crouch."

Jake Schaffner SS / 2B / Janesville Craig, WI / 2023

From the Madison I.D. (3/14/21): "... is a left-handed-hitting infielder who showed above-average bat-to-ball skills. He swings from a spray/line-drive approach that is simple and easy, while using the whole field. Defensively, he plays low to the ground with receptive hands, fluid footwork and an advanced/smooth double play turn. Schaffner is a 6.89 runner with an 81 mph arm across the diamond as well. Look for him to rise up the ‘23 rankings when we update our sophomore board after the winter."

PITCHERS

Luke Agnew RHP / Marquette University, WI / 2023

From the West Milwaukee I.D. (2/21/21): "... has skyrocketed into a group of the state’s best arms in its 2023 class. Sunday marked his PBR event debut, and Agnew made excellent use of it. There, he sat right around the 85 mph range, and reached 87-88 to close his ‘pen out. He attacked the strike zone with all three of his pitches, too, with a fluid, loose, athletic arm action that offers significant upside while attached to his projectable 6-foot-2, 203-pound stature. Agnew’s changeup featured like his best offspeed offering on Sunday, though his curveball projects with its depth as he continues to sharpen its action. Expect Agnew to make a splashy debut within the state’s 2023 rankings inside our next update following the winter.'

(2/21/21)

Gavyn Bowen LHP / Pewaukee, WI / 2023

From the All-State Games (6/29/21): "... is a loose-armed left-hander who sat 82-84 mph with seemingly much more in the tank. Bowen, a wiry/athletic, 5-foot-11, 165-pound frame struggled to find the strike zone for his first couple of hitters but then settled in to strike out four of the last five hitters he faced. Follow 2023 left-hander."

Thomas Burns RHP / Hortonville, WI / 2023

From the All-State Games (6/29/21): "... was one of the more impressive arms on the day. Burns, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound, strong, athletically-built right-hander works with easy effort, pounded the strike zone and showed an advanced three-pitch mix that should profile him as a starter down the road. Burns’ fastball sat 86-89 mph with an average induced vertical break of 19.4 inches and an average of 2004 rpm. His curveball is a legitimate out-pitch, flashing sharp action at 72-73 mph. One of the top uncommitted arms in the state of Wisconsin."

(6/29/21)

Jake Catalano RHP / Brookfield East, WI / 2023

From the Kenosha I.D. (2/14/21): "... was responsible for one of the day’s best performances from the mound. With some strength already present in his 6-foot-1, 175-pound build, Catalano reached an 83.7 mph high with the fastball, from a steep angle with a shorter arm action. His curveball flashed bite and late downer action, and the straight change looks like capable of becoming a quality third pitch. It was a good look at a rising sophomore in the state."

Jonah Conradt RHP / P27 Academy, SC / 2023

From the West Milwaukee I.D. (2/21/21): "Conradt capped our day off with a repeat performance of what we saw at the end of last fall. At 6-foot-1, 157 pounds, he’s got a ways to go to fill out, but it's those wiry loose levers that create his aptitude for spin and life through the zone. His fastball takes off to his arm side sitting 87-89 mph, touching a high of 90. His curveball remains his best secondary offering, featuring big spin, measured at an average of 2,567 rpm in the 73-76 mph range."

Noah Dreier RHP / Brookfield Central, WI / 2023

From the Madison I.D. (3/14/21): "... made some noise with an 84-86 mph four-seam fastball. Working with a high front side out of a high ¾ slot, Dreier showed an ability to spin the baseball with both a slider and curveball that logged above-average spin rates for his age, while his curveball showed more depth. He’s an athletic arm to follow inside this class."

Austin Kutz RHP / Hartford Union, WI / 2023

From the South Milwaukee I.D. (3/7/21): "... has made some slight alterations to his arm action and delivery, which has helped him sync up his extra-long levers with a little more regularity, resulting in increased velocity. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound righty was up to 86 mph on Sunday with his fastball that features big spin, especially for his age, measured at 2,335 rpm on average. The pitch carries and runs at above-average rates, too, making it capable of becoming an out-pitch on its own long-term. The offspeed feel is raw, but he’s able to spin the breaking ball, and as a good athlete for his huge frame, Kutz seems capable of making the adjustments he’ll need to enhance his arsenal over time."

Brayden Olson RHP / Saint Croix Falls, WI / 2023

Olson is an athletic 6-foot-1, 170-pound prospect from northwest Wisconsin, and he starred as a two-way player for his high school team this spring, one of the top Division 3 programs in the state this past season. Olson currently projects best from the mound, with a projectable and loose arm that’s clean out front. He sat 83-85 mph at the All-State Games at the end of June, and features a couple above-average secondaries, demonstrating a well-rounded, upside profile to monitor at the Future Games this week.

Chayce Osterhaus RHP / Markesan, WI / 2023

Osterhaus is another WIAA Division 3 star, as he helped Markesan to another successful season on both sides of the ball. Osterhaus has some upside from the left-handed batter’s box, but his live arm from the mound appears to only just be tapping into its lofty potential. He was up to 84 mph at the All-State Games, but reached an 87 mph high a few weeks later at a PBR tournament, and his breaking ball feel has only increased over the past year.

Presley Wachowiak RHP / Catholic Memorial, WI / 2023

This Catholic Memorial right-hander utilizes one of the better breaking balls on this roster, a biting 12/6 curveball that he has previously demonstrated advanced feel for. Wachowiak is a strong, sturdy 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, and it has previously shown to generate above-average velocity, measured in the 86 mph range in-game. We’re eager to catch our latest look at the uncommitted righty.

Zach Wolfram RHP / Menomonee Falls, WI / 2023

Menomonee Falls’ Wolfram propelled himself onto the prospect radar after a terrific spring for  his high school, and it translated directly into the summer, where he’s used his large 6-foot-2 frame to sitting in the mid-80s all outing, measured at an 86 mph high in front of our staff. Wolfram is raw, but equipped with the natural arm strength and size that should stir some attention his way. He’s also exhibited excellent feel for his tight, sweeping slider that he locates well for a player his age.

the week's SCHEDULE

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