Prep Baseball Report

PBR at The Rock Fall Championships Quick Hits: Day 1 & 2


By: Illinois and Wisconsin Scouting Staff

Welcome to Quick Hits, a compilation of daily highlights captured at our PBR at The Rock tournaments. This weekend, we’re hosting our final tournament of the year: the PBR at The Rock Fall Championships. Continue reading below to view our biggest takeaways from Thursday and Friday’s action.

You can follow along with our coverage live by following us at @PBRWisconsin on Twitter.

DAY 1 

+ RHP Nolan Kahle (Brookfield Academy, 2022) kicked the first day off with a strong start for Midwest Halos 2022 Red - six innings, zero earned runs, and seven strikeouts. Kahle effectively attacked both corners of the plate with an 81-84 mph fastball, working with tempo and rhythm throughout his outing. He turned to a mid-60s curveball when he needed to change the pace, landing it for strikes and spinning it off a tight 11/5 plane. A top-100 prospect in the state’s current senior class, Kahle is still uncommitted. 

+ A handful of other Halos, other than Kahle, impressed in that game as well - all of which are uncommitted. C Alec Campbell (Milton, 2022) and CIF Daniel Sherman (Slinger, 2022) each collected two hits and drove in runs. INF Cristiano Ramirez (Muskego, 2022) reached base out of the leadoff spot three times, while OF Eli Michaelis (Wauwatosa East, 2022) had two hits and brought home a pair of runs, too. 

+ Playing up a level for STiKS Academy 2022, RHP Tristan Arnold (Mukwonago, 2023) entered the game out of the ‘pen in a bases-loaded situation and struck out the side. He’s a lanky, long-limbed 5-foot-10, 135-pound athlete with lively arm speed and plenty of physical projection attached to his frame. Arnold’s fastball sat at 80-83 mph and there’s unquestionably more velocity left to come. He also ripped off several tight-spun sliders for strikes; a pitch thrown with conviction that changes planes and could be a swing-and-miss pitch for him as he continues to mature. Arnold certainly popped as a follow name in the state’s junior class. 

+ STiKS Academy 2025 started the weekend off on a high note, winning their first game of pool play on Thursday afternoon 6-2. A handful of prospects popped up as follow names, including left-handed hitting INF Luke Schlosser (Oconomowoc, 2025) and UTL Yamato Takahashi (Arrowhead, 2025). They both tallied two knocks and drove in runs for STiKS in the win. 

+ RHP/INF Adam Urban (Wauwatosa West, 2025) is a name we’ve been following for some time now, after showing well at a Future Prospects event this spring and performing in front of our staff throughout the summer. The 5-foot-10, 155-pound Urban toed the rubber yesterday and showed a loose, quick arm that produced a 78-80 mph fastball throughout his outing. Urban also landed his curveball for strikes at an above-average rate, displaying an innate feel to spin for his age. He’s a quality defender on the infield and swings a smooth left-handed bat, too. 

+ Over at Milkmen Field, PTA Cardinal’s Upperclass squad battled their way to a 13-9 victory. ATH Max Hennemann (Oak Creek) continues to perform each time we see him, driving a ball deep into the opposite field gap for a bases-loaded triple. Hennemann is amongst the top prospects in the state’s junior class as a multi-faceted contributor that checks a ton of boxes. OF Max Semancik (Franklin, 2022) ripped a ball into the left-center gap for a double as well in the win. 

+ The final game of our first day ended in dramatic fashion, as PTA Cardinal’s underclass team earned a hard-fought victory in walk-off fashion. Several intriguing prospects jumped onto our radar from this PTA Cardinal squad, including INF Jack Bauer (Greendale, 2024), RHP Tyler Conger (Waukesha South, 2024) and UTL Lucas Lehnen (Sussex Hamilton, 2025). A quick nugget on each: 

+ We came away impressed with Bauer when we first saw him during the WIAA season as a key contributor to a quality Greendale team that was perennially nestled inside our Power 25 rankings. He’s a strong, wiry athlete with twitchy bat speed that flashed those tools in game, nearly leaving the yard in his first at-bat of the weekend. Defensively, Bauer started at shortstop and looked the part with athletic actions and soft hands that can potentially be an asset up the middle in the future. 

+ Conger got the start and turned in a strong outing, striking out 13 batters while effectively mixing speeds throughout. He’s a competitive strike-thrower that consistently performs each time he’s called upon to take the mound. 

+ Thursday night was the first time we’d ever seen Lehnen play in person and he made a positive first impression on our scouting staff. Lehnen fit right in with the older crowd, playing up an age level. He’s an athletic do-it-all type of prospect that flashed an easy feel for the barrel, a confident approach in the box, and the ability to change planes through the zone. We’re eager to monitor his progress throughout his high school career. 

DAY 2 

+ The Hitters 2024 squad started Friday off on a high note, shaving off a valiant comeback effort from their opponents to win 7-6. Eight different players recorded a hit, including a screaming double into the left-center gap from 6-foot-4, 200-pound 1B Aren Robinson (Brookfield Central, 2024). OF Luca Royer (Lake Forest, IL; 2024) also doubled, while INF Brock Lulewicz (Muskego, 2024), OF Roman Sienza (Mukwonago, 2024), and OF RJ Thomae (Hartford, 2024) all drove in runs. 

+ Despite falling just short of a victory, Brew State Baseball’s Underclass team has several prospects worth following on their roster, including the three players penciled directly into the middle of their lineup: UTL Scott Brown (2024), C Lincoln Ascher (Kettle Moraine, 2024), and INF Aidan Perdreau (Mukwonago, 2024). A brief nugget on each of them: 

+ Brown looked the part in the box on Thursday night, working on the barrel a handful of times in Brew State’s first game of the weekend. He juiced one up in emphatic fashion early Friday afternoon for a home run, finishing the game with two RBIs. He’s certainly a follow prospect with impact offensive potential at the dish. 

+ Ascher was a standout at The Rock earlier in the summer and the 6-foot, 190-pound backstop continues to impress each time we see him. He took a handful of athletic cuts yesterday and barreled one up the other way in this game for his lone hit of the contest. He’s an impactful presence behind the plate as well with above-average defensive actions and instincts for someone his age. There’s potential for Ascher to be a middle-of-the-order type bat that can also be a defensive asset behind the plate. 

+ Perdreau brings some physicality into the right-handed batter’s box each time he steps in as  a strong, sturdy 5-foot-10, 195-pound thumper type. He walked twice today in this game, but has shown well in the past when we’ve seen him. 

+ We were able to get an up-to-date look at the top prospect in the state’s 2023 class on Friday afternoon: RHP Dylan Questad (Waterford; Arkansas). Questad got the nod for STiKS Academy’s 2023 squad and was sitting at an easy 91-93 mph with his fastball in the first inning. He’s improved his ability to spin a low-80s breaking ball since our last look and also mixed in a diving changeup at 82-83 mph, thrown at arm speed. Questad showed quality command of all three pitches early in this game and looked every bit the part of the high-end arm we’ve long known him to be. 

+ The two arms that preceded Questad for STiKS Academy’s 2023 squad each turned in quality performances in their own right. 1B/RHP EJ Kuster (Greendale) was first out of the ‘pen and the lanky 6-foot-3, 190-pound Kuster sat 81-83 with his fastball, all while spinning a quality breaking ball in the low-70s. LHP Gavyn Bowen (Pewaukee) entered the game after Kuster and showcased a more controlled, impressive arsenal in relief. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound former PBR Future Gamer bumped his fastball up to 85 mph and spun two distinct breaking balls rather easily around the zone. He possesses one of the highest ceilings in the state, given the physical projection left to come with his frame and the innate aptitude to spin he possesses. 

+ INF Ethan Hindle (Arrowhead) is currently the second-ranked player in Wisconsin’s 2023 class after multiple eye-popping performances throughout the summer circuit - especially at the PBR Future Games. A recent Kentucky commit, Hindle jumped all over a middle-in fastball and launched it directly over the center field fence for a home run during the 3:30 slate. He’s a high octane offensive threat and we’re eager to see what he does throughout the weekend with STiKS Academy’s 2023 squad. 

+ Several members of the Hitters 2023 squad stood out offensively, as they won their first game of the weekend 11-8 during our first slate of games on Friday. A member of Team Wisconsin at the PBR Future Games this summer, OF J.T. Kelenic (Catholic Memorial) continues to show plenty of untapped power inside a 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame. He clobbered an off-speed pitch left up in the zone for a two-run blast deep over the left field fence in the fifth inning of this game. INF Jack Counsell (Whitefish Bay) is another former PBR Future Gamer that showed well, collecting two hits and driving in four runs total out of the two-hole. Both T.J. Schuyler (Antioch, IL; Indiana) and C/3B Michael Clarkson (Loyola Academy, IL) had three hits apiece, while left-handed hitting 1B/OF Aiden Schenk singled twice in the win. 

+ We’ve long known this Hitters 2022 squad as a special group of talented players from top to bottom and they certainly showed that on Friday night, winning their first game of the tournament 8-1. All three of C Hayden Christiansen (Richmond Burton, IL; Xavier), C Will Vierling (Homestead; Louisville), and INF/RHP Mitchell Voit (Whitefish Bay; Michigan) had multi-hit games, while INF Ian Choi (Indian Trail; Butler) tripled out of the leadoff spot. Uncommitted C Will Johannes’ (Mukwonago) lone hit of the day nearly left the yard, bouncing it off the left field fence for a base knock. OF Tristan Ott (Oconomowoc), another uncommitted name on this squad, had two hits in the win. 

+ Getting the start for Hitters 2022 in the win was RHP Mason Buss (Arrowhead) and the Kansas State commit turned in yet another masterful outing. He went five quality innings, allowing just one hit and one run, while striking out nine. Buss attacked hitters with an 85-88 mph fastball and effectively mixed his pitches when he needed to. He continues to show out as one of the state’s most complete and competitive arms each time we see him take the mound. 

+ C Peyton Ryback (Nathan Hale) has had a strong showing each of the last two days and is certainly a follow prospect in the state’s 2024 class. Playing for the PTA Cardinal Underclass squad, Ryback added to his hit totals from yesterday by logging two more hits today, both of them going for extra bases. He’s a projectable 5-foot-10, 140-pound prospect with lean, athletic strength attached to his right-handed barrel. 

+ INF Joshua Diorio (Whitnall, 2024) displayed advanced raw bat strength in the right-handed box for the Midwest Halos 2024 team on Friday afternoon. A proportionally strong 6-foot, 180-pound athlete, Diorio blasted a no-doubt three-run blast over at Milkmen Field and finished the day with a 2-for-3 performance. He’s an aggressive hitter that attacks early in the counts and is capable of adjusting planes when dealing with off-speed pitches. Playing third base, Diorio works with athletic feet, fielding the baseball cleanly out in front with a strong arm.

+ ISA Royals Upperclass team got a strong start from uncommitted RHP Mack Crowley (Ashwaubenon, 2022), which ultimately propelled them to victory at Milkmen Field. Crowley nearly went the distance, allowing two runs on seven hits, walking just one while striking out eight. His arsenal primarily consisted of a fastball/changeup mix and he’d turn to a curveball sparingly in order to mix in a different look. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound right-hander bumped his fastball up into the 84-85 mph range early, holding 80-83 mph as his outing went on. He threw his changeup at 75-78 mph and it flashed slight arm-side action, working from a similar slot to his fastball. That aforementioned third pitch, his curveball, played in the low-70s with slurvey-type action off an 11/5 plane. Another uncommitted 2022 prospect showed well for ISA in the win, as left-handed hitting 1B Wendell Waukau Jr. (Menoninee Indian) caught two barrels and doubled.

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