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Wisconsin Class of 2022 Rankings Update

September 18, 2020
By Andy Sroka
Illinois and Wisconsin Assistant Director

Finally, after a busy and informative summer, the PBR Wisconsin staff was able to collaborate to produce an updated and expanded look at the state’s Class of 2022 rankings. Just last week, our national team updated the country’s 2022 rankings, and we’re doing the same in-state today. On that national board, there are 12 Wisconsin representatives, supporting the claim that this junior class is becoming a memorable one.

The sophomore-to-junior summer season is one of the most important, and many of our showcases are tailored to this class perennially. In turn, this gives our staff a lot of information to sift through in order to produce the rankings you’ll see before you.

We’ll start our analysis and breakdown of these updated rankings by examining how the top-10 in the class fared this past summer.

THE TOP-10

At the top, there’s been a change. From Janesville Craig, SS Gavin Kilen (Louisville commit) is the state’s new No. 1 overall prospect. We witnessed Kilen first-hand this past weekend where he was absolutely locked in, helping substantiate his new place at the top of this class’ rankings. A left-handed hitter, Kilen’s most surprising tool is his power potential – he just strikes the ball harder and lifts through contact with an efficiency that allows him to produce loud contact to all fields. His loose, fast bat sprays line drives to all fields, and he can especially drive baseballs to his pull side. Kilen begins to separate himself from his peers defensively, where he plays an uber smooth shortstop with noteworthy arm strength. He ranges around the infield with excellent, dynamic actions and makes it look particularly easy tending to groundballs up the middle. Frankly, his tremendous summer has helped him garner some serious draft interest ahead of June 2022.

Our staff has seen enough of Michael Lippe (Whitefish Bay; Louisville) to know that he has the tools to become a draft follow this time next year, when those discussions begin to ramp up within this ‘22 class. Unfortunately, an injury prevented Lippe from taking off this summer, but he should be back to the diamond in the near future to reassert himself as a high-follow prospect in the Midwest. Before the injury, Lippe was one of the country’s most physically advanced prospects. A muscular 6-foot-2, 205 pounds of burst that looked like it’d fit seamlessly onto the gridiron. Regardless, Lippe is still one of the most gifted members of the state’s junior class, having recorded one of the more tooled-up showcase performances in recent memory back in March, where he was 95 mph from the outfield, 92 mph off the tee, and he ran a 6.88 in the 60-yard dash.

WISCONSIN'S TOP-10 BOARD

RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Gavin Kilen WI Janesville Craig 2022 SS Louisville
2 Michael Lippe WI Whitefish Bay 2022 OF Louisville
3 Mitchell Voit WI Whitefish Bay 2022 3B Michigan
4 Will Vierling WI Homestead 2022 C Louisville
5 Tyler Deleskiewicz WI Lake Geneva Badger 2022 RHP  
6 Rory Fox WI Catholic Memorial 2022 SS Notre Dame
7 Brendan Strenke WI Turtle Lake 2022 RHP Iowa
8 Hunter Schmitt WI Grafton 2022 RHP  
9 Keegan Knutson WI Milton 2022 3B South Carolina
10 Tristan Ellis WI Greendale 2022 2B Purdue


Still locked into the No. 3 spot: RHP Mitchell Voit (Whitefish Bay; Michigan). Voit and Lippe are high school teammates, though it’s a shame we weren’t able to see them star for their high school program this past spring as sophomores. Now a junior, Voit still carries exceptional athleticism onto the mound, with a fast, loose arm with clean action. He was 85-89 mph just last weekend at the PBR Midwest Fall Championships, still honing the feel to spin the breaking ball in game. The changeup looked like a promising offspeed pitch to enhance his profile, too. A top-of-the-scale athlete, Voit still offers some premium projection and upside left to unravel.

C Will Vierling (Homestead) is already the third Louisville commit inside the state’s top four, and he maintains his grip on the No. 4 overall rank in Wisconsin. A pure hitter, Vierling consistently demonstrates a keen eye for the strike zone. He’s patient and selective, and doesn’t seem bothered much in two-strike situations. When he does pull the trigger, Vierling’s left-handed bat possesses some of the best pop in the class. He’s capable of spraying hard-hit contact into both gaps, and his feel to hit is arguably the most polished in the state. Another prospect we had the pleasure of catching last weekend at Grand Park, the Homestead backstop launched a double into the left-center gap to spark a clutch rally. His defense seems to be improving, too, helping enhance his overall prospect profile.

The highest riser in the state’s 2022 rankings, and now the top-ranked uncommitted prospect in the state: RHP Tyler Deleskiewicz (Badger). His delivery is unorthodox, but the physical 6-foot-5, 210-pound righty displays advanced arm strength on repeat. And despite the unique motion to home, we’ve seen Deleskiewicz attack the strike zone on more than one occasion this summer. At both our All-State Games and PBR Future Games events, the Badger right-hander touched 90 mph with frequency, and with spin rates (averaging 2,400 rpm) that suggest he’s going to continue to miss bats with the fastball alone. The curveball has been less consistent this summer, though it’s flashed swing-and-miss action at times off a 12/6 plane. And his changeup looks like a viable third pitch to complete the mix. Given his size and unconventional delivery, there may yet be another level to Deleskiewicz’s game to unlock.

Tyler Deleskiewicz (8/2/20)

Up four spots inside this update, SS/RHP Rory Fox (Catholic Memorial; Notre Dame) exhibited some exciting tools all summer – from both the batter’s box and the mound. Another exceptional, all-around athlete on this list, Fox glides around shortstop while swinging a loose left-handed bat and he repeats it cleanly and simply. He’s also one of the state’s most competitive pitchers and was up to 88 mph this summer with a high-spin slider that projects as an outpitch, living in the 2,400-plus rpm range.

Rory Fox (8/2/20)

Two upside right-handers are situated next door to each other at Nos. 7 and 8: Brendan Strenke (Turtle Lake; Iowa) and Hunter Schmitt (Grafton; uncommitted). Strenke’s arm speed and athleticism is striking, and he’s been up to 89 mph in front of PBR staff in the past, though he did not pitch this summer, so we weren’t able to see Iowa commit this summer. Schmitt missed part of the winter and spring with a lower half injury, but he didn’t miss a beat this summer. He’s long held some of the biggest potential within the state’s ‘22 class, with his long levers and wiry build, but he began to truly tap into that potential this past summer where he was up to 91 mph at the PBR Future Games. He can spin a breaking ball and spot a change, too. Adding strength to maintain that kind of velocity will be his priority over the offseason, but Schmitt is one of the more exciting uncommitted talents in the Midwest.

Hunter Schmitt (8/2/20)

Rounding out the top-10, 3B/SS Keegan Knutson (Milton; South Carolina) and SS/OF Tristan Ellis (Greendale; Purdue). Knutson remains just a well-rounded ballplayer with a knack to contribute in a multitude of ways – he can really hit while providing athletic defense anywhere on the infield. Ellis is one of the most competitive, hard-nosed players around. A thin, wiry prospect listed at 5-foot-7, 140 pounds, Ellis repeats a fast left-handed swing well while providing plus, versatile defense in the middle of the infield or in the outfield. Notably, back-to-back summers he’s played a critical role from the mound in his travel team’s championship wins at the PBR Midwest Fall Championships, including last Sunday where he was up to 85 mph.

For the full list of the top-80-ranked juniors in Wisconsin’s 2022 class, click here. Stay tuned next week as we further detail the rising names and new faces included in the updated rankings.

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