Prep Baseball Report

Wisconsin Class of 2026 Rankings: On The Radar


By Wisconsin Staff

On Wednesday, our staff released the first edition of the Wisconsin’s Class of 2026 Rankings. It’s not so often that a freshman group from our state makes its presence felt quite as early as this collection of prospects have, but that’s why this ‘26 class has managed to produce some telltale signs that it might be one of Wisconsin’s most talented, in recent memory anyway.

 We broke down the top-15 rankings thoroughly on Wednesday, but there were plenty of players who earned consideration. So today, we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of those names who were on our list, though there are even more players who’ve intrigued our staff at various points in 2022.

 Regardless, we’re excited to watch this group grow and develop in the coming years, and it’ll be compelling to watch how these players utilize the offseason ahead. For now, here’s some names to know for the future.

PITCHERS

+ RHP/OF Nick Stellrecht (New Richmond) made his first appearance in front of our Wisconsin staff at the Western Wisconsin Open, back in June. There, Stellrecht’s 6-foot-4, 181-pound frame caught our attention as soon as he walked in. Despite his extra long levers and young age, he moves decently and is able to sync them up both at the plate and on the mound, where he uses his height to throw downhill fastballs in the high-70s. He also features a true 12/6 breaking ball and a deceptive changeup. Overall, there is a lot to like from this young righty, and he will be a name to keep tabs on as he continues to improve. 

Nick Stellrecht (6/28/22)

+ LHP Colton Semmelmann (Brookfield Central) first caught our attention at The Rock during the Summer Championships. There the southpaw impressed with an athletic and repeatable delivery all while running his fastball to the upper 70’s and mixed in a steady amount of big 1/7 breaking balls that earned some awkward swings and misses. Although he isn’t on the initial rankings for this 2026 class, there is no reason why Semmelmann won’t make a big splash in later updates as he continues to develop.

+ RHP/CIF Parker Lawson (Bay Port) is built at a physically mature 6-foot-2, 195-pounds and was one of the many prospects who initially grabbed our scouts attention at The Rock Summer Championships which resulted in an invite to the PBR Junior Future Games. On the mound, Lawson features a fastball that we have seen up to the mid-80s and has feel for a 11/5 breaking ball that he is able to throw either in the zone, or bury it for swings and misses. Offensively, his natural strength carries over as he is able to spray line drives and has registered a max EV of 86.3, too.

Parker Lawson (4/12/22)

+ RHP/OF Ryan Rasmussen (Cedarburg) is listed at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, and he’s another ultra-projectable prospect in this 2026 class. In our looks, Rasmussen features a smooth, repeatable delivery from a lower ¾ slot and has been up to 79 mph. He has also shown a sweeping type breaking ball for strikes, too. With his long levers and easy operation, there is a lot to hope for from this young prospect. 

+ RHP/OF Brayden Banyai (Madison Memorial) has a short compact frame with strength and athleticism. Right-handed hitter with a short, handsy swing, line-drive stroke; consistent quality at bats, tough out with ability to drive balls into gaps. Also a competitive strike-thrower on the mound who works at an uptempo pace. Pounds the zone with upper-70s velocity from a high window that carries some, natural sink/run to it; quick, loose arm. Above-average feel to spin a breaking ball; 12/6 shape with depth, can locate it.

+ LHP/OF Jacob Coopman (Menasha) is listed at 5-foot-10, 140 pounds with long levers and room to fill. Coopman impresses with the a rhythmic and well-sequenced delivery driving the ball to all four quadrants and mixing in secondaries for strikes. At the plate, he does an impressive job of using his lower half to deliver the barrel to drive the baseball to both gaps. Coopman shows a natural timing and rhythm that will help him be consistent as an impact bat as he continues to develop.

CATCHERS

+ C/3B Manuel Abreu-Socorro (Madison Memorial) at lean, athletic backstop who has shown the skill set to catch and receive at a high level already. Consistently quick transfers to a short arm action and high release, balanced to and toward the target – uncommon traits for a player his age. Switch-hitter who looks more comfortable from the right side at this time; loose barrel, some bat speed, from a build that should benefit from a natural strength gain as he continues to develop.

+ C/INF Jacob Huff (Delavan-Darien) is a prospect who we saw during the winter at our Madison Rising Stars ID and also at The Rock during the 14U Summer Championships. In between those looks, it seemed that Huff was hard at work, as he put together a productive weekend both at the plate and behind it. Huff swings a competitive and smooth right-handed bat and he’s able to shoot line drives from gap-to-gap. Defensively, he is also an above-average receiver with quick feet that produced lows of 2.19 on his throws to second. 

Jacob Huff (6/12/22)

INFIELDERS

+ INF/RHP Trey Kerkhoff (Burlington) made for a good look during the PBR at The Rock Summer Championships, both at the plate and on the mound. He first caught our staff’s attention after a productive outing on the mound where he reached 80 mph and featured a downer action changeup, too. Then throughout the weekend, Kerkhoff showed off his offensive capabilities as he utilized the entire field to tally multiple hard hit balls. This performance led to an invite to the Junior Future Games where continued to put his tools-y skillset on display.

Trey Kerkhoff (7/26/22)

+ INF Jace Mataczynski (Hudson) is listed at 5-foot-11, 145 pounds with long levers, sloped shoulders and plenty of room to fill. A smooth loose mover both at the plate and in the field, Jace has plenty of upside. Mataczynski consistently finds the barrel and has the ability to spray line drives to all fields. Power will come once his body fills. In the infield, he is an athlete with bounce and a quick first step. His hands work soft through the ball and his arm shows solid carry and accuracy through the bag.

+ INF/RHP Brayden Alivo (St. Thomas More) is listed at a projectable 5-foot-9, 140 pounds and is another prospect that made the trip down to LakePoint for the Junior Future Games. During the entire weekend, Alivo’s athleticism was put on display in many different aspects of the game as he was able to tally a handful of hits and was a lockdown defender on the infield, too.

+ INF Hudson Burg (Fond du Lac) stands at an athletic 5-foot-8, 165 pounds with a strong lower half. In July, Burg represented Team Wisconsin at the Junior Future Games where he put together multiple strong at-bats that resulted in a handful of hard hit contact. Burg is a raw prospect, but at his young age he has plenty of time to develop and has the potential to be a next-level talent from this ‘26 class. 

+ INF Aidan Kolb (Hartford Union) is listed at a compact 5-foot-7, 145 pounds. He shows quick hands at the plate with an impressive feel for the barrel and hitterish timing and rhythm in the swing. He is a sure-handed defender in the middle and makes plays with a good deal of reliability.

OUTFIELDERS

+ OF/RHP Cade Minatto (Indian Trail) also earned a spot on Team Wisconsin for the Junior Future Games after a standout performance at the South Milwaukee Rising Stars ID in the winter. While down in Georgia, Minatto proved to be an exciting two-way prospect as he registered a max EV of 91.1 during the BP portion and his offensive capabilities transferred over to live gameplay as he recorded a clutch two-RBI triple late in Game Two of the weekend. He also came in on relief in Wisconsin’s first game of the weekend and he was able to hold onto the win and gave them their first win of the weekend, reaching velos as high as 81 mph.

Cade Minatto (7/26/22)

+ OF/RHP Cameron Carter (Arrowhead) is listed at a long 6-foot-1, 145 pounds with room to fill out. At the plate, he has a simple move and quick hands allowing him to consistently find the barrel and impact the baseball to both gaps. On the mound, he drives the ball downhill with a consistent repeatable delivery with a quick arm and good finish through pitches. He also features the ability to spin a breaking ball and land a change up keeping hitters off balance. His ability both in the outfield and on the mound make Carter an impressive prospect who just missed our top-15 for the class.

+ OF Thomas Carew (Appleton North) is listed at 5-foot-10, 155 pounds. He has a quick short swing with minimal movement that allows him to hit the ball where it’s pitched and control the zone. He shows a quick first step and athleticism on the bases and in the outfield to make him an interesting prospect for the class of 2026.

Thomas Carew (9/25/22)

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