Wisconsin Class of 2025 Rankings: Update
April 17, 2024
After a busy winter circuit and a productive start to the spring we’re unveiling Wisconsin’s updated Class of 2025 rankings today. There was a good amount of movement at the top, and some small tinkering elsewhere – and we also added 50 names to the board, creating a top-175 overall as we coast into the heart of the spring.
In this piece, we’ll outline the players at the top of the class and we’ll highlight some of the prospects who are making jumps up inside of the top-20, too.
Later, we’ll also break down more of the arrow-up prospects and the new faces debuting on this list. For now, here are highlights from these past winter months.
NEW TOP-FIVE
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Carter Kutz 3B / 3B / Hartford Union, WI / 2025Maintaining the top spot in this update, Kutz offers one of the more intriguing combination of tools in the class. Standing at a lean 6-foot-2, 178-pound frame with broad shoulders that suggest more room for growth, Kutz is a quality athlete that has ran a 6.88 60-yard dash time. A well-rounded and polished offensive profile, Kutz has shown the ability to hit against high-level competition across multiple looks. Also a versatile defender that plays a quality third base and could certainly stick there moving forward, and has also seen time behind the plate. Kutz has also been shining on the mound so far this spring, as he has helped his Hartford squad to a No. 19 spot inside of our Power 25 Rankings. Earlier this week, we got a live look at him as he dominated a quality lineup from start to finish. In his outing, he ran his fastball up to 91 mph, while sitting in the upper-80s throughout his seven inning start. He was able to turn over a heavy-fading changeup to both left and right-handed hitters, which was one of the more noteworthy aspects to his performance. He did also flash a tighter breaking ball in the mid-70s, which has continued to improve over the past few looks. He is a confident competitor on the bump, working up-tempo and not giving the opposition much time in between pitches. Overall, Kutz has a ton going for him, and he is still a raw prospect, making him one of the more intriguing prospects in the state. |
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Trevor Vande Hey OF / RHP / Wrightstown, WI / 2025Here’s a report from the Green Bay Preseason ID Quick Hits; “is one of the most “tooled up” prospects in the Midwest and he showed off those tools on Saturday. Starting during athletic testing, Vande Hey recorded the top 60-yard dash of the day at 6.78 where he reached a top run speed of 20.5 mph. He also surpassed the 30” mark on his vertical jump with a 30.5” jump. His loudest tool was on display during his BP round, where he averaged a whopping 100.1 mph exit velocity with his hardest hit coming off at 105.6 mph, and his furthest batted ball traveled 405 ft. His swing metrics were also off the charts too, as he averaged a bat speed of 79.8 mph and a hand speed of 26.4 mph as well. Then during the outfield defense portion of the event, his strong arm that topped at 94 mph on his hardest throw, coupled with his twitchy athleticism allow him to be a sure-fire center fielder in the future, too. For what it is worth, he also reached an 87.1 mph high on the mound too, with feel for a sweeping slider and a changeup with fade. Overall, it was yet another ultra-loud performance from the Iowa commit, something our staff has become quite accustomed to seeing from him, and he enters his junior year as one of the top prospects in the state.” |
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Ryan Brennecke LHP / 1B / Oconomowoc , WI / 2025Rankings StateRank: 3 / POS: 1
Here’s a report from our WIAA Week 3 Scout Blog; “Currently ranked No. 9 in Wisconsin’s junior class. Brennecke was the first of a few impressive arms the Racoons rolled out there on Friday. Out of simple and repeatable delivery, the southpaw sat 87-91 mph in his start, running it up to 93 mph on one pitch in the third inning. Off of his lively fastball, Brennecke spun in a sharp 1/7 breaking ball in the mid-70s for called strikes and also whiffs outside of the zone. Rounding out his productive three-pitch mix was a fading changeup in the low-80s that featured some late depth and proved to be an out-pitch he used to righties. Brennecke finished his illustrious outing with five strikeouts over 3.1 innings and failed to allow a hit, too. A high-level arm in the state’s junior class.” |
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Sawyer Deering RHP / OF / Kimberly , WI / 2025While Deering didn't technically move in this rankings update, still at No. 4, in our staff's eyes he did and he looks every bit the part of one of the state's top arms so far this spring. We recently got out to see his Kimberly squad earlier this week and he was impressive to say the least. In his four inning start, he sat strictly 87-90 mph out of a polished and athletic delivery. He also continued to spin in arguably the state's best breaking ball - a sharp curveball in the 79-81 mph range with late bite and depth at the plate. He pounded the zone in his outing, throwing to a 70% strike rate and consistently beat opposing hitters in the zone. He is also one of the state's most competitive prospects and plays with confidence which is apparent when seeing him on the diamond. Still as only a junior, there is still some untapped potential in there, making him one of the most intriguing prospects in the class. |
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Peter Kussow RHP / 1B / Arrowhead, WI / 2025Here’s a report from the West Milwaukee Preseason ID Quick Hits; “was one of the premier arms at the event, touching a showcase-high 92.7 mph with his fastball. It’s a lively arm with a loose, long arm action into a ¾ slot. The Louisville commit uses a high leg lift and drop-and-drive delivery to generate his impressive velocity, showing clear athleticism working downhill. The 6-foot-5 Kussow sat 91-92 mph with life and arm-side run while working in the zone. His curveball has sharp 11/5 action with well above average spin (2,600+ RPM avg.) and the ability to locate, a true out pitch at 80-82 mph. The changeup came out of a slightly lower arm slot but had quality fade and depth. Kussow is undoubtedly one of the top arms in the state and continued to prove as an exciting arm inside of Wisconsin’s junior class.” |
TOP-20 RISERS
+ MIF Jack Lutz (Whitnall, 2025; Indiana State commit): Here’s a report from the Milwaukee Preseason ID; “The left-handed hitter has a smooth and repeatable swing that produced notable exit velocities and reached a max exit velocity of 92.3 mph and an average exit velocity of 87.0 mph which was amongst the day's. In the infield, Lutz ranges to the ball with ease and makes the routine play look easy. His arm was up to 87 mph across the infield and should easily stick at short at the next-level. Lutz will likely fill out and tap into even more raw power, arm strength and foot speed with more lower half strength and power. The future is bright for the Indiana State commit and our staff is looking forward to watching him perform this spring and summer.”
+ RHP Cameron St. John (Altoona, 2025): Here’s a report from St. John's performance at the Milwaukee Preseason ID; “authored one of the loudest ‘pens our staff has seen this winter. The right-hander has impressed our staff before for his ability with his bat and is arguably more impressive on the mound. New to pitching, St. John showed advanced feel for the zone with all of his pitches, starting with his fastball that featured true four-seam action with ride through the zone and spun at an above-average rate at 2,313 RPMs. St. John also threw a tight-breaking slider that he was able to throw in the upper-70s to low-80s that looks to be able to generate swings-and-misses in game. St. John also threw a low-80s cutter that is a new pitch for him but showed feel to throw it in the zone with roughly 2.5 inches of cut to the pitch. While being new to the mound, St. John has a unique combination of athleticism, arm talent, and ceiling to make up one of the state's top pitching prospects no matter the class.”
+ RHP Jaxon Clayton (Brookfield Central, 2025): Here’s a report from the Madison Preseason ID; “showed our staff what he can do with his arm talent on the mound. Clayton is an impressive athlete with a dynamic delivery and very quick arm. His four-seam fastball was driven through areas of the zone at 90 mph showing quality forward life finish through the hitting zone. The sinker also showed late life with boring running action to the arm side. The junior also has a cutter at 83 mph with a quick lateral break to it. The slider has a 10/4 shape and break thrown at 77-79 mph and has out pitch quality. Arguably Clayton’s best secondary is the curveball which profiles as an out-pitch weapon with two plane break. He has the ability to control the pitch in and out of the zone for strikes and swing and miss. It was another eye opening performance from Jaxson Clayton and it solidified himself as one of the top talents in the state for the class of 2025.”
+ RHP Auden Pankonin (River Falls, 2025) finds himself rising a number of slots in this update, after putting together a loud ‘pen at Prep Baseball Minnesota’s Preseason All-State. There, the 6-foot-3 190-pound Pankonin ran his hard-running fastball that averaged over 17 inches of run, up to 91.2 mph from a loose and repeatable delivery. He also spun in a tight slider in the 79-82 mph range that tunnels well off of his fastball and he also kills spin on a low-80s changeup that rounds out his three-pitch mix. He has also had a strong start to the spring for his River Falls squad, highlighted by a seven strikeout appearance in the second week of WIAA action. All in all, Pankonin is flat-out one of the top uncommitted arms in the state, regardless of class and he enters his junior campaign with a big arrow up next to his name.
+ INF/RHP Eli Bryant (Beaver Dam, 2025; Kent State commit): Here is a report from the annual West Milwaukee Preseason ID; “put together yet another impressive two-way performance during Saturday’s showcase. On the mound, Bryant is an easy and athletic mover, pairing it with a quick arm that produced fastball highs of 89.8 mph, while sitting in the 88-89 mph range throughout. His sharp 11/5 breaking ball in the mid-70s possessed out-pitch potential as he showed feel to spot it up on the bottom part of the zone, and also throw below for swing-and-miss. Rounding out his three-pitch repertoire is a deceptive changeup that is thrown at arm speed and features late fade/depth. Offensively, Bryant uses a narrow set-up at the plate, landing centered with a quiet hand trigger to generate power. His hands work low into a flat path, allowing his strong hands and powerful lower half to generate the third-best exit velocity of the event at 98 mph. Defensively, he showed quality feet and soft hands, with bounce and quickness in his first step. Rounding out his game, Bryant’s speed was on display in his 7.10 60-yard time, among Saturday’s best.”
+ INF Kaden Connor (Monona Grove, 2025; Xavier commit): Here’s a report from the Madison Preseason ID; “was impressive as a two-way prospect on Sunday. The lean and projectable 6-foot, 175 pound Connor started his day by running a respectable 7.10 seconds 60-yard dash showing burst and quick turnover once underway. Connor is a smooth swinging left-handed hitter with a natural swing sequence that is short and quick to the baseball with easy extension through. On the infielder, the junior is a sure-handed defender with a strong and accurate arm at 83 mph. On the mound, Connor repeats a clean and athletic delivery with a quick arm and gets his fastball working downhill to spots up to 83 mph. He also has a sharp down curveball 71-72 mph and a quality change up with depth 71-73 mph.”
ELSEWHERE IN THE TOP-10
+ RHP/UTL Ethan Bauerschmidt (Tremper, 2025; Penn State commit): Here’s a report from the South Milwaukee Preseason ID; “Built at a lean 6-foot-2, 161-pounds, Bauerschmidt is a simple and athletic mover on the bump, pairing it with a quick arm that produced the day’s highest velocities. He sat in the 89-91 mph range and he reared back for a 91.7 mph max on a hard running fastball that averaged 15.5” of horizontal movement. His slider, which averaged 2,451 RPM, played with tight 10/4 break and was thrown with fastball intent. Rounding out his three-pitch mix was a changeup that was thrown with intent, featuring tilt/fade and he was able to consistently throw in the lower part of the zone. While his ‘pen was impressive in its own right, there is still a considerable amount of upside there, and it is safe to say that he is just scratching the surface of what his ceiling on the bump could ultimately be.”
+ SS Preston Yaucher (Edgewood, 2025; Penn State commit): Here’s a report from the Madison Preseason ID; “was arguably the top performer during Sunday’s event. Firstly, Yaucher showed up boasting a more filled out and thicker frame, which certainly aided him across multiple aspects of the game. To kick off the day, he recorded a 6.90 60-yard dash and a max jump height of 32.3 inches, both of which are higher-end metrics. Then during his round, Yaucher took short and compact swings to the ball, spraying line drives to all parts of the field. His added strength certainly added some more pop to his right-handed bat, as his hardest ball came off at 94.3 mph, and he averaged 86.4 mph throughout. We have long known Yaucher to be a premier defender up-the-middle and Sunday’s round of infield defense furthered that notion even more. Working athletically from side-to-side, Yaucher presented soft and confident hands, pairing it with an arm that topped at 86 mph across - certainly looking like a sure-fire shortstop at the next-level. Yaucher’s performance on Sunday proved himself as one of the state’s top prospects and is certainly someone that our staff is excited to follow over the remainder of his prep career.”
+ RHP Adam Urban (Wauwatosa West, 2025; Minnesota commit): Here’s a report from the Madison Preseason ID; “is a recent Prep Baseball Future Games standout, and seemed to be hard at work this offseason. Measuring in at a lean 6-foot, 194 pounds, Urban is an athletic and intentful mover downhill. He pairs it with a strong and quick arm that produced the top fastball velocity at 91.8 mph, while sitting 90-91 mph throughout. Not only is the sheer velocity of this pitch impressive, it also plays with true backspin through the zone, roughly 2,300 RPM on average and also features nearly a foot of vertical break, too. He also showed an improved feel for a wipeout slider, as it played with sharp lateral break, averaging over 17” of horizontal movement while being thrown in the mid-to-high-70s. His splitter also showed as an out-pitch, as it played with deadly bite in the high-70s while also spinning at a low rate.”
+ RHP Greyson Zach (Pewaukee, 2025; Minnesota commit) has one of the more impressive all-around toolsets in the state. Built at a strong 6-foot-3, 204-pounds, Zach is a quality athlete as he is a 6.84 runner, a solid number and not just for someone of his stature. He also swings a loud right-handed bat that has produced exit velocities upwards of 96 mph in our showcase looks and his swing is equally as impressive in game as we have seen him consistently drive the ball with authority to all parts of the field. On the mound, he has been up to 90 mph in our looks, with intriguing rise/run traits. As for offspeeds, he can flip in a low-to-mid-70s breaking ball and effectively kills spin on a low-80s changeup. He has hit the ground running early on into the spring, as he already has a pair of no-hitters under his belt while also being a threat in the heart of his Pewaukee squads lineup.
ROUNDING OUT THE TOP-20
+ LHP Brolan Frost (Elkhorn Area, 2025; Iowa commit) boasts one of the highest ceilings in the state, and he comes in at No.12 in this update. Last summer, Frost exploded across the summer circuit, highlighted by a ultra-high upside showing for Team Wisconsin at the Prep Baseball Future Games. At a long 6-foot-4 165 pounds, Frost is a polished mover on the bump who features a fastball we have seen up to 85 mph with some late running action through the zone. Off that he spins in a tight breaking ball in the low-to-mid-70s and turns over a upper-70s changeup, too. Frost really has a lot going for him, as it is safe to say he is just starting to scratch the surface of what his ultimate ceiling on the bump could be.
+ INF Jack Zeller (Indian Trail, 2025): Here’s a report from the South Milwaukee Preseason ID; “Zeller showcased his skills with the bat during the hitting portion of the event with an upright set up, loose hands and impressive feel to put the barrel on the ball. His ultra-simple left-handed swing consistently drove the ball from gap-to-gap and he registered an average exit velocity of 86.2 mph. Another big takeaway was the improvements he made on the infield. Moving with smooth actions and a quick first step, Zeller looked the part of a lockdown defender at the next-level, pairing it with an arm that topped at 85 mph across. While his workout was impressive, Zeller really shines in live gameplay, something our staff has become quite familiar with over the past year or so, and he is certainly one of the top uncommitted prospects inside of the Badger State.”
+ RHP Loren Georger (Appleton West, 2025; Baylor commit): Here’s a report from the Green Bay Preseason ID Quick Hits; “made it back in front of our staff early on into 2024. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound right-hander was impressive on Saturday, working athletically on the mound, and pairing it with a strong arm. Georger’s fastball topped at 89.3 mph, while casually sitting in the upper-80s throughout with above-average carry through the zone. He also featured an impressive curveball in the lower-70s with sharp 11/5 break that he was able to land low in the zone consistently. He also featured a deceptive changeup in the low-80s which he sold well and played with late depth at the plate. Overall, it was yet another impressive look at this Baylor commit as he has continued to trend in the right direction for a handful of years now.”
+ LHP Adam Kudronowicz (Mukwonago, 2025; Central Florida commit): Here’s a report from the Milwaukee Preseason ID; “is physical, standing at a strong 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame. The left-hander was smooth on the mound, getting into his lower half and extending, reaching 85.7 mph on the fastball. His primary pitch had life, generating swings and misses and weak contact throughout. He continued to throw strikes and fill the zone with a slider and changeup, too, continuing the theme of having multiple pitches to work with. From the high ¾ slot, Kudronowicz’s deception and ability to attack hitters was noteworthy in Georgia, as his showing was positive and a reflection of his work in the spring and summer, where our staff had multiple looks at the southpaw. Kudronowicz capped off the numerous left-handed arms that showed well at LakePoint, shining light on the under-the-radar talent in the state of Wisconsin.”
+ C Marek Bolson (Oconomowoc, 2025; Kent State commit): Here’s a report from the West Milwaukee Preseason ID Quick Hits; “has that loose, easy, rhythmic swing through the baseball that allows him to consistently barrel balls all over the field from the left side of the plate. One of the biggest takeaways from his performance was the pop he has added to his left-handed bat, as his hardest hit ball came off at 95.5 mph and he averaged 90.9 mph, both of which were vast improvements since our previous looks. On defense, Bolson is a smooth receiver and has a quick transfer on throws to second base. The 2.00 pop time is quick and accurate to second base. The Kent State commit has a projectable frame and we can see more ceiling in the future as he continues to develop.”
+ Click HERE for a full look at the updated 2025 rankings.
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