Illinois & Wisconsin D-1 Recruiting Classes: Big Ten

Within this post we’ll begin to break down where certain Illinois and Wisconsin players will continue their collegiate careers. We started the series by highlighting the Missouri Valley Conference, as well as the Horizon League, two of the most popular Division-I landing spots for the players in our region, and today’s conference, the Big Ten, is a frequent landing spot for some of the top players in the region.

Keep checking things out throughout the month as we analyze the entire Illinois and Wisconsin 2022 classes and the commitments they’ve made, as well as the top prospects in both states who have yet to choose a home for the fall of 2022.

ILLINOIS

The Illini have recruited their own state heavily over the last handful of years, bringing in a few staples to their current roster that hail from the Prairie State. This year’s class has true impact potential, headlined by two players on our top-500 nationally ranked prospects: RHP Julius Sanchez (La Salle Peru) and RHP Jake Swartz (Normal University). 

Sanchez stands at a proportionally strong 6-foot, 205-pounds and turned in a strong performance at this year’s PBR Midwest Fall Championships. He came out with an explosive showing during his two innings of work. His second bullet of the inning touched 94 mph and he exclusively sat at 90-92 mph throughout his outing with success at the knees. He also showed a sharp downer breaking ball thrown with conviction that profiles as a swing-and-miss pitch at the next level, spotted up below the zone. His velocity and aptitude to spin his breaking ball offer a pretty high strikeout ceiling for Sanchez down the road. 

Julius Sanchez (6/26/21)

Our most recent look at the 6-foot-1, 165-pound Swartz came at our ProCase Midwest in July and he left the event as a major winner. He regularly produced low-90s heat with his fastball from a loose, whippy arm that peaked at 94 mph. More noticeably are the spin traits attached to Swartz’s fastball; a 2,200+ RPM average while averaging 19.7 inches of vertical break, too. His go-to secondary pitch is a high-70s breaking ball that’s thrown with clear conviction and sharp downer action off a 12/6 plane, averaging nearly 2,500 RPM. Swartz can be a multi-faceted weapon on the mound for the Illini, especially given his arsenal’s analytical profile. 

Jake Swartz (7/6/21)

Rounding out this class is INF Jayden Comia (Sandburg) and LHP Brady Banker (Carmel Catholic). Comia is an athletic up-the-middle defender and has plenty of bloodlines through the Illini program; he’s related to both Jared Comia and Branden Comia, both of which are on the roster right now. As for Banker, the 6-foot, 180-pound southpaw is a former PBR Future Games participant with pitchability and a fastball we’ve seen touch 88 mph in showcase settings. 

MICHIGAN 

Several Illinois and Wisconsin natives have made their way to Ann Arbor in the past, with the Wolverines recently hauling in several quality players from our area of the Midwest. Leading this class is 3B/RHP Mitchell Voit (Whitefish Bay), who owns arguably one of the highest ceilings in the entire Badger State. Voit has impressed our staff on both sides of the ball across the entirety of his prep career as an uber-athletic multi-positional prospect that’s young for his class. We’ve seen him touch 92 mph with his fastball, consistently make loud contact off the barrel in game, and make highlight type plays at the hot corner, too. His ceiling rivals that of anyone on this entire list and he’d be a major addition to Michigan’s program. 

Mitchell Voit (3/7/21)

The rest of this class owns individual intrigue in their own right. OF Jonathan Kim (Brookfield Academy) is one of Wisconsin’s purest athletes with tools across the board, including easy bat speed from the left side and advanced speed to pair. A top-20 prospect in Illinois, C Nate Voss (Marist) has performed well in front of our staff in the past. He owns a strong right-handed barrel with bat speed and feel for the zone. Capping off this group is 3B Jimmy Rolder (Marist), who’s actually headed to the Wolverines as a highly touted football prospect. It’s not certain that he’ll continue his baseball career once he makes it to college, but he would add plenty of physicality to this class should he decide to call Ray Fisher Stadium his second home. 

MINNESOTA 

The Golden Gophers have recruited Wisconsin incredibly well over the past few years, adding key pieces to their current roster, such as SS Joe Hauser (Waunakee, 2020), SS Brady Counsell (Whitefish Bay, 2020), and RHP George Klassen (Port Washington, 2020). They’ve dipped back into the Badger State this year, adding both RHP Caden Capomaccio (Notre Dame Academy) and INF Tristan Ellis (Greendale) to their signees. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Capomaccio has day one impact potential for Minnesota on the mound and he’s been a huge winner over the last calendar year. We’ve seen Capomaccio bump his fastball up to 92 mph, sitting anywhere in the 88-91 mph range from a loose, athletic arm. He compliments his dynamic fastball with a true swing-and-miss slider and diving changeup that’s flashed above-average action in the past. What role he can best contribute in at the collegiate level is to be determined right now, but Capomaccio’s arsenal is surely going to bring a boost to Minnesota’s pitching staff. 

Caden Capomaccio (3/14/21)

Ellis has long been known as a scrappy, hyper competitive prospect in the area and he helped lead Greendale to a successful season last spring that ultimately culminated in Conference Player of the Year honors. His demeanor on the field is his carrying tool that’s paired alongside a sure-handed glove on the infield dirt and quality bat-to-ball skills from the left side. 

MICHIGAN STATE

Headlining this class for the Spartans is 3B Luke Adams (Hinsdale Central) and his presence on campus should he not hear his name called in July would bring a huge boost to a team eager to compete in the Big 10. Adams owns one of the strongest right-handed bats in the Midwest and we’ve seen the ultra-physical 6-foot-4, 223-pound specimen regularly produce max exit velocities north of 100 mph. Adams is an incredible athlete for his size as well, consistently running sub-6.80s in the 60-yard dash at events in 2021. He’d likely be an impact player from the very beginning for the Spartans with true middle-of-the-order upside. 

Luke Adams (7/6/21)

Completing this trio are two pitchers, both of which are from Illinois: RHP Randy Seymour (Lincoln-Way East) and LHP Gavin Sitarz (St. Charles North). Seymour’s is enticing, especially given his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame and twitchy athleticism. He’s a quality infield prospect alone, but his whippy arm and lanky levers have certainly flashed intrigue on the mound. Sitarz committed later on in the circuit last summer as a high pitchability southpaw with a fastball we’ve seen up to 86 mph and feel to spin an upside slider. 

NORTHWESTERN

Though he primarily committed to the Wildcats for his talents on the football field, OF Jack Lausch (Brother Rice) is a highly regarded prospect between the foul lines, too. The highly athletic 6-foot-2, 185-pound left-handed hitter has previously shown professional flashes in front of our staff with feel to backspin line drives and advanced zone awareness. He’s a legitimate defender as well, fully displaying his athleticism as he roams around the outfield grass. Lausch may ultimately be the signal caller for Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats, but his talents on the baseball field are undeniable. 

INDIANA 

The lone prospect from our area headed to Indiana next fall is RHP Matthew Cuzco (St. Ignatius). We saw the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Cuzco run his fastball up to 88 mph last year from a ¾ slot that produces heavy arm-side run, averaging more than 17 inches of horizontal break at three different showcases last year. His go-to secondary pitch is a tumbling splitter and his slider has flashed sharp lateral spin at times, too. 

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