The first PBR tournament of the summer took place from May 31 to June 2 at The Rock Sports Complex in Franklin, WI. Dozens of the best 13U and 14U teams in the entire Midwest competed in front of the PBR Wisconsin team over the weekend.

Shortly after the tournament’s end, the team compiled an in-depth analysis on some of the weekend’s top performers. You can find those notes here. As well as daily rundowns of the three-day highlights.

Day 1 Quick Hits
Day 2 Quick Hits
Day 3 Quick Hits

This will be a four-part series where the top performers at each position (C, INF, OF) from the tournament will be highlighted.The fourth and final piece of this series highlights five pitchers that impressed the PBR Wisconsin team over the weekend. All players are listed in alphabetical order. 

PITCHERS

Nicholas Lacson, C/RHP, Barrington, IL, Hitters Baseball, 2023
5-foot-11, 165-pound two-way player with an above-average strong, durable build. He’s a natural behind the plate with premium catch-and-throw skills; quick out of the crouch and he has advanced arm strength for his age. A right-handed hitter, he has a fast bat that works off a slight incline path. He started Hitters’ first game on Saturday, sitting in the 78-80 mph range, and touched 81 mph, in his first few innings of work. He mixed in an 11/5 slurve-y breaking ball that also flashed some depth to it.

Ben Murphy, RHP, Center Grove, IN, Indiana Elite, 2023
Murphy was impressive in a 4-3 win over the ProPlayer Canes. Over four innings pitched in relief, Murphy surrendered just one run while striking out three, and earned the victory for the Elite. He has a premium, proportional 6-foot-4 frame with some athleticism. His fastball sat 76-78 mph, featuring some late arm-side run. His curveball was typically 66-69 mph off an 11/5 plane and showed above-average lateral movement. Murphy starred back on day one in a four-inning relief appearance and showed more of the same in the title game.

Benjamin Oosterbaan, RHP/INF, Hinsdale Central, IL, Top Tier Americans, 2023
The 14U Top Tier Americans started off the day with an excellent pitching performance, turned in by Benjamin Oosterbaan. The long and lanky right-hander was dominant on the day, tossing a complete game shutout while only allowing three hits and striking out eight batters. Oosterbaan had control of all three of his pitches, throwing 53 of his 80 pitches on the day for strikes. His fastball generated consistent soft contact while topping out at 78 mph and sitting between, 75-77 mph. Oosterbaan’s curveball sat between 68-70 mph with a 10/4 shape, while his changeup was thrown near fastball arm speed and ranged between 67-70 mph. His ability to locate his fastball, and throw his offspeed for strikes, kept opposing hitters off balance, leading to Oosterbaan’s dominant performance on the mound.

Evan Shapiro, RHP, Wauwatosa East, WI, Hitters Baseball, 2023
6-foot-4, 172-pound right-handed pitching prospect with premium projectability; long and lanky limbs. Came into Saturday’s first game in relief, and was electric in the role. Rocks into high leg kick and hip turn. Long arm action accelerates very fast out front, and the extension he gets to his release point increases the perceived velocity from the vantage point of the batter. Fastball sat in the 79-80 mph range, T81, with hard downhill tilt. Shapiro is becoming a high-level prospect in the state’s 2023 class.

Jack Shepski, 2B/RHP, Waunakee, WI, GRB Rays 14U Green, 2023
GRB Rays 14U finished off the nightcap with an overwhelming 13-1 win against Lou Collier DBA’s. Got the win in dominant fashion, striking out eight in four innings of work in the run-ruled contest. Shepski is the younger brother to Jake Shepski, a 2014 graduate out of St. Rita HS (IL), who went on to pitch at Notre Dame. Jack looks well on his way following a path that looks a lot like Jake’s. His fastball jumped on hitters at 77-79 mph, working with relative ease.

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