Catching our Eye

The catching group was one of the highlights of the showcase as several receivers stood out with their abilities across the board.

2021 Joey Spence (West Bend East) was one of the bigger surprises of the event. It was our first look at Spence and he showed excellent athleticism behind the dish and a strong arm with 2.18 pop times.

Connor Handel (Monona Grove, 2019) worked out at several positions but showed best behind the plate where his arm carried well and accurate at 77 mph. He and Trevor Van Egtern (La Crosse Central, 2019) showed the strongest arms (79 mph).

Hunter Olson (Oconomowoc, 2019) posted the lowest pop times of the day and looks the part of a natural receiver behind the dish.

A pair of 2020s, Jonah Wronski (Marquette) and Matthew DePrey (Sun Prairie) also showed well and are strong follows in the 2020 class.

Unsigned Seniors

Unsigned Seniors Zach Asik (Wisconsin Lutheran) and Griffin Lietzau (Slinger) proved they have the tools to play at the next level. Asik showed a strong left -handed swing and projects as a line drive gap-to-gap type outfielder. While Lietzau is a loose left-handed arm who again showed a low 80s fastball with projection.

2019s on the Radar

2019 UTL Marcus Cline (Fall Creek) showed off raw arm strength at the event throwing 83 mph across the infield, 87 mph from the outfield, and topped out at 82 mph with his fastball. The 5-foot-10, 150-pound left-handed hitter has a lanky projectable frame and showed looseness at the plate.

INF Jake Nelson (Altoona, 2019) fille dup the stat sheet with one of the more well-rounded profiles in attendance. Nelson ran a 7.17, threw it 79 mph across the infield and posted a 93 mph exit velocity from the tee.

Southpaw Michael Schaefer (Riverdale, 2019) is ranked in the top 50 of Wisconsin’s 2019 class and showed his consistent pitchability with three above average pitches that change speeds effectively.

2019 RHP Kyle McKinnon (Bradford) showed a solid fastball/changeup combo in his bullpen session. His fastball sat 81-83 mph and maintained arm speed on his changeup at 72-75 mph.

Underclassmen to Follow

2020s Arthur Liebau (Homestead) and Brady Renfro (Anitgo) both stood out as 1B/Pitchers and could be two-way prospects at the next level. But presently the pair’s mound presence is what really caught our staff’s eye. Liebau an RHP sat 81-83 mph with good feel for a sinking changeup. Renfro should similar arm strength, topping at 83 mph from the left side and a sharp 12/6 breaking ball.

OF Avery Owusu-Asiedu (Waukesha West) is an intriguing 2020 with a big frame at 6-foot-3, 200-pounds and is really young for his class. Owusu-Asiedu is still 14 years old and won’t turn 15 until June of 2018. A right-handed bat, the ball jumps off his bat with easy pop.

LHP Blake Read (Muskewgo) was arguably the highest ceiling 2021 in attendance. Read sat 77-79 mph with a long, loose arm action and above average feel for his age.

6-foot-2, 175-pound 2021 RHP Isaac Englebrecht (Oak Creek) has high upside on the mound. His fastball sat 74-75 topping out at 77 mph with easy effort and a long, loose arm action.

RHP Phillip Harper (Wauwatosa East, 2020) is a long and lanky 6-foot-4, 170-pounds who ran his fastball up to 80 mph with tilt down in the zone. Harper is a projectable frame and arm to follow through his high school career.

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