Green Bay Rising Stars ID: Takeaways

On April 12, the PBR Wisconsin traveled to the Impact Sports Academy in De Pere, Wis., to host the first annual Green Bay Rising Stars ID event. This event featured prospects from the 2026 and 2027 graduating classes and it helped provide our staff with the names of players to consider inviting to the prestigious PBR Junior Future Games, where they’d represent Team Wisconsin at LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Ga., from July 26-31.

Now, at the event's conclusion, our staff will begin to compile some of our takeaways from this event while also hitting on some of the day's stat leaders. Below you'll find which players have emerged early in their careers as players to track in their development as they begin their prep careers soon.

TAKEAWAYS

+ OF/RHP Matthew Hietpas (Appleton North, 2026), listed at an advanced 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, is a standout athlete who exploded onto the radar Tuesday evening as arguably the top 2026 player we’ve seen along our Rising Stars ID circuit. After running a 7.51 in the 60-yard dash, Hieptas moved to the box and it became clear quickly that his athleticism translates very well to baseball-specific skills. Setting up tall and slightly open in the box, he coils with a barrel tip and makes explosive, yet controlled, moves to the baseball. He generated exit speeds measured up to 90.2 mph, swinging with consistent authority through impact. During his outfield session, Hieptas dropped some jaws with a max throwing velocity of 90 mph to the plate while showing premium athleticism ranging to the ball. On the mound, he worked up to 82.7 mph with his fastball and spun a tight curveball at 2391 rpm, and he added a changeup to round out the mix. Hieptas is an exciting youngster to track as he transitions into the prep level this summer.

+ OF/RHP Carson Hawley (Bay Port, 2026), listed at 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, put together one of the day’s best batting rounds. A right-handed hitter, the future Bay Port player set up wide with a high handset and a quick stride, and he worked from above with intent to carry balls into the gap. Hawley produced grounded swings with exits as high as 91.5 mph that carried up to 305 feet off the bat – one of just three players who connected for a ball that traveled over 300 feet at this event. From the outfield, he used a long arm action with arm speed and made throws as high as 87 mph to the plate – very impressive at his age and current size. And as good as Hawley was positionally, he was similarly skilled from the mound. He reached an 80.6 mph high from there on a fastball that spun among the day’s highest on average (2151 rpm), getting to that velocity with little effort and he worked in and around the zone consistently. Hawley’s slider is capable of becoming a true separator as well, as it contains genuine swing-and-miss potential already, with late sweep that reached a spin rate of 2303 rpm. He’s another one of the top 2026 players we’ve seen along this winter circuit.

+ RHP/CIF Parker Lawson (Bay Port, 2026) has a mature 6-foot-1, 175-pound build that unleashed the top fastball velocity (83.7 mph) we’ve seen this winter out of a Class of 2026 player. From a shorter draw and lower release height (5.6 feet) relative to his size, Lawson’s fastball plays up some as he drops and drives slightly closed to his target, carrying true four-seam backspin through the zone at 2191 rpm on average. He sat 77-82 mph in the ‘pen but really began to sync up as he got in a rhythm, and he reached the low-80s consistently with his final few fastballs. Lawson is also able to generate large horizontal action with a slider that complements his natural ¾ arm slot, and the spin he already gets on the pitch (2053 rpm on average) helps it project even better. His future looks brightest from the mound currently, but he did also launch the day’s farthest batted ball (315 feet), so that’s worth noting.

+ OF/RHP Micah Byers (Seymour, 2026) is listed at a sturdy/strong 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, and he showcased advanced two-way skills with power traits from both the batter’s box and the mound in Green Bay. He reached an 83 mph high from the outfield, and that arm strength transitioned well on the mound, where he sat in the upper-70s, touching 80.3, on a fastball that particularly projects, as it featured premium jump through the zone for both its velo and a player his age – and it spun at 2108 rpm on average, too. He showed the feel to spin a breaking ball (1980 rpm max) as well, creating a high-follow pitch mix, but he also connected for some of the day’s loudest contact in the right-handed box. In the box, he made tight swings from a wide stance, and mostly generated hard contact to the pull-side.

+ SS/C Gary Wuest (Hortonville, 2026), 5-foot-7, 140 pounds, is an interesting, skillful player who can handle multiple positions. He was one of a couple catchers who really had impressive defensive segments on the day. Wuest’s lowest pop time clocked at 2.22 down to second with 69 mph of arm strength, and he was advanced throughout his entire defensive look. On the infield, he traveled low to the ground with light feet and showed feel for his pocket on all the different plays. In the box, he worked through the middle with grounded swings and showcased ability to change planes well getting to lower pitches. Few batters on the day matched Wuest’s barrel accuracy, which signals a bright future for the Hortonville player.

+ C/INF Laliwa Delgado (Bay Port, 2026), listed at a physical 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, showed as another impressive defender behind the plate. He has strength in his frame and it complemented his defense. Delgado popped as low as a 2.19 with 72 mph arm strength, and his throws showed sharp accuracy while maintaining intent and rhythm to his quick footwork. He also showed similar advanced skillwork on the infield, where his arm strength played up to 78 mph, and he reflected a similarly advanced feel for defense. In the box, he works from a wide setup with high hands, and swings a flat-connected path with postural tilt to impact. Delgado’s strength flashed in the righty box, too, as he reached an 88.8 mph max exit speed that traveled nearly 300 feet, estimated by TrackMan.

+ INF/RHP Hudson Burg (St. Mary’s Springs, 2026) is listed at 5-foot-7, 150 pounds, with evident strength attached to his frame, especially in his lower half. While Burg may not yet have the flashy tools, his presence on the field and skillwork were enough to draw attention. In the box, he stood tall and open with a short stride and a vertical tip. He entered the zone deep with a more vertical orientation, and showed feel for the barrel as he drove balls into the gaps. On the infield, he had an easy operation with clean and simple footwork with feel for the timing of momentum capture, and ease to his receiving. Burg reached a 75.2 mph high when he moved to the mound for the pitching segment, and looks like he’ll grow into more juice in all facets of the game.

+ RHP/OF Paul Schmolinske (Menasha, 2027), listed at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, has already managed to become a Class of 2027 standout at this stage, as he measured a top fastball velocity of 80.6 mph spinning at 2000 rpm on average, all while requiring little effort from a player wielding that kind of velocity at that age. Schmolinske’s slider feel is equally impressive, as it sat in the range of 66-69 mph with nearly 2000 rpm of spin on average, flashing sharp horizontal movement. He’s an interesting positional prospect as well, he sets up tall from the right-handed box with spaced arms and a low handset, making a vertical entry with postural tilt to impact and using the whole field effectively.

+ SS/RHP Mason Prevost (Bay Port, 2026) was yet another Bay Port-bound player to stand out among a talented crowd on Tuesday evening. Listed at an athletic 5-foot-8, 140 pounds, Prevost ran a 7.52 in the 60-yard dash to begin his workout, and he continued to show well in every aspect, from the field to the mound. In the right-handed box, he set open in his stance with a relaxed upper, and made a connected turn with a flat path. He repeated low flights through the middle up to 86 mph off the bat, which caught added attention given his present size, creating additional projection as he develops and adds strength. In the field he ranged well with athleticism and showed comfort making all the plays. Then, on the mound, Prevost worked his fastball up to 76.4 mph, with quality vertical action through the zone, which also signals some lofty projection to consider for down the road. Similarly projectable is his curveball, a tight offering that spins at 2145 rpm on average, and he also utilized a particularly effective changeup that he located well for his age, and with confidence.

+ RHP/OF Sawyer Durkee (Bay Port, 2026) is another addition to mix into Bay Port’s bright future. Durkee is a lanky 6-foot-3, 165 pounds, and he reached a 75.3 mph high from the bump while generating some natural arm-side action from a steep plane to home. His offspeed feel for a player his age is also above-average, using a slider and changeup that both project well. The slider has short action that leaves a lower slot, presently, than the fastball does, though the changeup matches his fastball’s arm action deceptively well, spinning at 1342 rpm on average combined with above-average run/fade movement.

+ 1B/RHP John Zeamer (Waupaca, 2026) is built at a strong 6-foot, 210 pounds, and he moves around well inside that build which results in repeated quality of contact while utilizing the middle of the field consistently. His size then allows him to connect for loud impact, reaching a max exit speed of 86.9 mph on Tuesday.

+ 3B Teegan Karpinske (Appleton North, 2026) is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound position player who flashed some offensive upside with a max exit velocity of 88.0 mph from the right side, the fourth highest of the event. Karpinske also moved around on defense well and showcased arm strength that was up to 74 mph across, and he was able to get to that velo efficiently and from multiple angles.

+ OF Thomas Carew (Appleton North, 2026), 5-foot-9, 145 pounds, was responsible for one of the event’s top left-handed rounds of batting practice, which came right at the start of the day. It’s a quiet setup from a calm, confident approach that moved simply and directly into the zone, redirecting line-drive contact into both gaps well.

+ OF/LHP Jacob Coopman (Menasha, 2026) impressed as a two-way, left/left player in Green Bay. At 5-foot-10, 145 pounds, he’s an athletic player with a versatile skill set that began in the batter’s box where he landed some projectable gap-to-gap contact from the left side that reached a max exit of 82.5 mph. In the outfield, Coopman ranged around with quick footwork that worked efficiently from gather and transfer, through release, with throws that topped 77 mph to home. He’s also a projectable pitching prospect, with a max fastball of 72.8 mph currently that’s enhanced by its spin (1959 rpm on average) that he’s also able to effectively generate on his slider (2018 on average).

+ RHP Carter Heroux (Oconto Falls, 2026) is listed at a thin, projectable 5-foot-9, 126 pounds, fit with long levers that produces an intriguing fastball. He sat 71-74 mph on Tuesday while averaging a spin rate of 1883 rpm, and it also projects to be effective on its own as a rise and run offering, featuring useful vertical action as well as large horizontal break, nearly 17 inches of it on average.

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