On Feb. 14, the PBR Wisconsin team hosted its first event of 2021, the Kenosha Preseason I.D., at Puma Baseball Academy within the Fielder’s Choice Training Facility in Kenosha, Wis. This was an open event for all high school classes (2021-24), and gave our staff an ample look at the area's top players.

If you missed us in Kenosha, check out our showcase page to see when we’re in the neighborhood next.

Yesterday we published our biggest takeaways and highlights from Sunday’s showcase within our Quick Hits story. Today, we’ll dive right into the statistical side of things, analyzing Sunday’s top performers from several different statistical categories. Throughout the rest of this week, we’ll be taking diving deeper into all of the data we collected, too, with the help of our Blast Motion and TrackMan devices.

TOP HOME-TO-FIRST TIMES

Leading this group of speedsters was OF Ethan Clark (Lakes Community, 2022). Ranked 81st overall in Illinois’ junior class, Clark is a loose-levered 6-foot-2, 165-pound athlete with wiry strength littered throughout his frame. He led this event in multiple categories, including this one, where he used his long limbs and strides to clock a 4.18 home-to-first time. Two athletic outfielders from Wisconsin’s sophomore were right on Clark’s tail, finishing second and third respectively: John Perugini (St. Catherine’s, 2023) and Owen Nowak (Union Grove, 2023).

MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY

A riser in the state’s sophomore class, RHP Jake Catalano (Brookfield East, 2023) recorded the hardest bullet from this event, topping out at 84 mph. Four athletes in attendance touched 82 mph with their fastballs, including a notable name in Wisconsin’s current freshman class: 3B/RHP Marshall Loch (Union Grove, 2024). Loch showed notable impact strength in the batter’s box and translated that to the mound, further solidifying a well-rounded present profile. From Illinois, SS/RHP Bowen Smith (Hononegah, 2022) made a strong first impression in his PBR event debut. He, like Loch, was also up to 82 mph on the mound and his projectable 5-foot-10, 150-pound frame suggests there could be some untapped velocity left in the tank.

MAX EXIT VELOCITY

Arguably the biggest winner from Sunday’s event was C Joseph Lagina (Freedom Project Academy, 2022). Built at a strong, sturdy 5-foot-11, 200-pound frame, Lagina showed advanced raw power and bat strength during his batting practice round, as supported by his 98 mph exit velocity from the tee, which was an event high. One tick below Lagina at a max exit velocity of 97 mph was another noteworthy performer from this event: INF Marco Falletti (Wilmot, 2023). The strength and athleticism that he possesses within his 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame allows him to drive the baseball with ease, making for an enticing power profile despite not having prototypical slugger size. OF Seth Thomas (Wauwatosa West, 2022) is an intriguing 6-foot-2, 162-pound projectable athlete with quick-twitch strength and impact bat strength potential long-term. He’s still fully harnessing the consistency of his right-handed stroke, but Thomas did flash some power potential on Sunday, striking the third hardest ball off the tee at 94 mph.

MAX INFIELD VELOCITY

It was the aforementioned Falletti that led this collective bunch of infielders in throwing velocity, using that advanced strength and athleticism that he possesses to top 89 mph across the diamond on his first throw. Another Illinois product making their PBR debut on Sunday was C/3B Joey Appino (Boylan Catholic, 2022), who’s built at a proportionally strong, yet projectable 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame and reached 84 mph across the diamond.

MAX OUTFIELD VELOCITY

It was here where we saw the true wiry arm strength of Clark play up, as he worked out as an outfielder for the first time at one of our events and showed off a clean, loose arm that touched 89 mph on his best throw to home. The quick-twitch strength we in the right-handed stroke of Thomas can play on the field too, as he topped out at 85 mph from the outfield to home - the second highest mark of the event.

MAX CATCHER VELOCITY

Taking that raw arm strength we saw from Appino on the infield and using it behind the plate didn’t seem like an uncomfortable task for the Boylan Catholic junior, as he posted an event high 77 mph throwing velocity from the crouch to the bag. Two ticks below him was Lagina, who’s arm plays true with on-the-line accuracy from the chute. Thomas worked out behind the plate as well, topping at 74 mph.

TOP POP TIMES

Despite not boasting the strongest arm from a velocity standpoint at the event, Lagina’s quick trigger release and footwork aided him in routinely popping accurate throws in the 2.09-to-2.18 range down to second base.

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