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Southern Wisconsin Open: Quick Hits

October 18, 2021
By Andy Sroka & Diego Solares
Wisconsin Staff

On Oct. 16, the PBR Wisconsin hosted its last open showcase of 2021: the Southern Wisconsin Open. Perennially, this showcase helps introduce our staff to new need-to-know players in the state that we’d not yet seen before, as well as provided us with updated looks at players who’ve earned our attention in the past.

Today, we’ll highlight several standouts and performances from Saturday’s showcase in Waukesha. You’ll see more content roll out throughout the week, such as our traditional stats story as well as leaderboards taken from TrackMan and Blast Motion data, as our partners’ state-of-the-art technologies helped our staff identify even more players to know headed into the fall and beyond.

For now, let’s take a look at the standouts from Saturday’s event at STiKS Academy in Waukesha. Each of the prospects below are uncommitted unless stated otherwise.

QUICK HITS

TOP TAKEAWAYS

+ RHP/OF Wyatt Rushing (Elkhorn Area) is set to crash the state’s Class of 2024 rankings the next time we update the board at the end of the year. The sophomore showcased electric arm strength from a lean, athletic 6-foot, 160-pound frame. First, during outfield evals, Rushing reached a 92 mph high on his throws home, and he took to the mound shortly after and climbed up to an 89.7 high from the bump. Rushing sat 85-89 mph in his ‘pen, and his live fastball also profiled well peripherally, with above-average carry through the zone, released from a high slot, and it didn’t require much effort, either. He began to separate himself as an arm inside this class with the help of his secondary stuff, including a biting breaking ball that spun in the 2,200-2,300 rpm range with short, downer action – and his changeup projects well, too. The Elkhorn prospect looks like one of the top arms in the state, one we’re eager to see in-game in the spring of 2022. 

+ Another sophomore prospect propelled himself onto the 2024 radar: OF/RHP Broden Jackson (Milton). Jackson has a physical, broad-shouldered 6-foot-2, 200-pound stature that he uses to leverage repeated hard-hit contact from the right-handed batter’s box. He’s a 7.27 runner, which is noteworthy for his size and age, and his raw strength plays in all facets of his game. From the outfield, he was up to 89 mph to home, and he battered baseballs in BP as his best left the barrel at 98 mph. Jackson hopped onto the mound later in the day and he sat 83-86 mph, touching an 87 max. He’s a physical follow in the state who can use the offseason to refine his tooled-up skill set.

+ OF Dylan Bass (Glenbrook North, 2022, IL; Tampa commit) is a ranked senior in Illinois who improved upon his stats recorded back at a January showcase, molding one of Saturday’s most well-rounded performances. Bass is a 7.12 runner inside a lean and athletic frame, with wiry strength, and he used it to generate impactful contact from the right side from an aggressive approach. He averaged the day’s highest exit speed (91.5 mph) with a 99 max, while also topping 90 mph on his throws home from the outfield.

+ A name that’s pitched well in front of our staff before, RHP Grant Schultz (Menomonee Falls, 2023) made a positive impression in his PBR showcase debut. The lanky 6-foot-2, 165-pound right-hander displayed a quality four-pitch mix in his pen, starting with a lively fastball that sat at 84-86 mph, touching 87 multiple times. Schultz featured two distinct breaking balls, both of which spun at a 2,350+ RPM average, and he effectively killed spin on a mid-70s changeup thrown from a slightly lower arm slot than his fastball. 

+ RHP Elijah Niemiec (St. Thomas More, 2023) became an instant follow after tossing an impressive ‘pen, showcasing a four-pitch mix from an upside 6-foot-4, 200-pound build. Niemiec did well to attack the zone with 83-85 mph stuff that featured over 14 inches of horizontal break on average, released from way down the mound, coupled with notable spin rates measured at 2,335 rpm on average. His slurve-type breaking ball flashed sharp action behind 2,500 rpm spin, and he also utilized a firm slider with more horizontal break. Niemiec has a changeup that projects as well stemming from a similar release that tunnels well.

+ Uncommitted senior CIF Bryce Heil (Wausau West, 2022) connected for some of the day’s hardest contact on average (85.0 mph; 93.3 max), producing a line-drive batted-ball profile that should result in some pull-side power potential as he continues to grow and mature.

CLASS OF 2023

+ While built inside a thin 5-foot-10 frame, RHP Tristan Arnold (Mukwonago) shows real pitchability and competitiveness from the mound, with three-pitch feel and a fastball that really bursts through the strike zone. His fastball plays up with his extension, combined with the hop it gets, that makes his 80 mph four-seamer look quicker than it is in reality. Arnold’s knuckle-curve has real depth and sharp action that projects to become a real swing-and-miss offering, and the changeup has hard arm-side action.

+ 1B Eli Pantzlaff (Waukesha West) was responsible for one of the most complete rounds of BP of the day. He swings a rhythmic right-handed bat that struck balls out front fluidly, maintaining balance throughout, from impact through finish. Pantzlaff hit the day’s furthest ball (354 feet) and his max exit speed reached 98.5 mph.

+ OF/RHP Myles Rewolinski (New Berlin West) is a sturdy, strong 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, whose strength shows well from both the mound and the right-handed batter’s box. He averaged an exit speed from the right-handed batter’s box in the upper-80s (91 mph max). From the mound, Rewolinski sat 80-81 mph with a fastball that featured high-end carry traits, averaging an induced vertical break of 24.2 inches, and he can really spin the breaking ball, throwing his curve with 2,500 rpm of spin on average.

+ RHP/OF Brady Wotruba (Pulaski) brings with him to the mound noticeable arm speed that projects as he adds strength to his lean 5-foot-10 frame. He was up to 81 mph on a fastball that jumped from his hand, and he has the raw feel to spin his breaking ball that indicates he can continue to transform it into a go-to offering.

+ Similarly, RHP Ryan Quello (Grafton) has a projectable fastball that reached an 81 mph high featuring above-average carry through the zone, combined with a budding feel for spin.

+ OF/RHP Devin Gudenschwager (Janesville Craig) has a simple and balanced left-handed swing that works off a flat path, long through the zone, that he used to spray his contact gap-to-gap. He’s also a 7.09 runner, and Gudenschwager topped 81 mph off the mound some ride through the zone.

CLASS OF 2024

+ OF Issei Takahashi (Arrowhead) showed as one of the top ‘24s in attendance on Saturday, demonstrating authentic bat-to-ball traits that allow him to utilize the entire field from the left-handed batter’s box. Despite an inside-out swing path and approach, the sophomore strikes the ball harder than you might expect, reaching a 90 mph max exit speed, and he flashed the ability to get into some pitches to his pull-side. Takahashi has some compact strength to his stature, and he’s an athletic player with 7.18 speed who moves around the outfield efficiently.

+ C Dylan Patzfahl (Greendale) has a highly projectable 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame that makes it easy to imagine him growing into a middle-of-the-order, run-producing role. Adding strength to that frame should increase the impact his right-handed bat brings to the box. He creates some natural leverage in the box that projects to turn into power as he continues to develop.

+ C Christian Lim (Brookfield Central) used the middle of the field well with his strong right-handed swing, reaching a max exit speed of 90.8 mph. He has strong hands that work off a flat path, creating consistent, low-lying line-drive contact.

CLASS OF 2025

+ RHP Evan Lauer (Germantown) was amongst the top performers for Team Wisconsin at the PBR Junior Future games this past summer and the 6-foot, 130-pound freshman impressed yet again on Saturday. Lauer put together one of the day’s most polished pens, throwing four pitches for strikes and offering a positive glance at what his future on the mound holds. An efficient mover downhill, Lauer’s fastball sat at 74-77 mph from a loose, low-effort operation. He spun two distinct breaking balls, including a curveball that averaged 2,500-plus rpm, and kept his changeup at knee level, too. Lauer’s present polish and upside on the mound make for a highly intriguing future profile – one that we’re excited to monitor throughout his high school career.

+ After popping as a high-follow freshman name, playing up an age level, at the PBR at The Rock Fall Championships a few weeks ago, OF Luke Lehnen (Sussex Hamilton) made yet another positive impression on our staff at this event. An athletic 5-foot-10, 165-pound prospect with lean strength attached, Lehnen took a quality round of BP, where he worked back up the middle and on the barrel throughout. We’re eager to see him progress throughout the offseason and into WIAA action next spring.

+ C Connor Harvie (Waterford Union) was arguably the top catcher, defensively, in attendance and that’s regardless of grad class. Harvie’s catch-and-throw skills are beyond his years, as he routinely popped times in the 2.13-2.26 range on Saturday, which comfortably led the event. Additionally, Harvie looked like an exceptional receiver and blocker while catching bullpens later in the day, with mobile hips and evident hand/eye coordination that allowed him to pick erratic pitches smoothly and calmly – and while receiving real velocity, too. He brings a simple right-handed bat to the box, and he effectively sprayed gap-to-gap contact from a balanced, smooth stroke.

+ RHP Zachary Kiffmeyer (Oshkosh North) is another name to emerge at this event from the state’s 2025 class. Built at an athletic 6-foot, 170-pounds with sturdy shoulders, Kiffmeyer’s clean arm and efficient, low-effort downhill delivery produced a fastball that touched 78 mph. He threw both of his secondary pitches for strikes and his breaking ball projects as a quality offering down the road as he continues to add velocity. 

+ INF Brayden Steinbecker (Manitowoc Lincoln) popped as a follow prospect, starting his day off by running a 7.28 in the 60-yard dash – the fastest of any 2025 grad in attendance. Steinbecker flashed upside offensively in BP, swinging a loose right-handed bat that worked gap-to-gap at times and showed an occasional feel to elevate. Steinbecker’s round of infield defense was noteworthy, as he comfortably moved around the infield with sure-handed actions to pair. 

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