Wisconsin Class of 2026 Rankings: On the Radar

September 8, 2023
By: Isaiah Glidden & Maddox Durst
Wisconsin Staff

As the summer circuit wraps up, the 2026 class heads into their sophomore season after an eventful and significant couple of months. Earlier this week, our staff officially updated our 2026 board and broke down the top part of it, which can be found HERE.

We then followed it up with a Newcomers piece in which we highlighted a majority of the new faces scattered around the board, but there were plenty of players who earned consideration. So today, we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of those names who were on our list, though there are even more players who’ve intrigued our staff at various points in 2023.

Regardless, we’re excited to watch this group grow and develop in the coming years, and it’ll be compelling to watch how these players utilize the offseason ahead. For now, here’s some names to know for the future.

TWO-WAY FOLLOWS

+ RHP/OF Brayden Banyai (Madison Memorial) is a compact framed two-way prospect inside of the state’s sophomore class. The righty is a competitive strike thrower on the mound while also being an athletic and clean mover as well. His loose over the top slot creates some sinking action on his fastball and he also has feel to spin a curveball with depth, too. Offensively, Banyai swings a quick right-handed bat that produces repeated line drive contact to all parts of the field. Overall, Banyai is a confident gamer type and is certainly a young prospect to continue to monitor as he develops throughout his high school days.

+ This summer, 3B/RHP Sam Wells (Brookfield East) popped in front of our staff during the PBR at The Rock 15U Summer Championships. There, the wiry 5-foot-9, 142-pounder was consistently on the barrel for his Brew State squad with a whippy and direct right-handed swing. Also, at the same tournament, Wells was dominant on the mound where he struck out eight in his complete game efforts. From an easy and repeatable delivery, Wells ran his fastball up to 81 mph and mixed in high-60s breaking ball, too.

Sam Wells (6/17/23)

+ MIF/RHP Cruz Ramirez (Muskego) is a wiry 5-foot-9, 150-pound two-way prospect who planted himself on our staff’s radar following a quality performance during this year’s winter circuit. Offensively, Ramirez hits with a well-sequenced and balanced right-handed swing to shoot line drives from gap-to-gap. On the infield, Ramirez really shines as he is a quick and athletic mover with fluid actions, pairing it with an accurate arm, too. Also, Ramirez has shown well on the mound, as features simple and repeatable mechanics while possessing an above average three-pitch mix. Unfortunately, Ramirez was sidelined for a good chunk of the summer due to injuries, but his performances prior warrant attention as heads into his all-so important sophomore year.

IMPACT OFFENSE

+ Built at a wiry 6-foot-1, 183-pounds, 1B/C Jack Butler (Waterford Union) is a high-upside member of the state’s sophomore class. Offensively, Butler swings a dynamic barrel from the left-side and across a handful of looks this summer, he pairs it with innate bat-to-ball skills, too. He also creates 27 mph of rotational acceleration in his swing, measured at the Milwaukee Preseason ID back in the winter, which is a well-above average metric and is certainly noteworthy. While it is unclear exactly where Butler will fit on the defensive side of things, his left/right profile gives him an edge wherever his ultimate position lies.

Jack Butler (6/25/23)

+ OF Nolan Schmidbauer (Waukesha West) is another athletic prospect to know inside of the Badger State’s sophomore class. This winter, Schmidbauer came away from the West Milwaukee Preseason ID as a winner after putting together an impressive all-around day. There, the 7.04 runner swung a quick and direct bat from the right-handed box, producing exit velocities up to 91 mph. Across the summer circuit, Schmidbauer has continued to do more of the same with the bat in his hands and is another prospect to keep an eye on as he enters his second year at the prep level.

Nolan Schmidbauer (3/28/23)

+ Throughout the course of the past year or so, INF Hudson Burg (Fond Du Lac) has continued to make strides to his game and it hasn’t gone unnoticed to our staff. In the winter, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound infielder took a clean round of BP at the Green Bay Preseason ID, where he averaged an 83.1 mph exit velocity from free and easy right-handed swing. Then in the summer, Burg put up some solid numbers for his travel team as he batted to a tune of .304 and also maintained a .435 OBP as well. Burg is trending in the right direction as of late and if he continues to do so he has the chance to breakthrough inside of the state’s 2026 class.

ARMS TO KNOW

+ During the spring, RHP Brady Stelzer (Sun Prairie East) was a quality contributor for his Sun Prairie East squad, a team that was in our Power 25 rankings for a number of weeks, as just a freshman. Built at a strong 5-foot-9, 170-pounds, Stelzer is armed with a fastball that was in the low-80s across multiple looks this spring. Also, he possesses a low-70s curveball that plays with lateral break and he spins it at an above-average rate, over 2,300 RPM, too. He rounds out his three-pitch mix with a fading changeup in the mid-70s as well. Now entering his sophomore year, Stelzer seems primed to build off of his success that he maintained in 2023.

+ RHP Mason Chirafisi (Arrowhead) is another name who came onto the radar earlier this summer after providing a high-upside look at the PBR at The Rock 15 Summer Championships. There the long limbed 5-foot-11, 145-pound right-hander sat in the high-70s from an athletic and simple delivery while also showing confidence in a 11/5 breaking ball too. When talking about the overall fluidity in which he presents, paired with the projectability in his wiry frame it is safe to say that Chirafisi is just scratching the surface of what his ceiling on the bump could ultimately be.

Mason Chirafisi (7/1/23)

+ Back at the PBR at The Rock Summer 15U Championships, RHP Logan Thill (Clinton) turned some heads due to his impressive performance on the mound. In that outing, the 6-foot, 156-pounder sat in the 78-81 mph range with his fastball which came from a clean and fluid delivery. He also pulled out a two-plane breaking ball that he was able to throw in the zone and also outside of it for swings-and-misses.

+ RHP Joseph Shimek (Brillion) and RHP Marty Hanna (Sauk Prairie) are two other upside righties on this ‘Just Missed’ list. Both feature high-70s fastball, which come from simple and repeatable deliveries, while also possessing feel for a breaking ball/changeup combination. While they didn’t crack the top-50 in this update, they are certainly worth monitoring throughout the next couple of years.

INTRIGUING OUTFIELDERS

After a handful of impressive performances throughout 2023, OF Jackson Niemiec (Muskego) lands himself as a name to monitor inside of the state’s young core. At 5-foot-10, 150-pounds, Niemiec features some upside with the bat in his hands and yet he has collected a number of hits in front of our staff this summer from an easy and controlled right-handed swing. He is also an athletic defender in the outfield, too, and pairs it with a loose, quick arm. With his athleticism and apparent upside, there is a lot to dream on from this young prospect.

2026 OF ⁦@JacksonNiemiec⁩ (Muskego WI) does a good job of keeping the hands back on a 2K breaking ball to drive in a pair for ⁦@MidwestHalos⁩

⁦@PBRWisconsin⁩ I ⁦@MW_Premier⁩ #Super15 pic.twitter.com/xtOtyYrgRt
— Scott Hood PBR (@PBRHood) July 19, 2023

+ OF Jimmy Angle (Kettle Moraine) provided an upside look at the West Milwaukee Preseason ID earlier in the winter, and earned himself some recognition after a strong performance. Standing at 6-foot, 180-pounds, Angle features present strength with room to grow as a sophomore. The right-handed hitter showcased the ability to drive the baseball to the pull-side in his BP session, closing an open stance with a slight leg lift. In addition to his offensive game, Angle is a versatile defender that is continuing to develop and shape his repertoire, advancing his game to the varsity level.

+ OF/1B Logan Vande Zande (Menomonee Falls) is a long and projectable athlete, presenting himself at 6-foot-4, 178-pounds. The right-handed hitter produced max EV’s in the upper-80s during the Milwaukee Preseason ID, featuring a short, direct swing at the plate. With that trait, he sprayed line drives and drove the baseball during his round of BP in March. After a quality summer for this travel team, Vande Zande garnered some attention as a name-to-know entering the offseason. He’s been up to 75 mph from the outfield, and looks to continue to increase all of his numbers over the course of the fall and the offseason.