Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Southern Wisconsin Open: Quick Hits

October 18, 2023
By: Vinny Rottino & Isaiah Glidden
Wisconsin Staff

On Oct. 14, PBR Wisconsin hosted one of its last open showcases of 2023: 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, Blast Motion, and Swift 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.

POSITION PLAYERS

UPPERCLASS

+ C PJ Hamel (Arrowhead, 2025) measured 6-foot-4, 187-pounds with a long frame and plenty of room to add size and strength. Hamel was one of the more polished backstops at the workout with the second quickest pop time of the day at 2.04 seconds and tied for the best velocity behind the plate at 74 mph. At the plate, Hamel showcased a quick swing with control of the barrel. He was hitting rockets all over the field and registered the best average exit velocity of the day at 91.5 mph and hit a ball 339 feet, which was the second farthest ball hit at the event.

+ UTL Jack Sagedal (Burlington, 2025) is an athletic 5-foot-10, 150-pounds and ran the best 60-yard dash of the event at 6.95, showing off his quick burst and fast turnover once underway. Sagedal also showed off his quick and strong hands as he registered one of the best max exit velocities of the day at 91 mph. Sagedal showed out well both in the infield and outfield defensive portions of the event highlighting his ability as a useful utility player. Sagedal had a solid day overall and continues to be a name our staff pays attention to going forward.

+ C Matthew Koo (Whitnall, 2025) opened some eyes at the showcase on Saturday. Koo showed off his athleticism with one of the top 60-yard dash times of the day at 7.07 seconds. He also had the best pop time of the day at 1.97 seconds, using his strong and accurate arm with a quick release. Koo can also handle the bat with a short and compact swing geared for hard line drive contact. Overall, Koo had a solid day who identified himself as a complete player with athleticism.

+ INF Jakob DeLeo (Hononegah, IL, 2025) is listed at an atheltic 6-foot-1, 175-pounds and he put together solid all-around day during our time in Waukesha. Offensively, DeLeo starts balanced in the right-handed box, showing off loose hands and barrel control during his loud round of BP. DeLeo led all players in attendance with a max exit velocity of 95.8 mph, while averaging 86.5 mph and his furthest batted ball traveled an estimated 330 ft, too. His defensive round was not to be forgotten either as he is a bouncy defender on the infield with a clean transfer and pairs it with an arm that topped at 83 mph across the diamond as well.

+ MIF Jack Stuck (Nicolet, 2024) is 5-foot-10, 154 pounds with an athletic build and some more size and strength coming. Offensively, Stuck showed a loose and fluid swing with barrel control which allows him to hit line drives to both gaps. On defense, his actions lend themselves to allowing him to stick up the middle in the future.

UNDERCLASS

+ MIF Owen McLellan (Shorewood, 2026) solidified himself as a name-to-know in the state for the class of 2026. McLellan, is an athletic and twitchy 5-foot-9, 149-pounds with some projection left in his frame. McLellan started off his day by running one of the quickest times of the day in the 60 yard dash of 7.06 seconds. At the plate, he consistently barreled up line drives to both gaps using a quick and repeatable right handed swing. His smooth actions on defense and strong and accurate arm indicate that McLellan will have no problem sticking in the middle of the diamond on defense. McLellan is certainly a prospect worth monitoring as he continues to develop, as he had one of the more impressive days at the workout.

+ OF Jimmy Angle (Kettle Moraine, 2026) is 6-foot, 179-pounds with strength throughout his athletic frame with long levers. He hits from an upright and balanced set up, flowing into a well-sequenced swing in which he uses his lower half to drive his swing. He has a loose and repeatable swing and consistently showed the ability to barrel up balls through the middle of the field. He flashed the ability to drive a ball 326 feet, showing off his raw power.

+ INF Hudson Burg (Fond du Lac, 2026) is a strong and sturdy 5-foot-8, 175 pounds. Hudson is a polished player with a consistent and repeatable swing. He hits with a loose and fluid swing and consistently delivers the barrel with leverage hitting line drives to all fields. Burg has middle of the diamond actions and should be able to stick on the dirt long term.

+ OF Gavin Sawyer (Slinger, 2026) is an athletic 5-foot-8, 148-pounds with some more projection coming to his well-proportioned frame. Sawyer ran a solid 7.29 seconds 60-yard dash, showing quick turnover and an athletic gate. He swung the bat well, showcasing quick hands and a short swing that produced line drives through the gaps, while also flashing some pull-side pop. Sawyer was aggressive with bounce to his step on defense and showed off his arm with carry to his throws.

+ C Dieter Pommer (West Bend West, 2026) is a backstop with a strong and sturdy frame at 5-foot-11, 193-pounds. The ball jumps off Pommer’s bat delivering one of the top max exit velocities of the day at 91.3 mph. Behind the plate, he has soft hands and a compact release turning the ball around quickly with a 2.10 second pop time.

+ C Haaken Hovestol (Delavan-Darien, 2027) continued to impress in front of our staff. Hovestol is listed at an athletic 5-foot-11 171 pounds with more fill and strength coming. His smooth and balanced left handed swing allows him to consistently barrel the ball up and he has the ability to drive the ball to both gaps for power. Hovestol drove a ball 312 feet which was the ninth furthest ball hit at the event. Hovestol also showed advanced skill behind the plate and was able to register a 2.11 pop time to second base showcasing his quick feet and transfer on throws. We are looking forward to seeing continued development from Hovestol this winter and going into the spring season.

PITCHERS & TWO-WAYS

UPPERCLASS

+ LHP Andrew Ishag (Kettle Moraine, 2025) is athletic with current stuff and more projection coming. Ishag utilizes his long 6-foot-3, 204-pound frame to get down the hill and leverage a fastball that topped out at an event best 86.6 mph, while sitting in 83-86 mph range throughout. He also showed feel for a two-seamer as well, as it featured over 14" of run at it's peak and sat in the low-80s range. His mid-70s curveball is a sharp, quick breaker with plenty of feel to use in the zone for early strikes and out of the zone late in counts for chase. Ishag sells his changeup by throwing it with fastball intent. The pitch has arm side fade and late depth at the plate and is a real weapon to keep hitters off balance and will help the fastball play up. Overall, it was an impressive look from Ishag and is certainly an arrow-up name inside of the state's junior class. 

+ RHP/MIF Graiden Liethen (Arrowhead, 2025) measured at 5-foot-10, 176-pounds with an athletic build and present strength throughout. Liethen showcased an impressive repertoire on the mound with a fastball that sat 83-84 mph, using a clean and repeatable delivery. He also features a couple different breaking balls he can land for strikes and a developing feel for a change up. At the plate, Liethen hits with a controlled aggression and a controlled crash to the hitting position allowing him to get to power and would register a max exit velocity of 94.2 mph.

+ 3B/RHP William Baumhardt (Slinger, 2025) had a quality day on both sides of the ball. Baumhardt impressed during the defensive portion of the event, showcasing smooth and consistent actions and registered the best velocity across the diamond at 88 mph. With the bat, he hits with a compact swing and quick hands which gives him the ability to impact the baseball when barrelled. Baumhardt impressed on the mound as well, using a fastball up to 85.6 mph from a quick arm indicating there could be more velocity coming. He also showed some feel for a breaking ball and a developing changeup, too.

+ LHP Christopher McMahon (Tremper, 2024) is a 6-foot-1, 181-pound athletic framed southpaw who put himself firmly on our staff’s radar with his performance on the mound on Saturday. First, McMahon showed off his athleticism by running a solid 7.13 second 60-yard dash, showing quick twitch and burst with his lower half. The athleticism certainly translates to the mound as he showcased his well-sequenced delivery and loose free and easy arm action. He showed advanced touch and feel with his fastball which topped at 78.3 mph to get the ball to spots on a consistent basis. His curveball featured two-plane break and shape, with the ability to land for strikes while also getting below the zone for chase. 

UNDERCLASS

+ LHP Brett Rybarczyk (Sheboygan North, 2026) was one of the biggest winners of the day with his performance on the mound. Rybarczyk showcased a four-pitch mix using an athletic and repeatable delivery with a quick, whippy arm. His fastball sat in the 78-80 mph range, topping at 81 mph and showed quality life and finish through the bottom of the zone. His low-70s curveball has late 12/6 break and was spun over 2,400 RPM at it's peak, too. The slightly harder slider has more tilt than the curveball and offers a different look to hitters, while being spun at a higer rate, roughly 2,600 RPM at max. Additionally, Rybarczyk features feel for his mid-to-high-70s changeup that has substantial fade and depth at the plate with good arm speed out of the hand.

+ SS/RHP Eli Dreier (Wisconsin Lutheran, 2027) had one of the most impressive days with the bat, on defense and on the mound. Dreier is, athletic, strong, and projectable 6-foot-2, 185 pounds. Dreier hits with a well-sequenced swing from the ground up and a short quick hand path, registering the fifth hardest hit ball of the event despite being one of the youngest players in attendance. In the field, Dreier has natural actions and smooth reactions up the middle with plenty of arm strength to stick on the left side. Finally, on the mound, Dreier lit up the radar gun with a fastball that sat 84-85 mph, touching 85.5 mph multiple times, with impressive touch and command of the baseball to spots. His curveball had sharpness and late bite to the pitch at the plate, while sitting in the 70-71 mph range. Dreier’s 71-73 mph slider has more lateral sweep to the movement profile and gives hitters a different look and distinguishes itself from the curveball. He flashed feel for his change up and will likely continue to develop into a useful fourth pitch. Overall, it was a standout performance from this young up-and-coming prospect, and he certainly looks the part of one of the state's top freshman prospects. 

+ RHP/OF Carter Tuerk (Arrowhead, 2027) impressed our staff on the mound and with the bat. Tuerk stands a wiry, athletic and projectable 6-foot-1, 156-pounds. He has a fluid delivery with a quick arm and showcased a fastball that has forward life finish at the top of the zone in the high-70s. He also displayed a curveball and a change up to round out his three pitch mix. With the bat, Tuerk uses his lower half effectively which allows him to turn on ball to the inner part of the plate and his hardest hit ball of the day came off at 82.1 mph. 

+ OF/LHP TJ Allemand (Wayland Academy, 2026) is a 5-foot-9, 135-pound wiry framed two-way player who had a solid showing on the mound and at the plate. Allemand has a three pitch mix on the mound including a fastball for strikes, a breaking ball that plays at the bottom of the zone and an out-pitch changeup. At the plate, he hits with a flat swing and consistent rhythm producing consistent line drives to both gaps.

RELATED CONTENT