The Prep Baseball Junior Future Games wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, as Team Wisconsin made history by notching its first-ever win in the Platinum Bracket. Throughout the weekend of competition, 13 of the top prospects from the Badger State’s 2028 class competed on the national level—making it all the way to the Semifinals before the tournament was canceled due to inclement weather.

Check out video and notes on the roster for Team Wisconsin, below.

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2024 ROSTER

+ C/RHP Thomas Check (La Crosse Logan, 2028) emerged as a name-to-follow in Wisconsin’s 2028 class, as the to-be freshman put on a two-way standout performance throughout his weekend of games down in Georgia. Check has a strong left-handed swing in a mature 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame, showing well from the left side of the plate. Check sprayed line drives to all parts of the field—continuing to be on the barrel after a few strong showcase looks. He then hopped on the mound for Team Wisconsin against the No. 1 seed in Team Kansas, nearly tossing a complete game. Check struck out nine batters with a competitive arsenal, including a upper-70s-to-low-80s FB. He was comfortable with a quality BB, throwing the pitch in any count—garnering multiple swings and misses. Defensively, Check is a hard-worker behind the dish with pop times that ranged between 2.02-2.12 seconds in the showcase setting. The rising freshman has quick feet and plenty of arm strength. Check is a competitor on the diamond—finishing the week of competition on a high note for Team Wisconsin.

+ UTL Max Egan (Whitefish Bay, 2028) stands at a projectable 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame, finishing the week as one of the top producers for Team Wisconsin. Egan has a pure swing and attacks strikes on a consistent basis. In multiple looks in Georgia and during the summer, the right-handed hitter was on the barrel and proved to elevate the baseball consistently. Egan provided multiple extra base hits for Team Wisconsin, coming off of a strong showing at the Madison Summer Rising Stars ID. On the defensive end, Egan took over a corner outfield position—showcasing a strong, accurate arm. Egan is a steady defender on the infield, but continues to project well as an athletic outfielder in the future.

+ INF/RHP Cooper Hall (Cedarburg, 2028) presents himself at an 5-foot-11, 150-pound frame with more room to fill out in his prep career. Hall produced loud contact at the plate after a strong showing during the workout day on Wednesday, getting on the barrel in multiple games. Hall is a smooth defender on the infield, illustrating his easy arm strength and aggressiveness on the diamond throughout the competition. Hall excelled on the mound after a strong summer, too. The right-hander’s velocity played in the low-to-mid-70s with the FB, as he kept hitters off of the barrel and took advantage of a strong defense behind him. Hall allowed one hit in four innings of work against a strong Team Louisiana unit—finishing with zero walks, too.

+ INF/RHP Evan Harbort (Cambridge, 2028) is a physical 6-foot-1, 186-pound athlete with easy power to all gaps, as the to-be freshman was a force at the plate throughout the weekend of competition. Harbort elevated the baseball with ease, finishing with multiple extra base hits. The right-handed hitter has a strong lower half and a quick, direct bat path—allowing him to barrel strikes consistently. Defensively, Harbort was solid as a corner infielder—presenting quality footwork and an accurate arm that made the routine plays. Harbor emerged as a standout from the Appleton Summer ID a couple of weeks before the event—taking advantage of his showcase performance to elevate his status as a name-to-know in Wisconsin’s incoming freshman class.

+ INF/RHP Eli Hart (Bay Port, 2028) stands at an athletic 6-foot, 155-pound frame, projecting as a quality middle infielder in the near future. Hart enjoyed a strong showing throughout the showcase portion of the week, which translated to the live action. On the defensive end, Hart has a quality glove and consistent arm, mainly at the second base position. Hart has a mature feel for the barrel at the plate, too. The right-handed hitter put together quality at bats throughout the weekend, making himself a tough out for opposing pitchers. It was a similar theme to his production at the PBT Rock Open earlier this summer, as he enters his freshman season at Bay Port as an intriguing prospect.

+ OF Bryson Hoeffler (Muskego, 2028) emerged as one of the biggest winners from the week during the latter half of games—finishing with multiple RBIs and extra base hits in clutch moments. Hoeffler, standing at 5-foot-6, 140-pounds, provided a competitive look from the left side of the batters box—presenting a quiet stance and quick hands that allowed him to turn on fastballs. The to-be freshman’s speed translated on the basepaths on multiple occasions, as he extended extra base hits into triples for Team Wisconsin. Defensively, the outfielder was automatic in the centerfield position—showcasing range and speed throughout the weekend. Hoeffler finished as one of the top winners for Team Wisconsin—entering his prep career as an interesting follow in the near future.

+ Despite not having much to show for it, INF/RHP Kallen Magli (DeForest, 2028) provided some of the loudest contact of the weekend for Team Wisconsin—illustrating his easy power to the pull-side. Magli put multiple pitches to the warning track in game action, using a quiet, simple approach in the batters box to stay on the barrel. Magli competed on the mound as well, using his lower half to generate velocities in the upper-70s. He closed a victory against Team Alabama 2 by striking out a pair of batters—garnering ground balls and weak contact throughout. Magli stands at 5-foot-9, 160-pounds with present strength as he enters his freshman season at DeForest.

+ C/1B Braedon Paczocha (Mukwonago, 2028) emerged as a leader and one of the top competitors for Team Wisconsin throughout the week—showing well behind the dish. In the showcase setting, Paczocha featured pop times between 2.05-2.15 seconds—demonstrating his arm strength and advanced mechanics from the catcher position. Paczocha made multiple quality throws in live action, as he features an aggressive arm in a 5-foot-10, 150-pound frame. At the plate, Paczocha is a strong batter who produced multiple barrels right away for Team Wisconsin, presenting quick bat speed and the ability to drive the baseball. Paczocha will be an intriguing follow in this 2028 class, as he put together one of the most complete showings for Team Wisconsin down in Georgia.

+ CIF/RHP Benjamin Smet-Cooper (Westosha Central, 2028) presents himself at a 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame with room to add, finishing the weekend with multiple extra base hits from the left side of the plate for Team Wisconsin. Smet-Cooper provided easy power to all fields in multiple looks, barreling line drives to the gaps in the process. During the workout day, Smet-Cooper finished with a max EV of 90 mph—illustrating his bat speed and barrel awareness at the plate. The left-handed hitter attacked strikes and generated power from his lower half consistently, emerging as one of Team Wisconsin’s top offensive producers. Smet-Cooper showed well on the mound with an upper-70s FB, in addition to a BB, too. The two-way prospect came away as a winner from the summer tournament circuit, and continued to show well down in Georgia to cap off his 2024.

+ OF/LHP Braxton Thiede (Jefferson, 2028) stands at a 5-foot-10, 160-pound frame, and provided an intriguing two-way look throughout the weekend. Thiede sat in the upper-70s and low-80s with the FB throughout his first appearance on the mound for Team Wisconsin—filling the strike zone. He complimented the pitch with a mature BB, keeping hitters off balance in his two-inning stint. At the plate, Thiede clutched up with a big triple in the Quarterfinal matchup against Team Kansas, showcasing his speed on the basepaths after running a 7.12-second 60-yard dash during the workout day, which wound up being the quickest time on Team Wisconsin’s roster.

+ INF/RHP Maxwell Webb (Port Washington, 2028) was another prospect who showed well from a two-way perspective for Team Wisconsin throughout the weekend, especially on the mound. Webb stands at a projectable 5-foot-11, 160-pound frame with plenty of room to fill as he progresses through his prep career. The right-hander has a clean arm action on the mound, using his lower half to maintain his velocity for multiple innings of work at a time. Webb presented a mature feel for the BB, too. The to-be freshman threw the pitch for strikes and in multiple counts, freezing hitters on a consistent basis. Webb also produced a couple of barrels on the offensive end, demonstrating his production that our staff witnessed earlier in the summer.

Maxwell Webb [7/28/24]

+ INF Maddex Welzien (West Bend West, 2028) finished the weekend as arguably Team Wisconsin’s top defender at the shortstop position, clutching up in multiple innings to secure outs on the defensive end. Welzien presents himself at a lean 5-foot-11, 140-pound frame, as the rising freshman did it all with the glove for Team Wisconsin. Welzien showcased an accurate arm and solid footwork—making the routine plays with ease as a staple at shortstop. Similar to his teammates, he also put together competitive at bats against strong arms from around the nation—posting max EVs in the mid-80s throughout the showcase portion of the event. Welzien established himself as a high follow during the weekend’s competition, standing out as an above average defender on the infield.

+ INF/RHP Andrew Wiesner (Sevastopol, 2028) is a long 6-foot, 175-pound athlete who finished the weekend as an intriguing follow on the mound in Wisconsin’s 2028 class. Wiesner presented effortless velocity to our staff, filling the strike zone with a quality FB. His main pitch played in the upper-70s throughout, as Wiesner garnered weak contact in his first showing for Team Wisconsin against Team Kansas. The right-hander faced one batter over the minimum in 1.1 innings of work, keeping hitters off the barrel on a consistent basis. His athleticism on the mound and competitive approach makes Wiesner an interesting follow in the near future—beginning his prep career next spring.

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