Wisconsin Class of 2025 Rankings: Risers
November 30, 2023
As the fall comes to a close, we take a look at some of the risers who made names for themselves in the 2025 rankings.
Yesterday, our staff officially updated the rankings for the 2025 class, highlighting several of the state’s top prospects within our release. You can find that by clicking HERE.
We’ll dive deeper into the rankings themselves today, spotlighting a handful of players that earned a rise up our board after showing well to our staff. Below, you’ll learn more about these names that are trending upward as the fall is set to start.
INTRIGUING ARMS
+ RHP Manuel Sostre (St. Thomas More, 2025) Here’s a report from the Grand Park Fall Championships: Wisconsin Takeaways “...boasts some of the biggest upside inside of the Badger State’s junior class. On Saturday, Sostre got the start for Hitters in their first game of the day where he ran his fastball up to 87 mph early on and sat in the low-to-mid-80s throughout. He also featured a low-70s breaking ball that flashed tight 10/4 action, too. The ease and fluidity of his delivery, paired with the frame that Sostre presents make him a very intriguing right-handed arm to continue to closely monitor.”
(PBRT Grand Park Fall Championships; 9/16/23)
Sostre shined across 2023, going from an intriguing name-to-know following the winter circuit to becoming a top-20 player in the state. While Sostre is still a raw prospect, the projectability and present stuff are noteworthy; and he now enters the discussion as one of the top uncommitted prospects in the state.
+ RHP Jack Poellot (Lake Country Lutheran, 2025) Here’s a report from the Grand Park Fall Championships: Wisconsin Takeaways “... was dominant in his outing. Built at an athletic 5-foot-11, 180-pounds, Poellot is a quick-armed right-hander who ran his fastball up to 87 mph, while sitting in the 84-86 mph range throughout. He paired his fastball with a curveball in the high-60s which played with late 11/5 action and also induced a handful of awkward swings-and-misses. Poellot would finish his illustrious outing with six strikeouts, while scattering just three hits in his six shut-out innings of work.
(PBRT Grand Park Fall Championships; 9/16/23)
Later on in the fall, at The Rock Fall Championships, Poellot dominated yet again while running his fastball up to 88 mph. The velocity has been climbing for Poellot as of late, and it seems to be helping his secondaries, too. Poellot has been trending in the right direction throughout the fall, and he too has asserted himself as a top-25 prospect in the state.
+ RHP Cooper Jesperson (Eau Claire Memorial, 2025) is a long 6-foot-3, 165-pound right-hander to know inside of the state’s 2025 class. This summer, Jesperson came away from the Western Wisconsin Open a major winner, running his fastball up to 85 mph from an athletic and easy delivery. One of the more impressive things about his fastball was that it averaged over 2,500 RPM, which may point to a significant velocity bump as he continues to develop. His slider was also an advanced pitch in its own right, playing with tight break and averaging nearly 2,392 RPM with over 2,700 RPM at its peak. He also has a quality feel for a legitimate splitter in the low-70s that he kills spin on and plays with late depth. Jesperson, who is also a high-end basketball prospect in the state, already has a solid foundation on the mound and it wouldn’t be surprising to see more velocity from him throughout 2024.
+ RHP Ethan Oatman (Mosinee, 2025) Here’s a report from the Northern Wisconsin Open Quick Hits “... stands at an imposing and strong 6-foot-3, 205-pounds and threw one of the best ‘pens of the event. Out of an athletic and smooth moving delivery to pair with an easy and low effort arm action Oatman was able to be in the zone consistently with all of his pitches. to run up his fastball to 86.9 mph with above average spin rates 2255 RPM (T2320 RPM) and sat in the mid-80s throughout his ‘pen with 17 inches of run on average while flashing sinking action. Oatman also showed the ability to spin a low-70s slider at an above average rate 2478 avg RPM (T2535 RPM) that averaged 12 inches of sweep T16.7 and flashed sharp break at times. To round off his arsenal Oatman threw a mid-70s changeup with intent that he was able to spot at the bottom of the zone.”
(Northern Wisconsin Open; 10/21/23)
+ Listed at a long 6-foot-5, 185-pounds RHP Brody Schulte (Westosha Central, 2025) is another high-upside arm in the Badger State’s junior class. This fall, Schulte was dominant across a couple performances utilizing a low-80s fastball from a simple delivery. He also has confidence in a two-plane breaker in the high-60s, with the ability to spot it up and earn whiffs. It is easy to see more velocity coming from this young arm as it seems he is just scratching the surface of what his ultimate ceiling could be on the bump.
+ RHP Nolan Meis (Lakeside Lutheran, 2025) Here’s a report from the Northern Wisconsin Open Quick Hits “...has an athletic 6-foot, 178 pound frame with sloped shoulders and high waist and should add more mass and strength. Meis started off his event by running a 7.29 60 yard dash showing an athletic gait and burst to his strides. During hitting, Meis showed off his ability to consistently barrel up balls through both gaps by recording the third best average exit velocity of the event at 87.2 mph. Meis does an impressive job of using his lower half to create bat speed out front on a consistent basis. On defense, Meis showcased his smooth actions and clean feet to get around the ball and show a quick first step to both sides. He has a strong arm and accurate arm (T84 mph) which should allow him to stick on the left side of the infield. He was equally as impressive on the mound, too. Out of an athletic delivery, Meis ran his fastball that averaged over 15” of run up to 84.6 mph, while sitting in the 82-84 mph range throughout.. As for his offspeeds, Meis featured a low-70s slider that spun at over 2,300 RPM on average and played with nearly 18” of horizontal movement at its max. He rounded out his three-pitch mix with a deceptive changeup in the mid-70s, too.”
(Northern Wisconsin Open; 10/21/23)
UPSIDE OFFENSE
+ C Ryan Lemm (Janesville Craig, 2025; Wisconsin - Milwaukee commit) Here’s a report from The Rock Fall Championships: Upperclass Takeaways “After a standout performance at the Grand Park Fall Championships, Lemm continued his stretch of dominance while at The Rock. Lemm is a sturdy 5-foot-9, 185-pound backstop with innate bat-to-ball skills that have been on full display throughout the summer and into the fall. From the left-handed box, Lemm stays short and direct to the ball with the ability to drive it hard all over the field. His biggest hit of the weekend came on Saturday which was a deep fly ball to right field which he legged out for a triple, while also bringing home a run. It has been a big fall for Lemm and he now enters his junior year as one of the state’s top catching prospects.”
(PBRT The Rock Fall Championships; 9/23/23)
+ C/OF Dimitry Edmunds (Appleton West, 2025) Here’s a report from the Northern Wisconsin Open Quick Hits “...was one of the biggest winners of the event on Saturday. Edmunds stands a sturdy, athletic and strong 5-foot-8, 174-pounds. He started off his day with the fourth fastest 60-yard dash time of 6.99, showing off his quick burst and quick turnover once underway. Edmunds then showed off his impressive hand talent with the bat, hitting rockets all over the field and registering the third highest max exit velocity of the event at 95.1 mph. On defense, Edmunds showed off his ability to turn the ball around quickly with the second best pop time of the day at 1.98 seconds. From the outfield, Edmunds has plenty of speed and arm strength to be able to play all three outfield spots. It was another impressive look at Edmunds as he continues to take steps forward and has firmly placed himself on the map for the class of 2025 in the state.”
(Northern Wisconsin Open; 10/21/23)
+ INF Henry Lynde (Menomonee Falls, 2025) is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound infielder on the rise in this update. During the winter circuit, Lynde came onto the scene after a quality showing at the Milwaukee Preseason ID where he took a clean round of BP from a simple left-handed swing. Then across a couple of looks across the rest of 2023, Lynde continued to show off his quick left-handed swing which resulted in a number of hard-hit balls. Also, he shown the ability to be a lockdown defender up-the-middle too, and can certainly stick there in the future. Overall, there is a lot to like about Lynde; his left-handedness, his defensive abilities, and his apparent upside, making him one of the more intriguing, uncommitted prospects in the class.
+ 3B Drew Siudzinski (Notre Dame Academy, 2025) Here’s a report from the Northern Wisconsin Open Quick Hits “...is a strong right-handed hitting infield prospect that stands at 5-foot-11, 190-pounds. At the plate, Siudzinski took one of the better rounds of BP of the day, producing loud contact often recording an average exit velocity of 87.9 mph and a 93.9 max. The right-handed hitter creates leverage in his swing consistently driving the ball in the air to the pull-side, recording a max distance of 290 feet and averaging 231 feet. In the field Siudzinski showed clean actions with some bounce to go along with an accurate arm with carry that was up to 78 mph from across the diamond.”
MORE NOTABLE RISERS
+ RHP/INF Charlie Slawinski (Brookfield East, 2025) jumps up a handful of spots in this update after a couple of quality two-way showings throughout the year. On the mound, Slawinski is an athletic mover, pairing it with a quick arm that has been up to 84 mph in our looks. He has also shown feel to spin a low-70s breaking ball with late 10/4 action too. Offensively, Slawinski swings a quick right-handed bat with the feel to drive the ball from gap-to-gap and has produced exit velocities upwards of 90.8 mph, too. His athletisicm is also apparent on the infield as well, as he quickly moves from side-to-side and pairs it with sure-handed actions.
+ C PJ Hamel (Arrowhead, 2025) Here’s a report from the Southern Wisconsin Open Quick Hits “...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.”
(Southern Wisconsin Open; 10/14/23)
+ C Calvin Hurtgen (Watertown, 2025) Here’s a report from the Northern Wisconsin Open Quick Hits “... was one of the biggest surprises of the event on Saturday especially with his performance behind the plate. Hurtgen was throwing seeds behind the plate at an event best 78 mph from the catching position with consistent pop times under 2.00 seconds, with his best coming in at 1.97. His soft hands and ability to handle pitchers when catching bullpens was impressive. He folds well, and is able to handle hard breaking balls in and below the zone. Hurtgen can also handle the bat showing loose and quick hands with a short path spraying line drives to all fields.”