Prep Baseball Report

Illinois Underclass Showcase: Statistical Analysis


By Andy Sroka
Illinois and Wisconsin Assistant Director

On Oct. 25, the PBR Illinois staff hosted its final event of the year: the Underclass Showcase. This event was open to all of the state’s prospects in its 2023, 2024, and 2025 graduating classes, and allowed us to end our annual showcase circuit with a bang. 

Our staff was treated to a look at some of the brightest up-and-coming talents in the state, and we began our event breakdown on Tuesday with a close examination of the event’s highlights, inside this Quick Hits post. We’re continuing our breakdown today by taking a closer look at the showcase leaderboards.

MAX FASTBALL VELOCITY (Trackman)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Velocity (max)
1 Derek Jahn IL Warren Township 2023 RHP 93.3 mph
2 Luke Oblen IL DePaul College Prep 2024 RHP 88.5 mph
3 William Ho IL Hinsdale Central 2023 RHP 86.5 mph
4 Michael Furmanek IL Plainfield East 2025 RHP 84.9 mph
5 Christian Graves IL Jacobs 2023 3B 84.8 mph
6 Joseph Martin IL Newark 2023 RHP 84.6 mph
7 Jacob O'Day IL Normal Community 2023 RHP 84.3 mph
8 Adam Behrens IL Warren Township 2023 RHP 83.8 mph
9 Mark Mennecke IL Neuqua Valley 2023 1B 83.6 mph
10 Taylor Waldron IL Marquette Academy 2023 RHP 83.3 mph
11 Finn O'Meara IL Nazareth Academy 2023 RHP 83.2 mph
12 Lleyton Grubich IL McHenry 2023 LHP 83.2 mph
13 Ian Boal IL Johnsburg 2023 LHP 83.1 mph

RHP Derek Jahn (Warren Township, 2023) stole the show when he came out hot with a 91 mph fastball on pitch one, and he eventually reached a 93.3 mph high in his bullpen – very comfortably the highest mark of the day, by over five ticks. Jahn’s physicality and advanced strength have propelled him up the ‘23 radar in-state, and he showed upside with his offspeed, too. It was an excellent look at a new name to know.

Freshman RHP Luke Oblen (DePaul College Prep, 2024) is an exciting prospect in the state, and one of the best ‘24s we’ve seen to date. He sat exclusively at 87-89 mph, and it was thrown with an effortless ease. His 88.5 mph high was also comfortably good for the No. 2 spot on this board, though there’s another freshman not too far behind, all things considered. RHP Michael Furmanek (Plainfield East, 2024) has a long, loose, and live arm that was able to produce big velo for his age, topping 84.9 mph on Sunday.

Sophomore RHP/INF William Ho (Hinsdale Central, 2023) is a physical 5-foot-11, 195-pound two-way player, and his strength finds a way to emerge from his profile in a multitude of ways, including on the mound. He topped 86.5 mph himself, with good vertical action attached to arm-side run.

RHP Christian Graves (Marengo, 2023) rounds out this top-five, inside another durable/strong 6-foot-1, 195-pound stature. He sat 82-84 mph on Sunday, topping 84.8 mph, per TrackMan.

TOP 60-YARD DASH

Rank Name State School Class Pos 60-yard
1 Mason Phillips IL Oak Park-River Forest 2024 OF 6.81
2 Luke Stulga IL St. Laurence 2023 OF 6.85
3 Colin Barczi IL Naperville Central 2023 C 6.91
^ Krew Bond IL Mendota 2023 OF 6.91
4 Tyler O'Connor IL Wheaton North 2023 OF 6.92
5 Jake Metze IL Johnsburg 2023 OF 6.95
6 Luke Jurack IL Hinsdale Central 2024 OF 6.97
7 Tyler Stack IL Oswego 2023 C 7.03
8 Cal Sefcik IL Marist 2023 SS 7.05
9 Lucas Smith IL Nazareth 2023 CF 7.06
10 Charlie Wolf IL St. Ignatius 2023 RHP 7.07
^ Mason Lynch IL La Salle Peru 2023 SS 7.07
11 Ryan Hendrickson IL St. Thomas More 2023 OF 7.08
^ Jacob O'Day IL Normal Community 2023 RHP 7.08

There were seven underclassmen who clocked in sub-7.00 times in the 60-yard dash, an excellent number for players no older than sophomores in high school. But it was actually a freshman who paced this group with a 6.81 time: OF Mason W. Phillips (Oak Park-River Forest, 2024). He’s a live athlete with budding athleticism and potential, underscored within this category.

OF/3B Luke Stulga (St. Laurence, 2023) was one of the day’s biggest winners, putting together a well-rounded performance. His 6.85 time in the 60 is especially impressive when considering that Stulga is built at a lanky 6-foot-2, 165 pounds.

C Colin Barczi (Naperville Central, 2023) was another one of this showcase’s top overall performers and he, too, is physical, listed at a strong 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame. With it, Barczi ran a 6.91 while taking one of the most robust rounds of batting practice. OF Krew Bond (Mendota Township, 2023) is a compact, strong 5-foot-9, and he recorded some standout measurements throughout the day, including here.

Another 2024, OF/INF Luke Jurack (Hinsdale Central), emerged as a follow freshman in the state after running a 6.97 while continuing to make his presence felt throughout the day.

Statistically, C Tyler Stack (Oswego) stole our attention at first with his highly projectable 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame, and he used it to run a 7.03 while also recording some of the top measurements from behind the plate, as you’ll soon find out.

MAX EXIT VELOCITY (BATTING PRACTICE)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (max)
1 Andy Roman IL Wheaton Academy 2023 C 98.8 mph
2 Michael Clarkson IL Loyola Academy 2023 C 96.6 mph
3 Cal Sefcik IL Marist 2023 SS 96.4 mph
4 Ryan Niedzwiedz IL West Aurora 2023 SS 96.0 mph
5 Colin Barczi IL Naperville Central 2023 C 95.3 mph
6 Brendan Arnold IL Brother Rice 2023 OF 95.1 mph
7 Jayden Malone IL Metea Valley 2023 OF 94.8 mph
8 Albert Moreno IL Providence Catholic 2023 3B 93.7 mph
9 Colin Schmitke IL Stevenson 2023 SS 93.0 mph
10 Luke Stulga IL St. Laurence 2023 OF 92.3 mph
11 Mark Wagner IL Neuqua Valley 2023 C 92.3 mph

We highlighted it in Monday’s Quick Hits, but C/1B Andy Roman (Wheaton Academy, 2023) clearly possesses some of the best raw power potential in the class. He’s a physical 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, and he takes aggressive right-handed swings but is still able to show fast, athletic hands that stay on plane, meeting the ball on a consistent incline which should best utilize his power in the long-term. His max exit speed was measured at 98.8 mph on Sunday, the event high by a couple ticks.

From Loyola Academy, 3B/1B Michael Clarkson (2023) has a stout/strong 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame, and he used it to land hard-hit contact with some consistency during BP. His max exit speed left the bat at 96.6 mph, and he averaged 89.8 mph during his round, the second highest of the event.

SS/3B Cal Sefcik (Marist, 2023) was genuinely one of the day’s top overall performers, and he may have produced the showcase’s best single round of BP. His max exit was measured at 96.4 mph and he was the lone hitter to average an exit velocity of 90-plus mph (90.1).

We mentioned Barczi earlier, as he ran well in the 60-yard dash and especially for his size. He leverages hard-hit contact from the right-handed box with some frequency, as he topped 95.3 mph off the barrel here, at an 88.3 average.

SS/2B Ryan Niedzwiedz (West Aurora, 2023) recorded the hardest exit speeds among left-handed bats on Sunday. His twitchy swing is really impressive, and he looks like a high-follow member in the state’s sophomore class. Niedzwidez recorded a max exit speed of 96.0 mph.

C Daniel Connelly (Mundelein, 2023) and SS Colin Schmitke (Stevenson, 2023) stood out during batting practice for repeating their hard-hit contact well. Connelly just missed the board above with a 91.6 mph top, but he averaged an exit speed of 87.5, which was actually among the day’s highest. Schmitke looks like a real shortstop, and his strong right-handed swing also produced a 93.0 mph high here.

MAX INFIELD VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos INF Velo
1 Cal Sefcik IL Marist 2023 SS 87
2 William Ho IL Hinsdale Central 2023 RHP 84
3 Charlie Wolf IL St. Ignatius 2023 RHP 83
^ Luke Oblen IL DePaul College Prep 2024 RHP 83
^ Colin Schmitke IL Stevenson 2023 SS 83
4 Jake Stefanos IL Marist 2023 UTILITY 82
^ Cristian Ruiz IL Oak Lawn 2023 SS 82
^ Andy Roman IL Wheaton Academy 2023 C 82
^ Christian Graves IL Jacobs 2023 3B 82
^ Ryan Niedzwiedz IL West Aurora 2023 SS 82
^ Joseph Martin IL Newark 2023 RHP 82
^ Jacob O'Day IL Normal Community 2023 RHP 82

MAX OUTFIELD VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos OF Velo
1 Krew Bond IL Mendota 2023 OF 89
2 Drew Gilley IL New Trier 2023 OF 86
3 Mike Polubinski IL Oswego East 2023 OF 85
4 Luke Stulga IL St. Laurence 2023 OF 84
^ Michael Boyce IL Naperville Central 2023 RHP 84
5 Joey Ward IL Maine South 2023 OF 83
6 Josh Polubinski IL Oswego East 2023 3B 82
^ Jake Metze IL Johnsburg 2023 OF 82
^ Frederick Ragsdale III IL Lyons Township 2023 OF 82

Some familiar names that we’ve previously mentioned on this list, like Sefcik's. His all-around day was maybe the most memorable, as he also came in at the top of the infield velo board with an 87 mph high across, all while looking the part of an infielder fit for the left side. Ho’s physicality and strength shows itself here as well, as does Schmitke’s. SS/2B Charlie Wolf (St. Ignatius, 2023) was another statistical standout on Sunday, measuring some above-average exit rates while also taking a smooth round of defense. Normal Community’s Jacob O’Day (2023) is another prospect coming out of this event to monitor. He’s a two-way player who started his day with a 7.07 time in the 60, topped 82 mph across the infield, and eventually was up to 84.3 mph on the mound.

Bond’s athletic round of outfield defense was also complemented by his inherent arm strength, recording an 89 mph high to home here, the day’s best by three ticks. New Trier sophomore Drew Gilley (2023) performed well across several categories Sunday, both offensively and defensively. His 86 mph best to home was certainly noteworthy, and he demonstrated some bat speed while producing a 95.1 mph top exit speed during BP. Mike Polubinski (Oswego East, 2023) is a physical 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, and he ranged around the outfield with athleticism, and projects well overall – as do his two brothers of the same age. Lastly, after his excellent round of BP, Stulga’s athletic and rangy round of outfield defense established the St. Laurence prospect as a high-follow sophomore.

MAX CATCHER VELOCITY

Rank Name State School Class Pos C Velo
1 Colin Barczi IL Naperville Central 2023 C 78
2 Tyler Stack IL Oswego 2023 C 77
3 Ray Jesse IL Lockport 2023 C 76
4 Andy Roman IL Wheaton Academy 2023 C 75
5 Charlie Bergin IL Hinsdale Central 2023 C 74
^ Tommy Korn IL Crystal Lake Central 2024 RHP 74
6 Sean Ryniec IL Downers Grove North 2023 RHP 73
^ Charlie Chaffee IL Marist 2023 C 73
^ Daniel Connelly IL Mundelein 2023 C 73

TOP POP TIMES

Rank Name State School Class Pos Pop Time
1 Tyler Stack IL Oswego 2023 C 1.94-2.04
2 Colin Barczi IL Naperville Central 2023 C 2.05-2.16
3 Daniel Connelly IL Mundelein 2023 C 2.08-2.19
^ Andy Roman IL Wheaton Academy 2023 C 2.08-2.19
4 Charlie Bergin IL Hinsdale Central 2023 C 2.08-2.26
5 Mark Wagner IL Neuqua Valley 2023 C 2.09-2.19
6 Charlie Chaffee IL Marist 2023 C 2.11-2.26
^ Ray Jesse IL Lockport 2023 C 2.11-2.26
7 Alijah Rainey IL Homewood Flossmoor 2023 1B 2.11-2.33
8 Sean Ryniec IL Downers Grove North 2023 RHP 2.12-2.19
9 Tommy Korn IL Crystal Lake Central 2024 RHP 2.12-2.25

Here, Stack continued to show why he's trending up as a prospect in the state’s sophomore class. Reiterating his lean/wiry 6-foot-2 size, Stack moves around in the crouch with athleticism and it resulted in him averaging the lowest pop times of the event – and by a healthy margin. His arm played accurately, too, topping 77 mph through the infield.

Barczi’s arm strength showed a tick better, but it was less accurate than Stack’s. Still, Barczi demonstrated the potential to continue developing into one of the state’s best backstops, especially if he continues to hit the way he has been. The aforementioned Connelly showed well here, too, as did Roman. Sean Ryniec (Downers Grove North, 2023) stood out at times this summer, and his round of defense was efficient, projecting well as he continues to develop.

For a complete look at the event’s stat leaderboards, click here. Keep a lookout the rest of this week as we dive deeper into the data gathered at Sunday’s showcase, examining the Blast Motion and TrackMan leaderboards more closely.

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