Between June 20 and June 23, some of the best 15U teams in the midwest converged upon the Rock Sports Complex in Franklin, Wisconsin to participate in the latest ‘PBR at the Rock’ tournament. With so much young talent at the tournament, Prep Baseball Report was able to keep tabs on some more notable names as well as get our first look at many impressive young prospects. Even through the spotty weather, the tournament was highly competitive and gave us a lot to look forward to in the future. 

It is always going to be difficult narrowing down an all-tournament team when there is so much talent on display, but the athletes listed below had especially big weekends -- featuring impressive performances with the bat and glove. Player inclusion amongst the All-Tournament team is also impacted by our scouting perspective, and the overall potential a player may encompass. 

Without further introduction, PBR presents to you our All-Tournament team for this past weekend’s 15U PBR at the Rock event. 

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Catcher

Will Vierling, C, Homestead (WI), 2022 | Hitters Navy
5-foot-11, 170-pound left-handed hitting catcher who batted fourth in the lineup for Hitters Navy. Athletic, projectable frame. Has a balanced setup with a smooth load and level path to the baseball. Has an overall fluid rhythm to his swing and stays balanced through contact. Vierling went 6-for-12 in the tournament with three extra-base hits, including a home run, and four RBIs. 

INFIELDERS

Zander Buchan, C/OF/3B, Maine South (IL), 2022 | Prairie Gravel 
South Carolina commit. Strong, athletic build. Switch-hitting catcher/outfielder. Showed out over a four-game stretch from Saturday night into Sunday morning, launching a home run, three doubles, and driving in six runs. Balanced setup, smooth load, short stride with a slight leg kick. Quick hands, level path to the baseball, on time, incredibly fluid swing. Present bat strength. Ball sounds different off his bat, consistently made hard contact all throughout the day. Defensively, natural instincts behind the plate. Quality receiver, soft hands, clean and quick exchange leading to a quick transfer, strong arm, carry on throws. Threw several runners out, leader behind the plate. 

Aiden Haney, MIF, Catholic Memorial (WI), 2022 | STiKS Black
5-foot-6, 130 pounds, compact/athletic build. Started at second base and at or near the top of the lineup for STiKS Black all tournament. Combined to go 6-for-11 with three walks and four stolen bases in the team’s four tournament games. Confident approach, sets up in a balanced/athletic stance with a short and twitchy leg lift/hang stride. Quick/athletic hands, level path to the baseball, rhythm throughout swing, active hands allow him to find the barrel with relative ease. Has a plan at the plate with the in-game situation in mind; willing to spray contact to all fields in order to reach in any way necessary. Once he’s on, he’s constantly looking to take the extra base – stole four bases over the week. A reliable defender at second where the twitch plays and the athleticism helps enlarge his side-to-side range; arm strength is average, but his quick release and transfers help his throws play up.

Daniel Pacella, 1B/OF/LHP, Mundelein (IL), 2022 | IL Lightning 
The Illinois Lightning saw some power in their lineup from their four hitter, Daniel Pacella The 6-foot-2, 185 pound first basemen had one of the strongest performances in the entire tournament. He had a balanced setup with a long stride that was able to generate power and solid contact on the baseball. Went 5-for-7 in the tournament with three home runs, nine RBIs, and six walks. Appeared on the mound as well against ProPlayer Canes - Freund on Friday night and Saturday afternoon against ISA Stars. Long and loose arm action, over-the-top slot. Deceptive delivery, hides the ball well. Fastball touched 78 mph, sat between 75-77 mph. 

Estevan Moreno, SS/RHP, Montini (IL), 2022 | RakeCity Elite
6-foot, 168-pound shortstop. Premium defender on the dirt, advanced actions, likely to stick at shortstop at the next level. Showed instinctual actions with natural timing and awareness. Easy defender, showed best when on the move, plus body control for age, soft hands transfer to athletic arm action with ability to work from multiple slots. Arm showed carry at times. Right handed hitter, athletic setup, showed feel for barrel and hit in the middle of the lineup with above average pop. Hit three home runs on championship Sunday, including two no-doubt home runs in the championship game. Came on in the final inning to close the championship game out as well, fastball touched 85 mph, sat between 82-84 mph. 

Cal Fisher, SS/RHP, Deerfield (WI), 2023 | GRB Rays Green 
5-foot-10, 155-pound projectable frame. 2023 grad playing against 2022s. Leadoff hitter. At the plate, hits from a tall and balanced setup, leg kick stride, hands fall back into load, short and compact swing. Has an advanced approach at the plate and feel for the barrel, finding it in all 3 plate appearances. Consistent hard contact. Finished 2-3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI in an 9-1 win over Top Tier North. Gap-to-gap hitter with power potential. In the field, showed natural actions at the shortstop position. Started a 6-3 triple play. Finished the tournament 6-for-12 with two doubles and did not strikeout. 

OUTFIELDERS

Drew Berkland, OF, Wayzata (MN), 2022 | NorthStar Navy 
5-foot-11, 175-pound right-handed hitting athlete. Physical build with present strength, sloped shoulders into trim waist. Showed ability to play multiple positions on the diamond (C, SS, OF), buts its his bat that does the most talking. Quiet athletic setup, stays plate disciplined and swings with intent. High hand eye and bat to ball skills, minimal swing and miss, looks on time every swing. Advanced pull side pop, ball jumps of the barrel, low effort -hard contact. Berkland launched not one, but two long grand slams on Thursday. Took the mound on Friday and looked similarly electric. The right-hander tossed three innings and allowed just two hits, one earned run, and punched out three. Fastball sat 75-78 mph, topping 79 mph with present run and occasional tilt down in the zone, worked both sides of the dish. Curveball has 1/7 shape with depth down at times, power type, occasional early break off the hand. 

Michael Lippe, OF, Whitefish Bay (WI), 2022 | Hitters Navy 
Louisville commit. Strong right-handed hitting outfielder. Lippe’s reputation as one of the country’s top athletes and bats precedes him. He produces a different sound off the bat. He tacked on another three barrels that went for singles today and is a plus runner with a strong, proportional build. His bat was one several standout on the weekend, gets easy exit velocity off the barrel, middle of the field approach. Finished the tournament going 6-for-14 at the plate. 

Luka Radicevich, OF/RHP, Joliet Catholic (IL), 2022 | RakeCity Elite
Lean, athletic build. Right-handed pitcher/OF. Appeared in relief multiple times throughout the tournament, including in the championship game against Prairie Gravel. Balanced setup, high leg kick, short stride, swings a quick and fluid bat. Loose arm action, ¾ slot. Effort present in his delivery, falls towards the first base line. Fastball touched 85 mph, played between 82-84 mph. Curveball featured 11/5 shape, thrown for strikes, sat between 70-72 mph. 

A.J. Finco, OF, Home School (WI), 2022 | GRB Rays Green 
One of the bigger revelations of the weekend came on the right handed bat of AJ Finco. Solid stocky build, compact levers and body type with strength. Consistent middle of the field approach, short compact swing path produced some of the harder line drives of the weekend. Ball jumped off the bat with low effort. Intriguing right-handed hitter to follow in the class. He was 4-for-4 with a double and three singles, two RBIs, and a run scored on Friday, showcasing a gap-to-gap approach and innate feel for the barrel. Finished the tournament 7-for-14 with a double, four runs scored, three runs driven in, and a pair of walks.

PITCHERS

Nick Kolze, RHP, Romeoville (IL), 2022 | Rhino Baseball
Kolze had one of the more impressive outings in the tournament on the mound Friday afternoon. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound righty sat 83-85 mph, touching 86 mph, twice through Minnesota Blizzard’s order. His ability to mix in a power, hammer 12/6 breaking ball helped earn a number of swings and misses. He tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out eight batters and only walked one. 

Abram Wills, RHP, Coal City (IL), 2022 | Rhino Baseball
Wills had an impressive one-inning stint out of the bullpen for Rhino Baseball. He has a loose, clean arm action and went right after hitters. Wills worked both sides of the plate with a fastball that sat 83-84 mph, touching 86 mph twice. On top of the live fastball, Wills showed feel for a sweeping breaking ball at 68-72 mph. He’s become a high-follow 2022 arm moving forward.

Luke Ross, LHP, Waunakee (WI), 2022 | GRB Rays Green
Punched out seven batters in five dominant innings. Easy, effortless delivery. He featured a heavy fastball that sat 77-79 mph, and touched 81-82 mph a couple of times. Locates fastball down in the zone with ease. Throws two distinctly different breaking balls -- a slider and curve in the same slot as his fastball which helps add some swing-and-miss to his arsenal. Curveball plays 12/6 with depth at 65 mph, while slider showed 2/8 shape thrown firmer at 70 mph. Final line: CG (5 IP), ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K.

Brady Small, RHP, Lemont (IL), 2022 | Prairie Gravel
Lean, athletic build. 6-foot-1, 180-pound right-handed pitcher. Started on the mound for Prairie Gravel in the semi-final game against Slammers baseball. His start was cut short due to inclement weather, but was electric nonetheless. Long and loose arm action, high ¾ slot. Fastball touched 85 mph, sat between 82-84 mph with life and the ability to throw it for strikes. Changeup sat between 71-74 mph, straight movement, thrown with decelerated arm speed. Curveball played at 68-69 mph, 11/5 shape. Physical presence on the mound, projectible frame as he matures. 

Easton Richter, RHP, Rosemount (MN), 2022 | NorthStar Navy
Northstar Navy brought with them one of day one’s most impressive arms from Minnesota. The 5-foot-11 righty took the mound to start against Naperville Renegades on Thursday and came out working 80-82 mph, touching 83 mph, with a quick, easy, and loose arm. Richter’s low-80s fastball played up, featuring late life and carry through the zone, and he also dodged bats with an above-average breaking ball, 63-64 mph, and a changeup, 72 mph. Came up big for Northstar at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs. He added three more hits on Saturday for an undefeated NorthStar Navy squad.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Kyle Hvidstein, DH, Jordan (MN), 2022 | MN Starters
Strong, physical frame. 5-foot-11, 210 pound right-handed hitter. Hit out of the three-hole against Prairie Gravel in the quarterfinal game. Went 2-for-3 with an RBI double. Slightly open balanced setup, short stride, slight leg kick. Ball jumps off the bat, made hard contact throughout the game. True power potential in his frame and swing. 

UTILITY

Andrew Jones, UTL, Brush (OH), 2022 | NEO Elite
One of the most impressive overall athletes playing at The Rock this weekend. He's wiry, 6-foot-2, and highly projectable. In NEO's first game of the tournament, Jones led the game off with a homer to left -- lagging his barrel through the zone in the process. Jones works with a rhythmic, quick-tempo, high knee up into slight hip turn. Can open up a little early which leads to occasional command issues, but arm action is fast, loose, from a high ¾ slot. Fastball on Thursday sat at a live 80-82 mph, hard and downhill. He also came in to pitch in relief on Sunday and was sitting more regularly 83-84 mph, with a ball that really jumped from his hand. In both outings, Jones mixed in an aggressive slider, 73-74 mph, working off a downer plane, with above-average break and bite; real swing-and-miss potential. Was also savvy enough to mix in a curveball when necessary, 12/6 shape, depth, 67-69 mph. And when he’s not pitching he slides in at shortstop, where his premium athleticism fits right in.

Carson Hansen, UTL, Pewaukee (WI), 2022 | STiKS Black
Athletic build. 5-foot-11, 160-pound left/left first baseman. Went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs out of the four-hole against Top Tier North. Hansen put together a tremendous week and capped it off by slugging a three-run homer on Saturday. What was even more impressive about the home run was Hansen’s feel for the barrel – he let the bat lag through the zone on an offspeed pitch and still managed to elevate and barrel it up to push it over the right-center fence. Slightly open setup, smooth load, short stride. Swings a quick bat with some pop, showed a pull-side approach, hands start down but come up into a strong hitting position during load. Consistently made hard contact throughout the game, even when he got out. Showed feel for the bag at first base, looks the part. 

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