Prep Baseball Report

South Milwaukee Preseason ID: TrackMan Files


Kevin Cronin
Tech Analyst, Area Scout

On March 6, PBR Wisconsin hosted its longest running annual event on its winter calendar, the South Milwaukee Preseason ID at Hitters Baseball Academy in Caledonia, Wis. Approximately 90 players, mostly from Southeastern Wisconsin, attended this event, many of whom have established themselves as high-level prospects in the state. This event also perennially provides our staff with a glimpse at the future, allowing us to gain a clearer understanding of the up-and-coming players in Wisconsin, specifically the Class of 2025.

Earlier this week we published Quick Hits highlighting the top prospects of the event by class. We also rolled out a Statistical Analysis pointing out the top recorded stats by category.

Now we'll continue to roll out the data we gathered from this event, starting with the analytics we have at our disposal from our TrackMan units. Below we'll look at which players had noteworthy batted ball and pitch metric data.

MAX FASTBALL & PEAK SPIN RATE

Rank Name State School Class Pos Velocity (max)
1 Adam Behrens IL Warren Township 2023 RHP 91.6 mph
2 Thomas Burns WI Hortonville 2023 RHP 90.9 mph
3 Nolan Buss WI Arrowhead 2024 RHP 90.8 mph
4 TJ Schuyler IL Antioch 2023 C 90.1 mph
5 Brennen Grams WI Kimberly 2024 RHP 89.1 mph
6 Jackson Brewer WI Homestead 2024 OF 88.3 mph
7 Michael Carpenter WI Madison College 2022 LHP 88.1 mph
8 Adison Tevz WI New Berlin Eisenhower 2023 RHP 87.6 mph
9 Zachary Olson WI Muskego 2023 RHP 87.5 mph
10 Payten Jibben WI Oak Creek 2024 RHP 86.8 mph

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (max)
1 Hunter Buschke WI Notre Dame Academy 2022 C 3657 rpm
2 Ryan Williamson WI Oshkosh West 2024 RHP 2568 rpm
3 Sawyer Kowalkowski WI Ozaukee 2024 OF 2542 rpm
4 Carter Kutz WI Hartford Union 2025 3B 2491 rpm
5 Trent Oiler WI Brookfield East 2025 RHP 2460 rpm
6 Adison Tevz WI New Berlin Eisenhower 2023 RHP 2367 rpm
7 Nolan Buss WI Arrowhead 2024 RHP 2322 rpm
8 Jaxon Clayton WI Brookfield Central 2025 SS 2316 rpm
9 Adam Behrens IL Warren Township 2023 RHP 2272 rpm
10 Zachary Olson WI Muskego 2023 RHP 2257 rpm

Max Fastball Velocity: This metric calculates the speed of the pitch as it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.

Spin Rate: This metric calculates the rate of spin on the baseball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Historical data shows that high-spin fastballs lessen the impact of gravity, allowing for more ‘rise’ (or less fall, in other words) as it carries through the zone. Low-spin fastballs typically indicate the pitch has greater horizontal action, often making it tougher to square up, but generally easier to make contact with, leading to more ground balls, while high-spin fastballs show a correlation with swings and misses.

Average Fastball Horizontal Movement

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 Nolan Buss WI Arrowhead 2024 RHP 18.3
2 Alex Vogt WI Catholic Central 2024 LHP -17.4
3 Steven Wintheiser WI Muskego 2023 LHP -16.2
4 Adam Behrens IL Warren Township 2023 RHP 15.9
5 Michael Clarkson IL Loyola Academy 2023 C 15.1
6 Carter Kutz WI Hartford Union 2025 3B 14.3
7 Jackson Golatke WI Wauwatosa East 2023 SS 14.0
8 Payten Jibben WI Oak Creek 2024 RHP 13.6
9 Zachary Olson WI Muskego 2023 RHP 13.4
10 TJ Schuyler IL Antioch 2023 C 13.2

Horizontal Break: Outlined on TrackMan’s own website: “... horizontal movement is measured in inches between where the pitch actually crosses the front of home plate side-wise, and where it would have crossed home plate side-wise if had it traveled in a perfectly straight line from release. A positive number means the break was to the right from the pitcher’s perspective, while a negative number means the break was to the left from the pitcher’s perspective.”

Average Slider Spin Rate

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Jaxon Clayton WI Brookfield Central 2025 SS 2565
2 Trent Oiler WI Brookfield East 2025 RHP 2423
3 Sawyer Kowalkowski WI Ozaukee 2024 OF 2302
4 Cade Palkowski WI Oak Creek 2024 OF 2269
5 Joseph Frega IL Libertyville 2022 RHP 2202

Average Curveball Spin Rate

Rank Name State School Class Pos Spin Rate (avg)
1 Ryan Williamson WI Oshkosh West 2024 RHP 2927 rpm
2 Jaxon Clayton WI Brookfield Central 2025 SS 2606 rpm
3 Adison Tevz WI New Berlin Eisenhower 2023 RHP 2478 rpm
4 Grayson Flugaur WI Franklin 2024 RHP 2370 rpm
5 Zachary Olson WI Muskego 2023 RHP 2366 rpm

Average Changeup Horizontal Movement

Rank Name State School Class Pos HM (avg)
1 Adam Behrens IL Warren Township 2023 RHP 19.1
2 Nolan Buss WI Arrowhead 2024 RHP 18.7
3 Hunter Buschke WI Notre Dame Academy 2022 C 17.2
4 Cooper Jolin WI Middleton 2023 C 17.0
5 Zachary Olson WI Muskego 2023 RHP 16.8

Average Exit Velocity (Hitting)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (avg)
1 Max Strash WI Bradford 2023 RHP 91.9 mph
2 JD Dix WI Whitefish Bay 2024 SS 91.0 mph
3 Aiden Schenk WI Janesville Craig 2023 1B 89.6 mph
4 Austin Wienke WI Whitefish Bay 2023 1B 89.3 mph
5 Cade Palkowski WI Oak Creek 2024 OF 88.8 mph
6 Michael Clarkson IL Loyola Academy 2023 C 88.7 mph
7 Tyler Meyer WI Wauwatosa East 2023 3B 88.6 mph
8 JT Kelenic WI Catholic Memorial 2023 OF 88.5 mph
9 Sam Steuber WI Muskego 2023 CF 87.3 mph
10 Jackson Brewer WI Homestead 2024 OF 86.3 mph

Exit Speed: Also according to TrackMan’s own website: “The speed of the ball, measured in miles per hour, as it comes off the bat at the moment of contact.”

Peak Exit Velocity (Hitting)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Exit Velocity (max)
1 JT Kelenic WI Catholic Memorial 2023 OF 98.7 mph
2 Jason Adix WI University School of Milwaukee 2023 3B 97.9 mph
3 JD Dix WI Whitefish Bay 2024 SS 97.1 mph
4 Chris Calico WI West Salem 2023 OF 97.0 mph
5 Tyler Meyer WI Wauwatosa East 2023 3B 96.5 mph
6 Michael Clarkson IL Loyola Academy 2023 C 96.1 mph
7 Jackson Brewer WI Homestead 2024 OF 95.5 mph
8 Cade Palkowski WI Oak Creek 2024 OF 94.6 mph
9 Max Strash WI Bradford 2023 RHP 94.5 mph
10 Austin Wienke WI Whitefish Bay 2023 1B 94.5 mph

Peak Estimated Batted Distance (Hitting)

Rank Name State School Class Pos Distance (max)
1 JD Dix WI Whitefish Bay 2024 SS 357 ft
2 Jaxon Clayton WI Brookfield Central 2025 SS 344 ft
3 Ben Flerlage IL Latin School of Chicago 2023 OF 339 ft
4 Michael Clarkson IL Loyola Academy 2023 C 334 ft
5 JT Kelenic WI Catholic Memorial 2023 OF 327 ft

For a complete look at each of the statistics measured at this showcase, CLICK HERE.

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