Prep Baseball Report

West Milwaukee Preseason ID: Quick Hits


By Wisconsin Staff

On Feb. 19, PBR Wisconsin hosted its latest event along the 2022 winter showcase circuit, the annual West Milwaukee Preseason ID at STiKS Academy in Waukesha, Wis. Nearly 80 players made it out to this event, providing us with updated looks and a new list of prospects to follow in an area of Wisconsin that regularly produces some of the state’s top talent.

Today, we’ll be highlighting the players who stood out in Waukesha within this Quick Hits piece. Stay tuned throughout the week as we continue to break down the in-depth metrics measured at this event, with the help of our tech partners TrackMan, Blast Motion, and Vizual Edge.

QUICK HITS

TAKEAWAYS

Bradyn Horn OF / LHP / Muskego, WI / 2024

Emerging from this event as a serious high-follow two-way name in the state’s 2024 class: OF/LHP Bradyn Horn (Muskego, 2024). Horn is a dynamic athlete, kicking his day off by running a 6.98 in the 60-yard dash with smooth strides and precise coordination. He put together one of the day’s top rounds of BP. His controlled and balanced forward move was quickly followed by a compact swing. He enters the zone from inside and stays through with plenty of plate coverage as well. Horn consistently roped hard line drives that pierced the gaps with clean backspin. The bat projects to add more thump as he physically matures, too. In the outfield, Horn flowed with natural strides and body precision, delivering mid-80s throws on target with clean spin and carry. His outfield arm carries over to the mound where he showed a true four seam, back spinning fastball that carried well through the zone at 81-82 mph. He flashed a sharp curveball to compliment it and a confident changeup with above average arm side action.

Logan Des Lauries OF / Oconomowoc, WI / 2022

Senior OF Logan Des Lauries (Oconomowoc, 2022) is an uncommitted explosive athlete showcasing high end capacity clocking 6.62 in the 60 yard dash and driving exit speeds up to 99 mph off the bat. Des Lauries did all of this after putting on 5-to-10 pounds of lean mass in the offseason. In the box, he sets up wide while working a rhythmic wiggle. After a short stride to plant, Des Lauries makes compact swings to the baseball with fast hands, and sufficient barrel speed while repeating hard contact. It could be reasonably said that there’s much more slugging in the tank, and the development pathway would have limited resistance for this athlete.

EJ Kuster RHP / Greendale, WI / 2023

At 6-foot-3, 195-pounds, RHP EJ Kuster (Greendale, 2023) has continued to make strides on the mound. He showed an uptick in velocity, sitting 85-86 mph but the unique arm side run was more impressive than the added velocity, averaging over 20 inches of horizontal action. He also surprised with a well above average splitter, usually not seen at this age. He was able to easily kill spin and get downer action with fastball arm speed. Migrating his curveball into more of a hard slider might be the final touch to rounding out a well above average repertoire.

Keith Williams 3B / OF / Catholic Memorial, WI / 2023

OF Keith Williams (Catholic Memorial, 2023) is currently listed at 6-foot-2, 220-pounds with power in his frame. Williams clocked a 6.70 time in the 60-yard dash and showed athleticism throughout the day. At the plate, he generated the highest exit speed (102.4 mph), and did this with a hard-hit rate of 90 percent, meaning nearly every single ball he hit was measured at 95-plus mph off his barrel – both his average exit speed and best batted ball were the highest recorded of the winter. In the field, Williams worked with clean footwork and surprisingly smooth glovework for such a strong player, funneling through his posture while transitioning into accurate throws to the target. He is a powerful multi-sport athlete interested in playing both football and baseball at the college level.

Jack Bauer SS / 2B / Greendale, WI / 2024

INF Jack Bauer (Greendale, 2024) was a major winner at The Rock this fall and he looked the part at Saturday’s event, too. Bauer packs a bigger punch than most of his peers throughout the class, running a 7.01 in the 60-yard dash, firing it 87 mph across the diamond, and generating explosive quickness with his swing. possesses raw athletic capacity. Packing a bigger punch than most of his peers throughout the class. In the box, he makes a short compact path to the baseball, while delivering with a rotational attack. Defensively, Bauer has a quick first step, and circles the ball from right to left. After funneling into his posture, he exchanges rapidly into a short arm action that produces accuracy and carry. All around the field, Bauer showed dynamic athleticism that has untapped kinetic transmission in his swinging and throwing. Bauer looks like a dynamic middle infielder that’s drawing intrigue towards his future looks.

Ryan Richter RHP / 1B / Waukesha West, WI / 2024

A projectable 6-foot-4 200-pound RHP/1B, Ryan Richter (Waukesha West, 2024) finished his pen in impressive fashion with his best fastball of the day at 85 mph. A huge jump from where we saw him last summer when he was sitting in the upper 70’s. Richter looks to only be scratching the surface of his potential, while his large frame can be corralled at times, it moves quick and athletically down the mound and creates potential for some serious arm speed. He creates natural arm side action on both his fastball and changeup, both above average pitches for his age, while his slider is still developing. He flashed some intrigue as a position player as well, consistently generating quick swings in the box while favoring the pull-side w  in ith backspin flights. On the infield he hangs back, works from right to left while using a low eye level for a big frame. He threw with clean spin and carry across the diamond and handled himself well at first base during his workout. Don’t be surprised to see Richter make another jump once he hangs up the basketball sneakers for the year.

Connor Olson INF / RHP / Arrowhead, WI / 2023

Junior RHP/INF Connor Olson (Arrowhead, 2023) is a strong athlete at 6-foot, 180-pounds and showed off a short quick athletic arm that pounded the zone with a four seam fastball at 83-84 mph to go along with a curveball/changeup combination. Olson caught our scouts’ attention as a position player as well, starting his workout out by running a 6.89 in the 60-yard dash. He possesses fundamental skills on defense and made all the plays with confident familiarity, all while showing off one of the event’s strongest infield arms, reaching an 89 mph high on his loudest bullet. At the plate, Olson works with a stock setup and 70 mph barrel speed. He sent consistent contact to all fields and flashed above-average raw power for his age with a max exit velocity of 98.2 mph. Currently a top-60 prospect in the state for his class, Olson certainly left a positive impression on our scouts.

Ben Moser RHP / Sussex Hamilton, WI / 2024

Arguably one of the bigger winners in the 2024 class was RHP Ben Moser (Sussex Hamilton, 2024), in his PBR debut. At 6-foot-5, 235-pounds he carries a hulking build that should only increase its intimidation factor as he matures and develops strength. Along with that should come added body control to help pound the zone with more regularity, but already sitting 85-86 mph, topping at 87 mph, his fastball qualities are advanced for his age. As he fills into his frame and develops more precise movement, Moser will be a projectable arm to follow out of Wisconsin’s sophomore class.

Cooper Kamlay SS / RHP / Franklin, WI / 2024

Another 2024 two-way player of note is INF/RHP Cooper Kamlay (Franklin). He’s a dynamic athlete around the diamond, running a 6.73 in the 60-yard dash and ranging well on the infield with crisp, clean throws that peaked at 86 mph. He showed strong hands and a direct attack to the ball with barrel speed as high as 77 mph, producing hard contact when on time. His arm strength translated to the mound later on in his workout, as Kamlay pumped his fastball in at 83-84 mph from a short, quick arm slot.

Eli Pantzlaff 1B / Waukesha West, WI / 2023

Fresh off an impressive performance at the Fox Cities Preseason ID, 1B Eli Pantzlaff (Waukesha West, 2023) repeated his showing there at Saturday’s event. Pantzlaff generated loud contact throughout BP, using the backside of the field with closing violence through impact, high exit speeds, and controlled line drive repeatability. His hardest hit ball left his bat at 98.4 mph and his furthest batted ball traveled 385 feet, further reiterating the power-profile attached to his right-handed barrel.

MORE NAMES TO KNOW

+ This weekend was the first time we’ve seen C/UTL Dominic Kibler (New Berlin West, 2023) since he committed to Kent State, shortly after the backstop represented Team Wisconsin at the PBR Future Games in August. There, Kibler cemented himself as a top left-handed hitter in the state’s junior class, and he's reasserted that notion over the offseason. Kibler maintained his lengthy track record of making impact contact on Saturday of the ball, reaching a 98.1 mph max exit velocity while averaging 92 mph off the barrel. He improved defensively as well, popping a 2.00 at his best to the bag with a 76 mph high. Kibler looks like he’s well on his way to being an all-league bat at the college level. 

+ While we’re used to seeing INF/RHP Adam Switalski (Westosha Central, 2023; Indiana commit) on the mound, we watched him showcase his abilities as an infielder at STiKS on Saturday. He moves well from right to left with athletic feel and smooth glove qualities, all while ranging well with clean exchanges and firing up to 93 mph across the infield. In the box, he sets up tall and narrow and makes compact moves to the baseball. Throughout his round of BP he made direct swings that sent backspin liners to all fields. Switalski moves like an athlete on both sides of the ball, complimenting his overall value as a fun to watch two-way prospect. 

+ C Hunter Szymborski (Brookfield Central, 2023) is a defensive-minded catcher who handles the mitt well. His actions while in gear and behind the dish are representative of an advanced high school catcher ready to handle college arms. He popped 2.00 at 76 mph this weekend at the ID. While the bat has run light in years past, the improvement in the box has become evident as he repeated quality contact to all fields with improved feel for the barrel. 

+ Junior RHP Camden Broske (West Bend West, 2023) brought the top fastball velocity of the day, topping at 87.3 mph via TrackMan. It's a true four-seam fastball that he stays behind and backspins well creating very little horizontal movement. He pairs it with a 12/6 shaped breaking ball that flashed above-average depth in the 73-75 mph range.

+ Marquette RHP Samuel Wronski (2023) is a lean athlete at 6-foot-2, 180-pounds who showed one of the better fastball’s of the day sitting 83-84 mph out of a quick over the top slot while averaging 20 inches of vertical break. He also showed one of the highest spinning breaking balls of the event with slurve-type action at 67 mph. 

+ C Camden Hoier (West Bend East) is an interesting catcher in the state’s 2023 class, now filling out at a physical 6-foot-2 and 200-pounds. With his mitt, he creates fundamental footwork and sound blocking. At the plate, Hoier works from tall and narrow with a long stride to square with a methodical tempo, swinging with more speed and control than in previous looks. He enters the zone soft and works the middle of the field with controlled low flights. He’s an interesting follow as a junior backstop on a high school squad that made it to state last year.

+ C Chris Schaefer (Catholic Memorial, 2023) took one of the day’s cleaner rounds of catcher defense, working quick to the bag with efficiency and accurate throws to pair. Schaefer is an adept receiver as well and he’s handled some high-quality arms well in front of our staff previously, too.

+ Standing at a stout 5-foot-8, 172-pounds of lean strength, OF Issei Takahashi (Arrowhead, 2024) has shown improvement to his game and physical development over the last half year. The left-handed hitting outfielder is a high quality bat handler with the ability to adjust situationally, and that bat handling showed itself through his batting practice rounds. Takahashi put together one of the top rounds of the event as he repeated high contact quality and carrying flights throughout. He’s a high-character prospect with highly desirable makeup that changes a roster dynamic.

+ C Ryan Dummer (Burlington, 2024) is a thick and strong backstop that marked improvements across the board. Behind the dish, he performed well, popping 2.15 while staying consistently on target with clean spin. In the box, he worked an aggressive leg kick into a tight turn, generating hard contact to the pullside with backspin repeatedly. The strides he has made to his physical capacity on both sides of the ball was on display throughout the day.

+ Listed at 6-foot, 165 pounds, OF Ryan Berghauer (Brookfield East, 2024) took a consistent round of BP after running a 6.91 to start his day. In the right-handed box, Berghauer covered the zone well and was able to barrel balls with backspin to all fields, and he flashed moments where he was all synced up offensively where he struck balls more authoritatively. Defensively, Berghauer ranges well side to side in the outfield, demonstrating clean transitions and alignment, leading to quick exchanges and throws that both carried and were accurate to home, up to 83 mph.

EMERGING FRESHMEN

+ RHP Owen Dobberstein (Pewaukee, 2025) is the younger brother to senior Kansas State recruit RHP Logan Dobberstein (Pewaukee, 2022) and, while he doesn’t yet possess the height of Logan, he still exhibits high projection as a 6-foot, 160-pound freshman. He has an easy arm and repeats really well for his age, showing a high pitchability for a Class of 2025 prospect. His arsenal consists of a 77-78 mph four-seam fastball paired with a convicted sweeping breaking ball and straight change.

+ Cousin to the aforementioned Dobberstein brothers above, RHP Drew Dobberstein (Pewaukee, 2025) is another freshman to emerge from this event. Built at a lanky 5-foot-10, 155 pounds, Dobberstein utilized his long levers to reach an 82 mph high with his fastball, all while featuring hard sinking action, and not just for his age. Though still developing a complete feel for his longer levers on the mound, Dobberstein’s breaking ball did flash intrigue. He spun the slurve-type offering at 70-72 mph while averaging 13 inches of horizontal break through the zone. Consider Dobberstein one of the top freshman arms we’ve seen to date this winter.

+ 3B Andrew Carlson (Neenah, 2025) is a very physical freshman athlete, already possessing desirable strength and size. Carlson sets up wide and crouched with a high handset. He tips the barrel vertically during his load, and produces a very grounded rotational unwind to deliver the barrel. Carlson enters from inside the ball and slots under shoulders. His path has a more vertical orientation, and produces violence in small windows with deeper points of contact. Using the whole field with a very physical look, he produced one of the best rounds of the day. An awesome look for a young player. On defense, he appears more like a third base type with a simple receiving operation, staying simple and square to the ball, and looking it into the glove with composure.

+ C Connor Harvie (Waterford, 2025)  is a quality defender behind the dish, receiving with maturity and displaying quick controlled actions on his throws down to second. While showing quality footwork, quick exchanges, and clean carry through the target, Harvie popped as low as 2.05 to the bag at a 71 mph max. In the box, he presents a fundamental operation setting up wide and using a small forward advance, consistently pulling balls in the air with quick barrel action. As Harvie matures physically, and adds more bat speed, he’ll be a catcher to know.

+ INF Eli Bryant (Beaver Dam, 2025) was one of several freshmen to really earn our attention in Waukesha on Saturday. Working from a soft rhythm in the right-handed box, Bryant showcased an adjustable barrel that allowed him to sync up contact efficiently to all fields, emphasizing backspin. Then, on defense, Bryant was responsible for one of the top infield rounds of the day, featuring quality footwork, working outside the ball with well-timed right-to-left actions at an uptempo pace. He’s a dynamic mover and athletic all-around player worth continuing to monitor closely.

+ Behind the dish, C Marek Bolson (Oconomowoc, 2025) possesses fundamental skills with touch in his mitt. The transfer was consistently smooth, and the throws consistently carried through the bag. Offensively, Bolson demonstrated a simple, repeatable left-handed swing that projects as he continues to add strength, enhancing his profile as a dependable catcher, too. As Bolson fills out, and his athletic capacity matches his skills around the diamond, he’ll be an interesting follow.

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