Wisconsin 2017 Rankings: New Additions

April 6, 2016

By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Supervisor – Wisconsin/Illinois

Yesterday the 2017 rankings were updated and expanded from 85 to 100. That brought several new prospects into the mix, 21 to be exact and we will highlight some of them today.

The highest newcomer to Wisconsin’s 2017 rankings is no stranger to PBR rankings, but new to Wisconsin. SS Walker Jenkins transferred to Sun Prairie this past fall from Missouri where he was a top 25 prospect in the Show-Me State. Jenkins comes to Sun Prairie with a switch-hitting stick, a big arm across the diamond and a load of athleticism to play the middle of the field. Jenkins instantly made the Cardinals better in 2016 and steps into the top 20 juniors in Wisconsin.

LHP Tanner Halvorson (Eau Claire North) is coming off of a big sophomore year for the Huskies going 6-3 with a 1.42 ERA and a first-team all-conference selection. Halvorson recently showed his stuff at the Madison Preseason I.D. sitting 82-84 mph with three pitch feel. Halvorson cracked the top 25.

Inside the top 40 were three more new additions. OF Ryan Wickman (River Valley) was a huge part of the Blackhawks run to Appleton in 2015. Wickman is a high-end quick twitch athlete who runs a 6.75, threw 87 mph from the outfield, and hit .425 as a sophomore. RHP Antonio Valdez (Riverside University) looked sharp at the Milwaukee Preseason I.D. he showed a polished looking repertoire that had feel for the zone and sat in the mid 80’s. Oconomowoc’s LHP/OF Jonah Landowski cracked the top 40 with a low 80’s fastball and upside athleticism in the field.

A few new arms to the top 100 include RHP Will Conard (Green Bay Preble), Baraboo’s RHP Thomas Ginther and RHP Josh Schattner (Wilmot Union). Conard and Ginther both ran their fastball’s up to 86 mph this winter, and Schattner flashed a swing and miss type breaking ball. All three play for some of the top D1 teams in the state and should have impactful junior campaigns.

Kyle Hammit (Muskego) and Kyle Kosobucki (West De Pere) are a pair of catchers with next level defensive abilities, both of which made the top 70.

A couple of bats to keep an eye on this spring are left-handed hitting 3B Drew Behling (Waupun) and INF Joseph Lipsky (Lake Country Lutheran). Lipsky hit .489 for the D3 champs last year as a sophomore. Both swung the bat well this winter and have the ability to hit at the next level.

Other notable newcomers to the rankings.

Name	State	School	Class	Pos
Jake Eigner	WI	Germantown	2017	RHP
Peyton Henry	WI	Columbus	2017	SS/RHP
Cade Curtis	WI	Ashwaubenon	2017	LHP
Dain Hudson	WI	Waukesha West	2017	OF
Josh Hock	WI	Notre Dame Academy	2017	RHP
Sam Zarling	WI	Kettle Moraine Lutheran	2017	3B
Noah Duncan	WI	Notre Dame Academy	2017	OF
Matt Korman	WI	Waterford	2017	SS
Zach Carney	WI	Kimberly	2017	OF

Stay tuned for more content this week on the top risers in Wisconsin’s 2017 class.

For complete Wisconsin 2017 Player Rankings CLICK HERE.