Wisconsin 2018 Rankings Released

April 22, 2015

By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Supervisor – Wisconsin/Illinois

At last, the long awaited Wisconsin 2018 rankings have been released. It will probably come as a shock to most that the Badger State has three Division 1 college commits already in the 2018 class. Florida is the only other state in our coverage area who has more commitments in the 2018 class. We recently released our overall 2018 rankings which six Wisconsin prospects made the top 50.

COMPLETE WISCONSIN 2018 RANKINGS COMPLETE OVERALL 2018 RANKINGS

Jarred Kelenic Wisconsin’s 2018 class is headlined by Louisville commit, Jared Kelenic. The Waukesha West product is a highly athletic left handed hitting outfielder who is also ranked No. 4 in our coverage area. Kelenic runs a 6.90 60, has a big arm from the outfield at 88 mph and swings one of the better bats we’ve seen at that age. He’s also been on the mound recently sitting 82-84 mph, topping out at 86 mph from the left side.

RHP Dillon Nowicki (Stoughton) comes in at No. 2. Nowicki has a live arm that has already been up to 86 mph and has the potential for two plus pitches. He’s showed excellent feel and action for a changeup and potentially a hard wipeout slider. He’s still honing his repertoire, but the upside on his arm is undeniable.

Another Louisville commit comes in at No. 3 with Oak Creek’s Alex Binelas. Oak Creek has continually churned out Division 1 baseball players in recent years and Binelas is the next in line. A left handed hitting corner infielder, Binelas has a big bat with left-handed power potential that could stick on the infield at the next level. His bat is what separates him, he has an advanced approach that plays well against high caliber pitching.

C Jeff Holtz is the third 2018 Division 1 commit, choosing the Hoosiers earlier this winter. Holtz has the upside to be the top ranked player in this class when it’s all said and done. Playing a premium position behind the plate he has already shown 2.00 pop times, and a high level right-handed bat, all coming out of a 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame that projects extremely well.

SS Dawson Demant (Union Grove) rounds out the top five. His soft hands and athletic actions looks like they will be able to stick at shortstop, which is tough to find in the Midwest. Demant also has a highly efficient swing that looks to project as a bat control type hitter that will play in a two-hole type role. Demant looks to be the next in line of high level infielders from the southeast corner of the state in recent years (Schrader, Lux, Lavey, Buban, etc.)

Rounding out the top ten, No. 6 Max Alba (Franklin) is a highly projectable multi-sport athlete. Alba has a two-way skill set, swinging a loose left-handed bat and sitting 82-83 mph on the mound. With a 6-foot-4, 170-pound frame he will be a highly coveted prospect at the next level.

At No. 7 C Stephen Lund is already putting up big numbers for Verona Area this spring and hitting in the middle of the lineup. Lund is a high offensive threat that shows a real knack for finding the barrel. Lund natural offensive abilities can be compared as a right-handed hitting Rudy Rott (Aquinas, 2015, Ohio), who showed similar abilities with the bat. Jackson Pothast

Jackson Pothast (Sheboygan North) is the highest ranked LHP at No. 8. Pothast is a high ceiling southpaw who we’ve seen already touching 81 mph. His quick arm action, feel for the zone and long lanky frame (6-foot-3, 175-pounds) would put him on the radar of just about any recruited in the country.

Nate DeYoung (Xavier) is the younger brother of 2016 prospect Matt DeYoung and shows similar attributes, swinging a strong left handed bat with a big projectable frame. The only difference is Nate has shown some early actions that could keep him on the infield.

RHP Randon Dauman (Columbus) rounds out the top ten. We were high on Dauman a year ago when we saw him as an eighth grader. Now his fastball has been up to 83 mph with a 71-74 mph curveball and making an impact for the varsity club. He recently struck out 13 in a CG win for Columbus.

Wisconsin 2018 Rankings Released

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