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Eau Claire Preseason ID: Quick Hits

February 13, 2024
By: Wisconsin Staff

On Saturday, Feb. 10th, the PBR Wisconsin team hosted our second event of the 2024 winter showcase circuit with the first-ever Eau Claire Preseason ID showcase at Valley Sports Academy in Lake Hallie, Wis. Nearly 40 players made it out to this event, providing us with updated looks and a new list of players to follow in Wisconsin.

Today, we’ll be highlighting the players who stood out in Lake Hallie 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.

POSITION PLAYERS

CLASS OF 2024

+ OF Henry Zimmerman (River Falls, 2024; Winona State commit) is a long-levered athlete who stands 6-foot-1, 185 pounds with more room to add to his frame. At the plate, Zimmerman explodes through using his back side to start his sequence and to get through the baseball. He showed plenty of barrel awareness to drive the ball to all fields and had the third highest exit velocity (93.6 mph) of the event and also hit the second farthest ball at 357 feet. Zimmerman profiles well in the outfield with his quick turnover gait and plenty of arm strength to play at multiple outfield spots. His 87 mph from the outfield was the second best outfield velocity of the event, showing plenty of carry and quality accuracy.

CLASS OF 2025

+ OF Grant Lokken (Eau Claire Memorial, 2025) is an athletic junior outfielder who put his all-around skillset on display in Saturday’s showcase. Lokken began by recording one of the top 60-yard times at 7.11. He showed smooth actions in the outfield, reaching 84 mph from a high 3/4 slot with carry and accuracy. Using a toe-tap, Lokken showed good rhythm at the plate in route to one of the better BP performances. It’s a smooth and loose, well-sequenced swing that enables him to be on-time and shoot balls to both gaps. Look for the power to continue to mature as Lokken continues to fill out.

+ INF Cole Perlberg (Chippewa Falls, 2025) is a projectable middle infielder who showed good speed, defense and feel to hit on Saturday. On the offensive side, he barrelled balls to all fields with a short bat path and strong hands. His toe-tap enabled him to stay on-time as he before unloading on pitches. His 94 mph max exit velocity ranked among Saturday’s best. Defensively Perlberg had good actions with the legs, showing quickness and a good first step. He showcased soft hands and an accurate arm that will play in the infield. His 7.09 60-yard dash was among the leaders in the showcase.

+ INF Chase Robinson (Marshfield, 2025) is an athlete who can impact the baseball with a smooth line drive approach with the bat. During his clean round of BP, his hardest hit ball came off at 91.1 mph while averaging 87.3, staying through the middle of the field but also showcasing his ability to hit to all fields. He also ran a quick 7.17 seconds 60 yard dash which was among leaders for the event.

CLASS OF 2026

+ C Isaiah Ahlberg (Solon Springs, 2026) is an athletic 5-foot-9 catcher who showed upside on both sides of the ball. It’s a compact swing with power, as the sophomore was one of just two in his class to surpass a 90 mph exit velocity. He uses the ground well throughout the swing, leveraging balls out front to barrel balls to all fields. His strong hands led to good control for the barrel. Ahlberg showed out on the defensive end, recording showcase highs in catcher velocity (76 mph) and pop time (1.87 seconds). Ahlberg had an impressive showing on Saturday, showing why he’s a catcher to watch in the class of 2026.

+ C Grayson Veenendall (La Crosse Central, 2026) is another catcher to watch, a 5-foot-11 sophomore who can play both ways. At the plate, he showcased a short, quick swing with explosive rotation to get to his power. His swing includes a bit of loft that could enable him to drive the ball in the air more often. His 93 mph max exit velocity was the one of the highest of the Eau Claire showcase. Veenendall put on a solid showing defensively. His 74 mph throwing velocity from behind the plate and 1.94 seconds pop time both were among the best of the event. Look for Veenendall to have a big year as he continues to mature behind the plate.

CLASS OF 2027

+ Despite being one of the youngest prospects in attendance, C/OF Logan Hagman (Hudson, 2027) put together one of the loudest performances on Saturday. Hagman stands a sturdy and athletic 6-foot, 175 pounds. He showed off his strength during hitting by registering an event best 100.8 mph and drove a ball 373 feet. He generated an event best bat speed average of 77 mph, while also being towards the top in terms of hand speed at 22.4 mph. His flat bat path through the baseball allowed him to drive the ball to all fields. Behind the plate, he showed the ability to turn the ball around quickly and recorded the second quickest pop time of the day at 1.90 seconds. Additionally, he ran a 7.13 seconds 60-yard dash which is plenty of foot speed to play in the outfield to give him a more versatile defensive profile. Hagman further solidified himself as one of the top 2027’s in the state after his performance on Saturday.

PITCHERS/TWO WAY

CLASS OF 2024

+ RHP/INF Ethan Sowieja (Stanley-Boyd, 2024) is an uncommitted senior who had a quality showing at the event. The righty showed a simple delivery with a tall-and-fall profile that fits his lanky frame. His actions were clean out of the glove with a full arm loop into a 3/4 slot. The righty reached 82.3 mph with his fastball with some arm-side run, while showing two breaking balls. Offensively, Sowieja posted a near-showcase high 94 mph exit velocity, getting to a strong loaded position and staying through the ball to hit a host of line drives. It’s a flat and direct bat path that enables him to get to the ball on-time.

CLASS OF 2025

+ RHP Cole O'Brien (DC Everest, 2025) is a long-levered, 6-foot-3 righty who showed quality present feel to pitch and additional projection. It’s a high leg tuck with a closed-off landing that results in a crossfire delivery. His arm path was consistently on-time, getting through the ball with whip. The tall righty worked 86-88 mph (T88.2 mph) mph with his fastball, while showing feel for the zone. His curveball comes out of the same window as the fastball, showing short, quick break with 10/4 action at 73-75 mph. His changeup is another weapon, an offspeed pitch with late depth that O’Brien showed feel for at 78-80 mph.

+ RHP Bennett Stokke (Altoona, 2025) is an athletic 5-foot-10 righty with notable arm talent. Stokke sat 87-89 (T89.2 mph) with carry and life on his fastball, while showing the ability to hit spots. His 71-73 mph sweeping slider had late movement, a solid pairing with his fastball. The junior featured a developing splitter at 77-79 mph with late depth, occasional cut and did flash some out-pitch potential. Stokke is a dynamic mover on the mound who gets over his front side well with a high leg-swing finish and repeats his delivery often which allows him to be consistent with the quality of stuff and quality of strikes. Our staff has heard the Stokke has made some gains over the offseason, and it certainly was true as he walked away from this event as arguably the day’s biggest winner.

+ RHP Ethan Oatman (Mosinee, 2025) is a 6-foot-3 pitcher with athleticism and strength. The junior worked 84-85 mph (T85.2 mph) with his fastball, displaying carry and finish while consistently hitting his spots. His 69-70 mph curveball has 10/4 shape with sharpness, and Oatman showed the ability to land it for strikes. His changeup had good separation from the fastball at 76-77 mph, and the Mosinee-native sold the pitch by throwing it out of the same tunnel as the fastball with quality arm speed. The change-of-pace had depth and fade at the end of the offering. Oatman showed good balance in his delivery throughout his bullpen, landing on-plane with home plate and finishing with a medium leg swing. He repeats his delivery and has the ability to throw all three offerings for strikes in order to keep hitters off balance.

+ RHP/OF Clayton Kroschel (Wayland Academy, 2025) was one of the more impressive participants in Saturday’s event, showing real upside on both sides of the ball. Throwing from a high-¾ arm slot, he worked 82-84 miles per hour with his fastball with carry, roughly 21” of vertical break and finish. Kroschel showed two secondary offerings, a curveball at 70-72 mph with sharp 11/5 shape and a changeup he showed quality feel for. The changeup had late depth, appearing like a fastball nearly the whole way into the hitting zone. On the offensive side, Kroschel used an open set-up and relaxed hands en route to one of the more impressive showings at the plate. His compact swing enabled him to maintain quality timing, and his barrel control and flat-planed swing resulted in a 91.2 mph exit velocity, which was the seventh best mark of the day. His 89 mile-per-hour throw from the outfield and 6.95 60-yard dash were both event bests, too.

+ RHP/INF Kellen Smith (Altoona, 2025) is an athletic and strong two-way player who is listed at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds. Smith started his impressive day with one of the fastest 60-yard dash times of the event at 7.09 seconds. During his round of BP, the ball was jumping off his bat as he showed the ability to leverage the ball out front. Smith also showed quality actions in the infield and showed off his arm at 83 mph across the infield with solid carry and accuracy. On the mound, Smith has a dynamic delivery with a quick arm from an over the top arm slot that drives the ball downhill. He topped out at 84.1 mph and showed the ability to land three quality offerings for strikes. Smith had an impressive day overall and solidified himself as an intriguing prospect in the state.

+ RHP/INF Blake Bugher (Eau Claire Memorial, 2025) showed rhythm and timing at the plate on Saturday while taking a clean round of BP. Metrically, his hardest hit ball of the day registered at 91 mph, and he also averaged an exit velocity of 85.5 mph, speaking to his present feel for the barrel. On the mound, Bugher topped out at 79.9 mph with the fastball but has a projectable body that is likely to add size and strength. He slings it from a 3/4 slot with some arm speed and shows the ability to get the ball through areas of the zone. Bugher also features a curveball with lateral action and quality feel for a change up which gives him three pitches he can throw for strikes.

+ RHP Brady Johnson (Eau Claire Memorial, 2025) is a long levered righty who was up to 84 mph with his fastball with the ability to repeat his delivery and get it in the zone for strikes. He landed a two plane breaking ball and showcased a changeup with late depth at the plate to round out his three pitch mix.

CLASS OF 2026

+ RHP/INF Ethan Jeffers (River Falls, 2026) is a compact and athletic righty who showed some intriguing projection at Saturday’s showcase. He worked 79-81 mph (T81.3 mph) with roughly 19” of vertical break on his fastball, showcasing serious feel to hit spots. Though he has a curveball and changeup, the breaker is the true out-pitch. He worked 70-71 mph with the curveball with 12/6 break, showing late break out of the same tunnel as the fastball. Jeffers’ changeup was 71-74 mph with late tailing action. As a position player, the sophomore uses his lower half well, generating bat speed to drive the ball to both gaps. He keeps his hands relaxed and gets good separation while staying grounded and shows quality barrel control spraying line drives through all over the field. Jeffers is a quick mover in the infield with smooth actions and a good clock. His 81 mph velocity across the infield with carry and accuracy indicate him to be a reliable defender in the infield.

+ RHP Ethan Dillingham (Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 2026) showed value both present and future, displaying a projectable build and the ability to pitch. The 5-foot-10 righty uses a high leg lift with balance over the rubber, finishing all the way through the delivery. It’s a quick, whippy arm with explosiveness and good timing. The sophomore sat 78-79 mph (T79.3 mph) with the fastball, which showed late life. His big curveball was a two-plane breaking ball with finish through the zone. Dillingham’s upside with his quick twitch delivery is intriguing once his body fills.

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