While RHP/ATH Ethan Bauerschmidt (Tremper, 2025; Penn State commit) has long shown some high-upside on both sides of the ball, in 2023 he asserted himself as one of the top talents in the state’s 2025 class. Flashback to the winter, the long limbed 6-foot-2, 180-pounder was arguably the top performer on both sides of the ball at the South Milwaukee Preseason ID. There he took a clean round of BP, working the ball to the whole field from a short and quick right-handed swing. He really shined on the mound there too, running his fastball up to 90.1 mph with over 16” of carry on average. He also spun in a tight and aggressive slider with nearly 2,500 RPM on average, while also showing feel for a deceptive changeup, too. After this breakout performance in the winter, Bauerschmidt continued to do more of the same across the spring and summer, culminating in him donning the Team Wisconsin jersey down at LakePoint for the PBR Future Games, where despite the amount of talent, Bauerschmidt continued to rise above the rest and walk away a major winner. Shortly following the summer's conclusion, Bauerschmidt announced his commitment to Penn State, whose new coaching staff seems to be trying to break into the Badger State as of late.

We recently caught up with Bauerschmidt to talk about his recruitment process, and much more.

OUR Q&A

PBR: What were your expectations about the recruiting process? What were you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?

Bauerschmidt: I didn’t expect the recruiting process to be easy and I really took a reality check last winter and made a plan. Seven days a week I was doing something for baseball, whether it was speed, throwing, hitting, lifting and putting in the time definitely was the best decision I’ve ever made because not only did it help me perform in front of schools , it helped me find the best fit for my college career.

P: Did location or distance from home play a factor in your decision?

B: I have always loved traveling and going places for baseball, so picking Penn State was definitely not a hard decision when it came to the distance away from home.

P: When did the recruiting process really start to heat up for you? Where did the school you committed to first see you play?

B: Actually Penn state was a late school to reach out to me. I was down to a couple schools when I had got the call from coach Puccio. He said hey we should get you to campus to see everything and a couple weeks later I was on campus, and just fell in love with everything about it. But the recruiting process really skyrocketed last winter.

P: What do you like most about the program you chose, and what were the key factors in making your decision?

B: I loved the coaching staff and what they were doing to the program at Penn state. They strive to win a national championship and I wouldn’t want anything different than that. When I got to Penn state it immediately felt like home. Just everything about it was perfect.

P: What other schools were on your short list before you made your final decision?

B: Purdue, Nebraska, Missouri, Xavier and some more.

P: Who is the best player you have faced in your state? What about them makes for a tough opponent?

B: Best player I have faced in the state of Wisconsin is definitely Preston Yaucher. He’s a very tough out and just battles and battles at the plate. Glad that I will be able to call him a teammate in college.

P: At what point in your career did you realize you were a college-caliber player and became serious about taking your game to the next level?

B: When I started seeing the jumps I had last winter, I definitely started to realize this is what I want to do for my job. Just keep getting after it in the weight room and you will see jumps and progression.

P: What advice would you give to young baseball players striving to get where you are?

B: Make sure you lift. Lifting is definitely one of the biggest factors when it comes to baseball. Also, what you put into the sport is what you will get out of it. Keep pushing and getting after it and as time goes on you will see progression and jumps.

P: Preview your high school team's season for us. How do you feel your team will be?

B: I Tremper think we will be a very good baseball team this year. We have a pretty junior strong team so we will be together for two more years.

P: How did the Future Games affect your recruitment process? Did you receive more attention following the event(s)?

B: Yes, the Future Games was by far the best event I have gone to in my baseball career so far! The exposure you get to coaches there and the opportunities to perform in front of your dream schools was by far one of the coolest things I’ve experienced.

P: If you could steal any tool or quality from another player in the state, what would it be and who would it be from?

B: I would steal OF Trevor Vande Hey’s (Wrightstown, 2025; Iowa commit) power. He’s a beast and I’ve never seen anyone hit a baseball harder than he does.

P: Who is the next talented young player to keep an eye on out of your high school or travel program?

B: Definitely watch out for RHP Cameron Carter (Arrowhead, 2026). He’s getting after it in the throwing room this winter with us and he’s definitely going to be a high-end player.

P: Did Prep Baseball assist in your recruiting? Whether it be through a showcase, tournament coverage, tweets, etc?

B: Prep Baseball played a huge role in my recruiting process. Not only did they hold showcases and get numbers out there for me, they took me down to the top event in the nation and put us in front of just about every school you could think of.

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