Wisconsin Class of 2024 Rankings: Risers
November 16, 2023
As the fall comes to a close, we take a look at some of the risers who made names for themselves in the 2024 rankings.
Yesterday, our staff officially updated the rankings for the 2024 class, highlighting several of the state’s top prospects within our release. You can find that by clicking HERE.
We’ll dive deeper into the rankings themselves today, spotlighting a handful of players that earned a rise up our board after showing well to our staff. Below, you’ll learn more about these names that are trending upward as the fall is set to start.
RISERS IN THE TOP-20
+ INF CJ Trask (Oak Creek, 2024; Bradley commit) Here’s a report from the Takeaways from The Rock Fall Championships “It seems that every time our staff gets a look at Trask, he is all over the barrel, and our time at The Rock was no different. To kick off the weekend for Hitters, Trask got off to a hot start as he went 3-for-3, which included a deep double to the left-field wall, and a homerun over the left-center wall. Also, he was a lockdown defender on the infield, with up-the-middle actions and arm strength that will stick on the infield in the long term. Trask is a name who has been on an upwards trajectory for a good chunk of his prep career, and he continued to do more of the same over the weekend.”
CJ Trask (9/22/23)
+ RHP Anderson Hayes (Oconomowoc, 2024; Notre Dame) Here’s a report from the Takeaways from The Rock Fall Championships “...was dominant, using a high-spin fastball (2500+ RPM) that worked from 87-89 mph with life out of the hand. Hayes complemented his fastball with another high-spin offering in the form of a sharp slider (2600+ RPM) that got very uncomfortable swings throughout the outing. Hayes finished his day with three no-hit frames, with the only baserunner reaching via a walk, while also punching out six.”
Anderson Hayes (9/23/23)
ARMS ON THE RISE
+ Across the summer, RHP/INF Paul Nuetzel (Homestead, 2024; Madison JC commit) was electric in multiple looks and he now finds himself moving up once again, to No. 39. Nuetzel is a long limbed 6-foot-1, 175-pound right-hander with a loose and quick arm that has marked fastball highs of 90 mph in our looks. He also features a sharp 11/5 breaking ball that we have seen fool hitters a number of times. Nuetzel capped his successful 2023 campaign when he announced his commitment to Madison JC where he will join a plethora of Badger State natives.
+ Illinois-Chicago commit, LHP Robert Barrera (Union Grove, 2024) has continued to trend up inside of this class and now moves up to No. 43 in this update. Listed a sturdy 6-foot-1, 195-pounds, Barrera is an easy moving southpaw that has been up to 89.1 mph in our looks. He pairs that with a tight and short slider in the mid-70s, and a running changeup thrown at arm speed. Barrera has always shown a real feel to pitch and now as more and more velocity is coming from his live arm, he finds himself moving up, yet again.
+ RHP Garrett Shupe (Mosinee, 2024; North Dakota State commit) Here's a report from the Takeaways from The Rock Fall Championships “...is an upside 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander to note from the weekend's talented tournament. On the mound, Shupe is a controlled and fluid mover, pairing it with a loose arm. In his outing, Shupe sat in the 85-87 mph range with his fastball that he pounded the zone with. His breaking ball, which spun at over 2,500 RPM at times, played with 11/5 action and flashed sharpness. After a big showing at the Eastern Wisconsin Open just last month, Shupe continues to trend in the right direction following his performance at The Rock.”
Garrett Shupe (9/23/23)
+ RHP Andrew Halser (Marquette University, 2024; Wisconsin-Parkside) Here’s a report from Top Prospect Milwaukee: Quick Hits “...provided yet another high-upside look during our time at The Rock. Standing at a lean 6-foot, 165-pounds, Halser is a clean and athletic mover on the bump. He matches it with a quick arm that created fastball highs of 85.6 mph and played with over 16’ of induced vertical break at its peak. As for his offspeeds he showed confidence in a short breaking ball that he was able to land in the zone and also throw outside for swings-and-misses. He rounded out his mix with a developing changeup in the mid-70s that flashed fade to the arm-side and was also thrown with intent. He would finish his two-inning appearance with two strikeouts, while just giving up one hit to hold the opposition scoreless.”
TWO-WAY TALENTS
+ RHP/3B Easton Stone (Rice Lake, 2024) comes in at No. 27 in this rankings update, up nearly 20 spots since the previous one. Stone is a strong bodied 6-foot-2, 205-pound two-way prospect who has shined at a couple of PBR Minnesota events this year. On the mound, Stone has ran his high carry fastball up to 90 mph from a clean and athletic delivery. His breaking ball has also shown to be an out-pitch, playing with 12/6 break and averaging over 2,500 RPM. He rounds out his impressive three-pitch mix with a deceptive changeup in the mid-to-high-70s changeup with over 15’ of run on average. Offensively, he has flashed some power potential from the right-handed box from an easy and controlled swing which has created exit velocities up to 99.4 mph. Stone has continued to trend upwards over the course of this year and he is now firmly one of the top uncommitted prospects in the state.
Easton Stone (10/8/23)
+ OF/LHP Bradyn Bezanson (Hudson, 2024; Maryville commit) offers some intrigue on both sides of the ball and is moving up a handful of spots because of it. On the mound, Bezanson velocity has jumped up a healthy amount over this year. Now the southpaw is up to 86 mph from a unique arm slot that certainly makes for a tough at-bat. He also has feel for both a slider and curveball in the low-to-mid-70s, and rounds out his four-pitch mix with a deceptive changeup, too. His offensive abilities can not go unnoticed either as he swings a powerful left-handed bat that has created exit velocities up to 96.1 mph before. His hit tool was put on display many times throughout this year, and it has added yet another impressive piece to his game.
RISING BACKSTOPS
+ C/OF Peyton Ryback (Nathan Hale, 2024) Here's a report from the Takeaways from The Rock Fall Championships “...impressed over the weekend with a violent right-handed stroke that worked on the barrel. Listed at 5-foot-10, 180-pounds, athletic with room to fill out. Still uncommitted, Ryback showed above-average feel to hit and the ability to change his approach based on the situation; staying inside an inside fastball and shooting it the other way for a two-RBI single.”
Peyton Ryback (9/23/23)
+ C Nathan Hanel (Oak Creek, 2024; Wisconsin-Parkside commit) has long shown a refined skill set behind the plate as a defender and across our last couple of looks, his simple right-handed bat has continued to make strides. Working direct to the ball, Hanel is capable of shooting line drives to all parts of the field. As a defender, he is a quick and athletic mover with an accurate arm that has helped him mark pop-time lows of 2.04 in our looks. He is a quiet receiver that is capable of handling some of the state’s top velocities and is also an advanced blocker, too.
+ Moving up 30 spots, C Kayden Berenz (New Berlin Eisenhower, 2024; McHenry County JC commit) looks the part of a late blossoming prospect in the state. Berenz swings a simple and controlled bat from the right-side that is capable of shooting low line drives all over the field. Defensively, in our looks, Berenz features quick feet from behind the plate and a quick arm that has created pop-time lows of 2.15 before. Even with this big jump up our board, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Berenz continue to rise as he goes through his final prep season.
+ OF/C Taylor Lemanski (Mosinee, 2024; Wisconsin-La Crosse commit) Here’s a report from the Eastern Wisconsin Open: Quick Hits “...was a name-to-watch coming into the event and showed why with an all-around performance that caught attention. Listed at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, the right-handed athlete impressed all around the field. At the plate, the to-be senior barreled nearly every ball he saw, and worked with a line-drive approach. He featured quick hands and a smooth pre-pitch rhythm that appeared comfortable in the box. From the outfield, Lemanski attacked the ball and used smooth hands to quickly release the ball. He recorded an 84 mph throw from the outfield, one of the highest from the event. Behind the dish, he showed his quick, soft hands again and showcased a quiet glove with mobility in his blocking ability. The Mosinee senior displayed a quick arm from out of the crouch with throws that consistently landed on the bag. All around, Lemanski showed out in Sheboygan and is one of the biggest winners from the event; the incoming senior is a name-to-know in Wisconsin’s 2024 class.”
UPSIDE OFFENSE
+ CIF John Hadley (Sun Prairie East, 2024; Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit) created some momentum for himself in the spring for Sun Prairie East and continued to shine across the summer and fall circuits. Most recently Hadley was at the Fall Championships at The Rock and there he was on the barrel all weekend long from a smooth left-handed swing. His weekend was highlighted by a multi-hit performance which included a deep double off of the wall and a pull-side home run. Hadley has been on the rise throughout his junior campaign and he now makes his biggest jump up our board yet to No. 69.
John Hadley (9/24/23)
+ Built at a strong 6-foot-3, 225-pounds, 1B Sawyer Stein (Eau Claire Memorial, 2024) is certainly an intimidating presence in the right-handed box. Back in the spring of 2023, Stein put up some gaudy numbers for his Old Abes squad as he marked a batting average of .500 and an OPS of 1.405 in conference play. His impressive play continued into the summer where he was one of the top offensive performers at the PBR at The Rock Summer Championships. Just recently, Stein came away a winner from a PBR Minnesota scout day. There, Stein was all over the barrel during his round of BP as he averaged 88.6 mph exit velocity and his hardest came off at 94.5 mph from simple and quick swing. Stein has turned some heads over this past year and he now heads into his senior year as an uncommitted name-to-know in the state.
Sawyer Stein (10/8/23)
+ Click here to view Wisconsin's Class of 2024 rankings in full.
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