Prep Baseball Iowa Rankings Insider: Class of 2027 (September 2025 Update)

Matt Meeker looks like he was built in a lab to mash baseballs. The Waukee product — a left-handed hitting outfielder — is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds of leverage and strength. At the 2025 Future Games with Team Midwest, Meeker made his presence felt, launching a pair of home runs in game play.

The swing is equal parts violent and controlled. From a tall, square stance, he uncoils with a smooth load into a short, direct path, producing the sort of thunderous contact that makes the entire complex take notice. The numbers back it up: a 105.3 mph max exit velocity at LakePoint, with an equally impressive 101.5 average. Power to all fields? Absolutely.

And he’s not just a bat. Meeker’s arm is a weapon, clocked at 96 mph from the outfield, and it played in games — highlighted by a throw to the plate that erased a would-be run against the Pacific Northwest. Put it all together, and you’ve got a middle-of-the-order profile with tools that could translate at every level.

Charlie Sarsfield doesn’t so much play the game as glide through it. The Linn-Mar outfielder is 5-foot-10, 161 pounds of twitch and polish, an athlete whose tools jump off the page.

Start with the glove: Sarsfield’s movements are fluid, his reads instinctual, his actions confident. He works through the ball with crisp footwork and a fast release, and when he lets it fly, the arm carries: 92 mph from the outfield.

The bat is just as steady. From a tall, quiet setup, the left-handed swing is short, level, and repeatable. He drives line shots with authority, living in the middle and pull side, with the metrics to match: a 97.5 mph max exit velocity and a 356-foot best.

And then there’s the speed. A 6.36-second 60 at the Iowa State Games -- an all-time event record -- confirms what the eyes already knew: Sarsfield changes games in ways most can’t. A dynamic athlete, a complete profile, and a name worth remembering.

Brady Hicks is all projection and punch. The Saydel right-hander hides the ball well, firing from a quick, compact three-quarter slot that makes his fastball jump. Some stay true, others run hard to the arm side, the kind that leave righties flailing.

As a sophomore, he struck out 101 in 62.2 innings, the top mark in his class. Saydel’s state tournament run kept him from the Future Games, but he showed his upside soon after, touching 89 mph at a Canes Iowa Scout Day. Hicks blends stuff, deception and projection...and that’s a dangerous mix.