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2026 Wichita Summer ID/Rising Stars ID: Quick Hits

July 31, 2026
Eliott Wilk
Central Region Operations Director

On Tuesday, June 23rd, the Prep Baseball Kansas staff traveled to Eck Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University in Wichita, KS to host the annual Wichita Summer ID/Rising Stars ID. This event was open for 2027-2031 class members, and featured 41 players from the area.

All of our events offer players the opportunity to update their recruiting resume and showcase their talents in front of our staff. We also use these events as identifiers for future invite-only events, like the Preseason All-State, our summer Top Prospect Games, and the prestigious Prep Baseball Future Games that takes place at the tail end of the summer. To see what our events offer, click HERE.

Shortly after the event, our staff compiled several of the day’s stat leaders inside our traditional ‘Stat Story’, which you can find HERE. 

Today, after combing through our notes from the day, we’ve compiled some of the event’s soon to be junior standouts below within these ‘Quick Hits’.

QUICK HITS

RHP Caleb Back (Trinity Academy, 2027) showed a clean, projectable look on the mound at the Wichita Summer ID. Standing at 5-foot-11, 151 pounds, the uncommitted soon to be senior displayed pitchability throughout his bullpen, featuring a fastball that topped out at 80 mph with natural arm-side run. He complements his heater with a high-spin slider at 68 mph that reached up to 2,346 RPM, as well as a 72-74 mph changeup in which he killed spin in the zone.

INF Bryton Baty (Trinity Academy, 2028) put together one of the most explosive all-around workouts of the day. Built with physical upside in a 5-foot-11, 173-pound frame, Baty flashed twitchy speed by turning in a 6.77-second 60-yard dash. That athleticism translates directly into the box, where his right-handed barrel produced a 95.1 mph peak exit velocity and 318-foot max distance, backed up by quick 24.1 mph max hand speed and 74.3 mph bat speed. On the mound, the multi-position talent ran his fastball up to 80.4 mph alongside a 71-72 mph breaking ball.

Bryton Baty

INF/RHP Paxton Bonham (Augusta, 2028) emerged as a two-way prospect to keep an eye on coming out of this look. Packed with strength in a 5-foot-11, 177-pound frame, Bonham swung a heavy, impactful right-handed barrel in BP, elevating his deepest ball 361 feet with a 93.3 mph max exit velocity and an 84.4 mph average. Defensively, he showcased a 82 mph arm across the diamond before hopping on the mound, where he touched 84 mph with his fastball and spun a sharp curveball (67-69 mph) that peaked at over 3,000 RPM.

INF Austin Bugner (Andale, 2028) showed smooth actions and a reliable feel for the barrel in his round of BP. Carrying a projectable 5-foot-11, 155-pound frame, the left-handed hitter repeatedly made hard contact to the middle of the field, reaching a peak exit velocity of 92.3 mph and 19.6 mph hand speed. Bugner's steady defensive play carried over to the dirt, where he recorded an 81 mph throw across the diamond.

OF/RHP Jared Flax (Garden Plain, 2028) boasts an imposing 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame that immediately grabs your attention. The long, athletic incoming junior posted a 6.98-second 60-yard dash while demonstrating noticeable raw power at the plate, hammering a 97.3 mph peak exit velocity with an 87.5 mph average and 312-foot max distance. His tools carry over seamlessly into the field, where he uncorked an 85 mph throw from the outfield and topped out at 82 mph on the mound with a three-pitch mix.

LHP/OF Cole Haynes (Maize South, 2028) boasts an imposing physical presence on the field at 6-foot-4, 212 pounds. The left-handed hitter leverages his long frame to generate whip at the plate, posting an impressive 26.5 mph peak hand speed alongside a 93.5 mph top exit velocity and 328-foot max distance. On the mound, the southpaw displayed pitchability with a high-spin fastball (2,121 RPM max) up to 79 mph, mixing in a 71-73 mph curveball and a 68-72 mph changeup with plenty more to come as he continues to add size and strength.

OF Cruz Kaiser (Andale, 2028) put together one of the loudest and most complete workouts of the entire event. Measuring in at 6-foot, 174 pounds, the left-handed-hitting junior lit up TrackMan by averaging 94.0 mph per batted ball, peaking at a head turning 100.6 mph exit velocity with a max distance of 374 feet. His fast barrel is backed by high-level Blast metrics, boasting a 76.6 mph peak bat speed and 24.2 mph hand speed, which translated to a 71% hard-hit rate. Kaiser also turned in an elite 6.68-second 60-yard dash and showcased an 81 mph arm from the outfield to round out an eye-opening performance in his Prep Baseball debut.

Cruz Kaiser

OF Cale Kaufman (Trinity Academy, 2028) brings strength and a direct right-handed swing to the diamond. Carrying a physical 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame, Kaufman showed upper-tier bat speed at 78.3 mph, repeatedly driving balls deep into the gap to the tune of a 95.6 mph max exit velocity and 352-foot peak distance. Defensively, he displayed real carry from the outfield with an 85 mph throw, while logging a 7.03-second 60-yard dash.

OF Malachi Leichner (Maize, 2027) turned heads with his loud toolset and high-end output across multiple facets of the workout. Built with present strength in a 5-foot-10, 179-pound frame, Leichner flashed twitchy athleticism by running a 6.74-second 60-yard dash. That quickness translates into a violent right-handed stroke with 24.3 mph hand speed, resulting in a 99.5 mph max exit velocity, a 91.8 mph average exit velocity, and a 375-foot max distance. He capped his day off with an 83 mph throw from the outfield.

Malachi Leichner

OF/LHP Kysen Mannon (Central (Burden), 2030) is an intriguing, high-projectability young prospect with plenty of runway ahead. Holding a lean 5-foot-11, 137-pound frame, Mannon showed advanced foot speed for his age by breaking the sub-7.00 threshold with a 6.99-second 60-yard dash. The incoming freshman posted an 86.6 mph exit velocity at the plate and ran his fastball up to 74.1 mph on the bump while showcasing a 58–62 mph breaking ball.

C Taven Osborn (Mulvane, 2028) turned in a reliable, fundamentaly sound workout behind the plate at the Wichita Summer ID. Carrying a solid 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame, the uncommitted backstop demonstrated steady receiving skills alongside clean transfers that kept his throws around the bag, popping between a 2.05-2.19 with a 75 mph arm from the chute. Offensively, the right-handed hitter maintained a repeatable, direct path to the baseball, showing a middle-of-the-field approach throughout his round of BP, peaking at a 95.3 mph exit velocity with an impressive 91.3 mph average.

OF/RHP Chase Pelfrey (Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 2028) delivered a standout performance across every facet in Tuesday's look. Standing at a long, projectable 6-foot-3, 161 pounds, the right-handed hitter posted eye-opening BP numbers, barreling his top exit velocity at 100.1 mph with a 94.2 mph average and 333-foot max distance. His explosive stroke is supported by elite Blast metrics, including an 80.7 mph max bat speed and 24.7 mph max hand speed. Pelfrey also flashed true speed with a 6.95-second 60-yard dash, uncorked an 87 mph throw from the outfield, and hopped on the bump to run his fastball up to 86.3 mph alongside a four-pitch mix that included a curveball, slider, and changeup.

Chase Pelfrey

RHP Andrew Poss (Rose Hill, 2027) continued his steady climb on the mound with another high-spin, highly effective outing. Built with long levers in a 6-foot-3, 165-pound frame, the right-hander established command with a fastball that topped out at an event-best 87.1 mph. He paired the heater with a sharp 72-74 mph curveball that featured high-end bite, peaking at 2,688 RPM of spin to keep hitters off-balance. He also flashed a 75-77 mph changeup while mixing in a 75-77 mph cutter.

INF/RHP Jakobe Rathbun (Garden City, 2027) showcased an intriguing blend of raw power and foot speed at the event. Possessing a strong, physical 6-foot, 190-pound frame, the left-handed hitter repeatedly hammered balls to the pull side, driving a ball 364 feet with a 98.9 mph peak exit velocity and an impressive 93.8 mph average per barrel. His quickness translates directly to the turf, where he turned in a 6.77-second 60-yard dash, before showing an 81 mph arm across the infield and touching 82.3 mph on the mound.

Jakobe Rathbun

OF Aaron Topham (Goddard, 2027) brought a powerful, physical toolset to the outfield grass and batter's box. Holding a broad-shouldered 6-foot, 202-pound frame, Topham generated notable carry through the air, sending his deepest barrel 355 feet with a 96.2 mph peak exit velocity. He paired his offensive output with quickness on the basepaths, clocking a sub-7.00 60-yard dash at 6.95 seconds, and demonstrated plenty of arm strength with an event-best 89 mph throw from the outfield.

1B/RHP Cal Walter (Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 2030) presents a physical frame at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds that instantly turns heads for his age group. Walter showed off raw power at the plate during BP, generating a max distance of 324 feet on a 86.7 mph barrel while displaying fast hands with a 26.4 mph max hand speed. His bat speed reached an impressive 65.4 mph peak, supported by quick rotational acceleration up to 21.0 g. On the bump, the two-way prospect showed poise as he ran his fastball up to 78.1 mph, complementing it with a 69-72 mph changeup and a tight 66-67 mph curveball.

LHP/OF Thomas Walter (Goddard, 2029) put on a complete display on both sides of the ball in this look. The 5-foot-10, 156-pound southpaw flashed high-end pitchability on the bump, pumping his fastball up to 82.0 mph with strong carry through the zone while mixing in a tight 69-70 mph slider, a 66-68 mph curveball, and a firm 73-74 mph changeup for strikes. His arm strength translates seamlessly to the outfield grass, where he launched an 86 mph throw. At the plate, the left-handed hitter brought additional pop to his profile, barreling his best ball at 89.7 mph for a max distance of 348 feet to round out an impressive performance.

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