‘The Level Of Interest In Michigan Is Incredible’

August 4, 2026
Bruce Hefflinger
Prep Baseball Michigan Senior Writer

Follow on Twitter- @PrepBaseballM
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The Future Games took place on July 22-25 and featured the top 2028 prospects across the nation along with Canada. This prestigous event served as an identifier of talent for over 450+ college coaches in attendance, with the August 1st recruiting window on the horizon.

Interested in attending a Prep Baseball Michigan event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

‘The Level Of Interest In Michigan Is Incredible’

EMERSON, Ga. - The number of college coaches on hand at the Future Games is now approaching 500. What a time for players from the state of Michigan to shine.

“Our staff did a thorough job in the evaluation process when selecting this group and we feel each of them represented themselves positively, played hard and many will be rewarded,” said Adam Goodwin, Scouting Director for Prep Baseball Michigan.

The amount of eyes on the participants made an impression.

“The overall turnout from the college coaches and their staff stood out,” Goodwin noted. “Many programs had multiple assistants in attendance and they stayed through the entirety despite the weather we all battled. The overall depth in the 2028 class throughout the country is another piece that stands out - many good players!”

The performance from Team Michigan was up to what Goodwin and the staff desired.

“We battled some early injuries with a few guys but many stepped up and came up big for us,” Goodwin noted. “I really enjoyed watching our kids compete against the nation’s best from opposing states.”

College coaches certainly took notice with what they were seeing with Team Michigan.

“We’ve had a number of schools reach out to us about our players and that doesn’t happen without performing on a large stage like the Future Games,” Goodwin explained.

While the Future Games for those in the 2028 class draws the most attention, the other two events - Senior Future Games for incoming high school seniors and Junior Future Games for those in the 2029 and 2030 classes - also bring their share of interest.

“The level of interest in Michigan is incredible,” Goodwin said.

The chance to play in front of so many coaches along with so many other standout ballplayers did not go unnoticed as Carmino Koski pointed out.

“First and foremost, I’m extremely blessed with the opportunity to compete in the biggest event of the year!” said the junior at Brother Rice.

A Prep Baseball thank you to all that participated and a special thanks to the players on Team Michigan that gave their thoughts about the event (including what schools have been in contact with them since Aug. 1):

***** If you were on Team Michigan and did not share your thoughts, feel free to email us and we will get them included within this article.

Chase Atkins SS / OF / Bedford, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 9 / POS: 2

Will update when a response is received.

Timmy Clarey SS / OF / Grand Rapids Catholic Central, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 23 / POS: 5

Will update when a response is received.

Luke Fairchild SS / Catholic Central High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 17 / POS: 4

Will update when a response is received.

Jackson Haefner 3B / RHP / Brother Rice High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 8 / POS: 1

PREP BASEBALL: What were your Future Games highlights?

Having fun with the team and playing hard.

PREP BASEBALL: Assess your performance.

I played really well. I didn’t get a hit but had four balls hit over 90 mph that were all caught.

PREP BASEBALL: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Michigan and what stood out.

Team Michigan was great. I loved being the underdog. People don’t expect as much out of you as they do Texas or California and then you go out and play amazing.

PREP BASEBALL: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.

We faced great competition. Every pitcher was at least 86 and many were 90+, and every batter could hit.

PREP BASEBALL: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?

All the scouts get to see you ball out and get to know you and you get to know everyone.

PREP BASEBALL: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?

Eastern Michigan.

Easton Hawkins RHP / OF / Leslie High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 10 / POS: 2

PREP BASEBALL: What were your Future Games highlights?

I was able to compete and play with some of the best kids in the country.

PREP BASEBALL: Assess your performance.

I pitched against Kentucky and struck out two in the final inning. I didn’t throw my hardest but I was efficient throughout the game.

PREP BASEBALL: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Michigan and what stood out.

I liked having the experience of playing for a huge crowd and a lot of scouts. It was awesome being on the team in the “Game of the Day.”

PREP BASEBALL: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.

All the hitters have good approaches and know how to take the ball anywhere and the pitchers can hit their spots. The hitters made my strikeouts harder to get which made them more rewarding.

PREP BASEBALL: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?

You get a lot of college exposure and you get to showcase your skills against the best.

PREP BASEBALL: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?

University of Cincinnati and the University of Missouri.

Zane Hemler RHP / Grosse Pointe North High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 61 / POS: 19

PREP BASEBALL: What were your Future Games highlights?

Meeting some of the top players from my state and competing alongside them.

PREP BASEBALL: Assess your performance.

I thought I did really well during this event, I hit a new fastball PR of 88.2, as well as throwing two no-hit innings.

PREP BASEBALL: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Michigan and what stood out.

Being on Team Michigan was a great experience overall. It made me realize how much talent we had in our state.

PREP BASEBALL: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.

The competition was at a very high level. Team Kentucky was able to string together good at-bats against me.

PREP BASEBALL: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?

Participating in the Future Games allowed me to easily get in front of college coaches and gave them a good opportunity to see me pitch.

PREP BASEBALL: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?

So far Ohio University and Northwestern University have reached out to me.

Evan King LHP / 1B / Hh Dow High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 4 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 291 / POS: 22

Will update when a response is received.

Carmino Koski LHP / 1B / Brother Rice, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 15 / POS: 2

PREP BASEBALL: What were your Future Games highlights?

My Future Games highlight was going 1-2-3 in my second inning on the mound, causing weak contact.

PREP BASEBALL: Assess your performance.

My performance was good. I started out rocky then settled in quickly.

PREP BASEBALL: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Michigan and what stood out.

Being a part of Team Michigan was super special. The ability to compete with the most talented players in your state is a surreal feeling.

PREP BASEBALL: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.

The competition at the Future Games definitely stands out as the best of the best.

PREP BASEBALL: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?

Participating in the Future Games can help your future by standing out to a college in person, while also developing your game at the highest level.

Zac Kruper OF / LHP / Anchor Bay High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 11 / POS: 3

PREP BASEBALL: What were your Future Games highlights?

My highlight from the Future Games was playing against Ohio as the “Game of the Day.’

PREP BASEBALL: Assess your performance.

I played well for having to deal with a hamstring injury and I tried my best to be a supportive teammate throughout the whole event.

PREP BASEBALL: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Michigan and what stood out.

It was an honor being on Team Michigan and representing my state.

PREP BASEBALL: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.

Great competition all around from pitchers all the way to very skilled hitters.

PREP BASEBALL: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?

The Future Games is a great way to get recognized and get your name out there because of the great competition and all the coaches there to watch.

PREP BASEBALL: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?

Yale University.

William Latra RHP / SS / North Farmington High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 51 / POS: 16

Will update when a response is received.

Josh Leonard SS / 2B / Adlai Stevenson High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 13 / POS: 3

PREP BASEBALL: What were your Future Games highlights?

The highlight for me was playing with all the top players from Michigan.

PREP BASEBALL: Assess your performance.

I thought I did great! I went 3-7 with four lineouts and one BB. I was on the barrel every AB.

PREP BASEBALL: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Michigan and what stood out.

My thoughts on being part of Team Michigan was it was great to play on the same field with a bunch of like-minded dudes. What stood out was all the colleges that were there.

PREP BASEBALL: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.

The competition was good, though I’m used to playing in all the top events in the country, so for me it was just another day on the field.

PREP BASEBALL: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?

I received text messages from five colleges.

Jaxson Lestock 3B / SS / Bedford Senior High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 18 / POS: 2

Will update when a response is received.

Tyson Linde RHP / C / Chelsea High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 12 / POS: 3

PREP BASEBALL: What were your Future Games highlights?

My Future Games highlights were definitely the first workout day and also throwing out three guys in the last game vs Kentucky.

PREP BASEBALL: Assess your performance.

I thought my performance was pretty good. There’s always room for improvement, but I feel like the year leading up to this last weekend really paid off for me.

PREP BASEBALL: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Michigan and what stood out.

Being a part of the team was awesome. There are obviously great baseball players, but the best part for me was the personality of everyone on the team and what a fun group it was.

PREP BASEBALL: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.

The competition was definitely outstanding. That’s a given.

PREP BASEBALL: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?

It can help you in the future just by being around and interacting with so many new different people and being social, but also having to play in pressure situations where the lights are bright in front of so many people.

PREP BASEBALL: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?

On Aug. 1, I had about 10 or 11 schools reach out starting at midnight including Kentucky, Cincinnati, Louisville, Central Michigan, Ball State, Michigan State, and more.

Mason Marsee OF / LHP / Allen Park High School, MI / 2028

Rankings StateRank: 29 / POS: 6

PREP BASEBALL: What were your Future Games highlights?

My highlights from the Future Games was definitely that I got to make a lot of new friends and some great memories with the Team Michigan squad!

PREP BASEBALL: Assess your performance.

I thought my performance was pretty good! I had some really good ABs, I hit some balls hard and I played some great defense as well.

PREP BASEBALL: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Michigan and what stood out.

Being a part of Team Michigan was definitely an honor! I loved being around the guys. They all had one goal in mind and that was to compete and get better. Everyone kinda had chemistry once we stepped on the field and we all loved playing for and with each other.

PREP BASEBALL: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.

The competition was great! Top hitters and top pitchers in the country.

PREP BASEBALL: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?

I think participating in the Future Games helps you get the best exposure! There were over 50 scouts at our games and everyone has eyes on you. So I think the Futures really helps you get out there.

PREP BASEBALL: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?

Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Yale, Saginaw Valley State University.