On July 31 and Aug. 1, Prep Baseball Wisconsin hosted the second annual Wisconsin State Games at The Rock Complex, featuring over 200 of the top players in the state, representing grad classes 2026, 2027, and 2028. Last week, we began publishing our post-event analysis on this year’s crop of talent in our data-minded pieces that you can find below, but this article marks the start of our findings from an evaluator's point of view.

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In our seocnd ‘Takeaways’ piece from the State Games, we’ll start by analyzing the top Class of 2027 performers from this event.

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TAKEAWAYS

+ Eli Bauler, 1B/RHP (Monona Grove): One of the stronger left-handed bats in the state regardless of class, Bauler took a standout round of BP reaching a max exit velo of 104 mph with consistent loud contact in the air hitting multiple baseballs out. On the mound, the right-hander works out of a repeatable, rocker motion with a medium leg kick, followed by a quick half-circle motion from the ¾ slot. Working with a two-pitch mix, the fastball ran up to 87 mph, sitting 82-85 mph, with sink. The slider was sitting 70-73 mph with slight sweep. During his two-inning appearance, Bauler struck out one, attacking hitters with his fastball, overpowering bats.

+ Derrick Beckstrand, RHP (Elkhorn Area): Standing at a physical and strong 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame. The right-hander struck out two across two innings showing some feel to work around the zone with multiple pitches. The fastball reached 87.4 mph, sitting 83-86 mph throughout his outing flashing ride and run action while showing feel for a bigger two plane breaking ball in the low-70s and a running changeup at 78-80 mph.

+ Hunter Buchan, RHP (Muskego): Standing in at a a long-levered 5-foot-11, 156-pounds, there is some projection in Buchan's frame that could lead to added strength. He showed off four different offerings throughout the events, possessing a quality feel for spin. Buchan has a high-tempo delivery down the mound with athleticism, utilizing a high leg kick and heavy coil into extension. Throwing out of a high 3/4 slot, Buchan has a loose arm action to throw the ball. He attacked hitters with a mid 80s fastball with up to 2373 rpms of spin and had a quality feel for the zone with the pitch. Buchan offered a look at two different breaking balls: a 67-68 mph CB with 2657 average rpms and a 68-71 mph slider with an average of 2745 rpms. Rounding out his arsenal is a mid 70s changeup that kills spin.

+ Ty Bumgardner, RHP (Notre Dame Academy): Fresh off of an appearance as a member of Team Wisconsin for the Future Games. Bumgardner stands in at a projectable 6-foot-2, 182-pounds with plenty of room to add to the frame. Bumgardner features smooth, repeatable mechanics. He has an athletic delivery down the mound with a high leg lift, slight coil into extension, working in-line with the mound. Throwing out of a high 3/4 slot, the righty offered an 83-85 mph fastball that came in with arm-side run. He also offered a slider in the 76-78 mph range with a quality feel for spin at 2582 avg RPMS and 10/4 bite, and found the zone often with the pitch. To round out his arsenal, Bumgardner through a high-70s changeup that kills spin.

+ Cayden Burtness, MIF (Pewaukee): Standing in at a compact 5-foot-7, 155-pounds with some twitch and athleticism in his profile. The rising junior improved his 60-yard dash time to 7.04 and features a simple approach at the plate that produced a strong round of batting practice. He has a short trigger, works his hands back and attacks the pitch with a compact, slightly uphill swing that produced a max exit velocity of 93.6 mph during his round. The bat-to-ball stood out in game, going for five hits across seven at-bats including a double. On the field, he stays light on his feet and has confident actions while attacking the ball, slowing up to recieve it in rhythm to get it out of the glove quickly.

+ Cole Clarke, RHP (Oshkosh West): Clarke continues to look the part of an uncommitted name to know in Wisconsin's 2027 class. He stands in a 6-foot-1, 173-pound frame with athleticism and strength, and showed a simple, easy delivery on the mound with a clean arm path. His fastball worked up to 84.6 mph and played with heavy arm-side action at times (T-24.7"), and he spun his breaking ball well (avg. 2517 rpm), which sat 69-73 mph.

+ Wes DuCharme, OF/RHP (Waunakee): High-waisted 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame with more room to fill out. Athletic mover with a directional tall-and-fall delivery that generates quality extension out front. ¾ slot with a compact, quick arm. Strong three-pitch mix. Fastball sat 83-84 mph topping at 85 mph with ride playing up in the zone. Went to a hard, gyro shape slider at 76-79 mph with feel. Added a changeup with ASR and fade that produced swing and misses at 72-74 mph. Struck out two hitters over 1 ⅔ innings pitched allowing no runs. One of the top athletes in the state with feel for mulitple pitches on the mound, a name to know from the event moving forward.

+ Gossard Gillaspie, RHP (Waterford): Standing in an upside 6-foot-6, 204-pound frame with plenty of room to add to the frame. Gillaspie moved well on the mound for his levers, showing the ability to work in sync throughout his outing, loose arm action from a 3/4 slot with extension down the mound. His fastball was up to 83.5 mph in this look, while mixing in a low-70s slider and a sinker that was up to 82.7 mph.

+ Camden Glusick, OF (Sun Prairie East): Athletic right-handed hitter that has shown consistent feel to hit infront of our staff. Standing at 6-foot, 166-pounds with room to add to the frame, the right-handed hitter took a quality round of batting practice showing repeated feel to find the barrel and drive the baseball on a line throughout the entire field. Collected three hits during gameplay including a triple showing feel to hit no matter the pitch type and location, the bat to ball skills standout and are advacned for the 2027 outfielder.

+ Brady Helms, INF (Hartford): Recently participate of the Prep Baseball Future Games, Helms would perform well throughout both days at the Wisconsin State Games. Starting off by running a 6.90 60-yard dash before taking a loud and standout round of batting practice, driving the ball throughout the field while consistently finding the barrel. The feel for the barrel would translate to gameplay, launching multiple extra base hits including a loud home run. Defensively, Helms is a versatile defender capable of playing multiple spots on the field with a chance to stick on the left-side of the infield given the arm strength. One of the top uncommitted players in the state's 2027 class.

+ Haaken Hovestol, C (Delavan-Darien): Hovestol continues to impress in front of out staff, the backstop showcased well as well as putting together eye opening at bats in gameplay and continuing to elevate his status as one of the top cathers in the state. In the showcase, Hovestol ran a 6.99 60-yard dash and flashed a pop time range of 2.15-2.26 while throwing 74 mph from the chute. In BP, the LHH had a max EV of 96 mph with an avg, of 89 mph and a max distance of 344'. In gameplay, had a hit and walked twice in two games. Hovestol had a loud fly out to center in gameplay as well. A prospect that has added strength recently and is one to follow from the event.

+ Jayden King, RHP (Union Grove): King stands in an upside and athletic 6-foot, 161-pound frame with plenty of room for physical development. He's an athletic mover on the mound with minimal effort, sitting in the low-80s that was up to 85.4 mph. King also showed a curveball with an average of -5.8 inches of induced vertical break and -13.3 inches of horizontal movement, also showing a change-up at 74 mph. The upside and movement patterns are intriguing, and King is an uncommitted name to know in the class.

+ Hayden Konczal, OF (Nicolet): Standing in at a strong 5-foot-11, 175-pounds, Konczal steps into the box with a slightly open setup that produced some loud contact throughout the round. He has a small leg lift and gets a wide base to swing, possessing quality bat speed and with an intent to lift the baseball with a slightly uphill path and topped out at a 96 mph during his round of BP.

+ Maxwell Lubenow, RHP (Madison West): Perhaps this biggest winner of the event, the long-levered 6-foot-3, 186-pound right-hander showed easy arm speed and feel for an advanced arsenal while challenging and beating hitters in the zone. Easy stretch-only delivery with repeatability, features a high leg-lift, drops back leg and utilizes his frame to gain ground, hard but controlled follow through and throws out of a high 3/4 slot with a whippy arm. His primary offering was a 86-88 mph FB (T89) that came with lively arm-side run. The righty also offered a 73-76 mph curveball with sharp 11/5 bite, with the two offerings allowing him to strike out three batters in his two innings of work.

+ Boden McGourthy, OF (Marquette): Strong and toolsy athlete listed at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds. McGourthy started his day off by improving his run time now a 6.98 runner with bat strength from the left side reaching a max exit velocity of 97.4 mph thorughout his round of batting practice to start the day. That raw strength would translate in game, finding a barrel for a double during gameplay later on. Defensively in the outfield Mcgourthy has the footspeed to play either corner with arm strength up to 82 mph that plays from the outfield.

+ Will Nikolay, INF (De Pere): Standing in at a well-proportioned 5-foot-9, 180-pound frame, One of the top right-handed hitting infielders in the class with impact and minimal swing and miss. He continued to show off his natural hitting ability by putting together a loud round of BP, topping out at 96.4 mph for his highest batted ball exit velo of the day. He has a quiet, standard setup with little movement pre-pitch, before a quick leg-lift triggers the load where he is able to create seperation. He has notably quick hands and bat speed through the swing. Defensively, Nikolay works to the ball with short footwork, staying in rhythm consistently.

+ Finley Pearson, RHP (South Milwaukee): Standing in at a powerful 6-foot-2, 284-pound frame, Pearson gave a good look on the mound for his two innings. The right-hander tosses from a staggered stance, with a high leg kick, followed by a clean, fluid, full-circle arm action, from over the top. Working with a two-pitch mix, the fastball was sitting 81-84 mph, T85 mph, with late ride at the top of the zone, grabbing 2100 RPMs, and the curveball was sitting 71-73 mph, with 12-6 shape. Striking out two during his outing, Pearson was attacking the zone, challenging hitters.

+ Michael Petfalski, MIF (Waukesha South): Standing in at 5-foot-8, 141-pounds, Petfalski has room for additional strength and had his toolset on display throughout the weekend. One of the top athletes in the class, Petfalski started off the event by running a 6.80 60-yard dash, good enough for 10th best of the entire event. At the plate, he sets up with a simple, upright stance with a slight leg lift that gains ground into the swing, explosive hand speed through the zone. Defensively, he stays light on his feet, gets around the ball, confident actions, throws out of a low 3/4 slot with a loose arm, topping out at 86 mph across the diamond.

+ James Radabaugh, 1B (Waunakee): Standing in at a strong 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, there is plenty of projectabilty to dream on in Radabaugh's frame. A rising left-handed bat in the state's junior class, Radabaugh features power potential from the left side of the plate that put together a strong round of BP. Stepping into the box with a quiet setup and a wide base, Radabaugh has a slight stride to trigger the load, with his hands staying in place up until the swing. He generates plenty of pop in the bat thanks to his hand, bat, and hip speed, and has a line-drive approach with a strong feel for the barrel throughout his round that put up a 99.9 mph max exit velocity during his round of batting practice.

+ Taylor Rampetsreiter, RHP (Brookfield Central): Rampetsreiter has plenty of projection in his 6-foot-2, 178-pound frame with more room for added strength. Rampetsreiter starts open in his delivery but stays compact pre-extension, where he utilizes his frame to gain ground, staying controlled throughout the delivery. The righty has a loose arm action that throws out of a high 3/4 slot. His fastball stayed in the 82-85 mph range that comes with heavy arm-side run. Rampetsreiter offers a mid-70s changeup with both heavy depth and some fade, showing a similar look to the fastball, and flashed a low-70s slider with sweeping horizontal action.

+ Owen Reuland, RHP (Appleton North): Reuland stands in at 6-foot, 185-pounds with present strength and room for more. Stretch-only delivery, high leg-lift, uses frame for extension with aggressive follow-through with a quick arm out of a high 3/4 slot. Fastball played in the 83-85 mph range with some late arm-side run. He also showcased a 72-75 mph changeup with depth and some fade, as well as a high-60s curveball with 11/5 bite. Struck out one batter across 1.2 scoreless innings during gameplay.

+ Mason Robertson, LHP (Oak Creek): Athletic southpaw that stands at 5-foot-9, 146-pounds with room to add to the frame. His delivery is loose and easy on the mound with a clean arm path, and he attacked the zone throughout his two-inning stint. His fastball sat 84-85 mph, topping out at 85.8 mph with arm-side action, and a slider that sat 69-72 mph with quality spin (avg 2464 rpm). He rounded out his arsenal with a 79-81 mph change-up, playing with an average of -18.6 inches of horizontal movement. Heading into his junior year, Robertson is an uncommitted name to know.

+ Nolan Schmitz, RHP (Wisconsin Dells): Standing at 5-foot-9, 173 pounds, Schmitz works on the mound from a high kick and tuck motion, followed by a quick full-circle arm action from the ¾ slot. Working with a solid three-pitch mix, the fastball was sitting 81-83 mph, playing well at the top of the zone, the slider was 71-73 mph with late break, and the change-up was sitting 71-73 mph. When working in the zone, the slider generates whiffs, able to miss barrels, working off the fastball, allowing no hits through a brief two-inning showing.

+ Ben Schroeder, LHP (Marquette University): Strong left-hander with feel to locate multiple pitches throughout the zone, striking out three batters across two scoreless innings. Standing at 6-foot, 205-pounds with strength throughout the frame, the fastball sat 83-85 throughout the outing with life out of the hand and feel to locate to different spots while missing barrels throughout the outing, mixed in a mid-70s slider in and around the zone flashing sharp two plane break.

+ Ashtyn Seifert, RHP/INF (Beaver Dam): Is a projectable 6-foot-1, 166-pound athlete with plenty of room left for added strength to his frame. Seifert would show feel for his entire arsenal throughout a two inning scoreless outing where he struck out three batters, allowing two hits. The fastball played with life out of the hand, reaching 86.7 mph while sitting 83-86 mph thorughout with life out of the hand and flashing carry. Showing feel for two secondaries, a mid-70s slider with two plane sweeping action and a fading changeup up to 81 mph.

+ Joey Shaw, LHP (Muskego): A recent participant of the Prep Baseball Future Games, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound southpaw has plenty of projectability in his frame. He works out of a simple, methodical delivery, high leg kick with coil into extension, and stays controlled down the mound. Threw out of a high 3/4 slot and offered a trio of offerings: a fastball in the 83-85 mph range with a strong feel for spin at 2210 rpms, as well as a 76-78 mph changeup with some fade and depth, and a 72-75 mph breaking ball with slurvy action.

+ Alex Solberg, C/1B (New Richmond): Powerful 6-foot-3, 217-pound frame. The right handed hitter took one of the loudest rounds of batting practice reaching a peak exit velocity of 100.3 mph with, which translated to the games, where he hit a home run out to left-center field in game one. Athlete with strength and feel for the barrel at the plate, defensively Solberg plays with steady actions and athletiscm behind the plate.

+ Drew Stettbacher, LHP (Horace Mann): Stands in an athletic, 6-foot-1, 173-pound frame with room for physical development to come. He's a simple mover on the mound with a lower arm slot, showing a fastball in the low-80s with plenty of arm-side action, averaging -20.3 inches of horizontal movement. He turned to a slider at 68-72 mph with sweeping action, and a change-up with heavy fade (avg. -21.8"), sitting in the low-70s. Throughout his two-inning stint, Stettbacher attacked the zone and produced weak contact from hitters. A Future Games participant in 2025, he's an uncommitted name to know in Wisconsin.

+ Mason Sturma, MIF (Waterford): Stands in at a lean 5-foot-11, 142-pounds with good proportions and room for added strength. At the plate, he features a tall, simple setup and stays loose throughout, features slight toe-tap trigger and possessed a strong feel for the barrel with a line drive approach. Defensively, he stays light on his feet, showcased range to both sides, with soft hands to recieve.

+ Colton Topp, OF (Arrowhead): Standing in at 6-foot, 166-pounds and hitting from the left side of the plate, Topp maxed out at 95.0 mph and averaged an 88.0 mph exit velocity. Topp steps in with a tall, open set-up with an easy and repeatable swing with strength, working slightly uphill through the zone with barrel awareness that transfers into game. Defensively the outfielder takes natural and efficient routes to the baseball and looks like a capable defender at each spot in the outfield.

+ Lucas Weber, RHP (Whitnall): A quick armed right-hander standing at a compact and strong 5-foot-10, 171-pound frame. Throwing out of an easy tall-and-fall delivery and overhand slot, his delivery is simple and repeatable and has a strong feel for a three-pitch mix. His fastball plays in the 85-87 mph (T88) range with arm-side run, as well as a tight mid-70s slider with a strong feel for spin at 2689 average rpms of spin.

+ Cooper Wendt, INF/OF (Muskego): Loud tools on display during his showing at the State Games. The 5-foot-10, 161-pound junior logged the fastest 60-yard dash time of the entire event at 6.45 seconds. At the plate, Wendt has a standard, tall setup at the plate with little wasted movement before the pitch, working his weight back slightly with a slight stride forward before the swing. He utilizes both hand and hip speed to generate power with a direct-to-ball path to attack the pitch, putting together a max exit velocity of 97.4 mph during his round. Defensively, Wendt consistently worked around the ball to recieve, attacking with confidence and releasing the throw out of a lower 3/4 slot.

+ Ethan Westrate, OF/RHP (Fall Creek): Standing in at strong 5-foot-11, 185-pounds with notable present strength, the rising junior started off the day running a 7.07 60-yard dash and then went on to put together one of the louder rounds of batting practice of the event. He sets up to hit with a low stance with a wide base, toe-tap trigger, hands working with his body through the swing. He hit the ball hard consistently throughout his round, topping out at 98.1 mph with a 90.6 average exit velocity throughout his round with a line drive approach. On the mound, he features a loose and athletic delivery, with a high leg lift and slight drop in his back leg into extension, throwing out of a high 3/4 slot. He offered a fastball in the 80-82 mph range with some late arm-side life, as well as a 70-72 mph curveball with lateral bite and a low-70s changeup that did a quality job of killing spin.

+ Braun Wotruba, MIF (Pulaski): Wotruba was a big winner at the Wisconsin State Games, showing clear feet to hit throughout gameplay collecting three hits including a triple thorughout three games. The 5-foot-9, 183-pound infielder has consistently hit in front of our staff throughout the year, no matter the class or velo, during the workout the right-handed hitter reached a peak exit velocity of 95.8 mph showing consistent and repeated feel for the barrel throughout his round. Defensively Wotruba is a versatile defender capable of playing multiple spots on the infield showing enough arm strength to stick on the left-side.

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