Wisconsin Rankings Class of 2028: Update
April 21, 2026
After another busy winter with a number of Preseason ID events across the state taking place, along with the start of the spring season, the 2028 rankings in Wisconsin were in dire need of a revamp. There were a number of players who made jumps over the winter, and we will be taking a look at a number of them today.
Continue reading for a look at some of the notable risers in this update.
AT THE TOP
The top three remain the same going through the spring with the top of our board headlined by C Braedon Paczocha (Mukwonago), SS Maddex Welzien (West Bend West), RHP Carter Unger (Kewaskum).
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Braedon Paczocha C / 1B / Mukwonago, WI / 2028Paczocha is a high-end defender with a ceiling behind the plate, quality hands with feel for the pocket and cleanly receives advanced velo and spin. The arm and release continue to tick up looking like a true catch-and-throw defender, 78 mph arm 1.94 with an advanced all-around skillset defensively. Simple right-handed swing with bat strength at impact (97.5 mph max EV) and feel to drive the ball in the air with seemingly added confidence and feel to hit at the plate. 
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Maddex Welzien SS / RHP / West Bend West, WI / 2028Rankings StateRank: 2 / POS: 1
Welzien is an athletic up the middle defender, with range and actions that play at shortstop long-term. Still projectable with immense room for added physicality, promising athletes to pair that seems to be still stretching the surface in that department. Advanced bat-to-ball traits, from a well-sequenced and repeatable right-handed swing with feel to backspin the ball through the middle of the diamond. 
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Carter Unger RHP / SS / Kewaskum, WI / 2028Rankings StateRank: 3 / POS: 1
+ Unger has starters upside with an easy to like frame standing at a 6-foot-2, 170-pounds with clear projection to the frame. Clean arm action with arm speed through release with advanced stuff and strikes. The fastball plays with life and heavy sinking action, consistently touching upper-80s velo, and it's easy to see more velocity on the way. Showed feel for two advanced secondaries in-game, both with big action and upside individually as pitches. Two-plane slider in the low-70s that is the go-to offering in two-strike counts while flashing a heavy fading changeup. Strikes will determine the ceiling as a starter, but the stuff is unquestioned with feel to spin/kill spin and throw different shapes at velo. |
Two athletic up the middle position players slot in right behind the top three, INF Eli Hart (Bay Port) and OF Ian McClure (Reedsburg Area) both showing advanced skillsets with the makings of intriguing, and even exciting, all-around profiles.
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Eli Hart SS / RHP / Bay Port, WI / 2028Rankings StateRank: 6 / POS: 2
Hart has been a performer since before his high school career, the tools have continued to tick up since the start of his prep career with more polish coming along as well. A 6.84 runner with easy speed that shows up in game with a cleaned up and well-sequenced right-handed swing with growing impact at the plate (97.6 mph max EV) with clean actions and feel for the pocket in the dirt looking like a future defender on the left-side of the infield. 
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Ian McClure OF / RHP / Reedsburg Area, WI / 2028Rankings StateRank: 5 / POS: 2
McClure stands out physically at 6-foot-3, 216-pounds with strength throughout his frame. High-end athlete at his size too with simple, repeatable actions both at the plate and defensively. Above-average athlete for his size, easy strength with a simple explosive yet strong swing with feel to leverage the ball in the air, especially to the pullside. The speed shows in the outfield ranging to either gap with more than enough arm strength to effect a game as well. 
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TOP-15 RISERS
Moving inside the top-10 is C Toay Ragatz (Lancaster) and has the potential to move even higher up this list. There’s potential for an all-around skillset behind the plate with a ceiling as a catch and throw defender. At the plate the right-hander swing and athletic and balanced bat, working in sync with rhythm and the impact stands out and he gets to it with minimal effort with a ceiling of a run-producing middle of the order bat.
Interestingly deep with talented two-ways that have advanced tools going for them on both sides of the ball.
+ 1B/RHP Tyson Resch (Menomonee Falls) has consistently taken high-end and confident at-bats in front of our staff making sound decisions and rarely expanding even against quality spin. It’s easy to see the type of impact he produces at the plate with consistent barrels both in showcase and in-game from one of the strongest right-handed bats in the class. The stuff stands out on the mound from a unique slot and release showing four different shapes, with spin, at advanced velo with the fastball reaching into the low-90s.
+ INF/RHP Jacob Madlung (Arrowhead) is a high-follow strength/size/speed prospect with a high ceiling. Similarly intriguing on either side with a clean right-handed swing with growing impact at the plate (101.3 mph max EV) with clean actions and arm strength in the infield and more athleticism that you would expect from a 6-foot-3, 203-pound prospect.
+ MIF/RHP Tate Hagen (Lake Country Lutheran) is pound for pound one of the toolsiest prospects in the state, standing at a still projectable 5-foot-11, 158-pound frame with lean strength. The defense stands out among the tools and has a chance at providing above-average defense at shortstop with more than enough arm strength to stick at the position. Clean right-handed swing from the right-side with a more-synced up and repeatable swing reaching upwards of 97.1 mph EVs with an average EV not too far behind. There’s feel for four pitches as well, consistently reaching the upper-80s with carry on the fastball with three secondaries that all flash upside.
One prospect that continues to tick up is INF Cole Pettijohn (East Troy) as the tools stand out throughout the profile. A 6.91 runner with ticked up athleticism that has continued to trend up each time we see him, the impact similarly has been improving as well reaching near 100 mph EVs in event showing a well-sequenced and repeatable right-handed swing with feel to drive the ball in the air to the pull side. Defensively, a natural infielder with steady actions that play at multiple spots across the dirt with more than enough arm strength for the left-side of the diamond.
ROUNDING OUT THE TOP-15
While technically moving down this update RHP Maxwell Webb (Port Washington) and INF/RHP Benjamin Smet-Cooper (Westosha Central) however the arrow remains up for both of these prospects. Webb has been one of the top pitchability right-handers since before his high school career with feel for multiple pitches, with different actions to pair, harnessing more velocity now with more seemingly on the way. The fastball plays clean out of the hand with life, sitting in the mid-80s routinely, touching upper-80s velo at times while showing feel for two breaking balls, a firm two-plane slider and a bigger 11/5 breaking ball and feel for a changeup. Smet-Cooper is one of the strongest left-handed hitters in the area with power that translates past a BP setting and consistently shows up in game. The power is trending like a carrying tool presently as a sophomore. Defensively the actions in the infield are clean and fluid, with a ceiling of providing reliable defense at third with added range/footspeed.
+ OF Camden Jeske (Oak Creek) is a total gamer with a history of performing against some of the top arms in our state. There’s advanced bat to ball traits from the left-side with plate coverage to pair flashing feel to hit velo and advanced secondaries. The defense is promising with clean actions and jumps/routes that can translate to center field with added foot speed and range.
+ INF Kallen Magli (Sun Prairie West) has been one of the top “hitters” in the class since the beginning of their prep careers. A competitor in the box that consistently performs against any type of competition. The tools have been arrow-up as well, always showing a synced-up and repeatable right-handed swing the impact has been steadily coming along as he matures into the frame. Similarly the athlete and actions/body control in the field have been ticking up comparably with a future of sticking in the infield at the next level while the athleticism could easily translate into promising outfield defense.
+ C Thomas Check (La Crosse Logan) has been one of the top catch and throw catching prospects in the class since its inception. The left-handed bat has played in game across our looks as well, making contact at a high rate while spraying line drives across the field.
VIEW THE COMPLETE 2028 RANKINGS HERE
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