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High School  | General | 2/19/2026

Midwest All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
MIDWEST REGION (KS, MO, OK, AR, NE, IA, WI, MN, SD, ND)
The Midwest Region featured only two 2025 Perfect Game All-Americans in catcher Carson May and shortstop Keaton Neal, both from the Kansas City area, but if the team were to be re-selected today there might be three or four more players honored.  The theme of the Midwest Region this year has been the number of players who have improved significantly during the late summer and especially the fall, which bodes well for this spring.

In addition, the 2027 class in the Midwest Region appears to be solid as well and will have many All-American worthy players.



St. Thomas Aquinas HS of Kansas is the top ranked school from the Midwest Region, checking in at 38th overall in the Perfect Game Pre-Season High School Rankings.  Edmond Memorial HS of Oklahoma gives the region two teams as they start 47th nationally.


C – Carson May (Sr., Olathe East, Kan.)
May caught for the West Team at the 2025 PG All-American Classic and was the sixth ranked catcher in the 2026 class at the end of 2025.  He has classic power/power catching tools with a 6-2/220 build, 84 mph arm strength behind the plate and big right-handed power.

1B – Dominic Santarelli (Sr., St. Joseph HS, Wisc.)
Santarelli was named the Wisconsin player of the year as a junior after hitting .428-11-40 and leading St. Joseph HS to a state championship.  He showed huge left-handed power and bat speed on the summer circuit and particularly during the early fall and become one of the big names on the recruiting trail as well.  He’s ranked 48th nationally in the 2026 PG class rankings and signed with Louisiana State.

MIF – Jace Mataczynski (Sr., Hudson HS, Wisc.) 
Mataczynski has been one of the fast risers up the draft boards late this past summer and fall as a still 17-year old 6-3/190 athlete whose bat and overall tools have taken a big jump.  He hit .523-2-19 in 2025 PG events, mainly in the fall, after hitting .333-3-18 in 17 games in the spring for Hudson HS.  Mataczynski has a mid-90’s arm in the infield and is a 6.6 runner so he has plenty of physical tools to stay in the middle of the field.  He is signed with Auburn.

MIF – Keaton Neal (Sr., Spring Hill HS, Kan.)
A Perfect Game All-American who is ranked 59th overall in the 2025 class, Neal is a highest-level two-way prospect who is plenty athletic enough at 6-3/200 to stay in the middle infield.  He’s a 6.5 runner in the sixty and has thrown 94 mph off the mound to show his arm strength.  Neal is signed with Florida.

3B – Beau Peterson (Sr., Mill Valley, Kan.)
Peterson has played all over the field growing up, including as a catcher and a low 90’s pitcher on the mound, but has settled in as a power hitting third baseman with 6.57 speed to go with it on his 6-3/215 frame.  Peterson hit .464 with four home runs as a junior at Mill Valley HS and .396-2-21 in 21 games of PG play in 2025.  He is signed with Texas and is the 15th ranked player and top third baseman in the 2025 class nationally.

OF – Lincoln Boyle (Sr., St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Kan.) 
Boyle has an impressive overall tool set on a big 6-5/210 frame.  He’s run the sixty in 6.52 and thrown up to 94 mph from the outfield and low 90’s from the mound.  A left-handed hitter who is signed with Arkansas, Boyle hit .400-5-40 for St. Thomas Aquinas HS as a junior while also going 8-2, 1.83 on the mound with 68 strikeouts in 57 innings.

OF – Grant Westphal (Jr., Blue Valley HS, Kan.)
A high ceiling athlete with big physical projection and outstanding power/speed tools, Westphal hit .404 with four home runs and 33 runs scored as a sophomore at Blue Valley HS in Kansas City and is 14th overall nationally in the 2027 class.

OF – Josiah Kemp (Sr., Choctaw HS, Okla.)
Kemp is a long and quick twitch athlete with plus speed and outstanding barrel control who is the 88th ranked player in the 2026 class nationally.  The nephew of former MLB All-Star Matt Kemp, he is signed with Oklahoma.

RHP Brody Crane (Sr., Neosho HS, Mo.)
Crane is a big and strong right-hander at 6-0/215 and has a power pitcher’s arm to go with it.  He topped out at 95 mph at the PG National Showcase and was 93-96 mph while striking out 9 hitters in 4 innings at the WWBA World Championships.  A member of the 18U USA National Team, Crane struck out 61 hitters in 38 innings at Neosho HS and is signed with Arkansas.

RHP Bubba Day (Jr., Skutt Catholic HS, Neb.)
Day is the classic projection right-hander with a slender and athletic 6-4/190 build and a very fast arm that already produces a 90-93 mph fastball to go with a quality slider and change up combination.  The 58th ranked player in the 2027 class nationally, Day went 7-1, 1.31 with 61 strikeouts and only 20 walks in 48 innings as a sophomore at Skutt HS and is committed to Florida State.

RHP Tyson Grulkowski (Sr., Muskego HS, Wisc.)
Grulkowski and Max Hamilton (below) are extremely similar on the mound with 91-94 mph fastballs and outstanding command of a three-pitch mix that features an outstanding change up.  Grulkowski threw 12 innings in 2025 PG play and allowed only 4 hits and no walks while throwing 71% strikes.  The 6-5/225 South Florida signee throws from a deceptive low ¾’s arm slot that adds to his effectiveness.

RHP Max Hamilton (Sr., Olathe West HS, Kan.)
Hamilton is a polished strike thrower with three quality pitches including a 91-94 mph fastball that gets big sink and run down in the zone, a solid upper 70’s curveball and an outstanding change up with big arm speed and diving life.  The 102nd ranked player nationally in the 2026 class, Hamilton is signed with Oklahoma State.

RHP Michael Ramsey (Sr., Parsons HS, Kan.)
Ramsey is a small town and undersized athlete from the far southeast corner of Kansas but he’s very athletic and has an electric right arm.  He’s been up to 96 mph with his fastball (and 97 mph from the outfield) to go with a big downer curveball that really changes eye angles.  Ramsey struck out an incredible 61 hitters in 24 innings last spring at Parsons HS and added 23 more in 13 innings of PG play.

UT – Keelan Zumwalt (So., Summit Christian Academy, Mo.)
Two-way standouts are very common in the Midwest as compared to the rest of the country and PG All-American Keaton Neal is one of the better two-way players in the country.  But the 6-5/210 Zumwalt has such a high ceiling on both sides of the ball that he warrants mention.  He’s the 6th ranked prospect in the 2028 class nationally and combines big left-handed power at the plate and a low 90’s fastball already on the mound.


Midwest Region Top Tools

Best Hitter for Average: Jace Mataczynski (Sr., Hudson HS, Wisc.)
Mataczynski is a right-handed hitter with real power, which usually isn’t the formula for a high average hitter, but his bat speed and barrel control have stood out and accounted for much of his lightning rise in scout’s eyes.

Best Hitter for Power: Beau Peterson (Sr., Mill Valley, Kan.)
Peterson won the 2025 All-Star Game Home Run Derby with his lifting left-handed swing and outstanding bat speed.  Dominic Santarelli would win this honor in many other regions.

Best Runner: Ben Kuglitsch (Sr., Muskego HS, Wisc.)
Kuglitsch is a very tooled up 6-3/180 athlete who came up as a middle infielder, now plays the outfield and may eventually end up on the mound.  He’s a 6.42 runner in the sixty and also throws 99 mph from the outfield and 93 mph off the mound.  Kuglitsch is signed with Florida State and could be a two-way standout there if his bat comes.

Best Defensive Catcher: Tyson Moore (Jr., Buffalo HS, Minn.)
Moore has been one of the top catchers in the 2027 class since he was selected for the 2023 14U PG Select Festival and is currently the 56th overall prospect in the 2027 class nationally.  He has very athletic lower half actions and quickness behind the plate and plenty of arm strength.  Moore is committed to stay at home and attend Minnesota.

Best Defensive Infielder: Beau Peterson (Sr., Mill Valley, Kan.)
Peterson’s athletic and position versatility, along with his arm strength, stands out among a group of big and strong middle infield prospects.

Best Defensive Outfielder: Josiah Kemp (Sr., Choctaw HS, Okla.)
Kemp’s top end speed gives him outstanding range in center field and he has low 90’s arm strength as well.

Best Defensive Arm: Ben Kuglitsch (Sr., Muskego HS, Wisc.)
There are plenty of strong arms at all positions in this region but Kuglitsch is the one you can imagine hitting triple digits with his young 6-3/180 build and lightning quick arm.  Those triple digits might come in the outfield or on the mound.

Best Fastball: Brody Crane (Sr., Neosho HS, Mo.)
Crane deserves the nod here given his steady and well controlled mid-90’s heat along with his national reputation and high national ranking.  But a sleeper here is Nebraska right-hander Colin Driffill (Sr., Millard North HS, Neb.), who gained big velocity over the course of 2025 and was 94-97 at the WWBA World Championships.

Best Off-Speed Stuff: Tyson Grulkowski (Sr., Muskego HS, Wisc.)
Max Hamilton and Grulkowski could trade this and the Pitchability categories since they have the same stuff, with an outstanding change up being the separator. 

Best Pitchability: Max Hamilton (Sr., Olathe West HS, Kan.)
Hamilton walked two hitters in 15.2 innings of PG play in 2025 and has thrown 65% and 68% strikes the last two years in PG play.  His fastball command is outstanding and his change up is a real difference maker.
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High School | Rankings | 6/2/2026

High School Top 50 Update: June 2
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Perfect Game Staff
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Perfect Game Staff
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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME STANDOUT STRIKER PENCE RECLASSIFIES TO CLASS OF 2027, ACCELERATING PATH TO MLB DRAFT   Corona, California (Thursday, June 4, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that Perfect Game prospect Striker Pence, one of the most watched young prospects in amateur baseball, has officially reclassified from the Class of 2028 to the Class of 2027, making the 17-year-old eligible for the 2027 Major League Baseball Draft. Pence is currently the #2 ranked player on Perfect Game’s national rankings and the top-ranked right-handed pitcher. Pence, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound right-handed pitcher and left-handed hitting first...
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