Nation's best baseball players ready to impress at AmFam Field

Dix, a senior at Whitefish Bay, is among the more than 40 players competing in the Prep Baseball Report All-American Game at American Family Field.

MILWAUKEE - "If you build it, they will come," said Andy Sroka

And they are coming.

"It’s kind of surreal, honestly," said J.D. Dix. "You see all these big leaguers on this huge diamond and you kind of grow up wanting this."

Dix, a senior at Whitefish Bay, is among the more than 40 players competing in the Prep Baseball Report All-American Game at American Family Field.

"Most of the guys you see before, definitely," Dix said. "You’ve seen them at different tournaments in the summer, or you’ve played with them on different various teams during that span."

(FOX6 News Milwaukee)

One of the players Dix knows pretty well is Verona-area pitcher Jack DeTienne.

"I faced him this summer a little bit, and it was fun to face him," said DeTienne. "But, it was a battle, to be honest because I mean we’re two of the top players in the state, and we just want to go out there and show who’s better."

At the All-American Game, they’ll play together on the class of 2024 team going up against the class of 2025, something Prep Baseball Report, or PBR founder Sean Duncan is looking forward to.

"Having all under one roof for scouts to see and just the overall experience to play on a Major League field and playing against like-minded high-level players like that, is beneficial," said Duncan.

While the players will be from all over the country, Wisconsin's prospects like Dix and DeTienne, are getting noticed nationally a lot more than when former Brewer and PBR's Wisconsin scouting director Vinny Rottino was playing in Racine.

"I graduated, my goodness, in a previous century, in 1998, and we just had a couple of kids that were Division I commitments," said Rottino. "Now, we have 44 players currently in the class of 2023."

A big reason for the change is the way players from Wisconsin are able to train according to PBR’s managing editor Andy Sroka.

"With the increase in the amount of indoor facilities it’s like these guys are playing almost year-round," Sroka said.

"We make do with what we have, and we’re kind of like underdogs," DeTienne said. "We just like to go out there, and we grind in the winter because we can’t go out there."

"The training’s better," Duncan said. "The technology’s better to train to it. There’s a lot more exposure."

That includes games like this one where players will be able to show their talents off to scouts on a major league field.

"I think being a small-town kid from Wisconsin, it’s not every day that you see kids get to the next level like I do, and it’s kind of just surreal in that point," said Dix.

The opportunity also can create some nervous moments, but that doesn’t phase DeTienne.

"I really channel that into my demeanor on the mound and I love it because it really gets me going, my adrenaline," said DeTienne. "And you know, when I’m coming off the mound it’s just crazy because I’m so hyped up on adrenaline."

One thing is for sure, this will be an experience to remember and cherish for everyone involved.

"They’re going to be treated like big leaguers, and they’re going to feel like big leaguers," Rottino said. "PBR is going to spare no expense for these players and rightfully so. They’ve earned it."

Scouts from every major league organization are expected to be on hand for the game which takes place Saturday afternoon.

They'll also be raising money for Vs. Cancer who is the charitable partner for the game.

Sports Beyond the Game