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College  | Story | 5/20/2010

Bivens Is Healthy and Focused on Baseball

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – John Bivens looks like he could knock a ballcarrier into the cheap seats at a college football game, quickly change uniforms and belt a home run over the 400-foot sign in center field. That’s because he can, or could.
 
Bivens, 22, played football and baseball for a while at the University of Virginia, but his once promising two-sport career did not blossom with the Cavaliers. He had knee surgery and then another operation to repair his shoulder, and all he had to show for 3 ½ years at UVA were a few tackles and about 20 at-bats.
 
“It was hard to compete at an elite level when I was battling injuries,” he said.
 
Bivens left the University of Virginia last fall and enrolled at Virginia State this winter, moving from an NCAA Division I school in the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference to an NCAA D-2 school in the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association. And rather than splitting time between two sports at Virginia State, he’s strictly a baseball player now.
 
“It was a great decision that I made,” he said Monday after competing in the National Pre-Draft Showcase in Cedar Rapids. “I got the best of both worlds. I still get my degree from UVA (in sociology) and I was able to play baseball this spring. I had a great year, back healthy again. That was one of the most important things for me.”
 
Bivens hit a modest .293 at Virginia State this season with five homers, 33 RBIs and 16 stolen bases, playing regularly for the first time since he was a senior in high school in 2006. He got off to a slow start this season, then came on strong.
 
“I started the season pretty bad,” he said. “I couldn’t hit a changeup to save my life. I was hitting one-something. Once I got those at-bats, I got my timing down, and I started squaring a whole lot more balls and I had a whole lot more patience at the plate, because I was chasing a lot of pitches early on.”
 
Bivens said he attended his first Perfect Game showcase when he was 15 years old, when he was a promising young player from Disputanta, Va. He’s still a promising baseball player, which is why he traveled to Cedar Rapids with his father for the Perfect Game National Pre-Draft Showcase on Monday.
 
Bivens is eligible for the Major League draft this June and was hopeful of impressing the scouts who gathered at Perfect Game Field. “I couldn’t turn down the opportunity,” he said.
 
“It went well,” he said. “I felt like I ran good, my throws were pretty good, but I would like to get them down a little more. My round of BP, I was just trying to spray the ball around the field, trying to show that I can go the other way, and I turned on a couple of balls. So I felt pretty good about my BP round.”
 
Batting practice got Bivens ready for the game, where the fleet outfielder did well.
 
“This kid deserves the opportunity to play professional baseball,” said Perfect Game president Jerry Ford, who was very impressed with Bivens’ performance. “We were a bit skeptical of inviting him to the Pre-Draft because we hadn’t seen him play since high school.
 
“Of course, we knew he was an outstanding high school player and a great athlete with a big-league body, so we did invite him,” Ford said. “He put on a good show, displaying his speed and power ability. He hit the ball very hard every at-bat against some excellent pitching. The shot he hit off the wall was especially impressive. Most important, we have known for years that John scores very high in the ‘makeup’ department. He could be one of the big sleepers in this year’s draft.”
 
Bivens carried 235 pounds when he was a linebacker at Virginia, but he’s trimmed down to 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds now that he’s a full-time outfielder. He still looks like he could knock a tailback to kingdom come, but he’d rather knock a ball into the gap or over the fence.
 
“Baseball has always been my first love,” he said. “Right now, I’m strictly baseball. All my mindset is totally on baseball.”
 
Bivens was a fourth-year junior this season at Virginia State. He has another year of eligibility with the Trojans if he wants it, but he’ll pursue a pro baseball career this summer if given a chance. He’s healthy again – no problems with his knee or shoulder – and anxious to chase his dream.
 
“I took this year as kind of getting me back on my feet, as far as getting back in baseball shape,” he said. “I really needed those reps, really needed those at-bats.”
 
Bivens said there were scouts at some of his games this year at Virginia State, and he’s been in contact with some teams about individual workouts before the draft. He hopes his performance at the National Pre-Draft Showcase will help.
 
“I just really thank God for this opportunity to come up here and play,” he said.

College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
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Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
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There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
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Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
College | Story | 12/12/2025

College Notebook: December 12

Craig Cozart
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Nebraska Cornhuskers 2025 Highlights: The Cornhuskers were a difficult team to figure in ’25 as they finished with 33 wins, played just .500 (15-15) in the Big Ten but had some big wins at various times during the season and got hot at the right time. They knocked off then #16 Vanderbilt in the second game of the year, beat #5 Oregon State 2-out-of-3 at home in late March and then got hot at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha to win the Big Ten Tournament. They beat Michigan State in a 10-inning thriller before taking care of #4 Oregon, knocking off Penn State and then shutout #13 UCLA to punch their ticket to the Chapel Hill Regional. Head coach Will Bolt has now led his alma mater to three conference titles and three NCAA Regional appearances during his six years in Lincoln. No different than when he was a player, Bolt’s teams play with passion and toughness, this was never more...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2028

Troy Sutherland
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 You like athletes? You like defenders who can impact a game at any given point? Look not further than this class as it's loaded from coast-to-coast with elite defenders all over the diamond.  C: Brogan Witcher, Bakersfield, CA Our scouting staff got several strong looks at Witcher whether that was at the Summer Kickoff, Sophomore National or the Underclass All American Games where he showcased his strong overall skillset and especially his advanced ability behind the plate. His 6-foot-3,180 pound build looks like one that will fill in quite nicely and be that big and physical catcher’s frame. His arm talent is undeniable where he gets it out quick and runs it up to 79 mph on throwdowns to 2nd (1.84 pop). Besides the standout catch/throw ability, we’ve seen him frame/receive strong arms and block it well during...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 12/11/2025

PG Softball "Toys 4 Tots" Fundraiser 18U division

Dave Durbala
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BURLINGTON, IA - 2025 Perfect Game Softball Toys 4 Tots Fundraiser One Day, December 7, 2025. Kicking off the holiday season, six teams participated in this one day, 3 game guarantee tournament in the 18u Division. We would like to thank those that donated a toy, and know that they will be distributed to area underprivileged children through a local charity organization. Following are some of the top performers from the weekend. Earning Tournament MV-Pitcher was Jolee Strohmeyer (2026 Dubuque, IA), a RHP/UTIL with tournament champion Lady Expos Blue. Strohmeyer shows hitters a consistent and repeatable motion and delivery with good use of the legs in the drive phase, and a quick and aggressive arm whip. Working with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, rise, drop, curve and screw, Strohmeyer topped out at 60 mph, and showed good movement  as she worked her rise and curve just out...
Tournaments | Story | 12/11/2025

Scout Stories: Part 4

Tyler Henninger
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Scout Notes: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Best Game I Saw: Hudson Reed (‘26, GA) torches this ball to deep CF for a solo 💣. Generates easy power that plays to the big part of the yard. Middle of the order traits #UBCWest @PG_Georgia @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/UXqDVFmUBx — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) June 18, 2025 I was fortunate enough to see a lot of highly competitive games with loads of talent on the field, the game that sticks out to me the most was Alpha Prime 2026 vs. ZT National Prospects at the UBC West. The game was an efficiently played affair with arms dominating on both sides. Graham Schlicht was masterful for Alpha, striking out 12 hitters over 5 dominant innings. PG All-American Julian Cazares came out of the pen blowing smoke, touching 97 mph with the fastball. On the other side, Jake Carbaugh surrendered just one hit and...
Press Release | Press Release | 12/11/2025

PG Believe In Baseball Announces Awards Dinner

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   THE PERFECT GAME BELIEVE IN BASEBALL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR FIRST ANNUAL “IN THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME” AWARDS DINNER AND AUCTION   Los Angeles, California (Thursday, December 11, 2025) – The Perfect Game Believe in Baseball Foundation, together with Perfect Game leadership of Chairman Rick Thurman and CEO Rob Ponger, has announced the inaugural “In the Spirit of the Game” event, an evening of baseball and laughter, taking place Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the iconic Laugh Factory in Hollywood, Calif. The evening supports the Foundation’s mission to provide financial assistance and resources that allow deserving young athletes to play, learn and grow through the...
Tournaments | Story | 12/11/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2027

AJ Denny
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 Elite defenders from coast to coast certainly seems to be a strength and to think you could make another top-tier team without thinking, speaks to the real depth this group possesses. The infield is a no-doubt strength of the group, but what catcher Dariel Carrion can do behind the plate is like something we haven't seen in a while in the prep ranks with an absolutely bazooka of an arm.  C: Dariel Carrion (San Juan, PR)  It isn’t often you get a catching prospect as athletic and natural as Dariel Carrion, a big reason why he holds the rank of #1 player in PR and #18 nationally. Metrics wise, the 5-foot-10, 210 pound San Juan native is all you can ask for and more, posting a sub 1.80 pop time with an 84 mph arm behind the dish. He has both contact and clear power threat on the offensive end, ending 2025 with a .337 BA and 4 HRs while also...
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