THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION

| 2,321 MLB PLAYERS | 15,135 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS

2,321 MLB PLAYERS | 15,135 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS

Create Account

Tournaments | Story | 6/16/2025

UBC East Ready For First Pitch

Hannah Jo Groves

Photo: Jordin Griffin (Perfect Game)

The best-of-the-best are going head-to-head in Jupiter, Florida for the 2025 Ultimate Baseball Championship - East.

60 total teams will be competing - as each age division features 15 ultra-talented teams. The teams will play the 4-day tournament on fields at both the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches and the Roger Dean Complex.

Starting in the 14U division, the No. 4 ranked player for the class of 2029, Macgraw VanWormer, will be playing with Ghost National (2-2).

The Prescott, Arizona native has stand-out physicality and athleticism - putting up impressive numbers in the 2025 calendar year so far. With a .528 batting average, .917 slugging percentage, 3 home runs, 65 runs, and 59 runners batted in, it’s easy to see what makes him an elite player.

Joining VanWormer on the Ghost National 14U team, outfielder Evan Thompson comes into the tournament as the No. 6 player for the 2029 class.

Also from Arizona, the 6’2, 14-year-old Thompson has proven himself in the 2025 calendar year. So far, his batting average sits at .421 and his slugging percentage is .821. He’s hit 2 home runs, gotten 65 runs and 66 runners batted in.

VanWormer, Thompson and the rest of the Ghost National 14U team will start their tournament on Monday on the Nationals 3 field going up against Team Elite 14U National at 8 a.m.

Right behind VanWormer in the 2029 rankings comes infielder Dylan Mercado, playing with USA Prime National (8-3-1).

A 2-way player from Houston, Texas, Mercado’s batting average is .412 and his slugging percentage is .794. In 65 games played, he has 7 home runs, 57 runs and 59 runners batted in. On the mound, he’s 3-0 in 2025 with an earned run average of 0.96. In 36.2 innings pitched, he’s struck out an astounding 46 batters - only dealing 5 walks.

Mercado and his team will play their first game at 10:20 a.m. on Monday against Power Baseball 2029 Marucci on the Marlins 6 field at the Roger Dean Complex.

The 14U division has five nationally ranked teams, including: East Coast 2029 Sox Scout (No. 52), Wow Factor National 14U (No. 19), 5 Star Mafia 14U Black (No. 18), USA Prime National 14U (No. 7) and the highest-ranking is Canes National 14U (No. 4)

The other three age divisions (15U, 16U, 17U) all have the the top player in their class competing at the UBC East.

For the 15U division, that No. 1-ranked player is outfielder Dexter McCleon Jr. - who will play with USA Prime 15U National (nationally ranked as the No. 9 15U team).

McCleon Jr., from Suwanee, Georgia, has made Select Fest every year since 2021 when he was 11. And now, at 15 years old, he’s still showing his consistency among the best. In the 2025 calendar year, his batting average sits at .462 while his slugging percentage is .769. He’s still getting started - only playing in 6 games so far this year, but has already hit a home run and contributed 7 runners batted in.

USA Prime 15U National (8-2) will play its first game of the tournament on Monday at 8 a.m. against Power Baseball 2028 Marucci on the Marlins 3 Field at the Roger Dean Complex.

Infielder Colin Anderson will compete with the No. 5 nationally ranked Team Elite 15U Scout (15-1-1) as the No. 2 player for the 2028 class.

A native of Acworth, Georgia, Anderson is also just getting his 2025 season started. But looking back to his season stats, his batting average sat at .382 and his slugging percentage at .724. He hit 4 home runs, plated 29 runs, and scored 27 times.

Anderson and his team will first take the field against Texas Twelve Red Sox 2028 at 8 a.m. on the Marlins 5 Field at the Roger Dean Complex.

Also in the 15U division, the canes have a loaded roster with the likes of outfielder Ethan Stewart, infielder Jordan Ayala, shortstop Bryan Mesa, outfielder Yariel "Lito" Diaz and fellow right-handed pitcher Dylan Cunningham.

The high-powered Canes team, ranked No. 3 in the country, will play their first game against East Coast Sox 2028 National on the Astros 4 field on Monday at 8 a.m.

Looking over to the 16U division, top player for the 2027 class, shortstop Chase Fuller will play with USA Prime 16U National/Detroit Tigers.

The 3-time Select Fest player and Florida State commit from Tallahassee, Florida - Fuller has showed his strength so far in the 2025 season with a .438 batting average, 1.000 slugging percentage and 2 home runs in the 6 games he’s played so far.

Other talent joining Fuller on the No. 1-ranked team in the 16U division is outfielder Lash Henderson, catcher Will Brick and outfielder Jordin Griffin.

The USA Prime 16U National/Detroit Tigers (9-1) will play their first game on the Nationals 5 field at 8 a.m. against East Coast Ghost Mocha 16U.

Directly behind Fuller in the class of 2027 ratings - the No. 2 spot belongs to left-handed pitcher Jared Grindlinger, playing with Team Elite 16U Scout (8-3-1).

Two years ago, the Huntington Beach, California native won the 14U Two-Way Player of the Year. In 2024, his fastball touched 92 mph, his batting average was .560 at the 15U WWBA and he had an outstanding performance at the PG All-Star Game.

Grindlinger and his team will play their first game on Monday at 12:40 p.m. against Texas Twelve Red Sox 2027 on the Nationals 4 field.

Shortstop Max Hemenway comes into the tournament as No. 4 in the class of 2027.

The Tennessee commit from Puyallup, Washington has had a strong start to the 2025 season - batting .433 and slugging .567. He’s known for his strong defense - even winning the 2023 14U defensive player of the year.

Hemenway and his Wow Factor National 16U team (nationally ranked at No. 3 with a record of 11-1) will take the field for their first game at 10:20 a.m. on the Nationals 6 field against Scorpions 2027 Scout - Purple.

Another team to watch out for in the 16U division is the No. 4-nationally ranked Canes National 16U out of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Their record stands at 8-2 in 2025 and they’ll aim to use their high-caliber roster to add to the win column.

Finally, in the 17U division, shortstop Grady Emerson tops the list of players in the class of 2026.

Playing in this tournament with the Canes National/NY Mets Scout Team (3-4), the Texas commit had a very strong 2024 season. In 30 games and 77 at-bats, he carried a .351 batting average, a .545 slugging percentage, hit 2 home runs, crossed the plate 35 times and drove in 17 runs.

Alongside Emerson on the Canes National/NY Mets Scout Team is fellow Texas commit Beau Peterson. The Shawnee, Kansas native had a super strong 2024 summer, as he hit .667 and plated 15 runs.

The Canes National/NY Mets Scout Team will play their first game against East Coast Sox 2026 National at 8 a.m. Monday in the stadium at CACTI.

The No. 2 player for the class of 2027 is also a shortstop - Jacob Lombard who is playing with the USA Prime National/Detroit Tigers Scout Team .

The 17-year-old son of the former MLB player, George Lombard, really showed his tools in the 2024 calendar year - with a .434 batting average, .849 batting average, 28 runners batted in and 21 runs in 21 games played.

Joining Lombard on the USA Prime National/Detroit Tigers Scout Team is catcher Jorvorskie Lane Jr. and Stanford commit fellow shortstop Tyler Spangler.

The USA Prime National/Detroit Tigers Scout Team will play its first game on Monday at 8 a.m. on the Astros 6 field against Power Baseball 2026 Marucci/Blue Jays Scout.

Other nationally ranked teams to keep an eye on in the 17U division are the No. 2 Dirtbags National 17U (8-1-1), No. 5 Canes National/NY Mets Scout Team (3-3), No. 7 CBU 2026 Scout Team - James (9-2) and No. 10 Ghost National 17U (6-2-1).

PERFECTGAME.TV