THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,580 MLB PLAYERS | 16,393 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,580 MLB PLAYERS | 16,393 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 4/8/2015

LSSC #3 title to Harvard-Westlake

Jeff Dahn
Austin Bynum
Photo: Perfect Game

Louisville Slugger Select Classic #3 All-Tournament Team

EMERSON, Ga. – In the nine years that Matt LaCour has been the head coach at Harvard-Westlake High School in Studio City, Calif., the Wolverines have done a lot of winning, mostly in Southern California. Last week, they introduced those winning ways to the hills and pine forests of Northern Georgia.

Harvard-Westlake won five games in four days – beating two teams from Kentucky, two from Illinois and one from Georgia – and captured the championship at the inaugural Perfect Game Louisville Slugger Select Classic #3, played March 30 through April 4 at Perfect Game Park South at LakePoint.

The Wolverines outscored their five opponents by a combined 36-12, and rose to the top of an 11-team field that included high school teams from Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee and Georgia, with Harvard-Westlake as the only California entrant.

2015 Louisville Slugger Select Classic #3 co-MVP Ezra Steinberg (Photo: Harvard-Westlake)
“This trip for us is more about the team getting to know each other on a better level,” LaCour told PG after the Wolverines beat the Valdosta (Ga.) Wildcats to complete their 5-0 run through the tournament. “Just going through some adversity of having to get up early in the morning (and) dealing with the rain, which we don’t have to deal with a whole lot (at home).

“It prepares these guys for college when they go to the East Coast and it prepares us; it gives us a little more toughness for when we get back into (CIF Mission) league play.”

The PG Louisville Slugger Select Classic #3 championship was won on the strength of the Wolverines’ bats and legs. Unofficially, they hit .429 as a team (49-for-114) with 13 extra-base hits, led by the play of co-Most Valuable Players, senior shortstop Ezra Steinberg and junior infielder/catcher John Thomas.

Steinberg, an Oregon signee ranked in the top-500 nationally in the class of 2015, was 9-for-14 (.643) with a double, two RBI, eight runs scored and five stolen bases (the Wolverines stole 18 bases in 23 attempts). Thomas, who has committed to Southern California, finished 5-for-13 (.384), with a double, triple, five RBI and four runs.

Junior centerfielder Jack Suddleson handled the bat nicely, as well, going 6-14 (.429) with a double, two triples, six RBI and four runs; senior catcher Tom Fuller was 5-for-13 (.384) with five RBI; senior second baseman/outfielder Chase Aldridge was 3-for-8 (.375) with two RBI, three runs, five walks and one hit-by-pitch, and junior third baseman Cameron Deere was 4-for-12 (.333) with five RBI at the plate, and allowed two earned runs during a complete-game, five-hitter with four strikeouts from the mound.
These guys not only know the game of baseball inside and out, they also know their way around a text book. Aldrich and Suddleson have signed with/committed to Harvard and Fuller has signed with Yale.

“We’re a highly academic school and we sometimes don’t get the best athletes, so we have to play baseball the right way,” LaCour said. “We have to execute the game plan, we have to run the bases the right way and we rely on that – along with our pitching – to keep us in the game and win games against good teams.”
2015 Louisville Slugger Select Classic #3 co-MVP John Thomas (Photo: Harvard-Westlake)
It’s not as if LaCour – who was the head coach for the West Team at the 2013 Perfect Game All-American Classic in San Diego – hasn’t been afforded the opportunity to coach some pretty outstanding athletes during his tenure at Harvard-Westlake.

Pitchers Max Fried and Lucas Giolito are 2012 graduates who both played in the 2011 PG All-American Classic and were first-round draft picks of the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals, respectively, in the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Right-hander/shortstop/third baseman Jack Flaherty played in the 2013 PG All-American Classic with LaCour as his head coach, and was a first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2014 draft. Outfielder Austin Wilson, a 2010 Harvard-Westlake grad who played in the 2009 PG All-American Classic, was a second-round pick of the Mariners in 2013 after spending three years at Stanford.

Harvard-Westlake won the 2013 CIF Division-1 Southern Section championship under LaCour’s direction, the first in school history, and was named high school national champions by both Perfect Game and Baseball America/BCA. LaCour directed the Wolverines to three straight Mission League titles from 2011-13, the first three in program history.

Last season, they finished 22-7-1 after losing in the second-round of the CIF Division-1 Southern Section playoffs; they were runner-up in the Mission League. The Wolverines left Georgia with a 13-2 overall mark (2-2 Mission League) heading into a non-league game against Simi Valley on April 11.

 
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Championship | 7/30/2026

Blue Wave Battle & Prevail at 14u Classic
Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
For Excel Blue Wave, the summer was never about being perfect. It was about getting better. After a season filled with challenges, growth, and plenty of learning along the way, Excel Blue Wave put everything together when it mattered most, defeating SBG Sox Prime, Al 9-3 to capture the 2026 14U Perfect Game Hoover Classic championship. For Excel Blue Wave Coach Forrest Heacock, watching the group celebrate with a championship trophy was especially meaningful because of everything it took to get there.  “It hasn’t been the easiest summer, and have battled a lot,” Coach Heacock said. “The kids have improved so much over the summer, and that is really what it’s all about at this age. It’s really just about improving at this age, and to see them be able to put it together, and just really compete together and play as a team, I couldn’t be...
Read More
Draft | Story | 7/30/2026

2026 MLB Draft Signing Deadline Recap

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
As of Monday at 5 p.m. ET, the 2026 MLB Draft is officially complete. The signing deadline has passed, meaning we now know every team’s finalized draft class and exactly how much each player signed for. Entering the draft, it was clear there was a distinct top tier consisting of Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, and Vahn Lackey. That separation became even more evident once contracts were signed. Cholowsky became the first player in draft history to sign for more than $10 million, agreeing to a record-setting $10,347,500 bonus with the White Sox. Emerson set a new high school signing bonus record at $9,747,500, the second-largest bonus ever awarded to a draft pick. Lackey rounded out the trio with a $9,497,500 bonus, the third-largest signing bonus in MLB Draft history. Those weren’t the only records set. Teams combined to spend $402,481,143 in signing bonuses, surpassing last...
Read More
Tournaments | Championship | 7/30/2026

Excel Leaves No Doubt at 15u Hoover Classic

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
Excel Blue Wave National wasn’t leaving Hoover empty-handed.  At least, that was the message head coach Wes Henderson gave his team.  After a summer filled with strong performances but without a tournament title to show for them, Excel Blue Wave National entered the 2026 15U Perfect Game Hoover Classic with one more opportunity to finish the season the way they wanted.  This time, they left no doubt.  Excel Blue Wave National defeated East Coast Sox 2029 Victus, 12-0 in the championship game, combining a balanced offensive attack with a strong performance on the mound to secure their first tournament title of the summer.  “It’s been a special group,” Coach Henderson said. “They fought really hard, and they played really well this summer, and this is the first championship that we’ve been able to bring home. We typically...
Read More
Tournaments | Championship | 7/29/2026

"Excel"ling Through the Hoover Classic

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
After a long summer of baseball, Excel Blue Wave National had one final opportunity to end it the way every team hopes to.  Together, having fun, and as champions. Excel Blue Wave National closed their summer with a 13-9 victory over Excel Blue Wave American – Morrison to capture the 2026 16U Perfect Game Hoover Classic championship. In a game that required contributions throughout the lineup and seven innings of competition, the Excel Blue Wave National relied on the same qualities and approach that had carried the group all summer. With talent, perseverance and a chemistry built far beyond the baseball field, they were unstoppable.  For head coach Brennan McCullough, there couldn’t have been a much better way for his players to finish their final weekend together .  “It’s great,” Coach McCullough said. “We’ve had a long...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/29/2026

16u West WS Scout Notes: Days 3-4

Quinton Hall
Article Image
16u West World Series Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Jason Lizotte (‘28 | NV) Smooth LHH, hunts pitches down in the zone he can rip to the middle & PS w/ a downhill & direct path. Some strength in the hands w/ feel for the barrel #PGWS pic.twitter.com/kbK5Ayvhd7 — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) July 27, 2026 Jason Lizotte (2028 | Las Vegas, NV) The 5-foot-9, 145-pound left-handed hitter and outfielder was a spark plug all weekend for MTBA Dawgs 2028, finishing with seven hits, eight runs scored, one double, one triple, four RBI, three stolen bases, and four walks without a strikeout. Lizotte refused to give away an at-bat, consistently working hitter’s counts before spraying line drives all over the field. The left-handed swing stays short and direct with plenty of feel for the barrel, and once he reached base, he immediately put pressure on the defense with...
Read More
Tournaments | Championship | 7/29/2026

SBA Sox Save Best for Last

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
Sometimes the best ending comes after a season of figuring things out. For SBG Sox American, the summer wasn’t always seamless. The team spent their early weeks learning where players fit best, building chemistry and searching for the combination that would allow them to play their best baseball. By the final weekend, they found it.  SBG Sox American closed their summer with a 7-5 victory over Dirtbags Midsouth 2027 Black to capture the 2026 17U Perfect Game Hoover Classic championship, putting together one final winning performance in the last tournament this group would share this summer.  For SBG Sox Coach Cooper Williams, that made taking home the championship trophy even more meaningful. “It’s been great, especially for it being their last summer event,” Coach Williams said. “It’s really cool for them to kind of pull this thing out for...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/29/2026

East World Series Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Evan Brand (2027, Acworth, Ga.) has been solid at the plate all summer and did not slow down late in the summer. This week, Brand was able to hit just under the .700 mark and tallied three extra base hits, including a homer. The switch hitter has a fluid barrel path with plus feel for the barrel to all fields. The lower half also moves with some rhythm, and the switch hitting ability with the accuracy to the barrel provides plenty of intrigue. The middle infielder is committed to Georgia Tech. Atley Schwarzrock (‘27 GA) catches of all of the first pitch he sees launching it over the wall in left for a 2-run 💣 sending it with some heat; stays loose in his progressing ripping the barrel thru the zone with some strength behind it and staying tall on impact. #EastWS… pic.twitter.com/oGxbPQN1W0 — Perfect Game Georgia (@PG_Georgia) July 27, 2026 Atley Schwarzrock (2027,...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/29/2026

17u World Series Scout Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
17u World Series Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Lukas Waite (‘27, CA) showed LOUD stuff out of the pen. 6-2/205 frame. High-end athlete on the mound. FB sat 92-95 (T96). SL at 80-82 generated uncomfortable whiffs #PGWS @California_PG @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/UXaVxqA2kv — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) July 27, 2026 Lukas Waite (2027, San Diego, Calif.) came out of the pen on day four and showcased the loudest stuff out of the entire event. The recently named PG All-American ran the fastball up to 96 mph and sat 92-95 mph throughout the outing. A slider at 80-82 mph was lethal. It tunnels well off the heater and gets uncomfortable whiffs often. Waite features a 6-2, 205-pound frame that moves extremely well. There is supreme athleticism throughout the delivery that stands out. The upside is extremely high and will be sure to draw heavy draft interest during this...
Read More
All American Game | Story | 7/29/2026

Victorino & Girardi Tabbed PGAAC Managers

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   SHANE VICTORINO AND JOE GIRARDI NAMED MANAGERS FOR PERFECT GAME DICK'S ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC AT CITIZENS BANK PARK   Former Phillies Stars to Lead Nation's Top High School Baseball Players on August 16 in Philadelphia   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Wednesday, July 29, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that former Phillies All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino and former Phillies manager Joe Girardi will serve as managers for Team East and Team West, respectively, at the 2026 Perfect Game DICK'S All-American Classic, taking place on Sunday, August 16, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa.   Joining Girardi and...
Read More
College | Story | 7/28/2026

Coppy's Corner: July 28 Summer Edition

John Coppolella
Article Image
The amateur players in the Cape Cod Baseball League are the future stars of the 2027 MLB Draft. The league runs from June 13th through August 2nd. Games are played at historic stadiums in Old New England towns. It’s beautiful and charming. Hollywood even made a movie about the Cape Cod League ~25 years ago called Summer Catch. It scored an 8% (!) on Rotten Tomatoes, but, on the plus side, it featured 2001 Jessica Biel in a starring role.  It was so much fun writing Coppy’s Column this spring. My hope is to highlight a pitcher and position player each week from the Cape. And, who knows, maybe somewhere out there Jessica Biel is reading it.    Player of the Week: Blake Schaaf – Bourne Braves  Schaaf had a big week, going 12-for-22 (.545 AVG) with 3 Doubles, 4 Stolen Bases, and 9 Runs Scored. It’s been the continuation of a terrific summer for the...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.