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General  | Top Ten | 6/26/2008

Fresno State's Unlikely Championship

Fresno State’s improbable run to the 2008 College World Series title has been portrayed as one of the greatest upsets in NCAA history—any sport—and there’s plenty of evidence to support the claim.

But the Bulldogs unlikely championship may not have been as much of an upset as has been suggested. Fresno State has been one of the top baseball programs in California for years, and had won three consecutive Western Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships since the departure of Rice from the conference, effective with the 2006 season. In fact, the Bulldogs have had several teams through the years that were probably better than and more deserving of a national title than this year’s team.

For the Bulldogs to be slotted at No. 89 in the national RPI rankings entering NCAA tournament play, however, resulting in their being a No. 4 seed, was clearly a misrepresentation of just how talented this Fresno State team was. It’s just the latest indicator of a flawed RPI system that consistently and unfairly favors teams in the Southeast at the expense of teams in the West and North.

How else do you explain the Atlantic Coast Conference, which hasn’t produced a national champion since Wake Forest in 1955, having the 1-2-3 teams in this year’s rankings—and having all 12 of its teams ranked ahead of Fresno State? Teams from west of the Mississippi have won the last seven College World Series, yet the RPI continues to be dominated by teams from the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences—and at-large bids are extended accordingly.

Moreover, Fresno State provided the Western Athletic Conference with its sixth College World Series champion—and second in five years. And yet in the last 15 years, the ACC has received 66 at-large bids to the NCAA tournament, to just eight for the WAC.

We’ll save a more in-depth discussion on the RPI and its flaws as it relates to baseball for another day. Instead, we’ll celebrate Fresno State’s first national title and highlight 10 reasons why it was so unexpected:
Rank Reason
1 The Bulldogs were ranked the 89th best team in the country, per the RPI, entering the 64-team NCAA regional. Among the teams the RPI deemed superior were No. 55 Wake Forest (25-31), No. 68 Texas Tech (25-30), No. 80 Loyola Marymount (23-32) and No. 85 Virginia Tech (23-32).
2 Fresno State’s 31 losses were six more than Georgia, the team it defeated for the 2008 title, and eight more than the previous record (23, by Stanford in 1988) for a College World Series champion.
3 Not only were the Bulldogs a No. 4 seed at the Long Beach State regional, but they survived what was undoubtedly the toughest regional field of 16 as they had to knock off No. 1-seed and 11th-ranked Long Beach State, and No. 2 seed and sixth-ranked San Diego (twice) to reach the super-regionals.
4 The Bulldogs probably had the most unenviable assignment of any team in NCAA super-regional play as they were forced to play at heavily-favored Arizona State, the Pacific-10 champion which was 39-3 at home prior to losing two straight to the upstart Bulldogs.
5 The Bulldogs went 14-4 in post-season play, despite losing the services of their best pitcher, junior righthander Tanner Scheppers (8-2, 2.93, 71 IP/109 SO), who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in mid-May. Scheppers, whose fastball touched 99 mph this spring, was projected to be one of the first 10 picks in the draft before his injury, but the Bulldogs still had enough depth to survive his loss.
6 Fresno State entered the College World Series with the lowest team batting average (.299) and second-highest team ERA (4.75) among the eight participating teams, but led all teams in batting (.309) and ERA (4.13) in the series. The Bulldogs also slugged 14 home runs, more than double any other team.
7 Bulldogs third baseman Tommy Mendonca gained more attention early in the tournament for his NCAA single-season record for strikeouts, which he extended to 99 with two K’s in the championship game. But he also was selected the tournament MVP by hitting four homers and driving in 11 runs, while also playing a flawless third base. Led by Mendonca’s record total, the Bulldogs were far and away the national leader in strikeouts with 568—78 more than their closest pursuer.
8 Down 1-0 to Georgia in their best-of-3 final series and virtually out of pitching, the Bulldogs survived Game Two behind the unlikely trio of Justin Miller (5.46 ERA), Holden Sprague (3.59) and Jake Hower (6.12), rallying from a 5-0 deficit to win a slugfest 19-10. That set the stage for junior lefthander Justin Wilson, who tossed seven shutout innings in the deciding game as Fresno State won 6-1.
9 Sophomore outfielder Steve Detwiler, who tore a ligament in his left thumb and faced surgery to repair the injury, played through the injury and set several World Series records in the final game. He homered twice, drove in all six Bulldogs runs and made the final out of the game as Fresno State clinched the series with a 6-1 win.
10 Six of the eight national seeds reached Omaha, making it a daunting task for unseeded and heavy underdog Fresno State to win its first national title. But the Bulldogs won anyway, becoming the fifth straight team to win the College World Series that wasn’t a national seed.
--ALLAN SIMPSON

General | Blog | 4/10/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 64

Ron Wolforth
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What Do Barry Zito, Justin Verlander, Trevor Bauer, and Dallas Keuchel All Have in Common? By Ron Wolforth | Texas Baseball Ranch® | PG Arm Care Take a second and think about the question posed in the title before you read on. Four Cy Young Award winners. Four of the most decorated pitchers of their generation. What's the common thread? The first answer is obvious… they all won the most prestigious individual award in pitching. Most of you probably got there immediately. The second answer is less obvious… they all trained at the Texas Baseball Ranch® at some point in their development. Interesting, maybe, but not the point of this article. The third answer is the one I really want you to sit with, because it has direct relevance to your career right now: they all move completely differently. And they all attack hitters completely differently. Don't rush past that....
Tournaments | Story | 6/15/2026

Coastal Region Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Wyatt Smitherman (2028, Durham NC) had a solid day at the plate for USA Prime Triangle 16u Stars in their matchup against the Charlotte Colts. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound shortstop has a tall athletic frame. The left handed batter displayed a mature approach at the plate. Attacks fastballs and drives them with authority. He has quick hands and gets the barrel through the zone. Uses his lower half to his advantage creating enough torque to generate his power he shown. Smitherman finished the day going 1-for-3 with a home run and 4 RBI. Zachary Days (2028, Charlotte NC) had a impressive day at the plate for the Charlotte Colts against USA Prime Coastal. The 6-foot-3, 170 pound center fielder has a tall athletic frame. Days bats from the left side with a short but powerful swing. Very disciplined during his AB’s and applies pressure on the defense. He shifts his weight to his lower half...
Tournaments | Championship | 6/15/2026

Weather Can't Delay Top Tier Victory

Alyssa Golden
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A seven-run first inning gave Top Tier Roos American Red 2027 all the momentum they needed Sunday morning, but the road to a Florida World Series championship was far from straightforward.  After jumping out to an early lead against WBC 17u, Top Tier endured a 3 ½-hour rain delay before returning to finish off a 9-1 victory at Lee Health Sports Complex.  The championship game, which began at 8 a.m. and did not conclude until nearly 1 p.m., ended in the bottom of the fifth inning under Perfect Game’s mercy-rule format. Top Tier’s dominant performance was powered by a complete-game effort from Christian Davis and an offense that erupted for seven runs in the first inning.  Not even hours of uncertainty and lightning delays could keep Top Tier from finishing what they started.  Davis started on the mound for Top Tier and remained the entire five...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 6/14/2026

PG Softball Super Regionals

Erica Beach
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PG Super Regionals Dripping Springs, Texas June 6-7, 2026     DRIPPING SPRINGS, TX- The weather was nice, the Longhorns JUST won a national championship, and Perfect Game brought it’s first softball event to Dripping Springs. It was a weekend packed with college coaches, quality softball, and a great softball atmosphere. Over the course of the six-game guarantee event, our scout saw some amazing athletes. Below she highlights some of the athletes who caught her eye.   Destiny Sidiropoulos (2028, Houston, TX) of the Impact Gold HTX 16U was an incredible spark plug at the top of their lineup all weekend. She is a true triple threat who has great speed on the basepaths. She can soft and power slap, drop a sneaky bunt, and hit away with pop. Her barrel control is next level, and she is fun to watch pick apart defenses. On defense, she is versatile and athletic. She gets...
Tournaments | Story | 6/13/2026

West Coast Summer Breakout Hopefuls

Joey Cohen
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With summer ball ramping up, the priority follow lists from our scouting staff start to take shape and every year a handful of intriguing names outside the national spotlight begin to separate. Digging deeper into the West region, there’s a group of prospects currently buried outside the Top 200 who carry real breakout and helium potential over the next few months. All 10 players featured here are coming off strong high school seasons and bring traits that evaluators tend to bet on whether it’s projectable/athletic bodies, strong secondary stuff, or flashes of impact tools. They may not be household names just yet, but the ingredients are there for significant jumps by the end of the summer circuit. Don’t be surprised if several of these names are firmly in the mix and climbing up early boards in a hurry before the fall rolls around. Two innings of work here from Jonah...
Tournaments | Story | 6/14/2026

UBC West Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Steve Fiorindo
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Nash McCarthy (2030, Camas, WA) was outstanding in his start on day two of the UBC West for NW Baum Bat, working six-innings allowing four-hits, no walks and struck out seven.  Standing at 6-foot, 170-pounds with athleticism and room to add.  Effortless mover down the bump with a low effort, up-tempo operation that produced a fastball that was up to 84.  He showed feel for the secondary offerings mixing in a firm breaking ball at 71-74 with 11-5 shape with depth.  Controlled the zone and the tempo throughout the outing, moving the ball around to all four-quadrants.  Projectable arm speed with advanced feel for the spin and strike zone.  Dylan D'Oyen (2030, Cerritos, CA) got the start for 5 Star 2030 in their opening game of the tournament and impressed over six innings of work.  Athletic mover down the mound with balance and repeats the delivery. ...
Tournaments | Story | 6/13/2026

UBC South Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
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Quintin Blackwell (2030, Hercules, California) has, literally, been unstoppable this weekend for Premier Banditos Deleon. In six plate appearances, he has a walk and five hits. Doing it all with a double and two triples, while stealing three bags. Plenty of coil on the front side. Hands work through zone and the barrel stays on plane for a long time. High upside bat that makes an already deep Banditos lineup even deeper. Kenson Buth (2027, Trophy Club, Texas) has been an absolute weapon on both ends for Stix 2027 Scout. At the plate, he’s 6-9 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Linear approach with a ton of bat speed. Plenty of impact at the bottom of the zone and showing some ability to do serious damage in the middle of the field. On the mound, he went four quality innings, punching out three. The fastball lived 86-90 with carry. Good feel for the slider in the mid 70s....
Tournaments | Story | 6/13/2026

WWBA East Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
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Sawyer Pettit (‘27 MS) Has shown extremely well to start the summer of 2026. Its a physical left-handed hitting corner profile with big muscle mass. Will pass the eye test off the bus at the next level. The swing is clean with controlled violence and big in-air power that has shown up frequently. Good mover for the size and plays the game hard. Candidate for a big frosh season at LSU-Eunice in 2028. Keviyun McQueen (‘27 MS) Pair of barrels tied together here. Innate feel to hit with fast hands. Line drive approach that gets to pull side power in the air. Excellent athlete that will stick at a premium spot. #LaTech commit.#WWBAEast pic.twitter.com/xeintVTMil — PG Deep South (@PG_DeepSouth) June 12, 2026 Keviyun McQueen (‘27 MS) The Louisiana Tech commit just does not stop hitting. Left the yard to the pull side yesterday and followed it up with a 3-4 day with a...
Tournaments | Story | 6/12/2026

AZ All-State Ready to Take Place

Emily Hicks
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This weekend, eight teams will head to Goodyear Ballpark for the 2026 PG Arizona All-State tournament, setting the stage for what should be an exciting few days of baseball. With teams traveling from across the city, the field will be packed with talent and plenty of championship contenders. Among the teams competing in 16U are AZ Select, Marucci Athletics 2028 Grannis, Overfly 2028, Phoenix Phillies, Team Dinger 2028, T-Rex East Valley, USA Scout Team AZ 16U, and West Coast Ghost AZ 16U. Each team enters the weekend with its own strengths and goals, creating several intriguing storylines to follow throughout pool play and bracket action. One of the biggest teams to watch this weekend will be 10-10, T-Rex East Valley. Whether it's dominant pitching, high-powered offenses, or strong defensive play, T-Rex East Valley has already shown they can compete at a high level this season. A few...
Tournaments | Story | 6/12/2026

13/14u PG Elite Scout Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
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13u & 14u PG Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Tucker Richardson (2030, Mobile, Ala.) has already made a name for himself and he continued to play at the expected high level during his time in Hoover, finishing the tournament with a robust .700 average, collecting at least one base hit in each of his team’s games. Now the No. 10 ranked prospect in the country, Richardson more than once showed the ability to read and react to spin out of the pitcher’s hand, barreling up baseballs for a couple of his hits on the tournament. As much as the bat stands out, the defensive actions in the dirt are even better as he’s arguably the best defender in the class, making the most difficult plays look routing, including one where he charged hard on a slow roller with momentum taking him towards the third base dugout but thanks to the big arm, he was able to make the play look second...
College | Story | 6/11/2026

Collegiate Freshman All-Americans

Vincent Cervino
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Collegiate Postseason Awards | Collegiate All Americans First Team Hitters Pos. Name School Class AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB C Alonzo Alvarez Miami FR 0.341 0.439 0.551 40 57 13 2 6 32 3 1B Ethin Bingaman Auburn FR 0.330 0.415 0.581 60 71 9 0 15 50 4 2B Ethan Ball Virginia Tech FR 0.310 0.420 0.660 43 63 18 1 17 52 3 3B Nico Partida Texas A&M FR 0.306 0.408 0.550 45 55 8 0 12 43 4 SS Jett Kenady California FR 0.320 0.350 0.573 36 66 17 1 11 34 1 IF Linkin Garcia Texas Tech FR 0.338 0.387 0.489 53 78 21 1 4 59 1 OF Angel Laya Oregon FR 0.296 0.396 0.538 49 66 10 1 14 47 5 OF Anthony Pack Jr. Texas FR 0.359 0.485 0.597 58 74 16 0 11 52 20 OF Jacob Parker* Mississippi State FR 0.339 0.449 0.732 51 57 10 1 18 62 7 OF Teddy Tokheim Stanford FR 0.352 0.414 0.704 40 70 19 0 17 47 0 UT Drew Grego Nebraska FR 0.326 0.417 0.531 33 57 13 1 7 44 5 DH Enzo Infelise Cincinnati FR 0.374...
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