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Tournaments  | Story | 7/19/2016

16u BCS Finals Day 1 Scout Notes

Brandon Hohl


Daily Leaders | Top Ranked Players Team Database

Righthanded pitcher and member of Clutch Baseball, John Hoyle (2018, Austin, Texas) leads off the coverage of the 16u BCS Finals in Fort Myers. On the mound, John has a high leg kick and his hands come high above the head, sits in to the back leg then has a long stride, long and fast arm swing that bounces from the back pocket to a sudden over-the-top the top release point. I thought that he was able to hide the ball very well along with creating a large downward angle. Hoyle worked a fastball, changeup and curveball. The fastball was his go-to pitch early in the count working inside and also elevating it. The fastball set up his impressive 11-to-5 curveball which he used mainly as an out pitch. He did show a changeup in between innings but hardly threw it in the outing. Hoyle looked to still be developing some feel and maintaining a fastball arm speed with it. John finished with five innings pitched, nine strikeouts and no runs allowed.

Reed Beverly (2018, Austin, Texas) of Clutch Baseball stands at the plate with an open stance, hands shoulder height and rocks the barrel in front of his head for rhythm. He keeps the back leg torqued, using a quick leg lift to create a coiled front side as his stride separates to a strong launch position. He generates bat speed and showed good situational hitting by driving a low fastball in the air to center field for a sacrifice fly. Beverly showed advanced actions at the plate and is an intriguing athlete with seemingly more potential as he matures. His athletic profile seems to fit that of a corner outfielder or first basemen with the bat projecting to the middle of the order.

Matthew Maldonado (2018, Geronimo, Texas), also a member of Clutch, is a lefthanded hitter that keeps it really simple at the plate. His stance is set up in a strong position with his feet slightly wider than shoulder width and his hands high by the ear with the barrel at 45 degrees. He uses a short gather into his back leg and short stride, making the swing seem more rotational than it actually is. His back elbow drops and the barrel falls below the back shoulder creating a positive attack angle to the ball with bat speed. Maldonado singled hard with a line drive to right center field. Listed as a pitcher in his profile, he shows comfort and impressive actions at the plate.

Over on Field 4 of the 5-Plex, the aggressive offense of FTB Max Bats caught my attention, and standing out specifically was lefthanded hitter Christopher Vervoordt. Christopher is a tall, lean athlete that plays first base and hit third. At the plate he has a wide stance, keeping his hands high and back behind the shoulder. Vervoordt has simple actions at the plate starting with a short gather to his rear leg, then striding and landing early. He showed a good bat path as his body worked up to the ball and his lower half ended in a strong power-L with the lead leg locked out. I saw him double to right-center field on an inside fastball, running the bases well. Vervoordt is at least 6-foot-6 and still shows room to grow. He provides a great target at first base for the rest of his teammates.

Leo Passley (2018, St. Petersberg, Fla.) took the mound in relief for Chain National-McCrane, coming in from shortstop. He worked with clean mechanics beginning with a smooth leg lift, keeping his hands away from the body, raising his hands with leg lift and then striding forward with a long arm swing and whippy arm action with a low three-quarters release. Passley threw his fastball at 80 mph and showed arm-side run when working to the righthanded batters box. He could also throw it straight to his glove side, backing up lefthanded hitters. He mixed his fastball with a 10-to-5 slider at 70 mph with late sweeping movement. Passley finished two innings of work with one strikeout and no earned runs.

Kyle Yeoward (2019, Coral Springs, Fla.) of the HofFitz Legends showed impressive actions at the plate. The 15-year-old stands slightly open with his rear leg internally rotated, back knee in and hands high away from the shoulder. He begins his swing with a gather to the rear leg and his back knee goes out over his toes to create a torqued position, striding back to even landing high on the toe and a barrel tip to a low launch position. Yeoward’s body works up to the ball generating good bat speed, making good contact at the plate while showing potential for power.

Another 15-year-old that stood out for the HofFitz Legends was first baseman Andrew Jenner (2019, Coral Springs, Fla.). The lefthanded hitter starts his swing with an early leg kick, striding forward while the hands move back creating elastic tension. Jenner did simplify his mechanics with two strikes, choosing to stride and land early rather than continue the leg lift. He would simplify until he got back to even in the count or was anticipating a fastball. His barrel got behind the shoulder creating a positive path while his lower body worked up to the ball. Jenner gives himself a great chance to hit by keeping his barrel in the zone for a long period of time and he finished his day going 3-for-4 with a triple. I saw him work a deep count resulting in a single off the hands over the shortstop with a 4.69 turn.

Mark Townsend (2018, Sarasota, Fla.), with his lefthanded swing for the Florida Burn Platinum South really impressed at the plate. Townsend has an athletic stance with his feet slightly wider than shoulder width and his back knee bent in, hands set by his shoulder with the barrel at 45 degrees. His swing starts with knee-to-knee leg lift from his lead leg, striding forward as his hands separate loading up and back creating elastic tension. He lands in a torqued position swinging with bat speed and balance throughout the body. Townsend has a controlled finish with the rear leg in the power-L and a locked out lead leg with his torso over the plate. In his first at-bat he showed off his bat speed by lining out hard to center field.

Burn Platinum North righthanded pitcher Jonathon Simpson (2018, Plant City, Fla.) impressed with his funky and fast movements on the mound at 5-Plex Field 3. Simpson has high leg kick, leaning over his knee with his torso and his hands come up over the knee as he separates his throwing arm straight down. The arm bounces up out of his back pocket to an over-the-top release point. Simpson worked his straight fastball up to 85 mph and the deception added to the success with his fastball. Simpson created a lot of swing and misses along with jammed barrels with the fastball and he mixed in a sharp 67-69 mph curvebal. Mainly working early with his fastball and finishing with the curveball, Simpson finished with 6 1/3 innings pitched, scattering five hits while striking out three.

Pitching for Tampa Express was righthander Xavier Rodriquez (2017, Tampa, Fla.) who impressed with his velocity on his fastball. Touching 88 mph and sitting at a consistent 85-86, Rodriguez would attack hitters early with the fastball before showing a curveball with 12-to-6 movement at 71-74 mph. The most impressive pitch I thought Rodriguez had was his changeup that he threw consistently at 70 mph. He showed that he had advanced feel and confidence in the pitch, maintaining his fastball arm speed with arm-side run and depth out of the hand.
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Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap
Perfect Game Staff
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Ashley Mears
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2026 Perfect Game March Madness February 27-March 1st Ashley Mears What a weekend at the Fun City Dome in Burlington, Iowa! The energy was electric from first pitch to final out towering home runs, edge-of-your-seat battles, dramatic comebacks, and extra-inning thrillers with some unpredictable endings, it was a great weekend all around. The Top Performers list welcomed some exciting new names, while seasoned seniors continued to cement their legacies, delivering standout performances week after week. For some, this may have been their final appearance on a Perfect Game stage, and they made sure it was unforgettable. In the 18u division a tough Nebraska Gold 319 Berning team outlasted the Southeast Iowa All Stars in the championship. In 16u the Top Gun 2028- Strange completed their weekend by beating the Iowa Aries 16U CE Fire Black. 18U The weekend’s Most Valuable Player award...
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Steve Fiorindo
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Full BP & pregame I/O from ‘26 SS Keon Johnson. Whippy hands and lifted to the middle of the field throughout the rounds, athletic mover on the dirt & enough arm strength to stick on the left side. #4 in @PG_Georgia & #50 on the @PG_Draft Board. #PGHS @FPDVikingSports https://t.co/vYvReQKTVh pic.twitter.com/BksHJtA09X — Cam McElwaney (@CamMcElwaneyPG) February 20, 2026 Keon Johnson, SS, First Presbyterian Day Johnson has long been near the top of the 2026 rankings and it all culminated in being a PG All-American last August. He heads into the spring as one of the names to know in the upcoming MLB Draft and is drawing crowds to his high school in Macon. It’s a well-built 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame with good actions up the middle. The defensive acumen has continued to improve over the last few years and now looks comfortable at shortstop and even projects there...
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Nick Herfordt
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Juco | Rankings | 3/4/2026

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Troy Sutherland
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Another week down as we get into conference play in parts of the nation. This week is led by Chipola at No. 1 with an impressive 24-1 record. Walters State drops to No. 2 at 16-3 and Florida SouthWestern State College (17-5) follows closely behind. Powerhouse programs  McLennan Community College (11-2) and Johnson County Community College (18-2) round out the top five, while one-loss teams Fresno City, Ohlone, and Cloud County are quickly climbing into the national conversation. With traditional Texas powers, West Coast contenders, and deep Florida Juco rosters all in the mix, the race for Grand Junction is already taking shape.   Rk. Team Record 1 Chipola (FL) 24-1 2 Walters State (TN) 16-3 3 Florida Southwestern (FL) 17-5 4 McLennan (TX) 11-2 5 Johnson County (KS) 18-2 6 Gaston (NC) 20-2 7 Blinn (TX) 12-6 8 Florence-Darlington (SC) 18-5 9 Northwest Florida (FL) 16-8 10...
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Tyler Russo
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As we get rolling deeper into the spring here in the southern states, other states are only a few weeks away from their seasons beginning and some are even starting the day this will be posted. We’ve concluded the first major event on the high school schedule, the PG High School Showdown, and it was an epic weekend in Hoover. The event was littered with talent and these rankings reflect just that. St. John Bosco (CA) holds onto the first spot in this update and are being pushed by an IMG Academy (FL) team that’s 8-0 after winning the High School Showdown as well as beating two preseason top-10 teams in the first few weeks of the season. Orange Lutheran (CA) holds onto the No. 3 spot after a 1-0 start to the year and just a few weeks away from NHSI. A trio of Florida schools follow Olu in South Walton (FL), fresh off a win at the HS Showdown, Venice (FL), a surging team...
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PG & RaceTrac Expand Partnership

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   PERFECT GAME AND RACETRAC ANNOUNCE EXPANDED PARTNERSHIP   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, March 3, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced an expanded partnership with RaceTrac, naming the convenience store brand the Official Convenience Store of Perfect Game in Georgia and Florida. The enhanced relationship significantly broadens RaceTrac’s presence across Perfect Game’s premier tournament venues and digital platforms, deepening its engagement with players, families, coaches and fans throughout two of the most active youth baseball markets in the country.   As part of the expanded agreement, RaceTrac will launch a robust...
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College | Story | 3/3/2026

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Craig Cozart
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March 3 Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Cider Canon, OF, Duke  The Duke Blue Devils (11-3) went through massive changes in the offseason, with a new coaching staff and heavy roster turnover like is often seen in the college game today.  That hasn’t held them back as they have kind of flown under the radar on their way to a tie for the most wins in the nation.  They won 4 out 5 games last week and Cider Canon was the driving force behind their offensive onslaught.  The 5-11/180 outfielder from San Marino, CA put together an incredible week collecting 9 hits in 14 at-bats, good for a .643 BA, scoring 7 runs, with 3 walks, 4 home runs and driving in a total of 10 runs.  After a successful couple years at Davidson College, Cider made the trip north to Durham and has fit right into the Blue Devil’s high-octane offense.  For the season, he is...
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Vincent Cervino
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High School Showdown Event Page | High School Showdown Preview High School Showdown Scout Notes: Day 1 An extended look at ‘26 3B/RHP Coleman Borthwick (FL)… 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 8 K, 0 BB #PGShowdown @SWseahawks @Florida_PG @PG_Draft https://t.co/IHJFWFbn4T pic.twitter.com/I2izGcEdyA — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) February 28, 2026 Coleman Borthwick (2026, Freeport, Fla.) was excellent over the weekend, securing MVP honors and delivering one of the best starts of the event on the mound. At 6-foot-6, 255-pounds, Borthwick is an ultra-physical prospect and one of the top two-way prospects in the draft. The Auburn signee drew the biggest crowd of MLB scouts in attendance as there were around 50 or 60 so lined up behind home plate on Friday morning. Borthwick was nothing short of dominant, striking out eight hitters and...
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Vincent Cervino
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High School | General | 2/27/2026

HS Showdown Scout Notes: Day 1

Tyler Russo
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High School Showdown Event Page | High School Showdown Preview ‘27 1B Frank Thomas (FL) goes liftoff once again for 2nd HR, again in the L on L. Leveraging w/ such easy juice. #PGShowdown @IMGABaseball @Florida_PG https://t.co/BgWiDyMiMo pic.twitter.com/IC6sdAkhmT — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) February 26, 2026 Frank Thomas III (2027, Sarasota, Fl.) was all over a breaking ball in the first inning of an IMG Academy offensive explosion, making it back-to-back-to-back homers to start the game. He did not turn back from there, homering on two more occasions. The ball explodes off the barrel with low effort strength and he showed the ability to manipulate the barrel to lift with authority. Thomas III is built strong and physical and he is just beginning to tap into that huge power upside. He showed no issues handling left on left matchups, with his first two homers coming...
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