THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 10/25/2016

World Championship Day 5 Notes

Matt Czechanski
Photo: Perfect Game



Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Day 3 Notes | Day 4 Notes | Daily Leaders | TrackMan Live

The Dirtbags, en route to winning the 2016 WWBA World Championship, had to take down both the Midland Redskins and then Team Elite Prime on Monday, and did so in impressive fashion.

Mason Hickman (2017, Tenn.) is committed to Vanderbilt, and like many of the other Vandy commits in this event, he’s a big, physical righthanded pitching prospect with big upside. At 6-foot-6, 230-pounds, Hickman possesses the size and frame consistent with an innings-eater with a durable profile and the stuff to match. Working in the upper-80s consistently with his fastball, scraping 90 mph a time or two throughout the game, Hickman held Midland off the board in the semifinals, throwing a run-rule shortened five inning complete game, scattering three hits, walking no one and punching out five hitters. He worked the fastball to both sides of the plate and kept it down in the zone early in counts, elevating to get swing-and-miss strike threes, and for the most part showed pretty solid fastball command. In addition to his five strikeouts Hickman recorded eight of his outs via the groundball, and most of those came on fastballs, speaking both to his ability to command the pitch down in the zone as well as the heavy spin he’s able to generate. He didn’t really need a breaking ball on this day but showed a solid slider in the upper-70s with slurvy shape, but flashed the ability to sharpen up the tilt on the pitch when need be. He was on cruise control for essentially the entire the game, throwing nearly 70 percent strikes, with a good majority of his 72 pitches being fastballs.

In what really was a pitchers’ duel, the championship game of the WWBA World Championship between Team Elite Prime and the Dirtbags lived up to the hype. It’s probably safe to say that neither starting pitcher had their A+ raw stuff, but the “compete” level in both arms was absolutely off the charts, something fans, scouts and coaches alike really like to see from young players.

Carmen Mlodzinski (2017, S.C.) and Angel Zarate (2017, N.C.) started on the mound for Team Elite and the Dirtbags, respectively, in what ended being a Carolinas battle, both in terms of home states as well as a glimpse into a possible future collegiate matchup, with Mlodzinski committed to South Carolina and Zarate committed to North Carolina.

Mlodzinski was solid, working 5 1/3 innings, allowing a pair of runs on four hits and three walks while punching out three. He worked mostly in the 87-89 mph range with his fastball, bumping into the low-90s early on in his start. He was really just out there coming right after the hitters, often getting ahead 0-1, and despite the three walks, the command was pretty solid. He challenged hitters to both sides of the plate with his fastball, and worked in a pretty sharp curveball when necessary, showing advanced feel for the pitch when he consistently back-footed it to the left-anded hitters of the Dirtbags’ lineup, in addition to mixing in a quality changeup.

Zarate, for lack of a better phrase, really just pitched his butt off. He went the distance and earned the Championship game victory for the Dirtbags, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out six hitters. He definitely fits into the mold of crafty lefthander, using deception, feel and pitchability to have more success than his raw stuff would indicate, something very important for evaluators to keep in mind when watching young arms. Zarate worked mostly in the mid-80s with his fastball, generating good arm-side life and working to all four quadrants of the strike zone. He was very adept at throwing his breaking ball for a strike and often got ahead in the count by doing so, and he kept hitters off balance so much that when he did throw his fastball he was often getting empty swings on it due to the success he had setting the pitch up with his other pitches.

– Brian Sakowski





The eventual co-Most Valuable Pitcher of the event, Ethan Hankins (2018, Cumming, Ga.), continued his run of dominance at PG events this year. He closed with maybe his most impressive performance firing 6 1/3 innings of shutout baseball with six strikeouts against an offensively loaded AZ T-Rex club. Hankins is incredibly projectable with a long, fluid arm action and near effortless release. He works easily through the ball with plus extension down the mound. His long limbs are in control throughout his delivery with the ability to repeat with effortless arm speed. His fastball showed its usual arm-side life working 90-93 mph and hitting 93 in his final inning. He worked the corners of the zone with efficiency and threw his curveball for strikes. He set the pitch up well by attacking hitters with heaters up in the zone before turning to his breaking ball to freeze hitters in the zone. His curveball showed 10-to-4 shape with moderate levels of spin, but he threw it with the same extension and arm speed up to 75 mph. Hankins is a good candidate to incorporate a slider at some point from his extended arm slot that he’d likely be able to generate more spin on with a harder velocity.

For a stretch of four games there may not be a hitter that showed more consistent ability to drive the ball in the air than Davis Schneider (2017, Berlin, N.J.) for the eventual champion Dirtbags. Schneider hit yet another extra-base hit in their semifinal matchup, driving a ball to the wall for a double. Schneider has shown the desire to hunt fastballs left up in the zone and look to punish them with a higher launch angle swing with good leverage through the point of contact. The Rutgers commit earned MVP honors for the event, and rightfully so, with four extra-base hits in the Dirtbags five total playoff games.

A player who impressed with a strong performance in his team’s consolation game was Aaron Brown (2017, Mount Juliet, Tenn.). Brown has an impressive starter’s build listed at 6-foot-4, 205-pounds with good strength and physicality in his frame. He showed a very long arm action with a very big arm circle before throwing from an over-the-top arm slot. There was effort to his delivery but he repeated it well with good athleticism to maintain. He showed good arm strength with a fastball that worked 88-91 mph with mostly true life, but the pitch worked well around the zone. He fired two innings without allowing a hit and struck out four batters. He also showed a slider that showed short shape at 75 mph with moderate feel to spin. What impressed about Brown was his ability to throw his changeup. He did so with ease and deception as the pitch showed good depth down and out of the zone with fade. He didn’t hesitate to throw the pitch to same-handed hitters and often doubled down on it with two strikes.

– Matt Czechanski
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘28 OF Jakob Groeschel (OH) continues to impress with the bat on the circuit, picked up 2 2Bs in the first game today. Really athletic, went 4.4 on turn; easy to dream on all the traits. #MLKEast @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/wOIwnGKnkg — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) January 17, 2026 2028 OF Jakob Groeschel (Springfield, Ohio) broke out at this event last year hitting a casual .909, and although he didn’t turn in quite the same performance, he hit a strong .462 with 4 extra-base hits, 5 walks, 5 bags and only struck out once. He’s a pretty dynamic athlete who can do a lot of things well, but the bat is the calling card as he just lives on the barrel and has no problem handling all kinds of pitching. It’s a simple swing, but he’s got fast hands and he can really impact the ball without being overly physical yet.  2030 RHP Michael Vazquez...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 3/20/2026

2026 Draft Board: Top 300

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The 2026 MLB Draft class is shaping up to be one of the better in recent memory and, potentially, the best class in the last decade. It’s led by UCLA superstar shortstop Roch Cholowsky, a true five-tool prospect who’s the early favorite for 1:1. One of the most popular pieces of industry feedback when constructing this list was some variation of “Roch is too low” or “go up on Roch” and he’s the best college prospect since 2019 when Adley Rutschman (Oregon State, Orioles) was the consensus No. 1 prospect. Similarly to 2019, there’s a superstar Texas prep shortstop at No. 2, in 2019 it was Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville Heritage, Royals) and this year it’s Grady Emerson. Both Emerson and Alabama’s Justin Lebron would have been solid 1:1 candidates in years where Roch Cholowsky is not eligible and both have All-Star potential....
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 3/19/2026

PG Teams Up with OZ Ball Tournaments PTY

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME NAMES OZ BALL TOURNAMENTS PTY AS OFFICIAL AREA DIRECTOR IN AUSTRALIA, EXPANDING GLOBAL FOOTPRINT   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, March 19, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that it has entered into a new international partnership with Oz Ball Tournaments Pty, naming the organization as an official Perfect Game Area Director in Australia. The agreement establishes Perfect Game-licensed tournaments and showcases across major Australian markets, including Sydney, Brisbane/Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.     Australian events will operate under the Perfect Game brand, delivering the same...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 3/18/2026

PG Introduces Individual Player Entry

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME INTRODUCES INDIVIDUAL PLAYER ENTRY, EXPANDING ACCESS TO ELITE NATIONAL EVENTS   Athletes Can Now Compete in Select National Tournaments Through Structured ‘Team PG’ Rosters   Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, March 18, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the launch of Individual Player Entry, a new initiative designed to provide athletes the opportunity to compete in select national events even if their primary team is not attending.   Through the program, players can now register individually and be placed on a structured “Team PG” roster, allowing them to participate fully in...
Read More
Juco | Rankings | 3/18/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 18

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
This week brings a new top team to the rankings as Johnson County (KS), on the strength of 10 consecutive wins and a 26-2 record, claims the overall number 1 spot. The Cavaliers have made 3 consecutive trips to the JUCO World Series and have the talent to make it back there again this spring. Florida Southwestern and Chipola have seemingly separated themselves as the most consistent teams in Florida. Welcome to the top 5 to the Gaston Rhinos who will be one of the first teams to 30 wins this spring. Pearl River stays as the top NJCAA D2 team and Fresno City stays as the top Juco team in California; both are coming off undefeated 2 week stretches. Welcome back to the top 25 to John A. Logan who is now 20-7 overall and have played one of the toughest schedules of anyone. And for the first time in several years welcome to the top 25 to the College of Southern Idaho, the Golden Eagles have...
Read More
High School | General | 3/18/2026

Class of 2026: Preseason HS All-Americans

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/18/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 18

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
In every major sport, the championship is decided in the postseason. You can lose games all year, get hot at the right time, and walk away with the hardware. The regular season is a rehearsal. The playoffs are the show.  The championship belt changes that. Borrowed from professional wrestling, boxing and ultimate fighting, the belt travels the moment the holder loses — no brackets, no seeding, no second chances. A random Tuesday non-conference game in Milledgeville, Georgia  becomes a title fight. A spring trip to Florida becomes a gauntlet. The defending national champion can lose the belt before February is over.  We’re tracking three belts this season — NCAA Division II, NAIA, and NCAA Division III — each starting with the defending national champion. The results have been exactly as chaotic as you’d expect.  Worth noting along the...
Read More
High School | Rankings | 3/17/2026

High School Top 50 Update: March 17

Tyler Russo
Article Image
We have another update to the National Top-50 after two weeks of even more games being played in the southern states along with seasons just starting to kick off across the country. We’re quickly approaching another stellar high school event, the NHSI in Cary, and with that will come even more movement in these rankings. St. John Bosco (CA) continues to hold firm at the No. 1 position after a 4-0 start to their season. Venice (FL) has been rolling throughout the early portion of the year and jumps up to No. 2 in the country. One of the biggest movers in this update is The Bennett School (TX) jumping from unranked to No. 8 in the country after beating a handful of top ranked programs to start the year. Some other big movers inside the top-10 are Barbe (LA), who jumps from No. 18 to No. 5 in this update as well as Aledo (TX) who jumps from No. 20 to No. 9. The rest of the top-10...
Read More
College | Story | 3/17/2026

College Players of the Week: March 17

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
March 17th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-3) came into the season with the highest external expectations in decades based on the anticipation of their offensive potential. To this point they have not only met those lofty expectations, but twenty games in they may have exceeded them. While there are plenty of high-level prospects up and down the lineup, with all that star power Vahn Lackey has stood out. Sure to be one of the first catchers selected in this year’s MLB Draft with his comprehensive skillset, he projects well as an everyday backstop at the next level. However, his overall athleticism stands out as we saw this week when he had a game where he played every defensive position on the field except pitcher. At the plate over four games including a series victory at Clemson last week, he went 9 for 15, scoring...
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/16/2026

College Top 25: March 16

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Collegiate Player Report Database As each week of the college baseball season passes, we continue to be entertained at an incredible level with high level drama at every turn.  Conference play is under way and the national landscape is starting to make a bit more sense.  The development and strength of individual players is on full-display and there continue to be upsets on occasion that sends the message no team can relax for one moment.  For the most part, the Top 10 remains unchanged with some reshuffling as No. 1 UCLA (17-2) holds on to the top spot with yet another perfect (4-0) week after sweeping Michigan.  The No. 2 Texas Longhorns (18-1) did drop their first game of the season in Game 1 of SEC play but won the series against Ole Miss and finished the week with a (3-1) record.  The Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (17-3) passed their first real road test of the...
Read More
Draft | Story | 3/13/2026

PG Draft: Under the Radar Preps

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
PG Draft: Under the Radar Preps As the spring season gets underway, the showcase circuit and early high-level tournaments have already provided our scouts with some intriguing first looks at this year’s crop of prospects. At the same time, we’ve been tracking the buzz among team evaluators, listening closely to the names that keep coming up in conversations and the players clubs are making sure they get eyes on this spring. Every year, a handful of prospects quietly slip beneath the radar during the fall and winter months, only to reemerge once the games start counting again. Sometimes it’s the result of a productive offseason in the weight room, a noticeable jump in velocity, or a step forward in skill development. Other times, it’s simply a player finally getting the opportunity and the stage to show what’s been building behind the scenes. The spring has a...
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.