THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,606 MLB PLAYERS | 16,397 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,606 MLB PLAYERS | 16,397 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
College  | Story | 4/6/2017

Midseason College Honors

Photo: Louisville Sports Information




Perfect Game Top 25 | Player/Pitcher of the Week
College Spotlight | College Player Database

For as many legitimate options as there were for the 2017 Perfect Game/Rawlings Midseason Player, Pitcher, Freshman and Coach of the Year awards, the PG college staff pretty quickly and unanimously agreed on the four eventual winners.

The Player of the Year honor goes to Louisville's Brendan McKay, who has somewhat of an "unfair" advantage in that he hits and pitches at a high level, and up until a couple of weeks ago his batting average was higher than his ERA, which is hard to even conceive. However, that rare talent is the reason why he is the best player in all of college baseball, which we don't believe is an opinion but rather a statement of fact, and he has led the second-ranked Cardinals to an impressive start to open 2017 by dominating both on the mound and at the plate.

Luke Heimlich, the Midseason Pitcher of the Year, has been equally dominant as the staff ace for the top-ranked Beavers. He has delivered numerous key outings so far this season, mixing and matching between his low-90s fastball and the rest of his four-pitch repertoire to successfully navigate through dangerous lineups, including an impressive start to the Pac-12 schedule the past three weeks. The competitive lefthander has only allowed three runs in seven starts, as four of the games he started (none of which he finished) resulted in a shutout and he went the distance last Friday in a 3-1 win over Stanford.

The Midseason Freshman of the Year is Braden Shewmake, who stepped onto Texas A&M's campus in College Station with quite a bit of fanfare, and lived up to his promise with a strong showing in the fall. He opened this year as the starting second baseman for the Aggies and has continued to hit at a high level, picking up where SEC Player of the Year Boomer White left off from a season ago. With a lightning quick bat and rangy defensive skills that likely will allow him to slide across the second base bag to shortstop in the years to come, Shewmake could be a college baseball star in the making.

Dave Tollett of Florida Gulf Coast was one of the easiest choices as the PG/Rawlings Midseason Coach of the Year. Tollett has guided the Eagles, who opened the season unranked, to a 24-6 overall record and are ranked 16th as of Monday, April 3. FGCU went 17-1 in the month of March, which included series sweeps of UNC Wilmington, Rutgers and Jackson State, as well as midweek victories over Florida (twice), Florida State, South Florida and Miami. Tollett is the only coach FGCU has ever had (baseball began in 2002), and he has guided the Eagles to the Atlantic Sun Championship four times in 15 years.

The Midseason Team of the Year is the most obvious as Oregon State is currently ranked No. 1 with a near-flawless 25-1 record heading into their fourth Pac-12 series of the year as they host the reigning conference champion Utah Utes. Head Coach Pat Casey has kept his squad hungry (and probably a little bit mad) looking for redemption after missing the 2016 postseason despite positing a respectable 35-19 overall record. The Beavers loudest statement thus far came two weeks ago when they swept the 2016 College World Series runner-up Arizona Wildcats.


Midseason Perfect Game/Rawlings College Baseball Awards:

Player of the Year: Brendan McKay, lhp/1b, Louisville
Pitcher of the Year: Luke Heimlich, lhp, Oregon State
Freshman of the Year: Braden Shewmake, 2b, Texas A&M
Coach of the Year: Dave Tollett, Florida Gulf Coast
Team of the Year: Oregon State Beavers


Midseason Perfect Game/Rawlings College Baseball All-American Teams
Statistics for games played through Monday, April 3

First Team

Pos. Player School AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
C Joey Bart Georgia Tech .345 .419 .727 24 38 9 0 11 31 2
1B Ben Fisher Eastern Kentucky .412 .500 .895 43 47 10 0 15 44 0
2B Jake Scheiner Houston .415 .467 .821 21 44 11 1 10 33 1
3B Jake Burger Missouri State .387 .473 .774 30 41 8 0 11 31 2
SS Kevin Merrell South Florida .427 .504 .641 29 44 7 3 3 18 16
OF Brent Rooker Mississippi State .422 .511 .890 24 46 18 3 9 43 14
OF Keston Hiura UC Irvine .391 .505 .759 23 34 14 0 6 21 1
OF Jared Oliva Arizona .349 .421 .613 30 37 12 2 4 35 6
DH Ryan Flick Tennessee Tech .393 .475 .718 36 46 17 0 7 32 1
UT Brendan McKay Louisville .417 .532 .679 24 35 5 1 5 20 0


Pos. Player School ERA W-L CG SV IP H SO BB BAA
SP Luke Hemlich Oregon State 0.52 5-0 1 0 52 26 55 10 .145
SP J.B. Bukauskas North Carolina 0.96 5-0 0 0 47 24 70 11 .151
SP Steven Gingery Texas Tech 0.92 6-0 0 0 48.2 26 54 13 .156
SP Jared Poche Louisiana State 1.15 6-1 1 0 47 29 31 10 .178
SP J.C. Cloney Arizona 1.75 6-0 0 0 46.1 33 34 9 .195
RP Nick Sandlin Southern Miss 0.00 5-0 0 3 24 9 37 10 .114
RP T.J. Sikkema Missouri 0.47 5-0 0 3 38 18 49 8 .143
UT Brendan McKay Louisville 1.18 4-1 0 0 38 25 57 9 .187


Second Team

Pos. Player School AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
C Grant Koch Arkansas .319 .423 .604 20 29 6 1 6 27 3
1B Gavin Sheets Wake Forest .310 .387 .621 30 36 7 1 9 43 0
2B Braden Shewmake Texas A&M .365 .397 .563 24 46 12 2 3 34 8
3B Taylor Schwaner Southeastern Louisiana .390 .500 .740 27 39 6 4 7 39 8
SS Nick Madrigal Oregon State .406 .470 .574 25 41 8 0 3 17 8
OF Jeren Kendall Vanderbilt .325 .418 .667 33 39 5 3 10 29 10
OF Griffin Conine Duke .322 .430 .619 33 38 10 2 7 34 7
OF Tyler Adkison San Diego State .437 .544 .859 20 31 7 1 7 28 3
DH Charlie Madden Mercer .312 .445 .752 33 34 12 0 12 34 0
UT Adam Haseley Virginia .398 .500 .704 31 43 7 1 8 25 7


Pos. Player School ERA W-L CG SV IP H SO BB BAA
SP David Peterson Oregon 2.14 6-1 0 0 46.1 41 66 4 .233
SP Jake Irvin Oklahoma 1.16 5-0 0 0 31 21 42 8 .189
SP Kutter Crawford Florida Gulf Coast 1.04 5-0 0 1 34.2 20 49 11 .163
SP Jared Janczak Texas Christian 2.05 5-0 0 0 48.1 22 50 12 .135
SP Gunner Leger Louisiana 1.27 5-1 0 0 42.2 27 48 11 .186
RP Nate Harris Louisiana Tech 0.76 3-0 1 7 35.1 21 50 3 .163
RP Logan Salow Kentucky 0.41 0-2 0 6 22 11 31 6 .151
UT Adam Haseley Virginia 3.43 4-1 0 0 42 42 31 10 .264



College | Story | 8/21/2026

2027 Draft Preview: Collegiate RHP

Ryan Miller
Article Image
2027 MLB Draft Profile Preview: College Right-Handed Pitchers  Throughout the 2027 draft cycle, I’ll be breaking down different demographics in the class. Today we begin with collegiate right-handed pitching, a strong group that is headlined by a legitimate 1-1 candidate in Dax Whitney. Most of the group is made up of high-quality power four arms, with a handful of mid-major arms mixed in. Below are the top college right-handers in the 2027 class:  Dax Whitney (@BeaverBaseball) showed LOUD stuff. FB up to 100, cruised at 95-98. Pair of plus secondaries. CB at 77-79 (2923) with sharp, 12-6 action. Firm SL at 89-91 (2714) with bite. Flashed fading CH at 87-88 (1425). Ranked No. 1 on the ‘27 board @PG_Draft So./‘27 elig. pic.twitter.com/9PNbjJ53Zo — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 13, 2026 Dax Whitney, Oregon State  Whitney has maintained...
Draft | Story | 8/22/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL East

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. AL East Baltimore Orioles Grade: 50 Risk: High Notable Selections: OF Eric Booth Jr. (1st rd) | OF Ty Head (2nd rd) | OF Kevin Roberts Jr (4th rd)  Eric Booth Jr. (26 MS) goes big fly 💣 that carried out oppo. Explosive athlete w/ huge LH juice & tools. Big time in several facets. #NatElite #Vandy commit. @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/kXl7ZVyD9G — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 12, 2025 Baltimore was about middle of the pack in terms of money available this year, having $13.1m to spend on their class. Booth Jr. is a...
All American Game | Story | 8/21/2026

Brotherly Love Inspires Carter Hadnot

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PHILADELPHIA – Perfect Game has been a big part of Carter Hadnot’s life since he was 12. He participated in more than a dozen tournaments and showcases, including prestigious Select Festivals as a 13U and 14U player, as well as last summer’s PG All-Star Game for underclassmen in San Diego.   The PG event that Hadnot always wanted to be part of was the DICK’s All-American Classic. Now, that’s on his resume, too. He played in the 24th annual Classic earlier this week at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. “This means a lot to me,” he said during the event. “I always wanted to make it to Select Fest when I was younger. So, every time I get invited to an event it’s an honor and it’s fun. I don’t take it for granted. “This is definitely the one I always wanted to make it to. A lot of big names have...
Press Release | Press Release | 8/18/2026

Perfect Game & Delano Partner Up

Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME NAMES DELANO BAT COMPANY OFFICIAL WOOD COMPOSITE BAT PARTNER, LAUNCHES LIMITED-EDITION BAT SERIES   Delano Bats will serve as the Official Game Bat of the 13U Select Festival, taking place this coming weekend in East Cobb, Georgia   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, August 18, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with Delano Bat Company, LLC, naming the company an Official Wood Composite Bat Partner of Perfect Game. The partnership will feature three exclusive limited-edition bat releases, which began with the Original Glory American Flag Bat in celebration of the United States' 250th birthday, that...
Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL Central

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL West | AL Central With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL Central Chicago Cubs  Grade: 40 Risk: Medium Notable Selections: RHP Cade Townsend (1st rd) | OF Caden Sorrell (2nd rd) | 1B Myles Bailey (2C)   RHP Cade Townsend (@OleMissBSB) sat 95-96 T97 w/ riding FB from fast arm. Nasty cutter at 88-91 is the go-to, showed biting 2 pln SL. Low-80s top to bottom CB & CH ~ 1300 RPM to round out mix. Has had a great spring & risen up boards. Soph./'26 elig. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/TAFbM37f5j — PG College...
Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL Central

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL West With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. AL Central Cleveland Guardians  Grade: 45 Risk: Moderate  Notable Selections: RHP Liam Peterson (1st rd) | Tre Broussard OF (3rd rd) | RHP Savion Sims (7th rd)  Liam Peterson (@GatorsBB) has been pure power stuff through the first 3.0 IP in his start vs Bama…imposing his will on hitters with a fastball that has grabbed 100 mph a few times, backed up by his power slider and curveball @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/RVThNrdMTn — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 21,...
High School | General | 8/17/2026

Scott Wins MVP Two Ways

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PHILADELPHIA – When the folks at Perfect Game reached out to invite him to pitch in the 2026 PG All-Star Game for rising sophomores and juniors, Cullen Scott had one request. “You mind if I get a couple of at-bats, too?” Along with his dad, Scott traveled from the family’s home in Texas to Citizens Bank Park. The trip proved to be a huge success as he starred on the mound and at the plate and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Scott, 16, pitched a scoreless first inning and struck out two. In the fourth inning, he belted a grand slam six rows up into the left-field seats to lead the National team’s 6-1 win over the American team. “He showed us why he’s here as a pitcher and a hitter,” said Greg Sabers, PG’s vice president of scouting and showcases. "He’s one of the top pitchers here, but he’s too good a...
All American Game | Story | 8/16/2026

Romero Slams His Way to Classic MVP

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PHILADELPHIA – Sunday’s DICK’s Perfect Game All-American Classic was a pitching-dominated affair until the bottom of the eighth inning when the rain started to fall at Citizens Bank Park and Koa Romero stepped to the plate and did his best impression of Kyle Schwarber. Romero wears No. 12, just like Schwarber. He bats left-handed, just like Schwarber. He’s got big power, just like Schwarber. And at 5-10 and a rock-solid 225 pounds, he’s even built like Schwarber. Needless to say, Schwarber is Romero’s favorite player. So, it was all kind of storybook when Romero belted a grand slam to dead center to cap off the scoring in the West team’s 8-3 win over the East club in the 24th annual Classic. “This is a dream come true,” said Romero, who was named MVP of the game. “It’s amazing to be able to put a ball like that out of a...
All American Game | Story | 8/15/2026

A Philly Dream for Steingall

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PHILADELPHIA – Carson Steingall had been to Citizens Bank Park many times over the years. After all, he hails from Nazareth, Pa., about 90 minutes up the road from the home of the Philadelphia Phillies and he counts himself as a big fan of the team. Zack Wheeler is his favorite. Steingall realized a dream when he pitched from the same mound that Wheeler does in Perfect Game’s fourth annual All-Star Game for rising sophomores and juniors on Friday. The dream got even better when Steingall, a 16-year-old right-hander, was named Most Valuable Pitcher after striking out the side in the third inning of the National team’s 6-1 victory over the American team. “It’s just an honor to be here,” Steingall said after receiving his trophy. “This event is the best of the best. It’s really cool to win something like this.” Steingall, who’ll...
Showcase | Story | 8/13/2026

PG Honors Pat Gillick With Philly Showcase

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Perfect Game to honor Pat Gillick in new Philadelphia Showcase  By Maya Heyman Perfect Game is bringing its elite showcase experience to Philadelphia’s FDR Park for the inaugural Philly Stars/Pat Gillick Showcase this weekend, honoring one of the greatest executives in MLB history in the city where he constructed his final of three World Series winners. The event will take place on Sunday, the same day as the DICK’S All-American Classic, taking place just across the street at Citizens Bank Park.  The showcase will allow Philadelphia-area players to gain exposure and will also honor Gillick, who has been a tremendous influence in both professional and amateur baseball.   Jered Goodwin, Vice President of Scouting Operations for Perfect Game, said the idea came naturally.  “Going to Philly made a lot of sense to honor Pat Gillick, who's been a...
Loading more articles...