THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,802 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,802 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 9/18/2017

Banditos claim South, Jupiter bid

Photo: Perfect Game

TOMBALL, Texas – 
A battle between two of the lower seeds of the event, No. 6 Banditos Black and No. 8 Mizuno USA, culminated with a bid to Jupiter being secured by the Banditos Black. The Banditos defeated Mizuno USA by a final score of 12-4 to capture the event title and earn a bid to the WWBA World Championships in October.

The scoring started right away in the first inning as shortstop Hilton Brown took an elevated fastball and knocked off the base of the batter’s eye in centerfield to bring home a run. A couple of batters later Chase Morris crushed a pitch deep over right field for a no-doubt three run shot and all of a sudden Mizuno was up 4-0 heading into the bottom of the frame.

The Banditos struck right back in the bottom of the frame as Roberto Pena, the starting pitcher for the team, roped a line drive up the middle for a run-scoring single. They only scored one run in the frame, but came back in the bottom of the second with a big rally. Six runs were put up in the bottom of the sixth inning after the Banditos capitalized on mistakes that Mizuno made. Three walks, two errors, and two hit by pitches allowed the runs to cross and Pena added another RBI single to make it 7-4 heading to the third.

After giving up four in the first, Pena settled in nicely to limit the Mizuno offense. He finished the game allowing four runs on three hits and struck out two batters while working his fastball in the 84-87 mph range.

The scoring continued in the bottom of the fourth inning as Derrick Cherry came through with a double over the head of the center fielder. After the runners were done circling the bases, the Banditos were ahead 10-4 and they continued to pile on. The Banditos added two more runs and headed to the top of the fifth with three outs to go. Lefthander Brandon Deskins closed out the game with three strikeouts and the Banditos clinched the championship.

Banditos owner and manager Ray DeLeon was very excited for his team to come away with the victory. Their undefeated performance over the course of the event was highlighted by the their pitching, which did a good job at keeping opposing offenses at bay.

“It feels good because this is our Bandito Black team, not the (Banditos) Scout Team. These kids wanted an opportunity to come out here and play and they stepped up. A lot of these kids were hungry for a Jupiter bid and they got it. They’re a scrappy team and they’re hungry. It all starts with the pitching and it was fun to see our pitchers working hard out there.”

DeLeon’s team fell behind early in both the semifinals, down 4-2 against PNT Scout Team after the first, and against Mizuno USA in the championship game. They trailed 4-0 after the top of the first only to show excellent resiliency and rattle off twelve straight unanswered runs.

“We told them not to stop playing. In baseball and especially with wood bats, there is always a chance of things happening. At this point in the junction, a lot of guys are used up, but we happened to run into a couple of good arms and we kept fighting and getting guys over. We told our guys to try to be a hard out, and they were. It’s a sign of a good team that you can fall behind and come back.”

The Banditos have been one of the premier organizations in travel ball for some time now and this won shows how much depth that they possess.

“It’s good for the program that you have this much talent. It’s hard to get to Jupiter and that you can place several teams in Jupiter. It says a lot about the program and about the kids that are fighting to get berths. It’s not always about the top players in the program and these kids wanted an opportunity to play. There are a lot of scrappy and D1-caliber players on this team and now they’re going to Jupiter and they’re excited.”

Oscar Moralez of the Banditos was named MVP of the event and showed outstanding two-way potential. He finished the tournament hitting .444 and also came into the semifinals to close out the game with another 4 2/3 shutout innings while allowing one hit and striking out ten. Dylan Smith of Mizuno USA was named the MV-Pitcher and showed a strong fastball-curveball combination. He pitched Mizuno into the semifinals and tossed 5.1 innings of one-run baseball and struck out ten batters.


2017 WWBA South Qualifier runner-up: Mizuno USA



2017 WWBA South Qualifier MVP: Oscar Moralez



2017 WWBA South Qualifier MV-Pitcher: Dylan Smith





Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

A New Path to the Next Level

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
A New Path to the Next Level: Inside Perfect Game’s College Instructional Series An important new PG event will help aspiring college players grow, get noticed COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The changing environment of college baseball has led to an innovative new event at Perfect Game, one that will connect high school players looking for an opportunity at the next level with the coaches who may be able to provide one. On top of it all, there will be plenty of expert instruction along with the spirited, tournament-style competition that PG is known for. The College Instructional Series will take place at six regionalized venues starting this summer. “This event will serve an important purpose for players and coaches,” said Adam Revelette, PG’s senior director of events. “Everybody we’ve talked to is very intrigued about the platform.” The event is geared...
Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

MLK West Scout Notes: Days 3-4

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MLK West Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Markus Chandler, RHP, Westside HS Class of 2027 A little on the undersized side as a sub 6 footer, but Chandler can generate some velo and spin.  Spun 3 frames of hitless ball for Spects National with zero walks and 6 strikeouts.  Committed to Kansas State, the righty ran the fastball to 92, living 89-92 pumping the zone with 75 percent strikes.  Looked like two different breaking balls, with the SL 80/81 (spin in 2500’s) and curveball 75/76.  No hard contact, little contact at all off the righty in this dominant outing. To follow up the pitching performance, Chandler swung the bat well on Championship Monday (Trademark Pending) with 5 RBI and three hits on the day, regularly on the barrel.  Trevor Alons, RHP, Centennial HS Class of 2028 Lean framed sophomore with a quick, whippy arm.  Playing up a few classes, you might...
College | Story | 1/20/2026

Conference Preview: Oregon State

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Record W L T Oregon State 48 16 1 Impact Player: Easton Talt, OF Impact Pitcher: Dax Whitney, RHP Impact Freshman: Mason Pike, RHP/MIF 2026 MLB Draft Prospects 1. Ethan Kleinschmit, LHP 2. Eric Segura, RHP 3. Zach Edwards*, RHP 4. Easton Talt, OF 5. Jacob Kreig, 1B 6. Wyatt Queen, RHP 7. AJ Singer, IF 8. Eli Gries-Smith, OF 9. Noah Scott, RHP 10. Paul Vazquez*, IF 11. Nyan Hayes, OF 12. AJ Hutcheson, RHP 13. Tyler Inge*, 3B 14. Bryson Glassco, IF 15. Jacob Galloway, C 2027 MLB Draft Prospects 1. Dax Whitney, RHP 2. Adam...
Tournaments | Story | 1/18/2026

MLK West Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
Cole Migaki (‘29 WA) w/ one of his 5 K’s thru 2-innings. FB 84-86 coupled w/ a firm BB that has 11/5 shape sitting 77-77. Balanced operation w/ a live, loose arm. Athletic frame at 6-ft, 170 that projects #MLKWest @PG_PacificNW pic.twitter.com/iBgAoajNUM — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) January 16, 2026 Cole Migaki (2029 Vancouver, WA) Was lights out in his start on Friday at MLK West, only needing 42 pitches to get thru three-innings and did not allow a hit or run while punching out 8.  Migaki overwhelmed opposing hitters, running his fastball up to 86 and mixing in a firm breaking ball at 75-77 with 11-5 shape and depth.  The athletic 6-foot, 170-pound right-hander is the top ranked third base prospect in the state of Washington for the class of 2029, collecting a couple of hits in his five at-bats and drove in a run.  Excellent start to...
Press Release | Press Release | 1/16/2026

Perfect Game Hires Blakeley As Regional Dir.

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 HIRES ERIC BLAKELEY AS REGIONAL DIRECTOR    Sanford, Florida (Friday, January 16, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the hiring of Eric Blakeley as a Regional Director. Blakeley brings more than two decades of experience in elite baseball and softball events, along with an accomplished background as both a collegiate and professional player.    Blakeley joins Perfect Game after building the highly respected Crossroads Baseball Series, where for more than 20 years he developed and operated baseball...
College | Story | 1/16/2026

Conference Preview: ACC

Kyler Peterson
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  School  W L W L Boston College 28 29 11 19 California 24 31 9 21 Clemson 45 18 18 12 Duke 41 21 17 13 Florida State 42 16 17 10 Georgia Tech 41 19 19 11 Louisville 42 24 15 15 Miami 35 27 15 14 North Carolina 46 15 18 11 NC State 35 21 17 11 Notre Dame 32 21 14 16 Pitt 28 27 10 20 Stanford 27 25 16 15 Virginia 32 18 16 11 Virginia Tech 31 25 12 18 Wake Forest 39 22 16 14 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Vahn Lackey Georgia Tech...
College | Story | 1/19/2026

Conference Preview: SEC

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Alabama 41 18 16 14 Arkansas 50 15 20 10 Auburn 41 20 17 13 Florida 39 22 15 15 Georgia 43 17 18  12 Kentucky 31 26 13 17 LSU 53 15 19 11 Ole Miss 43 21 16 14 Mississippi State 36 23 15 15 Missouri 16 39 3 27 Oklahoma 38 22 14 16 South Carolina 28 29 6 24 Tennessee 46 19 16 14 Texas 44 14 22 8 Texas A&M 30 26 11 19 Vanderbilt 43 18 19 11 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Carson Tinney^ Texas .348-17-53; power hitting RHH...
College | Story | 1/14/2026

2026 College Preview Index

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
From Preseason All-Americans to a Top 25, make sure to check back daily as we will continue to pump out content as a staff. Every conference preview will include a Preseason All-Conference Team as well as Draft/Prospect lists for each of the next 3 years (2026, 2027, 2028) while also breaking down every team within each conference. Publish Date Content Wednesday January 7 Preseason All-Americans Thursday January 8 Preseason Top 25 Friday January 9 No. 1 Feature: LSU Monday January 12 Top 100 Freshmen Tuesday January 13 Top 100 Sophomores Wednesday January 14 Top 100 Juniors Thursday January 15 Top 100 Seniors College Conference Previews Publish Date Conference Friday January 16 Atlantic Coast (ACC) Monday January 19 Southeastern (SEC) Tuesday January 20 Oregon State Preview Wednesday January 21 Big 12 Thursday January 22 Big 10 Friday January 23 American (AAC) Monday...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 1/14/2026

Perfect Game Softball Turf Wars

Ashley Mears
Article Image
2026 Perfect Game Softball Turf Wars January 9-11 Ashley Mears   The 2026 season kicked off in impressive fashion at the Fun City Dome in Burlington, Iowa, featuring a highly competitive field across both age groups. The 18U division was loaded with talent, including over 20 Division I and II commits and several high-upside prospects, leading to intense bracket play and multiple walk-off finishes. Iowa Nationals claimed the championship over a well-rounded Iowa Prospects Gold team. The 14U division brought together quality programs from Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. The tournament championship was an exciting matchup where Southeast Iowa Swarm edged a tough Black Dragons squad. 18u Lauren Hagedorn (2026, Adel, IA) of Iowa Nationals and future Iowa State Cyclone earned weekend MVP honors after a strong two-way performance. In the circle, she consistently kept hitters off balance...
College | Rankings | 1/15/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Seniors

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen | Top 100 Collegiate Sophomores | Top 100 Collegiate Juniors This senior board is one of the deepest we’ve assembled in years. From experienced weekend arms with power stuff, to proven position players coming off loud 2025 spring seasons, to former prospects returning from injury and looking to reestablish their status, impact players are scattered throughout the group. Headlining the board is Maika Niu, now at Arkansas after a strong season at Marshall and an MVP summer on the Cape. Nui is a high-level athlete in center field and a legitimate offensive force who should slide seamlessly into the heart of the Razorbacks’ lineup. Close behind are two premium arms in Ole Miss’s Hunter Elliott and Kentucky’s Jaxon Jelkin. Elliott is coming off a monster 2025 spring, going 10–3 with a 2.94 ERA and 104 strikeouts, and...
Loading more articles...