THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Championship | 10/9/2017

Squad prevails at Under World

Photo: Perfect Game

FORT MYERS, Fla. – This was one tough row to hoe. By the time the Elite Squad and the Florida Burn 2019 Platinum – two teams representing two of the top travel programs not only in Florida but in the U.S. – took the field for the championship game at the Perfect Game WWBA Underclass World Championship, they had already run the equivalent of a baseball marathon.

The playoff field at the 206-team PG national championship tournament included 64 teams, which made it necessary for teams to play three five inning games on Sunday, and a five-inning quarterfinal game and a seven-inning semifinal game on Monday just to reach the seven-inning championship game.

When the Squad and the Burn showed up at Field 2 at the Lee County Player Development Complex for that title tilt early Monday afternoon, they had already played 27 innings in roughly 30 hours and were staring down the barrel at seven more. Both were up to the challenge, but at the end of this epic journey it was the Squad that prevailed.

Gavin Casas was 3-for-3 with a double, triple and three runs scored, 2020 right-hander Jordan Carrion tossed a complete game three-hitter and the No. 42-seeded Elite Squad outlasted the No. 16 Burn 2019 Platinum, 4-1, on a hot and steamy – but rain-free – fall afternoon at the old 5-Plex.

The victory pushed the Elite Squad’s record to 8-1-0 over the course of this five-day event while the Burn 2019 Platinum lost for the first time and also finished 8-1-0. This was the story of two teams that everyone knew were worthy of duking it out for the title and they didn’t disappoint.

“Their effort was unbelievable,” Elite Squad Baseball president and underclass head coach Richie Palmer said of his players. “I’m not going to sit here and say we were the most talented team in the tournament – there are a lot of good teams here – but do I think we can play with anybody? Absolutely.”

Taylor Clamp singled twice and drove in two runs, Benjamin Rozenblum doubled and drove in a run and T.K. Knierim singled and pushed across a run as part of the Elite Squad's 13-hit attack. It was nothing short of one of the most well-rounded -- pitching, hitting, defense -- attacks that can be expected during a PG National championship game.

The Burn 2019 Platinum averaged nearly six runs per game in their five playoff wins before the championship but could never figure Carrion out on this day. They scored their only run in the bottom of the second on the strength of a Charlie Vari one-out single, a walk, a wild pitch and a throwing error.

The Elite Squad lost their last game of pool-play but had already clinched the pool championship so the loss only affected their seeding, and that No. 42 seed didn’t really do anything to slow them down.

Once in bracket-play they outscored their six opponents by a combined 34-6, which included a 1-0 win over 5 Star National Dobbs in the round-of-32 and a 13-2 win over L&M Baseball in the round-of-16. 2019 left-hander Ryan Cabarcas – a Florida commit ranked No. 125 nationally – pitched a five-inning no-hitter in the win over 5 Star National, striking out three and walking four.

”We lost that last pool-play game and I told them, ‘Listen, I know you guys and I know the way you’re capable of playing, and I know the way that you are going to respond,” Palmer said. “And if you respond the way that I think (you will) and you start believing and you start playing with heart, we’re going to win this thing. I’m not a fortune teller but sometimes it just happens. … You keep saying it until it becomes a reality.”

Casas is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound 16-year-old 2020 corner-infielder from Pembroke Pines, Fla., who is ranked No. 49 nationally in his class and is yet to commit to a college; he is the brother of 2017 PG All-American Triston Casas. Gavin Casas went 9-for-22 (.409) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBI in the nine games and was named the Most Valuable Player.

“We just try to stay with our own game,” Casas said of the championship run. “We know that all the other players here are talented and they can play. This is what we play for and it means the world to me (to put on the Elite Squad jersey). Richie Palmer and the whole organization is great. They’ve given me every opportunity to succeed and I’m just grateful for it.”

The Burn 2019 Platinum were unbeatable until reaching the championship game, outscoring their five previous playoff foes by a combined 29-5. Josh Rivera, a 2019 third baseman and Florida recruit ranked 119 nationally, hit .421 (8-for-19) with two doubles, eight RBI and three stolen bases to lead the Burn.

Four quarterfinal and a pair of semifinal games preceded the championship game Monday morning at the Lee County Player Development Complex.

In the seven-inning semifinals, the Burn 2019 Platinum buried the No. 20 MLB Breakthrough Series (7-1-0), 12-2 in five innings and the Elite Squad snuck past the No. 43 Scorpions 2017 Prime (5-1-2), 2-0.

The Burn pushed across eight runs in the bottom of the fourth to move into run-rule territory. They used five hits and nine walks to score their 12 runs; Josh Rivera doubled and had three RBI.

2019 right-hander Skylar Gonzalez flirted with a no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings and finished with a six-inning, seven strikeout one-hitter to pace the Elite Squad. 2019 lefty Brandon Bruno needed only 14 pitches in a 1-2-3, one-strikeout top of the seventh to close the victory. Ryan Keenan and Gerardo Rodriguez, hitting eighth and ninth in the order, each drove in runs in the bottom of the fourth.

It was the second appearance of the tournament for the 6-foot-2, 160-pound Gonzalez, who calls Fort Lauderdale home. He finished 2-0 in nine innings of work, and didn’t allow a run on five hits while striking out 10 and walking but three; Gonzalez was named the Most Valuable Pitcher.

In five-inning quarterfinal play, the Burn 2019 Platinum blanked No. 57 Team GA/MBA Gold (5-2-0), 2-0; the MLB Breakthrough Series shutdown the No. 60 East Cobb Astros (5-2-0), 5-0; the Elite Squad got past the No. 15 Scorpions South 2019 (6-1-0), 6-1 and the Scorpions 2019 Prime escaped the No. 3 Team Elite 17u Prime, 8-6 in six innings. There were noteworthy pitching performances in three of the four games.

Florida Burn 2019 right-hander Danny Rodriguez threw five, two-hit shutout innings with six strikeouts and two walks in the win over Team GA/MBA Gold. 2019 left-hander Aryonis Harrison and 2019 righty Sanson Faltine III combined an eight-strikeout two-hitter for the Breakthrough; Faltine struck-out six in his three innings but also gave up the two hits.

2019 right-hander Chandler Freeman threw four innings of two-hit, seven strikeout ball in the Elite Squad’s win; 2019 lefty Ethan Kramer came in and struck-out the side in a 1-2-3 fifth.

Before the tournament began, Palmer told his young team that they weren’t going to be able to win this PG national championship on talent alone; it was going to take a lot of heart. He kept telling them to keep on pushing, through the heat and the fatigue and the never-ending grind. On Monday morning , his message was even more direct.

“I just asked them just to not tell themselves that they’re tired, to not give-in” Palmer said. “I knew that they were but we wouldn’t say that. … That’s a tribute to them. Not once did they ever give up in this tournament, and even during the summer this group was resilient. It’s just a fun group to be part of because you’re never out of it, and they really want to win.


2017 WWBA Underclass World Championship runner-up: Florida Burn 2019 Platinum



2017 WWBA Underclass World Championship MVP: Gavin Casas



2017 WWBA Underclass World Championship MV-Pitcher: Skylar Gonzalez





Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
Draft | Rankings | 12/23/2025

Top 2028 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The college players in the 2028 draft class have yet to step on campus, but they're positioned to make an immediate impact. Several high end talents either turned down significant money last year or honored strong college commitments, resulting in their arrival on campus this fall. The class is currently led by a trio of high-upside arms in Jack Bauer, Angel Cervantes, and Cameron Appenzeller. They are followed by a deep group of bats that rounds out a strong, high end Top-10. Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State 1 Jack Bauer C LHP L-L Mississippi State Frankfort IL 2 Angel Cervantes C RHP R-R UCLA Lynwood CA 3 Cameron Appenzeller C LHP L-L Tennessee Springfield IL 4 Brayden Jaksa C C R-R Oregon Fremont  CA 5 JD Stein C SS R-R Wake Forest Carmel IN 6 Mason Ligenza C OF L-L Pittsburgh Brockton PA 7 Ty Peeples C OF L-R Georgia Lavonia GA 8 Lucas Franco C SS L-R TCU Katy TX 9...
Juco | Story | 12/23/2025

2025 Year in Review: JUCO

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Looking Back at the 2025 Top 10  Matt Barr (‘25 Niagara, ‘26 Minnesota Twins) Bursting onto the scene last winter, footage of an indoor bullpen rocketed Barr onto the radar of many. Explosive fastball reaches near triple digits with incredible spin numbers across the secondaries. Huge numbers at Niagara earned him the title of the first Juco player drafted in 2025. JC Vanek (‘25 Chipola, ‘26 Kansas City Royals) Just a professional hitter. Vanek for two years at Chipola was an impossible out. While there are questions if the power will ever reach what it takes to play first base at the big league level, the bat and quality defensive skillset at first base may carry. Donovan Becerra (‘25 New Mexico, ‘26 Texas Tech) One of the more high octane arms anywhere in the country last year. Can reach back for upper 90’s and has shown serious swing and...
Draft | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
2025 Year in Review: Draft We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff.  The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue...
College | Recruiting | 12/22/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 22

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Lucien Saint Cyr, INF, Class of 2026 Commitment: Bucknell Saint Cyr announced his pledge to Bucknell, giving the Bison an interesting blend of present tools and projection. Saint Cyr stands 6-foot-1 and offers room to fill in his medium frame, profiling in the middle infield defensively. The New York product starts wide at the base in the right-handed box, keeping his hands high behind the ear. He works into a subtle outward step load, firing through a compact barrel that showcases bat speed and gap-to-gap impact. For head coach Scott Heather and Bucknell, they land a high-quality Northeast infielder in the ’26 cycle, adding to a class that takes the quality over quantity approach. Patrick Diaz ('26, NY) 102 EV off the bat. Impact to the pull side. #PGNational @PGMidAtlantic @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/NN0L3FRdO9 — PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 9, 2025 Patrick Diaz,...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
While we are nearing the turn of the calendar to the 2026 year, that means we are just inching closer to the beginning of the season for many high school players and college baseball is on the horizon. We are prepping for a reshuffle of the 2026 MLB Draft Board as well here amongst the PG Draft staff. But before we get to that, we sat down and have each picked a couple of players who are in the mix to get selected in a couple of different buckets.  We have prospects who could go into the Top 30 picks or so, prospects who could be selected in the Top 5 rounds, and prospects who could go inside of the Top 10 rounds. With the draft quite far down the road and a lot of re-shuffling to be done as these players play themselves into certain spots on the draft board, our scouts picked some players who fit into these “buckets” who are gut-feel guys. These are the guys that our PG...
Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
Article Image
Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
Article Image
Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
Loading more articles...