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College  | Story | 3/5/2018

Power arms continue in Houston

Photo: Vanderbilt Athletics



Weekend Preview | Perfect Game College Player Database

During the season Perfect Game scouts will be traveling to some of the top series to watch the very best players in college baseball. Those observations, captured with both written notes and video, will be shared in the College Player Database as linked above, notes that can also be accessed on the players' individual PG profile pages. Throughout the season select reports will be shared in feature format to promote the players, the teams and college baseball as a whole.


Reid Schaller, rhp, Vanderbilt



The ever-elusive draft-eligible redshirt freshman, Vanderbilt's Reid Schaller missed the 2017 season recovering from Tommy John, so it may end up that he only pitches one season for the Commodores. He pitched the 8th inning of Vanderbilt's Shriners College Classic victory over Houston (very) late on Sunday night, and was extremely loud in doing so. 

He's built well, strong and sturdy throughout, and looks like what he is: a power-armed righthanded reliever. Despite that profile, there really isn't much effort or poor mechanics here, as Schaller's delivery and arm action are both quite simple. He works from the stretch, takes a small/quick leg lift to load into his back hip, drives downhill and does a good job rotating his hips and getting online. The arm action is compact through the back and pretty clean, hiding the ball exceptionally well from the hitter and releasing from a high three-quarters slot, seemingly releasing the ball from behind his head. 

The fastball was explosive, reaching 97 mph before settling in at 93-96 mph, and Schaller didn't need anything else on this night. He was consistently in command of the fastball, putting it on both sides of the plate down in the zone, creating good angle to the plate, and while the pitch was mostly on the straighter side, he did show the ability to run it arm side at times. Quite frankly, while plus already given the velocity, is closer to plus-plus in terms of effectiveness because of how well he hides it as well as the command he has of the pitch. 

He's draft-eligible this year, as stated above, and while there are concerns in terms of draft stock, namely the injury history, that's still explosive enough to get plenty of looks, potentially as early as mid-Day 2. 

Justin Lewis, rhp, Kentucky



Draft-eligible last year as a redshirt sophomore, Justin Lewis was taken in the 11th round by the Rays--a round where the player selected signs the vast majority of the time--but spurned the advances of professional baseball to return to Kentucky and pitch in the rotation of a College World Series-caliber ballclub. He pitches on Sundays for Nick Mingione and co., and is the elder statesmen of a rotation that includes Sean Hjelle (true junior) and Zack Thompson (true sophomore). Lewis picked up the win on Sunday over Louisiana-Lafayette to move to 3-0 on the season, going 6.1 innings and allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk to go along with seven punchouts. 

Lewis is long and lean, potentially even more so than noted beanpole teammate Hjelle, but is a highly athletic and still-projectable 6-foot-7, 205 pounds, though his is a narrower frame. Again like Hjelle, Lewis' pure length makes it innately more difficult to control and repeat his delivery, but his athleticism stands out in that he does repeat quite well and his control is very good as a result. The delivery itself is pretty simple, with some drop-and-drive tendencies, getting online to the plate with good lower half drive and rotation. Though there is that element of drop-and-drive, Lewis does a good job still creating plane to the plate, in part to his height and overall length. The arm action is very clean, with an easy medium-length takeback without any hook or wrap, accelerating into the circle effortlessly and reaching a high three quarters slot. His athleticism is especially on display as he varies the look and pace of his delivery while still retaining command. 

His fastball started out in the 88-91 mph range, and as the game went on he kept gaining steam and reached 94 mph, holding 90-92 mph into his final inning, with average life to the arm side. He's good at keeping the pitch down in the zone, and while he gave up his fair share of hits in this one, a good deal of them were on the ground. His breaking ball, like his fastball, got firmer as the game wore on, starting off in the upper-70's and ending up reaching 82-83 mph with good sharpness and tilt, an average pitch right now that may project a bit better. His changeup, which he went to frequently early on, is quite soft with a lot of velocity differential from his fastball, thrown in the mid-70's with big time fading action and tons of deception; though that type of velo separation can be dangerous at the next level as the hitters get better and better. 

Overall from a draft perspective, Lewis is currently ranked No. 182 on the most recent iteration of the Perfect Game Top Draft Prospects List, and while he'll likely slide upwards a bit, that slots him right around the 7th round range. He fits into the 4-7 round range for me right now, so he'll see his ranking rise a bit, but a safe early-mid Day 2 selection is what it looks like for Lewis right now. 

Chris Machamer, rhp, Kentucky

A sophomore-eligible righthanded reliever, Chris Machamer closed out Kentucky's Sunday victory over Louisiana-Lafayette by working a perfect 9th inning, striking out the side. 

He's a solidly-built righthander with a medium-large frame, and while he's approaching physical maturity in terms of his body, there may be a bit of projection remaining through his torso. He has a solid, repeatable, compact delivery that gets him online to the plate and over his front side, though with some effort through release. He's a reliever, so the effort, while not even being bad, won't really inhibit him. The arm action has a bit of a wrap to it but the acceleration is clean and the ball comes out of his hand just fine from a high three quarters slot. 

He worked 92-94 mph to close out the game, creating some angle to the plate and filling up the strike zone with that fastball and attacking hitters from the get go with it. He worked in a pair of offspeed pitches, a short cut-slider type pitch in the 84-85 mph range that had some subtle horizontal slice to it, and a more traditional curveball in the 78-80 mph range with 11/5 shape and some depth. Neither offspeed pitch was more than fringe-average, though they were thrown for strikes or down out of the zone, so neither got him hurt and both served as quality offerings off of his fastball. 

There's draft upside here as a strike-throwing reliever with a good fastball, and we look forward to getting more looks at him this season to really nail down his profile. 
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College | Story | 7/7/2026

USA Collegiate National Team: Stripes

Craig Cozart
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Collegiate National Team: Stars Notes Quick Hits  Each year at the end of June and beginning of July, top collegiate baseball talent from around the nation arrives in Cary, NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.  Typically, the rosters are filled with top underclass, non-draft-eligible talent but this year, we will see a sprinkling of upper-classmen as the coaches evaluate just under 60 players to get to their final 28 roster spots.  For a total of two weeks, the Stars Squad and the Stripes Squad will compete against outside competition in North Carolina as well as Virginia before finishing their slate with 5-games against each other at the NTC Complex.  Once the final roster has been announced the team will depart for Taiwan to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Championships, July 11-15.    CNT Stripes Position Players  Nico Partida ...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/8/2026

13u World Series Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
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13u World Series Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Chaysten Fuentes (2030, Ewa Beach, HI) worked really well from the right side of the plate ending up with five hits and a double in the last two days. The right handed hitting Hawaiian has a ton of strength to the body. The hands work directly to the ball and can hit to all fields in the approach. Has done an incredible job getting the barrel to almost everything and gets on plane in the turn.  Triston Valdez (2031, Castaic, CA) was electric on day four batting .500 with a double, triple, and five rbis. The barrel is really quick to the ball and works with a level path. Against NY Gotham 13u Ghost, Valdez would not be denied demolishing the bases clearing triple way back into the RCF gap. Stays inside the baseball consistently with the hands and torques it hard.  Christopher Julian Leija (2031, Weslaco, TX) really showed out the last two...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

Two Day Rewind at 15u National Elite

Kinley Kitchens
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Two days into the 2026 Perfect Game 15U National Elite Championship, the storylines are already beginning to take shape. As one of the summer’s premier invite-only events, the tournament annually brings together many of the nation’s top 15U clubs, with 100 elite teams traveling to Hoover in pursuit of a championship. While there is still plenty of baseball left to play, the opening rounds have already produced breakout performances, dominant team victories, and plenty of excitement heading into bracket play. Several nationally recognized organizations entered the week as favorites, including MTBA Dawgs, ranked No. 3 nationally, Wildcatters Baseball at No. 10, and 5 Star Mafia, ranked No. 12. Meanwhile, newer programs like Jason Kidd Select Team have quickly shown they are capable of making noise against the nation’s best. One of the biggest storylines through the first...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

15u Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Troy Sutherland
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Tristan Barton (‘29, TX) has struck out three over three scoreless innings of work, getting a lively FB up to 89. Mixed in a sharp vt CB w/ late bite. Operates from a projectable RH frame w/ length + room to fill. #NatElite @Texas_PG pic.twitter.com/LXfkLOtxdo — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 5, 2026 Tristan Barton (’29, Gunter, TX) turned in a strong start on Sunday, lasting four innings of one run ball, striking out four. Barton operates from a bigger lengthy right-handed frame with considerable room to fill. He starts with a mid-body handset before working to the belt and into a high compact leg lift. Barton fires down via a compact arm action and high three quarters slot. The Texas native got a run/ride fastball up to 89, living in the mid-80s throughout the outing. He mixed in a sharp 12-6 curveball with vertical depth and late bite. Jack Graviss...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1

Jason Phillips
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Nolan Ash (2028, Ashland, Mo.) showed off the power upside for Natty State 2028. The right-handed hitter starts from a spread stance with in-line feet and a high handset with a high back elbow, utilizes a leg lift stride. Creates separation and uses a direct hand path with a slightly uphill bat plane and some feel to generate lift from the lower half. Quick hands and stays in-sync with a rotational lower half and solid bat speed. Showed the power belting a solo bomb over the left field fence. Long and lean 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame with wiry strength present and more room to fill. The shortstop has a high ceiling and feel for the barrel. Colton Dodds (2028, Columbia, Mo.) showed off the barrel feel and power upside for Natty State 2028. The right-handed hitter starts from a wide base with in-line feet and a high handset with a high back elbow, utilizes a no stride trigger. Direct hands...
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College | Story | 7/7/2026

Coppy's Corner: July 7 Summer Edition

John Coppolella
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It’s an exciting time for College Baseball. Not only do potential and proposed changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) elevate the game, but we are coming off a thrilling College World Series and less than a week away from Major League Baseball’s 2026 Amateur Draft. In the middle of it all is the Cape Cod Baseball League.  The amateur players on the Cape are the future stars of the 2027 MLB Draft. The league runs from June 13th  through August 2nd. Games are played at historic stadiums in Old New England towns. It’s beautiful and charming. Hollywood even made a movie about the Cape Cod League ~25 years ago called Summer Catch. It scored an 8% (!) on Rotten Tomatoes, but, on the plus side, it featured 2001 Jessica Biel in a starring role.  It was so much fun writing Coppy’s Column this spring. My hope is to highlight a pitcher and...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/6/2026

16u WWBA Rolls Into Marietta

Will Dembo
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More than 300 of the nation’s top 16u teams will meet in East Cobb, Georgia this week as the 16u WWBA Championship gets underway. Over 50 ranked teams from across the country will compete for one of the most prestigious titles in travel baseball, drawing scouts and fans from all over. Pool play will commence on Monday, July 6th with the championship game set for July 13th at the storied East Cobb Baseball Complex. Canes National 16u will hold honors of being the top ranked team entering the event as they have earned a No. 2 national ranking following a dominant 17-2-1 start to their season. The highly touted program is home to many of the top ranked prospects from the 2028 class including talented two-way athlete, Grant Arnold (No. 12 overall) who lives in the 90’s from the mound as well as middle infielder, Bryan Mesa (No. 14 overall) who will draw lots of attention this...
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College | Story | 7/6/2026

USA Collegiate National Team: Stars

Craig Cozart
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Quick Hits  Each year at the end of June and beginning of July, top collegiate baseball talent from around the nation arrives in Cary, NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.  Typically, the rosters are filled with top underclass, non-draft-eligible talent but this year, we will see a sprinkling of upper-classmen as the coaches evaluate just under 60 players to get to their final 28 roster spots.  For a total of two weeks, the Stars Squad and the Stripes Squad will compete against outside competition in North Carolina as well as Virginia before finishing their slate with 5-games against each other at the NTC Complex.  Once the final roster has been announced the team will depart for Taiwan to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Championships, July 11-15.    CNT Stars Position Players  Anthony Pack Jr.  FR / OF / University of Texas ...
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Draft | Mock Draft | 7/6/2026

MLB Mock Draft: 4.0

Tyler Henninger
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MLB Draft: Top 500 Update Pick Team Name Pos. School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 3 Minnesota Twins Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 4 San Francisco Giants Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 6 Kansas City Royals Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 7 Baltimore Orioles Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 8 Athletics Chris Hacopian SS Texas A&M 9 Atlanta Braves Ryder Helfrick C Arkansas 10 Colorado Rockies Tyler Bell* SS Kentucky 11 Washington Nationals Jared Grindlinger LHP/OF Huntington Beach 12 Los Angeles Angels Cameron Flukey RHP Coastal Carolina 13 St. Louis Cardinals AJ Gracia OF Virginia 14 Miami Marlins Derek Curiel OF LSU 15 Arizona Diamondbacks Gio Rojas LHP Marjory Stoneman Douglas 16 Texas Rangers Liam Peterson RHP Florida 17 Houston Astros Justin Lebron SS Alabama 18...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/5/2026

13u World Series Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
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Michael Wedgeworth (2030, Flomaton, AL) had put the two way ability on full display so far this week, dominating from both sides. On the mound Wedgeworth ran the fastball up to 84 (81-83) with ease to the delivery. Broke off a couple nasty curveballs that induced swing and miss, as well as freezing hitters for punch outs. Collected six in his four inning complete game. He also would not be denied at the plate going 3-5 in the first two days with two doubles. Very intriguing young player as the body continues to grow.  Tyler Bellush (2031, Summerville, SC) is a sure handed shortstop for the Canes Nation squad. Swings it from the left side of the plate and the barrel accuracy has really stuck out thus far. 3-4 through the first couple days with a double and two triples, Bellush has also walked twice and collected 3 RBI along the way. Yesterday against USA Prime with the bases loaded,...
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