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College  | Story | 3/22/2018

Quick Take: North Carolina State

Photo: NC State Athletics



Perfect Game College Player Database | Quick Take: Clemson

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.


North Carolina State Wolfpack

What Happened: NC State continued their incredibly hot start to the 2018 season, going on the road and beating the Clemson Tigers, which marked the first time in school history that the Wolfpack had accomplished that feat. NC State shut out Clemson in game one, won by a 6-1 margin in game two and squeezed by 5-4 in game three thanks to Will Wilson's solo home run in the top of the eighth inning, his second of the game.

Carrying Tool: The #Pack9 offense truly has a team feel to it, with incredibly patient, if not dangerous, hitters scattered throughout their lineup, 1-9. Brett Kinneman has put himself in the conversation for the Golden Spikes Award given his incredibly hot start while Will Wilson and Evan Edwards are two more dangerous bats. Outfielders Josh McLain and Brock Deatherage add some athleticism to the lineup while Brad Debo is dangerous power threat, and look out once second baseman and leadoff hitter Stephen Pitarra returns to the lineup as one of the nation's most prolific run-scoring units could get even better.

Concerns: Getting Michael Bienlien back, who tossed five shutout frames on Friday, was huge, as he and their true staff ace, pitchability lefty Brian Brown, who baffled the Clemson hitters all day Saturday, gives the team two legitimate starting pitchers. However, finding a third to round out the weekend rotation will be key to the overall success of the team, as they have the bullpen depth and offensive firepower to advance deep into the season. It could be Nick Swiney, who started Sunday but got off to a shaky start.

Best Player on the Field: The team's 2-4 hitters – Kinneman, Wilson and Edwards – are a lethal trio, and overall they have a nice right-left-right-left balance throughout their lineup, which only makes it that much more difficult to navigate.

Fearless Forecast: This team has dealt with some incredibly hard luck situations each of the last three years, seeing their season end in heart-breaking fashion in the postseason. The law of averages alone should mean better fortune will be on their side this year. Given the way they're playing right now, and the fact that the ACC as a whole seems to be a little down across the league, and you have a likely Regional host that should draw a favorable seed and a strong Super Regional contender with a legitimate chance to make it to Omaha.


Database Player Reports (10):

Brian Brown
Brock Deatherage
Brad Debo
Evan Edwards
Reid Johnston
Brett Kinneman
Kent Klyman
Joe O'Donnell
Nick Swiney
Will Wilson
 

Prospect Spotlight: Will Wilson, SS



Wilson has followed up his impressive freshman campaign in 2017 with a strong start to the 2018 season, and was arguably the best player on the field during NC State’s weekend series at Clemson. Wilson played a big part of the Wolfpack sweeping the Tigers, going 6-for-12, which included a two home run performance on Sunday, hitting his second solo shot in the top of the eighth inning that broke a 4-4 tie and proved to be the game winner.

Although he’s not overly physical at a listed 6-foot, 175-pounds, Wilson is full of quick-twitch fiber. He has very strong hands, wrists and forearms which generates impressive bat speed, as he quickly turned on fastballs on both of his Sunday home runs to drive the ball out of the park to left field. He’s patient enough to wait for his pitch and aggressive enough to jump all over it when he gets it. In Saturday’s game he hit the first pitch he saw in the fourth inning for a leadoff double, again exhibiting his bat speed by letting the ball travel deep in the zone before impacting it hard to the pull-side gap.

In batting practice he showed a similar approach, looking to hit the ball hard from one alley to the other, continuing to exhibit the strength in his hands. The bat speed and strength allows him to handle premium velocity, as his home runs came off of Clemson starter Jake Higginbotham and reliever Ryan Miller, both of whom were sitting in the low-90s.

Defensively he definitely looks the part of a middle infielder with very quick actions, soft hands and a quick transfer out of his hands. He turned the pivot at second baseman very well with easy, natural actions. He’s more quick than fast, and his arm strength is probably better suited for second base at the next level, but he has more than enough arm and range to play the position at the college level and possibly to begin his professional career. As a sophomore, he isn’t draft eligible until 2019 and could be a first round selection assuming he continues to produce at the plate.


College | Rankings | 2/23/2026

College Top 25: February 23

Vincent Cervino
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College Player Report Database Rank Team Prev. Rank Weekly Rec. Overall Rec. 1 LSU 1 (5-0) (8-0) 2 Georgia Tech 2 (5-0) (8-0) 3 UCLA 5 (4-0) (6-1) 4 Arkansas 4 (4-0) (6-1) 5 Mississippi State 6 (5-0) (8-0) 6 Texas 8 (4-0) (7-0) 7 Auburn 10 (3-1) (6-1) 8 Florida 12 (5-0) (7-1) 9 Oregon 13 (4-0) (8-0) 10 Southern Miss 18 (4-0) (6-1) 11 Georgia 15 (4-0) (6-1) 12 Oklahoma 22 (4-0) (7-0) 13 Tennessee 3 (2-2) (5-2) 14 Virginia 14 (3-1) (6-1) 15 Florida State 9 (2-2) (4-2) 16 Oregon State 7 (2-2) (4-3) 17 North Carolina 17 (3-1-1) (6-1-1) 18 Coastal Carolina 16 (2-2) (5-2) 19 Clemson 19 (4-0) (7-0) 20 NC State 20 (3-1) (5-1) 21 Miami 21 (6-0) (9-0) 22 Vanderbilt 24 (5-0) (6-2) 23 UTSA NR (4-0) (7-0) 24 UC Santa Barbara 25 (3-0) (4-2) 25 USC NR (4-0) (7-0) Dropped Out: #11 TCU, #23 Louisville Also Considered: Alabama, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, West Virginia
General | Blog | 2/20/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 63

Ron Wolforth
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Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 62, Part 1 | Part 2 Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls - Part 3  We've made it to Part 3…the final installment of our series on baseball's most misunderstood and debated topics.   In Part 1, we tackled the curveball. The takeaway: the pitch itself isn't what’s dangerous. Decades of awful and ineffective coaching cues, ”snap your wrist," "turn the doorknob”…exacerbated and even in many causes caused some of the problems. Teach it correctly, when the athlete is ready, and it's no riskier than a fastball.  In Part 2, we examined pitch counts. The takeaway: they're a useful tool, but a limited one. Treating a single number as a universal measure of safety ignores everything...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/20/2026

18U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Dave Durbala
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14U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Erica Beach
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PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor 14U January 17-18, 2026 Springfield, IL   SPRINGFIELD, IL- It may be cold outside, but there was some hot competition going on at the PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor tournament. Six team converged on the Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe and the Texas Glory IL 29 walked away with the hardware after a close 7-6 ballgame. Below we highlight some of the impressive athletes who competed on the weekend.     Lila Rafferty (2029, Leroy, IL) of the Texas Glory IL 29 was an unstoppable force at the plate over the weekend. She showed great tenacity in the box, proving to be one of the most consistent hitters in the tournament. She finished her weekend batting an incredible .750, tallying nine hits and scoring five times. She flashed her speed on multiple occasions, stealing two bases and legging out two doubles and two triples. She came in clutch,...
High School | General | 2/19/2026

Pacific Northwest All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
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NORTHWEST REGION (WA, OR, ID, WY, AK, MT, HI)    The biggest change in the Northwest Region for 2026 is the addition of Hawaii, which has always been overlooked due to being lumped with California in the former Pacific Region.  This also coincides with an increased Perfect Game presence in the islands in the form of additional events and scouting.  And Hawaii certainly contributed in it’s first year, placing four players on the All-Region team, including slugging 2026 outfielder Judah Ota. The powerhouse Puyallup HS team is the only Northwest Region team to be represented in the PG Pre-Season Top 50 National HS Rankings, beginning the year ranked 26th.  C – Teagan Scott (Sr., South Salem HS, Ore.) Scott has been on the prospect map since he played in the 2023 PG 14U Select Festival and is signed with Oregon State.  A right-handed hitter with lots...
Showcase | Story | 2/20/2026

PG ID Camps Help Build Baseball Resume

Jim Salisbury
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PG ID Camps Help Youngsters Build a Baseball Resume There was still snow on the ground in a lot of places last weekend, but that didn’t stop more than 200 young players from going indoors to participate in the first round of Perfect Game Select Fest ID Camps for the 2026 season. John McAdams, PG’s national crosschecker and Northeast scouting director, ran the event in Farmingdale, New Jersey, and was impressed with his group’s energy and desire to improve at the game. “We’re giving young players the opportunity to build their baseball resumes and chart their growth and progress over a span of years,” he said. In addition to New Jersey, Select Fest ID Camps were held in Lake St. Louis, Missouri; Rossford, Ohio; Marietta, Georgia; and Kent, Washington. The ID camps debuted in 2025. Twenty-two of them were held around the country with nearly 700 young...
Draft | Story | 2/19/2026

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Tyler Henninger
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One constant across our scouting staff is the volume of in-person looks we get at prospects during their high school years. With assignments at national tournaments and showcases throughout the calendar, we’ve built a deep library of reports and video on many of today’s top college prospects dating back to their prep days. This week, we took a step back to revisit what those players looked like as high school prospects. Which tools stood out? What was missing from the profile at the time? And what, if anything, did we overlook that ultimately helped shape the player they’ve become? Below, we break down 10 players in a “Then and Now” reflection. Justin Lebron (23 FL) finishes off the tournament getting in on the hit parade with a single to the pullside. #PGShowdown #Bama commit pic.twitter.com/C4Irym2ZTR — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 4, 2023...
High School | General | 2/18/2026

High School Notebook: Feb. 18

Cam McElwaney
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Grady Emerson (‘26 TX) laces this ball to right for a walk off single. Clean lefty stroke. Looks the part both sides of the ball. Checks all the boxes. Will be scouted heavily this Spring. #PGHS #HookEm commit. #PGDraft pic.twitter.com/wXvdHdgqME — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) February 6, 2026 Grady Emerson (2026, Argyle, Texas) had a strong showing throughout the opening week of high school baseball out here in Texas. Works good at-bats and is always a tough out in general. Makes all the plays at short and just has the look of a future big leaguer. He does all the little things right. Bat to ball will play at a high level and there is still a lot more power to project on here. There is a reason why Emerson is one of, if not the most highly coveted high school prospect in the 2026 class and it’s easy to see why. Currently committed to Texas, but has the potential to...
High School | Rankings | 2/18/2026

Midwest Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
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Midwest All Region & Top Tools Rk Midwest 2025 Record 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) 27-4 2 Edmond Memorial (OK) 30-8 3 Muskego (WI) 27-10 4 Lawrence Free State (KS) 28-2 5 Mill Valley (KS) 22-6 6 Valley View (AR) 29-5 7 Platte County (MO) 29-8 8 Liberty North (MO) 19-14 9 Millard North (NE) 23-13 10 St. John Vianney (MO) 38-2 11 Owasso (OK) 40-3 12 Olathe East (KS) 22-6 13 Staley (MO) 38-4 14 Shawnee Mission South (KS) 10-11-4 15 Blue Springs South (MO) 27-7 16 Blue Valley (KS) 21-10 17 Edmond Santa Fe (OK) 37-7 18 Skutt Catholic (NE) 24-7 19 Howell (MO) 35-4 20 Olathe West (KS) 25-3 21 Creighton Prep (NE) 16-15 22 Rogers (AR) 26-4 23 Fayetteville (AR) 26-7 24 Blue Valley West (KS) 17-10 25 Cretin Derham Hall (MN) 19-5-1
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PG Softball Winter One Day Tournament

Dave Durbala
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BURLINGTON, IA - Perfect Game Softball Winter One Day Tournament, February 15, 2026. Twelve teams, split between the 16u and 18u divisions, participated in this event.  With two pool games, and then a move into single elimination bracket play,  some players used this tournament as  their last warm-up before kicking off their high school seasons, while others were tuning up for the busy Spring and Summer travel season. In the 16u division, it was the Iowa Aries 16u Ce Fire Red taking the championship, with Southeast Iowa Allstars 18u Gold Miller earning the crown in the 18u division. Below are write-ups from observations made during the day, as due to a software glitch, there were no stats available to complete a Top Performers list. 16U Division  Earning the MV-Pitcher Award, as selected by her coaches, was Aurora Widlund (2029 Altoona, IA) of tournament champion Iowa...
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