THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story | 5/17/2018

Weekend Preview: Week 14

Patrick Ebert
Photo: Jake Eissler (TCU Athletics)




College Top 25 | Player/Pitcher of the Week | College Player Database

The final weekend of the 2018 regular season is upon us as teams continue to jockey for position for the postseason. Next week's conference tournament action will go a long way in determining much of the postseason picture for the one-bid leagues, but there are still several at-large resumes that can be polished, and the Regional hosting picture has plenty of room for teams looking to make one last case.

The SEC is of course, loaded. Florida looks to wrap up the regular season as the nation's No. 1 team from beginning to end, and as speculated with the most recent ranking update, even a series loss at Mississippi State would be more as a slip-up than a actual reflection of their prowess. Arkansas visits Georgia in a matchup between a pair of expected Top 8 Seeds while Kentucky could also seal their hosting chances with a series win at Vanderbilt.

No. 3 NC State travels to Tallahassee in one of their most difficult matchups of the year against Florida State, Duke faces a dangerous road foe in Georgia Tech and North Carolina looks to get back on track at home against Virginia Tech. While there doesn't seem to be as much ground to gain out West in the Pac-12, the Big 12 offers two intriguing series as Oklahoma State hosts Texas Tech and Texas hosts TCU.

There are two more intriguing series, one each in the Big Ten and the American Athletic Conferences. Purdue continues their upstart season by hosting Michigan this weekend in what appears to be a battle for second place. Another battle for second place will take place between East Carolina and UConn in Storrs, Conn., as East Carolina could tie Houston at the top of the American standings with a road sweep (which would also secure them as a Top 8 Regional host).

Stay tuned to Perfect Game over the weekend as Vinnie Cervino will be in Atlanta, Ga. to cover the Duke/Georgia Tech ACC series.


Top 25 in Action
Rk. Team Opponent Location
1 Florida at Mississippi State Starkville, MS
2 Oregon State at Southern California Los Angeles, CA
3 NC State at No. 15 Florida State Tallahassee, FL
4 Stanford home vs. Washington State Stanford, CA
5 Clemson at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA
6 Ole Miss at Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
7 Arkansas at No. 20 Georgia Athens, GA
8 Duke at Georgia Tech Atlanta, GA
9 East Carolina at No. 24 UConn Storrs, CT
10 Texas Tech at Oklahoma State Stillwater, OK
11 North Carolina home vs. Virginia Tech Chapel Hill, NC
12 Minnesota at Rutgers Piscataway, NJ
13 Southern Miss at Marshall Beckley, WV
14 Texas home vs. Texas Christian Austin, TX
15 Florida State home vs. No. 4 NC State Tallahassee, FL
16 Kentucky at Vanderbilt Nashville, TN
17 Stetson home vs. USC Upstate Deland, FL
18 Tennessee Tech at Morehead State Morehead, KY
19 Indiana home vs. Maryland Bloomington, IN
20 Georgia home vs. No. 8 Arkansas Athens, GA
21 Dallas Baptist home vs. Missouri State Dallas, TX
22 Auburn home vs. Louisiana State Auburn, AL
23 UCLA home vs. Oregon Los Angeles, CA
24 South Florida at Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH
25 UConn home vs. No. 12 East Carolina Storrs, CT


Too little, too late?

While we do our best not to play favorites when covering the college game of baseball, it’s hard not to feel for TCU and their fans. Entering the year as the third-ranked team in the nation, TCU quite simply has not lived up to expectations. It started when they didn’t get a couple of key recruits on campus, 2016 PG All-Americans Jacob Gonzalez and Tyler Freeman, and it didn’t help that the program didn’t get it’s usual small handful of somewhat surprise returning seniors.

Coach Jim Schlossnagle and the Horned Frogs of course made it to Omaha for four straight years, reaching the Final Four in each of the last two seasons. While they did lose some key pieces, especially on the offensive side of the ball, from last year’s club they also got some significant pieces back, most notably staff ace Jared Janczak, hulking slugger Luken Baker and closer Durbin Feltman.

Janczak and Baker have missed time due to injury, to the point where it’s possible both return for their senior seasons (Janczak has one year of eligibility remaining as a redshirt junior). Feltman has enjoyed his best season to date, as he has allowed just one earned run in 16 relief appearances, however, he too has been on the shelf.

The 2018 season got off to a good start, with a come-from-behind victory over Grand Canyon and a season-opening series win that almost was a series sweep. They added two more series wins over Long Beach State and UC Irvine before their season seemed to take a turn for the worse.

A loss to then-ranked Vanderbilt at the Dodgertown Classic didn’t seem that bad but they followed it up by losing to Rice and then their series against Minnesota at home. At the end of March they were swept by Oklahoma State, lost another key Big 12 series to Oklahoma and Baylor and lost more midweek games to Dallas Baptist and Abilene Christian.

However, things started to turn around after TCU was swept at Baylor, beating Texas Tech at home two out of three games and they have won 11 of their last 13 contests.

With an RPI of 63 heading into the weekend it appears as though TCU has too much ground to make up to make the NCAA postseason. However, crazier things have happened. They face a ranked Texas squad that has an RPI of 20 this weekend in Austin, and if all else fails they still have the talent to turn around and win the Big 12 Championship.

If they do make the postseason they’re sure to be one No. 4 seed that no other teams wants to face, as recently they had shutouts in three straight games and added a fourth shutout in a five-game span. Young hurlers Haylen Green, Charles King and Jake Eissler are receiving some key on-the-job training, crucial experience that could lead to bigger and better things next year moving forward.

But TCU isn’t looking ahead to 2019, not yet at least. While reaching the postseason seems a little far-fetched at this point in time it’s far from unrealistic, as the Horned Frogs have the leadership and depth of talent to still be considered a legitimate threat.

Win to get in

A second team that participated in the 2017 College World Series is at risk of not making the postseason at all this year, as the CWS Finals runner-up LSU Tigers have work to do this weekend to secure a berth.

Like TCU, not having LSU in the postseason doesn’t even seem possible, a team that hasn’t missed since 2011 and have been to the College World Series in three of the last six years. They got hot at the right time a year ago, plowing through the SEC Touranment and both Regional and Super Regional action as they arrived in Omaha with a 9-0 record since the end of the regular season, in which they finished the year on a seven-game winning streak.

They did lose their second game in the College World Series, to Oregon State, only to storm back and beat the Beavers twice with their backs against the wall to face their in-conference rivals (Florida) for the National Championship.

The situation isn’t quite as sweet for the Tigers this time around, as they enter the weekend on the bubble of an at-large bid with an RPI of 46. They have three games, on the road against Auburn, and it’s pretty simple for the Tigers: they need to win to get in.

LSU’s SEC mark is one win over .500 at 14-13, so getting to 16-14 by the end of the weekend is crucial, which essentially would give them a winning record in SEC play regardless of what happens in the SEC Tournament next week (even if they lose their play-in game they would be 16-15). Not to mention, beating Auburn, the nation’s 12th-best according to RPI, at Auburn, would give them a nice RPI boost of their own.

Similar to TCU, LSU has some young arms receiving valuable on-the-job training, gaining some much-needed experience in games that matter along the way. They face an especially daunting task considering the favorite to go No. 1 in this year’s MLB Draft, Casey Mize, is one of the favorites on the short list for National Pitchers of the Year and is projected to throw on Friday in the Thursday-Saturday series, which makes a win on Thursday that much more important.

MSU at DBU for MVC supremacy

The best under-the-radar series this weekend will occur in Dallas as DBU is set to host Missouri Valley Conference rival Missouri State. Both teams have been at the top of the MVC standings the past several years, as Dallas Baptist has won the Valley’s tournament championship three of their first four years since joining the league in 2014, with Missouri State claiming the tournament championship the one year DBU didn’t in 2015. DBU hasn’t fared as well in the postseason, and has yet to advance to Super Regional play since 2011 despite hosting one Regional, a feat the MSU Bears accomplished last year.

At 16-2 Missouri State has a slight edge over 15-3 Dallas Baptist in conference play, and with the series being played in Dallas it would seem as though the Patriots have the natural edge. Both teams have been in the discussion for the Top 25 for most of the season, although it took until this past week for one of the two (DBU) to finally crack the weekly rankings.

Statistically speaking, Dallas Baptist also holds the edge, scoring the most runs (358) of any MVC team while also posting the league’s best team ERA (4.04). While Missouri State isn’t as adept at scoring runs (297, sixth in the league), they do a good job at preventing them (4.10 team ERA, second in the MVC).

DBU has a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of their lineup in outfielders Devlin Granberg and Jameson Hannah. Both players can hit, hit for some pop and also can cause problems on the basepaths once they reach, serving as the catalyst for a lineup that offers considerable pop as Matt Duce, Tim Millard, Kody Funderburk and Jimmy Glowenke have combined for 38 home runs. Each of those six batters, led by Granberg’s 54, has at least 33 RBI.

The projected weekend trio of Trevor Conn, MD Johnson and Luke Eldred is a combined 19-4 to go along with a deep bullpen that gives head coach Dan Heefner several options to turn to.

Missouri State is led offensively by three hitters batting over .300, including likely first round pick Jeremy Eierman. In addition to slashing .302/.389/.550, Eierman has stolen 20 bases in 23 attempts and has only committed 10 errors on the year, making him one of the nation’s more well-rounded prospects. Drew Millas (.350-6-54) is enjoying a breakout year as a sophomore, continuing what has been a pretty impressive run of offensive performers at Missouri State.

MSU staff ace Dylan Coleman is among the nation’s leaders in strikeouts with 104 and is coming off of a dominant performance against Southern Illinois that saw him strike out 13 batters in eight innings of work.

Dallas Baptist has only lost one weekend series all season long, which occurred during the second weekend of the year when they were swept on the road by Clemson. They also have quality midweek wins against Big 12 powers Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech.

Missouri State doesn’t have many statement wins to point to, but aside from a series loss to the second-ranked Oregon State Beavers, they too have won every other weekend series this season, sweeping three of their last four weekend opponents.
Give us your feedback
College | Recruiting | 9/18/2026

Top DII/DIII/NAIA Incoming Freshmen
Article Image
Top Incoming DII Freshmen Rank Name Pos School HS City ST 1 Isaiah Fernandez C Barry Chaminade Madonna College Prep Fort Lauderdale FL 2 Jaiden Palmer SS Newberry University High School Deland FL 3 Mills Carrillo RHP Saint Leo Wesley Chapel Wesley Chapel FL 4 Reuben Vasquez OF Barry Strawberry Crest Dover FL 5 Andrew Petrock SS West Alabama Pelham Pelham AL 6 Jonathan Duffy OF Bentley Walt Whitman Huntington Station NY 7 Tyson McFarlin SS Texas A&M-Kingsville Elgin Elgin TX 8 Chip Glogorski C Georgia College & State Kings Ridge Christian Cumming GA 9 Tanner Pope 1B Francis Marion Garner Magnet Garner NC 10 Brice Gillis 1B University of North Georgia Wesleyan Johns Creek GA 11 Dillon O'Connor RHP Ferrum College The Miller School of Albemarle Charlottesville VA 12 Cooper Obst C Lander Pine Crest Fort Lauderdale FL 13 Brent Sollars OF Colorado Mesa Sandra Day O'Connor Phoenix AZ 14...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/19/2026

PG Draft: Jupiter Draft Movers

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
The WWBA World Championship remains one of the premier events on the draft calendar as all 30 major league organizations descend on Jupiter to evaluate some of the top talent in amateur baseball. The event serves as a pivotal checkpoint in the scouting process, giving established prospects an opportunity to further elevate their stock while lesser-known names have a chance to put themselves on the radar of various organizations. This year was no exception, as several players made strong impressions and positioned themselves for increased attention heading into the spring. With that being said, let’s dive into a few draft risers and sleepers who stood out in Jupiter. Calum Andersen (‘27,CAN) had his A stuff working today running the FB to 96 mph with a devastating horizontal SL at 85 mph that can break bats. Mixed in a late breaking 12/6 curveball at 78 mph that induces weak...
Read More
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 10/15/2026

Beyond the Board: C/UTL Gavin Kelly

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Beyond the Board: SS Dylan Seward As the 2027 draft cycle moves through the fall and into the offseason, we kick off a new series called Beyond The Board. With each installment, we will provide an in-depth scouting report for some of the top players in the class, breaking down their tools, strengths, question marks, and overall projection. This week we are diving in West Virginia’s Gavin Kelly. The Mountaineer backstop posted a .382/.477/.725 slash line with 19 home runs, 44 extra-base hits, and helped lead WVU to Omaha in ‘26. Let’s dive in.  Player: Gavin Kelly  Position: C/UTL B/T: R/R Height: 6-foot-0 Weight: 175-pounds School: West Virginia Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pen. Physical Description: 6-0/175. Lean, athletic build. Sneaky strength throughout. Frame has room to fill out and get stronger.    Slo-mo look at the HR by Gavin Kelly (@WVUBaseball)....
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/15/2026

Big Offense Propels TBT/FTB to Title

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
Big Offense Wins TBT/FTB Phillies Scout WWBA Freshman Title Runs scoring in every inning led to the TBT/FTB Phillies Scout Team taking home the 2026 PG WWBA Freshman World Championship - winning over Canes National 15U 10-5. It had been a long week in West Palm Beach for the freshmen coming in from around the country to go up against the best of the best. While they had gotten to play on the backfields during the whole tournament, the players who made it to the championship game got to play it in the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches Stadium. TBT/FTB showed their defensive strength right away - executing quickly to retire each of the first three batters. With the bats in their hands, they also showed speed to deliver - with Luca Briggs batting Trey Vandergriff in for the first run of the game and Kingston George quickly plating Briggs with a double in the next at-bat. In the first at-bat of...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/14/2026

Beast of the East Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘31 Ryan Spann (GA) obliterates this ball for a solo HR 💣. Ball jumps off barrel & shows the juice and & PS impact. 3x @PGSelectFest alum. #BeastOfTheEast @PG_Georgia https://t.co/TgVGPfDRYc — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) October 10, 2026 Ryan Spann (2031, Warner Robins, Ga.) took home MVP honors after a standout weekend and finishing as the number one player on the top performers list. The top player from Georgia and number two player in the country led all performers in home runs (2) and tallied 7 RBIs on his way to a .400 average. The overall profile on Spann is super advanced for the age with electric offensive upside and one of if not the prettiest swing in the class. This will be a fun follow for years to come and I am all in. Carlo Rivero (2031, Apopka, Fla.) checks in as the number one overall player in the class and it’s easy to see why at...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 10/14/2026

Perfect Game Extends Turtlebox Deal

Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH TURTLEBOX AS OFFICIAL BLUETOOTH SPEAKER AND AUDIO PROVIDER   Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, October 14, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that Turtlebox has extended its partnership as the Official Bluetooth Speaker and Audio Provider of Perfect Game. The relationship, which began in 2023, expands to include original content, player recognition and a larger presence at Perfect Game's marquee events. At the center of the extension is "Turtlebox Cage Sessions," a new series produced and distributed by Perfect Game across all its social media platforms. The 12 short-form episodes will feature...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/13/2026

East Cobb/Padres Explode Late for Jupiter Win

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
East Cobb/SD Padres ST Explode Late for WWBA Worlds Win A hard-fought, crazy ending resulted in the East Cobb/SD Padres scout team coming back and winning the 2026 PG WWBA World Championship over the SBA/Marlins Scout Team 2028. The score was 8-7 after the championship was won with a walk-off balk. After going against some of the most talented, highly-ranked players in the country for the past couple days, it was finally time for the championship game at Roger Dean Complex Stadium in Jupiter, FL. The WWBA World Championship, or, as it’s more commonly and lovingly referred to as, “Jupiter,” has become a favorite for all who have been part of its iconic, golf-cart infested, electric atmosphere. This championship game was sure to entertain. The first two innings were scoreless for both teams as they got settled. Both defenses were making plays - SBA/Marlins executed a...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/12/2026

WWBA Freshman Scout Notes: Day 4

Marcus Thomas
Article Image
WWBA Freshman Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 James Watson (2030, Canton, Ga.) showed the two-way upside to start bracket play for East Cobb Astros 15u. On the mound the right-handed pitcher went three innings and with three strikeouts and spread five hits and two walks for three runs. Watson works from a hybrid windup from the middle-of-the-rubber into a small heel-turn and an around-the-belt leg lift before using drop-and-drive back leg mechanics into a longer, in-line stride down the mound. Showed some feel to get extension down the mound. The hands separate into a moderate arm action before accelerating through from an over-the-top arm angle. The fastball ran up to 86 with arm-side run and life. Paired it with a curveball with 11-5 shape and solid two-plane break. Mixed in a change-up in the upper- 70s with some vertical depth. Competed at the top of the zone well. Athletic...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/12/2026

WWBA World Champ. Scout Notes: Day 4

AJ Denny
Article Image
WWBA World Championship Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 ‘27 Mark Susa (WI) picked up 3 Ks thru 2 inn of work. 4SFB topped at 90 mph early on; 2S lived 85-86 w/ good run & sink down in the zone. Spun a 2600 rpm SLV w/ sharp traits (clip). Got up to 7’1” of extension. 6’4/200lb frame w/ more to come. #IUBase #WWBAWorlds @PG_WiscMinn https://t.co/uXfjVSSSZF — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 11, 2026 Mark Susa (2027, Hudson, Wisc.) put together a quality outing on Sunday, striking out three batters over 2.1 innings of work. The 6-foot-4 200-pound left-hander ran his fastball up to 90 mph, pairing it with a two-seamer that lived in the 85-86 mph range with heavy sink and arm-side run. He also showed great feel for spinning and locating his slurvy breaking ball, which read spin up to 2600 rpm. Susa utilizes his length to his advantage, creating...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/11/2026

WWBA World Champ. Scout Notes: Day 3

Kyler Peterson
Article Image
WWBA World Championship Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 ‘28 Alan Zimmerman (FL) racked up 5 Ks w/ just 1 H allowed thru 3 shutout frames. Lived 89-90 T91 w/ lots of life thru the zone & some ASR. Dropped in a 12/6 breaker for Ks (clip). Projectable 6’3” mold. #Uncommitted @PG_Uncommitted #WWBAWorlds @Florida_PG https://t.co/KTDFpGK49y — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 10, 2026 Alan Zimmerman (2028, Winter Garden, Fla.) was dominant in his start on Saturday, collecting five strikeouts through three shutout innings while allowing just one hit. The uncommitted 6-foot-3 right-hander showed out in front of a lot of scouts, running his fastball up to 91 mph. The heater plays up with lots of life through the zone and short arm-side run. Zimmerman sat comfortably in the 88-90 mph range, pairing his fastball with a late-acting 12/6 curveball that was landed...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 10/11/2026

WWBA Freshman Scout Notes: Day 3

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
WWBA Freshman Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 Carson Garzaniti (2029, Jupiter, Fla.) showed the barrel feel all game for West Boynton Cobras. The right-handed hitter starts from a spread stance with his weight shifted forward and in-line feet with a high handset and an even back elbow, utilizes a heel lift weight transfer trigger. Creates some separation in the back shoulder and uncoils the lower half with a short, direct hand path and extension out front from a slightly uphill bat plane. Good bat speed in the swing with some feel to impact. The catcher has shown the barrel accuracy all event with three hits, including a double and triple, to drive in four RBI and has come around to score five runs. Lean, athletic 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame with feel to generate power working ground up from the back leg. Exciting player that has been swinging a hot stick through pool play.  ...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.