THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 7/4/2018

CBA Cavs move on to playoffs

Photo: Mahki Backstrom (Perfect Game)

ROSWELL, Ga. – The CBA Cavs took care of business in Pool AA on Wednesday with a 5-2 win over Tri-State Arsenal 17u Prime. The win concludes the gauntlet this CBA team went through to win Pool AA, and they will play their first playoff game of the 17u WWBA National Championship Wednesday night.

Saivion Mohammed turned in a great start on the mound for the CBA Cavs, tossing four innings and allowing just one unearned run. The righty struck out two Tri-State batters and allowed just three hits. At the plate, Dylan O’Leary and Tyresse Turner each turned in multi-hit games and combined for three runs scored.



For those that don't know, CBA stands for California Baseball Academy. CBA aims to attend the top events in the nation to provide their players with the maximum amount of exposure possible.

The CBA program is no stranger to Perfect Game events, and in fact claimed the title at the 17u WWBA National Championship just three years ago in 2015. Over 350 players in the CBA program have committed to playing college baseball, and two CBA alumni were taken in the first round of this June’s MLB Draft in Nick Madrigal (Oregon State) and Cole Winn. In total, 19 CBA alumni were taken in this year’s draft, making CBA one of the premier programs for development in the country.

Two players that have seen their stock rise throughout their years in the CBA program are Damone Hale and Mahki Backstrom. These two players have been working on their game for a long time, and they really got the chance to burst on to the scene at the Perfect Game National Showcase last month.

“I’m not going to lie I was pretty nervous at first,” said Backstrom, who is a native of Los Angeles, California. “It was a very opening experience. Just being around so many great players, I kept telling myself that I wanted to stand out as the best player there. I wanted to make sure I was at 100 percent all the time.”

Backstrom used an impressive National Showcase to secure himself as one of the top players in the 2019 class. The uncommitted rising senior is currently ranked as the 31st-best player in the country, and the fifth-best player in the state of California. Though he is uncommitted, Backstrom has an idea of where he wants to end next fall.

“For me, I have to have a good business school I can go to. That is definitely going to be the major piece for me. I really like the big school feel because I want the all around experience in college. At the end of the day, it just has to be the right fit for me.”

For Damone Hale, he was a little more familiar to the Perfect Game events than Backstrom was. Hale is currently ranked as the 37th-best player in the class of 2019, and he was very impressive during the National Showcase.

“I’ve been out here a couple of times. I really like this because the competition level is just so high,” said Hale, who is from Inglewood, California. “It’s obviously intense because we have the top guys in the country coming in and playing hard and having fun. Being able to compete is one of the biggest things for me, and it was really fun.”

Similar to Backstrom, Damone Hale just hasn't found the right fit to commit somewhere yet. Hale is definitely a hot commodity, and most wouldn’t expect a player with his talent level to be available for much longer.

“The main thing for me is that I just want to go where I can play. A lot of people are happy going to a big name school, but its not really about that for me. The development and being able to play right away right when you get there is the way to go for me.”

This CBA Cavs team has certainly faced their fair share of solid teams in this tournament. Hale and Backstrom had the opportunity to face the hard throwing Daniel Espino earlier in the tournament, and they along with their teammates haven’t backed down from the challenge.

A large factor to the CBA Cavs’ success has been the familiarity of the team. Hale and Backstrom are two of the four players from Junipero Serra High School on this team, and they believe that chemistry has been huge for their team.

“Because of this team, we have the four guys going to the same high school. We already have that chemistry, along with the other players we have known because of all the travel ball years,” said Hale. “I think the team chemistry is the thing that really separates a lot of teams from others.”

While these tournaments are a great chance to showcase yourself for college and professional scouts, this dynamic duo knows the work that is done in the dark is just as important for their development.

“A lot of people will come out here and think that it’s just all said and done,” said Hale. “It takes a lot of work. My story has been a little bit different. I have had my ups and downs, but I want to come out here and show that I can get better every single time.”

The life of a talented high school prospect can absolutely be demanding. Mahki Backstrom hits 400 balls in the cage with his dad every single day, but he definitely finds time to enjoy his time as a teenager while he can.

“I like to go fishing. I just started last year, and it is something that has really stuck with me. I like long talks and prayers with my mom, and I like to play pickup basketball and dunk on people. Then there is video games and all that stuff too that I enjoy.”

After what has been a long week of baseball at the 17u WWBA National Championship, you can be sure that Hale and Backstrom will continue to make the most out of every opportunity that comes their way. This Southern California duo is looking to continue making strides through hard work and a little bit of fun.




Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘28 OF Jakob Groeschel (OH) continues to impress with the bat on the circuit, picked up 2 2Bs in the first game today. Really athletic, went 4.4 on turn; easy to dream on all the traits. #MLKEast @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/wOIwnGKnkg — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) January 17, 2026 2028 OF Jakob Groeschel (Springfield, Ohio) broke out at this event last year hitting a casual .909, and although he didn’t turn in quite the same performance, he hit a strong .462 with 4 extra-base hits, 5 walks, 5 bags and only struck out once. He’s a pretty dynamic athlete who can do a lot of things well, but the bat is the calling card as he just lives on the barrel and has no problem handling all kinds of pitching. It’s a simple swing, but he’s got fast hands and he can really impact the ball without being overly physical yet.  2030 RHP Michael Vazquez...
Draft | Rankings | 3/20/2026

2026 Draft Board: Top 300

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The 2026 MLB Draft class is shaping up to be one of the better in recent memory and, potentially, the best class in the last decade. It’s led by UCLA superstar shortstop Roch Cholowsky, a true five-tool prospect who’s the early favorite for 1:1. One of the most popular pieces of industry feedback when constructing this list was some variation of “Roch is too low” or “go up on Roch” and he’s the best college prospect since 2019 when Adley Rutschman (Oregon State, Orioles) was the consensus No. 1 prospect. Similarly to 2019, there’s a superstar Texas prep shortstop at No. 2, in 2019 it was Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville Heritage, Royals) and this year it’s Grady Emerson. Both Emerson and Alabama’s Justin Lebron would have been solid 1:1 candidates in years where Roch Cholowsky is not eligible and both have All-Star potential....
Press Release | Press Release | 3/19/2026

PG Teams Up with OZ Ball Tournaments PTY

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 NAMES OZ BALL TOURNAMENTS PTY AS OFFICIAL AREA DIRECTOR IN AUSTRALIA, EXPANDING GLOBAL FOOTPRINT   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, March 19, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that it has entered into a new international partnership with Oz Ball Tournaments Pty, naming the organization as an official Perfect Game Area Director in Australia. The agreement establishes Perfect Game-licensed tournaments and showcases across major Australian markets, including Sydney, Brisbane/Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.     Australian events will operate under the Perfect Game brand, delivering the same...
Press Release | Press Release | 3/18/2026

PG Introduces Individual Player Entry

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 INTRODUCES INDIVIDUAL PLAYER ENTRY, EXPANDING ACCESS TO ELITE NATIONAL EVENTS   Athletes Can Now Compete in Select National Tournaments Through Structured ‘Team PG’ Rosters   Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, March 18, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the launch of Individual Player Entry, a new initiative designed to provide athletes the opportunity to compete in select national events even if their primary team is not attending.   Through the program, players can now register individually and be placed on a structured “Team PG” roster, allowing them to participate fully in...
Juco | Rankings | 3/18/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 18

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
This week brings a new top team to the rankings as Johnson County (KS), on the strength of 10 consecutive wins and a 26-2 record, claims the overall number 1 spot. The Cavaliers have made 3 consecutive trips to the JUCO World Series and have the talent to make it back there again this spring. Florida Southwestern and Chipola have seemingly separated themselves as the most consistent teams in Florida. Welcome to the top 5 to the Gaston Rhinos who will be one of the first teams to 30 wins this spring. Pearl River stays as the top NJCAA D2 team and Fresno City stays as the top Juco team in California; both are coming off undefeated 2 week stretches. Welcome back to the top 25 to John A. Logan who is now 20-7 overall and have played one of the toughest schedules of anyone. And for the first time in several years welcome to the top 25 to the College of Southern Idaho, the Golden Eagles have...
High School | General | 3/18/2026

Class of 2026: Preseason HS All-Americans

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
College | Rankings | 3/18/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 18

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
In every major sport, the championship is decided in the postseason. You can lose games all year, get hot at the right time, and walk away with the hardware. The regular season is a rehearsal. The playoffs are the show.  The championship belt changes that. Borrowed from professional wrestling, boxing and ultimate fighting, the belt travels the moment the holder loses — no brackets, no seeding, no second chances. A random Tuesday non-conference game in Milledgeville, Georgia  becomes a title fight. A spring trip to Florida becomes a gauntlet. The defending national champion can lose the belt before February is over.  We’re tracking three belts this season — NCAA Division II, NAIA, and NCAA Division III — each starting with the defending national champion. The results have been exactly as chaotic as you’d expect.  Worth noting along the...
High School | Rankings | 3/17/2026

High School Top 50 Update: March 17

Tyler Russo
Article Image
We have another update to the National Top-50 after two weeks of even more games being played in the southern states along with seasons just starting to kick off across the country. We’re quickly approaching another stellar high school event, the NHSI in Cary, and with that will come even more movement in these rankings. St. John Bosco (CA) continues to hold firm at the No. 1 position after a 4-0 start to their season. Venice (FL) has been rolling throughout the early portion of the year and jumps up to No. 2 in the country. One of the biggest movers in this update is The Bennett School (TX) jumping from unranked to No. 8 in the country after beating a handful of top ranked programs to start the year. Some other big movers inside the top-10 are Barbe (LA), who jumps from No. 18 to No. 5 in this update as well as Aledo (TX) who jumps from No. 20 to No. 9. The rest of the top-10...
College | Story | 3/17/2026

College Players of the Week: March 17

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
March 17th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-3) came into the season with the highest external expectations in decades based on the anticipation of their offensive potential. To this point they have not only met those lofty expectations, but twenty games in they may have exceeded them. While there are plenty of high-level prospects up and down the lineup, with all that star power Vahn Lackey has stood out. Sure to be one of the first catchers selected in this year’s MLB Draft with his comprehensive skillset, he projects well as an everyday backstop at the next level. However, his overall athleticism stands out as we saw this week when he had a game where he played every defensive position on the field except pitcher. At the plate over four games including a series victory at Clemson last week, he went 9 for 15, scoring...
College | Rankings | 3/16/2026

College Top 25: March 16

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Collegiate Player Report Database As each week of the college baseball season passes, we continue to be entertained at an incredible level with high level drama at every turn.  Conference play is under way and the national landscape is starting to make a bit more sense.  The development and strength of individual players is on full-display and there continue to be upsets on occasion that sends the message no team can relax for one moment.  For the most part, the Top 10 remains unchanged with some reshuffling as No. 1 UCLA (17-2) holds on to the top spot with yet another perfect (4-0) week after sweeping Michigan.  The No. 2 Texas Longhorns (18-1) did drop their first game of the season in Game 1 of SEC play but won the series against Ole Miss and finished the week with a (3-1) record.  The Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (17-3) passed their first real road test of the...
Draft | Story | 3/13/2026

PG Draft: Under the Radar Preps

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
PG Draft: Under the Radar Preps As the spring season gets underway, the showcase circuit and early high-level tournaments have already provided our scouts with some intriguing first looks at this year’s crop of prospects. At the same time, we’ve been tracking the buzz among team evaluators, listening closely to the names that keep coming up in conversations and the players clubs are making sure they get eyes on this spring. Every year, a handful of prospects quietly slip beneath the radar during the fall and winter months, only to reemerge once the games start counting again. Sometimes it’s the result of a productive offseason in the weight room, a noticeable jump in velocity, or a step forward in skill development. Other times, it’s simply a player finally getting the opportunity and the stage to show what’s been building behind the scenes. The spring has a...
Loading more articles...