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2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,401 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Tournaments  | Story | 7/15/2018

Squad 'walks' off at 17u BCS

Photo: Elite Squad 17u American (Perfect Game)



FORT MYERS, Fla. – It shouldn’t have surprised anyone that the Perfect Game 17u BCS National Championship title game between two of Florida’s – and the country’s – most highly respected travel ball programs would be a high-energy affair accented with great overall play throughout. What did come as a surprise was the way it ended.

The Elite Squad 17u American took advantage of a two-out, bases-loaded walk-off walk in the bottom of the eighth inning, and escaped the Florida Burn 2019 Platinum, 4-3, at the championship game played Sunday morning at jetBlue Park.

The No. 6-seeded Squad 17u Americans capped an impressive 9-0-1 run to the PG national championship, topping the No. 9 Burn 2019 Platinum (9-2-0) in a contest that wasn’t decided until the last pitch was called a ball.

"It was as dog-fight all the way,” the Elite Squad’s Stephen Schissler told PG during postgame comments. “It was a pitchers’ duel for the whole game, and when they went ahead in the top of the seventh, we didn’t give up; we just kept fighting.”

This was a catch-me-if-you-can type of game from the beginning, with the Squad scoring a single run in the bottom of the second and the Burn answering with one of their own in the top of the third. The Burn took a 3-1 lead by plating two in the top of the seventh, only to see the Squad answer with two runs in the bottom half. JM Fay delivered a two-out, two-run single for the Squad that sent the game into an extra frame.

Schissler reached on an error with one out in the bottom of the eighth and soon found himself standing on third base, but with two outs. Zachary Neto and Xavier Moronto both ended up being intentionally walked to load the bases before Daniel Labrador was walked to force-in Schissler with the winning run.

Neto tripled, doubled and scored a run, Moronto had a pair of singles and a run scored and Labradore doubled and scored a run – in addition to his game-winning RBI – to pace the Squad at the plate.

2019 right-hander Knickolas Billings got the start for the Squad and allowed one run on five hits in three innings. Neto, also a ’19 righty, pitched the last five innings, giving up two runs on three hits with six strikeouts and picked up the win.

Florida Burn starter Nolan Hudi, a 2019 lefty and a Texas Christian commit, was very good over his first six innings of work before being touched for a pair of runs in the seventh; he finished with a line of seven innings pitched, three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. Kevin Conway singled twice and scored a run and Denzell Drumright singled and drove in a pair for the Burn.

The Elite Squad 17u American’s pitchers performed brilliantly all week, posting five shutouts in the 10 games.

"We’re always working hard to get better,” Schissler said of the staff. “We don’t have the guys that will light up the radar gun but we always spot-up, we hit the zone, we make them (put the ball in play) and we just execute our pitches to the best of our ability.”

Schissler, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound, top-500 right-hander from Pembroke Pines, Fla., made three appearances on the mound over the past week, and allowed just one earned run on four hits while striking out six and walking one in 8 1/3 innings (0.80 ERA). And oh, by the way, he was also 11-for-26 (.423) with three doubles, a triple and five RBI at the plate.

His best outing on the mound came on Saturday when he threw a three-hit, six-strikeout, complete-game shutout at the 5 Star Nationals Weaver 17u in a 4-0 semifinal round victory. That performance figured in prominently when he was named the Most Valuable Pitcher

“It was a grind the whole week,” Schissler said. “We knew we had to make it out of the first pool, first and foremost, and then in the second pool we knew we were going to have a good chance to make a run at the playoffs. Once we were in the playoffs, we were just going to keep fighting until we made it to the championship.”

The Burn’s Conway, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound 2019 third baseman/catcher/right-hander and Florida Gulf Coast commit out of Port Charlotte, Fla., was a hit-machine all week. He finished 18-for-31 (.581) with two doubles, 16 singles, nine RBI and a nifty on-base percentage of .618; he was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

This is the ninth year Elite Squad 17u American head coach Onel Garcia has been with Richie Palmer’s Elite Squad Baseball organization and he’s had a front-row seat as the program has emerged into one of the best and most respected in the country. Winning PG national championships is just all part of the deal.

“I’m very proud to wear the Elite Squad uniform. We talk to the boys a lot about that; they just love playing for Elite Squad,” he told PG. “This American squad has done great, and it basically shows how deep the organization is when (this team) can be doing so well.”


2018 17u BCS National Championship runner-up: Florida Burn 2019 Platinum



2018 17u BCS National Championship MVP: Kevin Conway



2018 17u BCS National Championship MV-Pitcher: Stephen Schissler






Tournaments | Story | 10/1/2026

MW Champions Cup Scout Notes: Part 2

Perfect Game Staff
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Midwest Champions Cup Scout Notes: Part 1 Alexander Kakach (‘27, MN) high level stuff with athleticism on the mound. 89-94 with the FB today. Two distinct breaking balls with a SL at 80-83 & over 3000 RPM at times. Another vertical depth breaking ball in the upper 70’s. Real developing arm talent. #Creighton commit.… pic.twitter.com/EUS21vI7o0 — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) September 27, 2026 Alexander Kakach (2027, Plymouth, Minn.) for pitchers from cold weather states in the fall, scouts look for who can potentially make the jump next spring and who has big stuff. And I think this one proved that he is in that category while in Chicago last weekend. He’s athletic, he moves well on the mound and rolled out throwing 90-94 for 3+ innings. Spun sharp breaking balls with distinct shapes including a couple sliders north of 3000 RPM. There’s a...
Press Release | Press Release | 10/1/2026

PG Introduces New Event Classification System

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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME INTRODUCES NEW EVENT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, October 1, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a reorganization of its events into five distinct classes in order to provide more clarity to families and teams across the country. PG’s event offerings – from onsite experience to DiamondKast to social media coverage – will evolve based on each event class. The five event classes are: Flagship, Premier, Signature, Classic and All-Star. All include both team and individual events except for All-Star, which are invitation-only individual events that operate at a Flagship level. The...
Tournaments | Story | 9/30/2026

MW Champions Cup Scout Notes: Part 1

Perfect Game Staff
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Jake Michel (‘27, MN) 2 swings on base hits from today. 1st an impressive swing in a 2-strike count left on left matchup. Swinging the bat well this fall. Made a couple nice plays at 3B too. #Oregon commit. #MWChampionsCup @RedsScoutTeam pic.twitter.com/LQW7e7sGHO — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) September 26, 2026 Jake Michel (2027, Rosemount, MN) the MVP of this year’s 18u Midwest Champions Cup. Went 6-for-11 with a double, a home run and 8 RBI in 4 games. A left-handed hitting corner infielder that is swinging the bat at a high level this fall. This was back-to-back tournaments with a home run, one to the pull side and one to the opposite field. Has hit LHP’s and RHP’s equally well and really uses the whole field. One to really watch in Jupiter in about a week. Committed to Oregon.    Cole Chambers (‘27, MO) 3 hit game with a double...
Tournaments | Story | 9/29/2026

Florida Fall World Series Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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2029 RHP/SS Kevin Rodriguez Marrero (FL) Physical two-way prospect who continues to show intriguing upside on both sides of the ball. At the plate, shows a whippy barrel with present pop and the ability to drive the ball up the middle. Off the mound, works in the high-80s with life through the zone and a sharp 12-6 CB. Size, arm strength, and two-way ability make him an interesting young prospect to follow throughout the weekend. 2030 2B Daniel Alvarez (FL) Athletic middle infielder with a direct swing and strong barrel control. Stays on plane through the zone and works long through contact. Has shown the ability to turn on pitches and drive the ball to both gaps, including a double to left field and a line drive to right field. Consistent quality of contact has stood out throughout the tournament. 2028 C Andrew Gonzalez (FL) Physical right-handed bat with a violent swing and present...
Tournaments | Story | 9/29/2026

18U WWBA National Invite Scout Notes

Quinton Hall
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Baylor Denny (‘27 | AZ) The #Oklahoma commit has a MONSTER day at the plate for GBG National 2027, going 3 for 4 w/ two 2Bs, a HR, & 5RBI, while scoring twice. Top-of-the-order stick w/ a quick trigger, strength in the frame, easy G2G ability 💣 #NBI pic.twitter.com/ZwhlwweLaL — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) September 25, 2026 Baylor Denny (2027, Queen Creek, AZ) The 6-foot-1, 185-pound, right-handed hitter and middle infielder earned #1 on the Top Performers list for the 2026 18U WWBA National Baseball Invitational. The Oklahoma commit finished 3-for-10 with two doubles, a home run, six RBI and two runs scored, showing a quick trigger and quality impact to the pull side. Denny's athleticism plays in the box, with strength in the frame and an efficient move into launch that allows him to consistently impact the baseball.   Ryan Sanchez (‘27 | AZ)...
Tournaments | Story | 9/29/2026

WWBA Champ. Pool Preview & Release

Perfect Game Staff
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It's the time of the year again when nearly every golf cart in the United States, or so it feels, flocks to Roger Dean and crowds the backstops, getting one last look at the top players in the country before the spring season. Below our staff breaks down every pool as we are set to release them in 10 minute increments, starting with Pool A and working all the way down to Pool DD. Once again laying claim as the champion of "Jupiter" will be no easy task as every pool game will be a battle just to advance to the bracket where the intensity of each pitch will multiple 10-fold.   Pool A Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Location East Cobb/SD Padres ST Underclass Myles Tate 109 2028 Luke Crowder 174 2028 Marietta, GA Lonestar Baseball Club - National - 2027 Braylon Jones 309 2027 Owen Sieve 500 2027 Austin, TX Spects National 2027 Gominsky Charlie Sarsfield 99 2027...
Tournaments | Championship | 9/28/2026

ZT National Takes Down Sophomore

Hannah Jo Groves
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ZT National Prospects Hold Out to Win 2026 WWBA Sophomore Championship In a game that kept everyone guessing until the very end, the ZT National Prospects won the 2026 WWBA Sophomore Championship over Wow Factor/Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team 8-7. Over the past few days of the tournament, the usually cruel southwest Florida weather had been unusually kind - but the warmth of the sun had still taken energy out of both championship teams. They had finished hard-fought semifinal matches before walking from the backfields of JetBlue Park to the big-league stadium. Enzi-Yaw Otieku threw the first pitch for ZT National at 11:43 a.m. - and this highly anticipated championship match-up was underway. The first three outs came quickly for the ZT National Prospects with their defensive chemistry and strength on display right away. ZT’s head coach, Carlos Avila, expressed his happiness with his...
Tournaments | Story | 9/28/2026

WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 4

Perfect Game Staff
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WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 Lukas Klipper (2029, Clearwater, Fla.) was electric at the plate, collecting six hits, highlighted by a monstrous home run off the batter's eye in his second game. High-level left-handed hitter with a really easy swing and functional actions. Klipper lived on the barrel throughout the game and showed off his run-producing ability in huge situations.  Lane Ayars (2029, Mount Juliet, TN) got the starting nod in round two and did not disappoint. The 6’4” left-handed pitcher tossed three scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing zero hits. Fastball up to 90 mph with some heavy arm-side run, with a slider that consistently was in the zone. Also collected two hits at the plate, showcasing a very simple approach.  Frankie Pagano (2029, Waukee, IA) was electric in relief, tossing three scoreless innings while...
Tournaments | Story | 9/27/2026

WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 3

Perfect Game Staff
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WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 Ronin McCrea (2029, San Diego, Calif.) had an all-around performance at the plate, going two-for-two with two singles, two runs scored, and three RBIs. The right-handed hitter displayed a short, compact swing with a direct and efficient path to the baseball. McCrea showed excellent barrel control throughout the game, consistently producing hard line-drive contact to all parts of the field. Jayson Blanco (2029, Homestead, Fla.) was dominant on the mound, tossing a five-inning no-hitter while striking out six. The right-handed pitcher worked down the mound efficiently with a smooth, fluid delivery that helped him consistently attack the strike zone. Blanco featured a fastball that sat in the low-80s with sneaky life to it at the top of the zone, while mixing in a slower slider that generated swing-and-miss. Parker Miller (2029, Burleson,...
Tournaments | Story | 9/26/2026

WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 2

Perfect Game Staff
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WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 1 Rhys Jones (2029, Mc Lean, Va.) was absolutely dominant on the bump to start off day 2 hanging an impressive 10 strikeouts in 5 innings. Running the heater up to 84 with arm side run and the breaking ball got swings and misses. The strike percentage stayed right over 55%, and he carried a no hitter into the 6th. Easy arm action with a high 3/4 slot and controls the move down the rubber.  Jevan McMenamy (2029, Fargo, N.D.) was all around solid today tallying two hits, an rbi, and a walk. In the box he works to the middle of the field in the approach and can elevate to all fields. Coils deep into the back hip and works through contact with strength. Quick feet around the bases and the barrel is fast.  Khian Escalana (2029, Ankeny, Iowa) was a heavy producer in this one collecting three hits, two of those being doubles. Also drove in three RBIs...
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