SURPRISE, Ariz. – Ronan Kopp found himself in unfamiliar territory Friday afternoon. Oh, maybe not all that unfamiliar, but the surroundings certainly felt new to him despite the fact that he calls Phoenix home and he's a junior at Scottsdale Christian Academy.

Kopp, you see, is a 6-foot-5, 185-pound recently minted 16-year-old who Perfect Game ranks as the No. 1 class of 2020 left-handed pitching prospect in the state of Arizona (he is ranked as a top-500 prospect nationally); he is uncomitted to a college at this time.

And on this day, he was scheduled to make his first appearance ever at the Surprise Stadium Complex and he would be doing it for a less than 2-year-old program associated with a nationally recognized and respected organization, and one that also calls University Place, Wash., home: GBG Northwest Marucci.

“This is the first time I’m getting to play with these guys and I’m really looking forward to it; they seem like a really good group,” Kopp told PG on Friday, speaking from the Kansas City Royals’ side of the spring training complex the Royals share with the Texas Rangers. “They have a lot of good guys and it looks like they have a lot of good catchers to throw to.”

GBG NW Marucci head coach Justin Gabriel found himself in agreement with Kopp’s take on things: “We’ve got some (Division I) commits here, we’ve got some arms that – velocity-wise – are what (college) people want to see,” Gabriel told PG Friday. “So, yeah, overall I think it’s a good club to watch.”

It is one of 50 teams from eight states competing at this weekend’s 10^th annual PG Underclass Fall National Championship Protected by G-Form and it appears that once everyone who is expected to be here does, in fact, arrive here, it could be a formidable group.

This team is playing under the prominent, Los Angeles-based Garciaparra Baseball Group (GBG) organization’s umbrella and is evidence of how program founder Mike Garciaparra has taken the GBG brand nationwide; this is GBG NW’s second year in operation.

“I had been doing events and I had run into Mike a couple of times, and he approached us and we had a meeting about moving forward in the Northwest,” Gabriel said. “We made that happen in January 2017, and since then it’s been a pretty good road for us in terms of success here at the Perfect Game events.”

The official roster of for the underclass team here this weekend is 28 strong, so needless to say not every member is on hand. It lists players from eight states – most from Washington, Arizona and Oregon – and all are from the classes of 2020 and 2021.

Gabriel explained that the program likes to have contacts all across the country so that it can pick up players to bolster the roster wherever it is the team might be playing; eight states were also represented on last weekend’s roster.

“We like to get the (Northwest) players and kind of build around them but we understand what we’re up against when we come to these tournaments,” Gabriel said. “With all the kids that are good across this nation, we want to explore those avenues.”

The team definitely played short-handed on Friday, with top guys like 2020 catcher/utility Logan Paustian and 2020 middle-infielder Jordan Donahue expected to join the team on Saturday. Paustian, from Le Grande, Ore., is a Nebraska commit ranked No. 156 nationally, and Donahue, from Mililani, Hawaii, is an Oregon State commit ranked No. 191.

2020 middle-infielder Kenji Suzuki from Seattle (No. 261, Clemson commit), 2020 right-hander Matt Bachelier from Nogales, Ariz. (No. 448), 2021 infielder Mason Guerra from Beaverton, Ore. (No. 81, Oregon State) and 2021 catcher Michael Tsoukalas from Arlington, Wash. (Oregon State) are also rostered with the team.

“Talent is what we look for,” Gabriel said. “We look at all the factors but we look for talent and for good kids that are coachable. This might be the first time we that we get them but normally our teams get more comfortable as the weekend goes on. We’re looking to keep that trend … and hopefully these kids will come together.”

GBG NW Marucci finished 3-1-0 after missing the playoffs but winning a consolation game at last week’s PG Upperclass Fall National Championship; it had four players named to the all-tournament team, including Donahue.

Giving the younger, underclass players an opportunity to play at the upperclass level can pay big dividends as they look to play at the collegiate level two or three years down the road, Gabriel believes.

“It’s a builder for them because that’s what they’re going to see when they first arrive on campus,” he said. “We try to get them prepared for that and if they have success when they hit campus early, it just makes everyone look good.”

The GBG Northwesterners were impressive out of the gate Friday afternoon, running past the Fresno, Calif.-based DIB Baseball Academy, 5-1.

The 10-hit winning effort was led by Arizona 2020 Kenneth Jiminez, who doubled, drove in two runs and scored one; Arizona 2020 Keegan Stancato, with a single, two RBI and a run, and Arizona 2020 Jonah Burks, who singled, drove in a run and scored one.

Kopp threw two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and one walk while striking out five. Washington 2020 right-hander Connor Combs shutout DIB over the game’s final three innings, allowing two hits and striking out two.

“We look forward to this event; we love it,” Gabriel said. “I think it’s the perfect time for the college guys and for our guys that are hungry to play in college. … This event is especially exciting for us because we know how big of a stage it is and how many colleges (coaches/recruiters) are going to be here.”

There was a large contingent of college guys on hand in Surprise on Friday and with games also being played at the Dodgers’ and White Sox’s Camelback Ranch Complex in Glendale, it can be safely assumed there a good gathering there, as well.

It’s that sort of attention that drives these young prospects, especially sophomores and juniors who might still be looking for the perfect college fit.

Gabriel feels like the exposure is what these kids really yearn for, all while being surrounded by other top-tier prospects who share their dreams and aspirations.

“Obviously, everyone grows in that situation and if you have the good coaches to go along with it, it’s a win-win for everyone,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate to have success on this stage and we’ve been successful with building these rosters, so of course there’s a certain level of expectations.

“But the game of baseball treats you the way the game of baseball wants to treat you, so if you play the game right good things will probably happen.”

Kopp hadn’t had a chance to learn a whole lot about the GBG organization but the things he has heard have all been positive. As a highly ranked but still uncommitted junior left-handed pitcher, he especially likes GBG’s reputation for finding suitable college homes for its most desirable prospects.

“That’s just great because it’s something that as a player coming into a new group, it gives you high expectations for the team,” Kopp said. “I always want to (increase my velocity) even if it’s just one mile-per-hour over … and I also want these guys to do pretty well, too, because I always like playing with a new team and seeing how they do, as well.”