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Tournaments  | Story | 10/23/2018

World Championship Day 5 Notes

Photo: Patrick Alvarez (Perfect Game)

2018 WWBA World Championship: Daily Leaders | Day 1 Notes | Day 2 Notes | Day 3 Notes | Day 4 Notes

The Canes have had no shortage of pitching performances during the tournament, and they received an excellent start on the mound from South Florida commit Jack Jasiak (2019, Spring Hill, Fla.). The righthander tossed five innings of shutout baseball while striking out three batters and keeping his Canes in the game long enough for them to pull out a win in the bottom of the ninth. Jasiak needed just 76 pitches to get through his time on the mound and did so quite efficiently, pounding the strike zone and using his two separate breaking balls whenever he needed to. Jasiak stands with an athletic, projectable pitchers frame at 6-foot-2, 190-pounds and attacks the strike one. There is effort at the point of release, however Jasiak rocks back over the gather and his arm stroke both combine to hide the ball extraordinarily well. This allowed the late life on the 88-90 mph fastball to explode out of the hand and get on hitters really quickly. Jasiak had good feel and shape on the curveball in the mid-70s while the slider was a bit inconsistent but flashed short bite to it as more of a cutter-esque pitch in the low-80s. Jasiak is another talented arm on the Canes and should be monitored closely moving forward.

Similarly to the entire pitching staff this weekend, Cole Kitchen (2019, Woodland Hills, Calif.) laid it all on the line against the Canes and showed a glimpse of his two-way potential in the process. The Santa Clara commit and secondary righthanded pitcher ran his fastball up to 89 mph during his start on the mound while only allowing one earned run and striking out seven batters. The arm stroke is longer through the back but Kitchen gets some sinking life on the fastball that worked mostly 84-88 mph for the duration of the start. Kitchen also had a solid curveball with lots of depth in the low-70s but his biggest contribution on the day might have come in the batters box. Kitchen was dug into an 0-2 hole to start his at-bat in the bottom of the seventh where he was eventually able to work the count full and drive a single through the 4-3 hole to keep GBG’s hopes alive; Kitchen would come around to score the game-tying run on a two-out knock from Devan Ornelas (2020, Chatsworth, Calif.).

Physical righthanded hitters William Bartlett (2019, Portola Valley, Calif.) and Mac Guscette (2020, Nokomis, Fla.) had pretty solid tournaments for the eventual-champion Florida Burn and both have very strong potential moving forward.

Bartlett, a primary catcher, played at first base for a good portion of the tournament where he showed off the athleticism with a diving catch on the first base line in the championship game. The Arizona commit certainly doesn’t get cheated on his swings and he takes some strong hacks including late on Sunday night where he had a big three-run blast to give the Florida Burn the early lead in the quarterfinals. Bartlett is a barrel-chested 6-foot-3, 220-pound power righthnaded bat and he showed off the potential with the stick over the course of the weekend.

Guscette, a Florida commit, is a physical righthanded hitter as well but he spent the majority of the time out of the leadoff spot for the Burn, as he was one of their top pure bat-to-ball hitters and hit very well over the weekend. There’s plenty of bat speed and he uses the whole field, including on his opposite field single in the championship game to give the Burn a 2-0 cushion. Guscette has a very fluid swing with plenty of present barrel skills and a lot of hitterish qualities. Guscette is a junior but he stood out in a big way this weekend as he heads into his junior spring.

One of the unsung heroes of the Canes all weekend was Patrick Alvarez (2019, Charlotte, N.C.) and the North Carolina commit is a dynamic asset for any team or organization right at the top of the lineup. Alvarez is a 5-foot-7 second baseman who can run, swing the stick and especially stands out defensively up the middle. He mostly grades out as an average runner on the major league scale but will show you above average every so often going to first base. Alvarez has a very compact and smooth righthanded stroke with a knack for finding the barrel of the bat that included him notching a .500 batting average over the weekend. Alvarez has an excellent eye at the dish, with just as many walks as hits, and uses the whole field to distribute the ball with impact as well. He isn’t a flare guy as he really drives it off the barrel with intent, on a line, and with carry. Should he get to Chapel Hill, Alvarez is a guy who could make an immediate impact for the Tar Heels and should also be followed with regards to his draft stock.

– Vinnie Cervino



Austen Kessler (2019, Bradenton, Fla.) was one of many bright spots for the Florida Burn on Monday as they eventually went on to win the WWBA World Championship. Kessler started on the mound for the Burn in the semifinals up against one of the more loaded rosters in the entire event and pitched extremely well. The righthander pitched six innings, striking out a batter per inning and topping out at 91 mph with his fastball. Kessler is a strong framed righthanded pitcher who throws from a full arm action and plenty of arm strength. Kessler featured a mid-70s breaking ball as well that showed average throughout and helped him put together those six strikeouts. Kessler is uncommitted currently, but after a very good Jupiter event with nice velocity and a solid secondary offering that uncommitted label may not last for long after.

Josh Swales (2020, Porter Ranch, Calif.) may have earned the unfortunate loss in the semifinals for GBG, but that does not mean he did not feature projectable stuff on the mound. Starting with his frame and fastball velocity, Swales is one of the top uncommitted West Coast arms in the 2020 class. Swales stands at 6-foot-2, 175-pounds and projects well physically with more time to fill out with additional strength. The uncommitted righthander topped out at 92 mph with his fastball over his three innings and repeatedly missed barrels with his entire arsenal of pitches. His fastball set up the use for his curveball and changeup to vary speeds and get hitters off balance. Swales has a mostly clean delivery with the ability to throw strikes at a high rate and work to either side of the plate. His arm works fully through the back up to a high three-quarters arm slot creating plane when down in the zone.

– Gregory Gerard



Tournaments | Story | 4/21/2026

Southeast Super NIT #2 Scout Notes

Jason Phillips
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Chase Jelks (‘30 GA)- with a long double to deep CF. Huge day from the primary SS, 5-for-6 w/ 4 doubles & 6 RBI. #SESuperNIT @TheDreamBall @PG_Georgia https://t.co/biFSzXCrUt pic.twitter.com/HCQMduedb5 — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) April 20, 2026 Chase Jelks (’30, Atlanta, Ga.)- the left-handed hitting Jelks was all over the barrel on Sunday in a pair of games for The Dream 14U Black. He finished the day with five hits in six at-bats which included four doubles and six runs batted in. His two doubles and four runs batted in played a big part in the Gold Playoffs Round 1 victory over the talented BPA squad out of California. He backed up that performance with three more hits in a quarterfinal’s loss to the East Cobb Astros 14U Orange to finish the tournament with a .600 batting average and 1.636 on-base plus slugging percentage. A primary utility infielder,...
High School | General | 5/1/2026

Texas High School Notebook

Jay Vossler
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Cullen Scott (‘28 TX) strikes out 8 over 6 IP. 4-Seam 94-97 T98 carry up. 2-Seam 90-93 ASR. And it’s easy velo out the hand; held velo into 6th. Slider 78-81 (2400 RPM) short and tight tilter. Curve 76-79 (2400 RPM) power depth varies between 10-4 and 11-5. Change 82-83 rolls out… pic.twitter.com/aFCQ6m70Ax — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) April 18, 2026 Cullen Scott (2028, Melissa, Texas) was as advertised in this look as he went 6 innings while striking out 8 batters. Throws 2 different fastballs and holds velo well throughout outing. 4-seam works 94-97 and topped out at 98 with carry up just jumps out of hand. 2-seam works 90-93 with good arm side run. Held velocity into the 6th. Slider 78-81 plays short with tilt and late bite getting upwards of 2400 RPM. Curve 76-79 with power depth that varies between shape 10-4 to 11-5. Change 82-83 rolls out of hand with...
Draft | Mock Draft | 5/1/2026

MLB Mock Draft: May 1

Tyler Henninger
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Pick Team Player Position School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 3 Minnesota Twins Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 4 San Francisco Giants Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 5 Pittsburgh Pirates AJ Gracia OF Virginia 6 Kansas City Royals Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 7 Baltimore Orioles Ace Reese 3B Mississippi State 8 Athletics Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 9 Atlanta Braves Ryder Helfrick C Arkansas 10 Colorado Rockies Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 11 Washington Nationals Jared Grindlinger LHP/OF Huntington Beach 12 Los Angeles Angels Cameron Flukey RHP Coastal Carolina 13 St. Louis Cardinals Cole Carlon LHP Arizona State 14 Miami Marlins Gio Rojas LHP Marjory Stoneman Douglas 15 Arizona Diamondbacks Tyler Bell* SS Kentucky 16 Texas Rangers Justin Lebron SS Alabama 17 Houston Astros Chris Hacopian SS Texas A&M 18...
High School | General | 4/30/2026

High School Notebook: April 30

Jordan Gates
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Slo-mo look at the swing by Jordan Ransom (‘26, AZ) #PGHS @QCHS_Athletics @PG_Draft https://t.co/fyPaOimF5k pic.twitter.com/T7yH6a1qRI — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) April 29, 2026 OF Ryan Harwood, Casteel (Ariz).  Harwood is one of the premier draft names in the state and showed why in the regular season finale. The Texas A&M commit collected a pair of hits and also threw a runner out at home from left field. Harwood possesses impressive physicality that can produce big impact at the plate. The profile has middle of the order upside. Defensively, Harwood profiles best for a corner outfield spot long term. The arm strength may allow him to slide over to right field, as he can produce strong on-line carry. Harwood showed off that arm strength on the mound, where he threw the last inning and ran the heater up to 91 mph. IF Jordan Ransom, Queen Creek...
High School | Rankings | 4/29/2026

High School Top 50 Update: April 29

Tyler Russo
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With another week in the books across the country in the high school baseball season, we have another update to the National Top 50. The southern states are rolling through the playoffs as the weeks unfold along with northern states starting to get to the back half of their schedule as the summer is quickly approaching. The top-10 holds firm in this update as Venice (FL) continues to hold onto the top spot after rattling off W’s since returning home to Florida. Barbe (LA) comes in at No. 2 this week after being ranked at No. 3 a week ago and sport a 37-1 record with 36 straight wins. Orange Lutheran (CA) drops one spot to No. 3 and a pair of Texas schools round out the top-5 as Tomball is at No. 4 and Aledo is at No. 5. 5-9 is the exact same this week as last as IMG Academy (FL) comes in at No. 6, Trinity (KY) is at No. 7, Harvard-Westlake (CA) is at No. 8 and Grapevine (TX) is at...
Juco | Rankings | 4/29/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 29

Troy Sutherland
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Two teams reached the 50 win mark this past week and both are in the top two spots of this weeks ranking. Pearl River continues to win and represents our top ranked D2 JUCO team. Welcome to the top 10 to Cloud County, who is putting together an outstanding season at 43-5. Fresno City, Palomar and Ohlone are the top teams in California. And welcome back to the top 25 to the NWAC and Lower Columbia. Check back next week as teams head into postseason play.  Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 50-2 2 Gaston (NC) 50-3 3 Walters State (TN) 45-10 4 Blinn (TX) 37-12 5 Pearl River (MS) 43-9 6 Southern Nevada (NV) 35-10 7 Florence-Darlington (SC) 46-10 8 Florida Southwestern (FL) 35-15 9 Chipola (FL) 40-11 10 Cloud County (KS) 43-5 11 McLennan (TX) 39-11 12 John A Logan (IL) 44-8 13 Midland (TX) 44-6 14 Georgia Highlands (GA) 41-11 15 Fresno City (CA) 37-3 16 Cochise (AZ) 40-13 17 Harford...
College | Rankings | 4/29/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 29

Nick Herfordt
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Across all three divisions of college baseball, the teams making the most noise heading into the postseason share a common trait — they score runs, and they score them relentlessly. Along with the updated rankings, this week we take a look at the top run-producing programs in DII, DIII and NAIA baseball, spotlighting a trio of teams from each division whose offenses have separated themselves from the field. The numbers tell a compelling story. Whether it's the defending NAIA champion LSU Shreveport Pilots reloading with a new roster yet still posting 10+ runs per game, the Pittsburg State Gorillas hanging blowout after blowout on opponents, or the Lynchburg Hornets making a case as the most complete team in Division III baseball, the formula is largely the same — deep lineups, disciplined at-bats, and the ability to keep pressure on a pitching staff from the first pitch to...
College | Story | 4/30/2026

Coppy's Corner: April 30 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
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Each week I huddle with Vinnie Cervino and Craig Cozart to discuss Top-25 rankings and Players of the Week. In Coppy’s Corner, I dive deeper into these Players of the Week, providing analysis from 20+ years working in baseball front offices at the highest level.   Player of the Week: Jarren Advincula – Georgia Tech  Last week, Fernando Mendoza was taken with the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza transferred from the University of California – Berkeley (Cal) to Indiana University in advance of his draft year. Upon transferring, he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Hoosiers to a national championship. Advincula also transferred from Cal in advance of his draft year, but he took his talents to Georgia Tech. And, while there is still time left in the season, Advincula has positioned himself to be in the conversation for College Baseball’s...
Leagues | Story | 4/28/2026

Iowa Spring League Notebook: Week 5

Perfect Game Staff
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Dawson Weller (2027, Ottumwa, IA) showcased his two-way potential with a strong performance this weekend. On the mound, worked two clean innings while striking out 3 consistently living in the zone and getting ahead with first-pitch strikes. Showed the ability to control tempo and attack hitters throughout the outing. At the plate made a big impact in the same game, collecting two doubles and a home run. Displays quick hands through the zone with the ability to connect on an uphill path and generate carry off the barrel. A well-rounded showing that highlighted impact on both sides of the ball. Will Frederiksen (2026, Bettendorf, IA) had a loud weekend at the plate, launching 2 home runs and showing real impact with the bat. Generates plenty of juice in the swing with a simple, controlled load that allows him to stay on time. The swing works clean through the zone and produces strong...
College | Story | 4/28/2026

College Players of the Week: April 28

Craig Cozart
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April 28th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Jarren Advincula, IF, Georgia Tech  It is well documented how good the Georgia Tech offense was in 2025, so when the Yellow Jackets added Jarren Advincula from the transfer portal in the off-season, the expectations went through the roof for ’26.  Somehow, the team and Advincula have not only met but exceeded those expectations in virtually every way.  Advincula, the 6-2/195 infielder from Santa Clara, CA, has been a fixture in the middle infield and is an elite defender with the leather.  He shows natural instincts for the game and as the season has progressed, he has found himself inserted into the 3-hole in their powerful lineup.  Hitting from the left-side of the plate, Advincula put together an impressive week as Tech took down Georgia in the mid-week and swept Wake Forest on the weekend.  He was...
College | Rankings | 4/26/2026

College Top 25: April 27

Vincent Cervino
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It was another weekend of upsets, upheaval and consequential series victories across the nation.  After the dust settled, the UCLA Bruins (39-4) remain the No. 1 team in the nation after their (3-1) week stepping outside Big Ten play, taking a series against Sacramento State.  Their perfect (21-0) start in conference play is still intact with three weekend series to go.  UNC (36-8) sticks at No. 2 this week after they went across town to take on archrival Duke, winning that series and finishing the week with a (3-1) record.  The No. 3 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (36-7) showed their moxie by coming back from large deficits multiple times and swept conference foe Wake Forest, extending their lead in the ACC standings to 2-games.  The Texas Longhorns (32-9) are No. 4 in the poll this week after winning a tightly contested series on the road against Vanderbilt. ...
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