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
Tournaments  | Story | 6/6/2019

Mature beyond their years

Jack Nelson
Photo: Dylan Lesko (Perfect Game)

MARIETTA, Ga. – The East Cobb Astros 16u X scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, walking off the Georgia Jackets 17u National, 5-4, to advance to the semifinals of the 17u East Cobb Invitational. The 16u team continued their impressive run this week, all while playing competition a year or two older.

The Astros received strong pitching all game. Starter Andrew Armstrong worked quickly and efficiently, going five innings, walking one and allowing one earned run. The Florida State commit found himself in a jam in the fifth due to a walk and an error, but limited the damage, keeping his team in the game. The steady performance came as no surprise to his coach.

“Armstrong gave us some quality innings,” Astros coach Ridge Hillhouse said. “We knew he was going to come out and compete.”

With the Astros trailing 4-3 in the sixth inning, Coach Hillhouse went to the bullpen for Dylan Lesko, the top-ranked player by Perfect Game in the high school class of 2022. Lesko was electric in relief, using his low-90s fastball to overpower the Jackets lineup. He struck out three, but more importantly, he stopped the bleeding and gave the potent Astros lineup a chance to come back.

“I try to work off the fastball,” said Lesko after the game. “I may mix in off-speed to keep them off my fastball, but I really try to attack with my best pitch, which is my fastball.”

And come back they did. Trailing 4-3, shortstop Kristian Campbell led off the seventh inning with a triple down the right field line, and an errant throw into the Jackets dugout allowed the Georgia Tech commit to score from third. From there, Jared Jones and Nathan Smith walked and Treyton Rank, another Florida State commit, ripped a single. With the bases loaded, Carter Wright hit a grounder to second base, but a poor throw let Jones slide home safely, giving the Astros the 5-4 victory.

It was a different kind of win for the Astros. Through three pool play games, the Astros outscored their opponents 26-2. In fact, no game had been closer than eight runs. Even in their first playoff game of the day, the Astros defeated Team Elite 17u Prime 8-0. Against the Jackets, they found themselves trailing, and trailing very deep into the game. But there was never any panic.

“We know we can hit,” added Lesko. “For a few innings on the mound and defensively we kept ourselves in the game, but in the end we did what we needed to do.”

The East Cobb Astros 16u X have had eye-popping success, especially considering they are playing teams composed of players one year older. For players like Dylan Lesko and Jared Jones, they are actually 15u players, playing on a 16u team, dominating at a 17u tournament.

“All these guys come to the field and show up to work,” Hillhouse said, praising the maturity of his players. “These 15u guys, they’re not scared. They’re going to compete, and that translates to the rest of the team.”

“We don’t really care about the age,” added Lesko. “We have the mentality that we’re just as good, if not better.”

The team already has five Division 1 commits, and all of them are to Power 5 schools including Florida State, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. As the summer tournament season progresses, there are sure to be more commitments on the way.

Fueled by momentum and confidence, the Astros appear primed for a big day on Friday. In their semifinal, they will face a familiar foe, the East Cobb Astros 17u Navy, who won the final quarterfinal content of the day, defeating the Duluth Noles 17u, 4-1. East Cobb pitcher Will Sanders, a South Carolina commit, was the story, going 6 2/3 innings.

In other quarterfinal action, DRB Elite 17u dominated the 643 DP Cougars 17u Pralgo, winning by a score of 13-2. For DRB, William Underwood led the way going 2-for-4 at the plate and tossing two innings of scoreless relief. They will take on the Georgia Bombers in the semifinal.

Georgia Bombers 16u defeated Team Georgia 17u National, 4-2, to advance. Evan Kehren earned the win on the mound for the Bombers, going five strong innings, striking out eight.

Both semifinals will be played at the East Cobb Complex with the championship game to follow.
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 11/9/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 2
AJ Denny
Article Image
14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1 Nicholas Gollatz (2031, Avondale, Pa.) of Team Northeast continued to put together quality at-bats on Day 2, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases across two games. The right-handed hitter has been an on-base machine throughout the tournament, showing a mature approach with solid bat-to-ball skills and the ability to use the entire field. Gollatz rarely chases outside the zone and has been a consistent presence in the Northeast lineup as the team advances to bracket play. Here’s another look at ’31 OF Julian Diaz (OH), barreling this pitch for a double. Displays good balance in the box with a quick bat. #NatAllState @PG_OhioValley https://t.co/Bal1YW2aB7 — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) November 8, 2026 Like his teammate, Julian Diaz (2031, Toronto, Ohio) of Team Northeast, also had a productive Day 2. The...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 11/9/2026

Head of the Class: No. 9 Florida

Marcus Thomas
Article Image
Complete 2027 Florida Recruiting Class No. 9 Florida Head Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan | Recruiting Coordinator: Tom Slater Total Signees: 14 | Top 100 Signees: 4 RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 8 Kinon Bastian OF 6-0 190 R-R The First Academy Winter Garden FL 24 Juan Diaz SS 6-0 180 S-R IMG Academy Hialeah FL 68 Rylan McMahan LHP 6-2 180 L-L Clay Green Cove Springs FL 75 Liam Dougherty RHP 6-2 200 R-R IMG Academy Hendersonville FL 112 Landon Green RHP 6-1 185 R-R TNXL Academy Clearwater FL The Gators once again find their way inside the top 10 with another strong 2027 recruiting class, led by Kinon Bastian. The outfielder has a 6-foot, 190-pound frame and plus athleticism with speed and strength. The PG All-American also shows some juice in the bat for the right-handed hitter. Bastian is joined by fellow All-American Juan Diaz, the 6-foot, 180-pound shortstop has an...
Read More
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/9/2026

2027 MLB Draft Reports: 1-100

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2027 MLB Draft Board: Top 200 1. Dylan Seward | SS | Norco | S-R | Eastvale, CA | Commitment: Tennessee Seward is a lean, athletic infielder with loud tools throughout the profile. The California prep is a switch-hitter with lightning quick hands. He has shown quality in-game power from both sides of the ball, despite a smaller build. There have been swing and miss issues with fastballs at times. Seward is a top of the class, 80-grade runner with the ability to steal bags often. He is a plus defender at shortstop with twitchy and fluidity. 2. Brendan Lawson | SS | Florida | L-R | Toronto, ON Lawson is a strong 6-foot-3, 215-pound infielder with massive offensive upside with a consistent track record. The left-handed hitting shortstop possesses easy raw power that translates well in-game. There is a strong feel to hit to go with the impact. The approach can become overly patient at times,...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/8/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1

Tyler Russo
Article Image
2031 C/OF Jace Winston (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) had a really nice day at the dish as he picked up a couple hits in his first game, both well-struck, and then launched a bomb in game 2. He’s one of the more physical players here who can really impact the baseball already, and the consistency in which he’s hitting this fall is a great sign going into 2027. 2031 SS/RHP Weston Stalls (Blackstock, S.C.) came in for a couple innings of relief on the day and showed off the arm talent running the fastball up to 87. It’s a fast arm and he generates real life to the fastball, while the breaking ball is a good pitch as well.   ‘31 SS Parker Smith (NC) went 3-for-3 to open the weekend, this a line drive single the other way. 6’2/140 & can accelerate the barrel already, intriguing projection. #NatAllState @PG_Coastal https://t.co/Z7C5kDGdIM — Perfect Game...
Read More
General | General | 11/6/2026

Class of 2028 Rankings Update

Article Image
Read More
College | Recruiting | 11/16/2026

Head of the Class: No. 10 Mississippi State

Anthony Gambardella
Article Image
Complete 2027 Mississippi State Recruiting Class  10. Mississippi State Head Coach: Brian O’Connor | Recruiting Coordinator: Kevin McMullan Total Signees: 10 | Top 100 Signees: 6 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 4 Connor Salerno LHP 6-4 225 R-L Sun Valley Indian Trail NC 26 Deuce Jenkins OF 6-1 210 L-L Jackson Academy Brandon MS 34 Sullivan Reed 3B 6-2 220 R-R Lamar Meridian MS 50 Kyler Meccage OF 6-2 192 L-L IMG Academy Bradenton FL 54 Devlan Daniel OF 6-0 215 S-R Indian Hill Cincinnati OH Head Coach Brian O’Connor and his staff are currently slotted at no. 10 in the Class of 2027 Recruiting Rankings, with six recruits that land inside the Top 60 according to the PG Player Rankings. The Bulldogs finished the 2026 season with an overall record of 43–19 and a 16–14 record in SEC play. Looking to add more firepower to the...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/9/2026

Class of 2028 Rankings Risers

Jason Phillips
Article Image
Complete Class of 2028 Rankings   '28 OF Beau Cazin (MN) sends a ringing shot to RF, settling for a loud 2B. Projectable LH pop, creates length & meets the ball w/ good strength. #WeAreUK commit #WWBAWorlds @PG_WiscMinn @SpectsBaseball https://t.co/TqEJfyPk5P — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 5, 2026 Beau Cazin, SS, Blaine, Minn.  Previous Rank: 265 | Current Rank: 84 One of the big winners coming out of the WWBA Underclass World Championship in Fort Myers, Florida was outfielder Beau Cazin. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed hitter was named to the All-Tournament Team after a 7-for-13 performance for Spects National 2028 Friedrichs. With his innate feel to control the barrel with a hanging trigger, he recorded numerous loud barrels finishing with six doubles over six games. The University of Kentucky commit could always hit but the power really started...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/6/2026

National All State Preview: Week 1

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
This weekend, teams from all around the country in the 10U, 12U and 14U divisions will converge on the Houston area for the 2026 PG National All-State Select Championships. The 10U division will have 22 teams, 12U will have 23 and 14U will have 22. All ages have many different states represented - from Hawaii, to the Pacific Northwest, to Arizona, to New England, to Carolina to Florida and many more. “National All-State brings together the best players in the country across Houston,” national crosschecker and northeast scouting director, John McAdams, said. “It’s a fun atmosphere for ultimate bragging rights amongst all the regions the PG platform reaches domestically while serving as a good litmus test for myself, Jheremy Brown and Tyler Russo to see the players. We get another glimpse at the end of the year as we start to formulate our initial thoughts on the...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 11/6/2026

2027 MLB Draft Board Update: Top 200

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
PG Draft Content Hub With the fall season winding down and the winter months approaching, it is time for another draft board update.  After getting more live looks and gathering information from the fall action across the country, we have expanded the board to a Top-200. The class continues to feature an intriguing mix of arms from both the prep and college ranks, along with an enticing position player pool.  There is still plenty of time for new names to emerge and established prospects to continue to improve their draft stock, but here is where things stand as we head into the winter.  * denotes draft eligible sophomore Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment 1 Dylan Seward H SS S-R Norco Eastvale CA Tennessee 2 Brendan Lawson C SS L-R Florida Toronto ON 3 Dax Whitney C RHP R-R Oregon State Blackfoot ID 4 Tomas Valincius C LHP L-L Mississippi State...
Read More
College | Story | 11/6/2026

College Fall Notebook: November 6

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Virginia Cavaliers  2026 In Review:  Under the leadership of first year Head Coach Chris Pollard, the Cavaliers won 37 games which was the second most victories by a first-year coach in program history.  Virginia went (37-23) finishing tied for 8th in the ACC and earned an at-large bid to the Hattiesburg Regional.  They fielded a talented offense that averaged over 8-runs per game, highlighted by AJ Gracia and Eric Becker who were both selected on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft.  While the defensive squad wasn’t quite as elite as usual, they were ultra-competitive on the mound with a strong rotation and lock down bullpen.  With plenty of talent returning for Pollard and his staff in ’27, they should be a force on a national level once again.  Impact Returners:    Senior Antonio Perrotta (.266/.459/.431, 5 HR, 6 2B, 24 RBI) experienced...
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.