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
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 6/28/2019

Coast-to-coast BPA combination

Cory Van Dyke
Photo: Kemp Alderman (Perfect Game)

MARIETTA, Ga. – Some West Coast flair has made its way to Georgia for the 2019 WWBA 17u National Championship. BPA 17u based out of Laguna Niguel, California arrived on the East Coast and quickly asserted itself with a 8-0 victory over Rockies 17’s Purple in the opening game of pool play.

However, the roster isn’t entirely comprised of California products. Instead, BPA 17u utilizes an amalgamation of players from its base plus players from Mississippi to compete this week in Georgia.

Head coach Jared Sandler used his comrade Trent Pratt, the associate head coach at BYU, to come in contact with Trent’s brother, Russ Pratt. Russ Pratt runs the Yalobusha Giants travel organization that’s located in Mississippi. Through the connection, both Sandler and Pratt learned that their programs were practically identical, forming the perfect union for certain tournaments.

“They run their program very similar to us,” Sandler said of Pratt’s Yalobusha Giants. “We’re like minded. We play so many events. We have kids in our organization that certain events are the right ones for them and certain events aren’t. It’s the same for him. Between the two organizations, we try to get the kids to the right places to help prolong their careers.”

Over the past several years, multiple players from Pratt’s team has joined Sandler and Co. as is the case this week at the 17u WWBA. 

“Kemp Alderman’s played with us for a couple of years,” Sandler said. “Obviously really physical. He’s a big bat with a really good arm. Plays hard, good baseball player. Peyton Puckett is another one… Really athletic and can play all over the field. Real toolsy.

“Sam Bianco is our leadoff hitter and a real electric player. Ryan Burt is the other one who plays with us, a lefthanded arm and bat. Those four guys have played with us for the last three years a pretty good amount. They’re not the outsiders. They’re a part of the team. Really good kids.”

Bianco, son of Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco, echoed Sandler’s sentiment. The Louisiana Lafayette commit notes that the mixture of West Coast and East Coast provides a compelling dynamic that forms BPA 17u, even if some differences may exist.

“It’s fun,” Bianco said. “They’re all good guys. They’re a different culture. Personalities are a little different, but it doesn’t clash. We’re really close and we play well together.

“The normal conversations, the things you say, it’s just a little different. We’re just used to different things. They’re good people. We’re good people and we just have fun together.”

It’s no different on the opposite end of the spectrum. Emilio Corona, BPA’s four-hole hitter and a Washington commit from San Luis Obispo, California, welcomes the Mississippian quartet with open arms.

“I think it’s really exciting because some of us don’t see each other unless we’re at these tournaments, so it’s kind of a nice get together,” said Corona, who homered in the opening game. “Obviously we’re trying to win and I think we have a really good team. Our goal is to obviously win this thing.”

While Bianco won’t be playing for his father at Ole Miss and instead hopes for a non-conference meeting against him, Alderman will head to Oxford in 2020 with his next level-ready 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame. The No. 1 catcher from Mississippi for the 2020 class went 1-for-2 with a double in the opening triumph.

“I’ve always been an Ole Miss fan,” Alderman said. “I’ve always wanted to play there. I’m good buddies with the coach’s son, [Sam]. They started recruiting me. I love it there. It feels like home to me. They feel like family.”

For BPA, a major design of the team is the experience that comes with traveling the country to play baseball. Once the long plane rides have concluded, taking the field under the hot Georgia sun becomes all that more special.

“A lot of the guys in our program, they’re trying to play professional baseball,” Sandler said. “A component of that is being able to play every day, being able to travel. Being able to get in the car and drive and get up and play the next day. We like the travel aspect. We think it’s important to get used to it early. We think baseball is not a game, it’s a culture. You have to learn to live that lifestyle.”

And so that culture has paved the way for loads of success in previous years at the 17u WWBA National Championship. In the tournament’s 17 years of existence, BPA has been a consistent contender year in and year out. Sandler insists that nothing is expected to change this year. 

“We love this tournament,” Sandler said. “It’s our favorite one of the summer. We’re big fans of Perfect Game. It’s just a great event.

“We’ve won this tournament. We’ve lost in the championship of this tournament and probably everything in between. I think the message in a long tournament like this is we want our guys to show up every day ready to play… Our big emphasis is that some of these guys will be draft guys next year. The rest of them will go to college. They’re all looking to do big things next year. This is an important week and this is an important summer to help them in their baseball career to prepare for what’s coming.”

So while BPA 17u is oozing with talent from California and Mississippi, the team is making sure not to stray too far from its roots on the supposed best coast.

“We all come with a certain swagger because that’s how the West Coast works,” Corona said. “With all of these East Coast teams, it’ll be kind of a battle. It’s fun to see who’s the better side.”
Give us your feedback
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...
Read More
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....
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
High School | General | 3/18/2026

Class of 2026: Preseason HS All-Americans

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
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.