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Tournaments  | Story | 7/7/2019

White Sox ACE changing lives

Photo: Eddie King Jr. (Perfect Game)

EMERSON, Ga. – The Chicago White Sox 2021 have made the trip down from the Windy City to make some noise. So far, they have done that as they improved to 3-0 Sunday evening with a 5-4 victory over Scoutz USA. Halfway through pool play, they are on pace to achieve their goal of making the playoff rounds of the 16u WWBA National Championship.

“We’re playing our best baseball right now,” said center fielder Eddie King Jr. “We want to go 7-0 and make it to bracket play.”

They certainly performed like a team with a sense of urgency, as they wasted no time in striking first against the Scoutz. Leadoff man Noah Smith saw two pitches and then smacked a single in the top of the first, and eventually came around to score on an RBI ground out from King. After a Jorge Garcia RBI single, Zemaurion Hatcher poked a majestic opposite field double to push the lead to 3-0. Hatcher would cross the plate to make it 4-0 before Scoutz USA had a chance to pick up the sticks.

On the mound, Adan Vega went five innings, allowing two runs, none of which were earned. He allowed just three hits, and maneuvered his way around five walks. After a shaky first inning in relief, Triston Schultz had a clean frame in the seventh to nail down the victory, 5-4.

The on-field success is just part of the story. Sports have the unique ability to change lives. What’s going on in the White Sox program is about so much more than baseball.

These 16u White Sox players are given an incredible opportunity to travel the country in pursuit of their goals. And this is the product of the commitment the big league club has taken to improving the future of Chicago. While the White Sox last won the pennant in 2005, their initiative in creating the ACE program has to be considered one of the great achievements in franchise history.

ACE stands for Amateur City Elite. Like many professional sports teams, the Chicago White Sox Charities and the White Sox 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization have committed to uplift the area surrounding the Windy City. They founded the ACE program in 2007 with the goal of pulling Chicago kids away from the dangers of the streets and use baseball as a means provide them a path to a successful life. Some of the kids in the program come from the poorest areas of the city such as Englewood and Roseland, but coming to the ACE program gives them a way out.

With teams from 12u to 17u, ACE provides its players financial and educational support to get to the next level, whether that be college or the pros. And they’ve been astoundingly successful. Over 190 alumni have gone on to receive a college scholarship, and this includes major baseball powerhouses like Louisville, Michigan, and Arkansas. 21 more have been drafted, including Corey Ray, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.

This 16u group at the WWBA 16u National Championship features elite talent in Noah Smith and Eddie King Jr. Smith is ranked No. 14 overall in Perfect Game’s high school class of 2021 and the top player in Illinois. King is ranked 254th overall and the No. 5 player in the state of Illinois. Both are committed to play their college ball at Louisville.

With colleges recruiting players at younger and younger ages, the role travel of teams has become more important now than ever. In many cases, players are committing before they even get an inning of high school baseball under their belt. In the case of Smith and King, White Sox ACE has proven invaluable. And the opportunity to play with each other now and in the ACC in a couple years is something they look forward to.

“My dad got me in the game when I was five,” King said. “By the time I was 12, I started playing for the White Sox. I’ve loved playing with the organization because we play against the best everywhere we travel. I had committed before I even played a high school game.”

“Eddie and I have been playing together since we were 10,” Smith added. “It’s kind of cool. Wherever he goes, I go. And wherever I go, he goes.”

While Smith and King Jr. are the first dominos to fall, there are sure to be plenty more White Sox and that will pledge to a college. Tyler Fullman is a name that may be off the board sooner rather than later. Fullman pitched on Saturday and struck out 10 in just four innings, running his fastball up to 90 mph. He is ranked 146th in the high school class of 2021.

“Our goal is to help these kids get better every day,” said coach Romey Bracey. “We go 11 months out of the year, and in that time we develop them as baseball players and young men. We start them at age 11, and from there we get them to the point where they are either going off to play professionally or in college. “

Two colleges in particular, the University of Louisville and the University of Michigan, have really gobbled up ACE products. Michigan featured multiple ACE alumni on their 2019 team that reached the College World Series Finals.

“Louisville and Michigan have come to really like our program,” Bracey said. “One of their coaches said he wants one of our guys every year. It’s great to build relationships with those quality Power 5 programs.”

Despite the quick start, there’s still a lot of work to do. Nearly 400 teams came down to the Atlanta area with the same goal. Just getting to bracket play is a challenge, but to win a WWBA National Championship is a major feat that requires immense mental toughness and constant laser sharp focus. It is this mentality that Bracey is trying to instill in his players.

“Ultimately, we try to teach them about preparation,” Bracey said. “Baseball is a grind, and you have to come prepared every day. That’s how you get to be successful in this game and in life.”




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MLK East Scout Notes Recap

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‘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...
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Northeast All Region & Top Tools Rk Northeast 2025 Record 1 Poly Prep Country Day (NY) 17-9 2 Stony Brook (NY) 19-5-1 3 Dexter Southfield (MA) 15-2 4 Iona Prep (NY) 25-9-1 5 Bishop Hendricken (RI) 25-6 6 Fairfield Prep (CT) 18-12 7 Austin Prep (MA) 20-2 8 Choate Rosemary Hall (CT) 11-7 9 Cheshire Academy (CT) 20-2 10 Bishop Feehan (MA) 20-5 11 Fairfield Warde (CT) 15-4 12 St. Anthony's (NY) 14-9-1 13 Kings Park (NY) 13-8 14 Phillips Academy (MA) 7-14 15 St. Dominic (NY) 15-6 16 Tottenville (NY) 22-3 17 Belmont Hill (MA) 11-8 18 Avon Old Farms (CT) 15-5 19 St. Sebastian's School (MA) 9-8 20 Archbishop Molloy (NY) 32-7-1 21 Southington (CT) 19-7 22 Mamaroneck (NY) 18-7 23 Colchester (VT) 12-6 24 Trinity (NH) 20-4 25 Fryeburg (ME) 10-7
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Northeast All Region & Top Tools

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NORTHEAST REGION (NY, CT, MA, RI, VT, NH, ME)  The strength of the Northeast Region in 2026 is the number of high ceiling power arms, led by potential upper-90’s throwers in left-hander Brody Bumila and right-hander Bryce Hill.  The depth of quality pitching is such that two of the top pitchers in the 2028 class, right handers Gavin Chakar (Norwalk HS, Conn.) and Dylan Cunningham (Austin Prep, Mass.) didn’t have a spot on the team.  The weakness of the Region is the increasing number of players who leave to play baseball and continue their school work at Academy programs in the South.  Numerous players that fit under that umbrella would have a place on the All-Northeast Region if they weren’t in Florida or the Carolinas. C – Bradley McCafferty (Sr., Austin Prep, Mass.) McCafferty was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts as a...
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College Top 25: February 16

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It was incredible Opening Weekend across the nation with numerous upsets, tightly contested series’ and dominating sweeps. Beyond that, there were generational individual performances, lockdown pitching appearances and record-breaking runs scored as well. It feels like we have been saying this every year for the past decade, but our game is alive and well. More and more programs are getting massive returns on their investments and the fans are turning out in record numbers to see college baseball in its Golden Era. As is typical this time of year, there was very little movement within the poll, in fact, our Top 15 places in the poll remain unchanged. No. 1 LSU (3-0), No. 2 Georgia Tech (3-0) and No. 3 Tennessee (3-0) all took care of business at home, treating their fans to a show of their offensive firepower. No. 16 Coastal Carolina (3-0) and No. 17 UNC (3-0) both had perfect...
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Mid-Atlantic Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
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Mid-Atlantic All Region & Top Tools Rk Mid-Atlantic  Record 1 Delbarton (NJ) 24-5 2 DePaul Catholic (NJ) 21-7 3 Gloucester Catholic (NJ) 24-3 4 Malvern Prep (PA) 32-5 5 St. Augustine Prep (NJ) 18-8 6 Archbishop Spalding (MD) 22-16 7 Don Bosco Prep (NJ) 26-3 8 Cedar Cliff (PA) 21-6 9 St. John's College (DC) 30-1 10 Seton Hall Prep (NJ) 22-2 11 St. Joseph's Prep (PA) 10-11 12 Christian Brothers (NJ) 22-5 13 Hazelton Area (PA) 18-6 14 Sussex Central (DE) 16-6 15 Ranney (NJ) 12-10 16 Calvert Hall (MD) 20-10 17 Radnor (PA) 11-4 18 Governor Livingston (NJ) 28-0 19 The Haverford School (PA) 5-11 20 Bergen Catholic (NJ) 16-8 21 Holy Ghost Prep (PA) 10-9 22 North Hunterdon (NJ) 14-12 23 Northern Burlington (NJ) 28-2 24 St. Albans (DC) 23-14 25 Urbana (MD) 21-4
High School | General | 2/12/2026

Mid-Atlantic All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
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The Mid-Atlantic Region lost its only Perfect Game All-American when catcher Andrew Costello left his Pennsylvania high school early and enrolled at Wake Forest for the spring semester.  The Region ends up being dominated by underclassmen, with seven juniors and even a pair of talented sophomores getting recognition. The story of the spring could very well be watching the young power arms in the Region come outdoors and show their talents on the mound.  Pennsylvania juniors Cole Kuhn and Trent Lutz have been getting lots of off-season attention along with New Jersey senior Alex Weingartner. New Jersey has a trio of high schools represented in the Perfect Game Pre-Season Top 50 High School Rankings.  Delbarton HS, behind a very strong junior class, leads the group at 29th overall, followed DePaul Catholic HS at 41st and Gloucester Catholic at 46th. C – Braeden Lipoff...
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Coastal Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
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Coastal All Region & Top Tools Rk Coastal Record 1 Charlotte Catholic (NC) 22-6-1 2 Metrolina Christian Academy (NC) 28-3 3 James Island Charter (SC) 30-4 4 Battlefield (VA) 23-3 5 Charlotte Christian (NC) 26-6 6 Dorman (SC) 22-7 7 Marvin Ridge (NC) 21-8 8 Grace Christian (NC) 23-7 9 Berkeley (SC) 22-10 10 T.C. Roberson (NC) 27-6 11 Lexington (SC) 22-11-1 12 Providence (NC) 23-6 13 Southside Christian Schools (SC) 33-2-1 14 Bishop O'Connell (VA) 20-6 15 Cuthbertson (NC) 26-6 16 Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) 18-11 17 Blythewood (SC) 24-7 18 The Miller School (VA) 34-6 19 Stratford (SC) 22-6-2 20 Laney (NC) 25-7 21 Gaston Christian (NC) 18-4 22 Airport (SC) 27-6 23 Hurricane (WV) 28-7 24 Gainesville (VA) 23-4 25 Oceanside Collegiate Academy (SC) 27-8
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Coastal All Region & Top Tools

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COASTAL REGION (NC, SC, VA, WV)  The first thing that stands out about the players on the Coastal Region team is that this is undoubtedly the fastest All-Region Team in the country.  There are four or five players who could legitimately have 80 grades on their running speed from the region and all have other tools to back up their speed. Another thing that jumps out is the quality of the juniors on the team.  While the region features only one 2025 PG All-American in left-handed pitcher Carson Bolemon, there are six juniors on the All-Region team who are ranked in the top 34 in the 2027 class, with plenty more talented underclassmen just behind them.  Three region high schools break into the Top 50 in the Perfect Game Pre-Season High School Rankings.  Charlotte Catholic at 33rd overall and Metrolina Christian Academy at 42nd represent the North Carolina schools...
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Perfect Game Staff
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2026 College Preview Index With the D-I season opening up right around the corner, our staff came together and took a shot at who they'd pick within 7 different categories. Most are self explanatory while the "Sleeping GIant" category is in reference to a draft prospect outside of our latest Top 50 on the MLB Draft Board. It's also worth noting that once a player was selected for a category, he was unavailable for others to choose, outside of the Golden Spikes category, where we do see some double-ups.  Enjoy the weekend, there's sure to be plenty of excitement as baseball is officially back across the country at all collegiate levels!  Category Cohen Sutherland Cervino Billock Henninger Rankin Russo Impact Freshman Mason Braun Angel Cervantes Cooper Underwood Marcos Paz JD Stein Alec Blair Sam Cozart Impact Transfer Jake Schaffner Will Gasparino Brady Frederick Andrew Whalen...
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Southwest All Region & Top Tools Rk Southwest Record 1 Casteel (AZ) 23-10 2 Basic (NV) 25-7 3 Corona Del Sol (AZ) 27-6 4 Faith Lutheran (NV) 22-18 5 Brophy College Prep (AZ) 16-13 6 Regis Jesuit (CO) 22-9 7 Queen Creek (AZ) 18-13 8 Spanish Fork (UT) 18-17 9 Mountain Ridge (UT) 20-12 10 Liberty (AZ) 17-13 11 Bishop Gorman (NV) 19-14 12 Rio Rancho (NM) 23-7 13 Cherry Creek (CO) 23-5-1 14 Palo Verde (NV) 24-10 15 Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ) 21-12 16 Pleasant Grove (UT) 23-6 17 La Cueva (NM) 25-4 18 Desert Mountain (AZ) 16-12 19 Snow Canyon (UT) 23-8 20 Hamilton (AZ) 25-9 21 Millennium (AZ) 21-10 22 Centennial (NV) 24-9 23 Valley Christian (AZ) 29-2 24 Mountain Vista (CO) 15-9 25 Williams Field (AZ) 15-11
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Southwest All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
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SOUTHWEST REGION (AZ, NM, NV, UT, CO)  The most dominant tool in the Southwest Region for the 2026 season is undoubtedly power at the plate, as most players featured below not only have the size and bat speed to drive the ball but have put up the numbers as well.  While that isn’t exactly surprising given that virtually the entire region plays at elevation, it certainly stands out on the individual top prospects. The Region features four Perfect Game All-Americans in OF Ryan Harwood, IF Rookie Shepard and C Alain Gomez-Gudino and RHP Dylan Blomker.  The 2027 class is looking very promising as well, with four juniors gaining mention on the All-Region team below and Arizona in particular having a very talented class.  Keep an eye out especially for 2027 3B Colton Floyd (Corona Del Sol HS, Ariz.), one of the best and biggest power hitters in that class. Two Region...
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