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Tournaments  | Story | 7/10/2019

Ostingers refuse to lose

Photo: Zach Ehrhard (Perfect Game)
ACWORTH, Ga. – Every great team has an identity. The 2004 Red Sox team was the “Idiots,” and they embraced that mantra on their way to winning the World Series and ending the Curse of the Bambino. The 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball team was the “Dream Team,” and they steamrolled their way to a gold medal.

At the WWBA 16u National Championship, Ostingers 2021 Reed has their own ethos that have fueled them to a perfect 7-0 record and a spot in bracket play.

“In our program we teach winning, but we also teach hating to lose,” coach Jimmy Osting said. “Everybody wants to win. I think that’s a no brainer. But who hates to lose? We could have let that game slip away, but our guys refused to lose and made the plays to make it happen. That’s our motto.”

The Ostingers entered their game against Canes Showcase 16u with a run differential of 51-3. They have been as dominant as it gets. And they looked like they’d cruise on Wednesday against the Canes, as they jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the first. But things got interesting by the sixth, as the Canes clawed their way back to make the score 7-6.

The Canes had all the momentum. The Ostingers were on their heels until one player stood up and refused to lose. That player was Zach Ehrhard.

Coming on to pitch in the sixth, Ehrhard struck out six of the seven hitters he faced. Filling the zone with 70 percent strikes, Ehrhard poured in sinking fastballs from his low arm slot. He also whipped out a devastating slider that froze every righthanded hitter that stepped in the box. On Wednesday, he was the stopper that preserved the 8-6 victory and a spot in the playoff rounds on Thursday.

“I just try to focus on the mitt and pound it,” said Ehrhard. “We take pride in doing all the fundamentals right.”

The Ostingers play fundamental baseball. They will bunt. They will run. Their outfielders hit the cut off man, and each player dons a pair of stirrups. Around draft time you will hear a lot of scouts describe a prospect by saying, “That kid is a baseball player.” That’s just what Ostingers coach and founder Jimmy Osting is trying to create.

“Every guy wears the same style pants. Every guys wears stirrups,” Osting said. “We pride ourselves on doing things correctly. Hopefully, that opens the eyes of college coaches and they know that when they get a kid from Ostingers they are getting a baseball player.”

Osting pitched at Clemson before being drafted in the fourth round of the 1995 MLB Draft. He made his big league debut in 2001 with the San Diego Padres, and spent time with the Phillies, Rockies and Brewers. Always a student of the game, he now passes on his knowledge to the aspiring ballplayers in central Florida.

“The program is 10 years old, and we’ve been coming to Perfect Game events since the beginning,” Osting said. “We’re a smaller program, but we keep it small on purpose. We try to minimize it to just one 17u team, a couple 16u teams and a 15u team. Every kid that is on my team is within a 20 mile radius.”

“We’re a local team that plays on a national scale,” he continued. “Last week, our 17s finished in the top four of the 17u WWBA. This 16u team is moving on, and next week our 15u team coming in is a very talented group as well. So maybe we’re not the big name, but I know we can play.”

They don’t have the sheer size of a Team Elite or East Cobb roster, but they have certainly had a lot of success. Osting says 95 percent of his players have gone on to play college baseball, including Jonah Scolaro and Conor Grady (Florida State), Tyler Ward (Air Force), and Austin Taylor (West Point). Osting has also built quite a pipeline to the Division II powerhouse, University of Tampa.

“We had Zach Ehrhard’s brother, Drew, a couple years ago,” Osting said. “He just won a national championship at Tampa, and now he’s here with us coaching. We had guys at Florida State playing in the College World Series. I know that when colleges come to watch us, they are watching a group of kids that know how to play baseball.”

Sean Hermann (South Florida) is the only committed player on the Ostingers 16u team. That is sure to change sooner rather than later, as the likes of Ehrhard, Alex Mussenden, and Chance Trinklein have made the sun soaked fields of Georgia their playground. As a team, they are hitting .321 and have a collective 1.79 ERA.

A smaller program. Fewer college commits. It’s all used as ammunition for this group. And that should be scary because this is a talented bunch that is eager to punch you in the mouth every time they step between those white lines.

“That definitely drives us, especially in that Louisiana Knights game,” Ehrhard said. “We came in so ready to get after it, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Osting is confident as bracket play begins on Thursday. His team has most likely earned the four seed, good enough for a first round bye. So they will sit back and watch to see whom they will battle at LakePoint. Whoever they meet will encounter a program that knows their identity.

“Our guys know they can play,” Osting said. “The team that is in the other dugout is just another opponent that they want to go beat.”




Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
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Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
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Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
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Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
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There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
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Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
College | Story | 12/12/2025

College Notebook: December 12

Craig Cozart
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Nebraska Cornhuskers 2025 Highlights: The Cornhuskers were a difficult team to figure in ’25 as they finished with 33 wins, played just .500 (15-15) in the Big Ten but had some big wins at various times during the season and got hot at the right time. They knocked off then #16 Vanderbilt in the second game of the year, beat #5 Oregon State 2-out-of-3 at home in late March and then got hot at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha to win the Big Ten Tournament. They beat Michigan State in a 10-inning thriller before taking care of #4 Oregon, knocking off Penn State and then shutout #13 UCLA to punch their ticket to the Chapel Hill Regional. Head coach Will Bolt has now led his alma mater to three conference titles and three NCAA Regional appearances during his six years in Lincoln. No different than when he was a player, Bolt’s teams play with passion and toughness, this was never more...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2028

Troy Sutherland
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 You like athletes? You like defenders who can impact a game at any given point? Look not further than this class as it's loaded from coast-to-coast with elite defenders all over the diamond.  C: Brogan Witcher, Bakersfield, CA Our scouting staff got several strong looks at Witcher whether that was at the Summer Kickoff, Sophomore National or the Underclass All American Games where he showcased his strong overall skillset and especially his advanced ability behind the plate. His 6-foot-3,180 pound build looks like one that will fill in quite nicely and be that big and physical catcher’s frame. His arm talent is undeniable where he gets it out quick and runs it up to 79 mph on throwdowns to 2nd (1.84 pop). Besides the standout catch/throw ability, we’ve seen him frame/receive strong arms and block it well during...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 12/11/2025

PG Softball "Toys 4 Tots" Fundraiser 18U division

Dave Durbala
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BURLINGTON, IA - 2025 Perfect Game Softball Toys 4 Tots Fundraiser One Day, December 7, 2025. Kicking off the holiday season, six teams participated in this one day, 3 game guarantee tournament in the 18u Division. We would like to thank those that donated a toy, and know that they will be distributed to area underprivileged children through a local charity organization. Following are some of the top performers from the weekend. Earning Tournament MV-Pitcher was Jolee Strohmeyer (2026 Dubuque, IA), a RHP/UTIL with tournament champion Lady Expos Blue. Strohmeyer shows hitters a consistent and repeatable motion and delivery with good use of the legs in the drive phase, and a quick and aggressive arm whip. Working with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, rise, drop, curve and screw, Strohmeyer topped out at 60 mph, and showed good movement  as she worked her rise and curve just out...
Tournaments | Story | 12/11/2025

Scout Stories: Part 4

Tyler Henninger
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Scout Notes: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Best Game I Saw: Hudson Reed (‘26, GA) torches this ball to deep CF for a solo 💣. Generates easy power that plays to the big part of the yard. Middle of the order traits #UBCWest @PG_Georgia @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/UXqDVFmUBx — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) June 18, 2025 I was fortunate enough to see a lot of highly competitive games with loads of talent on the field, the game that sticks out to me the most was Alpha Prime 2026 vs. ZT National Prospects at the UBC West. The game was an efficiently played affair with arms dominating on both sides. Graham Schlicht was masterful for Alpha, striking out 12 hitters over 5 dominant innings. PG All-American Julian Cazares came out of the pen blowing smoke, touching 97 mph with the fastball. On the other side, Jake Carbaugh surrendered just one hit and...
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