THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,628 MLB PLAYERS | 16,400 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,628 MLB PLAYERS | 16,400 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Tournaments  | Story | 10/11/2019

USA Prime Ready For All Takers

Photo: Jackson McKenzie (Perfect Game)
2019 WWBA Freshman World Championship Event Page

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- USA Prime National 15u coach Brandon Gowins talks to his team a lot about it, and it comes into play when the team travels to tournaments like the WWBA Freshman World Championship.

With so many highly-ranked players on their squad – nine top-100 players in total – they are almost always going to be the hunted and almost never going to be the hunter.

“We’ve got a target on our back, but that’s what we want,” Gowins said. “We want them to be comfortable being uncomfortable. We want them to embrace having that target, because that’s what it’s going to be like when they’re at Mississippi State and LSU. There’s going to be 10,000 people there, so this is good for everybody to be hunting us.”

Derrick Mitchell (No. 7 in the 2023 class), Walter Ford (No. 15), Austen Roellig (No. 19), Nikolas Sanders (No. 21), and Steven Milam (No. 26) were all 14u Perfect Game Select Festival participants. Mitchell and Ford are committed to Arizona State and Alabama, respectively, and the others have interest from the same level of programs.

It’s an impressive group of talent.

Jackson McKenzie is the No. 34 player in the 2023 class. He was a 14u PG Select Festival participant, as well. He got the ball on the mound to start the Freshman World on Friday night and hit third in the USA Prime National lineup. He’s already got an impressive resume, which comes with a big ol’ ‘X’ on his back.

He said he’s grown accustomed to that, though, and now can lead his teammates through it with experience to draw on.

“I’ve always been bigger my whole life, so I’ve always felt like I’ve had a target on myself,” McKenzie said. “So to be with these teammates, the coaches told us that every team is going to treat our games like the championship, so that’s fun.”

Power Baseball 2023 White gave them everything they could handle on Friday night, with USA Prime winning by a score of 3-1. Walks were the culprit for Power Baseball, as they only gave up one hit in the entire contest.

The difference? Behind the arm of McKenzie, Kade Anderson, Milam, and Chris Smith, USA Prime didn't give up a single hit.

"Anytime you have Jackson McKenzie and Kade Anderson, those are two horses right there," Gowins said. "I’d probably put those two arms against anyone in this tournament.”

This is a team built to play with pressure like they got from Power Baseball, and really seems to welcome it.

That comes from leadership from the top players on the team, which is paramount for any squad that wants to make deep runs in tournaments like these. Long, talent-rich tournaments surely will have adversity sewn in.

It’s up to those leaders, especially at the freshman level, to work their teammates through it.

Gowins said they have those players in spades.

“You have the alpha males like Jackson [McKenzie] and Nikolas Sanders and those guys,” he said. “They’re mature beyond their years and they set the tone for the rest of the group on taking care of their business. They do the little things. We talk to them every day and their goal is not to get a Division I scholarship, their goal is to be starting as a freshman wherever they go. That starts now.”

That’s not to say these kids are robots. Put more emphasis on the ‘kid’ and less on the ‘robot.’ Most of the team hung out on the beach during a delay in play on Friday due to rain that moved through the West Palm Beach area.

Naturally, they look at rankings. They know they have a bunch of top guys on the squad.

It would be pretty easy to think this tournament is theirs to win. It helps to have some role models to look up to, and in that respect, they have some pretty good ones who have come through the program.

“They’re 14, 15 years old, so they’re just like any other kid,” Gowins said. “For the most part they get it, and they’ve seen some of our older guys that have come through and been around, like the Bobby Witts of the world. If you’re going to be in that top one percent, it’s a lot of self-motivation that doesn’t need to come from the coach.”

McKenzie gets it. He’s been ‘the guy’ for a while now, and takes that role with all the responsibility it comes with.

Gowins said he doesn’t ever need to get on his players because McKenzie beats him to it if something needs to be said.

He wants to win this tournament for his teammates, he said, because there’s nothing better than winning a championship with teammates who have become good friends over the years.

“It’s an honor to be a part of this,” McKenzie said. “I’ve always wanted to play with my buddies and I’ve played with a lot of these guys from the [PG 14u] Select Festival. So it’s awesome to play with them.”


Tournaments | Story | 9/18/2026

Northeast Qualifier Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Another day, another Gavin Greene (‘28 GA) barrel as the @AuburnBaseball commit is now hitting well over .500 on the event #NEQ<ahref="https: pg_scouting?ref_src="twsrc%5Etfw'">@PG_Scouting @PG_Georgia https://t.co/Lf6G8AExjB pic.twitter.com/LFMueYHMxB</ahref="https:> — Perfect Game Mid-Atlantic (@PGMidAtlantic) September 14, 2026 Gavin Greene (2028 Alpharetta, GA) played a major factor in AZ Diamondbacks Scout’s Championship run, finishing his weekend with a .528 AVG and 7 RBI. The 5-foot-11, 175 pound Auburn commit was simply a hit machine regardless of who was on the mound, showcasing the ability to handle velo with ease and repeat the stroke at a high level. Starting from a narrow and upright, slightly open base, Greene does a great job of working directly to the point of impact with consistent hard line drive impact to the pull side of the field. He...
Juco | Rankings | 9/18/2026

JUCO Impact: Top 100 D1 Transfers

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
With the season upon us, let's take a minute to look at 100 of the biggest impact players who played at the JUCO level last year and have since transferred to a D1 program for the upcoming spring.  RK Name JUCO in 2025 DI in 2026 1 Ryan Bradford Johnson County TCU 2 Carson Bailey McLennan Texas Tech 3 Kameron Yearsley John A. Logan  Oklahoma 4 Holden Pantier Walters State Georgia Tech 5 Caden Davidson Gaston Florida 6 Anthony Quigley Northwest Florida Oklahoma 7 Walt Jones Weatherford Kansas 8 Colin Coonradt Johnson County West Virginia 9 Collin Smith Cochise Kansas 10 Ned Frutchey Sac City Arkansas 11 Hayden Blair Walters State Georgia 12 Parker Ishee Co-Lin Oklahoma 13 Coy Clements Pearl River Florida State 14 Griffin Rardin Shelton State Alabama 15 Jordan Martinez Gulf Coast State Florida State 16 Noah Bentley Weatherford Oklahoma 17 Kole Fenton Walters State North Carolina...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 9/17/2026

PG Softball Des Moines Elite Scouting Showcase

Ashley Mears
Article Image
Perfect Game Des Moines Elite Scouting Showcase 2026 Indianola. IA Ashley Mears What started off a perfect weather weekend, unfortunately was cut short due to thunderstorms mid-morning on Sunday. In the 18u Division, the Iowa Gold Prospects and the Midwest Speed National Kotzmacher were undefeated. In the 16U Division, 515 Fastpitch Twogood and Iowa Premier Gold- Brower. The tournament featured a ton of solid hitters and pitchers from across the state and Minnesota. Even with the poor weather on Sunday, there was still plenty to see and write about! 18u Division Lexi Adams (2028 Ankeny, IA), a catcher for Iowa Gold Prospects, had a stellar weekend at the plate. Behind the plate, Adams shows strong command of the game and does an excellent job working the zone, using her framing ability to consistently give her pitchers a chance to earn borderline calls. At the plate, Adams starts from a...
Tournaments | Story | 9/17/2026

South Underclass Qualifier Scout Notes

Geoff Billock
Article Image
Cole Marquardt (2029, Montgomery, Texas) left no doubt this weekend as he came home with Tournament MVP honors for his work with Banditos 2028 Black. Went 7-10 with a double, a home run, a pair of triples, and the walk off single in the championship game. Projectable left-handed swing with plenty of tools to dream on. Bat to ball was on point all weekend and he had plenty of chances to show off an advanced run tool. Plenty to dream on moving forward. Callen Corley (2028, Houston, Texas) put together a stellar two-way performance for Houston Wildcatters Navy 2028. At the plate, he went 5-10 with a double, triple, and home run, driving in seven runs. Sinks into his lower half well and creates strong angles for leverage. Plenty of power upside remaining in that frame, to go along with the twitch already present. On the mound, Corley went four shutout innings, surrendering just one hit while...
Tournaments | Story | 9/16/2026

Midwest Labor Day Classic Scout Notes

Brayden Powell
Article Image
Ryan Jones (2027, Tinley Park, IL) was one of the most productive hitters of the weekend, collecting six hits, including three doubles and a home run, while driving in nine runs. The left-handed hitter consistently got the barrel out front and created hard contact throughout the event. Working from an open setup with high hands, he features a compact swing that allows him to get to the ball quickly. His hand speed stood out and helped him drive the baseball to multiple parts of the field. Jones showed a strong understanding of pitches he could handle and rarely missed opportunities to do damage. The swing remains efficient through the zone and produces carry off the barrel. His combination of consistent contact and extra-base impact made him a key offensive contributor all weekend. Uncommitted  JP Elbert (2027, Dubuque, IA) put together an impressive tournament, finishing with five...
Tournaments | Story | 9/16/2026

Southeast Qualifier #1 Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Walk. It. Off! ‘27 IF Drew Giles (GA) calls game here as he hammers a ball over the CF wall for a solo HR to win it in the bottom of the 7th. #FLQualifier pic.twitter.com/YrzspVZzUY — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) September 12, 2026 Drew Giles (2027, Brunswick, Ga.) took home MVP honors from the weekend after hitting .385 including a walkoff home run during pool play. Giles helped lead his Canes team to victory and did so with the bat. The swing is super short and simple and he gets immense jump off the barrel. It’s a level path through the zone but the blend of hit and power showed out all weekend for the MVP.  August Backman (2027, Venice, Fla.) had a solid weekend on both sides of the ball: hitting .333 over three games and also sitting 88-91 mph on the mound. Backman, a Florida commit who is nationally ranked, has a three pitch mix highlighted by a really...
Tournaments | Story | 9/16/2026

Fall World Series Scout Notes

Jason Phillips
Article Image
Joseph Mosley 2028, Hendersonville, Tenn.) showed the upside all weekend for Southeast Rawlings Mad Mavericks. The right-handed hitter starts from a medium stance with in-line feet and a low handset with a low back elbow, utilizes a low leg lift stride. Creates separation in the back shoulder with strength through the hands into a flat bat plane and line drive lift in the swing. Stays balanced throughout the swing and showed the feel to use the whole field. The outfielder has an athletic, strong 6-foot, 190-pound frame with more gap-to-gap type power to be unlocked. Collected four hits, including two triples, to drive in an RBI and came around to score three runs. Exciting player with two-way upside. On the mound the right-handed pitcher went two innings in relief with three strikeouts and spread three hits and three walks for one earned run. The fastball ran up to 87 and paired it with...
College | Recruiting | 9/14/2026

Class of 2026 Recruiting Rankings

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Tournaments | Story | 9/14/2026

Coastal Fall Battle of the Carolinas Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Deacon Hensley (2028, Zebulon, NC) stands at 6-foot-0, 165 pounds and is a left-handed hitting and throwing right fielder. Lean frame with good athleticism and additional strength likely to come with maturity. Compact swing with quick hands and good feel for the barrel. Relaxed setup with good bat speed through the zone. Good balance in the box with a direct path and solid contact skills. Hensley went 3-for-3, scoring three runs and hitting a double. Great day at the plate. Colt Funderburk (2027, Lancaster, SC) stands at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds with an athletic frame and present strength. Bats and throws left-handed. Physical hitter with a compact swing, good bat speed, and the ability to drive the ball with authority. Good pitch recognition with a disciplined approach. Quiet lower half with a controlled load and good balance. Funderburk went 2-for-4 with one double and two RBI. Cameron...
Press Release | Press Release | 9/14/2026

PG Athletes Raise North of $138,000 in August

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 ATHLETES RAISE OVER $138,000 FOR CHARITABLE PARTNERS THROUGHOUT MONTH OF AUGUST   Sanford, Florida (Monday, September 14, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that its August premier events raised a combined $138,422 for children's hospitals and charitable organizations, with 1,112 total supporters contributing across five showcases. Since 2016, Perfect Game athletes have raised over $1.8 million for various charitable causes and organizations. The annual fundraising initiative, which runs in conjunction with several of Perfect Game's marquee events each year, gives players, families and fans the opportunity to support...
Loading more articles...