THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,497 MLB PLAYERS | 15,833 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,497 MLB PLAYERS | 15,833 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 12/9/2019

Ostingers climbs 17u rankings

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Cole Stallings (Amy Mcguire, OBA)

Final 2019 17u Travel Team Rankings

When Jim Osting decided to spend last Wednesday afternoon on a golf course somewhere in the Tampa Bay area, he did so secure in the knowledge that the Ostingers Baseball Academy travel team organization he founded more than a decade ago was sitting in a pretty good place just as another decade is set to dawn.

He could look back with satisfaction on a 2019 season in which the Ostingers Baseball Academy 2020 squad set the pace for the entire program. It’s a top 17u team that won the Perfect Game Super25 17u National Championship title and compiled an overall record of 22-9-3 at five major PG championships this past summer and fall.

Now, those accomplishments have been officially recognized. OBA 2020 landed in the No. 13 spot in the PG 17u National Travel Team Rankings that were released today, quite an achievement for a relatively small program that has found a comfortable home in a neighborhood crowded with some of the country’s most prominent and most respected organizations.

The Ostingers Baseball Academy is located in Lithia, Fla., about 30 miles southeast of Tampa. Osting founded OBA in 2008 in an effort to provide prospects in south-central Florida with top-notch instructional opportunities while also being able to play on nationally competitive travel ball teams during the summer and fall.

“My program is small; we keep it small for a reason,” Osting told PG during a recent telephone conversation, while speaking from the aforementioned golf course. “We have really good players from a 15 to 20-mile radius of Tampa, and it’s just a bunch of good players that want to play baseball the right way. … We narrow it down to one team per age-group because we feel like that’s what’s manageable and that’s what gets the kids better.”

The complete Ostingers BA 2020 team roster featured six prospects ranked as top-500s or better, all of whom attend high schools within the Tampa area. Osting told PG that eight or nine of them have been together in the program since they were middle-schoolers.

“Those guys have kind of played together for a while now, and then we added some pitchers and a few position players here and there,” Osting said, mentioning Cole Stallings, Zachary Devito and Cade Afeld as players that have been with the program since they were 9 or 10 years old.

The centerpiece of the team in 2019 was 2020 corner-infielder/catcher Brock Wilken, a Wake Forest commit PG ranked as the No. 127 overall prospect in his class.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Wilken was named the MV Player at the PG Super25 17u National (he was also the MVP at the 2018 PG WWBA Upperclass East Labor Day Classic playing for Ostingers 18u) and was all-tournament at three events this year.

“Brock is a special kid. He came to me when he was in eighth-grade … and as an eighth-grader he was just a gangly kid trying to learn his body,” Osting said. “Now he’s a big, strong kid and he’s worked hard in the weight room to get to where he is today. …

“He’s a really good player and a really good kid who plays the game the right way,” he added. “If you have a team full of Brock Wilkens you don’t really have to coach a whole lot.”

Stallings, a 2020 right-hander/outfielder, is also special. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Stallings is a Stetson commit ranked No. 416 nationally who was the MV Pitcher at the PG Super25 17u NC and an all-tournament selection five times in 2019.

There was a three-week stretch in July that defined the Ostingers BA 2020’s summer season. They were at the PG WWBA 17u National Championship in the north Atlanta suburbs from June 28-July 5 where they finished 9-1-1 after a loss in the semifinals to the eventual champion Canes National 17.

After that impressive showing, the ‘Stingers arrived in Fort Myers, Fla., on July 15 to compete at the PG Super25 17u National Championship, and they won the title with a 6-1-0 mark, beating LIB 2020 Prime out of Bellmore, NY, in the championship game.

The air kind of went out their sails at the end of the month when the OSB 2020s traveled to the Arizona desert to play at the prestigious, invitation-only PG 17u World Series, where they finished 0-4-1 in five games.

“It was very special,” Osting said, speaking of the combined 15-2-1 showing at the WWBA 17u and Super25 17u national championships. “We ran out of gas when we went to Arizona and played at the 17u World Series, but if you make it to that last day in Atlanta (at the WWBA 17u), that’s a pretty special tournament and a pretty special week for the kids.

“I think the kids realized the importance of those events,” he continued. “We kind of focused our summer around those three weeks in a row there, and they came out and played great.”

OBA 2020 rebounded from the downer in the desert by winning its first six games before losing in the championship game at the PG WWBA Florida Qualifier in Fort Myers in mid-September. It wrapped-up the season with a 1-2-1 showing at the PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., in mid-October.

The success the group enjoyed was a total team effort throughout the summer and fall with 12 2020 prospects earning all-tournament recognition multiple times; it’s a list that includes Wilken, Stallings and the right-hander Devito (Tulane, t-500).

Other multiple honorees – all 2020s – were left-hander Luis Tyler Misla (Coll. of Cent. Florida, No. 459); outfielder Tyler Castelli (Embry-Riddle, t-500); middle-infielder Sean (Grady) Maguire (Fla. Southern, t-500); left-hander Ethan Jones (West Virginia, t-500); right-hander Trevor Finan (Army, t-500); middle-infielder Macallister Jorgensen (Tampa, t-500); left-hander Tommy Turkett (Fla. Southern, HF); infielder Malachi Woodside (t-1000) and right-hander Tyler Donay.

Top-1000 prospects Ryan Bradarich (Nova Southeastern) and Ahmad Fitts (Fla. Southern) are among other OBA 2020 prospects to have already signed with schools of their choice. Colby Shelton, a 2022 infielder and Clemson commit ranked No. 86 overall in his class, was brought up to play the combined 10 games at the Florida Q and in Jupiter.

Osting fully understands that his players are coming into the OBA program from multiple backgrounds as far as their high school programs are concerned.

Once they get to him, Osting emphasizes playing the game the right way, which means winning with class and losing with class, with the expectation that there will be a lot more of the former than the latter. These PG tournaments aren’t showcase events, he reminds his players, because there are team championships to be won.

Molding a team of teenagers into a consistent title threat often requires a tough-love approach, and Osting isn’t the type of coach that is going to coddle his players. He believes college coaches like his players as much as they do because those coaches know that high expectations have been placed on these prep prospects and they’ve proven they can live up to those expectations.

“The message that I send is, look, I’m going to expect a lot of you but it’s because I think you can play,” Osting said. “I’m going to expect maybe more of you than you’ve ever expected of yourself, but that’s how it’s going to be. This group (the 2020s) especially really kind of took that and ran with it.

“Before the summer started they knew they were going to be good, and then they showed up and quietly went about their business and beat some really good teams throughout the summer.”

The OBA teams don’t just show up at PG tournaments and play games over the course of five or six days. They hold regular practice sessions and they run set situational plays, and the coaches feel they have an obligation to teach the players the correct way to play in terms of their approach to the game. And, as evidenced by the successes that has been achieved, the players respond.

“It’s a good group of kids, good program, good coaching,” Osting said. “We focus on winning but we also focus on development.”

Osting knows of what he speaks. A left-handed pitcher, he was a fourth-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in the 1995 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Louisville (Ky.) Trinity High School and played in all or part of 10 minor league seasons (1995-2004). He also pitched in six big-league games: three for the Padres in 2001 and three more for the Brewers in 2002.

Based on those experiences, Osting senses his players respect him for having reached the game’s highest level. But he also likes to look at it as a mutual respect.

“I think that they realize that I respect them on the first side of things – where they come from, who they are as a player and those types of things,” he said. “In return, I feel like they respect me back because I am going to push them, I am going to make them work hard (and) I am going to make them do it the right way.”

Even while preparing to spend a warm and sunny December afternoon on a south-central Florida golf course, Osting allowed himself a moment to look ahead to the summer and fall of 2020 when Ostingers Baseball Academy 2021 will assume the role of the program’s top 17u team.

“Our 21s are a special group of guys that have kind of been under the radar, as well, just because our program as a whole is kind of under the radar,” he said. “They realize that OBA might be small but when (we) show up you’re going to be in a dogfight. This group of 21s is a blue-collar team.”

Osting also had good things to say about his top 2022 and 2023 teams in 2020: “I just feel like we reload every year. The guys from this area that want to come play with us know that Ostingers is a program that if your goal is to win, that’s a program that you want to go checkout.”

While the younger teams in the program prepare to leave their mark on the national travel team scene, it’s clear that the players who made up the Ostingers Baseball Academy 2020 roster have already left theirs.

OBA 2020 wound-up at No. 19 in the final 2018 16u PG National Travel Team Rankings, and after winning 73 percent of its games and PG Super25 national championship in 2019, was able to move up six spots to No. 13 in this year’s final 17u rankings. That noteworthy ascent comes as no surprise to the program founder and head coach.

“They want to win; they’re winners. They get down and it doesn’t bother them, they just want to win,” Osting said. “They’re super competitive. If one pitcher goes out and has a really good outing, the next guy comes out and wants to do better, and they’re holding themselves accountable for getting better.

“These guys have worked together in the off-seasons to get stronger and faster as a collective group and that’s just kind of how it’s worked.”
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 7/13/2026

17u Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
High speed look at the FF-SL-CH from '27 RHP Liam McGeady (OH)... #NatElite @PG_OhioValley @Cincy_Legends https://t.co/hhoDL7DBbi pic.twitter.com/Ts79GLPGoU — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 12, 2026 Liam McGeady (2027, Liberty Township, Ohio) had the stuff working on Saturday morning, getting the start for Legends Scout 2027. The uncommitted right-hander ran it up to 91 and sat 88-90 with a full starter’s mix. All three of the secondaries played well and project moving forward. The curveball worked in the mid-70s with good depth and healthy shape. The slider operated in the 79-82 range with gyro spin and short break. McGeady rounded out the repertoire with a changeup that showed big fade and depth, proving effective versus lefties. He ended the outing going five ⅔ innings, allowing no earned runs on four hits, striking out six total. The tall and long 6-foot-5,...
Read More
College | Story | 7/14/2026

Coppy's Corner: July 14 Summer Edition

John Coppolella
Article Image
The amateur players in the Cape Cod Baseball League are the future stars of the 2027 MLB Draft. The league runs from June 13th through August 2nd. Games are played at historic stadiums in Old New England towns. It’s beautiful and charming. Hollywood even made a movie about the Cape Cod League ~25 years ago called Summer Catch. It scored an 8% (!) on Rotten Tomatoes, but, on the plus side, it featured 2001 Jessica Biel in a starring role.  It was so much fun writing Coppy’s Column this spring. My hope is to highlight a pitcher and position player each week from the Cape. And, who knows, maybe somewhere out there Jessica Biel is reading it.    Player of the Week: Carter White – Falmouth Commodores  Talk about making a great first impression! White introduced himself in a very loud and boisterous way this past week by going 9-17 (.529 AVG) with 6 RBI...
Read More
Tournaments | Championship | 7/13/2026

ZT Select Takes 14u WWBA West Title

Emily Hicks
Article Image
After a week of competitive baseball, the ZT Select Prospects have been crowned the 14U WWBA National Champions, completing an impressive tournament run with a championship victory over Swarm Red Elite National 2030 with a final score of 3-1. The 14U division brought together 19 talented teams for a week of high-level competition, with players from California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania battling for the opportunity to compete on one of the biggest stages in youth baseball. Throughout the tournament, ZT Select Prospects showed consistency, resilience, and the ability to compete in close games. From the opening rounds of pool play to the championship matchup, the team continued to find ways to win behind strong pitching, timely hitting, and a complete team effort. In the championship game, ZT Select Prospects was led by standout performances from Jeremy Jimenez, who...
Read More
Draft | Mock Draft | 7/13/2026

2027 Mock Draft: Way Too Early Ediition

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
With the 2026 MLB Draft officially complete, let's quickly turn our eyes to the 2027 group and do a way too early mock draft. Leading the way is shortstop Brendan Lawson out of the University of Florida, setting the trend as three of the top four names all call shortstop home with Dylan Seward and Carter Hadnot. If shortstops aren't your thing for any which reason, maybe hard throwing left-handers tickle your fancy whether it be prep Connor Salerno, Tomas Valincius from Mississippi State or Dylan Volantis, a dominant arm from the University of Texas.  Pick Team Name Pos. School 1 Los Angeles Angels Brendan Lawson SS Florida 2 Kansas City Royals Dylan Seward SS Norco (Calif.) 3 Colorado Rockies Landon Hairston OF Arizona State 4 New York Mets Carter Hadnot SS Aquinas (Calif.) 5 Athletics Connor Salerno LHP Sun Valley (N.C.) 6 Cincinnati Reds Tomas Valincius LHP Mississippi State 7...
Read More
Draft | Story | 7/12/2026

2027 MLB Draft: Initial Follow List

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
With the 2026 MLB Draft in the books, our focus now shifts to a new group of players ready to take center stage as the 2027 draft cycle begins. Our initial 2027 Follow List serves as an early snapshot of the players who should draw plenty of attention over the next year. This new crop of talent features collegiate players coming off loud spring seasons, alongside prep prospects who have already flashed big upside as underclassman.  As always, this list will evolve throughout the year. Some players will continue to elevate their stock, while others will jump onto the radar and force their way into the conversation. So, without further ado, let the fun begin.  The road to the 2027 MLB Draft starts now. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment Adrian Rodriguez C 3B/OF S-R Texas Flower Mound TX Aidan King C RHP L-R Florida Bryceville FL Bino Watters C OF L-L LSU...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/12/2026

14u BCS Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Austin Way (2030, Yulee, FL) was 2-3 in game four, driving in a run and scoring once himself. Picked it well defensively at shortstop but really showed out in the box today. Works the barrel path to the middle of the field and whips the barrel through the zone. The RHH creates lift in the turn, and the ball jumps off the bat hot.  Sutton Walling (2029, Ponte Vedra, FL) is an athletic 5’11/160lb infielder who gets it done on both sides of the ball. Dominated at the plate right behind his teammate Way in the batting order going 3-3 with two doubles. He does a really good job with the barrel accuracy and works through contact with heavy hands. Lots of project-ability in the profile and is having a sneaky great week at the plate. Banks Kennedy (2030, Arcadia, FL) received it well behind the dish and was the leading force in this one driving in three rbis. He ended up going 2-3...
Read More
Draft | Story | 7/12/2026

2026 MLB Draft: Best Available

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2026 MLB Draft: Best Available for Day Two  A total of 135 players heard their name called on Saturday. As always, signability, bonus pool strategy, and organizational preferences play a major role in how the board unfolds. With that being said, we saw a majority of the top half off the board get selected, but there are a number of players ranked inside our Top 150 that remain available. From high-upside prep talent to polished college performers, these are the top names still available according to our Final Top 500 Draft Board.  Top Prep Bats Available (with Top-500 Board Rankings) 38. Archer Horn, SS/RHP, St. Ignatius College Prep (CA) 58. Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic (CA) 64. James Tronstein, SS/OF, Harvard-Westlake (CA) 66. Noah Wilson, OF, McCallie School (TN) 71. Cole Koeninger, SS/RHP, Keller (TX) 77. Sean Dunlap, C, Crown Point (IN) 82. Alex Weingartner, OF//RHP,...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 7/11/2026

17U National Elite Heads to Hoover

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
Another week, another big tournament makes its way to Hoover.  This week, 104 of the nation’s top 17U teams will make their way to Hoover for the 2026 Perfect Game 17U National Elite Championship.  Featuring nationally ranked teams, Division I commits, and many of the country’s top 2027 players, the tournament promises another week of elite competition as teams battle for one of the biggest championships of the summer.  With many players already committed to some of the nation’s top college programs, every game in Hoover this week offers a glimpse into the future of college baseball.  Now entering its eighth year, the National Elite Championship continues to bring in the nation’s best. Past champions include Team Elite Scout Team, Canes National, USA Prime National, Scorpions/Giants Scout Team, 5 Star Performance National, Knights Knation Scout...
Read More
Draft | Story | 7/12/2026

2026 MLB Draft: Day One Recap

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Storylines Heavy College Run Early We came into the day knowing that there were a lot of talented college players at the top of the board, more specifically college bats. That came to light very early in the day, as we saw just two prep players selected within the first ten picks. The college preference lasted throughout most of the entire first round. Nearly 75% of the first 40 selections were college players. It is clear teams want players at the top of the draft that can quickly get through the system and help the big league club as soon as possible. Underslot Strategy Throughout this cycle, we knew that once you get past the first handful of picks the difference in value you were getting for let say pick ten was not that difference compared to pick 30. Because there was a large collection of players that are relatively close in value, teams were looking to get creative. We saw this...
Read More
Draft | Mock Draft | 7/11/2026

Final 2026 MLB Mock Draft

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
It's draft day and that means it's time for our final Mock Draft with the 2026 group. 1. Chicago White Sox | Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA It’s between Roch and Grady Emerson at this pick, though there have been heavy rumors of a very late deal potentially with another top 5 pick. This boils down to negotiations and we think that they will get there.  2. Tampa Bay Rays | Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian (Tex.) If Grady isn’t the first pick then he is almost certain to be the second pick. The Rays like to get creative but Emerson is a well worth prospect in his own right.  3.  Minnesota Twins | Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech This is likely the floor for Roch Cholowsky, though the Twins might prefer Lackey to Roch outright. They are thought to be in on the top college players with Emerson a distant third.  4. San Francisco Giants | Jackson Flora, RHP, UC...
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.