THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,472 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,472 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
College  | Rankings | 1/21/2020

2020 Preseason JUCO Top 25

Photo: Jalen Battles (McLennan Athletics)




2020 College Baseball Preview Index | @PGCollegeBall | @B_Sakowski_PG |  PG College Facebook Page

As I sit here and write this intro to the JUCO rankings, it's currently 8 degrees with a windchill lower than that and nearly a foot of snow accumulated after last weekend's blizzard rolled through the Midwest. To sum it up...I, and likely all of you reading this, am ready for baseball season. 

Welcome back to Perfect Game's coverage of JUCO baseball, spanning nationwide and including every level of JUCO baseball played, from all three divisions of the NJCAA, to the CCCBA (California) and the NWAC (Pacific Northwest). It's another loaded year in JUCO ball, with high-end clubs scattered across the country, as well as scores of legitimate draft prospects making up these clubs. 

As it usually goes, we start thinking about these rankings in the fall, with JUCO's playing a lot of fall games and getting in front of a ton of pro scouts and college recruiters. That's the genesis of how we start formulating these rankings: Talking to scouts and coaches who saw these teams play and getting their opinions. When asked about who should be No. 1 heading into the 2020 season, the answers were nearly unanimous: It's McLennan. 

Mitch Thompson's club is absolutely loaded, with the kind of depth throughout the lineup and the pitching staff not often seen at this level. In fact, at least 2-3 of the coaches we asked likened this McLennan club to the Chipola team of 2017, the one who went wire-to-wire at No. 1, won the NJCAA World Series, and had double-digit players drafted off of it. With a potential first rounder in Connor Phillips in the rotation and a pair of potential top five rounders in Jalen Battles and Brett Squires in the lineup, McLennan will have the star power for sure, but the aforementioned depth is what stands out. They'll have somewhere around a dozen players in the Top 300 JUCO Prospects List, which releases this coming Friday. 

Regionally, JUCO baseball looks like it's as strong as it's ever been, at least through my somewhat limited scope. Texas and Florida are absolutely loaded per usual, and one can say the same for Arizona, California, the Midwest in general, as well as the Northeast in some respects. In fact, speaking strictly of the Midwest, Iowa Western and Wabash Valley check in at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in these preseason rankings, which could end up being an absolutely mammoth matchup for the right to go to Grand Junction later on this year, much like it was last spring. 

The depth overall is impressive across the entire JUCO scene, which makes not only for exciting on-field battles throughout the country, but also makes for a fascinating case study from the perspective of the draft, which is what we focus on primarily throughout the entire Perfect Game College Baseball coverage as a whole, anyways. Over 100 JUCO players were drafted in 2019, and by the looks of things 2020 could eclipse that mark (other factors such as sign-ability notwithstanding). 

The season starts at a staggered pace for clubs around the country, but the earliest starters will begin play in just a few short days, so, as I say every year in this space, welcome back baseball season, you've been sorely missed. Good luck to all of the clubs participating across the country, we're looking forward to following along.

See also: Reloaded McLennan Tops in JUCO


2020 Preseason Junior College Top 25

Rk. Team State '19 Rec. '19 Rk.
1 McLennan TX 42-17 13
2 Iowa Western IA 52-11 2
3 Wabash Valley IL 55-4 5
4 Central Arizona AZ 50-20 1
5 Chipola FL 38-20 20
6 San Jacinto TX 43-11 NR
7 Southern Nevada NV 46-12 21
8 Northwest Florida State FL 44-12 7
9 John A. Logan IL 44-13 NR
10 Walters State TN 54-11 4
11 Sacramento City CA 35-15 15
12 Grayson TX 42-14 NR
13 Cowley KS 47-14 9
14 Johnson County KS 46-12 23
15 Hinds MS 26-20 NR
16 Seminole State OK 39-14 NR
17 Crowder MO 47-16 NR
18 LSU-Eunice LA 51-8 22
19 Central Florida FL 46-9 NR
20 Howard TX 32-35 NR
21 San Joaquin Delta CA 39-9 11
22 St. John's River FL 37-19 NR
23 JeffCo MO 47-10 NR
24 Kirkwood IA 33-20 NR
25 State College of Florida FL 38-20 NR

See also: Final 2019 Junior College Top 25


 

College | Story | 6/11/2026

Collegiate Freshman All-Americans

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Collegiate Postseason Awards | Collegiate All Americans First Team Hitters Pos. Name School Class AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB C Alonzo Alvarez Miami FR 0.341 0.439 0.551 40 57 13 2 6 32 3 1B Ethin Bingaman Auburn FR 0.330 0.415 0.581 60 71 9 0 15 50 4 2B Ethan Ball Virginia Tech FR 0.310 0.420 0.660 43 63 18 1 17 52 3 3B Nico Partida Texas A&M FR 0.306 0.408 0.550 45 55 8 0 12 43 4 SS Jett Kenady California FR 0.320 0.350 0.573 36 66 17 1 11 34 1 IF Linkin Garcia Texas Tech FR 0.338 0.387 0.489 53 78 21 1 4 59 1 OF Angel Laya Oregon FR 0.296 0.396 0.538 49 66 10 1 14 47 5 OF Anthony Pack Jr. Texas FR 0.359 0.485 0.597 58 74 16 0 11 52 20 OF Jacob Parker* Mississippi State FR 0.339 0.449 0.732 51 57 10 1 18 62 7 OF Teddy Tokheim Stanford FR 0.352 0.414 0.704 40 70 19 0 17 47 0 UT Drew Grego Nebraska FR 0.326 0.417 0.531 33 57 13 1 7 44 5 DH Enzo Infelise Cincinnati FR 0.374...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 6/14/2026

PG Softball Super Regionals

Erica Beach
Article Image
PG Super Regionals Dripping Springs, Texas June 6-7, 2026     DRIPPING SPRINGS, TX- The weather was nice, the Longhorns JUST won a national championship, and Perfect Game brought it’s first softball event to Dripping Springs. It was a weekend packed with college coaches, quality softball, and a great softball atmosphere. Over the course of the six-game guarantee event, our scout saw some amazing athletes. Below she highlights some of the athletes who caught her eye.   Destiny Sidiropoulos (2028, Houston, TX) of the Impact Gold HTX 16U was an incredible spark plug at the top of their lineup all weekend. She is a true triple threat who has great speed on the basepaths. She can soft and power slap, drop a sneaky bunt, and hit away with pop. Her barrel control is next level, and she is fun to watch pick apart defenses. On defense, she is versatile and athletic. She gets...
Tournaments | Story | 6/13/2026

West Coast Summer Breakout Hopefuls

Joey Cohen
Article Image
With summer ball ramping up, the priority follow lists from our scouting staff start to take shape and every year a handful of intriguing names outside the national spotlight begin to separate. Digging deeper into the West region, there’s a group of prospects currently buried outside the Top 200 who carry real breakout and helium potential over the next few months. All 10 players featured here are coming off strong high school seasons and bring traits that evaluators tend to bet on whether it’s projectable/athletic bodies, strong secondary stuff, or flashes of impact tools. They may not be household names just yet, but the ingredients are there for significant jumps by the end of the summer circuit. Don’t be surprised if several of these names are firmly in the mix and climbing up early boards in a hurry before the fall rolls around. Two innings of work here from Jonah...
Tournaments | Story | 6/14/2026

UBC West Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
Nash McCarthy (2030, Camas, WA) was outstanding in his start on day two of the UBC West for NW Baum Bat, working six-innings allowing four-hits, no walks and struck out seven.  Standing at 6-foot, 170-pounds with athleticism and room to add.  Effortless mover down the bump with a low effort, up-tempo operation that produced a fastball that was up to 84.  He showed feel for the secondary offerings mixing in a firm breaking ball at 71-74 with 11-5 shape with depth.  Controlled the zone and the tempo throughout the outing, moving the ball around to all four-quadrants.  Projectable arm speed with advanced feel for the spin and strike zone.  Dylan D'Oyen (2030, Cerritos, CA) got the start for 5 Star 2030 in their opening game of the tournament and impressed over six innings of work.  Athletic mover down the mound with balance and repeats the delivery. ...
Tournaments | Story | 6/13/2026

UBC South Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Quintin Blackwell (2030, Hercules, California) has, literally, been unstoppable this weekend for Premier Banditos Deleon. In six plate appearances, he has a walk and five hits. Doing it all with a double and two triples, while stealing three bags. Plenty of coil on the front side. Hands work through zone and the barrel stays on plane for a long time. High upside bat that makes an already deep Banditos lineup even deeper. Kenson Buth (2027, Trophy Club, Texas) has been an absolute weapon on both ends for Stix 2027 Scout. At the plate, he’s 6-9 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Linear approach with a ton of bat speed. Plenty of impact at the bottom of the zone and showing some ability to do serious damage in the middle of the field. On the mound, he went four quality innings, punching out three. The fastball lived 86-90 with carry. Good feel for the slider in the mid 70s....
Tournaments | Story | 6/13/2026

WWBA East Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Sawyer Pettit (‘27 MS) Has shown extremely well to start the summer of 2026. Its a physical left-handed hitting corner profile with big muscle mass. Will pass the eye test off the bus at the next level. The swing is clean with controlled violence and big in-air power that has shown up frequently. Good mover for the size and plays the game hard. Candidate for a big frosh season at LSU-Eunice in 2028. Keviyun McQueen (‘27 MS) Pair of barrels tied together here. Innate feel to hit with fast hands. Line drive approach that gets to pull side power in the air. Excellent athlete that will stick at a premium spot. #LaTech commit.#WWBAEast pic.twitter.com/xeintVTMil — PG Deep South (@PG_DeepSouth) June 12, 2026 Keviyun McQueen (‘27 MS) The Louisiana Tech commit just does not stop hitting. Left the yard to the pull side yesterday and followed it up with a 3-4 day with a...
Tournaments | Story | 6/12/2026

AZ All-State Ready to Take Place

Emily Hicks
Article Image
This weekend, eight teams will head to Goodyear Ballpark for the 2026 PG Arizona All-State tournament, setting the stage for what should be an exciting few days of baseball. With teams traveling from across the city, the field will be packed with talent and plenty of championship contenders. Among the teams competing in 16U are AZ Select, Marucci Athletics 2028 Grannis, Overfly 2028, Phoenix Phillies, Team Dinger 2028, T-Rex East Valley, USA Scout Team AZ 16U, and West Coast Ghost AZ 16U. Each team enters the weekend with its own strengths and goals, creating several intriguing storylines to follow throughout pool play and bracket action. One of the biggest teams to watch this weekend will be 10-10, T-Rex East Valley. Whether it's dominant pitching, high-powered offenses, or strong defensive play, T-Rex East Valley has already shown they can compete at a high level this season. A few...
Tournaments | Story | 6/12/2026

13/14u PG Elite Scout Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
13u & 14u PG Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Tucker Richardson (2030, Mobile, Ala.) has already made a name for himself and he continued to play at the expected high level during his time in Hoover, finishing the tournament with a robust .700 average, collecting at least one base hit in each of his team’s games. Now the No. 10 ranked prospect in the country, Richardson more than once showed the ability to read and react to spin out of the pitcher’s hand, barreling up baseballs for a couple of his hits on the tournament. As much as the bat stands out, the defensive actions in the dirt are even better as he’s arguably the best defender in the class, making the most difficult plays look routing, including one where he charged hard on a slow roller with momentum taking him towards the third base dugout but thanks to the big arm, he was able to make the play look second...
Tournaments | Story | 6/11/2026

PG East WWBA to Get Underway

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
One of the summer’s premier events returns to the Hoover area this week as the 2026 Perfect Game East WWBA Championship gets underway. Now in its seventh year, the event has become a staple on the summer travel baseball calendar, bringing together some of the top organizations and prospects from across the country. A total of 132 teams will compete across three age divisions, including 38 teams in the 15U division, 48 teams in the 16U division, and 46 teams in the 17U division. Past champions include organizations such as Top Gun Team Alabama, EBC, USA Prime Alabama, and defending champion USA Prime Southeast 15U. As always, the tournament field features some of the nation’s top-ranked players. In the 15U division, all eyes will be on Alabama right-hander Tristan Blalock, the No. 23 ranked player nationally in the 2029 class and the top ranked player in Alabama. Blalock...
Tournaments | Championship | 6/11/2026

Team Elite Takes Another PG Elite

Kinley Kitchens
Article Image
After capturing last year’s championship, Team Elite Scout 14U returned to Hoover looking to prove their success was no fluke. Four days later, they accomplished exactly that. Behind strong pitching, timely hitting, and the confidence that has defined the team throughout the tournament, Team Elite Scout 14U defeated SBA Bolts National 14U to claim the 2026 PG 14U National Elite Championship and secure back-to-back titles. “It’s awesome,” Team Elite Coach Blankenship said. “This is our first event of the year, so it’s good to get it to start with them, and they won it last year, so I know they are excited to do that back-to-back, so it’s pretty awesome.” The championship game showcased many of the same qualities that carried Team Elite through the tournament. Ryan Johnson delivered 4.1 scoreless innings on the mound, allowing just two hits...
Loading more articles...