THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
High School  | General | 2/14/2020

Palo verde mines Vegas gold

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Paulshawn Pasqualotto (Perfect Game)

Regional HS Preview: Southwest | High School Preview Index

It can be an informative and equally enjoyable exercise to pull up the 2020 roster for the Las Vegas Palo Verde High School Panthers while also scanning Perfect Game’s updated 2020, 2021 and 2022 prospect rankings for the state of Nevada.

Take a peak and then consider for a moment the names occupying the top spot in all three rankings while also taking note of the school they attend.

Leading the way among this year’s senior class (2020) is top two-way talent Paulshawn Pasqualotto, a U. of California signee ranked No. 115 nationally. The No. 1 name in the junior class is elite outfield prospect Thomas Dilandri, a TCU commit who is slotted at No. 27 nationally. The No. 1-ranked sophomore in the state? That would be outfielder Mason Neville, an Arizona commit ranked No. 34 nationwide.

That’s three Nevada No. 1's, each of whom will assume important roles for Palo Verde this spring when the Panthers attempt to win their second Nevada Class 4A (big-school) state championship in three years under the direction of head coach Joe Hallead.

And, according to the Perfect Game High School Preseason Top 50 National rankings, they are the favorites to do so. Palo Verde will open its season March 5 against Basic HS in Henderson as the No. 14-ranked team in the country and No. 1 in the PG HS Southwest Region (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah).

That, of course, also makes the Panthers the highest ranked team in their own state, ahead of Las Vegas-area rivals Bishop Gorman (No. 4), Basic (No. 14) and Desert Oasis (No. 17), which also cracked the PG Southwest Region top 25 (Reno HS is No. 11). And, to Hallead’s way of thinking, there is no reason for Palo Verde to take a back seat to anyone after what it’s accomplished over the last four seasons.

“I do believe in my program and I know that we’ve built it the right way,” Hallead told PG during a recent telephone conversation. “Even though we’ve won a state championship it’s still in the building phase and there’s still phase four, five and six to go through before it’s a solid, every year, nationally ranked team.

“I let you guys make the decisions on how good teams are but I do believe in my squad,” he said. “They act the right way between the lines and they act the right way in the classroom, and I’m a teacher so that’s really important to me.”

Hallead is beginning his fifth year as the head coach at Palo Verde after previously heading the program at Camas High School in Camas, Wash, for 15 years.

He moved to Vegas after his son had graduated from high school in 2014 and landed an assistant coaching position at Sierra Vista HS his first year in town. (Joe’s son, Tyler Hallead, was a 24th-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2016 out of the College of Southern Nevada is Henderson.)

The Palo Verde program had experienced some down years and had gone through several coaches before Hallead arrived and he was determined to turn things around.

“I told them that I know I’m the new guy in town but I promise you I’ll put together a good program, and I told them that within three years we’ll be fighting for a state championship,” Hallead said. It was a statement that proved prophetic.

The Panthers finished 21-15 after a loss in the regional semifinals in Hallead’s first season in 2016 and 22-10-1 after a loss in the regional quarterfinals in 2017. In 2018, Hallead’s third season at the helm, Palo Verde finished went 31-9 after claiming the Nevada Class 4A state championship. The 2019 season ended with a loss in the regional championship game that left them with a 25-10 mark.

“That second year (2017) was the big year,” Hallead said. “The kids bought in 100 percent and really listened to the way we wanted to do it, the ‘Palo Way’ we call it … and then the third year is when it just blew up. We had some really good baseball players and everything fit together; it was just magical.”

Whether or not the 2020 season turns out being magical in its own right remains to be seen, but there are some important pieces in place to at least make a solid run. It starts with a solid group of seniors who have definitely paid their dues but it goes even deeper than that.

Pasqualotto, the Cal signee, leads the way. The right-hander/outfielder/infielder was 2-2 with a 3.79 ERA in 20 1/3 innings pitched and hit .382 (34-for-89) with 14 extra-base hits, including four home runs, for the Panthers in 2019.

He also earned a top 10.0 grade at the PG National Showcase in Phoenix in June and was an all-tournament selection at the PG WWBA 17u National Championship, the PG 17u World Series and the PG WWBA World Championship last summer and fall playing with the San Diego Show.

Senior Jaden Agassi will be back with the team this spring after playing eight games with the varsity last year. The home-schooled Agassi, a Southern California signee ranked No. 165 in the class of 2020 (No. 2 Nevada), underwent Tommy John surgery last May and while he is also considered a promising two-way prospect, he will be available only to hit this spring.

There are several more pretty sharp arrows in Palo Verde’s quiver. Senior catcher/outfielder Josiah Cromwick, an Oregon signee ranked Nos. 446/6, will be playing his third season on the varsity and is coming off a junior season when he hit .465 (47-for-101) with team-highs of 12 home runs and 43 RBI.

By being on the varsity as a sophomore in 2018, Cromwick knows what it’s like to be a part of a state championship-winning dogpile. The rest of the seniors were playing on the JV team as 10th-graders but they are no less talented.

Team captain Paul Myro IV (Oregon State, t-500/9), a top utility player/right-hander, and middle-infielder/right-hander Noah Carabajal (Long Beach State, t-500/7) are key cogs returning for their senior seasons. The Panthers’ pitching staff is bolstered by the return of senior right-handers Jasper Nelson (t-500/14) and Zach Rowley (High Follow).

“It really does come down to all those seniors,” Hallead said. “They’ve been in the program and they know what it’s like and they know what it takes to win here. They have that winning attitude … where they know they’re going to go into a season and win games.

“The last couple of years the senior classes have been really good that way,” he continued. “Now it’s almost a given, like the torch has been passed to this senior group. And with all the talent we have it makes it even better.”

They won’t have to do it alone. Hallead calls his juniors and a few select sophomores the most talented group of underclassmen he’s ever coached during a 21-year career.

Dilandri, who had been home-schooled, is new to the program this season. He got the attention of PG scouts by earning Top Prospect List recognition at both the PG Junior National Showcase in Hoover, Ala., and at the PG Underclass All-American Games in San Diego last summer. You can count his head coach as among those who appreciate his considerable skills.

“He’s unbelievable; he might be the best player I’ve ever coached,” Hallead said. “He deserves a high ranking for being a person, too, because he’s a great baseball player but he’s an even better guy. He’s very respectful, very hustle-oriented, yes coach-no coach; just the perfect kid.”

Neville, already a veteran of 23 PG events including the 2019 Junior National Showcase, played in 18 varsity games for the Panthers as a freshman in 2019. Although 13 plate appearances and nine at-bats is a small sample size, he was able to contribute a home run, a double and a single, driving in five runs and scoring four.

Every player on the Palo Verde roster will be challenged this season. The high school baseball scene in the Las Vegas area is as vibrant and compelling as anywhere in the country, and it’s been that way for quite some time. No current fan of Major League Baseball needs to be reminded that former Perfect Game All-Americans and MLB All-Stars Kris Bryant, Bryce Harper and Joey Gallo are Vegas products.

Bishop Gorman HS has been the standard-bearer in Nevada for a lot of years now – it is No. 24 in PG’s preseason national rankings – but the programs at Vegas-area schools such as Faith Lutheran, Spring Valley, Desert Oasis, Arbor View, Green Valley, Basic and Sierra Vista are also highly regarded.

Hallead isn’t afraid to take the Panthers out of state, either. They’ve played in early season tournaments in Arizona, California and Utah since he’s come on board and they’ll be at the Boras Classic of Arizona in the Phoenix area in mid-March this season.

“It’s one of those things where we try to get as much good competition as we can,” he said. “The way we think of it is, we play a faceless opponent and we play ‘Palo Baseball.’ If we’re good enough we’ll we win; if the other team is better we’ll tip our hat.”

Maybe that describes this Palo Verde program as well as any statement could. Hallead insisted that the final numbers on the scoreboard won’t matter to him at all until postseason play begins at the end of the school year.

The scoreboard, he said, tells an incomplete story because the final score isn’t always indicative of the way a team played. After the completion of a game, win or lose, he’ll talk to his players, evaluate their overall performance and then reach the right conclusions on what needs to be done moving forward. Winning a state championship and doing it the right way is the only thing that matters.

“All I say is four words: ‘Stay humble, stay hungry,’” Hallead told PG. “Everybody’s going to be looking at you … but all you’ve got to do is stay humble and stay hungry and understand that our prize is at the end of May up in Reno, dog-piling at home plate.”
Give us your feedback
High School | Rankings | 11/4/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Risers
Kyler Peterson
Article Image
Complete Class of 2027 Rankings With the end of the summer and fall seasons behind us, it was time for a quick refresh of the 2027 class rankings. Below you'll be able to read about some of the biggest risers up the board, led by North Carolina outfielder John Hucko who jumped more than 110 spots to now sit at No. 20 overall.  John Hucko, OF, Charlotte, N.C. Previous Rank: 132 | Current Rank: 20 Hucko makes a huge leap into the top-20 players in the class after a dominating showing in Jupiter. It’s as good of a left-handed swing as you’ll come across with pretty easy impact to all parts. He’s a supreme athlete with all the tools to play center long term and is a present plus runner. Hucko is a name that cemented his prospect status in Jupiter and will be a name to follow for next year’s MLB Draft. Elyjah Mason, SS, Lake Forest, Calif. Previous Rank: 71 |...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/8/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1

Tyler Russo
Article Image
2031 C/OF Jace Winston (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) had a really nice day at the dish as he picked up a couple hits in his first game, both well-struck, and then launched a bomb in game 2. He’s one of the more physical players here who can really impact the baseball already, and the consistency in which he’s hitting this fall is a great sign going into 2027. 2031 SS/RHP Weston Stalls (Blackstock, S.C.) came in for a couple innings of relief on the day and showed off the arm talent running the fastball up to 87. It’s a fast arm and he generates real life to the fastball, while the breaking ball is a good pitch as well.   ‘31 SS Parker Smith (NC) went 3-for-3 to open the weekend, this a line drive single the other way. 6’2/140 & can accelerate the barrel already, intriguing projection. #NatAllState @PG_Coastal https://t.co/Z7C5kDGdIM — Perfect Game...
Read More
General | General | 11/6/2026

Class of 2028 Rankings Update

Article Image
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/6/2026

National All State Preview: Week 1

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
This weekend, teams from all around the country in the 10U, 12U and 14U divisions will converge on the Houston area for the 2026 PG National All-State Select Championships. The 10U division will have 22 teams, 12U will have 23 and 14U will have 22. All ages have many different states represented - from Hawaii, to the Pacific Northwest, to Arizona, to New England, to Carolina to Florida and many more. “National All-State brings together the best players in the country across Houston,” national crosschecker and northeast scouting director, John McAdams, said. “It’s a fun atmosphere for ultimate bragging rights amongst all the regions the PG platform reaches domestically while serving as a good litmus test for myself, Jheremy Brown and Tyler Russo to see the players. We get another glimpse at the end of the year as we start to formulate our initial thoughts on the...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 11/6/2026

2027 MLB Draft Board Update: Top 200

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
PG Draft Content Hub With the fall season winding down and the winter months approaching, it is time for another draft board update.  After getting more live looks and gathering information from the fall action across the country, we have expanded the board to a Top-200. The class continues to feature an intriguing mix of arms from both the prep and college ranks, along with an enticing position player pool.  There is still plenty of time for new names to emerge and established prospects to continue to improve their draft stock, but here is where things stand as we head into the winter.  * denotes draft eligible sophomore Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment 1 Dylan Seward H SS S-R Norco Eastvale CA Tennessee 2 Brendan Lawson C SS L-R Florida Toronto ON 3 Dax Whitney C RHP R-R Oregon State Blackfoot ID 4 Tomas Valincius C LHP L-L Mississippi State...
Read More
College | Story | 11/6/2026

College Fall Notebook: November 6

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Virginia Cavaliers  2026 In Review:  Under the leadership of first year Head Coach Chris Pollard, the Cavaliers won 37 games which was the second most victories by a first-year coach in program history.  Virginia went (37-23) finishing tied for 8th in the ACC and earned an at-large bid to the Hattiesburg Regional.  They fielded a talented offense that averaged over 8-runs per game, highlighted by AJ Gracia and Eric Becker who were both selected on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft.  While the defensive squad wasn’t quite as elite as usual, they were ultra-competitive on the mound with a strong rotation and lock down bullpen.  With plenty of talent returning for Pollard and his staff in ’27, they should be a force on a national level once again.  Impact Returners:    Senior Antonio Perrotta (.266/.459/.431, 5 HR, 6 2B, 24 RBI) experienced...
Read More
General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 70

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
That Off-Season Program Wasn't Built for Your Son. It Was Built for Nobody. The Harsh Reality of Skill Development · Part 2 of 5 Somewhere right now, a pitcher is starting a twelve-week off-season program. It came from his travel team. Or a trainer. Or a big leaguer's Instagram. It has phases and a logo, and every kid in the building got the same one. Here is the harsh reality. That program was written before anybody looked at your son. It doesn't know he exists. It was built for the average pitcher... and the average pitcher does not exist. A Template Fixes Somebody's Problem. Maybe Not His. Every pitcher who is stuck is stuck for a reason. We call that reason his constraint... the thing that is actually limiting him right now. For one kid it is strength. For the next it is mobility. For the next it is a mechanical inefficiency, or an arm that isn't recovering, or a body that...
Read More
General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 69

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
Your Son's April Arm Injury is Being Scheduled Right Now   The Harsh Reality of Skill Development - Part 1 of 5 Let me start this series with something most people in baseball won't say out loud. In my experience, a great many of the arm problems we will see next April are being set up right now... in October, November and December. Not necessarily because a young pitcher is throwing too much. Often it's because of what happens when he stops. Here is the pattern. I have watched it for more than thirty years. The fall season ends. The arm is tired, so the family does what seems like the responsible thing.  They shut it down. No throwing. For a lot of kids, no anything. Weeks go by. The holidays come and go. Then somebody looks at a calendar in January and realizes tryouts are three weeks away. Suddenly, an arm that has done nothing since October is asked to go from zero to game...
Read More
General | General | 11/3/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Update

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 11/2/2026

PG Partners Up with Minority Prospects

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 ANNOUNCES MEDIA RIGHTS PARTNERSHIP WITH MINORITY PROSPECTS   Sanford, Florida (Monday, November 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a media rights partnership with Minority Prospects, the Atlanta-based organization that has become the largest platform in the world for minority baseball and softball prospects. The partnership kicked off last month at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., Perfect Game's premier fall event, where Minority Prospects produced content featuring some of the nation's top amateur players in front of college coaches, professional scouts and MLB legends. Under the agreement, Minority...
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.