THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,803 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,803 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Championship | 9/28/2020

Two Champs Crowned in Midwest

Cade Schares
Photo: 29ers Black (Perfect Game)
29ers Black ends up on top in the Upperclass division

MARION, Iowa – The rain did not stop the quest for a title at the Midwest Select Championships on Sunday at Prospect Meadows.

The Upperclass Championship game between the 29ers Black and the Nebraska Prospects 2022 White was largely a contest of timely pitching and great defense. The Prospects struck early on, scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning. The 29ers put themselves in good situations on several occasions but were not able to cash in during the first five innings, leaving five runners in scoring position and the score at 1-0.



The 29ers Black were no strangers to close games, as they won their semi-final game 3-2 and finished in a tie in their first-round game at 1-1. So, when they found themselves in a similar situation on Sunday evening, they didn’t bat an eye.

After three straight walks in the top of the sixth inning (two of which came on full counts after a good battle), Reece Zonts stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and the opportunity to put his team in the lead.

“Reece has been doing a good job for us all year... we put him in good situations to put contact on the baseball, and it was one of those situations where it was his turn to bat and we had a lot of confidence in him,” 29ers head coach Jacob Serrato told PG. “And like he’s been doing all summer and fall long, he made the big hit for us.”

And what a big hit it was for Zonts. With the bases loaded and a 3-2 count, Zonts hit a line drive to right center for a two-RBI double to put his team in the lead. That go-ahead hit, along with five more hits during the weekend, cemented his place as Tournament MVP for the Upperclass division. Zonts would come around to score when the next batter, Brian Donlea, smacked a single to right field and provided what would turn out to be an important insurance run to make it a 3-1 game.

The Prospects would give the 29ers a scare in the bottom of the seventh, getting two runners on base and scoring a run on a routine double play that turned into an error. Fortunately for the Coach Serrato, the 29ers hunkered down and got the last out, securing their spot as Midwest Select Champions.

“This weekend we did a great job top to bottom, defense has been spectacular, pitching has been phenomenal, and we had a couple of bumps in the road but we hung together as a team and fought back as a team,” Coach Serrato concluded.

Cangelosi Sparks North takes the title in the Freshman division

MARION, Iowa – The mood of the Cangelosi Sparks North could not be dampened on Sunday afternoon.

The rain came during their semi-final game, and they quickly found themselves in a 6-0 hole before coming to bat for the first time. Although they were off to a bad start, they didn’t dwell on it for a second. They answered in a big way in the bottom of the first inning, putting up a seven spot.

“We talked about how you’re not going to get six runs in one swing,” said head coach Lee Milano. “We came back with a seven spot and outscored them 16-0 the rest of the game.”

That offensive outburst propelled them to the championship versus Illinois Premier Smith 2024, but they would go on to win this one in a different fashion.

In the second inning, Carter Banister of Illinois Premier crushed a double over the head of the left fielder, resulting in the first run of the game and an early lead for Illinois Premier. The momentum continued in the third when Jackson Smith roped an RBI single to right field to put his team ahead 2-0. Even with the early lead and growing momentum, Cangelosi did not panic. They had been here before.

Nick Dritna led off the bottom of the third for Cangelosi with a single up the middle. His teammate Tommy Clark was issued a walk, which put runners at first and second for Finn Koch, who subsequently bunted for a hit to load the bases. The pressure seemed to get to Illinois Premier, as Dritna and Clark would come around to score thanks to a passed ball and a groundout to second base off the bat of Joshua Wicker.

Small ball is definitely a common theme for Cangelosi, a team who bunted four times and did not collect an RBI base hit in the championship game.

“We work on that all the time, about bunting in certain situations and about hitting in certain situations, and we did a great job of that in this game,” said Milano about his team’s ability to create runs. “We did the little things and the little things win games.”

That fact was exemplified well in the way that Cangelosi scored the game-winning run. It was a tight, 2-2 game until the sixth inning, and neither team was budging. Jackson McCarey led off the bottom of the sixth with single, followed by a Wicker sac bunt to move the runner to second. Cash Campbell hit behind the runner with a ground ball to second base, which put McCarey at third with two outs. McCarey would score three pitches later on a balk to put Cangelosi in the lead.

A one run lead was all that Drtina needed, who pitched the last four innings of shutout ball for Cangelosi. After two strikeouts and a groundout to second in the top of the seventh, Cangelosi earned the title of Midwest Select Champions.

“We stepped up in a big way... Nick came up really big at the end, he did an unbelievable job and gave us 4 shutdown innings, but it was 1 through 14, everybody contributed in a certain way,” Milano concluded.
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

Back-to-Back MLK East for Phillies
Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
TBT Phillies Scout run rules for second straight MLK East Championship The 14U TBT Phillies Scout Team overtook A3 Academy Futures 14-6 in the final game to win their second straight 2026 MLK East Championship. Though the skies were blue and the sun was out in Fort Myers, Florida, the air was very chilly. The wind whipped through the palm trees as players, parents and friends piled into the 5-Plex Player Development Complex bundled up in blankets, hoodies and beanies.  The A3 Academy Futures were first up to bat - and the TBT Phillies struggled through the first frame. The first run came across on a balk; the second came soon after off a double from Gabriel Messing. “I was surprised that they scored right away off the jump,” Kingston George said, an outfielder for TBT Phillies Scout and this year’s MVP of the 14U East MLK championship. “We were kind of quiet...
Read More
High School | Blog | 1/26/2026

High School Content Index

Tyler Russo
Article Image
With the High School season about to pick up and kick off in the warmer states in the not-so-distant future, make sure to bookmark this index with all the dates of upcoming content so you can be in the know, beginning with a breakdown of every team in our Top 50 countdown.  Date Content Monday, January 26 HS Team Breakdowns: 50-41 Tuesday, January 27 HS Team Breakdowns: 40-31 Wednesday, January 28 HS Team Breakdowns: 30-21 Thursday, January 29 HS Team Breakdowns: 20-11 Friday, January 30 HS Team Breakdowns: 10-1 Friday, January 30 National High School Top 50 Monday, February 2 HS Top 50 All Prospect Team Monday, February 2 Top Team in Each State Tuesday, February 3 Florida Region Top Teams/Prospects Tuesday, February 3 Florida Region Preview Wednesday, February 4 Georgia Region Top Teams/Prospects Wednesday, February 4 Georgia Region Preview Thursday, February 5 Pacific Region Top...
Read More
High School | General | 1/26/2026

High School Top 50: 50-41

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
50. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) 2025 Record: 19-12 Head Coach: Gary Remiker Notable Prospect(s): SS Alex Harrington (Stanford), OF Hunter Harrington (Stanford), RHP Kaden Kuhn (Cornell), OF Xavier Nady (NYU), RHP Shoei Darvishsefat, SS Trey Kotsay (Princeton), OF Nick Ruder (University of Chicago), SS Jonas Nalu (Colorado School of Mines), OF Joshua Priest (Arizona State), LHP Jose Partida (Arizona State), 1B Maxwell Stewart, OF Dj Sweeney Cathedral Catholic has been one of the top programs in the San Diego area over the past handful of years and brings back not only one of the best rosters in their area, but one of the top rosters in the country. Headlining the group is twin brothers Alex and Hunter Harrington, both Stanford commits and bring dynamic athleticism mixed with a good bit of experience. The Dons also return seniors Xavier Nady, Trey Kotsay, Nick Ruder and Jonas...
Read More
College | Story | 1/26/2026

Conference Preview: Big South

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Charleston Southern 31 22 14 10 Gardner-Webb 17 36 6 18 High Point 39 19 18 6 Longwood 14 38 8 16 Presbyterian 17 35 9 15 Radford 28 28 13 11 UNC-Asheville 15 35 8 16 USC-Upstate 36 25 19 5 Winthrop 31 29 13 11 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C  Preston Lucas USC Upstate 1st Team All-Big South performer in 2025. Hit .337 with 25 XBH and the 5th most RBI (63) in the conference. 1B Landen Johnson High Point 2nd Team All-Big South...
Read More
College | Story | 1/23/2026

Conference Preview: American

Craig Cozart
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L UBA 24 30 8 19 Charlotte 36 22 18 9 East Carolina 35 27 13 14 Florida Atlantic 37 21 15 12 Memphis 22 33 8 19 Rice 17 40 10 17 South Florida 31 25 16 11 UTSA 47 15 23 4 Tulane 33 25 13 14 Wichita State 19 35 11 16 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Andrew Stucky UTSA .324/.514/.467 with 6 HRs, 40 RBI; durable 6-0/192 backstop with elite defensive skills and a wealth of experience, returning 1st team all-conference member 1B Cody...
Read More
College | Story | 1/22/2026

Conference Preview: Big 10

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Illinois 30 24 14 16 Indiana 32 24 16 14 Iowa 33 22 21 9 Maryland 27 29 12 18 Michigan 33 23 16 14 Michigan State 28 27 13 17 Minnesota 24 28 10 20 Nebraska 33 29 15 15 Northwestern 25 27 13 17 Ohio State 13 37 5 25 Oregon 42 16 22 8 Penn State 33 23 15 15 Purdue 31 23 11 19 Rutgers 29 28 15 15 UCLA 48 18 22 8 USC 37 23 18 12 Washington 29 28 17 13 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Mason Eckelman Ohio State Taken steps forward--...
Read More
General | Blog | 1/21/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 61

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls- Part 1 You know what I love about the holidays? Good food, time with family, and the unspoken rule that nobody brings up religion or politics at the dinner table.   Why? Because they're powder kegs. Topics that bring out deep-seated beliefs and strong emotions.  Well, I accidentally lit one of those powder kegs recently, except it wasn't at the dinner table. It was on social media.   Our team posted a short clip of me at Boot Camp making what I thought was a pretty straightforward point: simply avoiding the curveball is far from a guarantee of arm health.   I wasn't trying to be provocative. I was just stating what I believed to be obvious after 30 years of doing this work.  But boy, did a few people have problems with it.   It became one of the most discussed posts in Ranch history....
Read More
College | Story | 1/21/2026

Conference Preview: Big 12

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Arizona 44 21 18 12 Arizona State 36 24 18 12 Baylor 33 22 13 17 BYU 28 27 10 20 Cincinnati 33 26 16 14 Houston 30 25 12 17 Kansas 43 17 20 10 Kansas State 32 26 17 13 Oklahoma State 30 25 15 12 TCU 39 20 19 11 Texas Tech 20 33 13 17 UCF 29 26 9 21 Utah 21 29 8 22 West Virginia 44 16 19 9 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Jackson Natili Cincinnati .338/9/53; well-rounded bat with bat to ball skills and strong catch and throw 1B Brady...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

A New Path to the Next Level

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
A New Path to the Next Level: Inside Perfect Game’s College Instructional Series An important new PG event will help aspiring college players grow, get noticed COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The changing environment of college baseball has led to an innovative new event at Perfect Game, one that will connect high school players looking for an opportunity at the next level with the coaches who may be able to provide one. On top of it all, there will be plenty of expert instruction along with the spirited, tournament-style competition that PG is known for. The College Instructional Series will take place at six regionalized venues starting this summer. “This event will serve an important purpose for players and coaches,” said Adam Revelette, PG’s senior director of events. “Everybody we’ve talked to is very intrigued about the platform.” The event is geared...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

MLK West Scout Notes: Days 3-4

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MLK West Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Markus Chandler, RHP, Westside HS Class of 2027 A little on the undersized side as a sub 6 footer, but Chandler can generate some velo and spin.  Spun 3 frames of hitless ball for Spects National with zero walks and 6 strikeouts.  Committed to Kansas State, the righty ran the fastball to 92, living 89-92 pumping the zone with 75 percent strikes.  Looked like two different breaking balls, with the SL 80/81 (spin in 2500’s) and curveball 75/76.  No hard contact, little contact at all off the righty in this dominant outing. To follow up the pitching performance, Chandler swung the bat well on Championship Monday (Trademark Pending) with 5 RBI and three hits on the day, regularly on the barrel.  Trevor Alons, RHP, Centennial HS Class of 2028 Lean framed sophomore with a quick, whippy arm.  Playing up a few classes, you might...
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.