THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,449 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,449 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 10/8/2020

Curtain rises for Show at WWBA WC

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Marcelo Mayer (Perfect Game)

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Just three innings into their opener at the Perfect Game WWBA World Championship Thursday afternoon, the San Diego Show already held a 7-0 lead over the Hunter Pence Baseball Academy.

Many observers probably looked at that early score and shrugged, knowing that the Show had come into this blockbuster PG national championship event regarded as one of the top offensive squads in the 90-team field. A 7-0 lead after three? Not really all that surprising given the Show’s propensity for collecting hits and scoring runs.



A closer examination, however, revealed that the Show had scored their seven runs without the benefit of a base hit. Walks, hit batters, errors, wild pitches and passed balls had led to the avalanche of runs – six in the third inning alone – but it is also important to note that the Show hitters had barreled-up many pitches that just didn’t fall in on this particular day.

The Show did finally collect a couple of hits in the bottom of the fourth – a lead-off single from Gabe D'Arcy followed by an RBI double from PG All-American Marcelo Mayer – and when Zack Torres brought Mayer home with an RBI fielder’s groundout to make it a 9-0 ballgame, PG's run-rule kicked in and the game was over.

But there’s no denying that a line score of nine runs on just two hits is a head-scratcher.

“That last inning just showed that we’re dialed-in from the first pitch to the last pitch,” Mayer told PG postgame, speaking from the Lee County Player Development 5-Plex on a hot and dry day near downtown Fort Myers. “Our team knows what we need to do and we’re putting up as many runs as we can; we don’t (let-up on) the gas pedal.”

Consider the San Diego Show’s opening salvo in this very unconventional manner a glimpse of things to come at this weekend at the 22nd annual PG WWBA World Championship. The Show seemed primed to put on a show over the next four days if they can find a way to win their way into Monday.

“Any PG event we attend we know that we’re in for high-caliber baseball,” SD Show head coach Luis Lorenzana told PG on Thursday. “Every one of these other respective teams, they bring out the best in us and that’s why we come. We’ve been coming to Georgia (WWBA national championships) for a long time and this is just another one that we’ve put on our radar. For sure, this is one that we definitely don’t want to miss.”

And it really looks like this group has the goods to make the cross-country trip all the more worthwhile. With Mayer, an elite 2021 PGAA shortstop and Southern California commit ranked No. 9 overall nationally, and the 2021 outfielder D’Arcy, an Arkansas commit ranked No. 237 nationally, hitting at the top of the order, if the Show can get into a groove their run into bracket-play promises to be a deep one.

It’s a team that is at once both veteran and young. D’Arcy, Mayer and right-hander Ray Cebulski (t-500, Long Beach State) represent the 2021s who were with the Show at last year’s WWBA WC in Jupiter; elite infielder Mikey Romero (No. 49, Arizona) and right-hander David Horn (No. 158, UCLA) are 2022s who were also at last year’s Jupiter event.

This year’s Show squad has a nice blend of high school seniors (2021s) and underclassmen (2022s, 2023s), a roster composition that helps build valuable experience and should serve the program well down the road.

“We’re not senior-heavy, I would say, so it’s a great balance,” Lorenzana said. “Those underclassmen that have come out here, they’ve always played above their level so they know what they’re in for; they’ve been at these big events.”

Top-500 uncommitted outfielders LeTrey McCollum and Zack Torres; catcher/infielder Ariel Armas (HF, San Diego), middle-infielder Ali Camarillo (t-1000, Cal State Northridge) and infielder Shun Sakaino (t-500, Cal State Northridge) stand among the other top 2021 position players, joining Mayer, D’Arcy and Cebulski.

“With Marcelo Mayer being one of the focal points, we’ve built around him,” Lorenzana said. “He sets the tone; he’s a leader on the field and everyone kind of feeds off that. Gabe D'Arcy, who’s our leadoff guy and he (also) sets the tone. He’s a very intense player that goes all-out all the time and everyone just kind of follows him as planned. …

“Obviously, we feel comfortable with the lineup we have out there, even with the people that are coming off the bench; in this type of tournament it takes the whole group to succeed.”

Youth is served well by Romero, third baseman Ryan Ward (No. 75, Arizona) and outfielder/first baseman Bryan Martinez (No. 351, Long Beach State) from the class of 2022, and 2023 outfielder Dean West (No. 34, UCLA).

The pitching staff boasts the talents of veteran 2021s like Cebulski, t-500 left-handers Kaeden Moeller (Long Beach State) and Gavin Nalu (Stanford), and t-500 righties Kadin Muckley and Carson Olsen.

The underclass hurlers don’t take a backseat, either. The 2022 right-hander Horn got the start Thursday and while he did allow four hits in his two innings of work, he didn’t allow a run. Righty Ryan Ellis (t-500, New Mexico) is another top 2022 and the real gem of the staff might be 2023 righty Duke Ekstrom, an early Vanderbilt commit ranked No. 69 nationally.

“It is a very good mixture of righty-lefty combinations,” Lorenzana said. “They compete, they throw strikes and they’re ready to get after it. … It’s good to see from an organizational perspective how they’ve developed and how they’ve matured. We build the environment and the competition from within is definitely something that brings out the best in all of them.”

Just watching how this tournament unfolds for the many California teams in attendance – nationally prominent BPA 2021, CBA Marucci, GBG Navy 2021 and Trosky National 2021 among them – will be fascinating, to say the least.

With the entire state under a lockdown throughout the spring and into the summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, this Show team wasn’t really able to do much of anything until late June. The primary focus of team officials was, obviously, the health and safety of the players and their families first and foremost and continues to be so.

They were finally able to get going with individual workouts and gradually moved forward into intrasquad scrimmages while always keeping the players’ health and safety at the forefront. The Show didn’t make their first trip out-of-state until late August when they traveled east into Arizona for a non-PG event.

It was during a return trip to the Grand Canyon State in mid-September when they were really able to show their mettle. They marched into the PG Upperclass Fall National Championship and very loudly vanquished opponent after opponent, winning their three pool-play games by a combined score of 25-3 before heading into bracket-play.

The Show’s collective foot never touched the brakes in the playoffs, either, outscoring four foes by a combined 27-5, a count that included a 10-1 win over TB SoCal Easton in the championship game. Lorenzana and his staff were able to learn a lot about the high level at which this team is capable of operating during that impressive championship run.

“That was a great event and one that we played well in,“ Lorenzana said. “It got us into a rhythm to attend this (event) here. … A lot of the kids here have been in our program for a lot of years and the practices have been just like they always are, very intense. They’re paying attention to details so they’re fully prepared for any event.

“But the way they played in Arizona was great to see just as a way to kind of get us clicking at the right time as we were looking forward to this one.”

D’Arcy was named the tournament MV Player and he feels like he and his teammates made a rather loud statement in regard to how this team should be viewed coming into the WWBA WC:

“It goes to show that we’re the best team on the West Coast and we’re ready to play against these big boys from the East Coast, for sure,” he said. “We’ve been ready for this all summer. We’ve been talking about this since June and it’s the same mindset: Just go out and play baseball, play our game and we think we’re going to end up just fine.”

The West Coast is fairly well represented here this weekend, and that’s a good thing. Even if the quantity of teams can’t match the numbers from other parts of the country, primarily the Southeast, the quality is second to none.

Lorenzana is confident his team will represent their region of the country with unbridled excellence and will walk away with their heads held high. At least one PG scout has picked the Show to win the whole thing down here this weekend and every player and coach on the team embraces those high expectations.

“We know what they are,” he said, speaking of those expectations. “With the amount of years we’ve been doing this and coming out this way, I would say that we’re a well-respected ballclub and we’re going to give everyone our best. …

“We’re not going to let-up on anyone; we respect every opponent,” he added. “I wouldn’t say the expectation is to come out here and win a championship but I think it’s a goal and it’s something they’ve been working hard to do.”

Mayer, who is projected to be an early round pick in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft, said it’s no secret to anyone – and why should it be – that this Show team takes the field every time out with the intent of leaving it after seven innings with another win in its pocket.

“We got to show everyone what our team’s all about and that we’re not here to mess around, and that we really have a good chance to win this tournament,” he said. “We’re going to take it game-by-game and I think with our team we’re good enough to come out on top.”

And that opener on Thursday? The game when the pitches the Show were seeing were mostly out of the zone and just not good enough to swing at? A game that was won 9-0 with the benefit of only two hits? Well, that showed more of what this team is capable of rather than the other way around.

“This group is prepared for anything,” D’Arcy said. “We’ve kind of had everything thrown at us this summer with the COVID and not being able to play baseball in California, so this was just another game; we were locked-in from that start.”
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 5/24/2026

East Memorial Day Scout Notes: Days 1-2
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘27 IF Braylon Sheffield (FL) with an absolute 🚀 here, launching high off the RCF wall for a 3B. Super polished LH stick; hit over .400 last year on the circuit. #GoHoos commit. #EastMemorial pic.twitter.com/mdehqpR5v5 — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) May 23, 2026 Braylon Sheffield (2027, Fort Myers, Fla.) got the event started with the loudest swing of the night on Friday at Terry Park, rocketing a triple off the wall in the stadium. Sheffield, ranked 121 and committed to Virginia, is a super polished left-handed hitter with left side of the infield projection long term. The swing is tension-free with loose wrists and he generates easy bat speed with already present power to the pull side. This blast came inches away from being a home run and hitting a ball that far at Terry Park stadium is a significant shot. Sheffield also tripled in his second game of the weekend at...
Read More
College | Story | 5/25/2026

Field of 64 Projections

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Last Four In First Four Out Next Four Out 61. Mercer 65. Kentucky 69. Kent State 62. TCU 66. Texas State 70. Gonzaga 63. Troy 67. Pittsburgh 71. Miami (OH) 64. UTSA 68. NC State 72. Campbell Auto-Bids ACC Georgia Tech A10 VCU America East Binghamton American East Carolina ASUN Lipscomb Big 10 UCLA Big 12 Kansas Big East St. John's Big South USC Upstate Big West Cal Poly CAA Northeastern CUSA Jacksonville State Horizon Milwaukee Ivy Yale MAAC Rider MAC Northern Illinois MVC UIC MWC Washington State NEC LIU OVC Little Rock Patriot Holy Cross SEC Georgia SoCon The Citadel Southland Lamar Summit South Dakota State Sun Belt Southern Miss SWAC Alabama State WAC Tarleton State WCC Saint Mary's  Teams by Conference SEC 11 ACC 8 Big 12 7 Big 10 4 Sun Belt 4 CUSA 3 American 2 Big West 2 SoCon 2 Los Angeles Regional Conference 1 (1) UCLA* Big 10 2 (32) Arizona State Big 12 3 Cal Poly* Big West...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/24/2026

West Memorial Day Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Colton Floyd (‘27,AZ) just misses a HR here. Can really impact the baseball & shows over the fence power potential. Took 3 QAB’s today. He’s the #1 ranked 3B in the state and #4 in the country. #MDWest https://t.co/ReMh7D0v4y pic.twitter.com/w1dzssSy8N — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) May 23, 2026 Colton Floyd, 3B, Chandler, AZ. Canes West National (2027) Floyd is a high-upside prospect with physical tools and burgeoning power. His combination of size, bat speed, and raw strength makes him one of the top power-hitting third basemen in the country. Currently ranked the #1 third baseman in Arizona and #4 nationally in his class. With continued refinement of his approach and defensive consistency, he has all the ingredients to be a middle-of-the-order bat at Texas A&M and a legitimate MLB Draft prospect JJ Utash (‘27,AZ) with a triple here....
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/21/2026

Memorial Day Classics Set to Kick Off

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Southeast Memorial Day East Cobb Baseball will welcome more than 100 teams spanning the 13-17u age groups this weekend as summer baseball gets underway with the highly anticipated PG Southeast Memorial Day Classic, commencing on Thursday, May 21st. This weekend’s annual premier event will feature 11 nationally ranked teams across the five age groups with the No. 9 16u East Cobb Astros headlining the 17u division alongside top prospects such as No. 11 ranked Bryan Johnson Jr. And No. 22 ranked Georgia Tech commit, Malachi Butler. The No. 34 17u ranked 643 DP Cougars will also be a squad to watch as they will look to challenge the Astros for the championship amongst the other 14 17u division teams. While the oldest division will draw lots of attention with highly touted prospects, the 16u field is stacked with 29 total teams including three nationally ranked clubs. Over 30 top 1000...
Read More
High School | General | 5/22/2026

Northeast High School Notebook: May 22

Anthony Gambardella
Article Image
‘26 RHP Hunter Brown (@NHLionsBaseball - NJ) struck out 1️⃣5️⃣ thru 6 IP w/ 0 BB & 2 H allowed. FB lived 90-92, T93 w/ ASR & late life. Froze bats with his 11/5 CB both early/late in counts (2600rpm). Mixed in fading CH & short/tight SL. #WeAre commit. @PG_Draft#PGHS @PG_Scouting pic.twitter.com/NbSSOmCyD0 — Perfect Game Mid-Atlantic (@PGMidAtlantic) April 23, 2026 Hunter Brown - 2026 RHP, North Hunterdon Reg (N.J.) was utterly dominant in his start against Franklin last month, tossing six shutout innings with 15 strikeouts, zero walks and just two hits allowed. The 6-foot-5 215-pound right-hander has pitched to a 0.97 ERA this spring with 78 punchouts over 36 innings of work. Brown has been one of the many northeast arms receiving increasingly more buzz ahead of the MLB Draft this July. Brown’s heater lived in the low-90s throughout the duration of his...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 5/22/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 65

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
The Insidious Lie That Hurts Pitchers Thep Most How many of you have ever had a terrible outing and afterward couldn’t really explain what went wrong? And how many of you have ever had a great outing and couldn’t explain what you did differently either? That gap between what is happening and your awareness of what is happening may be one of the most important gaps in player development. Closing that gap has a name. It is called metacognition. In simple terms, metacognition means thinking about your thinking. It is the ability to understand how you learn, how you perform, how you respond under pressure, and how you make adjustments when things are not going your way. For a pitcher, that matters because no matter how good your coach is, he cannot stand on the mound with you. Your coach cannot take the ball with the bases loaded, two outs, and the best hitter in the league...
Read More
College | Rankings | 5/20/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: May 20

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
There is a reason the preseason pick to win it all rarely does. College baseball's postseason is a gauntlet — double elimination, best-of-three’s, then a full World Series format — and the team that looks unbeatable in February has to prove it again in May against opponents who have had just as long to get ready. Plenty of programs have entered the tournament as the obvious favorite and gone home early. It happens every year. Nobody should be shocked when it does. Top-ranked teams flaming out in regional weekends happens so many times it has become its own genre of schadenfreude Which makes this particular moment worth noting. The Perfect Game preseason picks to win the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III national titles — Tennessee Wesleyan, UT Tyler, and the University of Lynchburg — are all still alive heading into the final rounds. All three...
Read More
College | Story | 5/21/2026

Coppy's Corner: May 21 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
Article Image
Each week I huddle with Vinnie Cervino and Craig Cozart  to discuss Top-25 rankings and Players of the Week. In Coppy’s Corner, I dive deeper into these Players of the Week, providing analysis from 20+ years working in baseball front offices at the highest level.   Co-Player of the Week: Carson Tinney – University of Texas  As a Notre Dame alumnus, it pained me to see Tinney transfer from the Golden Dome to the University of Texas after an All-American sophomore season for the Irish. He’s picked up in Austin right where he left off in South Bend and is currently hitting .321 AVG, 20 HR, .475 OBP / .695 SLG / 1.170 OPS on the 2026 season. It’s plus right-handed power and a plus arm; with the numbers I have found indicating that Tinney has erased more than half of attempted base stealers over the past two seasons of college baseball. Tinney threw...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 5/19/2026

Best of the Best Event Preview

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
In simplistic terms, the Best of The Best tournament is an absolute gauntlet as seemingly every game brings a playoff game atmosphere. Coaches must strategically map out their pitching to ensure they can get through Pool Play while also making sure they have arms to make a deep playoff run. Each and every age group is loaded with the best teams, composed of some of the best players that travel baseball has to offer. The 9u & 10u age groups will respectively have 9 out of the Top 10 Teams within the latest PG National Team Rankings participating in the event. At 9U, LTP-Reign will look to hold on to their #1 ranking but will have plenty of competition with the likes of ZT National Prospects and HTX-Wildcatters 9U looking to take over that #1 spot. In the 10u age group, Elevate National will look to fend off plenty of talent with #2 ranked Kaos National, East Cobb Astros and ZT...
Read More
College | Story | 5/19/2026

College Players of the Week: May 19

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
May 19th Perfect Game/Co-Players of the Week:  Carson Tinney, C, Texas  The Texas Longhorns just finished off another stellar regular season and are heading to Hoover for the SEC Conference Tournament as the No. 2 Seed this week.  To secure their 2nd place finish, they had to sweep Missouri at home last weekend and did so in large part to the power bat of Carson Tinney.  The 6-4/240 catcher from Castle Pines, CO transferred to Austin after two sensational seasons at Notre Dame and has thrived in his draft year.  In the 3-game set, Tinney collected 7 hits in 13 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, with a double, 3 home runs and he drove in 10 runs all told.  With some of the most prodigious power in the college game this year, Tinney is now slashing .321/.695/.473 with 10 doubles an incredible 20 home runs and 54 RBIs while playing in the most spacious ballpark in the...
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.