THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION

| 2,410 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS

2,410 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS

High School | General | 2/16/2021

Strong Jr. class rocks PGHS Midwest

Jeff Dahn

Photo: Nolan Schubart (Perfect Game)

Nearly two months before the 2020 Michigan high school baseball season was set to begin (spoiler alert: it never happened) Head Coach Matt Petry from nationally-prominent Orchard Lake St. Mary’s let Perfect Game in on what was probably the worst-kept secret in the PG High School Midwest Region.

“Our sophomore class is something that is very special,” Petry told PG during a telephone conversation last February. “There will be five guys that will see significant playing time...and I think there are five guys in that class that have Division-I capabilities.”

The events of the last 11 months remind us that those talented young players who have settled into roster spots at OLSM in West Bloomfield Township northwest of Detroit never had the chance to enjoy their sophomore seasons in 2020, and that was a shame.

It was to be a season in which the Eaglets chased after a second straight Michigan High School Division 2 state championship while building on a 28-game winning streak they had compiled over the latter part of the 2019 season. The COVID-19 pandemic had other plans and those goals couldn’t be reached in 2020, but everyone’s optimistic they’ll be attainable once again in the spring of 2021.

Senior middle infielder Alex Mooney (No. 13-ranked ’21, Duke commit) leads OLSM but he’ll get plenty of help with the return of top juniors in outfielder Nolan Schubart (No. 7 ’22, Michigan), right-hander Brock Porter (No. 18, Clemson), second baseman Jake Dresselhouse (t-500, Michigan State), third baseman Jack Crighton (t-500, Michigan) and shortstop/right-hander Ciaran Caughey (t-500, Kent State).

And in a perfect example of the rich getting richer, the Eaglets added the talents of junior catcher/first baseman Ike Irish (No. 164, Auburn) to their roster after he transferred in over the summer from a school in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Perfect Game National Scouting Supervisor Brian Sakowski is a member of the coaching staff at OLSM and he’s watched first-hand as these underclassmen have established themselves as the backbone of the program.

“The results sort of speak for themselves so far on just how absurdly talented they are,” Sakowski said. “Those are kids who all, for the most part, played big roles on the state championship team in 2019.”

What’s interesting here is that the five juniors at OLSM are representative of a trend of sorts in the PGHS Midwest Region (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin) which has two teams in the PGHS Preseason National Top 50 Rankings: No. 7 OLSM (Michigan) and No. 44 Brother Rice High School (Illinois).

When PG Vice President of Player Personnel David Rawnsley compiled his 14-player Midwest Region “Dream Team” he included six juniors on the roster: OLSM’s Schubart and Porter; Milton HS (Wis.) shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 13, Louisville); Oswego East HS (Ill.) left-hander Noah Schultz (No. 14, Vanderbilt); Liberty Union HS (Ohio) right-hander Jacob Miller (No. 29, Louisville) and Brother Rice HS (Ill.) outfielder Jack Lausch (No. 67, uncommitted).

And that’s not the end of it when it comes to highly-ranked class of 2022 national prospects from the region. There’s also Brebauf Jesuit Prep (Ind.) right-hander Andrew Dutkanych IV (No. 35, Vanderbilt), LaSalle-Peru Township HS righty Julius Sanchez (No. 47, Illinois), New Albany Senior HS shortstop Tucker Biven (No. 49, Louisville), LaSalle HS (Ohio) outfielder Devin Taylor (No. 69, Indiana), Whitefish Bay HS (Wis.) outfielder Michael Lippe (No. 86, Louisville), home-schooled Illinois shortstop Logan Wagner (No. 102, Louisville) and Trinity HS (Ind.) outfielder Korbyn Dickerson (No. 130, Louisville).

It’s obvious that Louisville Head Coach Dan McDonnell and his staff has taken note of these prep 2022s who are maximizing their opportunities in what is basically his front yard. Seven of the top 15 juniors in the Midwest Region, all ranked in the top-152 nationally, have committed to the Cardinals.

There’s top talent from the class of 2022 all across the country but it just seems more pronounced in the PGHS Midwest. As Sakowski pointed out, there are cycles to everything in baseball but this seems like it’s more than a cyclical occurrence; it has the feel of something more permanent.

In the country’s cold-weather states like those in the PG Midwest, there’s long been the perception that a player’s development is hindered because he’s not able to get outside and work on his game year-round like the guys who live in warmer-weather states.

From his own observations, Sakowski feels like that knock has become a bone of contention among those cold-weather players and they’re taking it personally. If I can’t go outside to get my work in, the thinking goes, then I’ll just work twice as hard as everyone else indoors.

“It’s kind of starting to resonate nationwide and part of that is kids who are being exposed to high-level coaching and the proliferation of the indoor facility and the training facility,” Sakowski said. “it’s not just coming in to take lessons, it’s player development. I think there’s an element of that at play.

“Guys are getting better than they would have 10 years ago because the coaching is better,” he added. “But that being said, these are still the guys with the talent and they’re still the ones doing the work.”

And, Sakowski believes, that trend promises to continue as coaches, instructors and facility operators gain more access to the wide array of new technologies that are proliferating throughout the game. Coaches will refine their philosophies and techniques to fit and to better understand what the new data is telling them, and that’s to the benefit of the players in all nine PGHS regions.

“There are particulars to that argument, obviously,” Sakowski said. “I’m sure kids in the south on average are better at fielding ground balls off of dirt than the kids in the north are, but everybody plays on turf now so who cares if it’s inside or outside. There are arguments one way or the other but in reality with all things being equal, I don’t see any stop to this at all.”

The cancelation of the 2020 season was heart-breaking for everyone, especially for the graduated seniors who won’t get a do-over. The underclassmen, on the other hand, like this current junior class, got back to work as soon as they were allowed to and funneled their efforts into the 2020 PG tournament and showcase circuits seemingly no worse for the wear.

There are 14 position players and six pitchers ranked in the top-20 of the PGHS Midwest Region’s class of 2022 and Sakowski said you could make the argument that each one of them were a little rusty when they first came into the 2020 summer season.

But once the hitters got acclimated to live pitching again and everyone kind of got their feet back underneath them, they were really ready to turn it on by mid-summer and that carried over into the fall. Players as highly-ranked and as highly-regarded as these guys would never allow themselves to fall behind, not when they’ve already worked so hard to reach the upper level.

Led by Mooney – the MVP at the PG All-American Classic played in Oklahoma City last Labor Day Weekend – and its outstanding junior core, there should be no stopping Orchard Lake St. Mary’s this spring if, in fact, the season is allowed to play out in full.

Sakowski said things are “in a bit of a holding pattern” right now because the winter sports teams only started their seasons recently. The common thought is that the start of the season will be pushed back a week or 10 days and if that scenario does indeed come to be, that will be considered a win for everyone.

In the meantime, don’t fault anyone associated with OLSM for continuing to have fond recollections of the 2019 season.

It is kind of remarkable to look back on what was this current crop of juniors’ freshman year. Schubart, the MVP at the 2019 PG 14u Select Baseball Festival in Fort Myers, Fla., hit in the four-hole in the lineup, Porter started and won the state championship game and was the No. 2 starter the entire season, Crighton was the starter at third base and Dresselhouse played on the varsity but wasn’t yet a starter; Caughey played primarily with the JV team that spring. They may have only been ninth-graders but they were key contributors.

“They all came in and kind of saw the culture that had been created at St. Mary’s by the classes that had gone before them,” Sakowski said. “It all culminated in a big way team-wise, obviously, their freshman year and since then it’s been about personal development; personal work ethic to get better. They’re always honing their crafts.”

And they’re also not afraid to spread it around, either. Dresselhouse, Crighton and Irish are all two-sport athletes with Dresselhouse and Irish mixing it up out on the football field and Crighton doing the same on the basketball court.

They’ve put themselves in position to possibly challenge for a Perfect Game High School national championship, an "on paper" title usually claimed by a school from a warm-weather state.

As an example, the Eaglets are joined in the top-10 of the national rankings by schools from Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Texas; that’s telling. It’s certainly been a fun ride and one that doesn’t look to be ending anytime soon - think of those juniors coming back for yet another go-around in 2022.

“Obviously, I get to track their development through PG; even if I wasn’t their coach I’d be watching them play during the summer,” Sakowski said. “It’s been fun to see that and it’s a testament to them, to their families and to the culture at St. Mary’s that even with no high school baseball they took it upon themselves to get as good as possible, to get better, to focus on the things they needed to focus on. The results have spoken for themselves to a degree, for sure.”

PERFECTGAME.TV

Give us your feedback

High School | General | 4/10/2026

High School Notebook: April 10

Jheremy Brown

You like 6-foot-9 lefties up to 100 mph? 2026 Brody Bumila (MA) was electric in season opener, super easy upper-90s, multiple 100s. Easy operation w/ simple delivery despite size. Punched out 9 over 3, double digit whiffs. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/BChMhKIIhO — Perfect Game New England (@PG_NewEngland) April 2, 2026 Brody Bumila, LHP, Bishop Feehan (MA), Class of 2026 He's 6-foot-9, 18 years old, left-handed and was up to 100 mph (upwards of 3 times on some guns) in his first start of the year in low-30 degree temperatures. That's really all you need to know. Oh, and the opposing team arrived 40 minutes late. Coming off a state-championship run in basketball, Texas signee Brody Bumila made his first start of the spring on April 2nd and didn't disappoint in front of at least 40 scouts packed tightly together behind the backstop. Knowing it was going to be a quicker look given...

College | Story | 4/16/2026

Coppy's Corner: April 16 POY Deep Dive

Perfect Game Staff

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. Player of the Week: Jaquae Stewart – Texas State University If you squint a little bit, you can see some Josh Naylor or Dominic Smith in Jaquae Stewart, with a stout build like a more powerful version of the teacup from the children’s song. Lately, the Sun Belt Conference has been child’s play for Stewart as he has been on fire showing an improved hit approach and power that tracks more with his 2024 performance at Northwest Florida State College than with his 2025 experience at the University of Texas. It’s tough for any player to jump from a JUCO in Florida to the big stage...

Juco | Rankings | 4/15/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 15

Blaine Peterson

Another week of undefeated weeks for our top 4 ranked teams. Joining them in the top 5, coming off an undefeated week of their own, is Florence-Darlington, a team we have consistently had as a top 10 team all season long. Cloud County and Midland College continue to put together strong weeks and climb the rankings each week it seems. Jumping into the rankings this week on the strength of a 15-game winning streak is Seminole State (OK). And Linn Benton makes the top 25 for a 2nd consecutive week and looks like the top team in the NWAC this spring. Plenty of high-level matchups at the JUCO level for some of the top teams in the county this next week. Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 42-2 2 Gaston (NC) 43-3 3 McLennan (TX) 34-7 4 Chipola (FL) 37-7 5 Florence-Darlington (SC) 40-8 6 Walters State (TN) 37-10 7 Blinn (TX) 31-11 8 Florida Southwestern (FL) 30-12 9 Southern Nevada...

College | Rankings | 4/15/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 15

Nick Herfordt

Welcome to this week's small school baseball rankings, covering NCAA Division II, the NAIA, and NCAA Division III. As the calendar turns toward the final weeks of the regular season, the urgency is real across all three levels — teams are running out of weekends to build their cases, and the extended postseason invitations that every program is chasing don't go to programs that peak in March. The next few weeks of results will carry more weight than anything that happened before spring break, and the postseason committees in all three divisions are watching closely. Every series dropped to a team you should beat, every road sweep you let get away — it all matters now in a way it simply didn't two months ago. What you'll also notice as you read through the breakdowns below is that the numbers are doing more of the heavy lifting in how these rankings are constructed. Run...

Press Release | Press Release | 4/15/2026

Perfect Game & Youth Prospects Team Up

667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PERFECT GAME AND YOUTH PROSPECTS ANNOUNCE BROADCAST RIGHTS AND CONTENT PARTNERSHIP Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, April 15, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with content platform Youth Prospects centered around broadcast rights, content collaboration and expanded visibility for elite youth baseball events. As part of the agreement, Perfect Game will grant Youth Prospects broadcast rights to select games across its premiere events, including marquee matchups at the WWBA World...

College | Story | 4/14/2026

College Players of the Week: April 14

Vincent Cervino

April 14th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Jaquae Stewart, INF/OF, Texas State The Texas State Bobcats (24-12) are sitting in second place in the ultra-competitive Sun Belt Conference, and they have one of the most explosive offenses in the country. They average right at 8-runs per game and can slug with the best of them, averaging almost 2-home runs per game as well. Sitting in the middle of the order, Jaquae Stewart, is putting together a career year and is becoming the focus of opposing teams. The 5-10/234 junior from Sinton, Tx is your classic lefthanded power hitter and is thriving in his move from Austin to San Marcos. While it wasn’t the best week for his club, Stewart was sensational, collecting 8 hits in his 19 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, launching 5 home runs and driving in an insane 17 runs. For the season, he is now slashing...

Showcase | Story | 4/14/2026

PG Announces Prospect Gateway Schedule

Hannah Jo Groves

PG has announced the dates for Prospect Gateway events across the country - unique opportunities for young players to receive professional feedback and prepare for the next level. The Prospect Gateways are for players ages 13U-14U and serve as a qualifier for the National Showcase. Kevin Schuver, the senior director of showcases at Perfect Game, said these events are chances for players to step out of their comfort zone and show what they’re really made of. “Perfect Game Prospect Gateways aren’t just events. They’re doorways into something bigger. For young athletes, they serve as the first real step beyond their local fields, where raw ability begins to meet visibility and purpose.” At the event, each player is assigned a PG advisor who will watch and advise them individually. There will also be other scouts giving tips on how to enhance and develop a...

Press Release | Press Release | 4/13/2026

PG & MLB Clubs Offer Discount Tickets

667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PERFECT GAME PARTNERS WITH THREE MLB CLUBS TO OFFER EXCLUSIVE TICKET DISCOUNTS FOR YOUTH TEAMS Sanford, Florida (Friday, April 10, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new fan engagement initiative in partnership with three Major League Baseball clubs — the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals — to provide exclusive discounted ticket opportunities for teams participating in Perfect Game events. Through the collaboration, youth baseball and softball teams competing in...

College | Rankings | 4/13/2026

College Top 25: April 13

Vincent Cervino

In a season where remaining in the Top 25 has become a war of attrition, the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (33-2) are making the game look much easier than it is in all reality. Winners of 27-games in a row, this club continues to win games by any means necessary as they continue their historic run. Beyond the incredible win streak, the Bruins have started off Big Ten play (18-0) by sweeping their first six conference weekend. Adding to their resume, in Game 1 of their series at Rutgers, they won a 14-inning thriller by a score of 4-1where their pitching staff registered an eye-popping 30-strikeouts while only surrendering 1 walk and 4 hits throughout. In most any other season, the No. 2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (30-5) would be sitting atop the poll as they are putting together a historic season of their own. They swept Florida State (24-11) who was previously ranked...

Draft | Story | 4/10/2026

PG Draft: Favorite Position Group

Tyler Henninger

Every draft class has its strengths. Some years its a loaded group of prep infielders, some years its a deep collection of college arms. In this year’s class, certain position groups stand out above the rest to us. This week, the draft team dives into their favorite position groups. Groups that we believe are loaded with depth, upside, and big league potential. College Infielders It’s hard not to get excited about the crop of college infielders in this year’s class because of who is at the top. Roch Cholowsky alone makes the group exciting. He’s got gold glove potential at the next level and an offensive profile that should make him one of the Top 15 to 20 prospects in all of baseball the second he gets drafted. Justin Lebron is another player with as much upside in the class. He is a premium athlete that can really pick it at short and has big upside with the...

Press Release | Press Release | 4/10/2026

Perfect Game and vivenu Partner Up

667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PERFECT GAME PARTNERS WITH VIVENU TO POWER DIGITAL COMMERCE ACROSS YOUTH BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL Sanford, Florida / New York, New York (Friday, April 10, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, has selected vivenu as its ticketing and commerce partner to unify revenue operations across its tournament ecosystem. With 1.6 million tickets sold annually, 9,800 events in 40+ states and an immense social footprint, Perfect Game has built the most influential pipeline in amateur baseball. The organization has produced over 2,200 MLB alumni, and...

Loading more articles...

PERFECTGAME.TV

SPEND MORE. SAVE MORE.

Event Types

Special Events

Featured

Baseball Showcases

Player Rankings

DRAFT BOARD

Team Rankings

Travel Team Rankings

College Rankings

Softball Player Rankings

Top Ranked Players

PG Rawlings Preseason All American

Top Ranked Teams

Recruiting Menu

Event Results

MLB Draft Content

DRAFT BOARD

PG EVENT CONTENT

HIGH SCHOOL CONTENT

MLB DRAFT CONTENT

COLLEGE CONTENT

RECENT ARTICLES

PG Alumni

NOTABLE MLB PLAYERS

About Perfect Game