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High School  | General | 2/18/2021

Regional HS Preview: Mid-Atlantic

David Rawnsley
Photo: Kahlil Watson (Perfect Game)
For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2021 high school baseball preview content, the Dream Team list is available for free. The Dream Team reports, top tools list and corresponding top tools breakdowns can be viewed with an Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.

2021 High School Baseball Preview



Regional Previews: Florida | Pacific | Southeast | Texahoma | Southwest | Midwest

While Georgia has been the big story over the last decade as a state that has improved tremendously in its baseball talent base, the Mid-Atlantic Region may be the area that really steps forward during the 2020s. Seven juniors are mentioned in the All-Region categories below, with a number of highly-ranked 2022s just missing recognition. And that doesn’t even consider sophomores TayShaun Walton (Virginia) and Walker Jenkins (North Carolina), the top two outfield prospects in the 2023 class.
 
While talented high-ceiling athletes abound in the region, the depth to populate the PG High School Top 50 hasn’t quite happened yet. Two North Carolina teams, Charlotte Christian (33rd) and Reagan (50th), are the region's only representatives.
 
It should be noted that three of the All-Region selections, PG All-Americans outfielder James Wood and left-handed pitcher Mason Albright, along with junior left-hander Jackson Ferris, all attend high school at IMG Academy in Florida but are included in the Mid-Atlantic Region, as that is where all three call home.
 
C – Jacob Cozart (Sr., Wesleyan Christian Academy, N.C.)
Cozart is a well-rounded catcher with polished defensive skills behind the plate and a strong left-handed bat that has both barrel skills and power potential. He hails from one of the top baseball families in the country, with his father, Craig, being the head coach at High Point, his older brother Caleb a right-handed pitcher at North Carolina, and his younger brother, Samuel, another right-handed pitcher, being the top-ranked player in the 2025 class.

1B – Grant Hussey (Sr., Parkersburg South HS, W.V.)
Hussey is a big left-handed hitter with a loose and fluid swing and he doesn’t have to work very hard to get to his power in games and register 100+ mph exit velocities. He’s also a very good athlete with 7.00 speed who will be an asset at first base and has a chance to be a corner outfielder in the future if a team needs him at that position. Hussey is signed to stay in-state at West Virginia.

MIF – Kahlil Watson (Sr., Wake Forest HS, N.C.)
Watson was better known as a cornerback/wide receiver on the football field prior to last summer and had played very little on the baseball travel circuit. That changed quickly when he was named the Most Valuable Player at the 2020 17U BCS National Championships for the Dirtbags and followed that up by hitting .476-0-11 at the WWBA 17U National Championships the next week. Those performances and Watson’s high-level athleticism earned him a late spot in the PG All-American Classic.

MIF – Alvin Keels (Jr., Maury HS, Va.)
Keels is a high-level athlete with 6.6 speed in the sixty and middle-of-the-field tools on defense. His best tool, though, might be his right-handed bat speed, which features very fast hands and plenty of raw pull side power. Keels is committed to Miami.

3B – Tucker Toman (Jr., Hammond HS, S.C.)
Toman is a switch-hitter who has some of the best left-handed bat speed of any high school hitter in the country and is a career .404 hitter in 80 Perfect Game tournament games. The son of long-time college coach Jim Toman, now at Middle Tennessee, Toman is a polished defender at both third base and second base with plenty of arm strength.
 
OF – Will Taylor (Sr., Dutch Fork HS, S.C.)
Taylor is a dynamic fast-twitch athlete who has been recruited to play both baseball and football by Clemson. He hasn’t played as much baseball as many of his peers but the 6-foot, 170-pound Taylor has prototype center field/leadoff tools and a chance to develop more power in his bat as he fills out.

OF – Michael Gupton (Jr., Nolesville HS, N.C.)
Gupton has gotten plenty of attention for his blazing speed but the strongly built 5-foot-9 athlete stands out just as much for his strong right-handed bat and overall offensive potential. He hit .364-2-13 at the 2020 WWBA 16U National Championships playing for Team Elite and is currently the No. 26 player in the 2022 class. Gupton is committed to North Carolina State.

OF – James Wood (Sr., IMG Academy, Fla./Mary.)
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Wood is the highest-ranked player in the region, checking in at fourth overall in the PG 2021 class rankings. Wood’s left-handed swing is smooth and fluid with huge power potential and he’s a superb athlete for that size, running a 6.70 sixty and able to play an impressive center field on defense.

P – Mason Albright (Sr., IMG Academy, Fla./Mary.)
One of two Perfect Game All-American pitchers on the Mid-Atlantic team along with Josh Hartle, Albright is a 6-foot left-hander with a fastball up to 94 mph to go along with a devastating hard breaking ball from a deceptive arm slot that is one of the best breaking balls in the class. He is signed with Virginia Tech.

P – Daniel Brooks (Sr. Bishop England HS, S.C.)
Brooks is one of the larger top prospect pitchers in the country, measuring it at 6-foot-8, 245 pounds but with plenty of athleticism that could make him a two-way player at College of Charleston if he doesn’t sign professionally. Brooks has been up to 94 mph on his fastball and has good feel for changing the shape of his breaking ball while also turning over a promising changeup.
 
P – Jackson Ferris (Jr., IMG Academy, Fla/N.C.)
Ferris features a very projectable 6-foot-4, 185-pound build and a short and compact arm action that hides the ball very well from hitters and makes his raw stuff, which includes a fastball up to 93 mph and a tight curveball, play up. The No. 15 player in the 2022 class nationally, Ferris absolutely dominated hitters at 2020 PG tournaments, striking out 43 hitters in 24 innings while allowing only five hits.

P – Josh Hartle (Sr., Reagan HS, N.C.)
Hartle is the No. 17 player and second ranked left-handed pitcher in the 2021 class. He’s also one of the most projectable pitchers in the class, with a very athletic 6-foot-5, 195-pound build and lots of strength gains ahead of him. Although he only tops out at 91 mph now, he possesses outstanding pitchability and is a strong bet to continue to add velocity as he gets stronger. The PG All-American is signed with Wake Forest.

P – Tristan Smith (Jr., Boiling Springs HS, S.C.)
Smith has a power pitcher’s approach and arm on a strong 6-foot-2, 200-pound build. He works up to 95 mph on his fastball and compliments his fastball with a big breaking upper-70s slider that has angle to it. Like his fellow junior All-Region southpaw, Jackson Ferris, Smith was dominant in PG tournaments in 2020, striking out 40 hitters in 20 innings while allowing only eight hits.

UT – James Triantos (Sr., Madison HS, Va.)
Triantos has been a highly-ranked two-way prospect since his freshman year but he really stood out this fall at the WWBA World Championships. The North Carolina signee went 10-19 at the plate with two home runs for Stars Baseball and also was up to 92 mph while striking out eight hitters in a five-inning one-hit performance.

Mid-Atlantic Region Top Tools

Best Hitter for Average: Kahlil Watson (Sr., Wake Forest HS, N.C.)
A left-handed hitter with extremely fast hands and surprising power despite a slender 5-foot-10 build, Watson hit .434-2-29 with 18 stolen bases across four high-level PG tournaments last summer and fall. He is signed with North Carolina State but is the ninth-ranked player in the 2021 class rankings and a potential first round pick.
 
Best Hitter for Power: James Wood (Sr., IMG Academy, Fla./Mary.)
Wood’s size gives him huge leverage at the plate and he hit some of the most impressive home runs on the travel circuit last summer. Interestingly, his power extends to more than just home runs, as Wood has hit 11 triples in 46 games the last two years in PG tournaments.

Best Baserunner: Will Taylor (Sr., Dutch Fork HS, S.C.)
Michael Gupton would win this honor in almost any other region, as he is a track and field standout with a 10.52 100 meter and 21.57 200 meter time to his credit. But when Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney says, “He (Taylor) can fly, I mean he can flat-out run. His acceleration makes him special,” that sort of stands out.
 
Best Defensive Catcher: Ethan Anderson (Sr., Frank Cox HS, Va.)
Anderson is a big and strong switch-hitting catcher who recently reclassed to the 2021 group. He is very athletic behind the plate with especially quick lower half actions that give him lateral range and a quick release on his throws.

Best Defensive Infielder: Kahlil Watson (Sr., Wake Forest HS, N.C.)
Watson doesn’t have a cannon infield arm, but then no one in the region really does. What Watson has is excellent first step quickness and a soft and sure glove working through the ball. He could end up as a second baseman professionally.

Best Defensive Outfielder: James Wood (Sr., IMG Academy, Fla./Mary.)
The most obvious tool and size comparison for Wood is likely Jason Heyward and that includes a comparison to Heyward’s Gold Glove defensive abilities, too, although Wood obviously has lots of game work to do to get to that level. The speed, instincts and arm strength are all there to be a superb defender.

Best Defensive Arm: Calvert Clark (Jr., Charlotte Christian HS, N.C.)
North Carolina’s 2022 class is loaded, with six players, including the multi-talented Clark, ranking in the top-50. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Clark, a Clemson commit, is a two-way standout with a big right-handed bat at the plate, 6.9 speed in the sixty and a 92 mph fastball on the mound.

Best Fastball: Daniel Brooks (Sr. Bishop England HS, S.C.)
Brooks may not have the top radar gun fastball in the region right now but with his huge downhill angle to the plate and big extension out front it probably looks that way to hitters. In addition, Brooks has had an ideal velocity progression over the last three years, gaining 5-6 mph each year, and there is no reason to believe he’s hit his velocity ceiling yet.

Best Off-Speed Stuff: Mason Albright (Sr., IMG Academy, Fla./Mary.)
Albright’s breaking ball could be called either a curveball or a slider, as it has curveball depth and more of a sweeping slider shape at 78-80 mph. He has very good command of the pitch and can spot it to both sides of the plate or locate it outside the zone as a chase pitch to both right-handed and left-handed hitters.

Best Pitchability: Josh Hartle (Sr., Reagan HS, N.C.)
Hartle has already mastered two of the most elusive skills of any pitcher; he is adept at pitching inside to hitters and moving his fastball from side to side and he has the ability to tunnel his release point on his curveball and changeup precisely with his fastball, creating plenty of deception on those secondary pitches.

Best Multi-Sport Athlete: Will Taylor (Sr., Dutch Fork HS, S.C.)
For a player with his speed, Taylor is surprisingly more accomplished as a passing quarterback, having thrown for 2,237 yards and 21 touchdowns in 10 games while only rushing for 448 yards and 11 more scores. Clemson plans on auditioning him at quarterback before transitioning him to wide receiver. Michael Gupton, with his track and field exploits, is again a worthy consideration here.

 
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High School | Rankings | 6/2/2026

High School Top 50 Update: June 2
Tyler Russo
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Tournaments | Story | 6/6/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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Tournaments | Story | 6/6/2026

Beast of the East Scout Notes: Day 2

Perfect Game Staff
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Tournaments | Story | 6/3/2026

Beast of the East Heads to Georgia

Will Dembo
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Marietta, Georgia will welcome some of the nation’s top teams this weekend as the Perfect Game Beast of the East Invitational takes place June 4-8. The invite only 15-17u tournament will showcase a plethora of nationally ranked teams and top talent looking to make a statement early into the summer and take home the championship in what promises to be a highly competitive weekend of baseball. The 15u division will shine a spotlight on several of the top ranked programs in the country as 9 out of the 32 total squads competing are T100. 11 states will be represented in the age bracket, proving how prestigious this event has become. Headlining the field are Wow Factor National who comes in at No. 8 in the national rankings, as well as Canes National who enters the weekend trailing just one spot behind Wow Factor. Canes National has an absolutely loaded roster with 9 players who rank in...
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Tournaments | Story | 6/5/2026

"Houston, We Nave a Problem"

Kinley Kitchens
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Some moments set the tone for an entire game. For Jackson Nave, it happened in his very first trip to the plate. The Sevierville, Tennessee native stepped into the batter’s box looking for a pitch he could drive. A few moments later, the ball was flying over the fence, giving FTB Phillies 13U an early boost and igniting what would become a dominant offensive performance. “I was feeling good,” Nave said. “I was just trying to find a pitch I could hammer. I kept my eye on it, took it down the middle and that felt good.” That swing was only the beginning. Nave finished the game with a home run, four runs scored, and four RBI as FTB Phillies 13U rolled to a 27-4 victory on the opening day of the 2026 PG 13U National Elite Championship. For Nave, getting the offense started early is an important part of helping his team succeed. “I think it is really...
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Tournaments | Story | 6/5/2026

Reed Continues to Prove He Belongs

Kinley Kitchens
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For many young players, competing alongside some of the top talent in the country can be intimidating. For Chris Reed, it is simply another opportunity to prove he belongs. The Conyers, Georgia native has established himself as one of the premier players in the 2030 class, currently ranking No. 24 nationally and No. 7 among shortstops according to Perfect Game. Reed’s game has consistently stood out against elite competition thanks to his athleticism, instincts, and all-around skill set. That ability was on full display during the 2025 Perfect Game 13U National Showcase, where Reed earned his invitation to the PG Select Festival, one of the most prestigious events available to players his age. “It showed that I can play with the best of the best, and that I belong,” Reed said of the experience. The event provided more than just exposure. It also reinforced an important...
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Tournaments | Story | 6/5/2026

Beast of the East Scout Notes: Day 1

Perfect Game Staff
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‘29 SS Chase Hallett (NJ) drops the bat head on this one & lifts it out to the PS for a solo HR. Free and easy LH swing w/ present strength & more to dream on. #BeastOfTheEast @PGMidAtlantic pic.twitter.com/Ym9LFg05tx — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 4, 2026 Chase Hallett (2029, Pennington, N.J.) came up with a loud swing on Thursday morning, dropping the barrel on one and lifting it out to the pull-side. It’s an intriguing profile overall with the young left-handed hitting middle infielder and the power projects in a big way. The swing is short and simple, he finds the barrel at a high clip, and is a sure handed defender up the middle. This has all the makings of a high-end prospect in a few years and is certainly a name of note in the ‘29 class. Canon Day (2028, Germantown, Tenn.) put together a great day on the offensive side of things,...
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Tournaments | Story | 6/5/2026

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Emily Hicks
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Joey Cohen
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Showcase | Story | 6/4/2026

Soph. & Junior National Arrive in Georgia

Hannah Jo Groves
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Pence Makes the Jump to 2027

Perfect Game Staff
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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME STANDOUT STRIKER PENCE RECLASSIFIES TO CLASS OF 2027, ACCELERATING PATH TO MLB DRAFT   Corona, California (Thursday, June 4, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that Perfect Game prospect Striker Pence, one of the most watched young prospects in amateur baseball, has officially reclassified from the Class of 2028 to the Class of 2027, making the 17-year-old eligible for the 2027 Major League Baseball Draft. Pence is currently the #2 ranked player on Perfect Game’s national rankings and the top-ranked right-handed pitcher. Pence, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound right-handed pitcher and left-handed hitting first...
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