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Softball  | Softball Tournament | 5/17/2021

Talent Outshines Rain at HItfest

Jerry Miller
Photo: Perfect Game
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Mother Nature can be fickle. After dodging a potential rainout on Saturday and witnessing some outstanding action by a number of individuals and teams during the first two days of the 2021 PG Hawaiian Hitfest, an overnight and early morning deluge forced the Sunday cancelation of the tournament, ending what looked to be an epic conclusion to the tournament.

There were no easy wins in the 16U-A division. Every team had the potential to beat any other team in the draw. There was strength in the circle, as each club had at least one solid hurler, most having two. Some clubs, who would have undoubtedly been considered favorites to contend for the championship trophy, had three and four quality arms they could run out to the middle of the diamond.



There were also a number of fine plays made on defense, where many teams excelled. One position that really had outstanding, projectable talent on display was behind the plate. The catchers at the 16U-A level, at least for two days in metro KC, were noticeably talented.

As good as the pitching was, there were still moments of offense. Each team had a couple of burners at the top of their lineups. Girls who understood their roles in the batting order and worked counts, seeing pitches, and putting balls in play. They forced the action and constantly put pressure on the opponent’s defense. The middle of just about every batting order had true hitters; girls who knew how to get the barrel to the ball each and every time at the plate.

To say there were some really talented and projectable, college-ready players participating at Mid-America West Sports Complex would be a true understatement. Most of the young women who took to the field, if they so desire, have the opportunity to play at the next level. There is still some work to be done to hone their skills, but many are well on their way to an extended future in the game.

One club that made a very noticeable impression was the team that was seeded No. 1 as we headed into Sunday bracket play. Select Fastpitch Elite 13U was undefeated in pool play. That is not a typo either, as this was a 13U club playing up a couple of levels. A casual observer would not know the difference, however, as their collective talent far exceeded their age or grade level. They were unscored on as their four-headed pitching staff dominated from the circle.

Right-handed pitcher Peyton Hardenburger (2025, Wamgo, Kan.) is a long, lean athlete who has sneaky speed and can work the edges like a college veteran. Her ability to mix pitches and throw to all quadrants make her a sure-fire collegiate prospect. Another right0hander, Malia Cabuyaban (2025, Kansas City, Mo.), is a flame thrower who relies on sheer power and an aggressive style that can be intimidating. She attacks the strike zone with fearlessness. She works fast and challenges hitters early and often. On top of her ability in the circle, Malia can also swing the bat and shows a plus ability to drive the softball with authority. Another right-handed pitcher, Jaleigh White (2025, Spring Hill, Kan.), is a dart thrower. Her arm works. Her quick arm circle and noticeably sound lower half allows for the ball to come out of her hand with force and get on hitters in hurry. She works both “rivers” like a veteran and challenges hitters consistently. Jenna Edwards (2025, Carrollton, Mo.) is a great complement to the aforementioned Select pitchers. She is crafty and understands her ability. She pitches off a well-commanded drop ball and will mix in enough fastballs, rise balls, and especially changeups, to keep hitters off balance and constantly guessing. Jenna is a true pitcher who understands her role, pitches to contact, and gets her team off the field and back to the plate. All in all, this staff could rival any Gold level Elite pitching staff in the country. They should dominate their age group and would hold their own against any club, at any level.

To single out one position player for Select would be completely unfair. They have a deep, gifted, and talented roster. A few Select players, however, deserve recognition. In reality, one could undoubtedly recognize the entire roster as most contributed to the 3-0 record that Select posted.

Bailey Amezcua (2024, Greenwood, Mo.) can flat out swing that bat. The talented right-handed hitter has a mature understanding of the strike zone and rarely expands unnecessarily. She hits in the middle of this impressive batting order and seemingly always gets the big knock to bust a game open or extend a lead.

Select’s athletic shortstop is Alyssa McCoy (2025, Olathe, Kan.). She has big-time range at the all-important position. Alyssa can make any play going in either direction and seemingly always wants the ball hit in her direction. She rarely fails to make the play. Her arm strength is generally reserved for players much her senior. At the plate, she is an aggressive swinger who has a feel for the barrel and can drive the ball to the gaps with authority.

Mackenzie Rooney (2025, Louisburg, Kan.) is the Select leadoff hitter, and she is a gem. She works counts like a veteran and sets the tone for her team’s impressive offense. A walk or a base hit turns into a double, and in many cases a triple, because of Mackenzie’s advanced speed and base running ability. On top of her quite-noticeable ability on offense, Mackenzie is also a gifted outfielder who goes and gets everything hit in her direction.

Finally, Morgan Shields (2024, Kansas City, Mo.) and Olivia Slaughter (2026, Grain Valley, Mo.) handle the vaunted Select pitching staff. These two fine backstops show soft hands and an even keel behind the dish and can handle the wide array of styles and pitches that come their way. They are outstanding field generals who keep their defensive unit alert and ready. Lastly, they both have a quick throwing action that helps keep any opponent’s running games in check.

Another club that would have challenged for the championship was the Omaha-based Fury Gold-Jarzobski. This very talented and well-coached team was led in the circle by Jerzie Schindler (2024, Central City, Neb.). The tall, strong, and athletic left-hander showed a very projectable four-pitch mix that overwhelmed hitters. Her plus rise ball had late and pronounced jump at the dish and was almost unhittable. Her changeup is next-level ready and she shows promise in both a sound curveball and drop ball. Her command and control, especially for a power pitcher, is advanced.

The Originals-Broughton, another 14U club playing up in competition, showed many in the 16U-A draw that they could compete with anyone by posting a 2-0-1 pool play record on Saturday. They, like many solid programs, have three outstanding pitchers who could play at any level of travel ball. Lilee Keller (2025, Holden, Mo.) is a 5-foot-10 southpaw who can spin the ball with the best. She works both edges and all four quadrants with a plan and purpose. Her long and smooth arm circle is highly deceptive, and her pitches seemingly get on hitters before they are ready to swing. For a younger pitcher, her ability to locate is advanced. Marysa Rogers (2025, Blue Springs, Mo.) is pure power, whether she is pitching, playing the infield, or swinging the bat. In the circle, Marysa comes right at hitters. She works fast. She shows an aggressive nature, and she repeats her almost flawless arm action consistently. On the dirt, Marysa goes and gets anything hit in her direction and her plus throwing arm is highly accurate. At the plate, Marysa is anything but passive. She attacks the ball early and often and has a great feel for the barrel. She is a developing power hitter who will slug with the very best as she matures.

Lastly, Originals-Broughton’s Addie Lang (2024, Lake Lotawana, Mo.) is a gifted two-way player who is also a part of the tradition-rich Lee’s Summit North HS program that finished as Missouri’s 6A runners-up last fall. The sweet-swinging lefty can power the softball and rarely expands the zone. She can play shortstop or outfield with the best and has a throwing arm that is advanced and highly accurate. Where her future may lie, eventually, however, is in the circle. The same confident and controlled approach she uses to excel at the plate and in the field, she also brings to the pitcher’s plate. She can spin the ball. She can overpower hitters with her fastball. She can get chases with a rise ball that will only get better as she matures, gains experience, and gets stronger.

Allie Braly (2023, Kansas City, Mo.) is a power-throwing right-handed pitcher for Texas Glory KC 16U. Allie can let it fly. Her ability to challenge hitters with plus stuff in any part of the strike zone is very impressive. She really took a back seat to no pitcher in the tournament and has a bright future in the circle. Her stuff plays and she will certainly draw the eye of more than one college program over the course of the next few years.

Julia Chartier (2024, Overland Park, Kan.) and Katie Crawford (2024, Gower, Mo.) willed their Intensity KC 16U club into the No. 4 seed as Intensity posted a 2-0-1 pool play record. The dual pitching threat for the 2021 Intensity club works in similar fashion. They both throw strikes, rarely getting behind hitters. They change speeds well, pitch to spots, and force contact. Their team plays sound defense behind them and they get off the field. When either Chartier or Crawford are faced with difficulty at any time, their demeanors never change. They are both calm and cool and they stick with their plan, which obviously works for this talented club.
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Softball | Softball Tournament | 12/11/2025

PG Softball "Toys 4 Tots" Fundraiser 18U division
Dave Durbala
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BURLINGTON, IA - 2025 Perfect Game Softball Toys 4 Tots Fundraiser One Day, December 7, 2025. Kicking off the holiday season, six teams participated in this one day, 3 game guarantee tournament in the 18u Division. We would like to thank those that donated a toy, and know that they will be distributed to area underprivileged children through a local charity organization. Following are some of the top performers from the weekend. Earning Tournament MV-Pitcher was Jolee Strohmeyer (2026 Dubuque, IA), a RHP/UTIL with tournament champion Lady Expos Blue. Strohmeyer shows hitters a consistent and repeatable motion and delivery with good use of the legs in the drive phase, and a quick and aggressive arm whip. Working with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, rise, drop, curve and screw, Strohmeyer topped out at 60 mph, and showed good movement  as she worked her rise and curve just out...
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Draft | Rankings | 12/26/2025

2026 MLB Draft Board Update

Vincent Cervino
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The calendar is just days away from being flipped over to 2026, and while the players may be on break, it’s clear that they are just itching to get back on the field and compete once again, with another season of college baseball right around the corner. For prep players (especially in warm-weather states), the season’s right around the corner, and players will be back on the ball fields sooner than later. With that said, the PG Draft Team came together and got to work on a 2026 MLB Draft Board update. A little pre-season shake-up and expansion as we took our board from the Top 150 names to the Top 300 names, in preparation for the 2026 college and prep seasons to begin. The 2025 MLB Draft Lottery occurred earlier in December and shed some light on what the draft order will look like in 2026, with the Chicago White Sox taking home the first overall pick, followed by the Tampa...
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College | Story | 12/25/2025

2025 Year in Review: College

Craig Cozart
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The LSU Tigers Win It All Again For the second time in the last three years, the LSU Tigers, led by head coach Jay Johnson secured the national title. The national championship was the eight in LUS program history as they swept Coastal Carolina in the MCWS championship series. As a result, Johnson was virtually a unanimous choice for National Coach of the Year on media outlets and is the fastest coach to win multiple CWS championships at a single school. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player was Tigers’ lefthanded ace and Perfect Game First-Team All-American, Kade Anderson highlighted by his complete-game shutout in Game 1 of the CWS Finals. The roster was a tremendous blend of offensive firepower, frontline pitching and elite defense, leaving opponents with very few avenues to victory. PG Second-Team All-American, Jared Jones was the heart of the lineup with his 20...
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High School | General | 12/24/2025

2025 Year In Review: High School

Cam McElwaney
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IMG Academy Takes Home the National Title Every year IMG Academy comes into the spring with top-to-bottom one of the top rosters in the country and every year have the expectation of winning the national championship. Well in 2025 they did just that after finishing the spring 24-1, winning the High School Showdown, and winning 15 straight games to end their season. Their high end offensive ability was on full display throughout the year and they will once again be one of the most talented teams in the country in ’26 as they look to go back-to-back. Two Top-10 Picks in the MLB Draft Headline National Players of the Year It was another loaded crop that took home the National Players of the Year as both Ethan Holliday, the National Player of the Year, and Seth Hernandez, National Pitcher of the Year, heard their names called within the first-10 picks in the MLB Draft. Another first...
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Draft | Rankings | 12/24/2025

Top 2027 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Isaiah Burrows
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With the 2025 cycle officially behind us and the calendar nearly flipping over to 2026, it is time to start looking ahead to the future. More importantly, start looking ahead to the next season of college baseball and what that may mean for draft-eligible players with big dreams of continuing their journey. While the 2026 MLB Draft is now on the horizon, we are looking ahead to the future even further – to see which players have already made impacts upon their arrival to college campuses. We have already dropped our 2028 Top 75 collegiate prospects board, but this one is our Top 100 college prospects who will be eligible for the 2027 class. These are the Top 100 players in our eyes for this group, and many of them have already shown up on campus and been impactful in many ways. Whether its our top-ranked player in Oregon State’s Dax Whitney or ninth-ranked William Schmidt...
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Draft | Rankings | 12/23/2025

Top 2028 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Vincent Cervino
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The college players in the 2028 draft class have yet to step on campus, but they're positioned to make an immediate impact. Several high end talents either turned down significant money last year or honored strong college commitments, resulting in their arrival on campus this fall. The class is currently led by a trio of high-upside arms in Jack Bauer, Angel Cervantes, and Cameron Appenzeller. They are followed by a deep group of bats that rounds out a strong, high end Top-10. Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State 1 Jack Bauer C LHP L-L Mississippi State Frankfort IL 2 Angel Cervantes C RHP R-R UCLA Lynwood CA 3 Cameron Appenzeller C LHP L-L Tennessee Springfield IL 4 Brayden Jaksa C C R-R Oregon Fremont  CA 5 JD Stein C SS R-R Wake Forest Carmel IN 6 Mason Ligenza C OF L-L Pittsburgh Brockton PA 7 Ty Peeples C OF L-R Georgia Lavonia GA 8 Lucas Franco C SS L-R TCU Katy TX 9...
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Juco | Story | 12/23/2025

2025 Year in Review: JUCO

Blaine Peterson
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Looking Back at the 2025 Top 10  Matt Barr (‘25 Niagara, ‘26 Minnesota Twins) Bursting onto the scene last winter, footage of an indoor bullpen rocketed Barr onto the radar of many. Explosive fastball reaches near triple digits with incredible spin numbers across the secondaries. Huge numbers at Niagara earned him the title of the first Juco player drafted in 2025. JC Vanek (‘25 Chipola, ‘26 Kansas City Royals) Just a professional hitter. Vanek for two years at Chipola was an impossible out. While there are questions if the power will ever reach what it takes to play first base at the big league level, the bat and quality defensive skillset at first base may carry. Donovan Becerra (‘25 New Mexico, ‘26 Texas Tech) One of the more high octane arms anywhere in the country last year. Can reach back for upper 90’s and has shown serious swing and...
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Draft | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Isaiah Burrows
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2025 Year in Review: Draft We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff.  The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue...
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College | Recruiting | 12/22/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 22

Jheremy Brown
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Lucien Saint Cyr, INF, Class of 2026 Commitment: Bucknell Saint Cyr announced his pledge to Bucknell, giving the Bison an interesting blend of present tools and projection. Saint Cyr stands 6-foot-1 and offers room to fill in his medium frame, profiling in the middle infield defensively. The New York product starts wide at the base in the right-handed box, keeping his hands high behind the ear. He works into a subtle outward step load, firing through a compact barrel that showcases bat speed and gap-to-gap impact. For head coach Scott Heather and Bucknell, they land a high-quality Northeast infielder in the ’26 cycle, adding to a class that takes the quality over quantity approach. Patrick Diaz ('26, NY) 102 EV off the bat. Impact to the pull side. #PGNational @PGMidAtlantic @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/NN0L3FRdO9 — PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 9, 2025 Patrick Diaz,...
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High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
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MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
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Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
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What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
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