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Tournaments  | Story | 5/31/2021

Tener Back on the Bump for East Cobb

Matthew Welsh
Photo: Luke Tener (Tori Heck, Perfect Game)
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Nearly a year ago to the day, Luke Tener laid alongside the road, surrounded by a mess of twisted metal and fractured glass, the smell of burned rubber in the air. Tener had just experienced a car accident that nearly claimed his life.

Once removed from the wreckage, and following initial medical assessments, it wasn’t clear whether Tener would ever walk again, let alone play baseball. Practically the entire left side of his body had been impacted from head to toe. But fast-forward to East Cobb Astros 17u Navy’s game on Sunday in the Perfect Game Southeast Memorial Day Classic, and Tener was handed the ball to start for the first time since the incident.



Although his first time back in a game, for Tener himself, there was never a doubt that he’d see the field again.

“I never thought that I wouldn’t play again,” said Tener. “The doctors just never told me that there was a chance of that, so I just always believed that I would keep playing.”

And in his return, Tener registered his first strikeout of the season, en route to a 10-9 win for the Astros. There wasn’t any ‘going easy’ or ‘feeling sorry for himself’; it was just genuine pitcher-batter competition.

“It definitely felt strange, but it’s still the same. Throwing to the catcher, that’s all it is,” said Tener. “I wish I could have done better, but it was really fun to be out there.”

The path to returning to the mound was no easy task for the junior lefty, but Tener is not one to shy away from a challenge. He described the hours and hours of physical therapy required to simply prepare him for the simple movements of everyday life. Re-learning baseball mechanics, and polishing those to the extent needed to play, was an additional challenge.

“I just had to work hard and have the trust that I was going to get back to where I was, and to remember how fun it was to play,” Tener said.

Behind the scenes and along for his journey were Tener’s parents. Surely, for any parent, to see your child in danger induces a level of trauma unmatched to almost any other circumstance, but to see them overcome adversity is priceless.

For Matt Tener and Sharon Baldwin, belief in their son never wavered, and in response to their support, neither did Luke’s end goal: stepping foot onto a field again.

“Obviously right when the wreck happened, I wanted to make sure he lived because it was a pretty serious accident,” said Baldwin. “Pretty much his whole left side was messed up, not just his shoulder, feet, legs, everything. But he kept a good attitude through it all.”

Even in the immediate aftermath of the accident, Tener’s demeanor was reassuring, almost calming, like he knew he had had a hill to climb yet was ready for the push. From that point on, Baldwin knew Luke would fight to gain even the smallest semblance of his former self.

“It was really scary. I didn’t realize that it was as serious as it was,” Baldwin said. “I thought maybe he hit somebody and they’re late to work. And as I’m driving up on it, I see the fire trucks, ambulance and everything, and he’s strapped to the stretcher and his face is purple. He’s yelling ‘Mama I’m okay, Mama I’m okay,’ but he wasn’t okay, clearly.”

Like any injury, healing takes time, but the Pope High School enrollee would have to endure the stress associated with several surgeries to repair structural damage to his body. At one point, Tener’s movement was even constrained to that only capable in a wheelchair.

That transformation made the image of Tener’s sweeping side-arm fastball even more memorable on Sunday afternoon. The fact that in under 12 months, Tener was competing in a Perfect Game event that features some of the nation’s top talent, is objectively impressive.

Through it all, that feat was never lost on Matt, Tener’s father.

“Today, [my emotions] were all over the map. Seeing him walking out there today, I was almost crying my eyes out,” said Matt Tener. “Mentally, just the fact that he’s gone through so much, and how he’s faced it, taking it head-on, I don’t know of somebody who has had to endure what he has had to endure for an entire year. So, I told him over and over that I used to think that I was kind of tough, but it’s absolutely nothing compared to what he’s done.”

Putting aside box scores and wins and losses, Tener is just grateful for the opportunity to return to baseball and to the East Cobb program. The team, the field, the dugout. Everything about the game cultivated a reason for Tener to push for a return.

“It means a lot, just so that I can play with my boys and get out there on the field,” Tener said when asked of what this journey has meant for his personal growth. “The best part is just being back out here with my friends.”

Among its most impassioned players, the sport of baseball is more than just a game. Baseball can serve as many things, but for Tener, a lust to taste the competition that only baseball seems to bring, has been a guiding light on his road to recovery.

Even at his darkest moment, when all could have been lost, that light never faded.

“I’d love do that,” Tener said when asked if his sights are still set on a baseball career at the next level. “I just want to play baseball as long as I can.”
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Tournaments | Story | 1/7/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2028
Jheremy Brown
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Press Release | Press Release | 1/7/2026

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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 AND FIRST COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION ANNOUNCE CHESTERFIELD ATHLETIC COMPLEX    Landmark Partnership to Center on Community, Inclusion and Youth Sports    Chesterfield, Missouri (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, along with the City of Chesterfield, today announced  an exclusive naming rights partnership with First Community Credit Union (FCCU) for the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex. Effective immediately, the venue will be known as the “Chesterfield First Community Athletic...
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Recruiting Notebook: January 6

Michael Albee
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Showcase | Story | 1/6/2026

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Jheremy Brown
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The bar continues to rise each and every year, as the Perfect Game tournament platform adds new exciting locations, events and even refines existing ones. This year was no different, as players played in events hosted all over the country. Now, let’s get to the players as they also continue to up the ante every year with outstanding performances that leave many people in complete awe. Please note that due to age of these players, we have decided to focus primarily on the statistics amassed in Perfect Game tournaments. Let’s talk about the numbers, as not one single player on the first team (Hitters) was below a .464 average, while that group hit an astounding 515 homers as a whole. Offensive Player of The Year Aaron Kim led the way with 31 All-Tournament selections with William Goodrich Jr. a close second with 30. In totality, a total of nine selections made the...
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Jheremy Brown
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Complete PG Leaderboard Database With the Main Event Showcase in the rearview mirror, let's take a peak back at some of the standout performances from across the country, both at PG showcases and tournaments. Want to make the list for top fastball? You better have hit at least 97 mph. How about speed? The "slowest" 60-yard to make the table is a 6.30. A 101 mph throws from across the infield courtesy of Matt Ponataski, a few 100s in the outfield from Brady Harris, Matthew Kelley and Juriel Collazo and a top heater of 100 mph from Savion Sims all lead the way in their respective categories. Get ready for the future right now as you'll be hearing plenty about these names in the coming months, leading up to the 2026 MLB Draft.  Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Savion Sims 100 2025 PG National Showcase Oklahoma Prestonwood Christian Academy...
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Draft | Story | 1/1/2026

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Tyler Kotila
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As we look ahead to the 2026 calendar year, we take a step closer to the 2026 MLB Draft. While we recently dropped our Top 300 College Prospects for the 2026 group, there is still a lot to sort out throughout this year. High school ball is right around the corner and the college season is on the horizon. Many players are going to see their stock improve as games start to get played and players pitch/hit their way up or down the board. We’ll see some breakout candidates, collegiate performers, and high school arms that pop throughout the 2026 spring and summer. In this article, we are going to talk through some of the narratives/storylines shaping up for this 2026 draft class. We’ll also talk through a couple of players who fit the build of some pre-season superlatives. Battle for 1:1 It’s still really early in the race for things, but with the Draft Lottery done with,...
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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 EXPANDS PRESENCE IN PACIFIC RIM, STRENGTHENING YOUTH BASEBALL DEVELOPMENT    Sanford, Florida (Monday, December 29, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a significant expansion of its presence across the Asia-Pacific Zone, with a strategic focus on the 10-15 year-old age group. The initiative will be led in partnership with longtime Japanese youth baseball executive and coach Takaharu Nasu, as Perfect Game continues to grow its global footprint and strengthen pathways for elite youth...
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Showcase | Story | 12/27/2025

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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 CLOSES OUT 2025 WITH MAIN EVENT SHOWCASE  AT JETBLUE PARK IN FT. MYERS, FLORIDA    Nearly 1,000 players expected at largest showcase of the year  that has produced over 1,000 MLB Draft picks    Ft. Myers, Florida (Saturday, December 27, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, will host its 2025 Main Event Showcase from December 28–31 at JetBlue Park, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, in the Fort Myers area.    The Main Event is the largest showcase Perfect Game holds annually,...
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