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Tournaments  | Story | 6/3/2021

Winter Work Fueling Success For Knaak

Sam Warren
Photo: Aidan Knaak (Knaak family)
Throughout the winter offseason, Aidan Knaak had one goal on his mind: an invite to the 2021 Perfect Game Jr. National Showcase. To do so, he knew he had to work.
 
Knaak, a right-handed pitcher in the 2023 class, believes he’s always had command of his arsenal of four pitches. The Fort Myers, Fla. native put out a stellar performance at the 2020 National Underclass Showcase-Main Event in December, locating his stuff and shutting down some of the top bats in his class. However, Knaak’s fastball topped out at 84 mph and sat in the low-80s. To get his invite, Knaak began to grind to build velocity.
 
“Velocity has been a big part of this offseason for me,” Knaak said. “Locating has never really been an issue, but I needed to get some extra velo behind my pitches.”
 
On his quest for more miles per hour, Knaak, who ranks on the High Follow list by Perfect Game, started to go to Randy Sullivan’s Florida Baseball ARMory. The ARMory, which specializes in young pitchers building velocity on their fastballs, trains many of the Gulf Coast’s top talents, along with major leaguers such as Jake Odorizzi, Jamison Taillon and Justin Verlander. At the ARMory, Knaak got into weightlifting, focusing on deadlift and split squats to build power behind his delivery. In doing so, Knaak says he has put on 10-15 pounds in the past five months.
 
On top of his budding strength, Knaak has also continued to grow. Knaak’s father, Robert, says that the 16-year-old has gained two inches over the last few months. He now stands at 5-foot-11 and has filled more into his frame, weighing in at 170 pounds.
 
“He’s always been a good pitcher in terms of his delivery and off-speed stuff,” Robert said. “But the work he’s put in with the ARMory has really taken his game to the next level.”
 
As the summer season began, Aidan was determined to display his new skills. Participating in the 2021 Sunshine East Showcase, his fastball climbed as high as 89 mph and now sat in the high-80s. Knaak was named to the Showcase’s Top Prospect List amongst many of the region’s highest talents for his performance. Going into his first competitive tournament of the summer, the 2021 PG 16u East Memorial Day Classic, Knaak focused on building off his strong showing.
 
“I was feeling good and feeling confident,” Knaak said. “I was locating well and starting to break hitters down and just focused on doing that.”
 
At the East Memorial Day Classic, Knaak looked as dominant as he’d ever been. Playing for the Florida Burn 2023, Knaak started the team’s first game on Saturday, May 29, against Victus Elite Fl. He only threw two innings but fanned six batters, recording every out via strikeout and only allowing one hit and no walks in the process. Knaak then took the bump against the X Team 2023 in the tournament’s quarterfinals and continued his command of opposing batters. Hurling five shutout innings, Knaak struck out six more batters, allowing just one hit and one walk, with a fastball ranging from 85-89 mph. Despite the Burn losing in the championship game, Knaak took home MV-Pitcher honors, which he was truly honored to receive.
 
“I felt like my hard work paid off,” Knaak said. “I worked really hard over the past five months, and I was starting to get recognized for it.”
 
While Knaak’s increased velocity has undoubtedly enhanced his performance on the mound, he contributes a lot of his success to his off-speed pitches. Knaak throws a curveball, slider and changeup, which all range from the low- to mid-70s. However, Knaak made use of this past year’s shutdown to develop a new pitch, a splitter, which he says was a critical factor in putting away hitters last weekend at the East Memorial.
 
“I had a lot of free time during quarantine, so I decided to develop this new pitch,” Knaak said. “I was already able to locate my other pitches, so I was like, ‘why not have another pitch?’ I think it gives me a bigger advantage over hitters too.”
 
Despite his new notoriety, Knaak is currently uncommitted. However, with the NCAA baseball recruiting period opening up on June 8, college coaches will likely come seeking Knaak’s elite velocity and breaking ball.
 
Since setting those goals in December, Knaak has receiving an invite to the 2021 Jr. National Showcase, which takes place at the East Cobb Complex in Marietta, Ga., from June 12-16, where he will get a chance to be seen by more programs and scouts.
 
“We’re really excited about him getting to play against good competition,” Robert said. “It will be really good for him to compete against elite talent.”
 
Knowing the recent precedent he’s set in Perfect Game events, Aidan wants to continue to make a name for himself and showcase his growing abilities.
 
“Playing in the [East Memorial Day] Classic was a great experience,” Knaak said. “Pitching well in an event like that, I now need to really prove to myself and everyone else that I can continue to do what I know I can do.”
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Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

Back-to-Back MLK East for Phillies
Hannah Jo Groves
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TBT Phillies Scout run rules for second straight MLK East Championship The 14U TBT Phillies Scout Team overtook A3 Academy Futures 14-6 in the final game to win their second straight 2026 MLK East Championship. Though the skies were blue and the sun was out in Fort Myers, Florida, the air was very chilly. The wind whipped through the palm trees as players, parents and friends piled into the 5-Plex Player Development Complex bundled up in blankets, hoodies and beanies.  The A3 Academy Futures were first up to bat - and the TBT Phillies struggled through the first frame. The first run came across on a balk; the second came soon after off a double from Gabriel Messing. “I was surprised that they scored right away off the jump,” Kingston George said, an outfielder for TBT Phillies Scout and this year’s MVP of the 14U East MLK championship. “We were kind of quiet...
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College | Story | 1/23/2026

Conference Preview: American

Craig Cozart
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L UBA 24 30 8 19 Charlotte 36 22 18 9 East Carolina 35 27 13 14 Florida Atlantic 37 21 15 12 Memphis 22 33 8 19 Rice 17 40 10 17 South Florida 31 25 16 11 UTSA 47 15 23 4 Tulane 33 25 13 14 Wichita State 19 35 11 16 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Andrew Stucky UTSA .324/.514/.467 with 6 HRs, 40 RBI; durable 6-0/192 backstop with elite defensive skills and a wealth of experience, returning 1st team all-conference member 1B Cody...
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College | Story | 1/22/2026

Conference Preview: Big 10

Troy Sutherland
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Illinois 30 24 14 16 Indiana 32 24 16 14 Iowa 33 22 21 9 Maryland 27 29 12 18 Michigan 33 23 16 14 Michigan State 28 27 13 17 Minnesota 24 28 10 20 Nebraska 33 29 15 15 Northwestern 25 27 13 17 Ohio State 13 37 5 25 Oregon 42 16 22 8 Penn State 33 23 15 15 Purdue 31 23 11 19 Rutgers 29 28 15 15 UCLA 48 18 22 8 USC 37 23 18 12 Washington 29 28 17 13 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Mason Eckelman Ohio State Taken steps forward--...
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General | Blog | 1/21/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 61

Ron Wolforth
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Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls- Part 1 You know what I love about the holidays? Good food, time with family, and the unspoken rule that nobody brings up religion or politics at the dinner table.   Why? Because they're powder kegs. Topics that bring out deep-seated beliefs and strong emotions.  Well, I accidentally lit one of those powder kegs recently, except it wasn't at the dinner table. It was on social media.   Our team posted a short clip of me at Boot Camp making what I thought was a pretty straightforward point: simply avoiding the curveball is far from a guarantee of arm health.   I wasn't trying to be provocative. I was just stating what I believed to be obvious after 30 years of doing this work.  But boy, did a few people have problems with it.   It became one of the most discussed posts in Ranch history....
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College | Story | 1/21/2026

Conference Preview: Big 12

Tyler Henninger
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Arizona 44 21 18 12 Arizona State 36 24 18 12 Baylor 33 22 13 17 BYU 28 27 10 20 Cincinnati 33 26 16 14 Houston 30 25 12 17 Kansas 43 17 20 10 Kansas State 32 26 17 13 Oklahoma State 30 25 15 12 TCU 39 20 19 11 Texas Tech 20 33 13 17 UCF 29 26 9 21 Utah 21 29 8 22 West Virginia 44 16 19 9 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Jackson Natili Cincinnati .338/9/53; well-rounded bat with bat to ball skills and strong catch and throw 1B Brady...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

A New Path to the Next Level

Jim Salisbury
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A New Path to the Next Level: Inside Perfect Game’s College Instructional Series An important new PG event will help aspiring college players grow, get noticed COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The changing environment of college baseball has led to an innovative new event at Perfect Game, one that will connect high school players looking for an opportunity at the next level with the coaches who may be able to provide one. On top of it all, there will be plenty of expert instruction along with the spirited, tournament-style competition that PG is known for. The College Instructional Series will take place at six regionalized venues starting this summer. “This event will serve an important purpose for players and coaches,” said Adam Revelette, PG’s senior director of events. “Everybody we’ve talked to is very intrigued about the platform.” The event is geared...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/20/2026

MLK West Scout Notes: Days 3-4

Steve Fiorindo
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MLK West Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Markus Chandler, RHP, Westside HS Class of 2027 A little on the undersized side as a sub 6 footer, but Chandler can generate some velo and spin.  Spun 3 frames of hitless ball for Spects National with zero walks and 6 strikeouts.  Committed to Kansas State, the righty ran the fastball to 92, living 89-92 pumping the zone with 75 percent strikes.  Looked like two different breaking balls, with the SL 80/81 (spin in 2500’s) and curveball 75/76.  No hard contact, little contact at all off the righty in this dominant outing. To follow up the pitching performance, Chandler swung the bat well on Championship Monday (Trademark Pending) with 5 RBI and three hits on the day, regularly on the barrel.  Trevor Alons, RHP, Centennial HS Class of 2028 Lean framed sophomore with a quick, whippy arm.  Playing up a few classes, you might...
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College | Story | 1/20/2026

Conference Preview: Oregon State

Tyler Henninger
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Record W L T Oregon State 48 16 1 Impact Player: Easton Talt, OF Impact Pitcher: Dax Whitney, RHP Impact Freshman: Mason Pike, RHP/MIF 2026 MLB Draft Prospects 1. Ethan Kleinschmit, LHP 2. Eric Segura, RHP 3. Zach Edwards*, RHP 4. Easton Talt, OF 5. Jacob Kreig, 1B 6. Wyatt Queen, RHP 7. AJ Singer, IF 8. Eli Gries-Smith, OF 9. Noah Scott, RHP 10. Paul Vazquez*, IF 11. Nyan Hayes, OF 12. AJ Hutcheson, RHP 13. Tyler Inge*, 3B 14. Bryson Glassco, IF 15. Jacob Galloway, C 2027 MLB Draft Prospects 1. Dax Whitney, RHP 2. Adam...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/18/2026

MLK West Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Steve Fiorindo
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Cole Migaki (‘29 WA) w/ one of his 5 K’s thru 2-innings. FB 84-86 coupled w/ a firm BB that has 11/5 shape sitting 77-77. Balanced operation w/ a live, loose arm. Athletic frame at 6-ft, 170 that projects #MLKWest @PG_PacificNW pic.twitter.com/iBgAoajNUM — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) January 16, 2026 Cole Migaki (2029 Vancouver, WA) Was lights out in his start on Friday at MLK West, only needing 42 pitches to get thru three-innings and did not allow a hit or run while punching out 8.  Migaki overwhelmed opposing hitters, running his fastball up to 86 and mixing in a firm breaking ball at 75-77 with 11-5 shape and depth.  The athletic 6-foot, 170-pound right-hander is the top ranked third base prospect in the state of Washington for the class of 2029, collecting a couple of hits in his five at-bats and drove in a run.  Excellent start to...
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Press Release | Press Release | 1/16/2026

Perfect Game Hires Blakeley As Regional Dir.

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 HIRES ERIC BLAKELEY AS REGIONAL DIRECTOR    Sanford, Florida (Friday, January 16, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the hiring of Eric Blakeley as a Regional Director. Blakeley brings more than two decades of experience in elite baseball and softball events, along with an accomplished background as both a collegiate and professional player.    Blakeley joins Perfect Game after building the highly respected Crossroads Baseball Series, where for more than 20 years he developed and operated baseball...
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