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Tournaments  | Story | 6/27/2021

5 Star Blends Culture and Talent To Win

Sam Warren
Photo: Jacob Kendall (Perfect Game)
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- To say that 5 Star Baseball is a powerhouse on the national competitive scene is an understatement. Since they began playing in Perfect Game events over a decade ago, the baseball conglomerate has won 149 PG tournaments and had over 1700 players commit to college programs. Names like Buster Posey, Josh Reddick and Austin Martin are just a few of the 113 5 Star alumni that have been drafted in the MLB Draft. The organization started in Warner Robbins, Ga., but now has 298 teams nationwide across 12 age divisions.
 
Of the plenty, 5 Star National 14u RR may field one of the most talented rosters in the 5 Star system. The squad is the 33rd-ranked 14u team in the nation, featuring six players ranked inside the top-150 of their respective classes and some of the best talent the country has to offer. Head coach Daniel Torres said while the team has a plethora of highly-ranked talent, he builds his team based on the quality of his player’s performance in the dugout, not just on the field.
 
“For me, it’s all about character,” Torres said. “It’s all about buying into the culture of 5 Star and wanting to fight for one another. We want guys that will be here for the long haul and are looking to be a part of a family.”
 
On Saturday, Torres and his squad displayed that combination of talent and character in their quest for the 2021 14u BCS National Championship, securing a solid victory at CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers. After playing a close game through four innings, the 5 Star offense broke through for six runs in the fifth inning, leading them to a 10-8 win over Legit Baseball Club.
 
For the prestigious tournament, Torres pulled out all the stops for his roster. Among their top-150 ranked players are Jacob Kendall and Luke Pappano, who rank inside the top-15 in the 2025 class. Jackson Roper, Ethan Clauss and Gabriel Acevedo add to 5 Star’s 2025 top-150 representation, and Xavier Rivera, the 72nd-ranked player in the 2024 class, adds some experience to the young and talented roster. While each player on 5 Star’s roster is individually talented, Torres reminds his team that baseball is a team sport and selflessness is required for success.
 
“They understand that in the game of baseball, there’s more failure than wins,” Torres said. “They understand that being that talented, they make each other better by the way they act no matter how they perform on the field.”
 
Despite the victory, 5 Star faltered at the start of their game against Legit Baseball Club. In the top of the first, Legit’s Jake Merz hit a leadoff triple to begin the game and promptly scored on a wild pitch. Ben Schulman added on for the club in the second, poking an RBI single to give Legit a 2-0 lead. 
 
However, the 5 Star bats woke up in the bottom of the inning, as Randy Ruiz gave the squad their first hit with a leadoff double. While the next two hitters couldn’t do any damage, Rivera stepped up with two outs and lined an RBI single up the middle, scoring 5 Star’s first run. The top-ranked 2024 player in Puerto Rico said he was happy he could produce for his team in a tight spot.
 
“I was able to drive the ball today, and that let me get the runs in,” Rivera said. “I just wanted to play for the team and help us get the win.”
 
5 Star kept the train rolling in the third, as Cole Rambler drove a two-RBI double over the Legit center fielder’s head to give his team the lead. Ruiz then sent a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Rambler and making it a 4-2 ballgame.
 
Legit didn’t back down from the challenge, however, as they answered back with two runs in the fourth on an Ismael Tavarez two-RBI double. The team then retook their lead in the top of the fifth, advancing on a throw to put them back on top, 5-4. Heading into the bottom of the inning, Torres knew his team had to make some adjustments to get over the hump.
 
“We had to have the right approaches at the plate and come through with situational hitting,” Torres said. “We had to be a little bit more aggressive, and that allowed us to be successful.”
 
In the bottom of the inning, 5 Star came through with situational hitting when they needed it most. Kendall and Rambler began with back-to-back singles, setting the table for an Acevedo RBI single to tie the game. Ruiz and Andrew Alvarez then reached on hit-by-pitches, loading the bases, then scoring Acevedo. Mason Mojica then added for 5 Star, shooting an RBI single to left field to make it 6-4. Rivera wasn’t happy with just a two-run lead, as he smoked a three-RBI double to deep left-center to clear the bases. The Florida International commit said his approach was simple as he stepped to the plate in the pivotal spot.
 
“There were no outs, so I just wanted to get a runner in,” Rivera said. “I was looking to drive the ball the other way, and everything worked out.”
 
While the sixth inning would be the matchup’s last due to time constraints, Legit didn’t go down without a fight. The Glen Rock, N.J.-based club put up three runs in the inning, but in the end, Austin Denamen was able to induce a lineout to right to end the game, giving 5 Star a 10-8 victory.
 
Despite believing his team could perform to a higher standard, Torres was proud of how his team came back and hung around in a close game. The head coach credits his team’s ability to do so to their team chemistry and close-knit relationships.
 
“We believe in each other like a family,” Torres said. “Our name is 5 Star National Mafia, so when you are a part of a mafia, you are a part of a family. So, we have to believe in each other like we are one.”
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Tournaments | Championship | 8/12/2026

Pokers Rally to Capture 16U BCS Title
Alyssa Golden
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Pokers Rally to Capture 16U BCS Title A hot afternoon at JetBlue Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida ended in a 9-1 victory for the Original Florida Pokers 2028 National, defeating SBA Bolts Florida 2028 National on Monday to capture the 16U BCS National Championship. A pitchers’ duel kept the game scoreless through four innings before the Pokers broke it open with a five-run fifth inning. The title marked the Pokers’ second 16U BCS Championship, adding to the championship they won in 2022. Despite a slow start to the summer, the Pokers found their stride at the right time. “We struggled a lot early in the summer, but the past few tournaments we really started turning it on,” Pokers head coach Will McCrimon said. “I’m just so proud of these kids.” Max Maynes started the game on the mound for the Pokers. The left-hander allowed three hits and two walks...
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Draft | Story | 8/11/2026

Realistic Expectations of a 1:1 Pick

Tyler Henninger
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Over the 2026 draft cycle, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky was the projected No. 1 pick throughout the entire cycle. White Sox fans began #RochWatch and were already talking about when he will make it to Chicago. Now that he has been selected, Cholowsky has immediately become a Top-10 prospect in all of baseball. There is no denying the hype, and the pressure, for Chowlosky to get to the big leagues and produce at a high level.  But how realistic is that? Let’s take a look back at past 1:1 selections and see what you can expect from a No. 1 overall selection.  For this exercise, we’ll look at No. 1 overall picks from the bonus pool era, excluding Eli Willits from 2025 since this is his first full year of pro ball. That gives us 13 players selected from 2012 through 2024.  Almost All Become Big Leaguers The first thing that stands out is how successful No. 1 picks...
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Press Release | Press Release | 8/11/2026

Perfect Game & Goat'd Come Together

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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 GOAT'D PARTNER TO BRING PREMIUM PROTECTIVE GEAR TO THE NATION'S TOP AMATEUR BASEBALL PLAYERS   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, August 11, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with Goat'd, a premium protective gear brand focused on developing innovative products for athletes. The partnership will bring Goat'd's premium protective equipment to some of the nation's top amateur baseball players and families across Perfect Game's premier national events. The partnership will debut at several of Perfect Game's marquee events, including the 13U Select Fest, 14U Select Fest, Perfect Game All-Star Game and...
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General | General | 8/8/2026

12U Game Time: 8/9/2026 1PM Eastern

Perfect Game Staff
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Sunday August 9th, 2026 1:00PM Eastern DICK'S Sporting Goods Park at East Cobb West vs. East Follow and watch the game
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General | General | 8/8/2026

11U Game Time: 8/8/2026 Noon Eastern

Perfect Game Staff
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Saturday August 8th, 2026 12:00PM Eastern DICK'S Sporting Goods Park at East Cobb West vs. East Follow and watch the game
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Draft | Story | 8/7/2026

2026 MLB Draft Team Reports: NL West

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Team Report Cards: AL West With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL West Arizona Diamondbacks  Grade: 50 Risk: High Notable Selections: C Ryder Helfrick (1st rd) | RHP Blake Bryant (CB-A rd) | SS Carson Kerce (2nd rd) | OF Brayden Dowd (3rd rd)  Ryder Helfrick (@RazorbackBSB ) different AB; same result. He goes dead central for a solo 💣 this time. Threw a runner out earlier; 1.98 pop. #PGCollege @PG_Draft https://t.co/kW7wraqExJ pic.twitter.com/SARYKxd0oE — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 14, 2026 The Diamondbacks started their...
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College | Story | 8/7/2026

Cape Cod League Notebook: August 7

Perfect Game Staff
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RHP Jason Flores (@BaseballUGA) Showed some electric stuff, up to 98 several times CT, SL, CH to round out the arsenal in his 5IP 9K performance. @HarwichMariners So./‘27 elig pic.twitter.com/p2nTvkFnWh — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) August 5, 2026 Jason Flores | RHP | University of Georgia | Harwich Mariners  Flores heads to Georgia this fall looking to reestablish himself as one of the premier arms in the 2027 draft class after showing significant promise during his freshman season at Texas. Flores posted a 2.78 ERA over 32.1 innings as a freshman before a limited sophomore campaign in which he logged just 12 innings. The stuff was on full display this summer, highlighted by a dominant five-inning, nine-strikeout playoff performance in which he touched 98 mph five different times. His fastball averaged nearly 96 mph throughout his time on the Cape, pairing the...
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Tournaments | Championship | 8/6/2026

643 DP Last Team Standing at East WS

Will Dembo
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Following a dominant week at the 17u PG East World Series, No. 34 ranked 643 DP Cougars 17u capped off an impressive tournament run by defeating No. 2 ranked East Cobb Astros 17u, 3-2, in the championship game to claim the title. The Cougars earned the tournament's No. 1 overall seed after outscoring opponents by an absurd 59-6 throughout the week before completing their championship run with a hard-fought victory in the finale. “Always feels great to finish the year playing your best ball, especially when going up against strong competition,” 643 Head Coach Danny Pralgo said. “We did so many of the little things right: on the mound with location, clean on defense, bunting, 2 strike approach leading to long at bats, getting hit-by-pitches, and we had so many good outs offensively that led to moving a runner or scoring a runner. And when those things all come together in...
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Press Release | Press Release | 8/6/2026

PG Extends Partnership With Yeti

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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 EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH YETI   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, August 6, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced an extension of its existing partnership with YETI, the premium outdoor gear brand and the Official Cooler and Drinkware Provider of Perfect Game Baseball and Softball. The partnership between Perfect Game and YETI began in 2021.   The expanded partnership will bring YETI’s products and brand to Perfect Game athletes, families and fans through a variety of activations across Perfect Game’s events and digital platforms. YETI will have a prominent presence both on-site and online, including exposure...
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Tournaments | Story | 8/7/2026

Tournament of Champion Notes: Part 2

Perfect Game Staff
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Tournament of Champions Scout Notes: Part 1 ‘27 LHP Jaylan Hortenbury (KY) @JHortenbury X @PG_Uncommitted FB 85-89/ touched 90. Arm-side life w/ some ride. SL in mid 70s (depth). CH showed as a weapon in the upper 7s. Some sweep to BB in low 7s. Athletic w/ two-way capabilities as well. #TOC 👀 @USAPrimeScout27 pic.twitter.com/vyj1Tb9nBN — Jordan Gates (@JGatesPG) July 30, 2026 Jaylan Hortenbury (2027, New Castle, Ky.) Hortenbury was probably one of my personal favorites, as this was my first time seeing it in action. It’s an athletic two-way profile that has a chance to do both at the next level. But what stood out to me, was his potential on the mound. The left-handed pitcher moves very well and is comfortable there. Has the mound presence Supplemented with a free-flowing and loose arm from a higher ¾ slot, he pounded the zone in his lone appearance. He went...
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