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2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Tournaments  | Story | 6/29/2021

Florida Heat Warming Up at 14u BCS

Photo: Noah Sheffield (Perfect Game)
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- While most of the young faces participating in the 2021 14u BCS National Championship have aspirations to make it to the major leagues one day, few teams have the opportunity that Florida Heat Baseball 14u has to learn first hand what it takes to get there.
 
The squad out of Tampa, Fla. is led by head coach Gary Sheffield, former batting champ and nine-time All-Star. While the World Series champion draws high-profile attention to his squad, Sheffield’s name does not overshadow his player’s capabilities. The Heat are the 11th-ranked team in the nation and second-ranked team in the Florida-Puerto Rico region. The Heat have shown why they are so highly touted so far in 2021, compiling a 19-4-2 record since January and taking home the 2021 14U PG North Florida Kickoff and 2021 PG 14U East Spring Opener titles back in March.
 
The top-tier team is led by a trio of Sheffields up the middle. Turning double plays at second and shortstop are Christian and Noah Sheffield, two of Gary’s sons. Noah is the 75th-ranked player in the 2024 class and the second-ranked shortstop out of Florida, while Christian looks to be one of the top players in the class of 2026. Behind the two brothers is Se’An Sheffield, the duo’s cousin, in center field, who is rising up the ranks in the class of 2025. While Coach Sheffield enjoys his time out on the field with his family, he remains committed to making the next generation the best ballplayers they can be.
 
“I’m probably harder on them than they are themselves,” Sheffield said. “But, it’s all fun. As a father, you try and separate the relationship as a dad and just be a coach, and that takes care of itself off the field.”
 
Through the first four days of the BCS, the Heat have stayed true to their winning ways, building a 3-0-1 record heading into Tuesday. After beating ZT Elite 14u Guzman, 9-3, Monday morning and Florida Burn 2025 National, 7-3, later in the evening, the Heat carry a remarkable +31 run differential through their first five games. Despite his team’s early success, coach Sheffield knows the opposition only gets more difficult down the road.
 
“It’s gonna be competitive games,” Sheffield said. “We just have to stay alert and pay attention to the details to win these games.”
 
The Heat lived up to their name to start their game against ZT Elite, sizzling at the plate in the top of the first. After Christian Sheffield drew a leadoff walk, Dominic Woodward lined an RBI double to left, bringing in Sheffield and the game’s first run. Noah Sheffield then shot an RBI single up the middle and proceeded to advance to second and steal third. Maximus Mayes took advantage of Noah’s opportune baserunning, poking a sacrifice fly to center and giving the Heat a 3-0 lead. Coach Sheffield believes that the team’s early start offensively helped out all phases of his team’s play.
 
“We brought our bats again and came out swinging,” Sheffield said. “We got an early lead, which helps the pitcher out a lot because now he can go out there and not feel like he has to be perfect.”
 
The Heat bats stayed hot in the second, as walks loaded the bases for Woodward. The 104th-ranked player in the class of 2025 came through again for his team, lining an RBI single up the middle to score Andreas Alvarez. Noah Sheffield kept the line moving, scoring Matthew Midyett on a fielder’s choice to third and extending the Heat lead to five runs. The shortstop said he kept his mindset simple to be successful on Monday.
 
“I took a slow approach at the plate to make sure I hit the ball hard,” Sheffield said. “I just wanted to help my teammates score, and I did that well.”
 
ZT didn’t go down quietly, however. Behind a Damian Montanez RBI double and a Joephillip Guzman RBI single, ZT posted three runs in the third to dig into the Heat lead. That is where the ZT counter punch ended, though, as the combination of Yvan Douglas and Matthew Midyett allowed just three baserunners over the next three innings. Despite the rally, coach Sheffield was proud of the way his starter performed.
 
“Yvan threw a great game, and the defense mostly backed him up,” Gary Sheffield said. “We made a couple of gaffes in the field, but we were able to recover with the bats.”
 
While the Heat couldn’t muster any runs in the third, their offense regained their fire in the fourth. After Christian Sheffield lined a single to left and Woodward walked, Noah Sheffield drilled a ground ball to short for a fielder’s choice, scoring his younger brother.
 
The Heat continued to add in the fifth via some savvy baserunning from Se’An Sheffield. After drawing a walk, the outfielder proceeded to steal second and third, then caused the ZT pitcher to balk, bringing himself all the way around the basepaths. 
 
In the sixth, the Heat capped off their impressive offensive display with a Douglas two-RBI double, scoring Midyett and Christian Sheffield. After coming around to score, Midyett continued to dominate on the mound, striking out three in the bottom of the inning to close down a 9-3 Heat victory. Coach Sheffield believed his team’s preparation leading up to the tournament has been critical in their strong showing.
 
“These kids have practiced so much,” the elder Sheffield said. “We’ve been able to get the work against all the great teams that are here, and they’ve been showing they’re practiced on the field now.”
 
Other than the difficult third inning, Douglas shined, striking out four over four innings and working up to 83 mph on his fastball. Midyett excelled in relief as well, tossing two shutout innings and striking out four while only allowing one baserunner.
 
The Heat offense cooled off slightly to begin their second game of the day against the Burn, but their performance on the bump stayed red-hot. Noah Sheffield started the game for the Heat, tossing two shutout innings, striking out three and allowing just one hit. Demarion Abrams picked up where Sheffield left off, throwing two more shutout innings and striking out one.
 
After going scoreless in the first three innings, the Heat offense charged back up in the fourth as Woodward lined a leadoff single to right. Douglas then drilled a double to right as well, advancing Woodward to third. With two runners in scoring position, Mayes poked a sacrifice fly to right, bringing home Woodward and plating the first run of the game. Noah said that as the team has progressed through the tournament, they’ve figured out how to come through in clutch situations.
 
“We got the kinks out in the beginning,” Sheffield said. “Now, we’re smooth. We’ve been able to push through some struggles and pull out some team wins.”
 
However, the Burn produced some offense of their own in the fourth, plating their first runs to give them a 3-1 lead. The Heat’s first deficit of the day may have been the adversity they needed to get back in order, as their bats fired back to score four runs in the bottom of the inning behind RBI doubles from Midyett and Noah Sheffield, retaking their lead. In the sixth, the Heat added some insurance, scoring two more runs on a Christopher Hemmings RBI double and an Alvarez groundout. By the time Se’An Sheffield stepped to the plate in the inning, time had run out for the game, giving the Heat a 7-3 victory.
 
While coach Sheffield is proud of his team’s performance and expects his team to be in the hunt come championship day, he believes his primary objective is to continue growing his young players.
 
“Every goal, every time we play a tournament, is to get better,” Sheffield said. “We want everyone to pay attention to detail, do the little things, always improve as a player. Not just as a team, but individually as well.”

Tournaments | Story | 11/13/2026

National All State Preview: Week 2

Hannah Jo Groves
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The second week of of PG All-State National Championships starts this weekend - this particular one featuring the 9U, 11U and 13U age groups. Last week, the 10U, 12U and 14U divisions got their chance to represent their states and compete in the Houston, Texas area. This weekend, there will be 23 teams competing in the 13U and 11U divisions and 15 teams competing for the 9U title. “For Tony [Harper] and I, it’s an early glimpse of guys yearning to impress as we head to the new year…for those seeking consideration for the Select Festival,” National Cross-Checker and Northeast Scouting Director, John McAdams, said. For those competing in the 11U division, this event marks their first opportunity to show out, get some recognition and potentially receive a coveted invitation to the 2027 11U Select Festival. Some names that have already stood out to PG’s scouts...
College | Story | 11/13/2026

College Fall Notebook: November 13

Craig Cozart
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UCF Knights  2026 In Review:  The Knights recorded their best finish of the Big 12 era tied for 3rd place in the regular season with a (19-11) record and (32-23) overall.  Their resume would earn them an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons under Head Coach Rich Wallace in what would be the 14th all-time postseason appearance.  The 19 conference wins were the most by a UCF team since 2005 as they won 7 of their 10-conference series.  UCF was a consistent on the offensive side batting .289 as a team and averaging almost 7-runs per game.  They also took another step forward on the mound, with a team ERA of 4.61 while registering an impressive 6-shutouts on the year.    INF Austin Jacobs (@UCF_Baseball)turns on this heater and deposits it over the LF wall for a 3 run HR (96 EV/ 364 FT). Nice job pulling the...
College | Recruiting | 11/12/2026

Head of the Class: No. 4 Arkansas

Jordan Gates
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Complete 2027 Arkansas Recruiting Class No. 4 Arkansas Head Coach: Dave Van Horn | Recruiting Coordinator: Nate Thompson Total Signees: 18 | Top 100 Signees: 3 Top 5 Recruits: Rk. Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 42 Christopher (CJ) Wall C 6-1 195 L-R Georgia Premier Academy Statesboro GA 52 Jake Ivey LHP 6-3 200 L-L Gunter Gunter TX 91 Conor Rae SS 6-1 170 R-R Corona Del Sol Gilbert AZ 102 Charlie Sarsfield OF 5-10 170 L-R Linn-Mar Cedar Rapids IA 107 Bear Calvo SS 6-1 200 R-R Orange Lutheran Fullerton CA Over the last decade, Arkansas has found themselves ranked inside the top ten in recruiting classes eight of the last ten years. They are no stranger to being ranked towards the top either with a handful of top five finishes, with their 2027 class checking in at number four. While the transfer portal has had the largest impact on college baseball and sports in general, the...
College | Recruiting | 11/12/2026

Head of the Class: No. 3 Texas A&M

Vincent Cervino
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Complete 2027 Texas A&M Recruiting Class  No. 3 Texas A&M Head Coach: Michael Earley | Recruiting Coordinator: Nolan Cain Total Signees: 17 | Top 100 Signees: 6 Top 5 Recruits RK. Name Pos. HT WT High School Hometown State 11 Striker Pence RHP/1B 6-6 215 Santiago Corona CA 15 Brady Cunningham 3B/RHP 6-3 225 Brother Rice Mokena IL 40 Isaiah Snavely SS 6-3 195 Zionsville Community Zionsville IN 77 Jordan Ayala RHP 6-1 185 Norco La Habra CA 88 Clyde Williams III OF 5-11 178 Magnolia Magnolia TX The Aggies jumped into the top 10 with their 2026 high school recruits and in his third season Michael Earley has achieved a the highest ranked recruiting class of his career at No. 3 for the 2027 class. Credit due as well to RC Nolan Cain who rejoined the Aggies just this past summer.  There’s star power littered throughout this class including four PG All-Americans, led by...
Tournaments | Championship | 11/12/2026

Texas Defends Home Turf at All State

Hannah Jo Groves
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Texas American Dominates for the 12U All-State Select Championship A run-rule, 11-3 victory over California National sealed the deal for Texas American’s 12U PG National All-State Select Championship win. 6 different players combined for Texas American’s 11 total runs - Ishmael Ruiz knocked in 2 runs with a double in the bottom of the second, Cannon Hughes knocked in 5 runs with 2, 2-run home runs in the first and second innings and an RBI walk to seal the game. Though it’s clear Texas American’s offense was explosive, right-handed pitcher Martin Vazquez did his part on the mound, striking out 6 batters and only dealing 1 walk in his 4 innings and 61 pitches of work. Earlier in the tournament, Lucas Bingham, the tournament’s MVPitcher, struck out 11 batters over 6.1 innings in his outing - and despite that impressive stat line - Bingham said he was not...
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/12/2026

2027 Draft Board Update: Biggest Risers

Tyler Henninger
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2027 MLB Draft Content Hub With our latest draft board update, several prospects have made significant moves up the rankings following strong performances throughout the fall. From prep talent finishing off the circuit to college players ramping up for the spring, the latest update features plenty of new names and notable jumps. Here we will take a closer look at some of the biggest risers, highlighting the players who have done the most to improve their draft stock and have positioned themselves well heading into the winter.  Biggest Riser John Hucko (‘27 NC) lifts this one into RF for an RBI 2B, does a nice job of recognizing off speed w/ good adjustment; athletic frame w/ strength present. @AuburnBaseball commit #WWBAWorlds @PG_Coastal https://t.co/GXnZlsMidh — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 8, 2026 OF John Hucko, Charlotte Catholic | Pres. Rank: 23...
College | Recruiting | 11/13/2026

Head of the Class: No. 1 Louisiana State

Jheremy Brown
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Complete 2027 LSU Recruiting Class No. 1 Louisiana State Head Coach: Jay Johnson | Recruiting Coordinator: Josh Jordan Total Signees: 17 | Top 100 Signees: 12 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 6 Samir Mohammed RHP 6-5 240 R-R Tampa Jesuit Trinity FL 13 Sebastian Castillo SS 6-0 195 R-R Byron Nelson Justin TX 16 Graham Houston SS 6-1 175 S-R Venice Nokomis FL 22 Drake Hawpe OF 6-4 215 L-R Liberty Christian Argyle TX 32 Jordin Griffin OF 5-10 190 L-R Barbe Lake Charles LA Wash. Rinse. Repeat. The 2027 recruiting cycle saw Jay Johnson and his staff pull in the top class in the country, something we've come to almost expect as of late, and though they have some names to monitor heading into next year's MLB Draft, the depth of this group is unreal and one of the best we've seen in some time. Just how good is this class as a whole? Of their 16 commits, 12 are ranked...
College | Recruiting | 11/11/2026

Head of the Class: No. 5 Vanderbilt

Kyler Peterson
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Complete 2027 Vanderbilt Recruiting Class No. 5 Vanderbilt Head Coach: Tim Corbin | Recruiting Coordinator: Scott Brown Total Signees: 16 | Top 100 Signees: 5 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 21 Ethan Gustus RHP 6-6 192 R-R Roseville Roseville CA 55 Broder Katke C 6-2 205 R-R Brother Rice Bloomfield Hills MI 61 Graham Keen 3B/RHP 6-4 185 R-R Mt Lebanon Pittsburgh PA 63 Stephen Bobo OF 5-11 175 L-L Shelbyville Central Shelbyville TN 85 Derek Yormack RHP 6-3 220 R-R Bellmore JFK Merrick NY The Dores check in at No. 5 in the recruiting rankings with a loaded 2027 class. The class holds five players currently ranked in the top 100 and ten total ranked within the top 200. Coach Corbin and his staff dipped into the west coast to head their class with one of the best arms in the country, California native Ethan Gustus. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has touched triple...
College | Recruiting | 11/11/2026

Head of the Class: No. 6 Alabama

Jay Vossler
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Complete 2027 Alabama Recruiting Class Head Coach: Rob Vaughn | Recruiting Coordinator: Jason Jackson Total Signees: 17 | Top 100 Signees: 4 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 29 Finnian O'Loughlin OF 6-2 200 R-R Delbarton Jersey City NJ 31 Mac Morris SS 6-0 187 R-R Dorman Taylors SC 47 Harry Chubb Jones Jr. * SS 6-4 190 R-R McEachern Douglasville GA 86 Anderson Lambert OF 6-0 180 R-R McDonogh Laurel MD 108 Jude Carter RHP 6-5 210 R-R Alexander Central Taylorsville NC * denotes enrolling early for upcoming spring After three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to Omaha in 2026, Rob Vaughn and the Alabama Crimson Tide have seen their recruiting class skyrocket in the rankings. After checking in at 24 in 2024, they took a huge leap up to 8 in 2025, stayed close to that at 13 in 2026, and now sit at 6 in 2027, the highest under Rob Vaughn....
Tournaments | Championship | 11/11/2026

Florida Offense Paces All State Crown

Hannah Jo Groves
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Florida National got off to a hot start in Monday’s championship game against Texas National. Scoring all their runs in the first and second inning, Florida National held off Texas National and won 5-3 for the 14U PG National All-State Select Championship title. An electric and fun-filled weekend all led up to this final game on Field 3 at Premier Baseball of Texas. The players geared up under the lights for what would surely be another great meeting between stacked teams. Texas National was up to bat first, but Florida’s pitcher, Lucas Diaz, struck out 2 batters in a row before fielding a ground ball for the third out. Though the bottom of the first started with a strikeout for Florida National, Diaz reached first base on a dropped passed ball and Jayden Portes got on with a walk. With two on and only one out, Florida National was primed to pounce. Lucas Viera singled to...
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