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General  | General | 7/22/2021

PG Cares Hosts 500 For Free Camp in St. Pete

Photo: Perfect Game
PG Cares Foundation’s Grow the Game Fund expands its reach and support into St. Petersburg, FL community

Perfect Game Cares Foundation affirms its commitment to the local community by underwriting free baseball and softball leagues for St. Petersburg youth

Perfect Game Cares Foundation’s Grow the Game Fund seeks to remove economic barriers that stand between kids in underserved communities and their chance to play the sports of baseball and softball

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Perfect Game Cares Foundation continued its efforts to provide baseball and softball-playing opportunities to children everywhere, when the non-profit arm of Perfect Game hosted its third free youth baseball and softball camp of the year on Tuesday, July 13 at Historic Oliver Field at Campbell Park in St. Petersburg, Fla.



More than 500 area youth attended the camp for a one-of-a-kind baseball and softball-playing experience under the tutelage of former Major League Baseball players, minor leaguers, college, and high school players.


(Pictured: Former Major League All-Star, Luis Gonzalez, provides batting tips to youth camp attendee.)

The Perfect Game Cares Foundation also teamed with its partners Rawlings, TOP Chops Beef Jerky and Augusta Sportswear to provide free gear and equipment to every child present, including a glove and camp t-shirt. Each child received a swag bag with a mini bat and signed Toronto Blue Jays baseball courtesy of Perfect Game alum and current Blue Jays player, Bo Bichette. Attendees also received two tickets to a Tampa Bay Rays game and a Rays ball cap courtesy of the Rays, and a free meal voucher from nearby Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill.

This event was made possible with the support of multiple partners who share Perfect Game and Perfect Game Care’s commitment to grow the games of baseball and softball, including Bo Bichette and his mother, Mariana Bichette, the City of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Police Athletic League, TASCO Teen Programming, OnPoint Sports Strategies and Westshore Pizza.

Following in the footsteps of its recently announced partnership with Slater Elementary in Atlanta, Perfect Game Cares Foundation and its Grow the Game Fund will underwrite a free youth baseball/softball league for children residing in the St. Petersburg community. The league will play its games at Oliver Field, which was formerly used by multiple Negro League teams, and which has otherwise mostly remained unoccupied.

“I’m thankful for my travel ball coach, Jered Goodwin, and his work with PG Cares, for the City of St. Pete and my friends there,” said Blue Jays shortstop, Bo Bichette. “I’m grateful I was able to help facilitate an amazing camp for St. Pete’s kids as we do our best to bring baseball opportunities to the Burg!”

“Being involved in such a special event was a fantastic experience,” said PG National Scouting Director Jered Goodwin. “The PG Cares family got to see the bigger picture firsthand with the amount of community involvement including the Bichette family, TASCO, local high school coaches and players, PAL, the Blue Jays, the Rays, and St. Pete residents all coming together to produce a massively successful day. The amount of first-time baseball players enjoying the great game was unbelievable. The impactful day was just the start, the follow up is the game changer.”

The St. Petersburg youth camp follows recent Perfect Game Cares Foundation activities in Atlanta and featured the participation of several former Major League Baseball players, including Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman (pictured below), Luis Alicea, Lou Collier, Ben Ford, Luis Gonzalez, Tom “Flash” Gordon, Clint Hurdle, Charles Johnson, Denard Span, Junior Spivey, Michael Tucker and Greg Vaughn. Long-time Major League baseball executives Bill Bavasi and Bob Fontaine Jr. also joined the extensive roster alongside Harrison Ray, a current Minor League player in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.


(Pictured: Former Major League All-Star, Trevor Hoffman, provides tips to youth camp attendees.)

Many of the players joined Perfect Game Cares for a caravan visit to Thomas Jet Jackson Recreation Center, where they shared inspiring, personal stories of their upbringings and how they used the sport of baseball to break down the barriers in front of them.

“The youth events, which were strategically chosen due to their historical and geographical impact, provided an outlet for kids to simply be kids,” said St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation’s Shawn Drouin. “Activities like the Perfect Game Cares Youth Baseball/Softball Clinic at Historic Oliver Field and the caravan at Thomas Jet Jackson Recreation Center will undoubtedly make an impact in our community for years to come. Both events highlighted having a passion for something in your life and doing whatever it takes to reach your goals, regardless of how small or big. This is merely the beginning of changing lives and bringing baseball back into South St. Petersburg, and we cannot thank the entire Perfect Game and PG Cares team enough for their dedication and sincere passion for our city and especially our youth.”

“Anyone with a heart can’t help but love the hundreds of young kids we saw in St. Pete,” said Perfect Game President and Founder, Jerry Ford. “These children are extremely talented and very innocent. They truly deserve every opportunity to become successful in life. That is our mission at Perfect Game Cares. It takes a small army to make this happen. We can’t thank everyone involved in making this happen enough.”

"Great things happen when likeminded people come together to help. The commitment of those working in the youth space of St. Petersburg is awe inspiring,” said Perfect Game Cares Executive Director, Jennifer Ford. “We cannot wait to get started implementing long term support of programming for these wonderful kids. We look forward to Growing the Game in St Petersburg."

The Perfect Game Cares Foundation’s Grow the Game Fund is made possible by generous donations from MLB players and PG Alumni, Trevor Story and George Springer, corporate partner TOP Chops Beef Jerky and contributions from others passionate about removing barriers that stand between children from underserved communities and their chance to fall in love with the sports of baseball and softball.

To learn more about Perfect Game Cares and its Grow the Game Fund, please visit PerfectGameCares.org.

General | Blog | 4/10/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 64

Ron Wolforth
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What Do Barry Zito, Justin Verlander, Trevor Bauer, and Dallas Keuchel All Have in Common? By Ron Wolforth | Texas Baseball Ranch® | PG Arm Care Take a second and think about the question posed in the title before you read on. Four Cy Young Award winners. Four of the most decorated pitchers of their generation. What's the common thread? The first answer is obvious… they all won the most prestigious individual award in pitching. Most of you probably got there immediately. The second answer is less obvious… they all trained at the Texas Baseball Ranch® at some point in their development. Interesting, maybe, but not the point of this article. The third answer is the one I really want you to sit with, because it has direct relevance to your career right now: they all move completely differently. And they all attack hitters completely differently. Don't rush past that....
College | Rankings | 5/13/2026

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Nick Herfordt
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The college baseball postseason has arrived for NCAA Division II, Division III, and the NAIA, bringing with it the most intense stretch of the season. Conference tournaments have wrapped up, national brackets are taking shape, and teams across the country are shifting from regular season positioning to survival mode, where one bad inning can abruptly end a year’s worth of work. The NAIA Opening Round is already underway, and some programs could begin packing for the national finals as early as tomorrow. Across all three divisions, the postseason field is loaded with experienced clubs, dominant pitching staffs, and lineups capable of changing a game with one swing. Now, the focus turns from building résumés to advancing through regional play and chasing national championships. These antepenultimate rankings provide a final snapshot of where the divisions stand entering...
High School | Rankings | 5/13/2026

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Tyler Russo
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Another week has passed by in the high school baseball season and with that, we have another edition of the National High School Top 50 to bring to you. Playoffs are rolling in southern states and we have reached the final 4 in some of them already. Each week we have new teams break in and this week is no different with three new faces inside the top-50.   The top remains almost identical to a week ago with the top-10 remaining the exact same with Venice (FL) leading the way as the No. 1 team in the nation. North Paulding (GA) swept Buford in an Elite 8 matchup in Georgia and move up a pair of spots to No. 12 in the country. Another big mover is St. Laurence (IL) who jumps nine spots to No. 13 and boast a 30-1 record on the year. Waxahachie (TX) continues to move up and are up nine spots this week to No. 32.   The three new teams inside the National Top 50 are Etowah...
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Vincent Cervino
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College | Rankings | 5/11/2026

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Vincent Cervino
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Well, in what seems like the blink of an eye, here we are in the last week of the NCAA College Baseball regular season.  It has been an incredible ride and there is still much riding on these last series of the year as teams grapple to improve their postseason resume.  It will be a short week with most every 3-game set starting on Thursday this week as conference tournaments get under way early next week.  While they were given their biggest scare of the season and did see their 25-game Big Ten winning streak come to an end, UCLA (46-5) will remain the No. 1 team in the nation.  They were pushed to the brink last weekend by now No. 11 Oregon (36-14), entering Sunday for their first rubber match of the year.  They did find themselves down 6-1 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning before they came storming back with 8-unanswered runs over the next three frames...
Draft | Story | 5/8/2026

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Tyler Henninger
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High School | General | 5/7/2026

High School Notebook: May 7

Cam McElwaney
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Ryder Bell, LHP, Hamilton (AZ) Bell got the ball for Hamilton in the first round of playoff action and did not blink. The young left-hander tosses 6 2/3 strong innings with four strikeouts and just one walk. Bell faced some adversity at times with runners on, but consistently competed and found a way out of most jams. An athletic operation with intent is shown on the mound. Bell throws from a lower 3/4 slot that can create a tough angle. The fastball worked 82-85 mph with armside run. It paired well with a sweeper at 70-72 mph. Bell attacked the zone with both pitches often and landed the sweeper arm side consistently. The stuff has already shown it can play against quality lineups. Bell should be a fun name to monitor over the next couple years.    Cory Wuttke (‘27, AZ) hammers this out to LF for solo 💣. Multi-hit performance. Stays compact with strength at contact....
College | Story | 5/7/2026

Coppy's Corner: May 7 POY Deep Dive

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High School | Rankings | 5/6/2026

High School Top 50 Update: May 6

Tyler Russo
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Another week of high school baseball has come and gone across the country, and we have another update as we continue to roll to the finish of the high school seasons in the southern states in just a few weeks. Regular seasons are wrapping up across the country and playoffs are deep in progress down south, with every update there’s some movement inside the High School Top 50 along with a few new names breaking in. The top-10 remains very similar at the top with Venice (FL) holding onto the No. 1 position for the third straight update. Tomball (TX) jumps up to No. 2 as they continue to rattle of wins with Orange Lutheran (CA), Aledo (TX), and IMG Academy (FL) rounding out the top 5. Trinity (KY) and Harvard-Westlake (CA) sit at No. 6 and No. 7 respectively with a trio of new teams inside the top-10 in Magnolia Heights (MS) at No. 8, Norco (CA) at No. 9, and South Walton (FL) and No....
College | Rankings | 5/6/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: May 6

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Records and rankings tell you who has won. Résumé tells you who can win. Every season when the final regular season rankings are released the natural instinct is to point at the team sitting at number one and label them the favorite. That instinct is understandable — those programs have earned their place at the top of the table, and none of them should be dismissed.   Alas, college baseball has a way of humbling the polls when the bracket opens. The teams that survive the NCAA Tournament and the NAIA World Series are rarely the ones with the prettiest record — they are the ones who have been tested repeatedly by elite competition and passed those tests at the highest rate in the country. Winning streaks built against soft schedules tend to dissolve the moment the opponent is worth a damn.   In each of the three small-school divisions, there is a...
College | Story | 5/5/2026

College Players of the Week: May 5

Vincent Cervino
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May 5th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Tyce Armstrong, IF, Baylor  The Baylor Bears still have some work ahead of them if they want to extend their season beyond the Big 12 Tournament but if Tyce Armstrong stays on his heater, they could be in business.  For the second time this season, Armstrong, the 6-4/228 senior from Magnolia, TX is our Perfect Game Player of the Week.  It was a record setting week for Armstrong as he became just the second player in Baylor program history to hit 20 home runs in a season and tied the all-time single season record with his 21st round-tripper on Sunday.  For the week, he collected 9 hits in 16 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, lacing 4 doubles, 5 home runs and drove in a total of 9 runs.  It has been a career year for the hulking first baseman who in his first season at Baylor, transferring from UT Arlington.  For the...
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