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All American Game  | Story | 8/17/2021

Neal Makes The Leap To The Classic

Photo: Brady Neal (Perfect Game)
Brady Neal made the five-hour move from Tallahassee to Bradenton, Fla. before his sophomore year of high school to attend IMG Academy and play for the Crusader baseball team.
 
Much has been written and said about IMG and the immense amount of talent on that roster year-in and year-out. This year alone, IMG has three Perfect Game All-Americans – No. 1 overall 2022 prospect Elijah Green, No. 6 Jackson Ferris, and Neal, who slots in at No. 52.
 
Neal didn’t exactly expect to be headed to San Diego for the All-American Classic this weekend back when he jumped in the car in Tallahassee and headed to IMG last year. Not because he didn’t think he was talented enough, because he certainly was. It was because at that point, he was a top catcher in the 2023 class, still a year away from eligibility in the All-American.
 
However, after hitting .371 over 62 plate appearances with 22 RBI and nine extra-base hits all while proving to be one of the best backstops in the country regardless of age, Neal made the decision to re-classify into the 2022 class.
 
“I had a good sophomore year at school,” he said. “And it basically gave me the confidence and it proved to people that I can play with those older guys and succeed against those older guys. It really helps my situation the younger I am in the class, so that was a big part of the decision. I really wanted to get to college or go pro, get to my next step, as soon as I could.”
 
Neal said he received help from a host of people when it came time to make that decision – his advisor, his parents, Director of Baseball Dan Simonds at IMG, and the guidance counselors all played a part in making sure he was ready to make the jump, both physically and in the classroom.
 
He also made a call to the LSU coaching staff, wanting to make sure they would have a place for him a year earlier than expected. He was basically told the earlier he could get to campus, the better.
 
At the time, that was Paul Mainieri’s staff. That’s no longer the case, with Jay Johnson replacing Mainieri after his retirement at the conclusion of the 2021 season.
 
The coaching change in Baton Rouge made Neal pause for maybe all of a few seconds, but ultimately doesn’t change a thing about how excited he is to put on the purple and gold.
 
“I took a step back and realized that it was meant to be,” Neal said. “Whatever is meant to be is going to happen. It’s meant to be for me to go and play there. You just have to sit back and let things happen and figure out what you want to do. LSU is where I want to go. I’ve always loved it. I like watching them, I like the tradition, the fans.”
 
It’s easy to see he checks all the necessary boxes to move on to the next level. At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, Neal moves as athletically as anyone you’ll find behind the plate, and his left-handed stroke at the plate is a smooth one. He has the pedigree of catching some of the more talented staffs around at IMG, as well as his 5 Star teammates.

He's been rostered in 46 PG events now, notably stringing together consecutive all-tournament team performances this summer at the National Elite Championship, Ultimate Baseball Championship, Southeast Elite Championship, Southeast Memorial Day Classic, and the PG High School Showdown, where his IMG squad took home a title. 
 
With that package in tow, Neal now finds himself thrust into the travel schedule of the elite baseball prospect heading into his final year as a prep – PG National, then the Prospect Development Pipeline league, East Coast Pro after that, and finishing up with the All-American Classic in late August.
 
He will be the youngest player in attendance at the Classic, not yet 17 years old when he takes the field at Petco Park in San Diego on August 22.
 
Getting selected to play in the event is an honor, Neal said, and a validation of sorts on his decision to jump into the 2022 class. This is something he has had his mind on since 2015, when North Florida Christian alum and future first rounder Cole Ragans was selected to play in the All-American Classic. North Florida Christian, in Tallahassee, is the school district Neal was in at the time of Ragans’ selection.
 
“Since I re-classed, it really meant a lot [to be selected],” he said. “I worked really hard to get there…It’s definitely been a goal of mine. A kid at my old school [Ragans] was selected when I was in seventh grade, so it’s been a dream of mine since then.”
 
That dream has become a reality, and a year earlier than originally dreamt.
 
Neal will head to San Diego with certain goals for the game – these guys are playing with and against the best prep prospects in the country on national television, they all want to play well – but more than anything, he wants to soak it all in.
 
“There are obviously goals you set for yourself,” he said. “Catch well, get a base hit or two, maybe a double. But really I just want to have fun. There aren’t many opportunities to get to do things like this. So you just relax and do what you know how to do.”
 

All American Game | Story | 8/21/2026

Brotherly Love Inspires Carter Hadnot

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – Perfect Game has been a big part of Carter Hadnot’s life since he was 12. He participated in more than a dozen tournaments and showcases, including prestigious Select Festivals as a 13U and 14U player, as well as last summer’s PG All-Star Game for underclassmen in San Diego.   The PG event that Hadnot always wanted to be part of was the DICK’s All-American Classic. Now, that’s on his resume, too. He played in the 24th annual Classic earlier this week at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. “This means a lot to me,” he said during the event. “I always wanted to make it to Select Fest when I was younger. So, every time I get invited to an event it’s an honor and it’s fun. I don’t take it for granted. “This is definitely the one I always wanted to make it to. A lot of big names have...
High School | Rankings | 11/4/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Risers

Kyler Peterson
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Complete Class of 2027 Rankings With the end of the summer and fall seasons behind us, it was time for a quick refresh of the 2027 class rankings. Below you'll be able to read about some of the biggest risers up the board, led by North Carolina outfielder John Hucko who jumped more than 110 spots to now sit at No. 20 overall.  John Hucko, OF, Charlotte, N.C. Previous Rank: 132 | Current Rank: 20 Hucko makes a huge leap into the top-20 players in the class after a dominating showing in Jupiter. It’s as good of a left-handed swing as you’ll come across with pretty easy impact to all parts. He’s a supreme athlete with all the tools to play center long term and is a present plus runner. Hucko is a name that cemented his prospect status in Jupiter and will be a name to follow for next year’s MLB Draft. Elyjah Mason, SS, Lake Forest, Calif. Previous Rank: 71 |...
General | General | 11/3/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Update

Perfect Game Staff
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Press Release | Press Release | 11/2/2026

PG Partners Up with Minority Prospects

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 ANNOUNCES MEDIA RIGHTS PARTNERSHIP WITH MINORITY PROSPECTS   Sanford, Florida (Monday, November 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a media rights partnership with Minority Prospects, the Atlanta-based organization that has become the largest platform in the world for minority baseball and softball prospects. The partnership kicked off last month at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., Perfect Game's premier fall event, where Minority Prospects produced content featuring some of the nation's top amateur players in front of college coaches, professional scouts and MLB legends. Under the agreement, Minority...
Draft | Story | 10/30/2026

2027 Draft Preview: Prep Middle Infielders

Ryan Miller
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2027 MLB Draft Profile Preview: Collegiate Right-Handed Pitchers | Collegiate Left-Handed Pitchers The premium profile in each class often are prep middle infielders, a sought-after group with the athletic ability to stick on the dirt or land throughout the diamond long term. This demographic has produced the superstars of today’s game and therefore are selected in prime spots while demanding high-end signing bonuses. This group features a mix of loud tools, high level projection, and impact defenders. Below we break down at the top prep middle infielder in the 2027 cycle.  ‘27 SS Dylan Seward (CA)- liftoff from the No. 1 player in the class. A solo blast to RCF to extend the lead for @TheCanesBB #WWBA @California_PG @Vol_Baseball commit https://t.co/lJjNg6T7PS — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 27, 2026 SS Dylan Seward, Norco (CA)  The Southern...
Tournaments | Story | 11/2/2026

2028: Under-the-Radar Names to Know

Joey Cohen
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2028 Post-Circuit Dive: Under-the-Radar Names to Know One of my favorite parts of the calendar comes after the summer and fall circuits have wrapped, when I can finally sit down, dig through our tournament performance data and uncover some names that may have slipped through the cracks. With hundreds of events on the schedule and thousands of players coming through them, there's inevitably going to be talent that I or even our collective staff haven't given enough attention to. For this exercise, I wanted to isolate a particular offensive profile. I looked for 2028 bats who produced at a high level while keeping their swing-and-miss numbers in check across a sample of at least 50 plate appearances. On the pitching side, the approach was equally straightforward in terms of identifying arms who consistently filled the strike zone while missing bats at a strong clip. Of course, not all...
Tournaments | Story | 10/29/2026

WWBA Underclass Prospect Recap

Kyler Peterson
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WWBA Underclass Scout Notes: Days 1-2 | Day 3 | Day 4 Stars Being Stars These are some of the more well-known names on the national landscape, playing across several big events in which they performed at the highest of levels. Their showings in Fort Myers were simply a continuation of what we've almost come to expect at this point from them!  Kasen Langerhans (2028, Round Rock, Texas) batted leadoff and stuck at the hot corner for Texas Twelve Red Sox 2028 in Fort Myers. The Texas native has the looks a young left-handed power bat and the swing is built for it. Langerhans produces easy bat speed, delivering a fast and leveraged barrel through the zone. He creates backspin and uses the ground well, really getting into the legs. The infielder has excellent power projection and took comfortable, intentful cuts in the box. Langerhans got the job done at the top of the order...
Tournaments | Story | 10/28/2026

WWBA Sophomore Prospect Recap

Kyler Peterson
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WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 Stars Being Stars These are some of the more well-known names on the national landscape, playing across several big events in which they performed at the highest of levels. Their showings in Fort Myers were simply a continuation of what we've almost come to expect at this point from them!  2029 MIF Easton Housewright (Knoxville, Tenn.) currently stands at 6-foot,175 pounds with strength in the lower half, present above-average athleticism. Continued to shine at the top of the lineup as the left-handed hitter is your prototypical leadoff hitter, consistently finding a way on and scoring. Takes quality at-bats with an above average awareness of the strike zone. Loose hands with easy bat speed that find the barrel often for hard line drives into the gaps that frequently turn into XBHs. Confident and balanced approach. Also...
Tournaments | Story | 10/27/2026

Beyond the Board: SS Malachi Butler

Tyler Henninger
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As the 2027 draft cycle moves through the fall and into the offseason, we kick off a new series called Beyond The Board. With each installment, we will provide an in-depth scouting report for some of the top players in the class, breaking down their tools, strengths, question marks, and overall projection. This week we take a look at Georgia prep shortstop Malachi Butler. The Georgia Tech put together an outstanding showing on the circuit this summer and has been a significant riser early in the 2027 cycle.  Player: Malachi Butler Position: SS B/T: L/R Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: 190-pounds School: McEachern HS Hometown: Powder Springs, Ga.  Physical Description: 6-2/190. Strong, athletic build. Well-proportioned body. Has strength with room to continue to add more.    High speed BP swing from '27 SS Malachi Butler (GA)... #PGNational @PG_Georgia https://t.co/M9OWUX9rPw...
Tournaments | Story | 10/27/2026

South Fall World Series Scout Notes

Jay Vossler
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Kason Mead (2029, Spring, Texas) had a great weekend for Premier Baseball Donato 2029. Went 5-9 with a pair of doubles and a home run, driving in five without striking out. Physical frame with a lot more strength on the way. Impressive bat speed that attacks the top of the zone well. Works to all fields consistently and the profile indicates that he’ll be able to build off that with more impact. Lot to like, should be a riser as he goes into his sophomore season. Sterling McCormack (2029, Magnolia, Texas) performed well for Premier Baseball Donato 2029. Reached four times, including a double. Gains ground well on the stride, using his physicality to his advantage as he stays on an uphill plane, geared for slug. Plenty of strength at the point of impact. Landon Hardy (2029, Spring, Texas) had a strong showing for Scorpions Team Easton 2029. Went 4-11 with a double and homer, driving...
Tournaments | Story | 10/27/2026

WWBA Freshman Prospect Recap

Jheremy Brown
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Stars Being Stars These are some of the more well-known names on the national landscape, playing across several big events in which they performed at the highest of levels. Their showings in West Palm were simply a continuation of what we've almost come to expect at this point from them!  Kolt Hampton (2030, Chandler, AZ) is a left-handed hitting infielder with present barrel speed and twitch in the turn. Turned around an upper 80s heater that plated two runs in the first inning of the quarterfinals and never looked back. Also got it done on the rubber punching out three and topping out at 86. The number one player in Arizona produced all week and took care of business defensively.  Landen Davis (2030, Beaufort, SC) showed up at the dish this event hitting .500 with four doubles and five RBIs. Stays tight in the turn with present strength and the approach plays to all fields....
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