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All American Game  | Story | 8/19/2021

Hard Work Lands Gupton in Classic

Blake Dowson
Photo: Michael Gupton (Perfect Game)
Michael Gupton didn’t necessarily show up to the Perfect Game National Showcase wanting to break any sort of record in the 60-yard dash.
 
Gupton, the No. 30 overall player in the 2022 class and No. 1 outfielder from the state of North Carolina, doesn’t really think that way. He doesn’t typically concern himself with what others are doing. He focuses on how he can improve himself, and takes comfort in knowing that’s enough.
 
He had run a 6.1-flat personal best 60-yard dash. That’s the number he had in mind to beat. He ended up running a 5.96, sending everyone in attendance into a frenzy with the fastest time ever recorded at the event.
 




“Honestly, I didn’t know the record,” Gupton said. “I knew I was capable of running 6.0 flat or under 6.0. I just went there trying to break my previous 60 time, which was 6.1. That’s all I was expecting. I’d been training to break that time and had a good outcome.
 
“You can run everything perfect one day, and then you can do it again on another day, and just because your body feels better that day, you run a faster time. Some things just fall into place in perfect ways.”
 
Gupton is one of the best sprinters in the country. He has won national championships in track spikes. And for all the buzz he gets for his speed, he wants people to know there’s more to him than just his speed.
 
Make no mistake – Gupton is nothing close to a one-trick pony on the baseball field. You don’t get to where he is headed by leaning on just one tool. A complete baseball player has five of them, ready and able, and Gupton has proven to have all of them.
 
In 57 career games at Perfect Game events, he has a .343 average. His top exit velocity at PG National came off the bat at 101 mph, and he is an elite defender in the outfield.
 


“There isn’t a spot I’m not working hard at,” Gupton said. “I’m working to make the skills that I have now a little bit better. Turn them into absolute weapons while developing the other things I need to work on. I know that I don’t have the strongest arm or some people don’t think I can hit the ball the furthest. I’m working to better myself in all areas.”
 
In talking to Gupton, the word ‘work’ comes up often. He wants to outwork all of his competition and he might well be on his way to doing so.
 
During the summer he’s running, lifting, and throwing one day, the next he’s hitting and lifting, and the day after he’s running and hitting. He doesn’t really have an offseason, but during those winter months when he doesn’t have game action on the baseball field, he’s running indoor track to keep his body right while still getting as much diamond work in as possible.
 
“There’s a lot of time in the day,” Gupton said.
 
Any shortcoming on the field or tweak that can be made to better himself, Gupton is anxious to work on. He mentioned his arm strength – he threw 87 mph from the outfield at PG National – as something he’s not content with.
 
“Whenever I do anything, whether that’s sports or school, I put my all into it,” he said. “I recognize that I’m gifted, and I try to take full advantage of the tools I have to offer.”
 
More than anything, he wants to feel dangerous on the baseball field; in the batter’s box, taking his lead off first base, patrolling center field, playing for the East squad at the Perfect Game All-American Classic.
 
A year ago, Gupton wrote down a list of goals he wanted to work toward, and playing in the Classic was one of them.
 
He had built the necessary resume heading into PG National, and his performance at Tropicana Field put an exclamation point on it. Of course, Gupton was glad to see his hard work (there’s that word again) pay off.
 
“When I found out that I had been selected, it was a big sigh of relief,” Gupton said. “You always think you did enough, but then the other side of your mind is like, ‘Did I really do enough?’ It means a lot to me, with the work I’ve put in. I’ve been working really hard and it was one of my goals, so I was really happy to achieve it.”
 
Now he gets to prove to himself one more time this summer how dangerous he can be on the field.
 
There’s no bigger stage as a prep prospect than to do it at Petco Park for the All-American Classic, and Gupton heads to San Diego comforted by the fact that he has put the work in.
 
“I don’t judge myself because other people will do that for you, so I just think to myself, ‘If they don’t think I’m the best, they’re going to know one thing, that I work the hardest.’ That’s what I keep in mind,” Gupton summarized.
 
“I just want to go out there and do my thing…I know the best me is plenty, so as long as I’m the best me, I can’t complain.”
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All American Game | Story | 9/15/2025

PG Athletes Raise Money For Charity
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 ATHLETES RAISE MORE THAN $130,000   FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITIES THROUGHOUT AUGUST    Sanford, Florida (Monday, September 15, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that its athletes raised a combined $130,195 for children’s charities during its August 2025 showcase events throughout the country.    The fundraising efforts took place at Perfect Game’s Select Festivals and the DICK’S All-American Classic, with each age group rallying behind a cause that supports children in need. The 11U and 12U Select Fests each benefited Elite Development Academy out...
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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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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 | 1/21/2026

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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