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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 | Recruiting | 1/6/2026

Recruiting Notebook: January 6

Michael Albee
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Griffin Boesen (‘27, IA) shoots this one backside down the line. Adds his second hit of the day. Picked up a base knock. Physical LH bat w/ an ability to drive the baseball here. @IowaPG @PG_Uncommitted @CanesMidwest #WWBAWorlds https://t.co/pmpIzaAbLz pic.twitter.com/Qz0CHiS3P1 — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 13, 2025 Griffin Boesen, Class of 2027 Commitment: Duke Another top 100 prospect is off the board as the Corey Muscara led Duke Blue Devils picked up a physical two-way prospect in Boesen out of Florida recently. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Boesen looks the part of a middle of the order type slugger and he's just that, showing lots of looseness and bat speed in his left-handed stroke and is coming off a Jupiter where he hit .700 (!!) as an underclassman while driving in 10 runs. The bat-to-ball skills are obvious as he simply hit at all the big stops in 2025,...
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Showcase | Story | 1/6/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2027

Jheremy Brown
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Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 To think this group still has another two years of high school is a scary thought given what some of the category leaders already are. Samir Mohammed up to 97 mph on the mound, Bryce Fontenot with a max exit velocity of 103 mph and a 6.22 60-yard out of Dylan Seward are all otherworldly numbers that you'd expect to find on a college campus, much less a junior in high school.  Below we check in on several categories for the Class of 2027 and will continue to do so through the week, taking in the top 10 for each, from both Perfect Game showcases and tournaments.  Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Samir Mohammed 97 2025 PG WWBA World Championship Louisiana State Tampa Jesuit Trinity, FL 2 Connor Salerno 96 2025 PG WWBA World Championship Mississippi State Sun Valley Indian Trail, NC...
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Tournaments | All-Tournament Team | 1/5/2026

12u All-Tourney Standout Performers

John McAdams
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The bar continues to rise each and every year, as the Perfect Game tournament platform adds new exciting locations, events and even refines existing ones. This year was no different, as players played in events hosted all over the country. Now, let’s get to the players as they also continue to up the ante every year with outstanding performances that leave many people in complete awe. Please note that due to age of these players, we have decided to focus primarily on the statistics amassed in Perfect Game tournaments. Let’s talk about the numbers, as not one single player on the first team (Hitters) was below a .464 average, while that group hit an astounding 515 homers as a whole. Offensive Player of The Year Aaron Kim led the way with 31 All-Tournament selections with William Goodrich Jr. a close second with 30. In totality, a total of nine selections made the...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/2/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026

Jheremy Brown
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Complete PG Leaderboard Database With the Main Event Showcase in the rearview mirror, let's take a peak back at some of the standout performances from across the country, both at PG showcases and tournaments. Want to make the list for top fastball? You better have hit at least 97 mph. How about speed? The "slowest" 60-yard to make the table is a 6.30. A 101 mph throws from across the infield courtesy of Matt Ponataski, a few 100s in the outfield from Brady Harris, Matthew Kelley and Juriel Collazo and a top heater of 100 mph from Savion Sims all lead the way in their respective categories. Get ready for the future right now as you'll be hearing plenty about these names in the coming months, leading up to the 2026 MLB Draft.  Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Savion Sims 100 2025 PG National Showcase Oklahoma Prestonwood Christian Academy...
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Draft | Story | 1/1/2026

2026 MLB Draft Preview & Superlatives

Tyler Kotila
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As we look ahead to the 2026 calendar year, we take a step closer to the 2026 MLB Draft. While we recently dropped our Top 300 College Prospects for the 2026 group, there is still a lot to sort out throughout this year. High school ball is right around the corner and the college season is on the horizon. Many players are going to see their stock improve as games start to get played and players pitch/hit their way up or down the board. We’ll see some breakout candidates, collegiate performers, and high school arms that pop throughout the 2026 spring and summer. In this article, we are going to talk through some of the narratives/storylines shaping up for this 2026 draft class. We’ll also talk through a couple of players who fit the build of some pre-season superlatives. Battle for 1:1 It’s still really early in the race for things, but with the Draft Lottery done with,...
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Tournaments | Story | 12/29/2025

PG Expands Presence in Pacific Rim

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 EXPANDS PRESENCE IN PACIFIC RIM, STRENGTHENING YOUTH BASEBALL DEVELOPMENT    Sanford, Florida (Monday, December 29, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a significant expansion of its presence across the Asia-Pacific Zone, with a strategic focus on the 10-15 year-old age group. The initiative will be led in partnership with longtime Japanese youth baseball executive and coach Takaharu Nasu, as Perfect Game continues to grow its global footprint and strengthen pathways for elite youth...
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Showcase | Story | 12/27/2025

Main Event Invades Fort Myers

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 CLOSES OUT 2025 WITH MAIN EVENT SHOWCASE  AT JETBLUE PARK IN FT. MYERS, FLORIDA    Nearly 1,000 players expected at largest showcase of the year  that has produced over 1,000 MLB Draft picks    Ft. Myers, Florida (Saturday, December 27, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, will host its 2025 Main Event Showcase from December 28–31 at JetBlue Park, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, in the Fort Myers area.    The Main Event is the largest showcase Perfect Game holds annually,...
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Draft | Rankings | 12/26/2025

2026 MLB Draft Board Update

Vincent Cervino
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The calendar is just days away from being flipped over to 2026, and while the players may be on break, it’s clear that they are just itching to get back on the field and compete once again, with another season of college baseball right around the corner. For prep players (especially in warm-weather states), the season’s right around the corner, and players will be back on the ball fields sooner than later. With that said, the PG Draft Team came together and got to work on a 2026 MLB Draft Board update. A little pre-season shake-up and expansion as we took our board from the Top 150 names to the Top 300 names, in preparation for the 2026 college and prep seasons to begin. The 2025 MLB Draft Lottery occurred earlier in December and shed some light on what the draft order will look like in 2026, with the Chicago White Sox taking home the first overall pick, followed by the Tampa...
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PG Select Baseball Festival | General | 12/26/2025

2025 Year in Review: PGAAC, ASG, Festivals

Jheremy Brown
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All-Star Game Continues To Thrive We’re only a couple of years into having the PG All-Star Game around, an underclass event attached to the All-American weekend, this year played in Petco two days before the Classic. The talent that is a part of it continues to grow to significant levels, and this year was a mix of young guys and some newer names that left lasting impressions. The two hardest throwing guys in the game were the only 2028s in attendance, Striker Pence and Dexter McCleon Jr who both were upper-90s as guys who just started their sophomore year, while the loudest moment of the day came when Kinon Bastian obliterated a pitch into the top deck of the famous Western Supply building in left field, something that we’ll remember for a long time. Extra Swings In The All-American Derby One of the best events every All-American weekend is getting to see these guys with...
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College | Story | 12/25/2025

2025 Year in Review: College

Craig Cozart
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The LSU Tigers Win It All Again For the second time in the last three years, the LSU Tigers, led by head coach Jay Johnson secured the national title. The national championship was the eight in LUS program history as they swept Coastal Carolina in the MCWS championship series. As a result, Johnson was virtually a unanimous choice for National Coach of the Year on media outlets and is the fastest coach to win multiple CWS championships at a single school. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player was Tigers’ lefthanded ace and Perfect Game First-Team All-American, Kade Anderson highlighted by his complete-game shutout in Game 1 of the CWS Finals. The roster was a tremendous blend of offensive firepower, frontline pitching and elite defense, leaving opponents with very few avenues to victory. PG Second-Team All-American, Jared Jones was the heart of the lineup with his 20...
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