THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 9/2/2021

The Meadows gears for Midwest LDC

Photo: Tommy Specht (Perfect Game)

MARION, Iowa – Once the Prospect Meadows Sports Complex got up and running in earnest during the fall of 2019, the eight-field facility began hosting what is now called the Perfect Game Midwest Labor Day Classic.

The event has grown exponentially over its three-year history, and when the 2021 rendition begins its four-day run on Friday (Sept. 5), 74 teams from eight centrally located states (primarily Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin) will compete for championships in the Upperclass (18u), Underclass (17u), Sophomore (16u) and Freshman (15u) age divisions.



And while this year’s field will be dominated by the presence of 24 teams from the ever-expanding Iowa Select Baseball organization, it’s impossible to look past the entrants from Racine, Wis.-based Midwest powerhouse Hitters Baseball, a championship-level program under the direction of RJ Fergus.

“Every year since [PG] has put this event together we’ve liked to go out to Cedar Rapids with all of our teams and get them on the road – for a lot of guys, for the first time,” Fergus told PG during a telephone conversation this week. “You’ll have the whole organization at Prospect Meadows at the same time which is really good for us.

“The younger guys can see the older guys, the older guys can see the younger guys and it’s kind of like a family affair; we all stay at the same hotel,” he said. “It’s a great way for us to kick off our fall season in a competitive environment.”

The 24-team Upperclass division looks to be especially competitive with the Hitters 2022 Navy and Iowa Select 2022 Obermueller standing out heading into the tournament; they are one of two Hitters teams and one of six Iowa Select teams in the field. There are also numerous teams from the Minnesota-based P2P Millers and the Illinois-based Cangelosi Sparks programs that always promise to be highly competitive.

The Hitters 2022 Navy roster will be nearly intact, led by outfielders Michael Lippe (No. 163-ranked, Louisville commit) and Jonathan Kim (No. 468, Michigan); right-hander Mitch Voit (No. 394, Michigan) and catcher Will Vierling (No. 456, Louisville); eight other 2022 Navy prospects are ranked as top-500s.

The most notable absence will be that of PG All-American shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 25, Louisville) who is in the Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla., area competing at the USA Baseball 18U National Team Trials.

The Iowa Select Obermueller roster is loaded to the gills with D-I talent right out of Eastern Iowa high schools, including six from Iowa City’s City High School. The most prominent player is 2021 PG All-American outfielder Tommy Specht, the No. 39-ranked national prospect from the class of 2022, a Kentucky commit out of Dubuque.

There are also six top-500 prospects on the roster who have committed to the in-state Iowa Hawkeyes: middle infielder Gable Mitchell, catcher Reese Moore, outfielder Cade Obermueller, left-hander Drew Proskovec, right-hander/third baseman Aaron Savary and infielder/outfielder Kellen Strohmeyer.

Twelve teams will compete for the MW Underclass MWLDC crown including three Iowa Select squads and a Hitters 2023’s team that features outfielder JT Kelenic (No. 235, uncommitted), the younger brother of former PG All-American and current Seattle Mariner Jarred Kelenic.

Catcher Thomas Curry (No. 448, uncommitted), shortstop Alex Alicea (No. 463, Louisville) and top-500s Zachary Olson, Evan Shapiro and TJ Schuyler (Indiana) are also rostered with the Hitters 2023’s. The top-ranked player at the event is outfielder AJ Garcia (No. 190, uncommitted) from Illinois-based Elite Baseball Training Lugo.

PG tournament director Mike Bonwell has also put together a 21-team field for the Sophomore division, including eight more Iowa Select squads, three more from the P2P Millers program and the Hitters 2024’s. Another 17 will compete in the Freshman division, featuring seven more Iowa Select teams, two more P2P Millers’ squads and, yes, the Hitters 2025’s.

The most highly-regarded prospects from the class of 2024 playing in the Sophomore MWLDC are Iowa recruits in shortstop Myles Davis (No. 145) from Marion and right-hander Joey Oakie (No. 180) out of Ankeny; Davis is with the Iowa Select 2024 Remington, Oakie with Iowa Select 2024 Murphy.

Fergus pointed out many of his younger players, the ‘24s and ‘25s, did experience travel ball over the summer so they won’t come in not knowing what to expect. They have taken a good chunk of August off, of course, and with a lot of guys now playing football, the rosters will be thinner.

That means less depth, which in turn means players will be asked to do more over the course of the long holiday weekend. Guys who may not have pitched a lick all summer could find themselves toeing the rubber at Prospect Meadows.

“The biggest thing is to get out and be outside of home and then learn to play a little bit,” Fergus said. “And a lot of it is to support Mike [Bonwell] and his group of PG guys in Iowa. [PG] has been great to us over the years and we’ll continue our support with you guys there...This is the opening weekend to see what you’ve got and now you’re putting it together to go out to win.”

The PG Midwest Labor Day Classic is among the most prominent of the six Labor Day Classics being held this weekend, with the five-class, 63-team WWBA East Labor Day Classic being held in Fort Myers also deserving of a shout-out.

With only a handful of exceptions, the teams at the East LDC are all based in Florida, with a few outliers from Puerto Rico, New Jersey and Connecticut. Other four-day Classics will be held in Sanford, Fla. (East, 10u-13u) and Memphis (Mid-South).


Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘28 OF Jakob Groeschel (OH) continues to impress with the bat on the circuit, picked up 2 2Bs in the first game today. Really athletic, went 4.4 on turn; easy to dream on all the traits. #MLKEast @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/wOIwnGKnkg — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) January 17, 2026 2028 OF Jakob Groeschel (Springfield, Ohio) broke out at this event last year hitting a casual .909, and although he didn’t turn in quite the same performance, he hit a strong .462 with 4 extra-base hits, 5 walks, 5 bags and only struck out once. He’s a pretty dynamic athlete who can do a lot of things well, but the bat is the calling card as he just lives on the barrel and has no problem handling all kinds of pitching. It’s a simple swing, but he’s got fast hands and he can really impact the ball without being overly physical yet.  2030 RHP Michael Vazquez...
General | Blog | 2/20/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 63

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 62, Part 1 | Part 2 Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls - Part 3  We've made it to Part 3…the final installment of our series on baseball's most misunderstood and debated topics.   In Part 1, we tackled the curveball. The takeaway: the pitch itself isn't what’s dangerous. Decades of awful and ineffective coaching cues, ”snap your wrist," "turn the doorknob”…exacerbated and even in many causes caused some of the problems. Teach it correctly, when the athlete is ready, and it's no riskier than a fastball.  In Part 2, we examined pitch counts. The takeaway: they're a useful tool, but a limited one. Treating a single number as a universal measure of safety ignores everything...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/20/2026

18U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Dave Durbala
Article Image
SPRINGFIELD, IL - 2026 Perfect Game Softball Winter Elite Showcase, February 6 - 8, 2026.  Twenty teams rolled into Springfield to showcase their talents in this 18u, four-game guarantee, pool-into-bracket play,  at the newly opened 170,000-square-foot domed facility at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. In the Silver Bracket, it was the 09 Midwest Sluggers taking home the championship over the CR Blue Devils 18u National. In the Gold Bracket, a championship game that featured the tournament's top two pitchers, it was the Iowa Dynamite 18u with the win over GTS 15u Elite-Herrick, by a score of  2-1. The tournament, with a mix of committed players, and those young ladies striving for the next level,  was loaded with talent.  Below are some of the players that excelled on the field and made their way onto the tournament’s Top Performers list. Earning...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/19/2026

14U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Erica Beach
Article Image
PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor 14U January 17-18, 2026 Springfield, IL   SPRINGFIELD, IL- It may be cold outside, but there was some hot competition going on at the PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor tournament. Six team converged on the Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe and the Texas Glory IL 29 walked away with the hardware after a close 7-6 ballgame. Below we highlight some of the impressive athletes who competed on the weekend.     Lila Rafferty (2029, Leroy, IL) of the Texas Glory IL 29 was an unstoppable force at the plate over the weekend. She showed great tenacity in the box, proving to be one of the most consistent hitters in the tournament. She finished her weekend batting an incredible .750, tallying nine hits and scoring five times. She flashed her speed on multiple occasions, stealing two bases and legging out two doubles and two triples. She came in clutch,...
High School | General | 2/19/2026

Pacific Northwest All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
Article Image
NORTHWEST REGION (WA, OR, ID, WY, AK, MT, HI)    The biggest change in the Northwest Region for 2026 is the addition of Hawaii, which has always been overlooked due to being lumped with California in the former Pacific Region.  This also coincides with an increased Perfect Game presence in the islands in the form of additional events and scouting.  And Hawaii certainly contributed in it’s first year, placing four players on the All-Region team, including slugging 2026 outfielder Judah Ota. The powerhouse Puyallup HS team is the only Northwest Region team to be represented in the PG Pre-Season Top 50 National HS Rankings, beginning the year ranked 26th.  C – Teagan Scott (Sr., South Salem HS, Ore.) Scott has been on the prospect map since he played in the 2023 PG 14U Select Festival and is signed with Oregon State.  A right-handed hitter with lots...
Showcase | Story | 2/20/2026

PG ID Camps Help Build Baseball Resume

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PG ID Camps Help Youngsters Build a Baseball Resume There was still snow on the ground in a lot of places last weekend, but that didn’t stop more than 200 young players from going indoors to participate in the first round of Perfect Game Select Fest ID Camps for the 2026 season. John McAdams, PG’s national crosschecker and Northeast scouting director, ran the event in Farmingdale, New Jersey, and was impressed with his group’s energy and desire to improve at the game. “We’re giving young players the opportunity to build their baseball resumes and chart their growth and progress over a span of years,” he said. In addition to New Jersey, Select Fest ID Camps were held in Lake St. Louis, Missouri; Rossford, Ohio; Marietta, Georgia; and Kent, Washington. The ID camps debuted in 2025. Twenty-two of them were held around the country with nearly 700 young...
Draft | Story | 2/19/2026

Then vs. Now: '26 Class Look Back

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
One constant across our scouting staff is the volume of in-person looks we get at prospects during their high school years. With assignments at national tournaments and showcases throughout the calendar, we’ve built a deep library of reports and video on many of today’s top college prospects dating back to their prep days. This week, we took a step back to revisit what those players looked like as high school prospects. Which tools stood out? What was missing from the profile at the time? And what, if anything, did we overlook that ultimately helped shape the player they’ve become? Below, we break down 10 players in a “Then and Now” reflection. Justin Lebron (23 FL) finishes off the tournament getting in on the hit parade with a single to the pullside. #PGShowdown #Bama commit pic.twitter.com/C4Irym2ZTR — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 4, 2023...
High School | General | 2/18/2026

High School Notebook: Feb. 18

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
Grady Emerson (‘26 TX) laces this ball to right for a walk off single. Clean lefty stroke. Looks the part both sides of the ball. Checks all the boxes. Will be scouted heavily this Spring. #PGHS #HookEm commit. #PGDraft pic.twitter.com/wXvdHdgqME — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) February 6, 2026 Grady Emerson (2026, Argyle, Texas) had a strong showing throughout the opening week of high school baseball out here in Texas. Works good at-bats and is always a tough out in general. Makes all the plays at short and just has the look of a future big leaguer. He does all the little things right. Bat to ball will play at a high level and there is still a lot more power to project on here. There is a reason why Emerson is one of, if not the most highly coveted high school prospect in the 2026 class and it’s easy to see why. Currently committed to Texas, but has the potential to...
High School | Rankings | 2/18/2026

Midwest Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Midwest All Region & Top Tools Rk Midwest 2025 Record 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) 27-4 2 Edmond Memorial (OK) 30-8 3 Muskego (WI) 27-10 4 Lawrence Free State (KS) 28-2 5 Mill Valley (KS) 22-6 6 Valley View (AR) 29-5 7 Platte County (MO) 29-8 8 Liberty North (MO) 19-14 9 Millard North (NE) 23-13 10 St. John Vianney (MO) 38-2 11 Owasso (OK) 40-3 12 Olathe East (KS) 22-6 13 Staley (MO) 38-4 14 Shawnee Mission South (KS) 10-11-4 15 Blue Springs South (MO) 27-7 16 Blue Valley (KS) 21-10 17 Edmond Santa Fe (OK) 37-7 18 Skutt Catholic (NE) 24-7 19 Howell (MO) 35-4 20 Olathe West (KS) 25-3 21 Creighton Prep (NE) 16-15 22 Rogers (AR) 26-4 23 Fayetteville (AR) 26-7 24 Blue Valley West (KS) 17-10 25 Cretin Derham Hall (MN) 19-5-1
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/18/2026

PG Softball Winter One Day Tournament

Dave Durbala
Article Image
BURLINGTON, IA - Perfect Game Softball Winter One Day Tournament, February 15, 2026. Twelve teams, split between the 16u and 18u divisions, participated in this event.  With two pool games, and then a move into single elimination bracket play,  some players used this tournament as  their last warm-up before kicking off their high school seasons, while others were tuning up for the busy Spring and Summer travel season. In the 16u division, it was the Iowa Aries 16u Ce Fire Red taking the championship, with Southeast Iowa Allstars 18u Gold Miller earning the crown in the 18u division. Below are write-ups from observations made during the day, as due to a software glitch, there were no stats available to complete a Top Performers list. 16U Division  Earning the MV-Pitcher Award, as selected by her coaches, was Aurora Widlund (2029 Altoona, IA) of tournament champion Iowa...
College | Rankings | 2/18/2026

DIII Rankings: February 18

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Every spring, Division III baseball begins as a wide-open map. Cold mornings turn into long bus rides, non-conference gauntlets test resolve, and by the time the dust settles, only a few teams are still standing with a clear line to the NCAA Division III baseball tournament. The 2026 Perfect Game Division III Baseball Rankings capture that moment before the stretch run, highlighting the programs that have separated themselves through depth, durability, and an ability to win in a variety of ways. These eight teams are not simply piling up wins; they are shaping identities built to survive the grind and thrive when the margins narrow.  The destination is familiar, even if the journey never is. Once again, the final chapter will be written at Classic Park, where timing, composure, and roster balance matter as much as raw talent. The teams ranked here enter 2026 with more than ambition....
Loading more articles...