THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
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2,416 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Tournaments  | Story | 9/16/2021

19th WWBA Kernels ready to deliver

Photo: David Lally (Perfect Game)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – From the very beginning of what has now become a remarkable 19-year run, the Perfect Game WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship has served as a launching pad for competitive programs primarily from a core of four centrally located states.

The landing zone was on Jupiter (OK, in Jupiter, Fla.) at the PG WWBA World Championship, where teams and programs are given the opportunity to elevate their profile and their prominence at the premier amateur baseball scouting event in the world.



The PG WWBA Kernels Championship serves as a qualifying event for the prestigious PG WWBA World Championship held annually in Jupiter, Fla., during early October. The team that wins the Kernels championship receives a paid invitation to the blockbuster Jupiter event, scheduled this year for Oct. 7-11 at the Roger Dean Complex, the MLB Spring Training home of the Cardinals and Marlins.

Twelve organizations laid claim to the first 18 Kernels championship trophies with the Wisconsin-based Reds Midwest Scout Team winning three in 2009, ’11 and ’14, and Wisconsin’s Hitters Baseball capturing a pair in 2009 and 2015.

But as good as those programs continue to be, their accomplishments at the WWBA Kernels are no match to the recent success enjoyed by the Illinois-based Cangelosi Sparks organization, whose teams have taken home titles each of the last four years (2017-20). And, not surprisingly, they’re back looking for that fifth ring this weekend.

The 19th annual PG WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship begins its four-day run on Friday, when 82 teams will be competing for the crown. The majority of the games will be played at the Prospect Meadows Sports Complex in Marion, Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium and Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids; Independence (Iowa) High School will also host games.

The 82 entrants will gather in Eastern Iowa having arrived from nine states, most from the core-four of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota will have highly competitive representatives in attendance, and any one of them could rise up and become a serious player in the championship chase which concludes on Monday.

And there is another intriguing addition to this year’s field of teams, one that promises to inject a Pacific Island flavor to the otherwise all-Midwestern menu. What looks to be a very talented Hawaii Elite 2G squad out of Honolulu will bring its style of play to the Iowa cornfields for all to see, in an effort to earn that coveted Jupiter bid.

There are several highly respected organizations with multiple teams in the field, including the home-state Iowa Select program with eight entrants. The Cangelosi Sparks have six teams in tow, and Canes Illinois and the GRB Rays (Wisconsin) have four each.

The real center of power looks to sit with what is now called the Reds Scout Team, based in Cincinnati. Andy Stack and Greg Reinhard have assembled a roster on which nearly every player is ranked as at least a top-500 with 18 committed to NCAA D-I schools.

Headliners on that roster from the 2022 class include PG All-American outfielder Tommy Specht (also rostered with Iowa Select 2022 Obermueller), a Kentucky commit ranked No. 41 overall; right-hander David Lally (No. 82, Notre Dame); right-hander Brayden Risedorph (No. 152, Parkland College); corner-infielder Luke Adams (No. 161, Michigan State) and left-hander Noah Samol (No. 195, Georgia Tech).

The Reds Scout Team boasts some pretty elite talent from the class of 2023, as well, including right-hander Zander Mueth (No. 9, Ole Miss), catcher Ryan Bakes (No. 69, South Carolina) and right-hander Cole Selvig (No. 86, Texas); Mueth is also rostered with the GBA Upperclass team.

The Cangelosi Sparks 2022 Black appear, on paper anyway, to be the most likely of the six Cangelosi entrants to extend the program’s WWBA Kernels championship winning streak to five years.

Armed with a roster of mostly top 500-level 2022s (2021 RHP Caden Leonard, t-500 Kent State is also rostered) the Sparks 2022 Black are built to contend. PG All-American Noah Schultz (No. 9, Vanderbilt) is the real attention-grabber, along with outfielder/right-hander Jack Lausch (No. 96, Notre Dame) and right-hander/infielder Julius Sanchez (No. 102, Illinois).

There are literally dozens of other teams at the PG WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship that will look to make some hay during what is forecast to be pretty darn hot with high temps approaching 90 over the four days spanning the final weekend in the summer of 2021. They all have rosters built around top-500 and top-1,000 prospects, and they shouldn’t be discounted at any time.

One of those teams is the aforementioned Hawaii Elite 2G, which brings seven prospects with D-I commitments: infielder Aiva Arquette (No. 464, Cal Poly); right-hander/outfielder Parker Grant (t-500, Cal State Northridge); middle-infielder Elijah Ickes (t-500, Hawaii); left-hander Kaena Kiakona (t-500, Rice); outfielder/left-hander Keoni Painter (t-1000, BYU); catcher/first baseman Beau Sylvester (t-500, Washington) and right-hander Zacary Tenn (t-500, Washington).

And there you go. It really does promise to be a special weekend, with so many talented players dotting all 82 rosters. For instance, you don't dare overlook the Iowa Select 2022 Obermueller squad with top 500-level 2022 Iowa commits Gable Mitchell, Reese Moore, Cade Obermueller, Drew Proskovec, Aaron Savary and Kellen Strohmeyer along for the ride.

Pick a card, any card, the dealer might say, and settle-in as the hands continue to be dealt over the next four days. One of these 82 teams will be headed to Jupiter in early October with its entry fee both paid and well-earned, and that’s always an exciting development. Doesn't really matter if you’re from Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota or Wisconsin. Or, for that matter, from Hawaii.


Tournaments | Story | 4/21/2026

Southeast Super NIT #2 Scout Notes

Jason Phillips
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Chase Jelks (‘30 GA)- with a long double to deep CF. Huge day from the primary SS, 5-for-6 w/ 4 doubles & 6 RBI. #SESuperNIT @TheDreamBall @PG_Georgia https://t.co/biFSzXCrUt pic.twitter.com/HCQMduedb5 — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) April 20, 2026 Chase Jelks (’30, Atlanta, Ga.)- the left-handed hitting Jelks was all over the barrel on Sunday in a pair of games for The Dream 14U Black. He finished the day with five hits in six at-bats which included four doubles and six runs batted in. His two doubles and four runs batted in played a big part in the Gold Playoffs Round 1 victory over the talented BPA squad out of California. He backed up that performance with three more hits in a quarterfinal’s loss to the East Cobb Astros 14U Orange to finish the tournament with a .600 batting average and 1.636 on-base plus slugging percentage. A primary utility infielder,...
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 4/24/2026

2026 MLB Draft Reports: Top 100

Vincent Cervino
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PG Draft: Top-100 Reports (April Update) 1. Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA R-R, 6-2/202, Chandler, AZ Previously Drafted: Never Drafted Roch Cholowsky has consistently ranked at the top of the class throughout the cycle due to the safety and upside of the profile. Defensively, he is a plus defender at shortstop with soft hands, consistent actions, and quality range. Not only should he stick at the position long term, he should excel there at the next level. Offensively, there is a strong mix of hit and power potential from the right side of the plate. The swing is a bit unorthodox with a shorter finish, but Cholowsky consistently finds the barrel and drives the ball with authority to all fields. He has strong bat to ball skills with impact. He has walked more than stuck out during his collegiate career, giving him a high on-base ability. The run tool is the only tool that doesn’t jump...
Draft | Rankings | 4/24/2026

2026 MLB Draft Board: Top 400

Tyler Henninger
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Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment 1 Roch Cholowsky C SS R-R UCLA Chandler AZ 2 Grady Emerson H SS L-R Fort Worth Christian Argyle TX Texas 3 Vahn Lackey C C R-R Georgia Tech Suwanee GA 4 Jackson Flora C RHP R-R UC Santa Barbara Pleasanton CA 5 Jacob Lombard H SS R-R Gulliver Schools Miami FL Miami 6 AJ Gracia C OF L-L Virginia Monroe NJ 7 Ace Reese C 3B L-R Mississippi State Canton TX 8 Eric Booth Jr. H OF L-L Oak Grove Bassfield MS Vanderbilt 9 Justin Lebron C SS R-R Alabama Miramar FL 10 Drew Burress C OF R-R Georgia Tech Perry GA 11 Gio Rojas H LHP L-R Marjory Stoneman Douglas Coral Springs FL Miami 12 Ryder Helfrick C C R-R Arkansas Discovery Bay CA 13 Chris Hacopian C SS R-R Texas A&M Potomac MD 14 Cameron Flukey C RHP R-R Coastal Carolina Egg Harbor Township NJ 15 Cole Carlon C LHP L-L Arizona State Tempe AZ 16 Jared Grindlinger H LHP/OF L-L Huntington...
Press Release | Press Release | 4/23/2026

Kash Shaikh Named Perfect Game CMO

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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 NAMES KASH SHAIKH CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AND HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, April 23, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that Kash Shaikh has been named the company’s new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Head of International. In this role, Shaikh will serve on Perfect Game’s executive leadership team, overseeing global marketing, brand strategy, creative, partnerships and sponsorships, while leading the company’s international P&L and expansion. Shaikh brings more than two decades of experience building brands, businesses and communities across sports, media and consumer...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 4/22/2026

PG Softball Battle for the Belt

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Perfect Game Softball Battle for the Belt April 18-19, 2026 Des Moines, Iowa It was a cold and very windy weekend, but the girls still came out and put in their best efforts. If you wanted the place to see some of the state’s top talent, this was the tournament to be at. The 18u division was quite the slugfest! The Ankeny Centennial 18U -Kennedy team took down a tough Iowa Alliance Select-Benge team in the championship. Both teams had double digit homeruns on the weekend. In the 16u division the Iowa Aries CE Fire Black took control of the game from the start and never let up on the gas, taking down a solid Alliance Select- Harper team. 18U Division Kori Lincicum (2026 Ankeny, IA) of the Centennial Jaguars- Kennedy and Drake Bulldog softball commit was the weekends MVP Pitcher. Lincicum defeated a tough Alliance team in the championship game finishing with that game with 11...
High School | General | 4/23/2026

Northeast High School Notebook

Jheremy Brown
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In a season that has already had many exciting matchups across various events, we as a staff would like to highlight or “Shout-Out” notable performers along with an Uncommitted Spotlight and Team Spotlight.  Uncommitted Spotlight: Mason Rosenberg, 1B, 2027, Bishop Eustace Prep  Uncommitted Mason Rosenberg (2027, NJ) has been an absolute force within the Bishop Eustace lineup, as the left-handed hitting slugger is hitting .481 through eleven games including six homers. The strength has vastly improved, allowing for Rosenberg to impact the baseball with authority to all fields. Couple that with improved speed and athleticism, this uncommitted 2027 can be a welcomed addition to a class looking for offense.  Team Spotlight: Northern Burlington (9-0) Northern Burlington is once again off to a hot start, as the Greyhounds sit at 9-0 thus far and have continued to...
Juco | Rankings | 4/22/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 22

Blaine Peterson
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Another week down and Johnson County continues their torrid run to remain at number 1. They're 46-2 on the season with multiple hitters over 25 bombs which is astonishing for the level as the Cavs have announced themselves as title favorites. Just a couple of weeks left heading down the stretch and our field remains mostly the same with the two additions of midwest powerhouse Iowa Western and the Warriors of East Central who will have a tough test Wednesday in Poplarville against fellow Mississippi adversary Pearl River in a mid-week double header.   Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 46-2 2 Gaston (NC) 47-3 3 Walters State (TN) 42-10 4 McLennan (TX) 38-8 5 Southern Nevada (NV) 33-9 6 Chipola (FL) 39-9 7 Blinn (TX) 33-12 8 Florida Southwestern (FL) 32-13 9 Florence-Darlington (SC) 42-10 10 Pearl River (MS) 39-9 11 Cloud County (KS) 40-4 12 Cochise (AZ) 39-11 13 Midland (TX)...
College | Story | 4/23/2026

Coppy's Corner: April 23 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
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Each week I huddle with Vinnie Cervino and Craig Cozart  to discuss Top-25 rankings and Players of the Week. In Coppy’s Corner, I dive deeper into these Players of the Week, providing analysis from 20+ years working in baseball front offices at the highest level.     Player of the Week: Tague Davis – University of Louisville  Between 2016-2022, the University of Louisville produced 14 players taken in the Top 5 Rounds of the MLB Draft, seven of whom were taken in the 1st Round. The Cardinals haven’t produced a Top 5 Rounds pick since 2022, but that will change soon with Davis. Still only 20 years old and not draft-eligible until 2027, Davis continued his assault on college baseball this weekend with a 7-for-12 performance that included 5 HR. On the 2026 season, Davis is hitting .389 AVG / .489 OBP / .911 SLG / 1.392 OPS. That’s a 400+...
College | Rankings | 4/22/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 22

Nick Herfordt
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The final weeks of the college baseball regular season have a way of separating programs that are genuinely postseason-ready from those that have simply been good enough for long enough. Conference tournaments loom, selection committees are paying close attention, and every game on the schedule carries weight that it simply didn't in February. This week's action, combined with the latest Perfect Game Top 25, paints a picture of a college baseball landscape where the top is clearly defined — and where the middle is a genuine battle. What follows is a cross-level look at teams across the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III ranks who find themselves in that uncomfortable space: not safely in, not clearly out, but firmly on the bubble. Some have built compelling résumés that should hold up under scrutiny. Others have excellent records against soft competition...
High School | Rankings | 4/21/2026

High School Top 50 Update: April 21

Tyler Russo
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Another few weeks have wrapped up this high school season as we’re flying through the spring and most southern states are starting playoffs right around the corner. With the end of the regular season, we have another National Top 50 update to bring to you, along with this will be the start of the weekly editions of our National Top 50. We have a change at the top of the rankings as Venice (FL) takes over the top spot after just dominating their competition in the state of Florida this year. Orange Lutheran (CA) drops one spot to No. 2 after dropping a series but still holds firm at No. 2 in the country. Barbe (LA) has continued to dominate and holds onto the No. 3 spot while Tomball (TX) skyrockets in this update to No. 4 in the country, currently holding an incredible 30-0-1 record. The rest of the top-10 is names we’ve become accustomed to see with Aledo (TX) at No. 5, IMG...
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