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College  | Story | 2/1/2022

Iowa Western Opens Atop PG JUCO Poll

Photo: Dylan Robertson (Travis Jacobson/Iowa Western Athletics)
Perfect Game Preseason JUCO Top 25

Rk. Team City ST 2021 Rec.
1 Iowa Western Council Bluffs IA 50-10
2 San Jacinto Houston TX 51-15
3 McLennan Waco TX 47-16
4 Crowder Neosho MO 55-8
5 LSU-Eunice Eunice LA 51-7
6 Central Arizona Coolidge AZ 51-9
7 Chipola Marianna FL 34-17
8 Johnson County Overland Park KS 43-10
9 Weatherford Weatherford TX 37-20
10 Pearl River Poplarville MS 36-9
11 Northwest Florida State Niceville FL 32-17
12 Cowley Arkansas City KS 47-10
13 Wabash Valley Mount Carmel IL 53-5
14 Walters State Morristown TN 61-7
15 Florence-Darlington Florence SC 46-8
16 Orange Coast Costa Mesa CA 20-7-1
17 John A. Logan Carterville IL 42-18
18 Florida SouthWestern Fort Myers FL 44-16
19 San Joaquin Delta Stockton CA N/A
20 Midland Midland TX 29-16
21 Pima Tucson AZ 36-14
22 State College of Florida Bradenton FL 34-21
23 Kellogg Battle Creek MI 37-13
24 Shelton State Tuscaloosa AL 40-17
25 Riverside Riverside CA N/A




Iowa Western Opens Atop PG JUCO Polls

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- Iowa Western is putting the finishing touches on a $4 million project on the baseball facilities, which includes a full turf field, new lights, a new outfield fence, and a new scoreboard.
 
That financial commitment is a testament to where the program is at, and how far it has come since Head Coach Marc Rardin got to campus 20 years ago.
 
It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. He never planned to be at Iowa Western this long.
 
“I was going to be here five [years]. This is year 20,” Rardin said. “It feels like five years…We’ve really built something special here. We’re always that northern team in the rankings and the World Series. We’re the northern team. I’ve always had some pride in that, that we’re on the baseball map and we’re in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It’s not ideal weather for baseball, but we’ve made it work, and I’ve always been really proud of that.”
 
Iowa Western is the northern team that since 2010 has taken home three national championships (2010, 2012, 2014) and has played in a total of 12 Junior College World Series tournaments in Rardin’s 19 years. To this point, it is still the only northern team to win a national title.
 
Now, it is that northern team ranked No. 1 in Perfect Game’s Preseason JUCO Top 25.
 
It’s impressive how far the program has come and the heights they have reached. Rardin said when he first started, his team was consistently bringing knives to a gun fight.
 
“When we won our first national championship in 2010, we had one guy who touched 90,” he said.
 
This year’s roster, in contrast, currently has 22 pitchers throwing 90 mph. That feels something like bringing a handful of bazookas to a gun fight.
 
“Times change, kids change, and I have to change,” Rardin said. “It’s adapt or die.”
 
Rardin grew up in Northeast Iowa but spent his time before taking over Iowa Western at Baylor University and Yavapai College in Arizona. He learned his style of play down in the south, and wanted to bring it with him when he moved back to his home state.
 
It’s an aggressive style, set on putting as much pressure as possible on the other team and requiring his players to be the toughest guys on the field.
 
Through a small chuckle, Rardin said he apologizes to his former players for how hard he was on them in the beginning. Really, he was setting a culture, one that has produced at levels unseen in his territory.
 
“I spent two years in Texas and three in Arizona. For those five years, I always say that’s a different brand of baseball,” Rardin said. “When I first got here, I had an idea of how I wanted to play, and it was just different than everyone else at the time. Whether it was hit and runs, automatic first-to-thirds, second-to-homes. The second part of it is that my kids were going to be really tough. My kids were going to play hard. We all say that, but someone has to actually make that happen.”
 
Last year it was second baseman Dylan Robertson making that happen in the Reiver lineup. As a freshman, Robertson hit .377 and drove in 46 runs, both marks good enough for second in the conference.
 
According to Rardin, Robertson is a classic overachiever, and it fits his personality perfectly. He walked on at Iowa Western, and simply made it impossible to keep him out of the lineup with the amount of work he put in.
 
He’s the vocal leader of the team, and will be one of the focal points in a lineup that expects to make another deep run to the World Series.
 
“He’s awesome in every way,” Rardin said about Robertson. “He walked on here and ended up getting the most at-bats on the team. All he’s continued to do is grow. He’s a hard worker, high energy, great teammate, awesome in school…His standards are high. When he talks, people listen. People want to follow him.”
 
Robertson will be joined up the middle by Trenton Harris, one of the smoothest shortstops you’ll find at the junior college level. Harris hit .317 in 82 at-bats last year. Alec Patino hit .376 in 93 at-bats last year, with an on-base percentage flirting with .500, and he’s back.
 
Then there are the newcomers. Brady Christensen is a local kid from Omaha who will play a hybrid role for Iowa Western. He can play any corner position on the field and his bat really plays at all of them. Jake Gish is another local product from just outside of Omaha. Gish transferred back home after spending time at Arkansas State, and will be a middle-of-the-order bat for the Reivers before heading to Utah next year.
 
The arms are the headline for Iowa Western, though. In any postseason tournament, your depth will be tested, and the Reivers seem to have plenty of it.
 
“The crazy thing about the arms we have is that we don’t have a lot of sporadic arms,” Rardin said. “There is some use in all these arms…We’ll go into every weekend knowing we have a chance to win.”
 
Ernie Day heads into the year as the ace of the staff. The Mississippi State signee has the ideal pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and struck out 47 in 32 innings a season ago.
 
Day is joined by seven other pitchers on staff who are committed to Division-I schools – Jay Watson (Arkansas Little Rock), Daniel Wright (Houston), Noah Manning (Troy), Michael Finan (Creighton), Sawyer Hansen (Incarnate Word), Evan O’Toole (Oklahoma State), and Brant Hogue (Oklahoma State).
 
The Reivers have 15 total players on the roster committed to Division-I schools, and four or five more in the pipeline, according to Rardin.
 
Position players committed include Auggie Rasmussen (Illinois State), Gish (Utah), Harris (Campbell), Robertson (Missouri State), Braden Berry (Incarnate Word), Carter Wright (Auburn), and Q Phillips (Michigan).
 
That’s really what it comes down to for Rardin. His motivation each year is to get his guys to four-year schools and give them opportunities they didn’t have coming out of high school.
 
“Whether we win the next three World Series in a row, or I never go to another World Series,” he said. “That’s my No. 1 goal.”
 
As far as what his players have in mind for this season?
 
“I know what these kids want,” he said.
 
The kids from up north want to make room in the trophy case to add another one.

College | Recruiting | 11/11/2026

Head of the Class: No. 5 Vanderbilt

Kyler Peterson
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Complete 2027 Vanderbilt Recruiting Class No. 5 Vanderbilt Head Coach: Tim Corbin | Recruiting Coordinator: Scott Brown Total Signees: 16 | Top 100 Signees: 5 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 21 Ethan Gustus RHP 6-6 192 R-R Roseville Roseville CA 55 Broder Katke C 6-2 205 R-R Brother Rice Bloomfield Hills MI 61 Graham Keen 3B/RHP 6-4 185 R-R Mt Lebanon Pittsburgh PA 63 Stephen Bobo OF 5-11 175 L-L Shelbyville Central Shelbyville TN 85 Derek Yormack RHP 6-3 220 R-R Bellmore JFK Merrick NY The Dores check in at No. 5 in the recruiting rankings with a loaded 2027 class. The class holds five players currently ranked in the top 100 and ten total ranked within the top 200. Coach Corbin and his staff dipped into the west coast to head their class with one of the best arms in the country, California native Ethan Gustus. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has touched triple...
College | Recruiting | 11/11/2026

Head of the Class: No. 6 Alabama

Jay Vossler
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Complete 2027 Alabama Recruiting Class Head Coach: Rob Vaughn | Recruiting Coordinator: Jason Jackson Total Signees: 17 | Top 100 Signees: 4 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 29 Finnian O'Loughlin OF 6-2 200 R-R Delbarton Jersey City NJ 31 Mac Morris SS 6-0 187 R-R Dorman Taylors SC 47 Harry Chubb Jones Jr. * SS 6-4 190 R-R McEachern Douglasville GA 86 Anderson Lambert OF 6-0 180 R-R McDonogh Laurel MD 108 Jude Carter RHP 6-5 210 R-R Alexander Central Taylorsville NC * denotes enrolling early for upcoming spring After three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to Omaha in 2026, Rob Vaughn and the Alabama Crimson Tide have seen their recruiting class skyrocket in the rankings. After checking in at 24 in 2024, they took a huge leap up to 8 in 2025, stayed close to that at 13 in 2026, and now sit at 6 in 2027, the highest under Rob Vaughn....
Tournaments | Championship | 11/11/2026

Florida Offense Paces All State Crown

Hannah Jo Groves
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Florida National got off to a hot start in Monday’s championship game against Texas National. Scoring all their runs in the first and second inning, Florida National held off Texas National and won 5-3 for the 14U PG National All-State Select Championship title. An electric and fun-filled weekend all led up to this final game on Field 3 at Premier Baseball of Texas. The players geared up under the lights for what would surely be another great meeting between stacked teams. Texas National was up to bat first, but Florida’s pitcher, Lucas Diaz, struck out 2 batters in a row before fielding a ground ball for the third out. Though the bottom of the first started with a strikeout for Florida National, Diaz reached first base on a dropped passed ball and Jayden Portes got on with a walk. With two on and only one out, Florida National was primed to pounce. Lucas Viera singled to...
Tournaments | Story | 11/10/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 3

Donovan May
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14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 Cody Bloomfield ('31, FL) tallied three hits on Championship Monday and capped off an impressive weekend at the plate, finishing with a .455/.538/.636 slash line. Repeats a compact stroke and consistently gets the barrel to the baseball. Shows present strength in the hands and lower half with the ability to drive the ball from gap to gap. Mature all-fields approach continued to produce quality at-bats throughout the event.  Levi Munoz ('31, CA) worked 6.0 innings and struck out five in a strong start on the mound. Attacked hitters with a 77-80 mph fastball that showed life through the top of the strike zone and paired it with a mid-60s curveball featuring 12-to-6 shape. Worked ahead in counts throughout the outing and consistently controlled the tempo. Flashed present swing-and-miss stuff while maintaining command of the...
College | Recruiting | 11/10/2026

Head of the Class: No. 7 TCU

Quinton Hall
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Complete 2027 TCU Recruiting Class No. 7 TCU Head Coach: Kirk Saarloos | Recruiting Coordinator: John DiLaura Total Signees: 16 | Top 100 Signees: 5 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 19 Cooper Goff OF 6-0 185 L-R Mountain Ridge Herriman UT 41 Andrew Carlson RHP 6-3 230 R-R Trinity Classical Academy Valencia CA 79 Joe Mendazona Jr C 6-3 200 L-R Central Monmouth OR 94 Cooper George LHP 6-3 175 L-L Long Beach Wilson Long Beach CA 98 Blake Ragsdale SS 6-0 175 R-R Lyons Twp Burr Ridge IL Head Coach Kirk Saarloos and his staff have put together another impressive recruiting class, landing at No. 7 in the Class of 2027 Recruiting Rankings. With 16 commitments spanning 11 different states, including five prospects ranked inside the Top 100 nationally, the Horned Frogs have made their presence felt across the country. Leading the offensive talent is PG All-American...
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/10/2026

2027 MLB Draft Reports: 101-200

Tyler Henninger
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2027 MLB Draft Board: Top 200 2027 MLB Draft Reports: 1-100   101. Cooper Williams | LHP | LSU | L-L | Alvin, TX Williams is a lanky, projectable left-hander, standing at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. A loose, whip arm hides the ball well into a tough low 3/4 slot. The fastball sits in the low-90’s. Both a sweeping slider and curveball are spun well. Williams shows strong pitchability with the ability to add and subtract. Strikes will need to improve if he is to stick as a starter long term. 102. Christopher Ramirez | SS | Tennessee | R-R | Corona, CA Ramirez was the WAC freshman of the year and followed it up with an even better sophomore campaign. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound shortstop has now transferred to Tennessee for the ‘27 season. The right-handed hitter Ramirez showcases premium contact skills, especially in-zone. The approach will get overly aggressive at times, resulting...
Tournaments | Story | 11/9/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 2

AJ Denny
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14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1 Nicholas Gollatz (2031, Avondale, Pa.) of Team Northeast continued to put together quality at-bats on Day 2, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases across two games. The right-handed hitter has been an on-base machine throughout the tournament, showing a mature approach with solid bat-to-ball skills and the ability to use the entire field. Gollatz rarely chases outside the zone and has been a consistent presence in the Northeast lineup as the team advances to bracket play. Here’s another look at ’31 OF Julian Diaz (OH), barreling this pitch for a double. Displays good balance in the box with a quick bat. #NatAllState @PG_OhioValley https://t.co/Bal1YW2aB7 — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) November 8, 2026 Like his teammate, Julian Diaz (2031, Toronto, Ohio) of Team Northeast, also had a productive Day 2. The...
College | Recruiting | 11/10/2026

Head of the Class: No. 8 Tennessee

Geoff Billock
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Complete 2027 Tennessee Recruiting Class Head Coach: Josh Elander | Recruiting Coordinator: Ricky Martinez Total Signees: 11 | Top 100 Signees: 7 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 1 Dylan Seward SS 6-0 177 S-R Norco Corona CA 9 Sebastian Wilson OF 6-0 200 L-R IMG Academy Chicago  IL 23 Max Hemenway SS 6-1 185 L-R IMG Academy Puyallup WA 27 Leo Nockley SS 5-8 165 L-R Wyoming Seminary Upper Plains PA 48 Caden Dawson OF 6-2 205 L-R Blessed Trinity Marietta  GA Coach Josh Elander and his staff add 11 signees with 9 out of the 11 cracking the top 200 in recently updated class rankings. This year’s recruiting class for the Vols is led by a serious crop of athletic short stops and the list does not end after the top five recruits. Headlining the group of recruits we have the number one overall player in the country named Dylan Seward. Sebastian...
College | Recruiting | 11/9/2026

Head of the Class: No. 9 Florida

Marcus Thomas
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Complete 2027 Florida Recruiting Class No. 9 Florida Head Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan | Recruiting Coordinator: Tom Slater Total Signees: 14 | Top 100 Signees: 4 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 8 Kinon Bastian OF 6-0 190 R-R The First Academy Winter Garden FL 24 Juan Diaz SS 6-0 180 S-R IMG Academy Hialeah FL 68 Rylan McMahan LHP 6-2 180 L-L Clay Green Cove Springs FL 75 Liam Dougherty RHP 6-2 200 R-R IMG Academy Hendersonville FL 112 Landon Green RHP 6-1 185 R-R TNXL Academy Clearwater FL The Gators once again find their way inside the top 10 with another strong 2027 recruiting class, led by Kinon Bastian. The outfielder has a 6-foot, 190-pound frame and plus athleticism with speed and strength. The PG All-American also shows some juice in the bat for the right-handed hitter. Bastian is joined by fellow All-American Juan Diaz, the 6-foot, 180-pound...
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/9/2026

2027 MLB Draft Reports: 1-100

Tyler Henninger
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2027 MLB Draft Board: Top 200 1. Dylan Seward | SS | Norco | S-R | Eastvale, CA | Commitment: Tennessee Seward is a lean, athletic infielder with loud tools throughout the profile. The California prep is a switch-hitter with lightning quick hands. He has shown quality in-game power from both sides of the ball, despite a smaller build. There have been swing and miss issues with fastballs at times. Seward is a top of the class, 80-grade runner with the ability to steal bags often. He is a plus defender at shortstop with twitchy and fluidity. 2. Brendan Lawson | SS | Florida | L-R | Toronto, ON Lawson is a strong 6-foot-3, 215-pound infielder with massive offensive upside with a consistent track record. The left-handed hitting shortstop possesses easy raw power that translates well in-game. There is a strong feel to hit to go with the impact. The approach can become overly patient at times,...
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