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2,596 MLB PLAYERS | 16,395 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
College  | Story | 6/15/2022

Collegiate All-Americans & Postseason Awards

Photo: Perfect Game
2022 Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Year:

Ivan Melendez, Texas



The Longhorns are returning to Omaha once again and they’ll be led by the strongest statistical hitter in the country in slugger Ivan Melendez. The fourth-year first baseman, in his second season in Austin, broke Kris Bryant’s BBCOR home run record during the Super Regionals, hitting his 32nd blast of the season. Melendez not only has the most home runs in the country, he also has some of the farthest, rarely getting cheated and hitting titanic blasts week-in and week-out.

Melendez, who turned down a shot at professional baseball during last year’s draft, felt that there was unfinished business in Austin and so far the plan is being executed well. He’s .396/.516/.888 with more walks than strikeouts while the Longhorns have reached Omaha once again.

He’s helped raise his draft stock significantly thanks to performance, and batted ball data, as he figures to go fairly early in the draft. Melendez is the most dangerous hitter in Omaha and at this point the Golden Spikes favorite.

For more on Melendez, view his College Player Report here.



2022 Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Year:

Cooper Hjerpe, Oregon State

Oregon State was the No. 3 national seed this year and Friday nights in Corvallis might have been the surest thing to a safe bet across the country. Cooper Hjerpe was an established rotation member in 2021 before taking the leap to become the best pitcher in college baseball this season, leading the country in strikeouts in the process.

Hjerpe has established himself as a true first round talent, a pitcher who possesses some of the most unique qualities out of any pitcher across the nation. He’s a low- to mid-90s left-hander who comes at hitters from a sidearm slot and features a devastating sweeping slider that gets both left and right-handed hitters out.

Hjerpe also turned in one of the best single-game performances of the season where he punched out seventeen hitters over eight shutout innings with just two hits allowed. Hjerpe has consistently shoved in one of the top conferences in baseball and no pitcher in the draft has the statistical track record that he does; he’s our Pitcher of the Year.

For more on Hjerpe, read his College Player Report here.
 

2022 Perfect Game/Rawlings Freshman of the Year*:

Tommy White, North Carolina State


*only true freshmen or first-year players were eligible

The legend of Tommy Tanks, as he’s been come to be affectionately known, has been one of the biggest and best stories in the sport throughout the season. White made his presence known almost immediately as he hit over .600 with five home runs during the first three-game weekend of the year and continued to crush baseballs all season long. NC State’s season was cut short as they were not selected for the tournament, but White was still able to beat Spencer Torkelson’s freshman home run record and finish with 27 home runs.

He's got tremendous power and the ability to go to the opposite field with ease, and he also ended up hitting three home runs in the ACC Tournament. The former PG All-American always had prodigious power dating back to his prep days, but the hit tool was really good too, slashing .362/.425/.767 with a strikeout rate of only about 20%.

It remains to be seen where White ends up in his second season, but his freshman campaign in Raleigh is one of the best true freshman seasons in recent memory. The power and hit tool are both extremely exciting and he brought a ton of excitement to the sport over the course of the entire spring.

For more on White, read his College Player Report here.
 

2022 Perfect Game/Rawlings Coach of the Year:

Tony Vitello, Tennessee


Quickly turning into the Alabama of college baseball, no team generated more polarizing opinions, or dominated opponents so thoroughly at times, than Tony Vitello’s Tennessee Volunteers. They were upset by Notre Dame in the Super Regionals but the Vols turned in one of the most dominant performance in recent history, ascending to No. 1 in the country and never looking back the rest of the season.

They were a complete and cohesive team, leading the country in both ERA and home runs and doing it with a combination of youth and veterans. Two-thirds of their ERA-leading weekend rotation were true freshmen in Drew Beam and Chase Burns, while the third, and SEC Pitcher of the Year, was a true sophomore transfer also pitching his first year in the SEC. Veterans like Trey Lipscomb and Luc Lipcius became household names while the offense was cruising, culminating with an early season shellacking of perennial CWS contender, and in-state rival, Vanderbilt.

Vitello managed both to assemble a team that is perhaps the most talented in recent memory all while managing expectations of said club to keep them playing on the top of their game. They might not have made it to Omaha for a second consecutive year, but Vitello has won Coach of the Year for consecutive years and there’s no doubting that he’s among the best coaches in the sport at one of the best programs.

First-Team Hitters

*Statistics are through Super Regional Play

 
Pos. Name School Class AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
C Kevin Parada Georgia Tech SO .360 .452 .709 79 93 10 1 26 88 11
1B Ivan Melendez* Texas SR .396 .516 .888 75 95 18 2 32 94 1
2B Jace Jung Texas Tech JR .335 .481 .612 68 75 18 1 14 57 5
3B Max Wagner Clemson JR .369 .496 .852 66 75 15 1 27 76 2
SS Zach Neto Campbell JR .407 .514 .769 65 81 23 2 15 50 19
OF Dylan Crews LSU SO .349 .463 .691 73 87 11 4 22 72 5
OF Gavin Cross Virginia Tech JR .328 .411 .660 70 80 14 8 17 50 12
OF Jacob Melton Oregon State JR .360 .424 .670 66 94 22 4 17 83 21
DH Sonny DiChiara Auburn SR .392 .560 .809 58 76 15 0 22 59 0
UT Paul Skenes Air Force SO .314 .412 .634 39 48 10 0 13 38 0


First-Team Pitchers 

Pos. Name School Class ERA W-L CG SV IP H SO BB OBA
SP Chase Dollander Tennessee SO 2.39 10-0 0 0 79.0 50 108 13 .175
SP Tanner Hall Southern Miss SO 2.81 9-3 0 0 109.0 98 146 14 .233
SP Cooper Hjerpe* Oregon State JR 2.53 11-2 0 1 103.1 67 161 23 .180
SP Gabriel Hughes Gonzaga JR 3.21 8-3 0 0 98.0 75 138 37 .209
SP Drew Thorpe Cal Poly JR 2.32 10-1 1 0 104.2 65 149 25 .175
RP Tyler Guilfoil Kentucky SR 1.59 3-1 0 6 51.0 27 80 17 .156
RP Andrew Walters Miami JR 1.65 0-1 0 14 32.2 13 62 6 .116
UT Paul Skenes Air Force SO 2.73 10-3 0 0 85.2 70 96 30 .224


Second-Team Hitters

Pos. Name School Class AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
C Daniel Susac Arizona SO .366 .429 .582 50 100 19 2 12 61 3
1B Tyler Locklear VCU JR .402 .542 .799 77 90 25 2 20 78 6
2B Jorel Ortega Tennessee JR .323 .398 .672 57 76 20 4 18 61 3
3B Jake Gelof Virginia SO .377 .477 .764 65 80 15 2 21 81 3
SS Brooks Lee Cal Poly JR .357 .462 .664 56 84 25 1 15 55 3
OF Enrique Bradfield Jr. Vanderbilt SO .317 .415 .498 69 77 10 5 8 36 46
OF Drew Gilbert Tennessee JR .362 .455 .673 60 72 21 4 11 70 4
OF Wyatt Langford Florida SO .355 .447 .719 73 91 9 3 26 63 7
DH Jacob Berry LSU SO .370 .464 .630 47 77 9 0 15 48 0
UT Nolan McLean Oklahoma State JR .285 .397 .595 55 69 16 1 19 47 2


Second-Team Pitchers

Pos. Name School Class ERA W-L CG SV IP H SO BB OBA
SP Jonathan Brand Miami (OH) SR 1.40 8-2 2 0 77.1 59 86 29 .206
SP Justin Campbell Oklahoma State JR 3.82 9-2 2 0 101.1 83 141 25 .223
SP Thomas Harrington Campbell SO 2.53 12-2 0 0 92.2 69 111 18 .204
SP Rhett Lowder Wake Forest SO 3.08 11-3 1 0 99.1 91 105 26 .239
SP Austin Peterson UConn SR 3.83 11-3 0 1 110.1 100 147 25 .237
RP William Privette College of Charleston SO 0.91 3-1 0 12 59.1 31 80 15 .148
RP Tristan Stivors Texas State SR 2.21 7-1 0 18 61.0 47 86 19 .210
UT Nolan McLean Oklahoma State JR 4.97 2-1 0 5 25.1 20 39 13 .206


Third-Team Hitters

Pos. Name School Class AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
C Dalton Rushing Louisville JR .310 .470 .686 68 70 16 0 23 62 4
1B Carter Graham Stanford SO .335 .403 .657 63 83 12 1 22 78 1
2B Cade Doughty LSU JR .298 .393 .567 56 71 19 0 15 57 4
3B Trey Lipscomb Tennessee SR .355 .428 .717 68 89 19 3 22 84 4
SS Tanner Schobel Virginia Tech SO .362 .445 .689 68 85 18 1 19 74 7
OF Jack Hurley Virginia Tech SO .375 .452 .664 59 87 23 1 14 55 10
OF Spencer Jones Vanderbilt JR .370 .460 .643 62 85 21 3 12 60 14
OF Joe Lampe Arizona State JR .335 .385 .590 57 84 20 3 12 41 17
DH Tommy White* North Carolina State FR .362 .425 .757 54 85 12 0 27 74 1
UT Jack Brannigan Notre Dame JR .296 .361 .557 45 60 15 1 12 46 10
UT Chandler Simpson Georgia Tech SR .433 .506 .517 64 88 8 3 1 25 27


Third-Team Pitchers

Pos. Name School Class ERA W-L CG SV IP H SO BB OBA
SP Jake Bennett Oklahoma JR 3.53 9-3 0 1 104.2 94 120 22 .235
SP Brycen Mautz San Diego JR 3.87 10-2 1 0 90.2 90 129 22 .258
SP Parker Messick Florida State JR 3.38 7-5 0 0 98.2 78 144 18 .215
SP Carson Palmquist Miami JR 2.89 9-4 0 0 84.0 70 118 32 .221
SP Jason Savacool Maryland SO 2.93 8-3 0 0 107.2 84 123 28 .213
RP Jackson Kelley Mercer SR 1.35 7-0 0 6 60.0 32 82 18 .158
RP Davis Palermo North Carolina SR 2.78 2-1 0 5 58.1 40 74 24 .189
UT Jack Brannigan Notre Dame JR 7.36 2-2 0 2 14.2 16 28 8 .267
UT Brandon Birdsell Texas Tech SR 2.75 9-3 1 0 85.0 67 106 29 .216


First-Team Freshman Hitters

*Only true freshmen or first-year players were eligible

Pos. Name School AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
C Hudson White Texas Tech .260 .369 .295 42 56 11 0 6 40 4
1B Nick Kurtz Wake Forest .338 .471 .637 65 69 14 1 15 56 2
2B Travis Bazzana Oregon State .306 .425 .478 58 75 16 4 9 53 24
3B Carson DeMartini Virginia Tech .341 .452 .659 54 70 14 3 15 50 5
SS Cody Schrier UCLA .298 .383 .492 41 77 21 1 9 42 11
OF Vance Honeycutt North Carolina .296 .409 .672 66 73 10 4 25 57 29
OF Treyson Hughes Mercer .317 .403 .576 53 71 12 2 14 53 5
OF Casey Saucke II Virginia .360 .438 .591 44 67 16 3 7 46 6
DH Tommy White* North Carolina State .362 .425 .757 54 85 12 0 27 74 1
UT Braden Montgomery Stanford .297 .363 .607 50 71 16 2 18 57 6


First-Team Freshman Pitchers

Pos. Name School ERA W-L CG SV IP H SO BB
OBA
SP Drew Beam Tennessee 2.72 8-1 1 0 76 50 62 21 .186
SP Chase Burns Tennessee 2.91 8-2 0 0 80.1 65 103 25 .216
SP Hunter Elliott Ole Miss 2.82 4-3 0 0 67 48 92 30 .202
SP Drue Hackenberg Virginia Tech 3.30 10-2 0 0 92.2 95 87 19 .259
SP Carter Holton Vanderbilt 3.14 8-2 2 0 80.1 56 97 29 .192
RP Alonzo Tredwell UCLA 2.11 4-1 0 6 47 33 62 6 .195
RP Brady Tygart Arkansas 3.82 3-4 0 8 37.2 28 51 21 .212
UT Braden Montgomery Stanford 5.79 0-2 0 2 18.2 12 28 21 .182


Second-Team Freshman Hitters

Pos. Name School AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
C Henry Hunter UAB .286 .407 .474 28 38 3 2 6 14 8
1B Blake Burke Tennessee .326 .467 .821 30 31 3 1 14 32 2
2B Roc Riggio Oklahoma State .295 .413 .519 54 62 14 0 11 47 2
3B Luke Heefner Dallas Baptist .294 .373 .476 30 58 11 1 7 29 12
SS Griffin O'Ferrall Virginia .308 .406 .366 56 70 5 1 2 39 17
OF Jackson Linn Tulane .353 .410 .536 32 54 7 0 7 31 5
OF Carter Mathison Indiana .273 .393 .608 55 57 11 1 19 58 8
OF James Tibbs III Florida State .300 .411 .553 37 51 13 0 10 32 1
DH Hunter Hines Mississippi State .300 .393 .600 51 63 13 1 16 52 0
UT Noah Sullivan USC-Upstate .303 .410 .394 43 67 9 1 3 42 5


Second-Team Freshman Pitchers

Pos. Name School ERA W-L CG SV IP H SO BB
SP Daniel Avitia Grand Canyon 4.06 8-5 0 0 84.1 70 111 19
SP Devin Futrell Vanderbilt 3.41 9-3 1 0 63.1 53 64 13
SP Garrett Horn Liberty 1.93 6-1 0 0 51.1 30 80 24
SP Jacob Kmatz Oregon State 4.19 8-2 0 0 77.1 73 65 20
SP Hagen Smith Arkansas 4.85 6-2 0 2 72.1 64 82 42
RP Brody Brecht Iowa 3.18 1-4 0 0 30.2 22 44 25
RP Jack Findlay Notre Dame 1.99 6-2 0 3 45.1 29 51 15
UT Noah Sullivan USC-Upstate 3.31 6-0 0 0 32.2 22 26 11

College | Story | 8/7/2026

Cape Cod League Notebook: August 7

Perfect Game Staff
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RHP Jason Flores (@BaseballUGA) Showed some electric stuff, up to 98 several times CT, SL, CH to round out the arsenal in his 5IP 9K performance. @HarwichMariners So./‘27 elig pic.twitter.com/p2nTvkFnWh — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) August 5, 2026 Jason Flores | RHP | University of Georgia | Harwich Mariners  Flores heads to Georgia this fall looking to reestablish himself as one of the premier arms in the 2027 draft class after showing significant promise during his freshman season at Texas. Flores posted a 2.78 ERA over 32.1 innings as a freshman before a limited sophomore campaign in which he logged just 12 innings. The stuff was on full display this summer, highlighted by a dominant five-inning, nine-strikeout playoff performance in which he touched 98 mph five different times. His fastball averaged nearly 96 mph throughout his time on the Cape, pairing the...
Showcase | Story | 8/13/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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Perfect Game to honor Pat Gillick in new Philadelphia Showcase  By Maya Heyman Perfect Game is bringing its elite showcase experience to Philadelphia’s FDR Park for the inaugural Philly Stars/Pat Gillick Showcase this weekend, honoring one of the greatest executives in MLB history in the city where he constructed his final of three World Series winners. The event will take place on Sunday, the same day as the DICK’S All-American Classic, taking place just across the street at Citizens Bank Park.  The showcase will allow Philadelphia-area players to gain exposure and will also honor Gillick, who has been a tremendous influence in both professional and amateur baseball.   Jered Goodwin, Vice President of Scouting Operations for Perfect Game, said the idea came naturally.  “Going to Philly made a lot of sense to honor Pat Gillick, who's been a...
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Jheremy Brown
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For the fourth time since its inception in 2023, two rosters comprised of the best rising juniors (and a handful of rising sophomores) will step out onto the field Friday afternoon, kicking off the All-American weekend. While the Perfect Game All-American Classic is slated for a 1:35 first pitch at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, 36 future hopefuls of the Classic will go up against one another in an American vs National clash at 11 AM Eastern, Friday morning.  With 36 players from across the country descending on Philadelphia, there will be plenty of familiar names in attendance as 24 of the 36 played in at least one PG Select Festival and all 36 attended either the he Sophomore National, Junior National, or the PG Underclass All-American Games this summer. Leading the charge are a pair of No. 1s in 2028 dynamic talent Dexter McCleon Jr and 2029 Macgraw VanWormer, a do-it-all...
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Pokers Rally to Capture 16U BCS Title A hot afternoon at JetBlue Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida ended in a 9-1 victory for the Original Florida Pokers 2028 National, defeating SBA Bolts Florida 2028 National on Monday to capture the 16U BCS National Championship. A pitchers’ duel kept the game scoreless through four innings before the Pokers broke it open with a five-run fifth inning. The title marked the Pokers’ second 16U BCS Championship, adding to the championship they won in 2022. Despite a slow start to the summer, the Pokers found their stride at the right time. “We struggled a lot early in the summer, but the past few tournaments we really started turning it on,” Pokers head coach Will McCrimon said. “I’m just so proud of these kids.” Max Maynes started the game on the mound for the Pokers. The left-hander allowed three hits and two walks...
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Tyler Henninger
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Over the 2026 draft cycle, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky was the projected No. 1 pick throughout the entire cycle. White Sox fans began #RochWatch and were already talking about when he will make it to Chicago. Now that he has been selected, Cholowsky has immediately become a Top-10 prospect in all of baseball. There is no denying the hype, and the pressure, for Chowlosky to get to the big leagues and produce at a high level.  But how realistic is that? Let’s take a look back at past 1:1 selections and see what you can expect from a No. 1 overall selection.  For this exercise, we’ll look at No. 1 overall picks from the bonus pool era, excluding Eli Willits from 2025 since this is his first full year of pro ball. That gives us 13 players selected from 2012 through 2024.  Almost All Become Big Leaguers The first thing that stands out is how successful No. 1 picks...
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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 AND GOAT'D PARTNER TO BRING PREMIUM PROTECTIVE GEAR TO THE NATION'S TOP AMATEUR BASEBALL PLAYERS   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, August 11, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with Goat'd, a premium protective gear brand focused on developing innovative products for athletes. The partnership will bring Goat'd's premium protective equipment to some of the nation's top amateur baseball players and families across Perfect Game's premier national events. The partnership will debut at several of Perfect Game's marquee events, including the 13U Select Fest, 14U Select Fest, Perfect Game All-Star Game and...
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12U Game Time: 8/9/2026 1PM Eastern

Perfect Game Staff
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Sunday August 9th, 2026 1:00PM Eastern DICK'S Sporting Goods Park at East Cobb West vs. East Follow and watch the game
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11U Game Time: 8/8/2026 Noon Eastern

Perfect Game Staff
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Saturday August 8th, 2026 12:00PM Eastern DICK'S Sporting Goods Park at East Cobb West vs. East Follow and watch the game
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2026 MLB Draft Team Reports: NL West

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Team Report Cards: AL West With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL West Arizona Diamondbacks  Grade: 50 Risk: High Notable Selections: C Ryder Helfrick (1st rd) | RHP Blake Bryant (CB-A rd) | SS Carson Kerce (2nd rd) | OF Brayden Dowd (3rd rd)  Ryder Helfrick (@RazorbackBSB ) different AB; same result. He goes dead central for a solo 💣 this time. Threw a runner out earlier; 1.98 pop. #PGCollege @PG_Draft https://t.co/kW7wraqExJ pic.twitter.com/SARYKxd0oE — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 14, 2026 The Diamondbacks started their...
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Will Dembo
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Following a dominant week at the 17u PG East World Series, No. 34 ranked 643 DP Cougars 17u capped off an impressive tournament run by defeating No. 2 ranked East Cobb Astros 17u, 3-2, in the championship game to claim the title. The Cougars earned the tournament's No. 1 overall seed after outscoring opponents by an absurd 59-6 throughout the week before completing their championship run with a hard-fought victory in the finale. “Always feels great to finish the year playing your best ball, especially when going up against strong competition,” 643 Head Coach Danny Pralgo said. “We did so many of the little things right: on the mound with location, clean on defense, bunting, 2 strike approach leading to long at bats, getting hit-by-pitches, and we had so many good outs offensively that led to moving a runner or scoring a runner. And when those things all come together in...
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