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College  | Story | 6/15/2022

Collegiate All-Americans & Postseason Awards

Vincent Cervino
Craig Cozart
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
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College | Story | 8/3/2026

Cape Cod League Notebook: August 3
Perfect Game Staff
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Angel Cervantes | RHP | UCLA | Chatham Anglers  Angel Cervantes has lived up to the hype since arriving at UCLA after turning down a second-round selection (50th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2025 MLB Draft. Following a strong freshman campaign that helped power the Bruins to the No. 1 ranking in the country for much of the season, Cervantes has taken another step forward this summer, emerging as arguably the Cape Cod League's top arm. Through 23.2 innings with the Chatham Anglers, he owns a 1.14 ERA with 24 strikeouts and just five walks. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound right-hander attacks hitters with a polished five-pitch mix featuring a low-90s fastball, an 86-88 mph cutter, a low-80s slider and changeup, and a 78-80 mph curveball. He pounds the strike zone, sequences his arsenal with advanced feel, and consistently keeps hitters off balance, giving him the profile of a...
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Brayden Powell
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Jay Vossler
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Kai Anderson (2028, Missouri City, Texas) continued his breakout stretch over the past couple of weeks with 2028 South Texas Sliders 16U Pierce. Compiled a 7-15 week with two doubles, a triple, and two home runs, driving in nine runs. Parlayed that into winning Tournament MVP. Physical presence in the box that is starting to tap into a ton of juice offensively. Tight rotation on an uphill plane with loose actions in the barrel. Doing all of this with very little swing and miss while holding it down in center field. One of the louder stretches of the summer. Trent Costales (2028, San Antonio, Texas) was excellent this week for Texas Angels 2028 Libson. Went 4-11 with two doubles and a home run. Was one of the best run creators in the tournament, driving in ten. Extremely physical frame, projecting as a big time power bat. Coils the hips effectively and creates an uphill plane to maximize...
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Kinley Kitchens
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For Excel Blue Wave, the summer was never about being perfect. It was about getting better. After a season filled with challenges, growth, and plenty of learning along the way, Excel Blue Wave put everything together when it mattered most, defeating SBG Sox Prime, Al 9-3 to capture the 2026 14U Perfect Game Hoover Classic championship. For Excel Blue Wave Coach Forrest Heacock, watching the group celebrate with a championship trophy was especially meaningful because of everything it took to get there.  “It hasn’t been the easiest summer, and have battled a lot,” Coach Heacock said. “The kids have improved so much over the summer, and that is really what it’s all about at this age. It’s really just about improving at this age, and to see them be able to put it together, and just really compete together and play as a team, I couldn’t be...
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Kinley Kitchens
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Excel Blue Wave National wasn’t leaving Hoover empty-handed.  At least, that was the message head coach Wes Henderson gave his team.  After a summer filled with strong performances but without a tournament title to show for them, Excel Blue Wave National entered the 2026 15U Perfect Game Hoover Classic with one more opportunity to finish the season the way they wanted.  This time, they left no doubt.  Excel Blue Wave National defeated East Coast Sox 2029 Victus, 12-0 in the championship game, combining a balanced offensive attack with a strong performance on the mound to secure their first tournament title of the summer.  “It’s been a special group,” Coach Henderson said. “They fought really hard, and they played really well this summer, and this is the first championship that we’ve been able to bring home. We typically...
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"Excel"ling Through the Hoover Classic

Kinley Kitchens
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After a long summer of baseball, Excel Blue Wave National had one final opportunity to end it the way every team hopes to.  Together, having fun, and as champions. Excel Blue Wave National closed their summer with a 13-9 victory over Excel Blue Wave American – Morrison to capture the 2026 16U Perfect Game Hoover Classic championship. In a game that required contributions throughout the lineup and seven innings of competition, the Excel Blue Wave National relied on the same qualities and approach that had carried the group all summer. With talent, perseverance and a chemistry built far beyond the baseball field, they were unstoppable.  For head coach Brennan McCullough, there couldn’t have been a much better way for his players to finish their final weekend together .  “It’s great,” Coach McCullough said. “We’ve had a long...
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Quinton Hall
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16u West World Series Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Jason Lizotte (‘28 | NV) Smooth LHH, hunts pitches down in the zone he can rip to the middle & PS w/ a downhill & direct path. Some strength in the hands w/ feel for the barrel #PGWS pic.twitter.com/kbK5Ayvhd7 — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) July 27, 2026 Jason Lizotte (2028 | Las Vegas, NV) The 5-foot-9, 145-pound left-handed hitter and outfielder was a spark plug all weekend for MTBA Dawgs 2028, finishing with seven hits, eight runs scored, one double, one triple, four RBI, three stolen bases, and four walks without a strikeout. Lizotte refused to give away an at-bat, consistently working hitter’s counts before spraying line drives all over the field. The left-handed swing stays short and direct with plenty of feel for the barrel, and once he reached base, he immediately put pressure on the defense with...
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SBA Sox Save Best for Last

Kinley Kitchens
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Sometimes the best ending comes after a season of figuring things out. For SBG Sox American, the summer wasn’t always seamless. The team spent their early weeks learning where players fit best, building chemistry and searching for the combination that would allow them to play their best baseball. By the final weekend, they found it.  SBG Sox American closed their summer with a 7-5 victory over Dirtbags Midsouth 2027 Black to capture the 2026 17U Perfect Game Hoover Classic championship, putting together one final winning performance in the last tournament this group would share this summer.  For SBG Sox Coach Cooper Williams, that made taking home the championship trophy even more meaningful. “It’s been great, especially for it being their last summer event,” Coach Williams said. “It’s really cool for them to kind of pull this thing out for...
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