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2,410 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
PG Select Baseball Festival  | General | 8/14/2022

12u Select Festival Preview

Who: 32 of the best 12u players in the country
What: 3rd annual 12u Perfect Game Select Festival
When: August 14th, 12:00 pm EST, live on CBS Sport
Where: East Cobb Baseball Complex; Marietta, Ga.

For the third year in a row, 32 of the best 12u players will take the field at the East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, Georgia for the 12u Perfect Game Select Festival and provide fans with a glimpse into the not-so-distant future of who’s coming through the PG pipeline. Eleven players return to the Festival after playing in the inaugural 11u game last summer, meaning 21 players will be making their Festival debuts and looking to leave their mark on the prestigious event. In total, the East and West rosters are composed of 13 different states, from Washington and California all the way over to New Jersey and Florida and everywhere in between, as well as both Puerto Rico and Venezuela with Pablo Martinez and Camilo Gutierrez coming stateside. 



Before diving into some of the standouts, it's important to again mention the weekend is about more than just baseball as the 32 players combined to raise more than $35,000 with the proceeds benefitting the Perfect Game Cares Foundation Grow the Game Fund for underserved youth across America.

Amongst the 11 returnees, 6 reside on the East roster led by the duo of Jael Santos and Carter Moon, the reigning Player of the Year after taking home the award at last year’s 11u game. While these players are still at the 12u level, Santos has already made a name for himself on the national scene, though possessing a mid-80s fastball and light tower power will tend to do that. A Georgia native, Moon once again put up video name numbers and can impact the game in a variety of ways, from his left-handed swing to his fluid actions in the middle infield.

Of course you need more than just two players to win a game like this and while all 16 players on both teams are amongst the best in the country, make sure to check in on Yomar Infante, son of long-time big leaguer Omar, who already shows a big arm and easy juice at the plate. Julian Martinez is another returnee and spent some time this summer playing up on the big diamond and shows some of the best barrel skills and hand-eye coordination in the game, not to mention the advanced catch-and-throw skills behind the plate. One of the arms Martinez will be receiving in today's game is left-hander Ethan Stewart who's already up to 80 mph with feel to spin a breaker and shows big time juice at the plate as well.

California native Dru Wilson will be a pivotal piece to the West club as they look to defend their title after taking down the East in 2021. If there's something you're looking for in a player, odds are Wilson has it as the barrel skills and strength at impact already stand out, as does the arm on the mound as he has been up to 82 mph, meaning he's a real two-way threat on the diamond. Speaking of two-way types, Luke Esquivel is another left-hander who has already been up to 80 mph on the mound and shows a smooth lefty stroke with the type of pop that can quickly change the score. 

The combination of Lucas Smith and Luis Olmeda did nothing but show off their refined bat-to-ball skills this summer as Smith proved to be one of the more complete hitters in this group while Olmeda hit .550 at the gauntlet that is the Perfect Game Invitational and then an eye-opening .722 at the 12u World Series. The West's answer to Ethan Stewart is Californian Logan Pascarella, who's similarly built to Stewart and shows a smooth, low effort operation of his own with real pitchability and a fastball that has already bumped 80 mph. 

Prior to the first pitch, four players will vie for the Home Run Derby crown, though they'll have to dethrone Jael Santos who put on a show at last year's 11u Select Festival and showed no signs of slowing down through the preliminaries, losing baseballs by the handful. Jared Rivera, Anthony Badillo and Aaron Garcia are the three challengers and all possess the type of strength to bring some pre-game fireworks to the East Cobb Complex.

East
Player Pos Travel Team Hometown
Yomar Infante RHP, 1B Florida Jays Scout Team Orlando, FL
Dexter McCleon Jr LF, RHP TG Dbacks National Suwanee, GA
Chase Gockenbach C, RHP TG Dbacks National Dandridge, TN
Jael Santos 3B, RHP ZT National Prospects Paterson, NJ
Jared Rivera CF, RF Florida Jays Scout Team Sanford, FL
Anthony Badillo SS, 2B NY Warriors Elite Elkridge, MD
Hunter Elmore 1B, 3B TG Dbacks National Moundville, AL
Koltyn Watters CF, LHP Motor City Hit Dogs Rochester Hills, MI
Camilo Gutierrez CF, LHP Jersey Storm Barcelona, AN
Ethan Stewart 1B, LHP Dirtbags Winterville, NC
Carter Moon SS, 2B TG Dbacks National Bogart, GA
Julian Martinez C, 3B SBA Marucci National 12U New York, NY
Caden Borcherding C, 2B SBA Marucci National 12U McDonough, GA
Caden Scott 3B, RHP Dirtbags Princeton, NC
Trendyn Motley CF, LHP SBA Marucci National 12U Huntersville, NC
Robert Mascia C, 3B Rebels Commack, NY


West

Player Pos Travel Team Hometown
Luke Esquivel 1B, LHP ZT National Prospects Grapevine, TX
Logan Pascarella 1B, LHP RJBA Corona, CA
Brayden Landry SS, 2B New Level Baseball Puyallup, WA
Sammy Garcia SS, 2B Scottsdale Dirtbags Chandler, AZ
Pablo Martinez RF, RHP Wildcatters Fajardo, PR
Lucas Smith C, 1B Backyard Ballers Black McKinney, TX
Hudson Brown 1B, RF ZT National Prospects Iola, TX
Kaleb Foster SS, 2B Backyard Ballers Black Montgomery, TX
Adrian Villela LF, RHP SBA Marucci National 12U Tucson, AZ
Richard Avina C, RHP Armory Whittier, CA
Aaron Garcia C, SS ZT National Prospects Pico Rivera, CA
Caleb Alexander SS, RHP Wildcatters Houston, TX
Angel Gonzalez CF, LHP ZT National Prospects Los Angeles, CA
Dru Wilson CF, RHP SBA Marucci National 12U Porter Ranch, CA
Luis Olmeda CF, 1B Wildcatters Spring, TX
Tripp Riley 3B, RHP Backyard Ballers Black Spring, TX


PG Select Baseball Festival | General | 12/26/2025

2025 Year in Review: PGAAC, ASG, Festivals

Jheremy Brown
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All-Star Game Continues To Thrive We’re only a couple of years into having the PG All-Star Game around, an underclass event attached to the All-American weekend, this year played in Petco two days before the Classic. The talent that is a part of it continues to grow to significant levels, and this year was a mix of young guys and some newer names that left lasting impressions. The two hardest throwing guys in the game were the only 2028s in attendance, Striker Pence and Dexter McCleon Jr who both were upper-90s as guys who just started their sophomore year, while the loudest moment of the day came when Kinon Bastian obliterated a pitch into the top deck of the famous Western Supply building in left field, something that we’ll remember for a long time. Extra Swings In The All-American Derby One of the best events every All-American weekend is getting to see these guys with...
Press Release | Press Release | 4/20/2026

PG & EventConnect Extend Collaboration

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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 EVENTCONNECT EXTEND COLLABORATION FOCUSED ON SCALE, SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE    Sanford, Florida (Monday, April 20, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the renewal and expansion of its long-standing housing and technology partnership with EventConnect, reaffirming a shared commitment to innovation, scale and best-in-class experiences for athletes, families and event operators across North America.    The renewed multi-year agreement extends a successful partnership that has helped Perfect Game...
College | Rankings | 4/20/2026

College Top 25: April 20

Vincent Cervino
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As the old saying goes, “all good things must come to an end” and that was the case last Tuesday when UCLA (36-3) saw their 27-game win streak come to an end in a shutout loss to UCSB.  However, the No. 1 team in the land still has their 21-game winning streak in Big Ten to protect, as they have started off league play without a single blemish.  The Bruins will remain atop our poll this week and their historical start to the season roll on.  The UNC Tarheels (33-7-1) move up to No. 2 this week after they made their biggest statement of the year by taking the weekend series from now No. 4 Georgia Tech (32-7).  No. 3 Texas (30-8) and No. 5 Georgia (32-9) both went (3-1) on the week and won their SEC series to stay in contention for the regular season title.  Florida State (28-11) had a nice bounce back (4-0) week and re-enter the Top 10 at No. 8 this...
College | Story | 4/16/2026

Coppy's Corner: April 16 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: Jaquae Stewart – Texas State University  If you squint a little bit, you can see some Josh Naylor or Dominic Smith in Jaquae Stewart, with a stout build like a more powerful version of the teacup from the children’s song. Lately, the Sun Belt Conference has been child’s play for Stewart as he has been on fire showing an improved hit approach and power that tracks more with his 2024 performance at Northwest Florida State College than with his 2025 experience at the University of Texas. It’s tough for any player to jump from a JUCO in Florida to the big stage...
High School | General | 4/16/2026

High School Notebook: April 16

Tyler Henninger
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Alain Gomez-Gudiño (‘26 AZ) with a pair of backside barrels, including a double. Physical 6-0/215 frame. Switch-hitter with power. Adv. defender with strong C&T behind the dish. @PGAllAmerican alum. #Gamecocks commit #PGHS @PG_Draft @SaguaroBaseball pic.twitter.com/2Vhuu5gYX9 — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) April 11, 2026 C Alain Gomez-Gudino, Saguaro (Ariz.) Since I first saw him as a sophomore, Gomez-Gudiño has long been one of my favorite prospects in the state. The backstop features a super physical frame at 6-foot-0, 215-pounds with a thick lower half and strong forearms. Defensively, Gomez-Gudiño has always stood out. He moves well for his size behind the plate and receives with confident hands. The catch-and-throw ability stands out. Gomez-Gudiño looks to be aggressive and will back pick runners often. The glove alone makes...
Juco | Rankings | 4/15/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 15

Blaine Peterson
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Another week of undefeated weeks for our top 4 ranked teams. Joining them in the top 5, coming off an undefeated week of their own, is Florence-Darlington, a team we have consistently had as a top 10 team all season long. Cloud County and Midland College continue to put together strong weeks and climb the rankings each week it seems. Jumping into the rankings this week on the strength of a 15-game winning streak is Seminole State (OK). And Linn Benton makes the top 25 for a 2nd consecutive week and looks like the top team in the NWAC this spring. Plenty of high-level matchups at the JUCO level for some of the top teams in the county this next week.  Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 42-2 2 Gaston (NC) 43-3 3 McLennan (TX) 34-7 4 Chipola (FL) 37-7 5 Florence-Darlington (SC) 40-8 6 Walters State (TN) 37-10 7 Blinn (TX) 31-11 8 Florida Southwestern (FL) 30-12 9 Southern Nevada...
College | Rankings | 4/15/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 15

Nick Herfordt
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Welcome to this week's small school baseball rankings, covering NCAA Division II, the NAIA, and NCAA Division III. As the calendar turns toward the final weeks of the regular season, the urgency is real across all three levels — teams are running out of weekends to build their cases, and the extended postseason invitations that every program is chasing don't go to programs that peak in March. The next few weeks of results will carry more weight than anything that happened before spring break, and the postseason committees in all three divisions are watching closely. Every series dropped to a team you should beat, every road sweep you let get away — it all matters now in a way it simply didn't two months ago. What you'll also notice as you read through the breakdowns below is that the numbers are doing more of the heavy lifting in how these rankings are constructed. Run...
Press Release | Press Release | 4/15/2026

Perfect Game & Youth Prospects Team Up

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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 YOUTH PROSPECTS ANNOUNCE   BROADCAST RIGHTS AND CONTENT PARTNERSHIP    Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, April 15, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with content platform Youth Prospects centered around broadcast rights, content collaboration and expanded visibility for elite youth baseball events.    As part of the agreement, Perfect Game will grant Youth Prospects broadcast rights to select games across its premiere events, including marquee matchups at the WWBA World...
College | Story | 4/14/2026

College Players of the Week: April 14

Vincent Cervino
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April 14th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Jaquae Stewart, INF/OF, Texas State  The Texas State Bobcats (24-12) are sitting in second place in the ultra-competitive Sun Belt Conference, and they have one of the most explosive offenses in the country.  They average right at 8-runs per game and can slug with the best of them, averaging almost 2-home runs per game as well.  Sitting in the middle of the order, Jaquae Stewart, is putting together a career year and is becoming the focus of opposing teams.  The 5-10/234 junior from Sinton, Tx is your classic lefthanded power hitter and is thriving in his move from Austin to San Marcos.  While it wasn’t the best week for his club, Stewart was sensational, collecting 8 hits in his 19 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, launching 5 home runs and driving in an insane 17 runs.  For the season, he is now slashing...
Showcase | Story | 4/14/2026

PG Announces Prospect Gateway Schedule

Hannah Jo Groves
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PG has announced the dates for Prospect Gateway events across the country - unique opportunities for young players to receive professional feedback and prepare for the next level. The Prospect Gateways are for players ages 13U-14U and serve as a qualifier for the National Showcase. Kevin Schuver, the senior director of showcases at Perfect Game, said these events are chances for players to step out of their comfort zone and show what they’re really made of. “Perfect Game Prospect Gateways aren’t just events. They’re doorways into something bigger. For young athletes, they serve as the first real step beyond their local fields, where raw ability begins to meet visibility and purpose.” At the event, each player is assigned a PG advisor who will watch and advise them individually. There will also be other scouts giving tips on how to enhance and develop a...
Press Release | Press Release | 4/13/2026

PG & MLB Clubs Offer Discount Tickets

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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 PARTNERS WITH THREE MLB CLUBS TO OFFER EXCLUSIVE TICKET DISCOUNTS FOR YOUTH TEAMS    Sanford, Florida (Friday, April 10, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new fan engagement initiative in partnership with three Major League Baseball clubs — the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals — to provide exclusive discounted ticket opportunities for teams participating in Perfect Game events.    Through the collaboration, youth baseball and softball teams competing in...
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