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College  | Story | 1/6/2023

Geaux-ing Up; LSU Opens at #1

Vincent Cervino
Photo: LSU Baseball (LSU Athletics)
Heading into Year 2 in Baton Rouge, LSU Coach Jay Johnson has his Tigers in as good of a spot as they’ve been in years as they earned the preseason No. 1 ranking heading into the 2023 season. The Tigers have assembled what looks to be one of the more fearsome rosters in college baseball, returning SEC stars like Dylan Crews and Tre’ Morgan but also loading up on new transfer like 2022 Freshman of the Year Tommy White and 2022 John Olerud Award Winner Paul Skenes.

What does Jay Johnson think of the prestigious ranking? He tries not to put the wagon before the horse. “I don’t get too ahead of myself,” Johnson said in an interview with PG’s Vinnie Cervino, “we obviously play great competition.” He’s right too. The SEC had a nation-leading eight teams ranked in the Preseason Top 25 with seven of those eight ranked in the top 11.



LSU lost the highest drafted college player in the country last season in Jacob Berry (7th overall to the Marlins) but it looks like centerfielder Dylan Crews has a chance to surpass that mark. Crews has a chance to be only the third No. 1 overall pick out of LSU following Eric Hetzel in 1985 and Ben McDonald in 1989, along with being the highest drafted Tiger since Alex Bregman went second overall in 2015.

“It’s just the total package: elite talent and an elite person in terms of character, makeup, (and) competitiveness,” Johnson said, “Rarely do you see a guy that has that much ability and is in tune to get that ability out on a consistent basis.”

Crews is an example of the ripple effects felt across the baseball landscape because of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft. With only five rounds, plenty of high school kids fulfilled their commitment to school that otherwise would have signed, or as Johnson puts it, “Guys like him don’t show up on campus often.”

LSU certainly had the merits to be a top 10 team entering the season but there’s never a good reason not to get better when you have the opportunity, so it added the two biggest names in the transfer portal: Tommy White, formerly of NC State, and Paul Skenes, formerly of Air Force. “We’re replacing Jacob Berry and Cade Doughty (2nd round, Blue Jays),” Johnson said, “and there’s no better way to fill that than with a known commodity like Tommy White.”

White took the nation by storm last year, earning the moniker ‘Tommy Tanks’ en route to winning Perfect Game Freshman of the Year. White immediately became not only a sensation but one of the best hitters in the sport, slugging over .750 with 27 jacks. Johnson has been very impressed with White, but everyone knows about the power; what’s stood out to Johnson has been the glove work and pure hit tool.

“People are going to be very surprised at the defensive player that he is,” Johnson said, “the pure hitting ability gets overlooked because the power is special…he’ll help us fill that void in losing two of the best players in the country.”

The rest of the roster is surrounded by a supporting cast of returners led by Crews and first baseman Tre’ Morgan. “(With) Dylan Crews, Tre’ Morgan, Jordan Thompson, Ty Floyd, Josh Pearson, you have a really good core of returning players.”

Floyd is a name expected to compete in the starting rotation and that weekend staff could look very different from a year ago. Gone is Ma’Khail Hilliard, who made 16 starts, but a trio of transfers led by Skenes enter as highly touted prospects. “We’re excited to add Paul (Skenes), one of the best pitchers in the country,” Johnson said. “Thatcher (Hurd) has an incredibly high ceiling and Christian (Little) does as well.”

Floyd is one of two names on the mound, along with Cape Cod League star Grant Taylor, who Johnson seems most excited by in terms of their development this fall. “(There was a) real emergence on the mound with Floyd and Grant Taylor,” he said. The reason for the developmental gains of the pitching staff this fall? Johnson credits the addition of new pitching coach Wes Johnson, who LSU was able to lure back to the SEC from the Minnesota Twins.

Jay Johnson had to replace his two full time assistants this offseason as recruiting coordinator Dan Fitzgerald left to become the head coach at Kansas and pitching coach Jason Kelly left to become the head coach at Washington - both Power 5 head coaching jobs. If you’re sensing a theme you’d be right because as it is with the roster, LSU doesn’t rebuild, they reload.

Jay Johnson was able to lure one of the best recruiting coordinators in the country Josh Jordan away from Duke then made the big splash of grabbing Wes Johnson from the Twins. Jordan generally is regarded as a top recruiter, instrumental in the development of Duke’s program under Chris Pollard, and Wes Johnson was poached from Arkansas to the MLB ranks and is regarded by his peers as one of the brightest pitching minds in the country.

“I want to find the people that are the best at what they do,” Jay Johnson said. “Josh (Jordan) on the recruiting and catching side is outstanding; Wes is elite, might very well be the best pitching coach in all of baseball not just college baseball”

Even as the players change the goal stays the same: winning games and development. “We’re just trying to put all the pieces in place to help players live out their dream of being MLB players and go to Omaha and compete for national championships,” Johnson said. But just because the Tigers have earned the Preseason No. 1 ranking, the job isn’t finished. The SEC is still a vaunted gauntlet of stacked teams and Johnson knows he and his players are going to have to fight to finish the season at No. 1. “Nothing is going to be given to us,” he said. “We’re going to have to earn it.”
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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...
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Tournaments | Championship | 8/12/2026

Pokers Rally to Capture 16U BCS Title

Alyssa Golden
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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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Draft | Story | 8/11/2026

Realistic Expectations of a 1:1 Pick

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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Press Release | Press Release | 8/11/2026

Perfect Game & Goat'd Come Together

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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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General | General | 8/8/2026

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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General | General | 8/8/2026

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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Draft | Story | 8/7/2026

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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Tournaments | Championship | 8/6/2026

643 DP Last Team Standing at East WS

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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Press Release | Press Release | 8/6/2026

PG Extends Partnership With Yeti

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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 EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH YETI   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, August 6, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced an extension of its existing partnership with YETI, the premium outdoor gear brand and the Official Cooler and Drinkware Provider of Perfect Game Baseball and Softball. The partnership between Perfect Game and YETI began in 2021.   The expanded partnership will bring YETI’s products and brand to Perfect Game athletes, families and fans through a variety of activations across Perfect Game’s events and digital platforms. YETI will have a prominent presence both on-site and online, including exposure...
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Tournaments | Story | 8/7/2026

Tournament of Champion Notes: Part 2

Perfect Game Staff
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Tournament of Champions Scout Notes: Part 1 ‘27 LHP Jaylan Hortenbury (KY) @JHortenbury X @PG_Uncommitted FB 85-89/ touched 90. Arm-side life w/ some ride. SL in mid 70s (depth). CH showed as a weapon in the upper 7s. Some sweep to BB in low 7s. Athletic w/ two-way capabilities as well. #TOC 👀 @USAPrimeScout27 pic.twitter.com/vyj1Tb9nBN — Jordan Gates (@JGatesPG) July 30, 2026 Jaylan Hortenbury (2027, New Castle, Ky.) Hortenbury was probably one of my personal favorites, as this was my first time seeing it in action. It’s an athletic two-way profile that has a chance to do both at the next level. But what stood out to me, was his potential on the mound. The left-handed pitcher moves very well and is comfortable there. Has the mound presence Supplemented with a free-flowing and loose arm from a higher ¾ slot, he pounded the zone in his lone appearance. He went...
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