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High School  | General  | 2/21/2023

Coastal All Region Team

David Rawnsley     
Photo: Bryce Eldridge (Perfect Game)
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Regional Previews: Florida | Georgia | Pacific | Deep South | Texas | Southwest

States Represented: NC, SC, VA, WV
A case can be made for the Coastal Region, highlighted by North Carolina, being the next “Hot” area for baseball talent in the area.  Not only does the region feature outstanding individual talent, including top ranked 2023 prospect Walker Jenkins and third ranked 2024 prospect P.J. Morlando, but there has been a noticeable boom in the talent overall in the regions travel teams and academy’s, in addition to high school baseball.  Keep an eye out in particular for the North Carolina 2025 class, which features nine of the top 58 prospects in the country, including five high ceiling young pitchers.



One thing the region does lack at present are the traditional powerhouse high school programs that dominate the top of the national rankings every year.  Combine Academy (N.C.) at 22nd and Wesleyan Christian (N.C.) at 42nd are the only two teams in the PG Pre-Season Top 50 rankings, although Summerville (S.C.) certainly seems to have the talent to join them at some point in the season.

C –  Macon Winslow (Sr., Pro5 Baseball Academy, N.C.)
Winslow led Perquimans High School (N.C) to consecutive state championships before transferring full-time to Pro5 Academy for his senior season.  The right-handed hitter posted .623-3-29 numbers for Perquimans as a junior but was selected to play in the 2022 PG All-American Classic largely based on his defensive skills and tools behind the plate.

1B –   P.J. Morlando (Jr., Summerville HS, S.C.)
Morlando has played catcher and outfield as well as first base but best position is left-handed hitter.  The number three ranked player in the 2024 class hit .508-9-23 in the spring as a sophomore and came back and hit .475-1-23 in 25 PG games during the summer and fall.  Included in that summer performance was hitting an astounding .706-1-14 with ten extra base hits in seven games at the WWBA 16U National Championships last July.

MIF –   Gavin Gallaher (Sr., Pro5 Baseball Academy, N.C.)
Gallaher is the top ranked 2023 shortstop in North Carolina and the eighth ranked senior shortstop in the country.  A slick fielder who projects to stay in the middle infield for a long time, Gallaher hit .384-1-14 in 29 PG games in 2022 and is a career .369 PG hitter.  He’s signed with North Carolina, where he’s been committed since he was a freshman.

MIF –  Perry Hargett (Jr., Metrolina Christian Academy, N.C.)
Hargett is a quick twitch athlete with a 6.36 sixty to his credit at the PG Junior National Showcase last June.  He also has some real juice in his right-handed bat and has hit .336-5-51 with 62 walks in 100 PG games over the last two years. 

3B –  Dalton Wentz (Jr., Amherst County HS, Va.)
Wentz is a two-way standout who garnered All-Tournament honors three times at PG events in 2022 as both a hitter and as a pitcher.  A switch-hitter at the plate, Wentz hit .415 with a .547 on-base percentage in 29 PG games in 2022 and has been up to 94 mph on the mound already this spring.

OF –  Walker Jenkins (Sr., South Brunswick HS, N.C.)
Jenkins has battled through numerous injuries through his high school career, including a broken hamate bone in 2022, but that hasn’t kept him from earning Perfect Games top player ranking coming into this spring.  A five-tool player with a highly athletic 6-foot-3, 215-build, Jenkins hit .519-10-37 with 16 steals as a junior and was named the North Carolina Player of the Year.

OF –  Jonny Farmelo (Sr., Westfield HS, Va.)
Farmelo is one of the most tooled up outfielders in the country, with a strong 6-foot-2, 200-pound build and blazing 6.34 speed in the sixty.  Ranked 46th overall in the country and ninth among all outfielders, Farmelo is a career .358-3-74 hitter in his PG career with 79 walks and 75 strikeouts in 119 games.

OF – Alfonsin Rosario (Sr., P27 Academy, S.C.)
Rosario has gone from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey to finally settle at P27 Academy in South Carolina for his senior year.  The powerful 6-foot-2, 215-pound right handed hitter put on a tools show at the 2022 PG National Showcase, throwing 101 from the outfield, running a 6.76 sixty and blasting a half dozen balls into the farthest reaches of Tropicana Field on his way to a PG All-American Classic berth.

RHP Sam Cozart (So, Wesleyan Christian HS, N.C.)  
Cozart has been the face of the 2025 class since he pitched at the 2019 13U Select Festival as a 12-year old and was the winning pitcher of a game at the 2020 WWBA World Championships as a 14-year old.  A physical presence on the mound at 6-foot-7, 235-pounds, Cozart is more a four-pitch finesse pitcher with plus command than a power pitcher, albeit a finesse pitcher with a 90-93 mph fastball.

LHP Blake Dickerson (Sr., Ocean Lakes HS, Va.)
Dickerson was one of the fastest risers on the 2023 draft lists over the second half of the 2022 season as scouts discovered the highly projectable 6-foot-6, 210-pound southpaw.  Dickerson was especially impressive at the WWBA World Championships, striking out eight hitters in five innings with a 90-92 mph fastball and a swing and miss slider and also threw well in the fall for the USA Baseball 18U team.

RHP Bryce Eldridge (Sr., James Madison HS, Va.)
Eldridge really belongs as the Utility/Two-Way player on this All-Region team but fits best as a right-handed pitcher.  Along with being a left-handed hitting first baseman with plus power, Eldridge is an intimidating presence on the mound with a 6-foot-7 frame and a fastball that tops out at 95 mph to go with a hard slider and solid change up.

RHP Chance Mako (Sr., East Rowan HS, N.C.)   
Mako is a long and athletic 6-foot-6, 190-pound right-hander when his low 90’s fastball is finding the strike zone.  Both his 2,700+ rpm slider and mid-80’s change up are plus pitches and create lots of swing and miss when Mako is on the mound.  He went 8-1, 1.62 with 83 strikeouts in 56 as a junior at East Rowan High School.

RHP Carson Messina (Jr., Summerville HS. S.C.)
Messina started his high school career as more of an infielder but his rapid improvement on the mound has made him not only a primary pitcher but one of the hardest throwers in the 2024 class.  He worked in the 93-96 mph range at the WWBA World Championships this fall after pitching for the USA National 18U Team earlier in the Fall.

UT –  Jaxon Lucas (Sr., Garner HS, N.C.)
Lucas is a rangy 6-foot-3, 190-pound shortstop with plus defensive tools and a scholarship to play for North Carolina State.  But a pair of high profile starts at the 17U WWBA National Championships and the WWBA World Championships might paint him as a better long-term prospect on the mound, with a projectable 90-93 mph fastball and an outstanding curveball that he commands very well.


Coastal Region Top Tools


Best Hitter for Average: P.J. Morlando (Jr., Summerville HS, S.C.)
While it’s hard to overlook top ranked Walker Jenkins here, Morlando is ranked third himself in the 2024 class and that’s largely due to his left-handed swing and ability to square up the baseball seemingly every trip to the plate.

Best Hitter for Power: Walker Jenkins (Sr., South Brunswick HS, N.C.)
Jenkins power potential is the tool that has the professional scouts dreaming the most, although his well-rounded tool set also stands out.  Jenkins power comes easily and loudly.  Two-way standout Bryce Eldridge and the leverage he creates in his 6-foot-7 left-handed swing warrants mention here as well.

Best Runner: Jonny Farmelo (Sr., Westfield HS, Va.)
Farmelo’s strong 6-foot-2, 200-pound build looks more suited for a football field but he’s actually an outstanding basketball player when not on the baseball field.  His 6.34 speed is a plus-plus tool for him in both sports.

Best Defensive Catcher: Macon Winslow (Sr., Pro5 Baseball Academy, N.C.)
Winslow, who is signed with Duke, excels in all phases of the game defensively and is especially advanced in his receiving skills for his age.

Best Defensive Infielder: Isaac Armstrong (Sr., East Lincoln HS, N.C.)
Armstrong is a 6.40 runner with outstanding quickness and range defensively in the middle infield.  His overall actions are very polished and he’s very skilled at making plays on the run.

Best Defensive Outfielder: Justin Best (Sr., Combine Academy High School, N.C.)
A PG All-American, Best has a long and lean 6-foot-4, 200-pound build and easy athletic actions in the outfield.  He shows big range in all directions and an accurate 95 mph throwing arm.

Best Defensive Arm: Alfonsin Rosario (Sr., P27 Academy, S.C.)
There are plenty of elite arms in Coastal Region but it is hard to argue with 101 mph from the outfield.  Rosario also stepped on the mound a few times last year and was up to 93 mph.

Best Fastball: Carson Messina (Jr., Summerville HS. S.C.)
Messina topped out at 96 mph at Jupiter last fall and there are reports that he’s been as high as 98 mph at non-PG events.  Given his rapid progression on the mound and the fact that he’s still only 16-years old and it’s easy to see how high his fastball ceiling can be.

Best Off-Speed Stuff: Bryce Eldridge (Sr., James Madison HS, Va.)
Eldridge’s athleticism gives him the body control to throw consistent strikes and his 92-94 mph fastball is only part of package on the mound.  He has very good feel for changing shapes and speeds on his breaking ball and an advanced low-spin change up.

Best Pitchability: Sam Cozart (So, Wesleyan Christian HS, N.C.)  
While the phrase “mature beyond his years” has always been first applied to Cozart for oversized strong build, it really applies more for his approach to pitching on the mound.  He works with a plan and fills up the strike zone with his four-pitch arsenal.

Best Multi-Sport Athlete: James Nesta (Jr., Hough HS, N.C.)
Nesta is a strong-armed right-handed pitcher with a very projectable 6-foot-5, 205-pound build on the baseball field and has been up to 92 mph on the mound and 95 mph in the outfield at PG events.  He’s being heavily recruited by Coastal/Mid-Atlantic D1 football programs as a pass rushing defensive end after registering nine sacks last fall for the 11-3 Hough High School football team.
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