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Tournaments  | Story | 6/9/2023

McDowell Shines, Astros Roll

Photo: Darrell McDowell (Perfect Game)
The East Cobb Astros Texas Orange 16u team is one of many premier teams part of the East Cobb Baseball organization. The Marietta, Georgia based organization partners with Perfect Game in putting on tournaments year-round at the East Cobb Baseball Complex.

“The one thing about the Astros team is we practice a lot, and we play a ton of games,” head coach Todd Harris said after the Astros 10-2 win on Friday. “So just having the energy and effort the players have kind of came with that every single day, and it's been a pleasure, and it's been a joy to coach these guys so far this summer.”



With players represented from states all around the country, the culture of this Astros Texas Orange team has helped add to each player's travel ball experience.

“It has been really good (coaching this summer),” Harris said. “We've got kids from out of town, from South Georgia, we've got kids from Alabama, and we got kids here locally and it's actually been a really good experience for us.”

Among this 16u squad are a handful of players who have already announced their commitments to further their baseball careers at colleges like Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Ohio State, South Carolina, and Texas.

Darrell, or DJ McDowell although uncommitted, has piqued a lot of scouts' interests and his coach’s.

“DJ McDowell has been a pretty standout player to me so far,” Harris said. “Not only playing, but just him as a person.”

The rising junior who attends Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia, can be found on the mound or at third base. The right-handed pitcher, who recently has been topping out his fastball at 91 mph, was named to GHSA’s first team All-Region this past spring, representing Lassiter.


“He has stepped his game up and really, really impressed me with how he goes about his business. How he throws bullpens, as far as, in between games and then once he goes out on the mound and just being a good teammate in the dugout,” Harris said about McDowell.

In the SE Memorial Day Classic, McDowell started on the mound against the US Elite Georgia 17u team and pitched 4.1 innings, limiting the team to only two hits, striking out seven of their batters. After getting the win, McDowell was then named to the tournaments All Tournament Team List.
 

“I think he just needs to continue to work, like he has done,” Harris said. “That is the one thing from last year to this year, he has really done a good job working on his game and it's really showing, so that's been good.”

McDowell and the Astros Texas Orange, after a 17-2 win Thursday and the 10-2 win yesterday, are scheduled to face Midland Premier Tn this afternoon for their final pool game before heading to bracket play at the PG Battle of the Southeast.

Tournaments | Story | 12/10/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2026

Tyler Henninger
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The Class of 2026 is one of the deeper prep classes that we have seen in a couple of years. With that being said, there is plenty of talent on the defensive side. Let’s take a look at some of the best defenders in the class.  C: Will Brick, Christian Brothers HS (Memphis, TN) Brick is a newcomer to the class after reclassifying, but immediately became the top backstop. Extremely advanced actions are shown behind the dish with impressive athleticism to go with it. Brick showcases big time arm strength and is consistently accurate on throw downs. He can make playing the position look extremely easy at times. Brick possesses all the defensive tools needed to be a premier catcher.  1B: AJ Curry, University City HS (San Diego, CA) Curry has a bigger and stronger frame with good strength throughout. He has a well-proportioned build that serves him well on the dirt. He’s...
Press Release | Press Release | 12/11/2025

PG Believe In Baseball Announces Awards Dinner

Perfect Game Staff
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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   THE PERFECT GAME BELIEVE IN BASEBALL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR FIRST ANNUAL “IN THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME” AWARDS DINNER AND AUCTION   Los Angeles, California (Thursday, December 11, 2025) – The Perfect Game Believe in Baseball Foundation, together with Perfect Game leadership of Chairman Rick Thurman and CEO Rob Ponger, has announced the inaugural “In the Spirit of the Game” event, an evening of baseball and laughter, taking place Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the iconic Laugh Factory in Hollywood, Calif. The evening supports the Foundation’s mission to provide financial assistance and resources that allow deserving young athletes to play, learn and grow through the...
Tournaments | Story | 12/10/2025

Scout Stories: Part 3

Tyler Kotila
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Best Game I Saw: The 17u Ultimate Baseball Championship featured a thrilling matchup between the ZT National Prospects and the Trosky Brewers 2026, with the winner claiming the trophy. Both teams showcased their talent, boasting a combined 15 players committed to Division I programs. In a back-and-forth contest that highlighted standout pitching against potent lineups, ZT National ultimately held off a late comeback to secure a 5-4 victory. Justin Lopez shone for ZT National with three hits and two RBIs, while University of North Carolina commit William Myhand added two hits and two runs batted in. On the Trosky side, UCSB commit Noah Dabela kept his team competitive with an impressive performance out of the bullpen, tossing 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings. However, time ran out with ZT on top. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Noah Jarolimek delivered an outstanding performance at the 14U...
Draft | Story | 12/10/2025

PG Draft: Post-Lottery Draft Targets

Tyler Kotila
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On Tuesday night, the MLB Draft Lottery took place, and the draft order has officially been set for July. With draft slots finalized, teams can now begin narrowing in on the prospects most likely to be available when they are on the clock. From polished college players to high-upside preps, several potential targets are already emerging as ideal fits based on past draft philosophy and finalized draft position. Let’s take a look at potential targets for the six teams that were awarded a lottery pick.  1. Chicago White Sox Potential Targets:  -Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA -Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (Tex.) -Gio Rojas, LHP, Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS (Fla.) The White Sox took home the top spot at the MLB Draft Lottery, staying true to their spot, with the highest odds to earn the first-overall draft pick amongst lottery-eligible teams this year. This will only...
Tournaments | Story | 12/9/2025

Scout Stories: Part 2

Kyler Peterson
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Scout Notes: Part 1 Best Game I Saw: '27 OF Finnian O'Loughlin (NJ) singled oppo & came up big to walk it off w/ a 2B in B7 to complete the comeback victory. Good pwr projection & been hitting the ball hard w/ regularity. @PG_Uncommitted #UBCEast @PGMidAtlantic @TheCanesBB pic.twitter.com/wm4yrDp4SF — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 18, 2025 The first game that I saw this year was probably at 16U UBC- East down in West Palm Beach, Florida when Wow Factor National and Canes National faced off in an afternoon match. Both lineups were absolutely loaded up and down, but it was the pitching performances that really stood out. Both starters, Texas commit Grant Sperandio (Wow Factor) and Tennessee commit Brady Buenik (Canes) came out pumping octane, each touching 94. They both held that velocity and Sperandio neutralized the opposing order with high level stuff, holding the...
Tournaments | Story | 12/8/2025

Scout Stories: Part 1

Steve Fiorindo
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Best Game I Saw:  Feel like I may put this every year (don’t fact check me), but the PG All American Classic is always up there, I’m sure I could pick a game where I saw Seth Hernandez shove for Corona here too, but the All American Classic is always just loaded with talent and it pretty well wraps up a long summer of baseball.  Being back at Petco Park makes it even more special as it’s simply one of my favorite venues to watch a game, and seeing a group of the top high school players in the country in that yard is simply awesome.  And to have the West squad win, just makes it that much better (Yes, I’m a left coast homer).  The Underclass All Star Game kicking things off has made the event even better the last few years, and gave us a taste of what to look forward to down the road.  I’m sure Kinon Bastian will have numerous big...
College | Recruiting | 12/8/2025

The State of Recruiting in the Northeast

Ryan Miller
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Cold weather states face unique obstacles when producing baseball talent and none persevere better than those in the Northeast. States such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, among others have annually funneled high-level recruits throughout the country to college baseball’s premier destinations. New England has specifically made a name for themselves, in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and occasionally Vermont or New Hampshire. Below, we look at the programs who annually land top talent from the East Coast, showcasing the vast spectrum of area competitors.   Top ACC Bidders Maintain Grasp on the Northeast    An extended look at '27 RHP Enmanuel Acevedo (NY)... @PG_Uncommitted #WWBAWorlds @PGMidAtlantic https://t.co/8uH6Lg95OL pic.twitter.com/vpQdG0G7qI — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 21, 2025 Duke and Virginia will be tied to the hip for the...
College | Story | 12/5/2025

College Notebook: December 5

Craig Cozart
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Memphis Tigers 2025 Highlights: Head coach Matt Riser began to put his stamp on the program in his first year as skipper after leaving Southeastern Louisiana where he won over 300 games in 10 seasons. He is a proven winner and while they took their lumps at times last year, they did beat Ole Miss at home for the first time since 2001 and achieved their first conference road sweep in over a decade at Rice. Under his direction there was a significant uptick in offensive production as they slugged 68 home runs (fifth most in program history) and walked 284 times (third most in program history). They also saw massive improvements on the mound, putting together a sound rotation and the back end of the bullpen was excellent securing 16 saves. Ultimately, they would miss the American Athletic Conference tournament, but the foundation is in place for 2026 to be one of the best in recent history....
General | Blog | 12/5/2025

Down on the Farm: NL West

David Rawnsley
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It’s the time of the year again (i.e. the off-season) for the annual PG Down on the Farm feature.  We identify a top prospect in each of the 30 Major League organizations with as much Perfect Game background as possible and delve into that PG history for some insight into his development as a prospect.  Some of them might be high profile, high draft pick, ex-PG All-American talents who fans have been long familiar with.  Others might be more obscure prospects who have significantly improved either in college or as professionals.  Note that players who have used up their rookie eligibility are not considered. The idea isn’t to necessarily pick the best PG background prospect in each organization but the one who might be closest to the big leagues.  Sometimes that is the same player, other times not. And there is plenty of variation among organizations...
Draft | Story | 12/4/2025

PG All-Americans: Where are they now?

Tyler Kotila
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PG All-Americans - Where are they now? Every year, Perfect Game hosts its All-American Classic, one of the most prestigious honors for high school players across the country. It’s a storied event with 23 years of rich history — between the countless big leaguers who have gone on to produce incredible big-league careers, to future World Series champions, and players from more recent years who still have a whole road ahead of themselves. This week, our PG Draft Team has decided to take a look back at the history of this event over the years. Our scouts on the draft team went through and selected a PG All-American Classic from the past to discuss across three different eras. Over its 23-year history, we have divided it into three eras: the 2000s, the 2010s, and the 2020s. Our Scouts take a look at some of the noteworthy performers from the years they chose, and give a little...
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