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Tournaments  | Story | 9/21/2023

Redemption for 10 at 14u Festival

It’s a saying scouts, coaches, athletes, and parents alike have long said in regard to players: they continue to get better. And quite frankly, that holds true to anything you do in life. That jump from 12u baseball to the 13u diamond where the mound is further back and it can feel like an eternity running from base to base the first couple of times can be a tough transition for some while others adapt, whether it be natural skill or already having reps on the bigger field. 

Those transitions never stop as you continue to rise up the ranks as the ball starts coming in harder and spinning in different directions out of the hand from pitchers while, conversely, hitters are getting stronger and faster while refining their approach and pitch-to-pitch process in the box. While the 12 to 13u jump is a big one, so too is the 13u to the 14u level as players take a majority of their reps swinging wood bats in the summer and those premier fastballs (low-80s) a year prior are now mid- to upper-80s, with some peaking into the low-90s.



You could go through and tell endless stories of players who didn’t really take off until “late” in their high school career, or even college, ultimately hearing their names called in the first round or making that debut in the big leagues. 

To help keep things simple and somewhat constrained, we’re going to look at the 2023 14u Select Festival rosters and dive into just how many players attended the 13u National Showcase in 2022 and didn’t make the 13u Select Festival, but put in the work, came back to the 14u iteration this past July and received the call notifying them of their selection to the 14u Festival. 

Amongst the 52 players who received the Festival phone call this year, 10 might’ve had an extra chip on their shoulder when they arrived at the 14u National, prior to solidifying their spot on Labor Day. Those 10, Banks Addison (No. 31 in latest 2027 national rankings), Lucas Farrar (No. 35), Will Hayes (No. 39), Max Hemenway (No. 10), Matthew Kelley (No. 6), Blake Lundy (No. 19), Mac Morris (No. 21), Jose Partida (No. 11), Teagan Scott (No. 66 in 2026) and Sebastian Wilson (No. 17), all attended the 13u National a year prior and while some were on the cusp, they all left no doubt after their summer and National Showcase performances. 

Again, there are countless players who continue to put in the work, proving they belong at the top of the rankings and there WILL BE several players who didn’t make a single Festival that end up in the Perfect Game All-American Classic, just as we see every year. Of the 60 players to make it to Chase for this year’s iteration of the PGAAC, 43 of them didn’t play in either the 13u or 14u Festival, taking their games to the next level throughout the years and developing into high level prospects. 

Not only did all 10 of these players make the game and surge up the rankings, they also won some serious hardware amongst the group whether it was Hayes taking home the Pitcher of the Year award, Hemenway winning the Rawlings Gold Glove for his defensive play throughout the summer or Kelley who continued to be a model of consistency while earning the Launch Hydrate Impact Award. 

Despite throwing 10 more innings in 2023, Hayes walked one less batter, allowed 2 less hits and shaved his ERA down by nearly 3 runs all while seeing his velocity tick up into the 83-86/87 mph range with one of the better sliders in the class. Banks Addison and Teagan Scott joined Hayes on Team Elite this summer and were consistently in the mix as cornerstone pieces both in the top third of the order as well as at premium positions on defense with Addison at shortstop and Scott behind the plate. 

Both Hemenway and Sebastian Wilson are a pair of Tennessee commits (Wilson was actually the first player in the entire ’27 class to commit) and were teammates this past summer with Wow Factor, playing pivotal roles on both sides of the ball while a third Wow Factor player, Blake Lundy, did a bulk of the catching and possesses some of the best tools across the board. 

As you continue to sift through the 10 names, the improvements continue to shine as Partida soared to No. 11 in the class after seeing his fastball jump from bumping 81 mph in March to sitting in the mid- to upper-80s late in the summer and into the Festival. Kelley continued to add physical strength and it played throughout the summer at the top of the USA Prime lineup with gap-to-gap strength and budding over-the-fence power. Morris and Farrar are a pair of versatile shortstops who both possess some of the best arm strength across the diamond and have continued to elevate their overall games in a big way since 2022. 

While this quick hit article is meant to highlight the 10 players who accomplished their mission, it’s also meant to show how players continue to develop, improve and refine not only year to year, but seemingly month-to-month and even tournament-to-tournament. The hard work from players across the country certainly doesn’t go unnoticed and for this 2027 class, it’ll be fun to see who continues to take those next steps, elevate their game and end up receiving that phone call for the PG All-American Classic, whether they made a Festival or not. 
 

Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
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Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
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Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
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There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
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Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
College | Story | 12/12/2025

College Notebook: December 12

Craig Cozart
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Nebraska Cornhuskers 2025 Highlights: The Cornhuskers were a difficult team to figure in ’25 as they finished with 33 wins, played just .500 (15-15) in the Big Ten but had some big wins at various times during the season and got hot at the right time. They knocked off then #16 Vanderbilt in the second game of the year, beat #5 Oregon State 2-out-of-3 at home in late March and then got hot at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha to win the Big Ten Tournament. They beat Michigan State in a 10-inning thriller before taking care of #4 Oregon, knocking off Penn State and then shutout #13 UCLA to punch their ticket to the Chapel Hill Regional. Head coach Will Bolt has now led his alma mater to three conference titles and three NCAA Regional appearances during his six years in Lincoln. No different than when he was a player, Bolt’s teams play with passion and toughness, this was never more...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2028

Troy Sutherland
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 You like athletes? You like defenders who can impact a game at any given point? Look not further than this class as it's loaded from coast-to-coast with elite defenders all over the diamond.  C: Brogan Witcher, Bakersfield, CA Our scouting staff got several strong looks at Witcher whether that was at the Summer Kickoff, Sophomore National or the Underclass All American Games where he showcased his strong overall skillset and especially his advanced ability behind the plate. His 6-foot-3,180 pound build looks like one that will fill in quite nicely and be that big and physical catcher’s frame. His arm talent is undeniable where he gets it out quick and runs it up to 79 mph on throwdowns to 2nd (1.84 pop). Besides the standout catch/throw ability, we’ve seen him frame/receive strong arms and block it well during...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 12/11/2025

PG Softball "Toys 4 Tots" Fundraiser 18U division

Dave Durbala
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BURLINGTON, IA - 2025 Perfect Game Softball Toys 4 Tots Fundraiser One Day, December 7, 2025. Kicking off the holiday season, six teams participated in this one day, 3 game guarantee tournament in the 18u Division. We would like to thank those that donated a toy, and know that they will be distributed to area underprivileged children through a local charity organization. Following are some of the top performers from the weekend. Earning Tournament MV-Pitcher was Jolee Strohmeyer (2026 Dubuque, IA), a RHP/UTIL with tournament champion Lady Expos Blue. Strohmeyer shows hitters a consistent and repeatable motion and delivery with good use of the legs in the drive phase, and a quick and aggressive arm whip. Working with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, rise, drop, curve and screw, Strohmeyer topped out at 60 mph, and showed good movement  as she worked her rise and curve just out...
Tournaments | Story | 12/11/2025

Scout Stories: Part 4

Tyler Henninger
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Scout Notes: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Best Game I Saw: Hudson Reed (‘26, GA) torches this ball to deep CF for a solo 💣. Generates easy power that plays to the big part of the yard. Middle of the order traits #UBCWest @PG_Georgia @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/UXqDVFmUBx — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) June 18, 2025 I was fortunate enough to see a lot of highly competitive games with loads of talent on the field, the game that sticks out to me the most was Alpha Prime 2026 vs. ZT National Prospects at the UBC West. The game was an efficiently played affair with arms dominating on both sides. Graham Schlicht was masterful for Alpha, striking out 12 hitters over 5 dominant innings. PG All-American Julian Cazares came out of the pen blowing smoke, touching 97 mph with the fastball. On the other side, Jake Carbaugh surrendered just one hit and...
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...
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