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College  | Story | 12/26/2023

Year in Review: College

Across the Country

Consensus Pre-Season No. 1 LSU Tigers Earn 7th National Championship

It is safe to say that no team in the history of college baseball had the type of preseason hype that LSU garnered in 2023. Head coach, Jay Johnson put everyone on notice when he landed the top transfer arm and bat in Paul Skenes and Tommy White respectively. That was just the icing on the cake for a vaunted incoming class that included several top-100 prospects and other high end portal gems. The Tigers were pre-season ranked No. 1 in every poll and the season started off in dominating fashion as expected. They rolled through the non-conference segment and didn’t lose a series all year until the first weekend in May on the road at Auburn. After losing the following weekend series at home to Mississippi State, they lost their top ranking heading down the stretch. But the pitching staff found another gear and the bats continued to produce runs in bunches and LSU never looked back. The swept through the Regional and Super Regional and on the heels of back-to-back 11-inning victories would go on to defeat the Florida Gators in the Championship Series. The offense, led by Golden Spikes Award winner Dylan Crews finished 19th in the nation with a .308 BA, 2nd with 144 home runs, and 8th in the nation in scoring. While the talented pitching staff finished 2nd in the nation in Ks-per-9 and 10th in WHIP. Sometimes it can be difficult for a team with such talent and depth to come together in a cohesive manner, but this group won 54 games and brought the 7th National Title back to Baton Rouge. To top it all off, Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews were the first two picks in the MLB Draft, something that had never been accomplished previously. It will be interesting to see what this program can do for encore in 2024.


Wake Forest Demon Deacons Have the Look of a Perennial Power

The only club other than LSU to occupy the No. 1 spot in the top-25 poll in 2023, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have the look and feel of a program that is here to stay. You would have to be an ardent Wake Forest fan to know that they made their first ever CWS appearance in 1949 and won the National Title in 1955. But it took them all the way until 2017 to make it to a Super Regional that they lost in three games to the Florida Gators. Fast forward to 2023 and head coach Tom Walter has all of the sudden positioned his program in such a way that they should contend for a trip to Omaha year after year. They seem like an unlikely story being an elite private institution where the academic rigor is challenging to say the least. Then, they play in one of the most hitter friendly parks in all of college baseball, but pitchers go there and thrive. RHP, Rhett Lowder went 15-0 and was a 1st round pick and returning stud, LHP Josh Hartle went 11-2. As a staff, the Deacs led the nation in team ERA, WHIP, Ks per 9, K-to-BB ratio, and hits allowed per-9. With their pitching lab and analytics staff, they continue to attract some of the top arms across the nation as seen with Chase Burns arriving in Winston Salem through the portal. While pitching surely moved to the forefront in 2023, Rake Forest as they refer to themselves offensively has long been run producing stalwart. With a team slash line of .301/.536/.425, they finished 5th in the nation with 13 home runs, 6th in scoring and 12th in slugging percentage. Potential No.1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, first baseman Nick Kurtz returns to the heart of another loaded lineup. This program seems to have found the right blend between offense and pitching, and they landed the top pitching transfer in Burns and top position transfer in Seaver King. So don’t be surprised if they eclipse their 54 wins from last season and are the top-ranked pre-season team heading into the new year.
 

Saarloos has TCU on the Verge of Becoming the next Lone Star Superpower

It is often a difficult task to take the reins of a program that has been highly successful and fill the shoes of a legendary head coach. Head coach Kirk Saarloos has not simply filled that role, he has continued to push the Horned Frogs to the point of being a superpower on the national landscape. They are making statements on the recruiting front by attracting elite high school talent and adding impressive hauls in the transfer portal world. In 2022, Saarloos’ first season at the helm, he led TCU to a Big 12 Championship and NCAA appearance on his way to being named Big 12 Coach of the Year. In year two, he guided his club to the Big 12 Conference Tournament championship and an eventual trip to the College World Series. You can see his leadership bleed into the fabric of the program as they have adopted a hard-nosed and aggressive style of baseball. They have accumulated 82 wins in the last two years and been one of the most balanced teams from an offensive and defensive analytics standpoint. The 2024 edition, on paper, looks like a club that should not only make its way back to Omaha but have a legitimate shot at bringing home the national title. With the return of Anthony Silva and Karson Bowen they have a tremendous offensive core and the addition of transfers Peyton Chatagnier and Payton Tolle only add to the depth of this potent lineup. Veteran Kole Klecker anchors a deep and talented pitching staff that became even more powerful with the additions of transfers Ben Hampton and Zack Morris. TCU’s administration is committed to baseball, it is one of the best funded in the country and there has never been more excitement about the future in Fort Worth.
 

Magical Run for the Clemson Tigers Cut Short

Erik Bakich and staff wasted no time making their mark in Tigertown as they returned the club to its usual place among the top programs in the nation. After two consecutive seasons of playing sub-.500 ball in the ACC, the Tigers went 4-0 in the ACC Tournament to take home the crown and secure the No. 4 National Seed in the NCAA Tournament. They hosted a regional for the first time since 2018 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. There was plenty of doubt outside the program as to how long the turnaround may take as they started ACC play with a 2-8 record. With the help of a 17-game win streak, they would go on to finish 2nd overall in the league with a 20-10 record. All told, they would win their last seven conference series of the year and win 20 of their last 21 ACC games. The magical run was unfortunately cut short when the Tennessee Vols took down Clemson 6-5 in a 14-inning thriller in the winner’s bracket of the regional. Then the next day Charlotte would knock them out in a 3-2 nailbiter. Showing the character and toughness of a championship club, the Tigers accumulated 44 total victories in 2023, 24 of which were come from behind. Having played the 9th toughest schedule in the nation, they surely earned their Top-10 ranking and National Seed honors. Junior Caden Grice was a major reason for the club’s success as he put together a career year and went on to be named the 2023 John Olerud Two-Way Player-of-the-Year. Freshman sensation, Cam Canarella was named ACC Freshman-of-the-Year and will lead another talented club onto the field to prove last year’s magical run is the new expectation in Clemson.

Oral Roberts’ Amazing Run to Omaha

When your club has the Summit Conference Player/Newcomer of the Year Jonah Cox, Pitcher of the Year Cade Denton and Defensive Player of the Year Mac McCroskey, one would assume it would be a banner season. That is exactly what head coach Ryan Folmar got from his team in his 11th season in Tulsa, OK. All told, the Golden Eagles saw an amazing 13 players receive All-League honors and they rode that deep talent to their first appearance in the College World Series since 1978. While they were just 10-8 to start the season in the non-conference segment, they would go 42-6 the rest of the way and finish with a program record 52 wins. One of the most well-rounded clubs in the nation, they would rank top-10 in the nation in fielding percentage (1st), W/L percentage (2nd), hits (2nd), batting average (7th), ERA (7th), WHIP (7th) and runs (9th). They swept through the Summit League Championship, outscoring their opponents 36-8 in three games and then swept through the Stillwater Regional taking down Oklahoma State, Washington, and Dallas Baptist. From there they went to Eugene, OR for the Super Regional where they lost Game 1 in heartbreaking fashion 9-8 to the Ducks. But Coach Folmars team showed its mettle by winning Game 2 by a score of 8-7 and then rolled to Omaha by taking the deciding game 11-6. They ended their amazing run by going 1-2 in the College World Series, defeating TCU in their first game and then would lose their following two against Florida and that same TCU club. In the world of extravagant budgets, NIL, and the transfer portal, seeing a team from the 28th ranked league in the nation makes this kind of run inspiring. These types of stories are what makes college baseball the greatest show on dirt.

Individual Highlights

Larger Than Life Paul Skenes Lives Up to Expectations

When your name is being mentioned with the likes of Stephen Strasburg, Garrett Cole, and Mark Prior, you know there are massive expectations. Gambling on himself, transferring from an elite service academy in Air Force and landing in Baton Rouge, Skenes weighed the risk and hoped for the biggest reward. His legend began in the fall at LSU when reports of his fastball reaching 102 mph came out and he had refined his delivery. On opening day of 2023, in front of a packed house and countless scout, he pitched 6.0 innings on just 98 pitches and struck out 12 batters. From there he never looked back, eating up innings with an ease we had not seen in years and leaving little doubt that he would be the No.1 pick in the coming MLB Draft. Leading the Tigers to their 7th National Championship, Skenes would finish 13-2 with an ERA of 1.69 on 122.2 IP, allowing only 72 hits and finishing with a mind-blowing 209-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His belief in himself led him to the pinnacle of college baseball and the Pittsburg Pirates made him the No.1 pick in the draft.

The Next Two-Way Sensation – Jac Caglianone

Longtime fans of the Florida Gators are no strangers to stud two-way athletes with Brad Wilkerson in the late ‘90s and Brian Johnson in the early 2010s. But as great as these players were, none of the fans had seen anything like the 6-5/245 beast named Jac Caglianone. While he had a nice freshman campaign, he didn’t pitch and broke into the lineup late, not many people outside the program anticipated what was to come in his sophomore year. But once fall practice started in Gainesville, the word started to spread about this lefthander that was delivering 100 mph heaters and launching behemoth home runs with exit velocities approaching 120 mph. Come spring it didn’t take long for the world to get to know “Cags” as he led the Gators march to the championship series in the College World Series. With a season slash line of .323/.389/.738 and setting a program and BBCOR era record in home runs with 33, as well as program records with 90 RBIs and 208 total bases. On the mound he finished 7-4 in 18 starts and accumulated 74.2 innings and punched out 87 batters. His efforts earned him consensus First Team All-American accolades and the ABCA National Position Player of the Year. Heading into 2024, he may be the front runner to be the first pick in the MLB Draft this July.

Dylan Crews-es to the Gold Spikes Award

When opposing teams looked down the lineup card when playing the LSU Tigers in 2023, they all identified Crews as the guy they weren’t going to let beat them. However, most of the time, they left the ballpark having seen that very thing happen. The pulse of arguably the most potent offense in the college game in 2023, he led his club to the promised land as they took home yet another National Championship. He collected a mass of personal awards along the way and none bigger than the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation’s best player. In 71 games played, Crews reached base every game, finishing with a hard to fathom OB% of .567 and batted .426 as he accumulated 110 knocks. His 16 doubles and 18 home runs led him to a .713 SLG% as he collected 70 RBIs and was 6-6 in stolen bases for good measure. But as impressive as all his numbers were, the part of his game that was hardest to comprehend may well have been his strike zone discipline. For the year, he walked 71 times and got hit-by-pitch 14 times while only striking out 46 times for an almost 2-to-1 ratio on the plus side. His sensational season earned him the No. 2 pick overall in the MLB Draft as the Washington Nationals picked up one of the greatest college hitters of all time.

Ethan Petry Puts on a Freshman Performance for the Ages

Any fan that made the trek to Founders Park in Columbia, SC last spring and saw the 6-4/235 Petry stroll to the plate, they surely wouldn’t think he was a freshman based on his stature alone. Then seeing him swing the bat with fierce aggression and power, would cast that much more doubt in him just starting his college career. When it was all said and done, Petry has a shelf full of awards like being named Perfect Game’s Freshman of the Year and a consensus Freshman All-American across all publications. In 63 games he collected 83 hits for an impressive .376 BA with an OB% of .471 and a mammoth SLG% of .733 for the year. He broke the freshman University of South Carolina record for home runs with 23 and RBI with 75 all told. His performance landed him an invite to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp. As the Gamecocks continue their resurgence to national prominence, you can be sure Petry will be at the heart of the effort and the intimidating presence in the middle of their offense.

Happy Trails to Some Legendary Head Coaches

Mike Batesole – Cal State Northridge (1996-2002) Fresno State (2003-2022)
· Record (282-615) NCAA Tournament (18-12)
· College World Series (2008)
· 7 – WAC Tournament Championships
· 6 – WAC Regular Season Titles
· 1 – MWC Tournament Championship
· 2 – MWC Regular Season Titles
· 2 – Time Collegiate Baseball National Coach of the Year Award Winner

Paul Kostacopoulos – Maine (1997-2005) Navy (2006-2023)
· Record (1,017-705) NCAA Tournament (2-10)
· 1 – Big East Tournament Championship
· 1 – Big East Regular Season Title
· 2 – America East Tournament Championships
· 1 – America East Regular Season Title
· 2 – Patriot League Tournament Championships
· 2 – Patriot League Regular Season Titles
· 4 – Time Patriot League Coach of the Year

Tony Rossi – Siena (1970-2023)
· Record (936-1,190) NCAA Tournament (1-4)
· 5 – MAAC Championships
· 6 – Time MAAC Coach of the Year
· Siena Sports Hall of Fame
· Albany Twilight League Hall of Fame

Scott Berry – Meridian Community College (1997-2000) Southern Miss (2010-2023)
· D1 Record (500-265) NJCAA (185-58) NCAA Tournament (15-17)
· 4 – Conference USA Tournament Championships
· 5 – Conference USA Regular Season Titles
· 2 – NCAA Regional Championships
· 4 – Time Conference USA Coach of the Year
· 1 – Sun Belt Tournament Championship

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 | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
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Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
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While we are nearing the turn of the calendar to the 2026 year, that means we are just inching closer to the beginning of the season for many high school players and college baseball is on the horizon. We are prepping for a reshuffle of the 2026 MLB Draft Board as well here amongst the PG Draft staff. But before we get to that, we sat down and have each picked a couple of players who are in the mix to get selected in a couple of different buckets.  We have prospects who could go into the Top 30 picks or so, prospects who could be selected in the Top 5 rounds, and prospects who could go inside of the Top 10 rounds. With the draft quite far down the road and a lot of re-shuffling to be done as these players play themselves into certain spots on the draft board, our scouts picked some players who fit into these “buckets” who are gut-feel guys. These are the guys that our PG...
Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
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Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
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...
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...
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