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College  | Story | 2/27/2024

College Player, Pitcher of the Week

Photo: Hagen Smith (Arkansas Baseball)
February 27

Perfect Game/Pitcher of the Week:

Hagen Smith, Arkansas



Dominating, overwhelming, masterful; you could go on and on with adjectives to describe the outing that Smith put together in his start on Friday. Facing one of the most complete offenses in all of college baseball in the Oregon State Beavers, the 6-3/225 junior lefthander put together one of the most epic starts in recent memory. Using his lively fastball that sat in the upper-90s and peaked at 99 mph, he attacked hitters with the heater and set the stage for his wipeout slider. The fastball is elite in both velocity and spin (2,400+) RPMs but the slider proved to be virtually untouchable as it cruised in the mid-to-upper 80s with late, abrupt bite. The Bullard, TX native would retire the first 15 outs of the game via the strike out and except for a ground out in the 6th inning, 17 of his 18 outs were recorded by punch out. Smith would only need 78 pitches to navigate his 6.0 IP, allowing 3 hits, no runs, 1 walk to go with his 17 strike outs. He would leave the game leading 4-0 but ended up with a no-decision as the Beavers put up some runs later in the game. The Razorbacks look like true national title contenders and it’s obvious they have an ace to run out every Friday night going forward.

Perfect Game/Player of the Week:

Jackson Ross, Ole Miss

The Ole Miss Rebels were in the midst of an early season 4-game losing streak heading into Saturday during their home series, and the team was in desperate need of a spark. That spark came in the form of an offensive outburst and Jackson Ross played a significant part. The 6-2/210 senior from Lakeland, FL transferred from FAU during the offseason and has quickly found a home in Oxford. His team went on a tear and scored 37 runs in 14 innings over the final two games of the series that would both be won via the run-rule. For the weekend, Ross went 8 for 11 with 4 home runs, 5 walks, scored 8 runs and collected 11 RBI. This brings his season batting average to .471 with a SLG% of .917 and an impressive OB% of .588 mainly due to his control of the strike zone as seen with a 9:3 BB-to-K ratio. If the Rebels are going to continue to right the ship and make a return to the postseason, you can be sure Ross will play a major role.


February 20

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Cam Leiter, Florida State

It looks like the Florida State Seminoles may have struck gold in the transfer portal with the arrival of Cam Leiter as he dazzled in his debut. Taking the ball in the starting role on Opening Day, the sophomore right-hander from Bayville, NJ showed an electric arsenal as he mowed down opposing hitters. The 6-5/218 prospect unleashed a riding fastball that lived in the mid-90s and peaked at 98 mph, generating plenty of swing and miss. He also featured a devastating slider that would find its way into the low-90s with late two-plane tilt. Leiter would work 5.0 IP on 89 pitches, allowing only 1 hit, no runs, 2 walks and led the nation with 13 strikeouts as he qualified for the win in his team’s 11-0 victory.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Co-Players of the Week:

Travis Bazzana, Oregon State

One of the most exciting all-around players in the nation, the Sydney, NS native is a sure-fire Day 1 prospect in the coming MLB draft. The centerpiece of one of the best lineups the Oregon State Beavers have fielded in years, Bazzana got the new year off in style. The 6-0/200 lefthanded hitter is a tremendous blend of speed and power at the plate and his strike zone discipline allows him to reach base at an impressive rate. In his team's (4-0) start so far this season, he is batting .563 as he has already collected 9 hits and scored 6 runs. Slugging an impressive 1.313, he has a double, a triple, 3 home runs and driven in 7 runs on his way to on OBA% of .650 so far. The Beavers have the look of a national title contender and Bazzana will lead the way.

Caleb Cozart, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

The University of North Carolina, Greensboro Spartans got off to their best start since 2019 with a three-game sweep and designated hitter Caleb Cozart played a big role. His club scored a total of 30 runs Opening Weekend and the 6-5/250 righty was responsible for 18 of those runs as he drove in 11 and scored 7 on the weekend. Cozart is a two-way player who will see time on the mound, at first base and most of his time as DH. He finished the series with a SLG% of 1.727 on a double and 4 home runs producing those 11 RBIs. He also walked twice and was hit by pitch once to produce on OBA% of .643 all told. The Spartans have an explosive offense and should be a factor in the SOCON race this year.

College | Story | 5/19/2026

College Players of the Week: May 19

Vincent Cervino
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May 19th Perfect Game/Co-Players of the Week:  Carson Tinney, C, Texas  The Texas Longhorns just finished off another stellar regular season and are heading to Hoover for the SEC Conference Tournament as the No. 2 Seed this week.  To secure their 2nd place finish, they had to sweep Missouri at home last weekend and did so in large part to the power bat of Carson Tinney.  The 6-4/240 catcher from Castle Pines, CO transferred to Austin after two sensational seasons at Notre Dame and has thrived in his draft year.  In the 3-game set, Tinney collected 7 hits in 13 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, with a double, 3 home runs and he drove in 10 runs all told.  With some of the most prodigious power in the college game this year, Tinney is now slashing .321/.695/.473 with 10 doubles an incredible 20 home runs and 54 RBIs while playing in the most spacious ballpark in the...
Tournaments | Story | 5/19/2026

Best of the Best Event Preview

Jheremy Brown
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In simplistic terms, the Best of The Best tournament is an absolute gauntlet as seemingly every game brings a playoff game atmosphere. Coaches must strategically map out their pitching to ensure they can get through Pool Play while also making sure they have arms to make a deep playoff run. Each and every age group is loaded with the best teams, composed of some of the best players that travel baseball has to offer. The 9u & 10u age groups will respectively have 9 out of the Top 10 Teams within the latest PG National Team Rankings participating in the event. At 9U, LTP-Reign will look to hold on to their #1 ranking but will have plenty of competition with the likes of ZT National Prospects and HTX-Wildcatters 9U looking to take over that #1 spot. In the 10u age group, Elevate National will look to fend off plenty of talent with #2 ranked Kaos National, East Cobb Astros and ZT...
College | Rankings | 5/18/2026

College Top 25: May 18

Vincent Cervino
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The regular season is behind us, and it is now tournament time and wow, is there a lot to still be decided.  We are a week away from the Field of 64 being announced and hosting opportunities, at-large bids, as well as automatic bids are there for the taking.  The UCLA Bruins (48-6) continue their stranglehold on the No. 1 spot in the land, finishing the regular season without losing a series all year.  ACC powers, UNC (43-10) and Georgia Tech (45-9) remain at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively and SEC regular season champs, the Georgia Bulldogs (43-12) stick at No. 4.  After that there was a small amount of shuffling within the Top 10 with No. 5 Texas (40-12), No. 6 West Virginia (37-13) and No. 7 FSU (38-16) moving ahead of now No. 8 Auburn (36-18) after they were the only team in this group to drop their weekend series.   No. 14 Florida (37-18) and No. 15...
High School | General | 5/18/2026

High School Notebook: May 18

Jordan Gates
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‘27 RHP Grant Slater (@BoydCoBaseball) gets his 1st start of the year (3rd appearance) as he works his way back. FB opened 89-92 w/ ride & was still up to 91 in the 5th (run rule), while touching 93 in the 3rd. CT worked in the mid 8s & breaking ball in mid 7s (sweep). Big summer… pic.twitter.com/w9EXl6Jmrx — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) May 8, 2026 Grant Slater, 2027, RHP, Boyd Co (KY) Slater made his full start of the year back on May 7th. He had appeared in a few games in relief roles prior as he has come back from a few injury bugs. The Alabama commit went five strong innings, in a complete game fashion (run rule), only allowed a couple hits, one walk, and struck out 13 batters. Slater is beginning to ramp up at the right time with postseason right around the corner. Slater’s fastball peaked at 93 mph a few times, held velocity in the...
High School | General | 5/14/2026

CPBL Showcase Scout Notes

Troy Sutherland
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Logan Cummins (‘26 ON) Silky op with big arm speed and projection. Shaky FB command early, 91-93 T94. CH is present plus, weapon vs both LH & RH hitters at 83-84. Good arm side depth to it. SL has some length to the mostly lateral action @ 77. #KState commit.#CPBLShowcaseWknd pic.twitter.com/7TdJ2neOv6 — Perfect Game International (@pg_int1) May 8, 2026 Logan Cummins (‘26 ON) Very intriguing athletic upside here, came out early a bit juiced up leading to inconsistent fastball command but settled in and started dotting. Ran the fastball up to 94 with running life. Changeup is ahead of the rest of the arsenal  in terms of quality, and has a parachuting arm side dive that gets frequent swings over the top. Slider is tight with varying length at its best it does have an extra gear to garner a late count whiff. Should fit nicely at Kansas State if he decides to...
College | Story | 5/14/2026

Coppy's Corner: May 14 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
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Each week I huddle with Vinnie Cervino and Craig Cozart  to discuss Top-25 rankings and Players of the Week. In Coppy’s Corner, I dive deeper into these Players of the Week, providing analysis from 20+ years working in baseball front offices at the highest level.   Player of the Week: Drew Burress – Georgia Tech  I love everything that Craig Cozart writes, and his piece on Burress is as good as it gets (link). Craig does a masterful job of showing us how Burress has (not arguably) the best career college performance of any current player. The body of work is consistent and impressive, and Burress has one of the highest floors in the 2026 MLB Draft with above average or better tools across the board.  I’m not going to do a deep dive on Burress’ numbers because there is no point: they are really good, everywhere. I would rather talk about...
College | Rankings | 5/13/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: May 13

Nick Herfordt
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The college baseball postseason has arrived for NCAA Division II, Division III, and the NAIA, bringing with it the most intense stretch of the season. Conference tournaments have wrapped up, national brackets are taking shape, and teams across the country are shifting from regular season positioning to survival mode, where one bad inning can abruptly end a year’s worth of work. The NAIA Opening Round is already underway, and some programs could begin packing for the national finals as early as tomorrow. Across all three divisions, the postseason field is loaded with experienced clubs, dominant pitching staffs, and lineups capable of changing a game with one swing. Now, the focus turns from building résumés to advancing through regional play and chasing national championships. These antepenultimate rankings provide a final snapshot of where the divisions stand entering...
High School | Rankings | 5/13/2026

High School Top 50 Update: May 13

Tyler Russo
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Another week has passed by in the high school baseball season and with that, we have another edition of the National High School Top 50 to bring to you. Playoffs are rolling in southern states and we have reached the final 4 in some of them already. Each week we have new teams break in and this week is no different with three new faces inside the top-50.   The top remains almost identical to a week ago with the top-10 remaining the exact same with Venice (FL) leading the way as the No. 1 team in the nation. North Paulding (GA) swept Buford in an Elite 8 matchup in Georgia and move up a pair of spots to No. 12 in the country. Another big mover is St. Laurence (IL) who jumps nine spots to No. 13 and boast a 30-1 record on the year. Waxahachie (TX) continues to move up and are up nine spots this week to No. 32.   The three new teams inside the National Top 50 are Etowah...
College | Story | 5/12/2026

College Players of the Week: May 12

Vincent Cervino
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May 12th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech  It would be hard to come up with an award that Drew Burress, the 5-9/185 junior from Houston County, GA, hasn’t achieved throughout his All-American career for the Yellow Jackets.  From being named the Perfect Game Freshman of the Year in 2024, to being a semifinalist for the Dick Howser and Golden Spikes Award in 2025, it would be a challenge for a mere mortal to live up to the expectations.  Burress has done that and more as he etched his name in the record books last weekend when he tied Georgia Tech legend Jason Varitek’s record for career home runs.  Launching round-trippers in each of their 3-victories against ACC foe Duke, Burress brought his total to an incredible 57 over his three seasons in Atlanta.  For the weekend, he collected 6 hits in 12 at bats, scoring 6...
College | Rankings | 5/11/2026

College Top 25: May 11

Vincent Cervino
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Well, in what seems like the blink of an eye, here we are in the last week of the NCAA College Baseball regular season.  It has been an incredible ride and there is still much riding on these last series of the year as teams grapple to improve their postseason resume.  It will be a short week with most every 3-game set starting on Thursday this week as conference tournaments get under way early next week.  While they were given their biggest scare of the season and did see their 25-game Big Ten winning streak come to an end, UCLA (46-5) will remain the No. 1 team in the nation.  They were pushed to the brink last weekend by now No. 11 Oregon (36-14), entering Sunday for their first rubber match of the year.  They did find themselves down 6-1 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning before they came storming back with 8-unanswered runs over the next three frames...
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