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High School  | General  | 2/28/2024

PG High School Showdown Preview

Tyler Russo     
2024 PG High School Showdown Schedule  

As we reach under 24 hours until the 12th Annual PG High School Showdown, we once again get the chance to look at just how strong this event is, between teams and players, but especially the competition level we will see throughout the event as this amount of high-level play all in one place is hard to find at the high school level. As there has been in just about every prior year, there’s sure to be guys that play this weekend that hear their name called on Day 1 of the draft this July, while a long list of others will be big contributors at the collegiate level and the young guys will mold into future PG All-Americans, like the 6 that’ll be playing here this year. 



This year’s field of teams is as about as strong as we’ve seen, chalked full of programs that won state titles a year ago and a long list that are sure to find their way to winning titles later this spring as well. There are an impressive 11 teams in the field that are ranked in our National Top 50, the list being as follows: #1 IMG Academy (FL), #5 Lewisburg (MS), #9 Catholic (LA), #13 North Broward Prep (FL), #18 Parkview (GA), #21 Barbe (LA), #25 Houston County (GA), #33 Cartersville (GA), #35 Wesleyan Christian (NC), #39 Oxford (AL) and #40 Cherokee Bluff (GA). Even beyond that list, there’s a chunk of teams amongst some of the best in the Southeast that have a shot to become a part of the national rankings with good performances this weekend. 

When looking to the players that’ll be in attendance, it’s an impressive list headlined by the 6 All-Americans and 10 players ranked inside the Top 100 of just the Class of 2024. There’s close to 200 players across the current high school classes that are ranked at ‘500’ or better, 30 of which are Top 100 guys in their respective classes. Rankings aside, the list of names that will be heading to play at the next level is extensive and will add on to a very rich history of this event. 

Red Bracket 

It’s no surprise who comes into the event as the favorite in this bracket as IMG Academy (FL) is our top-ranked team in the country currently, and the level of talent they possess is evident when you look at the roster and lists of top prospects below. They’ve got likely the best staff in the event, headlined by Day 1 two-way talent Noah Franco and left-hander Blake Larson, while there’s a list of Division I caliber arms behind them. This bracket is not easy, however, as they’ve got a group of high-power programs to go through, including Barbe (LA) on Day 1, who has won as many games in the last 10 years as any program in the country. Wesleyan Christian (NC) is another nationally ranked club with serious firepower at the top of their roster with Sam Cozart and Josh Hammond. Cartersville (GA) is a ranked club out of Georgia with an exciting blend of offense and arms, especially with Caleb Daniel who is off to a good start. Bob Jones (AL) has one of the better players in Alabama in Braden Booth set to throw on Day 1. Thompson (AL), Providence (FL) and Hernando (MS) are all strong programs in their states and Pickens County (GA) has a big one in Connor Shouse, who can win them a game on the mound and swinging it. 

White Bracket 

When you look at the depth of this bracket from a program name standpoint, it’s loaded. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but Lewisburg (MS) is the next highest ranked team coming to Hoover after IMG at #5, and their pitching staff is ridiculous with Stone McCaughey, Matthew Osteen, Cayden Baker and junior Talon Haley, not to mention they’ve got an All-American headlining a strong lineup in Sam Richardson who can change a game with the bat at any point. Next up is North Broward Prep (FL) who has names littered throughout the top prospects at the event, coming to Hoover on the heels of winning their third straight state title in the state of Florida. Houston County (GA) and Loganville (GA) both won state titles in Georgia last year, Cherokee Bluff (GA) is strong once again like they were in 2023, Hoover (AL) is one of the more consistent programs in the Southeast, Brandon (MS) is a solid club and although there’s some youth on the roster of IMG Academy Grey (FL), they’ve got enough talent to go out and win this bracket too. 

Blue Bracket 

The last of the traditional 16 team brackets is just as good as the others already talked about, pinning some of the best programs currently in the Southeast against one another. Catholic (LA) is the top ranked team here, and for good reason as they’ve got a potential first round arm in William Schmidt, a good staff behind him and a lineup plenty good enough to win this thing. Parkview (GA) is the other “favorite” here thanks to their steady success and talented roster, even with losing some of the best players from last year’s event; Cade Brown is on fire once again in a Parkview uniform. When looking down the list, you run into two big Alabama names in Hartselle (AL) and Oxford (AL), the latter winning this event and a state title last year. Then you’ve got teams like Montverde Academy (FL), Bolles (FL), DeSoto Central (MS), Madison-Ridgeland (MS), Winder-Barrow (GA) and others that have all been high-powered programs in recent memory and have the level of play to certainly take down some of the top dogs here. 

Gray Bracket 

This group of teams will play in a slightly different format as it’s 12 teams instead of 16, which will create a pool play into bracket style, but it’s still a strong list of teams and prospects to get eyes on as we move into the weekend. Looking specifically at prospects, Ethan Surowiec with Gulfport is a big one as a Top 100 player in the class, and he’ll lead a strong Gulfport club who is one of the better teams in the Deep South for this year. Caleb Barnett is another big one with Mountain Brook as he had a strong showing at this event last year and can show out on both sides of the ball. South Walton has a couple strong names in junior Charlie Wilcox and young sophomore Coleman Borthwick, both very impactful prospects who can win them games. The list continues with the rest of the teams set to play for a spot in the Final Four, and the need to win their pools with their first 2 games creates a similar atmosphere to the straight up brackets. 

Top 30 Class of 2024 Prospects Attending

Nat'l Rank Player Pos Team Commitment
3 Noah Franco OF IMG Academy Ascenders TCU
12 Samuel Richardson 3B Lewisburg Patriots Texas
17 Carter Johnson SS Oxford High School Yellowjackets Alabama
19 William Schmidt RHP Catholic High Baton Rouge Bears LSU
20 Andre Modugno 3B IMG Academy Ascenders Uncommitted
54 Connor Shouse RHP Pickens County Dragons Georgia Tech
60 Aukai (Jaydon) Kea C IMG Academy Ascenders Vanderbilt
61 Blake Larson LHP IMG Academy Ascenders TCU
67 Cade Brown 3B Parkview Panthers Georgia
76 Ethan Surowiec 3B Gulfport Admirals Ole Miss
147 Jake Gregor RHP IMG Academy Ascenders Louisville
171 Thorpe Musci RHP Parkview Panthers Georgia Tech
176 Braden Booth RHP Bob Jones Mississippi State
181 Mateo Gray SS North Broward Prep Eagles UCF
182 Ryan McPherson RHP North Broward Prep Eagles Mississippi State
190 Joshua Evans LHP Peachtree Ridge High School Georgia Tech
214 Gunner Geile OF IMG Academy Ascenders Arizona
228 Josh Hanson OF IMG Academy Ascenders Southern California
230 Caleb Daniel C Cartersville Hurricanes Georgia
238 Dmarion Terrell OF Thompson Warriors Uncommitted
286 Riley Luft 3B North Broward Prep Eagles Appalachian State
290 Gian De Castro 3B North Broward Prep Eagles Arizona State
325 Cooper Johnson 1B Mountain View Bears Ole Miss
402 Will Orberson OF IMG Academy Ascenders Old Dominion
407 Sawyer Black OF Wesleyan Christian Academy Trojans Liberty
412 Ford Thompson LHP Parkview Panthers Mercer
414 Stone McCaughey RHP Lewisburg Patriots Ole Miss
426 Drew Bellis LHP IMG Academy Grey Vanderbilt
448 Chayce Kieck RHP Bolles Bulldogs Clemson
449 Ryan Johnson RHP Cartersville Hurricanes Georgia
Top 20 Class of 2025 Prospects Attending 
Nat'l Rank Player Pos Team Commitment
5 Dean Moss OF IMG Academy Ascenders LSU
6 Sean Gamble SS IMG Academy Ascenders Vanderbilt
17 Josh Hammond RHP Wesleyan Christian Academy Trojans Wake Forest
25 Sam Cozart RHP Wesleyan Christian Academy Trojans Uncommitted
47 Jack Ruckert SS Catholic High Baton Rouge Bears LSU
69 Eli Pitts OF Parkview Panthers South Carolina
100 Caleb Barnett 3B Mountain Brook Spartans Alabama
125 Talon Haley LHP Lewisburg Patriots Vanderbilt
130 Eric Hines OF American Christian Academy Uncommitted
146 Keagen Kohlhoff RHP IMG Academy Ascenders Kentucky
173 Peyton Miller 3B IMG Academy Ascenders Clemson
202 Dillon Adkins OF Bob Jones Tennessee
204 Wade Shelley OF Headland High School Auburn
208 Presley Courville C Barbe Buccaneers Texas A&M
220 Domaine Vann OF Wesleyan Christian Academy Trojans Miami
242 Joshua Campbell OF IMG Academy Ascenders Michigan
255 Camden Hodge C Winder-Barrow Bulldogs Georgia
324 Charlie Willcox RHP South Walton High School Georgia Tech
371 Avery Shiflett LHP Cartersville Hurricanes Georgia
388 Kiernan O'Neill SS North Broward Prep Eagles UCF
Top 10 Class of 2026 Prospects Attending 
 
Nat'l Rank Player Pos Team Commitment
12 Parker Loew SS IMG Academy Grey LSU
34 Dillon Moss C IMG Academy Ascenders Stanford
35 John Stowers C St. Paul’S Episcopal Auburn
56 Malachi Washington OF Parkview Panthers Uncommitted
58 Bubba Coleman SS Cherokee Bluff Bears LSU
73 Jaxson Wood SS Hoover Buccaneers Tennessee
96 Cody Boshell 1B Bishop Snyder Cardinals Tennessee
118 Wyatt Shelley 1B Headland High School Auburn
137 Will Adams 1B Hoover Buccaneers Alabama
159 Charles Messina C IMG Academy Grey Uncommitted
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