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High School  | General | 2/28/2024

PG High School Showdown Preview

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

High School | General | 4/7/2026

Iowa Spring League Notes: Week 1

Perfect Game Staff
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Brooks Mitchell-Birdsell (2027, Atkins, Iowa) was solid on both sides of the ball this weekend. He was able to show a clean move working into it, with the feel to impact it out in front and drive hard through contact. He had good barrel accuracy with feel to drive the ball well, especially working pull-side. He was 4-for-8 on the weekend with a double to his credit, driving in 7 runs as well. Mitchell-Birdsell also put together a good outing on the mound, delivering 2 innings of scoreless work with 3 punchouts. He worked the low 80s with some run, flashing a mid-70s curveball with good 11-5 shape and depth.  Maddux Mueller (2026, Amana, Iowa) LH bat with plenty to like in the batter’s box, and he put together a solid showing this weekend. He finished 2-for-3 with a double, demonstrating both contact ability and the capacity to drive the baseball for extra bases. Mueller...
Juco | Story | 4/8/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 8

Troy Sutherland
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Another week of conference play down and Johnson County continues there tear through the spring of 2026, they retain the top spot with Gaston nipping their heels at number 2 for the third consecutive week. McLennan jumps up to number 3 with a big series sweep over rival Texas powerhouse, Weatherford. Out west, Cochise just keeps rolling in the desert and California looks to be hotly contested all the way down the final stretch. A couple of debut appearances down the board with Harford, CCF, and Linn Benton all earning their spot on our top 25 for the first time in the first week of April. So many great records out there it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out with so many teams vying for seeding and conference championships on this final stretch run. Rank Team Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 38-2 2 Gaston (NC) 38-3 3 McLennan (TX) 29-7 4 Chipola (FL) 34-7 5 Walters State (TN)...
College | Rankings | 4/8/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 8

Nick Herfordt
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We are past the midpoint of the college baseball season and the stakes are rising by the week. Conference races are tightening, schedules are getting harder, and the résumés that will matter in the selection room are being written right now — one series at a time. This week's most significant development came in Division II, where North Greenville swept Young Harris in three consecutive one-run games to claim the top spot for the first time this season, knocking Tampa from a perch they've held most of the year. It's a genuine changing of the guard at the top, and it's exactly the kind of shakeup that makes this stretch of the season worth paying close attention to. Across all three divisions the picture is coming into focus. In Division I NAIA, Georgia Gwinnett remains the standard while Taylor and Cumberlands continue to make their cases from behind. In Division III,...
College | Story | 4/7/2026

College Players of the Week: April 7

Craig Cozart
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April 7th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Andrew Williamson, OF, UCF  The UCF Knights (20-9) are coming off one of their biggest series victories in years when they went to Morgantown and took down the Mountaineers to take control of the Big 12 regular season standings.  The offense put on quite the performance and Andrew Williamson set the tone by leaving the yard in his first at-bat of the weekend launching a towering home run over the centerfield wall.  The 6-0/195 lefty from St. Petersburg, FL has one of the sweetest strokes in the college game today and when he goes, so do the Knights.  In the 3-game series, the junior collected 6 hits in his 10 at-bats, scoring 6 runs, on 5 walks, a double and he launched 3 home runs all told.  While he had a stretch earlier in the season where he was searching for his stroke a bit, he is getting locked in at the...
College | Rankings | 4/6/2026

College Top 25: April 6

Vincent Cervino
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With another week in the books, some teams at the top continue to prove they are elite, and others continue to fall by the wayside.  Meanwhile, there were several teams that had been lingering outside the Top 25 that had huge weekends to put themselves in the thick of things as every weekend has significant consequences for good or for bad.  The No. 1 UCLA Bruins (29-2) have now pushed their win streak to an incredible 23-games as they swept USC (27-6) who was previously ranked No. 7 in the poll.  The Bruins are off to a perfect (15-0) start in Big Ten play and are without a doubt the most complete team in the country right now.  The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (26-5) move up to No. 2 this week after they dismantled now No. 12 Auburn (22-9) in the midweek and then swept Cal on the West Coast last weekend.  Texas (26-5) moves down one spot to No. 3 this week after...
Draft | Mock Draft | 4/3/2026

PG Staff Mock Draft

Jheremy Brown
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Welcome to another Perfect Game Mock Draft. This is not your typical mock draft as it features 15 different GMs drafting the first two rounds of the draft. Each member of the mock draft was assigned two teams and as such will be drafting all of the picks in the first two rounds for each responsible team. The actual draft order will be presented below and we will dive into how teams made their selections and how they feel about the players drafted. It is important to note that this is not how we think the draft will play out in almost any capacity. This is simply an exercise 4 months ahead of time with a large portion of the scouting staff and some picks fall under personal favorites, best available, and a multitude of other factors. Chicago White Sox 1:1 Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA | 1:41 Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame The White Sox don’t overthink here and select Roch Cholowsky, who has...
High School | General | 4/2/2026

High School Notebook: April 2

Steve Fiorindo
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Lennex Minor (‘28 CA) absolutely destroys this offering to the PS for a 2-run shot. 2-4 on the day w/ 4 driven in. Athletic in the box w/ a quick stroke and strength throughout the frame. Also closed out the game running the FB up to 88 in a St. Bernard win #PGHS @PG_Scouting pic.twitter.com/KF7BsKGcm7 — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) March 29, 2026 Lennex Minor, MIF/P, St. Bernard (2028) Minor had a massive day in my look this past Saturday in a game being played at the University of San Diego.  The sophomore had a pair of hits, one which was a no-doubt homer, and drove in four.  Minor’s athleticism jumps out on the field with twitchy actions both at the dish and in the dirt.  He features a 6-foot, 170-pound frame with room to add and generates from a strong lower half and exceptionally quick hands.  Showing two-way potential, he made an...
High School | General | 4/2/2026

NHSI Scout Notebook

Cam McElwaney
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An extended look at ‘26 RHP Wilson Andersen… 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K. @HailStateBB signee. #NHSI26 @JesuitBaseball @Florida_PG @PG_Draft @PGAllAmerican https://t.co/VLwECd2qZ8 pic.twitter.com/JbTFR3Gd2l — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 30, 2026 Wilson Andersen, RHP, Tampa Jesuit  Andersen got the ball on day two of the event and showed a quick tempo, pounding the zone with a power mix. He ran the fastball up to 97 mph, working comfortably in the mid-90s, with a power curveball/changeup mix he showed confidence in. He’s one of the top right-handers in the class that saw his stock rise in Cary. Andersen is signed with Mississippi State.    An extended look at ‘26 RHP Cooper Sides… 5 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. @LSUbaseball signee. #NHSI26 @olubaseball @PG_Draft @California_PG https://t.co/Ag1MfBAR5a pic.twitter.com/5wSszVjBn8...
All American Game | Story | 4/2/2026

All American Classic Heading to Citizens Bank

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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME DICK’S ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC HEADED TO CITIZENS BANK PARK IN 2026   Perfect Game makes debut at iconic Phillies venue during America’s 250th birthday celebration   Former Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel named Honorary Chairman of All-American Classic   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Thursday, April 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that the 2026 Perfect Game DICK’S All-American Classic will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, marking the first time a Perfect Game event has ever been held at the iconic home of the Philadelphia Phillies.   The game will take place on...
College | Rankings | 4/1/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 1

Nick Herfordt
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Welcome to another week of Perfect Game Small School baseball — and if you're looking for clarity at the top, you've come to the wrong place. Across all three classifications, the No. 1 spot is very much an open question, and nobody is sleeping comfortably right now. In NCAA Division II, Pittsburg State is stumbling at precisely the wrong moment, leaving the door cracked wide open for hungry challengers to come knocking. In the NAIA, defending national champion LSU Shreveport has dropped four straight and suddenly looks far more vulnerable than a program of their pedigree ever expects to be. And in NCAA Division III, the race for the top ranking is less a competition and more a ten-car pileup of elite programs, none of whom have done enough to pull away — and all of whom have done plenty to deserve it. Three classifications, three vacancies at the top, and a whole lot of...
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