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College  | Story | 4/21/2010

Pomeranz Upstaged In Key SEC Showdown

Jeff Simpson
COLUMBIA, S.C. – In college baseball, the Southeastern Conference is the gold standard. No other conference, from top to bottom, can compete with the SEC, either in the high quality of baseball played, or facilities and fan support.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to scout arguably the nation’s top college baseball prospect not named Bryce Harper in 6-foot-7 Mississippi lefthander Drew Pomeranz, who could be one of the first three or four players drafted in June. I also got a chance to visit one of the nation’s premier college baseball facilities in the University of South Carolina’s Carolina Stadium.

To say the facility was impressive is an understatement, as it would compare favorably to the nicest minor league ballparks in the country. At a cost of some $38 million, Carolina Stadium opened in 2009 to rave reviews. It has all the modern amenities you could imagine, including 6,400 chair-back seats and total seating for about 9,000.

The main motivation for my trip to Columbia, though, was to see Pomeranz and an outstanding SEC matchup between South Carolina and Mississippi, both top-20 teams nationally.

Much of the talk leading up to the game was whether the Gamecocks would be able to muster any offense against the hard-throwing Ole Miss lefthander, who has been dominating this spring. Through 58 innings, he was 6-0, 1.38 with 90 strikeouts and had allowed just 34 hits and 24 walks. There has been plenty of speculation that Pomeranz is the front-runner for national player-of-the-year honors.

The concern of South Carolina fans about not being able to muster any offense against Pomeranz would prove to be well-founded, as the Gamecocks did not record their first hit until the sixth inning. Mississippi couldn’t score, either, and when Pomeranz was lifted after seven innings, the score was deadlocked 0-0. There would be no win on this night for the big southpaw.

With Pomeranz out of the game, the Gamecocks jumped on the Mississippi bullpen for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning en route to a 5-0 win.

From a scouting standpoint, there was plenty to like about Pomeranz. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, he has a tall and athletic build that closely resembles San Francisco Giants top lefthanded pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner, a first-rounder in the same 2007 draft that saw Pomeranz taken in the 12th round out of a Tennessee high school.

In his first inning of work, Pomeranz’s fastball sat at 92-93 mph, while he also flashed his trademark 12-to-6 curveball. On the standard 20-80 scouting scale, his curve could grade out as high as a 65 or 70. As the game wore on, Pomeranz settled into the 90-91 mph range, topping out at 94 when he needed to reach back for a little extra. While neither his delivery or arm action are picture perfect, he has an easy, low-effort delivery that produces good deception on all of his pitches.

Pomeranz would allow only two hits in his seven innings of work, both bunt singles. He struck out 10 and walked four. The general feeling among scouts is that Pomeranz has the upside to become a potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter at the big-league level.

Almost lost in the shuffle on this night was an outstanding effort turned in by South Carolina’s 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior righthander Blake Cooper. He didn’t strike fear in Ole Miss hitters when he stepped on the mound, but that didn’t stop him from putting together yet another strong performance.

Challenged by working head-to-head against Pomeranz, Cooper pitched the first complete-game shutout by a South Carolina pitcher in nearly five years. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out 10 – a pitching line that would have made Pomeranz proud.

Cooper won’t be an early-round pick in June, but has a clean, easy delivery. He throws from a low three-quarters arm slot that produces good life on a fastball that sat in the 86-91 mph range. In contrast to Pomeranz, he defined the theory of pitching backwards as he probably threw between 60-70 percent breaking balls. He had two versions of the pitch, one a more-traditional curveball that was 73-75 mph with a tight 11-to-5 break, the other more of a slurve in the high-70s.

With his impressive start, Cooper improved his record to 7-0 and ERA to 2.44. In a combined 63 innings of work, he has allowed just 40 hits while walking 21 and striking out 57. Cooper should be an outstanding senior sign for a club looking for a potential workhouse at the next level, someone who could possibly work his way into the back end of a rotation.

A total of 22,631 fans watched the three-game set, which saw South Carolina take two of three games and move to 11-4 in the SEC, one game behind red-hot Arkansas. For a baseball purist, you couldn’t ask for much more in the series opener, which featured a classic duel between pitchers with contrasting styles, all in the backdrop of one of the nation’s finest college baseball stadiums.
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College | Story | 7/6/2026

USA Collegiate National Team: Stars

Craig Cozart
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Quick Hits  Each year at the end of June and beginning of July, top collegiate baseball talent from around the nation arrives in Cary, NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.  Typically, the rosters are filled with top underclass, non-draft-eligible talent but this year, we will see a sprinkling of upper-classmen as the coaches evaluate just under 60 players to get to their final 28 roster spots.  For a total of two weeks, the Stars Squad and the Stripes Squad will compete against outside competition in North Carolina as well as Virginia before finishing their slate with 5-games against each other at the NTC Complex.  Once the final roster has been announced the team will depart for Taiwan to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Championships, July 11-15.    CNT Stars Position Players  Anthony Pack Jr.  FR / OF / University of Texas ...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/6/2026

16u WWBA Rolls Into Marietta

Will Dembo
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More than 300 of the nation’s top 16u teams will meet in East Cobb, Georgia this week as the 16u WWBA Championship gets underway. Over 50 ranked teams from across the country will compete for one of the most prestigious titles in travel baseball, drawing scouts and fans from all over. Pool play will commence on Monday, July 6th with the championship game set for July 13th at the storied East Cobb Baseball Complex. Canes National 16u will hold honors of being the top ranked team entering the event as they have earned a No. 2 national ranking following a dominant 17-2-1 start to their season. The highly touted program is home to many of the top ranked prospects from the 2028 class including talented two-way athlete, Grant Arnold (No. 12 overall) who lives in the 90’s from the mound as well as middle infielder, Bryan Mesa (No. 14 overall) who will draw lots of attention this...
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Draft | Mock Draft | 7/6/2026

MLB Mock Draft: 4.0

Tyler Henninger
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MLB Draft: Top 500 Update Pick Team Name Pos. School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 3 Minnesota Twins Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 4 San Francisco Giants Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 6 Kansas City Royals Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 7 Baltimore Orioles Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 8 Athletics Chris Hacopian SS Texas A&M 9 Atlanta Braves Ryder Helfrick C Arkansas 10 Colorado Rockies Tyler Bell* SS Kentucky 11 Washington Nationals Jared Grindlinger LHP/OF Huntington Beach 12 Los Angeles Angels Cameron Flukey RHP Coastal Carolina 13 St. Louis Cardinals AJ Gracia OF Virginia 14 Miami Marlins Derek Curiel OF LSU 15 Arizona Diamondbacks Gio Rojas LHP Marjory Stoneman Douglas 16 Texas Rangers Liam Peterson RHP Florida 17 Houston Astros Justin Lebron SS Alabama 18...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/5/2026

13u World Series Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
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Michael Wedgeworth (2030, Flomaton, AL) had put the two way ability on full display so far this week, dominating from both sides. On the mound Wedgeworth ran the fastball up to 84 (81-83) with ease to the delivery. Broke off a couple nasty curveballs that induced swing and miss, as well as freezing hitters for punch outs. Collected six in his four inning complete game. He also would not be denied at the plate going 3-5 in the first two days with two doubles. Very intriguing young player as the body continues to grow.  Tyler Bellush (2031, Summerville, SC) is a sure handed shortstop for the Canes Nation squad. Swings it from the left side of the plate and the barrel accuracy has really stuck out thus far. 3-4 through the first couple days with a double and two triples, Bellush has also walked twice and collected 3 RBI along the way. Yesterday against USA Prime with the bases loaded,...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/4/2026

16u WWBA North Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Oliver Lindstrom (2028, Green Bay, WI) created some of the loudest offensive moments of the weekend while producing across the board, finishing with six hits, eight RBI, and a home run. The right-handed hitter showed the ability to stay through the baseball and drive it with authority. Creates quality leverage through the lower half while arriving in strong hitting positions early, allowing the barrel to work with intent through the zone. The blend of power, athleticism, and all-fields impact stood out throughout the event.  Dominic Haigh (2028, South Bend, IN) was one of the most productive hitters at the event, collecting 10 hits while consistently creating pressure on opposing defenses. Made life difficult on pitchers with a relentless approach, routinely extending at-bats and forcing them to work deep into counts. The operation remains simple and efficient, featuring an early...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/4/2026

West Region Rankings Risers: Class of 2028

Joey Cohen
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After a heavy stretch of early summer looks, our scouting staff felt confident rolling out an updated ‘28 national ranking a couple weeks ago. The evaluation window was packed whether it was with our Memorial Day and Summer Kickoff tournaments, UBC action, Sunshine Showcases, and of course the Junior National Showcase which all provided a deep and diverse look at the class against strong competition. Between fresh game evaluations and updated showcase data, we were able to get a clearer picture of where players stand and more importantly how they’ve progressed. Improvements in strength, athleticism, and overall skill were evident across the board giving our staff real conviction when it came time to shuffle the board. With that in mind, I wanted to highlight a handful of west region prospects who made a strong impression on me this summer and earned a well-deserved jump in...
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All American Game | Story | 7/3/2026

Initial 2026 All Star Game Roster Reveal

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We are excited to announce the first selections for the 2026 PG All Star Game from both the Perfect Game Junior and Sophomore National Showcases. The PG All Star Game will be held on Friday, August 14th at Citizens Bank Ballpark, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, and will feature roughly 40 of the top players, predominately from the 2028 class with a few of the very best 2029s also selected. A watchlist has been created from the Junior National Showcase and another group of players will be selected from that showcase towards the end of July as we continue to evaluate players at the major Perfect Game tournaments this summer. The final wave of selections we be made at the PG Underclass All American Games August 5-7 at the UCSD in San Diego, CA. PG Underclass All American Games   Junior National Selections Dexter McCleon Jr. OF Suwanee, GA USA Prime Cullen Scott RHP/3B Melissa,...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/3/2026

13u WWBA Scout Note Recap

Jheremy Brown
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Walter Izquierdo Jr. (2031, Miami, Fla.) showed off the upside on the mound for Beast Baseball 13u. The right-handed pitcher went four innings and collected three strikeouts while spreading two hits and two walks for one run. The fastball topped out at 80 and was consistently in the upper- 70s. Showed feel for a curveball with 12-6 shape and some looser vertical depth that was able to get weak contact. Competes in the zone well and showed some feel to work on the arm-side half of the plate. Intriguing upside on the young arm.   Brett Hamlin (2031, Jupiter, Fla.) showed off the barrel feel for FTB American 13u. The left-handed hitter collected nine hits, including two doubles and a triple, to drive in seven RBI. Strong hands and flips the hips well to create good bat speed. Simple operation that gets on time consistently and impacts the ball well. Worked the pull-side well and...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/2/2026

Freedom Classic Opens Holiday Weekend

Alyssa Golden
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More than 30 teams from the 14U-18U age divisions will head to Fort Myers, Florida this Fourth of July weekend for the seventh annual Perfect Game Freedom Classic. The tournament, running July 3-6, features several nationally ranked prospects from across the country as teams look to compete for a championship. Headlining the field are twin brothers Derek and Ryan Yormark of Merrick, New York. Right-handed pitcher Derek Yormack is the No. 51-ranked player in the class of 2027, the No. 1 player in New York and the No. 5-ranked right-handed pitcher in the country. First baseman Ryan Yormark comes in just behind his twin brother as the No. 3 overall player in New York, the No. 5 first baseman in the nation and the No. 90-ranked player nationally. Both brothers are committed to Vanderbilt. Derek Yormark has established himself as one of the top two-way prospects in the 2027 class. He has run...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/2/2026

14u West World Series Scout Notes

Quinton Hall
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Asher Contreras (2030 | Las Vegas, NV) The 5-foot-10, 170-pound right-handed hitter and outfielder was one of the most dangerous hitters in the tournament for Wow Factor Nv 2030, stuffing the stat sheet while displaying an impressive combination of power and speed. He finished the weekend with 9 hits, including two doubles and a home run, while driving in seven runs and scoring five more. He also swiped three bases and worked three walks, consistently putting pressure on opposing defenses while showing feel for the zone with just one strikeout all weekend. His ability to hit for extra bases while also creating offense on the bases made him one of the most impactful offensive performers at the event.    Braylen Silva (‘30 | NV) RBI 2B for GBG Vegas 14u Red. Direct path, quick trigger, & barrel feel. Solid 2-hole stick creating offense all day #14UWestWS...
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