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College  | Story | 4/2/2024

Midseason Collegiate Awards

Photo: Charlie Condon (University of Georgia Athletics)
Player of the Year

Charlie Condon, Georgia

By now, most people have heard the story of Charlie Condon and the fact that he was not heavily recruited out of high school and chose to walk-on at the University of Georgia. Fast forward to his junior year and the 6-6/216 righty from Marietta, GA has pretty much established himself as the greatest hitter in college baseball halfway through the 2024 season. It may be a shorter list if we were to make one in the categories where he wasn’t among the nation’s leaders, but that wouldn’t do him justice. So, let’s start with his .505 BA, 1.184 SLG%, and his absurd .619 OB% all of which lead the nation by a significant margin. He has collected 11 doubles, a triple and leads the nation with 19 home runs through 28 games. He is also well on his way to breaking the single season BBCOR home run record of 33 set last year. Condon has also driven in 40 runs and amassed an impressive 26:15 walk-to-strikeout ratio thus far. The Bulldogs have been on the doorstep of the Top-25 for a couple weeks now and Condon has established himself as a contender to be the No. 1 pick in July’s MLB Draft.



Pitcher of the Year

Hagen Smith, Arkansas

Our Team of the Year fittingly has our Pitcher of the Year as he spearheads the premier pitching staff in the nation. Hagen Smith, the 6-3/225 LHP from Bullard, TX has positioned himself as the potential first arm to go off the board in this year’s MLB Draft. His ability to miss barrels and eliminate opponents scoring threats by stacking together multiple clutch pitches together in succession has helped him keep his flawless record. Smith has used his mid-to-upper 90s fastball that explodes on hitters and his abrupt, mid-80s slider to finish both lefties and righties alike. Having made 7 starts, he is (5-0) with a 1.54 ERA over 35.0 IP where he has only allowed 16 hits, good for a .136 OBA. He has a sparkling 72:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio and is averaging over 2 punchouts per inning. Smith is the ace of the best team in the nation and the Razorbacks have it all going in the right direction for now.

Two-Way Player of the Year

Jac Caglianone, Florida

Caglianone is likely the best two-way player we’ve seen in college baseball since 2017 Golden Spikes winner Brendan McKay and he’s been by far the most dominant two-way force in the sport for two years now. He’s got massive size at 6-5/250 with elite raw power and a fastball that approaches triple digits. Cags comes into the midway point of the year hitting .389 with thirteen home runs and an improved swing and approach. He’s walking more than he’s striking out and he’s smoking balls all over the hitting zone. Caglianone carried a no-hitter into the fifth his last time out and is pitching to a 2.18 ERA over 33 innings with 44 punchouts. There’s a dominance factor to his game and at this point he’s a legitimate contender to go first overall in July’s draft.
 
Freshman of the Year

Drew Burress, Georgia Tech

Hitters just hit and there is no better example in the college game today than Drew Burress, the 5-9/182 offensive dynamo from Houston County, GA. With one of the most consistent approaches in the game, he has done damage consistently throughout his brief 26 game career. His stroke is compact, and his dense muscularity allows him to create elite exit velocity with seeming ease. He crashed the national scene when he launched 4 home runs in one midweek game against Georgia State and he hasn’t looked back. For the season he is slugging .370/.890/.477 with 8 doubles, a triple and an impressive 14 home runs. He leads the Yellow Jackets in basically every offensive category, including RBI with 37 and he has also swiped 5 bags. As further proof of his consistency, he is hitting .375 in ACC play while slugging .750 and reaching base over 50 percent of the time. The Rambling Wreck needs to right the ship in ACC play and Burress is the man to help them do it.

Coach of the Year

Link Jarrett, Florida State

In 2023, Link Jarrett was named head coach of his alma mater and landed his dream job. However, things didn’t go very smoothly as the Seminoles would suffer a losing season and miss the NCAA tournament for the first time in 44 years. Fast forward to 2024 and last year seems like a distant memory as Jarrett lead his club to a historic (19-0) start and went from unranked in the pre-season to being ranked in the Top-10. Known as one of the best offensive minds in the game, the Jarrett-effect has taken hold in Tallahassee and the Noles are batting .341 as a team with 55 doubles, 50 home runs and are slugging an impressive .589 to date. Their biggest area of improvement has been on the mound with a 3.77 ERA and are amongst the nation’s leaders with an incredible 324:122 staff strikeout-to-walk ratio. With the exception of a rough weekend in Clemson, they have virtually unbeatable and roll into the midway point of the season with a (22-4) record, one win shy of their total from a year ago.

Team of the Year

Arkansas Razorbacks

Dave Van Horn’s club didn’t come into 2024 as unknowns by any means, as we did have them ranked as our pre-season No. 2 team in the nation. There wasn’t much room at the top but after 5 weeks into the season, they have ascended to the pinnacle of college baseball and thrived while there. They are currently (23-3) overall and (8-1) in the SEC with a 2-game lead in the West. They have played the 16th toughest schedule in the nation and have a (12-3) record against Q1 and Q2 competition. Offensively, they are just starting to hit their stride after working through some early season injuries and are slugging .468 as a team with 42 doubles and 37home runs and walk almost as much as they punch out. Their true calling card is their quality with the gloves, fielding .980 on the year and backing up the best pitching staff in the nation. They lead the nation with an ERA of 2.67, in hits per-9 only allowing 6.28, strikeout-to-walk ration at 4.39-to-1, strike outs per-9 with 13.1 and finally in WHIP at 1.03. Their weekend rotation has gone (11-0) and six different bullpen pieces have registered saves this year. The Razorbacks are the most complete club in the nation and aren’t looking back.

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 | 12/13/2025

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...
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...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 12/11/2025

PG Softball "Toys 4 Tots" Fundraiser 18U division

Dave Durbala
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BURLINGTON, IA - 2025 Perfect Game Softball Toys 4 Tots Fundraiser One Day, December 7, 2025. Kicking off the holiday season, six teams participated in this one day, 3 game guarantee tournament in the 18u Division. We would like to thank those that donated a toy, and know that they will be distributed to area underprivileged children through a local charity organization. Following are some of the top performers from the weekend. Earning Tournament MV-Pitcher was Jolee Strohmeyer (2026 Dubuque, IA), a RHP/UTIL with tournament champion Lady Expos Blue. Strohmeyer shows hitters a consistent and repeatable motion and delivery with good use of the legs in the drive phase, and a quick and aggressive arm whip. Working with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, rise, drop, curve and screw, Strohmeyer topped out at 60 mph, and showed good movement  as she worked her rise and curve just out...
Tournaments | Story | 12/11/2025

Scout Stories: Part 4

Tyler Henninger
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Scout Notes: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Best Game I Saw: Hudson Reed (‘26, GA) torches this ball to deep CF for a solo 💣. Generates easy power that plays to the big part of the yard. Middle of the order traits #UBCWest @PG_Georgia @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/UXqDVFmUBx — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) June 18, 2025 I was fortunate enough to see a lot of highly competitive games with loads of talent on the field, the game that sticks out to me the most was Alpha Prime 2026 vs. ZT National Prospects at the UBC West. The game was an efficiently played affair with arms dominating on both sides. Graham Schlicht was masterful for Alpha, striking out 12 hitters over 5 dominant innings. PG All-American Julian Cazares came out of the pen blowing smoke, touching 97 mph with the fastball. On the other side, Jake Carbaugh surrendered just one hit and...
Press Release | Press Release | 12/11/2025

PG Believe In Baseball Announces Awards Dinner

Perfect Game Staff
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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   THE PERFECT GAME BELIEVE IN BASEBALL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR FIRST ANNUAL “IN THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME” AWARDS DINNER AND AUCTION   Los Angeles, California (Thursday, December 11, 2025) – The Perfect Game Believe in Baseball Foundation, together with Perfect Game leadership of Chairman Rick Thurman and CEO Rob Ponger, has announced the inaugural “In the Spirit of the Game” event, an evening of baseball and laughter, taking place Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the iconic Laugh Factory in Hollywood, Calif. The evening supports the Foundation’s mission to provide financial assistance and resources that allow deserving young athletes to play, learn and grow through the...
Tournaments | Story | 12/11/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2027

AJ Denny
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 Elite defenders from coast to coast certainly seems to be a strength and to think you could make another top-tier team without thinking, speaks to the real depth this group possesses. The infield is a no-doubt strength of the group, but what catcher Dariel Carrion can do behind the plate is like something we haven't seen in a while in the prep ranks with an absolutely bazooka of an arm.  C: Dariel Carrion (San Juan, PR)  It isn’t often you get a catching prospect as athletic and natural as Dariel Carrion, a big reason why he holds the rank of #1 player in PR and #18 nationally. Metrics wise, the 5-foot-10, 210 pound San Juan native is all you can ask for and more, posting a sub 1.80 pop time with an 84 mph arm behind the dish. He has both contact and clear power threat on the offensive end, ending 2025 with a .337 BA and 4 HRs while also...
Tournaments | Story | 12/10/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2026

Tyler Henninger
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The Class of 2026 is one of the deeper prep classes that we have seen in a couple of years. With that being said, there is plenty of talent on the defensive side. Let’s take a look at some of the best defenders in the class.  C: Will Brick, Christian Brothers HS (Memphis, TN) Brick is a newcomer to the class after reclassifying, but immediately became the top backstop. Extremely advanced actions are shown behind the dish with impressive athleticism to go with it. Brick showcases big time arm strength and is consistently accurate on throw downs. He can make playing the position look extremely easy at times. Brick possesses all the defensive tools needed to be a premier catcher.  1B: AJ Curry, University City HS (San Diego, CA) Curry has a bigger and stronger frame with good strength throughout. He has a well-proportioned build that serves him well on the dirt. He’s...
General | Blog | 12/10/2025

Youth Baseball Exec. DeDonatis III Joins PG

Jim Salisbury
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Youth Baseball Executive Don DeDonatis III Joins PG By Jim Salisbury  It’s free-agent season in baseball and Perfect Game has landed a big one. Don DeDonatis III joined PG as a consultant in November. The DeDonatis name is synonymous with youth baseball and softball. Along with his dad, Don Jr., DeDonatis helped build USSSA into a big hitter in the game. He brings decades of experience and knowledge to PG. “We all acknowledge that Donny has moved on from USSSA,” PG CEO Rob Ponger said. “This is a new chapter for him and we hope both sides take advantage of it to help youth sports in general. “The DeDonatis name has a legacy attached to it and we’re hoping that Donny is going to help us. PG is a growing brand and he’s on board to help.” DeDonatis was CEO at USSSA from 2018 until his exit from the company two years ago. “I’m...
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