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All American Game  | Story | 8/29/2024

All in the Family at PGAAC

Photo: Ethan Holliday (Perfect Game)
PHOENIX, Arizona – Standing just a few feet away from the batter’s box in which he stroked the championship-clinching hit in the 2001 World Series, Luis Gonzalez shook his head in amazement as he watched pre-game workouts at the 22nd annual Dick’s Perfect Game All-American Classic.
 
“The talent here is astonishing,” Gonzalez said.
 
He looked over at third baseman Ethan Holliday, brother of 2022 No. 1 overall MLB draft pick and current Baltimore Orioles rookie second baseman Jackson Holliday.
 
“You thought the last one was good,” Gonzalez said with a laugh. “This one might be better.”
 
Gonzalez was honorary chairman for the PGAAC, played at Chase Field, where his retired Arizona Diamondbacks No. 20 hangs in the rafters. He was one of many former big-leaguers who roamed the ballpark, some, like Tom “Flash” Gordon and Clint Hurdle, in official roles, some just as dads for the contest that featured the top 62 rising seniors in the country.
 
“The bloodlines,” Gonzalez said. “It’s fun to watch."
 
“There are some guys that you don’t recognize at first, then you start putting the names together, then you start seeing their dads walking around here and you realize that’s their son. It’s pretty cool. A lot of former big leaguers have come out here to support because their kids have come through here. It’s just fun to see these guys because they’re the future of major league baseball. They’re rising so fast. Some of them sign right out of high school and get to the big leagues a couple years later.”
 
Matt Holliday, seven-time major-league All-Star, 2007 National League batting champ and 2011 World Series winner, was at the event, supporting son Ethan, who could follow in his brother’s footsteps as a high first-rounder in the summer of 2025.
 
Benny Agbayani, whose distinguished big-league career included stops in New York (Mets), Boston, Colorado and Japan, was in town supporting his son, Bruin, a shortstop and South Carolina commit.
 
The list of prospects with big-league ties didn’t stop there. It included shortstop Eli Willits, son of former Los Angeles Angel Reggie Willits; shortstop Brady Ebel, son of Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel; third baseman Quentin Young, nephew of former big-leaguers Dmitri and Delmon Young; and shortstop Jayden Stroman, brother of New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.
 
“The best of the best, they send their kids to Perfect Game for a reason,” Hurdle said. “There’s a lot of noise on the street which one is best, but the best of the best send them here.”
 
Hurdle managed the East team, which beat Gordon’s West team, 8-7, in the PGAAC. The former Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates manager became involved with PG in 2020. He now serves as a senior adviser.
 
“Until 2020, I had always been in the pro space,” Hurdle said. “The youngest kid I saw was 20, maybe 19, in the instructional league with the Pirates and the Rockies years ago. Before that, I hadn’t seen much amateur baseball.
 
“Quickly, my attention was taken. I’m watching 13-year-olds do some specific things. I’m watching 14-year-old kids doing it. Over the years, I’ve seen it continue to grow and evolve, and the strength and the speed, the structured skill sets, they’re probably at an all-time high. I love the energy.” 
 
Both Hurdle and Gonzalez were impressed with the size of the players at the PGAAC. 
 
“The physicality gets your attention,” Hurdle said. 
 
“These guys are just bigger and stronger,” said Gonzalez, whose son Jacob played in the PGAAC in 2017. “For 19 years, my maximum weight I played at was 205. These guys are coming at 215, 225. They’re just bigger.”
 
Gonzalez, winner of the 2001 Major League Home Run Derby, was impressed with the left-side power display put on by Texas A&M commit Josiah Hartshorn, winner of Perfect Game's annual AAC Home Run Challenge. The 6-2, 210-pound Hartshorn is a natural right-handed hitter. He did some switch-hitting until he was 13 then got away from it. He only went back to it this summer because of a back injury.
 
Hurdle was also impressed with the power at the event, but he was not shy about reminding hitters that line drives to the gaps matter, too. During the East team’s batting practice session, he coached hitters to use the middle of the field.
 
“They are very receptive,” he said. “We have an opportunity to share with them some insight on community and different parts of the game.”
 
During batting practice, Hurdle observed Stroman’s smooth swing – from both sides of the plate. Stroman is ticketed for Duke, his brother’s alma mater. The younger Stroman also does some pitching and said he may get on the mound in October at PG’s event in Jupiter, Florida. 
 
“It’s nice to see,” Hurdle said of Stroman’s offensive work on both sides of the plate. “Switch-hitting used to be a thing. We’ve lost a lot of that. People say it’s too hard to swing both ways. I say, let ‘em swing. They will find their way or they won’t.”
 
After his East team took batting practice, Hurdle watched the Holliday family’s latest talent take BP for the West team. Hurdle managed the Rockies when Ethan Holliday’s dad was bashing balls around Coors Field.
 
“This is déjà vu because Jackson just went through here, too,” Hurdle said. “I had them both in the clubhouse in Colorado when they were little, had them both on the field for family day. It’s really special seeing them come through here and put together their talents.”

All American Game | Story | 9/15/2025

PG Athletes Raise Money For Charity

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    PERFECT GAME ATHLETES RAISE MORE THAN $130,000   FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITIES THROUGHOUT AUGUST    Sanford, Florida (Monday, September 15, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that its athletes raised a combined $130,195 for children’s charities during its August 2025 showcase events throughout the country.    The fundraising efforts took place at Perfect Game’s Select Festivals and the DICK’S All-American Classic, with each age group rallying behind a cause that supports children in need. The 11U and 12U Select Fests each benefited Elite Development Academy out...
High School | Rankings | 3/31/2026

High School Top 50: March 31

Tyler Russo
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Another pair of weeks has gone by this high school season and with that we have another High School Top-50 Update. Southern states are within a few weeks of the end of the season while some northern states are just getting started this week. Through the end of the spring, we will be bringing you updates to the Top-50 along with state rankings updates coming soon. For the first time in 2026, we have a new #1 in the country as Orange Lutheran (CA) takes over the top spot after winning the NHSI. Venice (FL) came in second place at the NHSI after a thrilling game against Orange Lutheran and comes in at #2. Previous #1 team in the country St. John Bosco (CA) rounds out the top-3 and will have a big showdown against Orange Lutheran starting tonight. Barbe (LA) boasts a 26-1 record and comes in at #4 while Corona (CA) continues to string together wins and holds down the #5 spot in this update....
College | Story | 3/31/2026

PG Collegiate Midseason Awards

Vincent Cervino
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Midseason Awards  Perfect Game Midseason Player of the Year:  Landon Hairston, OF, Arizona State  The season sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston is putting together is generational, even amongst the Hall of Fame talent Arizona State has fielded over the years.  Hairston, the 5-11/195 sophomore outfielder from Queen City, AZ has his club on track for another postseason appearance and they will make plenty of noise in the Big 12 regular season.  To put things in perspective on Hairston’s season, he is currently 5th in the nation in batting average, 3rd in hits, 8th in hits per game, tied for 2nd in home runs, tied for 5th in runs scored and is 4th in runs batted in so far.  He holds a batting average of .469 while slugging 1.027 and reaching base over half the time with an OBP of .551.  Hairston walks more than he strikes out and has 12 doubles, 17...
Tournaments | Story | 3/31/2026

14u East Spring Opener Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Roman Keister (2030, Dade City, FL) Could not miss the barrel this weekend tallying 6 hits including 2 triples and 4 RBI. Starts the load early and controls his body well, the up the middle approach really plays in game. Also worked from off the mound for an inning and picked up a punch out.  Colton Russo (2030, Coral Springs, FL) Showed off the power burning outfielders all weekend. 5 hits including two triples that carried over the CF and RF heads. Has a good understanding about using the lower half in the swing and the bat to ball skills really impressed.  Karson Blakney (2030, St. Augustine, FL) Made his impact in a big way this week, collecting the win in the quarterfinals. In his outing he went 5 shutout innings and struck out 5 while only allowing 2 hits. Worked in the mid 70s with the FB and topped out at 78. Also produced on offense driving in 5 RBI on 4 hits. ...
College | Story | 3/31/2026

College Players of the Week: March 31

Vincent Cervino
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March 31st Perfect Game/Co-Players of the Week:  Landon Hairston, OF, Arizona State  The Arizona State Sun Devils (20-8) went (3-2) last week and now sit at No. 18 in our latest Top 25 poll.  They are proving that they are legitimate Big 12 contenders and Landon Hairston is making a strong case for National Player of the Year at the halfway point in the season.  The 5-11/195 sophomore outfielder from Queen City, AZ is putting up such loud numbers that they are almost hard to fathom.  In five games last week, the lefthanded hitter collected 12-hits in 19 Abs, scoring 13 runs on 6 walks, a double, 5 home runs and he drove in 11 runs on his own.  For the season, he has put together a slash line of .468/.991/.553 with 12 doubles, 15 round trippers, 45 RBIs, a 12:18 strikeout-to-walk ratio and he has swiped 8 bags so far.  It has been a special year for the...
College | Rankings | 3/30/2026

College Top 25: March 30

Vincent Cervino
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Well college baseball fans, we are officially at the half-way point of the 2026 season and what an incredible ride it has already been.  While there is some separation at the top as we start to look at programs that could be potential NCAA tournament hosts, things continue to change as clubs revitalize their seasons by winning massive series in league play.  The Top 25 seems to be getting more volatile as we reach the midway point, and the second half is setting up to be something special.  The one thing that will remain the same as it has for a month now, is that the UCLA (25-2) will still be the No. 1 team in the nation.  The Bruins are winners of 19-consecutive games and have started off Big Ten league play by sweeping 4-straight series.  The Texas Longhorns (23-4) hold tight at No. 2 this week after sweeping previous No. 11 Oklahoma (19-8) and sit atop the...
High School | General | 3/27/2026

High School Notebook: March 27

Vincent Cervino
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Hudson December (2027, Woodland Hills, Calif.) showed flashes of his upside despite a somewhat uneven three-inning outing. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound right-hander struck out three while working through a couple of tough jams, though his command was inconsistent at times. He ran his fastball up to 87 mph on a pair of occasions and generally sat in the 83–85 range. He mixed in an upper-70s slider with varying shape and execution where it was most effective when thrown with proper intent, showing shorter, tighter depth. He also flashed a changeup against a few left-handed hitters. Mechanically, there’s a blend of positives and areas for development. He incorporates his lower half fairly well and moves down the mound with some pace and intent. The arm is quick, though it can be late getting up at times, and his taller finish limits full torso extension through release. With...
Draft | Mock Draft | 3/27/2026

2026 MLB Mock Draft: V 2.0

Tyler Henninger
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The spring season is well underway and the board is starting to take shape. Last week, the draft team put together the Top-300 and this week we take a stab at our first mid-season mock draft. While there still is plenty of time for things to shake out differently, here is how we see things shaping up at this point in the draft cycle.  Pick Team Selection Position School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Justin Lebron SS Alabama 3 Minnesota Twins Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 4 San Francisco Giants Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 6 Kansas City Royals Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 7 Baltimore Orioles Ace Reese 3B Mississippi State 8 Athletics Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 9 Atlanta Braves Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 10 Colorado Rockies AJ Gracia OF Virginia 11 Washington Nationals Gio Rojas LHP...
Juco | Rankings | 3/25/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 25

Blaine Peterson
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Another strong week of Juco baseball for teams in our Top 25, and as you may see, our field is the same from a week prior with each and every team handling business in their weekend sets to hold fast to their spots on the board. Some notable movement though inside the Top 5 with Gaston jumping up to number 2 after a 33-2 start to the 2026 season as well Cloud County cracking the Top 15 for the first time all year. Looking forward to watching conference play around the country as we approach the final stretch of the regular season. Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 30-2 2 Gaston (NC) 33-2 3 Florida Southwestern (FL) 26-7 4 Walters State (TN) 26-6 5 Chipola (FL) 29-5 6 Florence-Darlington (SC) 29-6 7 Blinn (TX) 22-8 8 McLennan (TX) 20-7 9 Cochise (AZ) 28-6 10 Pearl River (MS) 25-7 11 Georgia Highlands (GA) 30-8 12 Southern Nevada (NV) 24-6 13 Northwest Florida (FL) 21-12 14 Cloud...
College | Rankings | 3/25/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 25

Nick Herfordt
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Every preseason, analysts and voters pour enormous effort into ranking the small college baseball landscape — poring over returning rosters, transfer additions, coaching changes, and historical trends to assemble the most accurate picture they can of who will be contending when the postseason arrives. And most years, they get it largely right. But the nature of college baseball, with its massive rosters, unpredictable development arcs, and ever-churning transfer portal, guarantees that a handful of genuinely elite programs will slip through the cracks every spring. A team loses too many seniors. A key transfer hasn’t yet suited up. A new coaching staff hasn’t had the chance to prove itself. The voters see the question marks and leave the blank space, and then the season begins and the blank space starts filling itself in — loudly. As the 2026 season heads into its...
College | Story | 3/24/2026

College Players of the Week: March 24

Vincent Cervino
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March 24th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Quinton Coats, IF, Cincinnati The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-7) are on the cusp of the Top 25 and are playing their best ball of the season. The offense has been the driving force behind their success, and it has been incredibly consistent having averaged 8.5-runs per game. In the middle of it all, Quinton Coats, is on pace for a historic season both within the program and on a national level. The 6-3/225 infielder from Olathe, KS has been launching home runs at a record pace and opponents seem to be powerless to stop his onslaught. With incredible strength in his hands, Coats creates easy loft and in 5 road games last week he collected 9 hits in 20 at-bats, with 4 home runs, 9 runs scored, and he drove in a total of 9 runs as well. As for his pursuit of history, the modern day BBCOR bat standard single season home run record is 34, set back in...
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