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| 2,414 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,414 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
PG Select Baseball Festival  | General | 8/30/2024

14u Select Festival Preview


One year from a decade of existence, the 9th annual 14u Select Festival is sure to be yet another “can’t miss” event if you’re a fan of looking ahead at what the game has to offer. Over the last couple of years it has become a regular occurrence on draft night to hear a handful of alum called in the first round and double digits throughout the first night.

It’s only fitting that during 14u Festival week that former #Festivaler Dylan Crews (2016 14u Select Festival) got the call up by the Washington Nationals and recorded a two-hit game in just his second career start. Just over a year since being drafted, Crews ascended the organization and in the process, became the 4th alum of this event to make the bigs, joining fellow East teammate from 2016 in Victor Mederos (Los Angeles Angels), Jordan Lawler (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Carlos Rodridguez (Milwaukee Brewers) who like Crews, made his debut in 2024.



Through the 11, 12 and 13u games this year, West has a 2-1 lead as the East looks to tie things up this Labor Day weekend while avenging last year’s walk off defeat. Should we take the Perfect Game All-American Classic into account, it’s 2-2 and this year’s 14u game will ultimately decide who claims bragging rights from the entire month. 

This year’s 14u roster has a little bit of everything from low-90s fastballs courtesy of Dexter McCleon Jr, Striker Pence, Chase Cotton and Valentin Ceballos to triple digit exit velocities as we saw with both Francis Conners-Schmid (104 mph) and Angel Montas (102 mph) at the 14u National Showcase. Both Brennan New and Brayden Landry went deep during the live action portion of the showcase though it’s Aiden Kearney’s 12 home runs this summer that leads the circuit. From smooth defense in the dirt to game changing speed on the bases, innate barrel skills and very real two-way prospects, this group seemingly has it all.

That said, let's take a deeper dive into the two rosters as a whole. In total, 17 different states are represented alongside the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Puerto Rico, truly proving the reach of this game at the 14u level once again. Leading the way this year is California with an astounding 9 picks, followed closely by Texas with 7 and Florida with 6, though neither of the three are surprising given their track record of producing high-end talent on a consistent basis. If Arizona was the surprise of the 13u Festival with 4 selections then the equivalent at 14u would be the not-so-traditional hot bed of New York which boasts a quartet of talent in Conners-Schmid as well as all three of the East catchers in Colin Raymond, Robert Mascia and Julian Martinez, a purely coincidental, but equally awesome, happenstance. 

Speaking of Martinez and McCleon Jr., this year was the first year in which players who played in the inaugural 11u game back in 2021 have come full circle to the 14u Festival, making stops at both the 12u and 13u iteration, completing the Festival four-peat. Alongside Martinez and McCleon Jr., the 13u Player of the Year Kaleb Foster, the 12u MVP, and do-it-all Californian Dru Wilson became the first set of players to play in all four games. 

While this is the quintets fourth Festival, 15 different players will be making their debuts in the prestigious game while four players are using this weekend as part of a three-peat. Sammy Garcia, Luis Olmeda and Robert Mascia all return after playing in the 12u game while Konnor Briggs was able to bookend his Festival career with an appearance in both the 11u and now the 14u game.

It’s worth pointing out that 10 players who were in attendance at last year’s 13u National Showcase and ultimately didn’t get the call returned to West Palm Beach this past July for the 14u National and sought redemption as they make the trip down to Fort Myers this weekend. 

Leading up to the event the players once again raised funds for the patients at Golisano Children's Hospital, a standalone, state-of-the-art facility that opened in 2017 - who is on a mission to deliver vital and lifesaving care for children and their families throughout the region. Every penny raised will go directly to the hospital and the families impacted and if you'd like to help make a difference, you can do so here: https://p2p.onecause.com/14uperfectgame2024

As always, tune in on all Perfect Game social media platforms throughout the weekend for one-of-a-kind coverage from the moment players arrive to the final pitch of the game. The game itself will be on September 1st with an 11 am first pitch brought to you live on PerfectGame.TV from JetBlue Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida. 
 

PG Select Baseball Festival | General | 4/21/2026

Select Festival Dates/Locations Announced

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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 ANNOUNCES DATES AND VENUES FOR   2026 SLATE OF SELECT FESTIVALS    Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, April 21, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced dates and venues for its 2026 Select Festivals, a premiere series of invitation-only events showcasing many of the nation’s top young prospects at the 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U levels.    The Select Festivals provide elite players with a unique opportunity to compete alongside and against the best talent in their age group while experiencing a...
Juco | Rankings | 4/22/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 22

Blaine Peterson
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Another week down and Johnson County continues their torrid run to remain at number 1. They're 46-2 on the season with multiple hitters over 25 bombs which is astonishing for the level as the Cavs have announced themselves as title favorites. Just a couple of weeks left heading down the stretch and our field remains mostly the same with the two additions of midwest powerhouse Iowa Western and the Warriors of East Central who will have a tough test Wednesday in Poplarville against fellow Mississippi adversary Pearl River in a mid-week double header.   Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 46-2 2 Gaston (NC) 47-3 3 Walters State (TN) 42-10 4 McLennan (TX) 38-8 5 Southern Nevada (NV) 33-9 6 Chipola (FL) 39-9 7 Blinn (TX) 33-12 8 Florida Southwestern (FL) 32-13 9 Florence-Darlington (SC) 42-10 10 Pearl River (MS) 39-9 11 Cloud County (KS) 40-4 12 Cochise (AZ) 39-11 13 Midland (TX)...
College | Rankings | 4/22/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 22

Nick Herfordt
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The final weeks of the college baseball regular season have a way of separating programs that are genuinely postseason-ready from those that have simply been good enough for long enough. Conference tournaments loom, selection committees are paying close attention, and every game on the schedule carries weight that it simply didn't in February. This week's action, combined with the latest Perfect Game Top 25, paints a picture of a college baseball landscape where the top is clearly defined — and where the middle is a genuine battle. What follows is a cross-level look at teams across the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III ranks who find themselves in that uncomfortable space: not safely in, not clearly out, but firmly on the bubble. Some have built compelling résumés that should hold up under scrutiny. Others have excellent records against soft competition...
High School | Rankings | 4/21/2026

High School Top 50 Update: April 21

Tyler Russo
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Another few weeks have wrapped up this high school season as we’re flying through the spring and most southern states are starting playoffs right around the corner. With the end of the regular season, we have another National Top 50 update to bring to you, along with this will be the start of the weekly editions of our National Top 50. We have a change at the top of the rankings as Venice (FL) takes over the top spot after just dominating their competition in the state of Florida this year. Orange Lutheran (CA) drops one spot to No. 2 after dropping a series but still holds firm at No. 2 in the country. Barbe (LA) has continued to dominate and holds onto the No. 3 spot while Tomball (TX) skyrockets in this update to No. 4 in the country, currently holding an incredible 30-0-1 record. The rest of the top-10 is names we’ve become accustomed to see with Aledo (TX) at No. 5, IMG...
Tournaments | Story | 4/21/2026

Southeast Super NIT #2 Scout Notes

Jason Phillips
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Chase Jelks (‘30 GA)- with a long double to deep CF. Huge day from the primary SS, 5-for-6 w/ 4 doubles & 6 RBI. #SESuperNIT @TheDreamBall @PG_Georgia https://t.co/biFSzXCrUt pic.twitter.com/HCQMduedb5 — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) April 20, 2026 Chase Jelks (’30, Atlanta, Ga.)- the left-handed hitting Jelks was all over the barrel on Sunday in a pair of games for The Dream 14U Black. He finished the day with five hits in six at-bats which included four doubles and six runs batted in. His two doubles and four runs batted in played a big part in the Gold Playoffs Round 1 victory over the talented BPA squad out of California. He backed up that performance with three more hits in a quarterfinal’s loss to the East Cobb Astros 14U Orange to finish the tournament with a .600 batting average and 1.636 on-base plus slugging percentage. A primary utility infielder,...
College | Story | 4/21/2026

College Players of the Week: April 21

Vincent Cervino
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April 21st Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Tague Davis, IF, Louisville  The Louisville Cardinals (22-18) haven’t been able to get themselves in much of a groove this spring, their longest winning streak is 5-games, and they are (4-6) in their last 10-games.  The issue has not been the offense as the Cardinals are averaging over 8-runs per game and Tague Davis is leading the club in virtually every offensive category.  His calling card is his 70-grade power and that was on display last weekend in their series against Cal.  In the three-game series, Davis went 7 for 12, scoring 4 runs, launching 5 home runs and collected 7 RBIs.  The 6-4/220 lefthanded hitter from West Chester, PA has a pure stroke, is one of the premier power hitters in the nation and has significantly improved his plate discipline from a year ago.  After his big weekend, he is...
Press Release | Press Release | 4/20/2026

PG & EventConnect Extend Collaboration

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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 AND EVENTCONNECT EXTEND COLLABORATION FOCUSED ON SCALE, SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE    Sanford, Florida (Monday, April 20, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the renewal and expansion of its long-standing housing and technology partnership with EventConnect, reaffirming a shared commitment to innovation, scale and best-in-class experiences for athletes, families and event operators across North America.    The renewed multi-year agreement extends a successful partnership that has helped Perfect Game...
College | Rankings | 4/20/2026

College Top 25: April 20

Vincent Cervino
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As the old saying goes, “all good things must come to an end” and that was the case last Tuesday when UCLA (36-3) saw their 27-game win streak come to an end in a shutout loss to UCSB.  However, the No. 1 team in the land still has their 21-game winning streak in Big Ten to protect, as they have started off league play without a single blemish.  The Bruins will remain atop our poll this week and their historical start to the season roll on.  The UNC Tarheels (33-7-1) move up to No. 2 this week after they made their biggest statement of the year by taking the weekend series from now No. 4 Georgia Tech (32-7).  No. 3 Texas (30-8) and No. 5 Georgia (32-9) both went (3-1) on the week and won their SEC series to stay in contention for the regular season title.  Florida State (28-11) had a nice bounce back (4-0) week and re-enter the Top 10 at No. 8 this...
College | Story | 4/16/2026

Coppy's Corner: April 16 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
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Each week I huddle with Vinnie Cervino and Craig Cozart  to discuss Top-25 rankings and Players of the Week. In Coppy’s Corner, I dive deeper into these Players of the Week, providing analysis from 20+ years working in baseball front offices at the highest level.   Player of the Week: Jaquae Stewart – Texas State University  If you squint a little bit, you can see some Josh Naylor or Dominic Smith in Jaquae Stewart, with a stout build like a more powerful version of the teacup from the children’s song. Lately, the Sun Belt Conference has been child’s play for Stewart as he has been on fire showing an improved hit approach and power that tracks more with his 2024 performance at Northwest Florida State College than with his 2025 experience at the University of Texas. It’s tough for any player to jump from a JUCO in Florida to the big stage...
High School | General | 4/16/2026

High School Notebook: April 16

Tyler Henninger
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Alain Gomez-Gudiño (‘26 AZ) with a pair of backside barrels, including a double. Physical 6-0/215 frame. Switch-hitter with power. Adv. defender with strong C&T behind the dish. @PGAllAmerican alum. #Gamecocks commit #PGHS @PG_Draft @SaguaroBaseball pic.twitter.com/2Vhuu5gYX9 — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) April 11, 2026 C Alain Gomez-Gudino, Saguaro (Ariz.) Since I first saw him as a sophomore, Gomez-Gudiño has long been one of my favorite prospects in the state. The backstop features a super physical frame at 6-foot-0, 215-pounds with a thick lower half and strong forearms. Defensively, Gomez-Gudiño has always stood out. He moves well for his size behind the plate and receives with confident hands. The catch-and-throw ability stands out. Gomez-Gudiño looks to be aggressive and will back pick runners often. The glove alone makes...
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