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Tournaments  | Story | 10/20/2024

Coaches Reflect on Past WWBA Worlds

Coaches interviews courtesy of Assistant Event Coordinator, Devin Sawyer

2024 marks the 27th year of the PG WWBA World Championships. Though it was hosted in Fort Myers one year, all the other 26 annual tournaments have been held in beautiful Jupiter, Florida at the Roger Dean Complex.

Many coaches have made it a tradition to bring their teams from around the country down to compete against the nation’s top prospects - and some of them have been making the journey longer than others.



During the first few days of this year’s event, we asked four different coaches about their experiences with the PG WWBA World Championship over the years.

Jerry Cowan, manager of the 5 Star/Chicago Cubs Scout team, has been to four of these tournaments. When he thinks back a couple years to his first one, he said there’s a very specific aspect that stands out.

“Golf carts,” Cowan laughed. “The volume of people out here watching - pretty intense. It was really enjoyable, just to kind of see an atmosphere like that for the first time.”

Cowan explained that it’s the quality of the experience that’s kept him and his teams coming back.

“Everything’s run so professionally…Everything’s just first class. Everything they (Perfect Game) do is just on good point.”

With a couple more WWBA World Championships under his belt, Eric Lassiter is on his sixth year attending with Power Baseball.

“The amount of college coaches, pro scouts - obviously, that’s what this event was originally intended for…and just seeing the amount of guys here and quality of opponents that you’re going to play, you always see elite arms and those kind of things. It’s always good to go against the best.”

“It’s having the access to all these college and MLB scouts to be here, the golf carts rolling up. It’s a great atmosphere for the players. The parents love to see all the different guys here to watch our kids play…So continue to do that, and I think this thing’s obviously gonna stay what it is - which is the best tournament in the country.”

For Home Plate Chili Dogs owner Walker Searcy, this year marks his ninth coming to Jupiter.

“For the last nine years that I’ve been coming down, we’ve made it to the Elite Eight a lot and we’ve made some good runs like last year…We have a great relationship with PG. We also are a site location for PG…We do everything we possibly can for PG to have an experience like this every year.”

Finally, Jeff Petty of Canes Baseball has been coming down to Jupiter for 19 years.

When he thinks back across all those tournaments, one significant story stands out:

“I remember being on Field Six in a night game and playing in front of, oh my gosh, it was just hundreds and hundreds of scouts, golf carts everywhere. We threw a kid named Mikey O’Brien, who, at the time, was really kind of an unknown commodity. He went out and threw a complete game. We lost one-to-nothing that night to the Diamond Devils, but Mikey got drafted out of high school that year, signed. I remember him just getting a ton of love back then - the landscape was a lot different. He’s well-known in today’s world. I was 23 years old at the time.”

With so much experience at this event, Petty said the consistence is what’s made him want to bring teams back year after year.

“Attention to detail, relationships, I think that starts at the top. You guys (Perfect Game) care about the players. The fact of the matter is that you guys care about people’s experiences. You can’t fake caring like you can fake a lot of things. You cannot fake care…You guys care at a high level and deliver at a high level.”

Tournaments | Story | 6/2/2026

Southeast Elite Scout Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
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Tournaments | Story | 6/2/2026

WWBA South Invite Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
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High School | Rankings | 6/2/2026

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Tyler Russo
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With another few weeks in the book of the high school season, we’ve already had state champions crowned with playoffs happening in some northern states. There have been some upsets so there has been a good amount of movement in the National High School Top-50. We have a new number-one this update with Tomball (TX) taking over the top spot and will be playing for a state championship this week. They sport a 42-1 record heading into the title game and have been one of the best teams from start to finish this year. St. John Bosco (CA) has now gone back-to-back with Trinity League and CIF Southern Section titles and take over the No. 2 spot. No. 3 Aledo (TX) continues to win, No. 4 Trinity (KY) has been dominant in Kentucky play and No. 5 Norco (CA) lost the Southern Section title game and had a great year. Magnolia Heights (MS) moves up a few spots to No. 8 after winning their 8th...
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EC Astros Win Back-And-Forth Thriller

Will Dembo
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In a highly anticipated matchup between two of the nation’s top 17u teams, the East Cobb Astros defeated eXposure National 9-8 in a thrilling extra-inning battle to claim the PG Southeast Elite Championship. The Astros completed the weekend undefeated, opening their summer season with a hard-fought, statement victory. “I mean, it's fun, it's been a grind today,” said Astros Head Coach, Josh Burress. “Been out here a long day, but our guys are competitors, they come out compete, they want to compete and win, so it's just fun to watch them come out here and not quitting playing to the end... so the guys did very well today, and they competed all the way through.” eXposure began the opening frame by taking the early lead on an error but quickly gave their lead away as the Astros came out of the gates hot, plating six runs in just the first inning. Mason Peek,...
Tournaments | Story | 6/2/2026

Central Florida Invite Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Leanderson Argueta (2027, Panamá) absolutely outmatched every arm he faced this weekend ending up with seven hits, five of which were doubles and also hit a three run home run in game three. In the fifth inning against Freshwater Storm National Argueta got his pitch and deposited it over the wall for a go ahead three run home run. Showed real comfort in the box and was able to repeat the stroke well. Fires his hips with intent and the direct bat path plays to all parts of the park.  Jayden Pagan (2028, St. Cloud, Fla.) would not be denied this weekend slashing .500/.684/1.434. The championship game was no different for Pagan getting a first pitch heater and scorched it into left for an rbi triple. He would later add a double in the seventh inning that carried over the center fielders head. The bat to ball skills paired with his up the middle approach translate. The 2028...
Tournaments | Championship | 6/2/2026

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Emily Hicks
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After several days of competitive baseball, the Summer Kick-Off came down to one final matchup between Biscuts Elite and BTA 18U. In the end, Biscuits Elite came away with the championship, earning a 26-13 victory at Goodyear Ballpark. “We're a hardworking group; we never give up," said JJ Utash. Biscuits Elite set the tone early, scoring 7 runs in the 1st inning and never looked back. “We just worked together as a team the whole time; we scored runs, and running the ball offensively was good,” said Utash. Nikolas Ramirez led the offense, finishing 3-4 with 2 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 runs scored. Kyle Wisniewski added a 3-4 day at the plate which included a triple, and a run scored to help fuel the attack. Wisniewski hit .444 through 4 games. On the mound, Sean McDaniels got the start, throwing 2.2 innings while allowing 1 hit and striking out 3 batters. The pitching...
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Alyssa Golden
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College | Story | 5/29/2026

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Joey Cohen
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California annually produces its share of high-profile prep and college draft talent, but this spring also offered quality depth especially on the mid-major side. I wanted to highlight a group of semi under-the-radar prospects who have quietly put together strong seasons and caught the attention of our staff whether it was with in-person looks or just by some performance/data metrics that popped. The bulk of this group comes out of the Big West, with additional names from the WCC, WAC, and Mountain West mixed in. Matthew Thomas - OF - CSUN  Few hitters in the Big West have matched Thomas’ offensive impact this spring, as he slashed a strong .335/.411/.679 with 15 home runs. Long and still mostly viewed as a power-first profile, he’s taken a meaningful step forward in the hit tool, cutting down a bit on significant swing-and-miss concerns while increasing his on-base...
Tournaments | Story | 6/1/2026

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Kinley Kitchens
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Talent may have helped EBC 17U-Griggs arrive at the 2026 Perfect Game Hoover Invitational as one of the tournament favorites, but team chemistry is what has carried them to Championship Monday. After a dominant weekend that included multiple shutout victories, and a dramatic comeback win, EBC 17U-Griggs earned its place in the championship round and sits just two wins away from bringing home the title. The roster is loaded with college commits and nationally ranked prospects, but throughout the tournament, EBC’s success has come from contributions across the lineup rather than relying on a single star. After an opening 5-12 victory setting the tone, followed by a huge 17-0 victory where nine different players recorded at least one RBI, highlighted the depth that has made this club one of the most dangerous teams in the field. Throughout the weekend, players such as Clayton Tolbert,...
Tournaments | Story | 5/31/2026

Blalock's Consistency Shines in Hoover

Kinley Kitchens
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Blalock’s Consistency Continues to Shine at Hoover Invitational While many players his age are still learning how to handle the spotlight, Tristan Blalock has already become accustomed to it. The Madison, Alabama Native entered the 2026 Perfect Game Hoover Invitational as one of the most highly regarded players in the country, carrying a national ranking of No. 23 overall in the 2029 class and the distinction of being Alabama’s top ranked player. Yet despite the attention and high approval, Blalock’s approach remains remarkably simple.  “Just 100% effort,” Blalock said when asked about his defensive mindset. “Going out there every single time and giving it my all, do or die, no matter what the play is.” That mentality was on display Saturday as Blalock helped lead East Coast Sox Prime to a 14-0 victory over EBC 15U-Bell. Although the...
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