667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923
PERFECT GAME PARTNERS WITH MVP INTERNATIONAL ATHLETICS
TO BEGIN OVERSEAS YOUTH BASEBALL TOURS
Perfect Game to Launch Tours in December with Australia Trip
Sanford, Florida (Thursday, November 14, 2024) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a partnership with MVP International Athletics, the nation’s leading provider of world-class competitive and cultural sports trips, to launch a series of international tours in 2025 that will give youth baseball athletes a chance to showcase their skills to a global audience, experience new cultures and learn from some of the most experienced MLB alumni.
The first tour is set to kick off December 26 with two Perfect Game travel teams heading to Australia to compete against local youth teams. Former World Series champions Tom “Flash” Gordon and Scott Erickson will serve as coaches and mentors for the PG players throughout the Australian tour. Both Gordon and Erickson are two of 21 former MLB players who are investors in Perfect Game.
“This is a great opportunity for Perfect Game’s athletes to not only compete against some of the best talent from around the globe, but also to get the exposure to the amazing diversity that different countries have to offer,” said Perfect Game CEO Rob Ponger. “We are looking forward to a great relationship with MVP International and bringing the Perfect Game brand to youth athletes around the world.”
Future trips for Summer 2025 already posted on PerfectGame.org will see the company taking its athletes to Spain (June 16-25), Germany (June 21-27), Italy (July 7-17), the Netherlands (July 12-18), Puerto Rico (July 19-25), Central Europe (July 21-30 and August 2-8), Japan (August 4-13) and the Dominican Republic (August 4-11).
“MVP International is extremely excited about the opportunity to partner with Perfect Game, as we share a common vision of what the future of the game looks like on a global scale,” said Mark “Pudge” Gjormand, Founder of MVP International. “We look forward to providing unique opportunities for growth and development, both athletically and culturally, to teams, players and their families as they experience the world through baseball.”
Gordon pitched in parts of 21 major league seasons, going 138-126 with a 3.96 ERA and 158 saves in 890 games for the Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks. A three-time All-Star, he won the 2008 World Series while a member of the Phillies.
Erickson led the American League with 20 wins in 1991 for the Minnesota Twins, helping the team to the World Series championship. During his 17-year MLB career, he went 142-136 with 51 complete games and a 4.59 ERA in 389 games for the Twins, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Yankees.
This partnership with MVP International Athletics further solidifies Perfect Game’s commitment to create unmatched opportunities for the athletes in its program.
Perfect Game is the world’s largest elite youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, producing over 9,800+ events, hundreds of thousands of games, and showcases each year across the country. Perfect Game is dedicated to giving amateur players exposure to take their game to the next level, whether that be in college or in the professional ranks. At Perfect Game events, players are performing with top-level competition in front of college recruiters and professional scouts from all over the country. Because of this, these events prove to be invaluable to college coaches as well as Major League Baseball, as they can scout a large population of talented ballplayers in one location. To date, more than 2,034 players that have played in a Perfect Game event have also played in Major League Baseball. Since 2003, 14,466 Perfect Game alumni have been selected in the MLB First-Year Amateur Player Draft. In the 2023 Draft, for example, 95 percent of all players selected had played in Perfect Game events, and every player selected on the Draft’s first day had previously attended Perfect Game events.
About MVP International Athletics
MVP International is the nation's leading group of professionals in providing athletes, families, and coaches with impactful and memorable experiences through world-class competitive and cultural sports trips. Established in 2013, MVP International has sent thousands of athletes and their families around the world to compete in different sports, including baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's lacrosse, field hockey, ice hockey, yoga and pickleball.