THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Championship | 1/24/2025

MLK East Crowns Champions

MLK East Championship

14U 

PLO White took the 14U PG East MLK Championship on Monday in a 10-2 win over ZT Southeast. 

With a chill in the air and no sun in the sky, the uncommon weather had everyone in the Southwest Florida complex bundled in jackets and clutching a hot chocolate or coffee. 



Even though the wind was whipping through the air, the 14U champions did not let it affect their play or their attitude. 

“I felt very confident in myself,” PLO third baseman Bengie Del Nodal said. 

ZT Southeast pitcher and tournament MVPitcher Mason Moeller’s performance was strong on the weekend, striking out 12 batters in 5 innings pitched - 6 of the strikeouts coming in the championship game. Moeller got up to 80 mph with his fastball. 

However, when Moeller hit his pitch limit, Del Nodal got the action started in the bottom of the fourth inning with a triple to centerfield. The line drive brought 2 runners in and set the stage for some major offense - ending the inning with 8 runs scored.

“I was having positivity in my mind,” Del Nodal said about when he stepped up to the plate before knocking a 2-RBI triple. “I was focused on my at-bat and thinking about what I was going to do - having a plan for my at-bat…It makes [me] feel that I really helped the team. This was my first tournament that I had with this team - a good way to start the season off.”

PLO White’s head coach, Adam Reeves said he wasn’t surprised by Del Nodal coming through.

“We saw a kid that was prepared, confident and ready to execute for his team.”

Reeves’ son, left fielder AJ Reeves (Adam Reeves) won MVP of the tournament - with 7 runners batted in and 8 hits on the weekend.

“As a father and you’re coaching your son, there’s a stigma on that sometimes. So to have him go out there and earn it on his own and be recognized like that is very special to me.”

AJ said this MVP award came as a result of going back to the basics. 

“I was just trying to see the ball well. I just had to be myself and not do too much - focusing on opposite field… [The MVP award] means a lot to me, because it shows that my hard work pays off.”

This championship-winning PLO White team will make its next appearance at the 2025 Weston Travel Ball Winter Warm-Up starting on January 29. 

15U

After a slow, back-and-forth game against Florida National 15U - LHB emerged victorious, winning 8-7. 

By the time the 15U division began their championship game, the sun had begun to warm up the ballpark, making the weather much more tolerable for spectators and players alike. 

LHB came out hot, scoring 5 runs in the second inning, but the pace of the game grew sluggish. Parents in the stands and players on the field struggled to get any energy going in the middle innings. However, Florida National 15U came steadily creeping back, up 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth. 

In the top of the sixth, left fielder Niuler Lima drove a double to center and got 2 runs across home plate to get his team’s lead back.

“I was just expecting a fastball first pitch and it was kind of in the upper side, so I just went for it,” Lima said. 

In terms of the pace of the game, Lima said he was reminding himself to stay present. 

“Stay focused and never let your guard down. There were many times that we were down, like in the sixth inning, and we kept going. And we won.”

16U

After semifinal games that were decided by just one run, the 16U division competed at Terry Park for the championship title - with Hit Dogs OH winning the contest 5-0. 

The game was a defensive battle for the first four innings with not a single run on the board.

In the top of the fifth, after a couple walks were issued by Hit Factory Pros 2027, Grayson Ryan put the first run on the board with an RBI single to left field. 

Then, with two outs, extra hitter Carter Hullett brought the energy levels up when he lined one to left field for a 2 RBI double - making the score 3-0. 

“It was a great moment - a big moment in the game that kind of broke it open…giving our team some momentum to close out the game,” Hullett said.

Hullett showed a lot of patience and mental strength throughout the weekend - as he was walked 9 times in the tournament. 

“I decided, ‘if I walk the rest of the tournament, I’ll take 10 or 11 walks over trying to do too much.’

I kind of had to bide my time in a way and just wait for pitchers to put something in the zone so I could mash it - or anything close to the zone. Nothing too far, but definitely something that I could put a bat on and make something happen.”

Coach Jason Slack said he was impressed with Hullett’s discipline. 

“[Hullett] is a very mature young man for the age of 16. He’s one of the guys that the maturity jumps off the page at you and he’s very advanced. And because he’s advanced, he has a great approach to the game.”

On the other side of the ball, Slack said his team’s strategy on defense is part of what helped them get to the championship game. 

“Anytime there’s a guy on second base with less than two outs and a ball hit to the outfield, we’re not throwing the ball home to throw you out. We’re going to give up the ones, but we’re not going to throw home. Then the guy who just hit rounds first and goes to second, and now all of a sudden, you basically set the table for the flood gates to open. We want to keep the double play in order, so we never throw the ball home unless it’s the bottom of the seventh.”

This Hit Dogs OH team is a “pick-up” team assembled by Slack. Their first time meeting one another was on Day 1 of the tournament. Some players, like Hullett, traveled about 12 hours by car to compete in Fort Myers.

“Using the power of social media, just reaching out to some coaches that we’ve played against and then finding a couple players that some of our players had recommended - that’s ultimately how the team got put together,” Slack said.

A foundational part of the team was Tournament MVP Koltyn Watters, who goes by the nickname “Flip.” On the weekend, Watters contributed 6 hits, 4 stolen bases and 9 runners batted in.

“I’m in the cage every day, just hitting balls, just trying to be the best that I can. And it finally showed,” Watters said. 

Slack has known Watters and his family for years and has seen a lot of development in Flip’s game. 

“It’s kind of unique for me, because I remember this little 12-year-old, 13-year-old a couple years ago…and then all of a sudden, he becomes a pretty good-sized young man and one of the better hitters that I’ve seen for that age.”

As for Hullett, he said he’ll never forget winning this title.

“I’ve been playing Perfect Game for a couple years now and I think it’s the first tournament I’ve ever won with a team. It just has a special feeling when you finally get to hold that trophy and hold that banner and you’re champions.”

17U

A couple fields over from the 16U championship, Legacy Adidas took the 17U title with an explosive sixth inning - winning 13-3 versus MN Blizzard 2026 Blue. 

MN Blizzard 2026 Blue steadily built a lead through the first four innings - but right-hander Cole Novara really picked his defense up. Novara struck out 5 batters with only 36 pitches in 3 innings. His fastball got up to 86 mph and he mixed in a 73 mph curveball. 

“I knew that I could trust [my teammates]. I knew the talent we had, so I just knew in the back of my mind that we were going to get the job done. Our coaching helped out a lot. They motivated us severely. And I just thought, ‘this is our time. This is where we need to go.’ And we got it done.”

Though the average onlooker might never guess, Novara is primarily an outfielder. Coach Scott Tousa said Novara really stepped up for his team when they were down on pitching. 

“[Navara] typically plays center field for us, and nothing drops in center field…(He’s) a kid that’s willing to do whatever the team needs of him.”

“I was excited to go for the team and just get the job done,” Novara said. “I was hoping I could just help the team any way I could. So if it was on the mound, centerfield, wherever they needed me, I was just ready for the moment and ready to help the team and lead them to victory.”

Novara, a Michigan State commit who took a 2-hour flight down from Dexter, Michigan also won MVP with 9 hits, 3 stolen bases and 9 runners batted in.

“He’s been an incredible leadoff hitter, works the count, doesn’t strike out very much and has been hitting the ball very hard and has very good speed as well,” Tousa said. 

“I think my swing started clicking later in the tournament,” Novara said. “I started off a little bit rusty, and then I kind of found my swing and I think my teammates were motivating me too…There’s a lot of guys that could have gotten [MVP] and I was pumped that I got it, obviously. I believe it was honestly more of a team award, because we played great that tournament. It was our first tournament together as a full team and I think we really thrived.”

Close behind Novara in the top performers of the weekend was shortstop Nolan Klein. He hit 2 home runs during the weekend - one of them in the championship game. 

“That home run was his second home run of the weekend, and he was just going up there with a lot of confidence and hitting balls hard…Nolan had really good at-bats all weekend. He was working counts really well, squaring up balls really well, hitting well - good situational hitting as well,” Tousa said.

Tousa said there was a specific lesson that he wanted his guys to remember as they continue on this season:

“We ended up going 5-0 on the weekend, but we were down in three of the games, and down late in three of the games. So, I think the big takeaway was: don’t get down. Don’t get down if things aren’t going your way early on. I think it was a good character builder for our team to face adversity in multiple games and still be able to come out on top.”

18U

Lastly, for the east’s 18U division, DRD DI Bat Puerto Rico got the 8-0 championship victory against Central Pointe Christian Academy. 

Tournament MVP and Central Pointe Academy’s first baseman, Aemed Nasser, had 8 hits, 6 runners batted in and a home run on the weekend. 

“I was just trying to get my job done for the team,” Nasser said. “As a lead-off hitter, I just try to give these guys energy. I try to have good at-bats, high-quality and get the job done…I was seeing the ball very well. I was reading pitches, taking high-quality at-bats. I took the ‘first pitch fastball’ method to start the game very seriously - taking early hacks.”

Nasser didn’t let the championship loss get him down - and said that no one has seen the last of his team.

“We did get second place, but I’m very proud of what we did. It just felt good, because my whole team’s been working really hard this fall. I’m just glad that we can execute the way we want. And there’s more tournaments to come, so I’m excited for that…Our team is going to be up there this year. Last year, we had an amazing team - the ’24 class. Don’t expect anything less than that from the ’25 class, because we’ll be up there in all those big tournaments.”

Though up against a strong team, DRD DI Bat Puerto Rico’s right-handed pitcher Yariel Navarro Irizarry was able to shut out Central Pointe Christian Academy. In 4 innings, he threw 53 pitches and struck out 5 batters with a high-80s fastball, a 77 mph curveball and a high-70s slider. 

Navarro Irizarry’s performance in the championship game put the icing on the cake for him to win MVPitcher - with 21 outs and 7 strikeouts in 7 innings pitched and no earned runs through the tournament. 

On the other side of the ball, DRD DI’s offense was explosive in the second inning of the final game. After one run came across on a hit-by-pitch, shortstop Gustavo Melendez stepped up to the plate and lined one to right field to get 2 more runners home - creating the offensive spark for his team. 

“In that at-bat, it was bases loaded,” Melendez explained. “I was trying to get some RBIs to keep the game going towards our team to win the game. We went up there to straight-up win the game and I was just trying to get some runs.”

Melendez said that it was more than just his team’s talent that led them to the title game.

“The chemistry that we have in the team, it’s very unique…Not every team has the chemistry that this team has…“We’ve been practicing because we have another tournament back in Puerto Rico. So we went here to get prepared and we had a great time.”
 
 

Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘28 OF Jakob Groeschel (OH) continues to impress with the bat on the circuit, picked up 2 2Bs in the first game today. Really athletic, went 4.4 on turn; easy to dream on all the traits. #MLKEast @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/wOIwnGKnkg — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) January 17, 2026 2028 OF Jakob Groeschel (Springfield, Ohio) broke out at this event last year hitting a casual .909, and although he didn’t turn in quite the same performance, he hit a strong .462 with 4 extra-base hits, 5 walks, 5 bags and only struck out once. He’s a pretty dynamic athlete who can do a lot of things well, but the bat is the calling card as he just lives on the barrel and has no problem handling all kinds of pitching. It’s a simple swing, but he’s got fast hands and he can really impact the ball without being overly physical yet.  2030 RHP Michael Vazquez...
General | Blog | 2/20/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 63

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 62, Part 1 | Part 2 Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls - Part 3  We've made it to Part 3…the final installment of our series on baseball's most misunderstood and debated topics.   In Part 1, we tackled the curveball. The takeaway: the pitch itself isn't what’s dangerous. Decades of awful and ineffective coaching cues, ”snap your wrist," "turn the doorknob”…exacerbated and even in many causes caused some of the problems. Teach it correctly, when the athlete is ready, and it's no riskier than a fastball.  In Part 2, we examined pitch counts. The takeaway: they're a useful tool, but a limited one. Treating a single number as a universal measure of safety ignores everything...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/20/2026

18U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Dave Durbala
Article Image
SPRINGFIELD, IL - 2026 Perfect Game Softball Winter Elite Showcase, February 6 - 8, 2026.  Twenty teams rolled into Springfield to showcase their talents in this 18u, four-game guarantee, pool-into-bracket play,  at the newly opened 170,000-square-foot domed facility at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. In the Silver Bracket, it was the 09 Midwest Sluggers taking home the championship over the CR Blue Devils 18u National. In the Gold Bracket, a championship game that featured the tournament's top two pitchers, it was the Iowa Dynamite 18u with the win over GTS 15u Elite-Herrick, by a score of  2-1. The tournament, with a mix of committed players, and those young ladies striving for the next level,  was loaded with talent.  Below are some of the players that excelled on the field and made their way onto the tournament’s Top Performers list. Earning...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/19/2026

14U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Erica Beach
Article Image
PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor 14U January 17-18, 2026 Springfield, IL   SPRINGFIELD, IL- It may be cold outside, but there was some hot competition going on at the PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor tournament. Six team converged on the Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe and the Texas Glory IL 29 walked away with the hardware after a close 7-6 ballgame. Below we highlight some of the impressive athletes who competed on the weekend.     Lila Rafferty (2029, Leroy, IL) of the Texas Glory IL 29 was an unstoppable force at the plate over the weekend. She showed great tenacity in the box, proving to be one of the most consistent hitters in the tournament. She finished her weekend batting an incredible .750, tallying nine hits and scoring five times. She flashed her speed on multiple occasions, stealing two bases and legging out two doubles and two triples. She came in clutch,...
High School | General | 2/19/2026

Pacific Northwest All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
Article Image
NORTHWEST REGION (WA, OR, ID, WY, AK, MT, HI)    The biggest change in the Northwest Region for 2026 is the addition of Hawaii, which has always been overlooked due to being lumped with California in the former Pacific Region.  This also coincides with an increased Perfect Game presence in the islands in the form of additional events and scouting.  And Hawaii certainly contributed in it’s first year, placing four players on the All-Region team, including slugging 2026 outfielder Judah Ota. The powerhouse Puyallup HS team is the only Northwest Region team to be represented in the PG Pre-Season Top 50 National HS Rankings, beginning the year ranked 26th.  C – Teagan Scott (Sr., South Salem HS, Ore.) Scott has been on the prospect map since he played in the 2023 PG 14U Select Festival and is signed with Oregon State.  A right-handed hitter with lots...
Showcase | Story | 2/20/2026

PG ID Camps Help Build Baseball Resume

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PG ID Camps Help Youngsters Build a Baseball Resume There was still snow on the ground in a lot of places last weekend, but that didn’t stop more than 200 young players from going indoors to participate in the first round of Perfect Game Select Fest ID Camps for the 2026 season. John McAdams, PG’s national crosschecker and Northeast scouting director, ran the event in Farmingdale, New Jersey, and was impressed with his group’s energy and desire to improve at the game. “We’re giving young players the opportunity to build their baseball resumes and chart their growth and progress over a span of years,” he said. In addition to New Jersey, Select Fest ID Camps were held in Lake St. Louis, Missouri; Rossford, Ohio; Marietta, Georgia; and Kent, Washington. The ID camps debuted in 2025. Twenty-two of them were held around the country with nearly 700 young...
Draft | Story | 2/19/2026

Then vs. Now: '26 Class Look Back

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
One constant across our scouting staff is the volume of in-person looks we get at prospects during their high school years. With assignments at national tournaments and showcases throughout the calendar, we’ve built a deep library of reports and video on many of today’s top college prospects dating back to their prep days. This week, we took a step back to revisit what those players looked like as high school prospects. Which tools stood out? What was missing from the profile at the time? And what, if anything, did we overlook that ultimately helped shape the player they’ve become? Below, we break down 10 players in a “Then and Now” reflection. Justin Lebron (23 FL) finishes off the tournament getting in on the hit parade with a single to the pullside. #PGShowdown #Bama commit pic.twitter.com/C4Irym2ZTR — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 4, 2023...
High School | General | 2/18/2026

High School Notebook: Feb. 18

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
Grady Emerson (‘26 TX) laces this ball to right for a walk off single. Clean lefty stroke. Looks the part both sides of the ball. Checks all the boxes. Will be scouted heavily this Spring. #PGHS #HookEm commit. #PGDraft pic.twitter.com/wXvdHdgqME — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) February 6, 2026 Grady Emerson (2026, Argyle, Texas) had a strong showing throughout the opening week of high school baseball out here in Texas. Works good at-bats and is always a tough out in general. Makes all the plays at short and just has the look of a future big leaguer. He does all the little things right. Bat to ball will play at a high level and there is still a lot more power to project on here. There is a reason why Emerson is one of, if not the most highly coveted high school prospect in the 2026 class and it’s easy to see why. Currently committed to Texas, but has the potential to...
High School | Rankings | 2/18/2026

Midwest Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Midwest All Region & Top Tools Rk Midwest 2025 Record 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) 27-4 2 Edmond Memorial (OK) 30-8 3 Muskego (WI) 27-10 4 Lawrence Free State (KS) 28-2 5 Mill Valley (KS) 22-6 6 Valley View (AR) 29-5 7 Platte County (MO) 29-8 8 Liberty North (MO) 19-14 9 Millard North (NE) 23-13 10 St. John Vianney (MO) 38-2 11 Owasso (OK) 40-3 12 Olathe East (KS) 22-6 13 Staley (MO) 38-4 14 Shawnee Mission South (KS) 10-11-4 15 Blue Springs South (MO) 27-7 16 Blue Valley (KS) 21-10 17 Edmond Santa Fe (OK) 37-7 18 Skutt Catholic (NE) 24-7 19 Howell (MO) 35-4 20 Olathe West (KS) 25-3 21 Creighton Prep (NE) 16-15 22 Rogers (AR) 26-4 23 Fayetteville (AR) 26-7 24 Blue Valley West (KS) 17-10 25 Cretin Derham Hall (MN) 19-5-1
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/18/2026

PG Softball Winter One Day Tournament

Dave Durbala
Article Image
BURLINGTON, IA - Perfect Game Softball Winter One Day Tournament, February 15, 2026. Twelve teams, split between the 16u and 18u divisions, participated in this event.  With two pool games, and then a move into single elimination bracket play,  some players used this tournament as  their last warm-up before kicking off their high school seasons, while others were tuning up for the busy Spring and Summer travel season. In the 16u division, it was the Iowa Aries 16u Ce Fire Red taking the championship, with Southeast Iowa Allstars 18u Gold Miller earning the crown in the 18u division. Below are write-ups from observations made during the day, as due to a software glitch, there were no stats available to complete a Top Performers list. 16U Division  Earning the MV-Pitcher Award, as selected by her coaches, was Aurora Widlund (2029 Altoona, IA) of tournament champion Iowa...
College | Rankings | 2/18/2026

DIII Rankings: February 18

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Every spring, Division III baseball begins as a wide-open map. Cold mornings turn into long bus rides, non-conference gauntlets test resolve, and by the time the dust settles, only a few teams are still standing with a clear line to the NCAA Division III baseball tournament. The 2026 Perfect Game Division III Baseball Rankings capture that moment before the stretch run, highlighting the programs that have separated themselves through depth, durability, and an ability to win in a variety of ways. These eight teams are not simply piling up wins; they are shaping identities built to survive the grind and thrive when the margins narrow.  The destination is familiar, even if the journey never is. Once again, the final chapter will be written at Classic Park, where timing, composure, and roster balance matter as much as raw talent. The teams ranked here enter 2026 with more than ambition....
Loading more articles...