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College  | Story | 4/30/2026

Coppy's Corner: April 30 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
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: Jarren Advincula – Georgia Tech 

Last week, Fernando Mendoza was taken with the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza transferred from the University of California – Berkeley (Cal) to Indiana University in advance of his draft year. Upon transferring, he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Hoosiers to a national championship. Advincula also transferred from Cal in advance of his draft year, but he took his talents to Georgia Tech. And, while there is still time left in the season, Advincula has positioned himself to be in the conversation for College Baseball’s Heisman Trophy (the Golden Spikes Award) and positioned his team for a College Baseball World Series berth.   



Advincula had a big week, but, really, he has had a big season. Recognized as a 2026 Perfect Game Midseason First Team All American at 2B, Advincula has absolutely raked this season to the tune of .428 AVG / .500 OBP / .628 SLG / 1.128 OPS with 21 BB vs. 15 SO and a miniscule 7.3% Strikeout Rate. All of Advincula’s metrics are trending up on a year-over-year basis from 2024 to 2025 to 2026, including AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, ISO. The knock on him has always been the lack of power, but Advincula has seen his HR total rise from 5 in 2024 to 6 in 2025 to 8 this year, with games yet to be played. While transferring from Cal to Georgia Tech somehow kept him in the same conference, he has continued to dominate that conference – and all of college baseball.  

Carry Tool: Hit. Advincula might be the best pure hitter in the country. His career numbers almost don’t seem real: .361 AVG and .435 OBP with 69 BB vs. 60 SO over 629 AB in his college career. Most impressive to me is the career 8.3% Strikeout Rate, one of the best in college baseball. He reminds me a lot of a left-handed version of Nico Hoerner. Hoerner, who just signed a massive $141 million contract extension, was taken #24 overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Stanford University (ironically, Stanford’s hated rival is Cal). Hoerner was a career .305 AVG hitter in college with a .352 OBP, 47 BB vs. 73 SO, and a 9.5% Strikeout Rate for the Cardinal – and hit only 2 HR in his draft year. Expect Advincula to keep moving up MLB Draft boards. Teams are always looking for advanced college hitters who can move quickly through the minor leagues, and the comparisons to Hoerner – not to mention Mendoza – make him an intriguing prospect.  

Pitcher of the Week: Brett Renfrow – Virginia Tech  

Renfrow is one of the most underrated prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft. He was widely considered a better prospect as an Outfielder than an RHP coming out of Colgan High School in Manassas, Virginia, a suburb of Washington DC. Durable and athletic at 6’3 / 220, Renfrow went undrafted because of signability; he set a number, stuck to it, and bet on himself – on the mound – at Virginia Tech. That bet looks prescient, as Renfrow was a 2024 Perfect Game Freshman All American Second Team selection and has pitched the past two summers with Team USA.  

Renfrow can flash three above average offerings with a Fastball up to 97 mph, an above average CH, and a biting hard SL. The numbers are catching up to the stuff, and Renfrow had his best outing of the season on Friday night at Home in Blacksburg, VA, against North Carolina State – dominating with 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 SO. Even after that outing, Renfrow has a 5.47 ERA on the season, which becomes basically immaterial when you look inside his stuff numbers and see 54.1 IP, 54 H, 17 BB, 71 SO for the 2026 season. MLB teams care a lot more about these stuff numbers than they do about ERA. Expect Renfrow to be rewarded for betting on himself, and his draft stock is on the rise. 

Carry Tool: Cutter. Renfrow’s FB and CH were his two main weapons in 2024 and 2025, as he toyed with a Cutter, Slider, and Curveball. While he still sometimes uses the Slider and Curveball, his Cutter has become a real weapon, generating 14 SO in 32 AB and allowing only a .507 OPS. I’ve mentioned how much I like two-way players in past articles not only because of their athleticism, but also because of their special mindset and unique understanding. It is going to be fun to watch Renfrow as he continues to improve and the draft approaches. 

Co-Freshman of the Week: Ethan Bingaman – Auburn University 

There’s a really cool video (https://www.perfectgame.tv/player-video?id=540815) that Perfect Game produced about the 2025 Corona High School Baseball Team. For the uninitiated, Corona is in Southern California, where the 91 freeway meets the 15 freeway, and is a hotbed of high school baseball talent. I drove through Corona every day (my daily drive was four freeways each way: 5 -> 55 -> 91 -> 15) for two summers as an intern for the Lake Elsinore Storm in the summers of 1997 and 1998. Corona’s 2025 team was one for the ages; not only did it include Bingaman, a legit two-way prospect in his own right, but it also included three of the top 32 (!!!) selections in the 2025 MLB Draft: Seth Hernandez (#6 / Pittsburgh Pirates), Billy Carlson (#10 / Chicago White Sox), and Brady Ebel (#32 / Milwaukee Brewers). Bingaman was drafted in the 20th Round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks but instead took his bat and glove to Auburn. 

 

Carry Tool: Hit. Bingaman has hit the ground running on the Plains with a .317 AVG / .420 OBP / .524 SLG / .944 OPS in 126 AB, showing a good hit approach with 19 BB vs. 23 SO. Bingaman has been playing primarily 1B, and he’s a good athlete who was also a standout pitcher on that magical Corona HS team. However, his hit tool is going to carry him, and he shows good traits by hitting better on the Road (.324 AVG / 1.108 OPS) and really performing vs LHP (.362 AVG / 1.125 OPS). That he’s doing all this at a major program in the SEC, which currently checks in at #7 in Perfect Game’s Top 25 rankings, is all the more impressive. 

Co-Freshman of the Week: Trent Grindlinger – University of Tennessee 

Like Bingaman, Grindlinger was a So Cal prep star – from Huntington Beach, about 35 miles west of Corona – who went to play college ball in the SEC. Perfect Game rated him the #30 overall high school prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft and, like Renfrow, Grindlinger went undrafted due to signability, flipping his commitment from Mississippi State to the University of Tennessee. Strong and athletic at 6’3 / 210, there is belief he can be a long-term catcher thanks to a plus arm and above average field grades. He’s a well below average runner but can hit with above power. 

And that’s exactly what he’s been doing in 2026: Grindlinger is currently hitting .395 AVG / .479 OBP / .642 SLG / 1.121 OPS, showcasing an advanced hit approach with 10 BB vs. 12 SO in 81 At Bats. These are impressive numbers for any freshman, or for any catcher, but to be doing this as a freshman catcher in the SEC is pretty special. Grindlinger absolutely has first-round upside if he can continue to develop, and he should be draft-eligible as a sophomore in 2027. His younger brother, Jared, just re-classified and is currently rated as the #9 overall high school prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft by Perfect Game. 

Carry Tool: Power. If Grindlinger can stay at catcher and tap into his power, he can be an impact player. Like most teams do now, when I was running the Atlanta Braves, we looked at days of the week as a performance indicator for draft-eligible college players. We wanted players who hit well on Friday nights because that is the night that hitters face an opposing team’s best starting pitcher. Grindlinger has only played 5 Games and had 16 At Bats on Friday nights this season, but he has made the most of them, launching 2 of his 5 HR this season against teams’ best starters, with a .438 AVG / .571 OBP / .938 SLG (!) / 1.509 OPS on TGIF. If that power continues to show against top arms, he will shine even brighter as a prospect. 


National Nuggets (things that caught my eye this week) 

Speaking of Friday Night Starting Pitchers, there hasn’t been any better this season than the University of California – Santa Barbara’s Jackson Flora … ranked #4 on the Perfect Game 2026 Draft Board Top 400 updated less than a week ago, Flora got the win on Friday night for UCSB with another strong outing: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, which brings his season totals to 8-0, 0.78 ERA (!), 69.1 IP, 36 H, 25 BB, 88 SO … Flora has allowed only 1 HR in 69.1 IP, pointing to the leverage he creates with a really good downhill plane that generates late arm side run and hard sink to his ++ FB 95-98 that has routinely touched triple digits … Flora mixes that with two types of Sliders, a harder one that has Cutter actions and has been devastating this year by limiting opposing hitters to .071 AVG and .259 OPS (!) with 1 BB vs. 8 SO in 14 AB … Flora has been tough on all hitters, but especially tough for RH hitters to whom he has allowed only .117 AVG and .340 OPS with 48 SO in 128 AB … at 6’5 / 205, and not turning 21 until late May 2026, he is still somewhat projectable and his body could easily carry another 20-25 pounds of strength … former UCSB RHPs have been very high picks in recent years with Tyler Bremner going #2 overall in the 2025 Draft to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Dillon Tate going #4 in the 2015 Draft to the Texas Rangers … Flora has a higher upside than both of those pitchers and with his frame and top-shelf stuff reminds me a lot of a young Kevin Brown … like Bremner and Tate, Flora will likely be a Top-5 pick and would be a great addition to any MLB team.
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College | Story | 5/7/2026

Coppy's Corner: May 7 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: Tyce Armstrong – Baylor University  Armstrong is a big man with a big bat that produces big power. Just the second player in the history of Baylor to reach 20 HR in a single season – if you knew the other one was Charley Carter in 1998, you get the gold star – Armstrong brings an impact bat that can turn the game around with one swing. Listed at 6’4 / 228 he is Texas-strong and has been tearing up the Big 12 this season. Armstrong spent his first three season at the University of Texas – Arlington before transferring to Baylor for the 2026 season. He had a...
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High School | General | 5/7/2026

High School Notebook: May 7

Cam McElwaney
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Ryder Bell, LHP, Hamilton (AZ) Bell got the ball for Hamilton in the first round of playoff action and did not blink. The young left-hander tosses 6 2/3 strong innings with four strikeouts and just one walk. Bell faced some adversity at times with runners on, but consistently competed and found a way out of most jams. An athletic operation with intent is shown on the mound. Bell throws from a lower 3/4 slot that can create a tough angle. The fastball worked 82-85 mph with armside run. It paired well with a sweeper at 70-72 mph. Bell attacked the zone with both pitches often and landed the sweeper arm side consistently. The stuff has already shown it can play against quality lineups. Bell should be a fun name to monitor over the next couple years.    Cory Wuttke (‘27, AZ) hammers this out to LF for solo 💣. Multi-hit performance. Stays compact with strength at contact....
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High School | Rankings | 5/6/2026

High School Top 50 Update: May 6

Tyler Russo
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Another week of high school baseball has come and gone across the country, and we have another update as we continue to roll to the finish of the high school seasons in the southern states in just a few weeks. Regular seasons are wrapping up across the country and playoffs are deep in progress down south, with every update there’s some movement inside the High School Top 50 along with a few new names breaking in. The top-10 remains very similar at the top with Venice (FL) holding onto the No. 1 position for the third straight update. Tomball (TX) jumps up to No. 2 as they continue to rattle of wins with Orange Lutheran (CA), Aledo (TX), and IMG Academy (FL) rounding out the top 5. Trinity (KY) and Harvard-Westlake (CA) sit at No. 6 and No. 7 respectively with a trio of new teams inside the top-10 in Magnolia Heights (MS) at No. 8, Norco (CA) at No. 9, and South Walton (FL) and No....
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College | Rankings | 5/6/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: May 6

Nick Herfordt
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Records and rankings tell you who has won. Résumé tells you who can win. Every season when the final regular season rankings are released the natural instinct is to point at the team sitting at number one and label them the favorite. That instinct is understandable — those programs have earned their place at the top of the table, and none of them should be dismissed.   Alas, college baseball has a way of humbling the polls when the bracket opens. The teams that survive the NCAA Tournament and the NAIA World Series are rarely the ones with the prettiest record — they are the ones who have been tested repeatedly by elite competition and passed those tests at the highest rate in the country. Winning streaks built against soft schedules tend to dissolve the moment the opponent is worth a damn.   In each of the three small-school divisions, there is a...
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College | Story | 5/5/2026

College Players of the Week: May 5

Vincent Cervino
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May 5th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Tyce Armstrong, IF, Baylor  The Baylor Bears still have some work ahead of them if they want to extend their season beyond the Big 12 Tournament but if Tyce Armstrong stays on his heater, they could be in business.  For the second time this season, Armstrong, the 6-4/228 senior from Magnolia, TX is our Perfect Game Player of the Week.  It was a record setting week for Armstrong as he became just the second player in Baylor program history to hit 20 home runs in a season and tied the all-time single season record with his 21st round-tripper on Sunday.  For the week, he collected 9 hits in 16 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, lacing 4 doubles, 5 home runs and drove in a total of 9 runs.  It has been a career year for the hulking first baseman who in his first season at Baylor, transferring from UT Arlington.  For the...
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College | Rankings | 5/4/2026

College Top 25: May 4

Vincent Cervino
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One of the keys to putting together a historical season is not purely talent, but the ability to win games by any means necessary.  The No. 1 UCLA Bruins (43-4) have demonstrated that all year, often riding the strength of their pitching and defense to victory but at other times, slugging their way to a win.  The latter is what kept their perfect (24-0) record in Big Ten play intact, as they overcame an 8-run deficit in the last 3-innings yesterday to defeat Michigan State on the road by a score of 13-11.  The Bruins have already clinched the Big Ten Regular Season title and only have two series remaining in their quest for an undefeated conference record.  UNC (37-9) had an off week and remain at No. 2, while No. 3 Georgia Tech (39-8) won an out-of-conference series against Xavier.  The Texas Longhorns (35-10) stick at No. 4 this week after a huge home series...
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High School | General | 5/1/2026

Texas High School Notebook

Jay Vossler
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Cullen Scott (‘28 TX) strikes out 8 over 6 IP. 4-Seam 94-97 T98 carry up. 2-Seam 90-93 ASR. And it’s easy velo out the hand; held velo into 6th. Slider 78-81 (2400 RPM) short and tight tilter. Curve 76-79 (2400 RPM) power depth varies between 10-4 and 11-5. Change 82-83 rolls out… pic.twitter.com/aFCQ6m70Ax — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) April 18, 2026 Cullen Scott (2028, Melissa, Texas) was as advertised in this look as he went 6 innings while striking out 8 batters. Throws 2 different fastballs and holds velo well throughout outing. 4-seam works 94-97 and topped out at 98 with carry up just jumps out of hand. 2-seam works 90-93 with good arm side run. Held velocity into the 6th. Slider 78-81 plays short with tilt and late bite getting upwards of 2400 RPM. Curve 76-79 with power depth that varies between shape 10-4 to 11-5. Change 82-83 rolls out of hand with...
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Draft | Mock Draft | 5/1/2026

MLB Mock Draft: May 1

Tyler Henninger
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Pick Team Player Position School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 3 Minnesota Twins Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 4 San Francisco Giants Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 5 Pittsburgh Pirates AJ Gracia OF Virginia 6 Kansas City Royals Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 7 Baltimore Orioles Ace Reese 3B Mississippi State 8 Athletics Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 9 Atlanta Braves Ryder Helfrick C Arkansas 10 Colorado Rockies Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 11 Washington Nationals Jared Grindlinger LHP/OF Huntington Beach 12 Los Angeles Angels Cameron Flukey RHP Coastal Carolina 13 St. Louis Cardinals Cole Carlon LHP Arizona State 14 Miami Marlins Gio Rojas LHP Marjory Stoneman Douglas 15 Arizona Diamondbacks Tyler Bell* SS Kentucky 16 Texas Rangers Justin Lebron SS Alabama 17 Houston Astros Chris Hacopian SS Texas A&M 18...
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High School | General | 4/30/2026

High School Notebook: April 30

Jordan Gates
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Slo-mo look at the swing by Jordan Ransom (‘26, AZ) #PGHS @QCHS_Athletics @PG_Draft https://t.co/fyPaOimF5k pic.twitter.com/T7yH6a1qRI — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) April 29, 2026 OF Ryan Harwood, Casteel (Ariz).  Harwood is one of the premier draft names in the state and showed why in the regular season finale. The Texas A&M commit collected a pair of hits and also threw a runner out at home from left field. Harwood possesses impressive physicality that can produce big impact at the plate. The profile has middle of the order upside. Defensively, Harwood profiles best for a corner outfield spot long term. The arm strength may allow him to slide over to right field, as he can produce strong on-line carry. Harwood showed off that arm strength on the mound, where he threw the last inning and ran the heater up to 91 mph. IF Jordan Ransom, Queen Creek...
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High School | Rankings | 4/29/2026

High School Top 50 Update: April 29

Tyler Russo
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With another week in the books across the country in the high school baseball season, we have another update to the National Top 50. The southern states are rolling through the playoffs as the weeks unfold along with northern states starting to get to the back half of their schedule as the summer is quickly approaching. The top-10 holds firm in this update as Venice (FL) continues to hold onto the top spot after rattling off W’s since returning home to Florida. Barbe (LA) comes in at No. 2 this week after being ranked at No. 3 a week ago and sport a 37-1 record with 36 straight wins. Orange Lutheran (CA) drops one spot to No. 3 and a pair of Texas schools round out the top-5 as Tomball is at No. 4 and Aledo is at No. 5. 5-9 is the exact same this week as last as IMG Academy (FL) comes in at No. 6, Trinity (KY) is at No. 7, Harvard-Westlake (CA) is at No. 8 and Grapevine (TX) is at...
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