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College  | Story | 5/14/2026

Coppy's Corner: May 14 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: Drew Burress – Georgia Tech 

I love everything that Craig Cozart writes, and his piece on Burress is as good as it gets (link). Craig does a masterful job of showing us how Burress has (not arguably) the best career college performance of any current player. The body of work is consistent and impressive, and Burress has one of the highest floors in the 2026 MLB Draft with above average or better tools across the board. 



I’m not going to do a deep dive on Burress’ numbers because there is no point: they are really good, everywhere. I would rather talk about smaller players with big tools. Oh, did I forget to mention that Burress is listed at 5’9 and probably closer to 5’8 and maybe even closer to 5’7. And that means … absolutely nothing!! Dustin Pedroia was listed at 5’9, too, and was likely shorter, too, and in the 2004 MLB Draft he lasted all the way to Pick #65 – trust me, I know, because I was working for the New York Yankees, and we took three players ahead of Pedroia (smh). 5’6 Jose Altuve had to talk his way into a tryout in Venezuela and signed for only $15,000. Players who are smaller like Burress, Pedroia, and Altuve may be a market inefficiency.  

Burress should be able to stay in CF and reminds me a lot of Kirby Puckett, who was listed at 5’8, and was also a pretty damn good MLB player. In the latest PG Mock Draft (link), we project Burress going #10 to the Colorado Rockies – who else but Paul DePodesta to recognize a market inefficiency? – and it’s scary to think about the offensive havoc he could wreak in that ballpark. I’d take him even earlier.  

Carry Tool: Hit. All. Burress. Does. Is. Hit. The most consistent college performer in the Draft, he’s having arguably his worst year and is hitting .375 AVG / 1.162 OPS with more walks than strikeouts. Think about that: arguably his worst year is .375 AVG / 1.162 OPS with 38 BB vs. 34 SO. He hits good velocity (.375 AVG vs. pitches 95+ miles per hour) and hits breaking balls (.377 AVG). He hits everybody and everything everywhere. I think he could hit on Mars. I love this player. 

Co-Pitcher of the Week: Cykler Tengler – Arkansas State University  

This is my favorite story in a long time. Cykler Tenger, who also has the coolest name in college baseball, had thrown only 4.2 IP all season heading into last week, spread out among 1 start and three relief appearances. Of course, in his second start, he went CG SHO No-No with 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO, 1 HBP. Tengler also accomplished this feat against the University of Arkansas – Little Rock (UALR), the program with which he originally signed out of high school. Tengler never pitched for UALR in 2023, transferred to D2 Arkansas State University – Mountain Home (ASUMH) in 2024 and 2025, and is now at Arkansas State in 2026. Welcome to NIL! 

All kidding aside, there’s something about Cykler. Standing 6’5 / 205 with a good downhill plane and projection remaining, Tengler has shown a knack for missing bats with 116 SO in 76.2 IP for ASUMH last season. I know, it’s D2, right? Well, it was also D2 for Ryan Helsley (Northeastern State), Brandon Pfaadt (Bellarmine University), Alex Vesia (Cal State East Bay), Tim Mayza (Millersville University), and dozens of other pitchers who have had success at the MLB level. Tengler has the weapons with a two-seam FB 89-92, wipeout CH (see below), and improving SL. Tengler opened some eyes and hopefully made himself some money last week. And, while I am not expecting back-to-back no-hitters, I can’t wait to see what he does in his next start and the rest of the season. 

Carry Tool: Changeup. Look, all these numbers have to be taken with a few grains of salt because we are talking about 13.1 IP and 173 total pitches on the season. That being said, 74 / 178 (42.8%) of those pitchers were Changeups – and they generated 84% Strike %, 62% Swing %, and 44% Chase %. When you look at his splits against LH hitters, he’s allowed a .133 AVG and .325 OPS with 6 SO in 15 AB. Those are gaudy numbers and, combined with the leverage and sink he creates on his sinker from his 6’5 / 205 frame, it starts to get interesting. Why not take a chance on a pitcher like this and see what MLB pitching labs can do with these raw tools?

Co-Pitcher of the Week: Karsten Sweum – Gonzaga University  

In the 2013 MLB Draft, with the #19 overall pick, the St. Louis Cardinals selected left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales. Standing 6’1 / 205, Gonzales was a pitchability lefty who worked with a FB 88-91, a killer CH, and otherwise solid off-speed stuff. In his draft year, he was 7-3, 2.80 ERA with 106.0 IP, 102 Hits, 25 BB, 96 SO. Gonzalez pitched 10 MLB seasons with a career 66-50, 4.16 ERA over 926.2 IP. 

Sweum is also a left-handed pitcher from Gonzaga. At 6’3 / 225, Sweum is two inches taller and 20 pounds stronger than Gonzales. Featuring a plus FB 92-96, he also throws 4-5 mph harder. Sweum’s current season totals of 7-1, 4.42 ERA with 71.1 IP, 60 Hits, 33 BB, 99 SO tell a story with much higher upside, albeit also opportunities to improve control. And, while he may not have Gonzales’ CH, he has good off-speed weapons with his SL (49% Miss %, 35% Chase %), CUT (46% Miss %, 39% Chase %), and CH (54% Miss %, 37% Chase %). Aside: he should throw the CH more; he only throws it 6% of the time and it’s been quite effective vs. RH hitters. There’s a lot to like with Sweum: I like the size, I like the stuff numbers, I like that he’s left-handed and I don’t really care about the ERA (shhhhhh). If his development continues, you are going to hear a lot about Sweum in the 2027 MLB Draft. 

Carry Tool: Fastball. Sweum has a good one and throws it 55% of the time. It plays against both right-handed and left-handed hitters, and Sweum has better numbers against right-handed hitters even though he rarely uses his CH – which speaks to the quality of his FB. It’s also important to note the progress that Sweum has made year-over-year, showing marked improvement in BB/9 IP (8.20 in 2025 vs 4.16 in 2026) and ERA (6.27 in 2025 vs 4.42 in 2026). And, lastly, 6’3 / 225 left-handed starting pitchers who can sit 92-96 aren’t falling out of trees. This is one to watch.  

Freshman of the Week: John Paone – University of Virginia 

I usually try to work in a reference to 80’s or 90’s pop culture in these articles, but I am struggling this week. I thought about some kind of John Paone – Ione Skye linkage, but it was a reach. If I am going to present random stuff tied to Paone, it’s probably better to focus on his background as a prep student at the prestigious Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts – founded in 1793! Not to be confused with Groton, Connecticut, which produced a pretty good prep RHP that went to a pretty good college and MLB career: Matt Harvey. The Lawrence Academy has many prestigious alumni, but all I really care about is baseball (hello, former #14 overall pick Tyler Beede) and music (hello, Phish keyboardist Page McConnell).  

Unless Paone plays the keyboards, Beede is probably the better comparison as a strong built (6’2 / 215) prep arm with good stuff. At 6’3 / 210 with a plus FB he can maintain late into games, Paone reminds me a lot of Beede. It’s power stuff and good stuff numbers, his 4.91 ERA belying 59 SO vs. 20 BB in 51.1 IP. It’s even more impressive that, as a freshman, he is getting this opportunity and producing this type of performance. It’s not hard to envision a big jump forward heading into next season, when Paone will be a draft-eligible sophomore in the 2027 MLB Draft. It will be Phun to watch his continued development.  

Carry Tool: Slider. Beede’s bread-and-butter was his Changeup, but Paone has had a lot of success with this Slider. It’s got over 10 mph separation from his FB and has produced good results this year with 35% Chase %, 35 % Miss %, and 47% Swing %. Although he has no clear lefty/righty splits in AVG and OPS, he has struck out a significantly higher % of right-handed hitters (38/120 = 31.7%) than left-handed hitters (21/90 = 23.3%). Scouts like Paone’s CH, too, so there is further potential with continued development. The stuff, build, and, performance, especially lately, are impressive – even if my puns and references are not. 

National Nuggets:

It’s been a tough year for LSU and it was another lost weekend (0-3) against Georgia in Athens, but none of it is or was Derek Curiel’s fault – aggressive side eye toward the pitching staff that allowed 36 runs – as he went 5/10 on the weekend with 3 BB vs. 3 SO … this snapshot is a microcosm of the season for both LSU and Curiel, who continues to hit and get on base, even he isn’t posting Landon Hairson-esque numbers (who is? I mean, besides Landon Hairston) … Curiel hit .345 AVG / .470 OBP / .519 SLG / .990 OPS as a freshman last season and has produced similar numbers as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2026 with .341 AVG / .420 OBP / .512 SLG / .932 OPS … however, a deeper dive inside the numbers reveals real progress for Curiel and points toward more upside in this bat … specifically, Curiel has made big progress against LHP (.237 AVG / .800 OPS in 2025 vs .339 AVG / .943 OPS in 2026), hitting on the Road (.253 AVG / .757 OPS in 2025 vs .403 AVG / 1.063 OPS in 2026), and performance on Friday nights (.297 AVG / .813 OPS in 2025 vs .346 AVG / .914 OPS in 2026) … why does this stuff matter? … Curiel is a 6’2 / 185 LHH outfielder so to see him improve vs LH pitching is a good sign he’s more than a platoon player … “The Box” at LSU is a hitter’s park with its humid, sea-level atmosphere, so to see Curiel have so much success on the road is also encouraging … and Friday nights, as most of you know, is when the best pitchers are on the mound, so seeing increased performance is another positive sign because those are the types of pitchers at the next level … and Curiel has always been able to crush the FB, with strong performances both years against 95+ mph velocity (.423 AVG / 1.038 OPS in 2025 vs .419 AVG / .952 OPS) … Curiel can just flat hit and has shown the ability to play CF this season … he reminds me of Rusty Greer, Mark Kotsay, and Christian Yelich, all LH bats who could flat hit – and made multiple All-Star teams. 
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College | Rankings | 5/13/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: May 13
Nick Herfordt
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The college baseball postseason has arrived for NCAA Division II, Division III, and the NAIA, bringing with it the most intense stretch of the season. Conference tournaments have wrapped up, national brackets are taking shape, and teams across the country are shifting from regular season positioning to survival mode, where one bad inning can abruptly end a year’s worth of work. The NAIA Opening Round is already underway, and some programs could begin packing for the national finals as early as tomorrow. Across all three divisions, the postseason field is loaded with experienced clubs, dominant pitching staffs, and lineups capable of changing a game with one swing. Now, the focus turns from building résumés to advancing through regional play and chasing national championships. These antepenultimate rankings provide a final snapshot of where the divisions stand entering...
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High School | General | 5/14/2026

CPBL Showcase Scout Notes

Troy Sutherland
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Logan Cummins (‘26 ON) Silky op with big arm speed and projection. Shaky FB command early, 91-93 T94. CH is present plus, weapon vs both LH & RH hitters at 83-84. Good arm side depth to it. SL has some length to the mostly lateral action @ 77. #KState commit.#CPBLShowcaseWknd pic.twitter.com/7TdJ2neOv6 — Perfect Game International (@pg_int1) May 8, 2026 Logan Cummins (‘26 ON) Very intriguing athletic upside here, came out early a bit juiced up leading to inconsistent fastball command but settled in and started dotting. Ran the fastball up to 94 with running life. Changeup is ahead of the rest of the arsenal  in terms of quality, and has a parachuting arm side dive that gets frequent swings over the top. Slider is tight with varying length at its best it does have an extra gear to garner a late count whiff. Should fit nicely at Kansas State if he decides to...
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High School | Rankings | 5/13/2026

High School Top 50 Update: May 13

Tyler Russo
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Another week has passed by in the high school baseball season and with that, we have another edition of the National High School Top 50 to bring to you. Playoffs are rolling in southern states and we have reached the final 4 in some of them already. Each week we have new teams break in and this week is no different with three new faces inside the top-50.   The top remains almost identical to a week ago with the top-10 remaining the exact same with Venice (FL) leading the way as the No. 1 team in the nation. North Paulding (GA) swept Buford in an Elite 8 matchup in Georgia and move up a pair of spots to No. 12 in the country. Another big mover is St. Laurence (IL) who jumps nine spots to No. 13 and boast a 30-1 record on the year. Waxahachie (TX) continues to move up and are up nine spots this week to No. 32.   The three new teams inside the National Top 50 are Etowah...
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College | Story | 5/12/2026

College Players of the Week: May 12

Vincent Cervino
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May 12th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech  It would be hard to come up with an award that Drew Burress, the 5-9/185 junior from Houston County, GA, hasn’t achieved throughout his All-American career for the Yellow Jackets.  From being named the Perfect Game Freshman of the Year in 2024, to being a semifinalist for the Dick Howser and Golden Spikes Award in 2025, it would be a challenge for a mere mortal to live up to the expectations.  Burress has done that and more as he etched his name in the record books last weekend when he tied Georgia Tech legend Jason Varitek’s record for career home runs.  Launching round-trippers in each of their 3-victories against ACC foe Duke, Burress brought his total to an incredible 57 over his three seasons in Atlanta.  For the weekend, he collected 6 hits in 12 at bats, scoring 6...
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College | Rankings | 5/11/2026

College Top 25: May 11

Vincent Cervino
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Well, in what seems like the blink of an eye, here we are in the last week of the NCAA College Baseball regular season.  It has been an incredible ride and there is still much riding on these last series of the year as teams grapple to improve their postseason resume.  It will be a short week with most every 3-game set starting on Thursday this week as conference tournaments get under way early next week.  While they were given their biggest scare of the season and did see their 25-game Big Ten winning streak come to an end, UCLA (46-5) will remain the No. 1 team in the nation.  They were pushed to the brink last weekend by now No. 11 Oregon (36-14), entering Sunday for their first rubber match of the year.  They did find themselves down 6-1 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning before they came storming back with 8-unanswered runs over the next three frames...
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Draft | Story | 5/8/2026

PG Draft Top 400: Biggest Risers

Tyler Henninger
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The draft cycle is officially in full swing. With the college season nearing postseason play and high school baseball underway across the country, the board is beginning to shift in a major way. Over the past month, a number of players have significantly altered their stock, whether by continuing dominant spring performances or showing improved tools that warrant a jump. That movement was evident throughout our latest Top-400 update, which featured several notable jumps across the board. Here’s a look at the biggest risers from the newest rankings update. Biggest Risers Overall  Huge day at the yard for James Tronstein (‘26, CA). 3-for-4 which included 2 HRs, one to dead center and the other to straight away right. Now up to 8 on the year. Has been a consistent @PG_Draft riser this spring and is getting hot at the right time. #PGHS @PG_Scouting pic.twitter.com/6grT1zZ9lg...
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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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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 | 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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