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Tournaments  | Championship | 6/23/2026

ATL Lightning Go Undefeated, Claim Title

Will Dembo
Following a riveting weekend of baseball with over 40 teams represented in the 16u field of the Southeast Select Championship, two nationally ranked squads met in the championship as ATL Lightning 16u Gold put on a dominating performance to take home their first trophy of the summer and complete the tournament undefeated, overcoming eXposure 16u National 11-5.

“Lot of compete,” ATL Lightning coach Jamie Palmer said on the successful weekend. “We got some guys that work really hard, get tired. I mean, these tournaments are so short, eight games in four days, they're tired, but they just kept competing and finding a way to get runs across and make plays when they needed to.



In the first inning, Cannon Mayes got the starting nod for eXposure and held ATL Lightning to a scoreless frame with a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play ball to send it to the home half of the opening inning. ATL’s starter, Oliver Spalding, manufactured many swings and misses due to deceiving off-speed, and was able to match his opponent’s performance in the first by keeping the game in a scoreless tie heading into the second inning.

Mayes struggled with command in his second inning of work, walking back-to-back batters to set up a prime opportunity to plate the first runs of the championship contest. Graham Reker, Lightning’s second baseman, took advantage of the ducks on the pond and delivered with a double in the right center gap to make it 1-0 with two runners still on base. Mayes traded an out for a run on the following batter with an RBI groundout from shortstop Ryan Dunham and eXposure was finally able to get out of the inning after forcing a flyout on the next pitch.

“I mean, it felt great,” Reker said after getting the scoring started with the go-ahead double. “It's always good to get that double with two outs, get the first runs of the championship game.”

eXposure came up to bat in the second inning looking to erase their deficit while trailing by multiple runs for just the second time all tournament and had a prime opportunity to claim the lead right back. A balk from Spalding followed by a walk loaded the bases with just one out, but Spalding was able to induce two flyouts to escape the jam unscathed and keep his team ahead by 2 runs.

Lightning center fielder, Graham Bean led off the third with a triple to the wall, and bases became loaded once again after back-to-back hitters reached with a hit-by-pitch and a 4-pitch walk. Mayes was able to record two outs without allowing a run due to groundouts that resulted in force outs at the plate, but another passed ball allowed the third run to score with ease. Mayes’ struggles continued in great form with yet another 4-pitch walk being drawn to load up the bases again and another hit-by-pitch to make the ballgame 4-0. Fellow southpaw, Wyatt Jones, entered the game in relief by swapping with Mayes who moved to center field, and was able to get his team out of the inning with help from Mayes who made a terrific catch in center field on a deep flyout.

eXposure had a runner just 90 feet away from scoring after shortstop, Tallen VanOrtwick hammered a one-out triple, but Spalding continued his dominance on the mound by stranding the runner and keeping his opponents at 0 runs.

The bottom of ATL’s order created chaos in the field for eXpsoure, reaching base safely with a single, then error, then a beautiful bunt down the line to make the bases full yet again with just one out. Another walk plated the fifth run for the Lightning, but Jones held the damage to just a singular run to keep his team in a manageable hole.

eXposure was able to inch closer in the fifth inning by holding ATL to a scoreless inning for the first time since the opening frame, and then a RBI double from Coleman Smith produced the first run of the game for the home team. The solo run was all the offense could score though, and they trailed 5-1 with just two innings remaining.

ATL was able to get the run right back, as a double from third baseman Anson Nguyen drove in two baserunners and extended his team’s lead to 7-1. Two more hard-hit balls from Mason Kennerly and Charlie Jones fell just beyond the outstretched arms of the Lightning outfielders to score another four runs, and Reker delivered with another hit to drive in yet another run and put ATL in a double digit run deficit before moving to the home half of the 6th inning.

Spalding’s outing came to an end after the fifth inning and finished the day with 5.0 innings pitched while allowing just 1 run on 5 hits and striking out 6 opponents.

“Spalding did a great job of keeping the team that I think can hit really well off-balance today,” said Coach Palmer.

“Just letting the defense work today, it was good to know my defense was behind me,” said Spalding on the team helping his performance.

Right-handed pitcher, Wyatt Garfinkle, entered the game for Spalding and allowed a pair of runs before being replaced by Tyler Wells with no outs. Wells did his job on the mound and kept the score at 11-4 with just one inning to play.

In the 7th, eXposure tallied another run with an opposite field home run from Smith, but Wells was able to settle down and close out the game to secure an undefeated weekend with a 11-5 victory in the championship.

With the 16u WWBA championships just around the corner, a great showing at the PG Southeast Select Championship this weekend for teams such as ATL Lightning and eXposure may have given them the experiences needed to make a deep run as the summer progresses.
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Tournaments | Story | 8/26/2026

Underclass Area Codes: Standout Arms
Joey Cohen
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Year in and year out when the best young talent from across the country is packed into one national-level event the arms tend to win the week. That feels especially true in today’s amateur game where velocity, pitch design and high-level training in general are being introduced earlier than ever, allowing young pitchers to develop impactful stuff at a faster rate than younger hitters can consistently catch up to it. The Underclass Area Code Games are no exception and this year there was no shortage of arms that made you stop and take notice. Narrowing it down to 10 was difficult, but I focused on the pitchers who either displayed starter-type traits, brought something genuinely different from a delivery standpoint whether it was slot, height, crossfire or deception or simply possessed an outlier element of stuff that separated them from the pack. These are the 10 arms that stood...
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Draft | Rankings | 8/28/2026

2027 MLB Draft Board

Tyler Henninger
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The 2026 MLB Draft is official in the books as those players have been signed and have begun their pro career. That means it is time to turn the page and dive into the 2027 class. This class features an intriguing mix of arms both from the prep and college ranks, along with an enticing position player pool. Today, we unveil our first 2027 MLB Draft Board, ranking the Top-100 prospects in the class. There is still plenty of time for new names to emerge and established ones to rise or fall, but here is where things stand as we begin this cycle.  Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment 1 Dylan Seward H SS S-R Norco Eastvale CA Tennessee 2 Brendan Lawson C SS L-R Florida Toronto ON 3 Dax Whitney C RHP R-R Oregon State Blackfoot ID 4 Gavin Kelly C C/UTL R-R West Virginia Presto PA 5 Tomas Valincius C LHP L-L Mississippi State Lockport IL 6 Malachi Butler H SS L-R...
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Draft | Story | 8/23/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL East

Tyler Henninger
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With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL East Atlanta Braves  Grade: 55 Risk: High Notable Selections: OF AJ Gracia (1st rd) | OF Carter Beck (PPI) | RHP Kaiden McCarthy (2nd rd) | RHP Jensen Hirschkorn (3rd rd)   OF AJ Gracia (@UVABaseball) is seeing the ball really well & picked up a couple of hits, including a 2B into RCF. Smooth LH stroke & easy impact. Showed + pwr in BP, 46 BB: 36 K. Jr./'26 elig. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/C4rSc0ZNIc — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 30, 2026 Atlanta had $15,870,800 to spend in this year’s draft,...
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Draft | Story | 8/22/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL East

Tyler Henninger
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With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. AL East Baltimore Orioles Grade: 50 Risk: High Notable Selections: OF Eric Booth Jr. (1st rd) | OF Ty Head (2nd rd) | OF Kevin Roberts Jr (4th rd)  Eric Booth Jr. (26 MS) goes big fly 💣 that carried out oppo. Explosive athlete w/ huge LH juice & tools. Big time in several facets. #NatElite #Vandy commit. @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/kXl7ZVyD9G — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 12, 2025 Baltimore was about middle of the pack in terms of money available this year, having $13.1m to spend on their class. Booth Jr. is a...
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Draft | Story | 8/24/2026

Area Code Gams: Prospect Recap

Steve Fiorindo
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Pitchers George Ferguson, RHP, Abilene HS  Ferguson toed the slab for the Rangers squad in game one of the Codes, setting the tone early with some loud stuff.  Ferguson attacked hitters with a verty fastball up to 96 that played well up in the zone with up to 24 inches of induced vertical break.  He showed more than just a power arsenal, going to the changeup often, using the pitch to put away hitters.  Kills the spin to the 1600’s, regularly getting 13-15 inches of horizontal break.  The slider rounded out the arsenal, working 82/83.  Struck out four over his three innings of work, two on the fastball, two on the change.  2026 PG All American committed to Texas.  Quinn Fitzpatrick, RHP, Stratford HS  Another 2026 PG All American out of Texas, the LSU commit punched out three over his two innings of work, allowing just one hit. ...
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Draft | Story | 8/21/2026

2027 Draft Preview: Collegiate RHP

Ryan Miller
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2027 MLB Draft Profile Preview: College Right-Handed Pitchers  Throughout the 2027 draft cycle, I’ll be breaking down different demographics in the class. Today we begin with collegiate right-handed pitching, a strong group that is headlined by a legitimate 1-1 candidate in Dax Whitney. Most of the group is made up of high-quality power four arms, with a handful of mid-major arms mixed in. Below are the top college right-handers in the 2027 class:  Dax Whitney (@BeaverBaseball) showed LOUD stuff. FB up to 100, cruised at 95-98. Pair of plus secondaries. CB at 77-79 (2923) with sharp, 12-6 action. Firm SL at 89-91 (2714) with bite. Flashed fading CH at 87-88 (1425). Ranked No. 1 on the ‘27 board @PG_Draft So./‘27 elig. pic.twitter.com/9PNbjJ53Zo — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 13, 2026 Dax Whitney, Oregon State  Whitney has maintained...
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All American Game | Story | 8/21/2026

Brotherly Love Inspires Carter Hadnot

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – Perfect Game has been a big part of Carter Hadnot’s life since he was 12. He participated in more than a dozen tournaments and showcases, including prestigious Select Festivals as a 13U and 14U player, as well as last summer’s PG All-Star Game for underclassmen in San Diego.   The PG event that Hadnot always wanted to be part of was the DICK’s All-American Classic. Now, that’s on his resume, too. He played in the 24th annual Classic earlier this week at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. “This means a lot to me,” he said during the event. “I always wanted to make it to Select Fest when I was younger. So, every time I get invited to an event it’s an honor and it’s fun. I don’t take it for granted. “This is definitely the one I always wanted to make it to. A lot of big names have...
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Press Release | Press Release | 8/18/2026

Perfect Game & Delano Partner Up

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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME NAMES DELANO BAT COMPANY OFFICIAL WOOD COMPOSITE BAT PARTNER, LAUNCHES LIMITED-EDITION BAT SERIES   Delano Bats will serve as the Official Game Bat of the 13U Select Festival, taking place this coming weekend in East Cobb, Georgia   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, August 18, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with Delano Bat Company, LLC, naming the company an Official Wood Composite Bat Partner of Perfect Game. The partnership will feature three exclusive limited-edition bat releases, which began with the Original Glory American Flag Bat in celebration of the United States' 250th birthday, that...
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Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL Central

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL West | AL Central With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL Central Chicago Cubs  Grade: 40 Risk: Medium Notable Selections: RHP Cade Townsend (1st rd) | OF Caden Sorrell (2nd rd) | 1B Myles Bailey (2C)   RHP Cade Townsend (@OleMissBSB) sat 95-96 T97 w/ riding FB from fast arm. Nasty cutter at 88-91 is the go-to, showed biting 2 pln SL. Low-80s top to bottom CB & CH ~ 1300 RPM to round out mix. Has had a great spring & risen up boards. Soph./'26 elig. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/TAFbM37f5j — PG College...
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Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL Central

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL West With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. AL Central Cleveland Guardians  Grade: 45 Risk: Moderate  Notable Selections: RHP Liam Peterson (1st rd) | Tre Broussard OF (3rd rd) | RHP Savion Sims (7th rd)  Liam Peterson (@GatorsBB) has been pure power stuff through the first 3.0 IP in his start vs Bama…imposing his will on hitters with a fastball that has grabbed 100 mph a few times, backed up by his power slider and curveball @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/RVThNrdMTn — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 21,...
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