THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 12/7/2011

Sweet home Carolina

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Perfect Game
They become Catamounts and 49ers; Cougars, Panthers and Tigers; Chanticleers and Paladins, Wolfpack and Tar Heels. Some grow into Mountaineers, others Pirates. Some may even take flight as Gamecocks, Seahawks and Eagles.

The South Charlotte (N.C.) Panthers Baseball Club excels at a lot of levels, but what it seems most accomplished at is filling the classrooms and hallways – and the dugouts – at the top NCAA Division I universities and colleges in North Carolina and South Carolina with some of the best young baseball talent in the nation.

Former and current Panthers may become UNC-Charlotte 49ers or Western Carolina University Catamounts in the Tar Heel State. Others move on to wear the uniforms of the Clemson University Tigers or Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers in the Palmetto State. In other words, most will continue their educations and playing careers in the Carolinas.

It wasn’t something South Charlotte Panthers founder/owner Don Hutchins necessarily set out to do.

“If you can get them recruited in-state, obviously in-state tuition is a big factor,” Hutchins said in a recent telephone interview with Perfect Game. “We have a large number of D-I schools (in North Carolina) and, obviously, some very outstanding ones and a lot of others that are pretty doggone solid.

“When we started this, the North Carolina schools – including (the University of North) Carolina, North Carolina State and ECU (East Carolina University), their rosters were 20 percent North Carolina kids. They got most of their kids from out-of-state.”

Hutchins said the key was to get the Carolina players better exposure in front of the in-state college decision-makers.

“We’ve gained some credibility with the coaches out there and they know if (the players) pass the Panthers litmus test – academics and character – that puts them on a pretty high look-and-see from most of these schools,” he said.

Hutchins has also tried to stay away from pushing his prospects toward just one or two schools, and with 30 schools playing Division I baseball in the Carolinas – 18 in North Carolina and 12 in South Carolina – that’s not a difficult thing to do.

“I try to make sure we get exposed to as many different schools … as we can,” he said. “I don’t get anybody scholarships – the kids get them. We just hopefully coach them up a little bit and put them in the right places to be exposed, and Perfect Game events are some of the best places for that.”

Hutchins founded the South Charlotte Panthers Baseball Club in 1998 under the original name of the Pineville Panthers. The organization has stayed compact through the years, and will field its two standard teams in 2012: SCP 2013 Grads (17u) and SCP 2014 Grads (16u). A statement from Hutchins to potential players that appears on the club’s website is direct and to the point:

“Panther players are scheduled to attend multiple individual showcases and college showcase events in addition to team play,” it reads. “The rosters are made up of young men committed to setting and meeting individual and team goals in academics, personal life, sportsmanship, baseball skills and team results.”

One of only a handful of exceptions to the “stay in the Carolinas for college” rule this year is right-hander Ty Buttrey, a 6-5, 205-pound senior at Providence High School in Matthews. Buttrey is ranked No. 35 nationally overall (No. 1 in North Carolina and No. 12 nationally among right-handed pitchers) and has signed a letter-of-intent with Arkansas. Not a North Carolina Tar Heel or a South Carolina Gamecock, but an Arkansas Razorback.

Hutchins said Buttrey was intent on playing in the Southeastern Conference, and South Carolina didn’t initially show much interest. Neither did any of the other more eastern SEC schools.

“We kept going out and out (in the SEC) and we got as far as Arkansas before there was anybody that really saw it in him,” Hutchins said with a laugh. “He’s one of those prime examples of kids … that really develop a little bit later. Arkansas kind of took a shot at him.”

Buttrey has played in seven PG WWBA events with the South Charlotte Panthers since 2009, and has been at two Perfect Game showcases, including this year’s PG National Showcase. He also played in the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif., in early August, the only prospect from North Carolina to attend.

Hutchins doesn’t venture very far from his Charlotte base to find his players. This year’s 21-man SCP 16u roster featured 19 North Carolinians, with the other two spots filled by players from towns just over the South Carolina state line.

“We have a lot of outstanding talent in the greater Charlotte area, and when I say ‘greater’ I mean that I do expand some of my coverage up into the Winston-Salem area,” Hutchins said. “We found that as we put those guys out there in the competitive world in events like Perfect Game, they got a little bit of an awakening when they played some Georgia and Florida and Texas and California teams. But it also woke their eyes up and they realized that if they worked hard they could play competitively at that level.”

The South Charlotte Panthers organization entered six teams in five Perfect Games tournaments this year: two at the WWBA Underclass World Championship in Fort Myers, Fla., and one each at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., the WWBA 2012 Grads or 17u National Championship, the WWBA 2013 Grads or 16u National Championship and the Perfect Game-East Cobb Invitational, in Marietta, Ga.

Buttrey, who was on the roster at both the WWBA World Championship and the WWBA 17u National Championship, wasn’t the only SCP prospect who shined.

Kirk Morgan, a 2013 right-hander and middle-infielder who is a junior at Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte and has committed to East Carolina, made an impression at both the WWBA World Championship and WWBA Underclass World Championship.

At the World Championship, where the Panthers finished 3-1, Morgan hit .400 (4-for-10) with a double, two RBI and three runs scored. The Panthers won their first five games at the Underclass World before being eliminated by the East Cobb Braves in the quarterfinals and Morgan was even better. He hit .400 (6-for-15) with four RBI and two runs, and also pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings with one strikeout.

Right-hander Colby Barnette, a junior at Peidmont High School in Monroe, N.C., who has committed to UNC, joined Morgan as the only two Panthers that played in both the WWBA World and WWBA Underclass World.

The Panthers’ pitching staff at the WWBA World – all North Carolinians in the class of 2012 – was led by right-handers Buttrey, Jake Cochrane of Lincolnton, Brody Koerner of Concord, Mike Herbert of Charlotte and Trent Thornton of Charlotte. They were joined by lefties Brian Donovan of Waxhaw and Brad Stone of Charlotte.

Right-hander/third baseman Jackson Campana, a classmate of Buttrey’s at Providence High and a Clemson commit, was listed on the Panthers’ WWBA World Championship roster but didn’t play.

Donovan (Western Carolina), Koerner (Clemson), Stone (N.C. State) and Thornton (North Carolina) are among the pitchers on the Panthers’ WWBA World roster who have made D-I college commitments.

Other Panther 2012s who have made commitments include RHP/3B Payden Honeycutt (Navy); 1B/3B/OF Martin Koon (College of Charleston); SS J.D. Long (Western Carolina); C/OF/1B Andrew MacLatchie (Furman); C/RHP/1B/OF John Mangum (N.C. State); RHP/1B Wales Toney (Clemson); 3B/RHP/C Tyler Chadwick (Coastal Carolina); RHP/OF Cameron Tekker (Virginia); RHP/1B/3B Nathan Helvey (College of Charleston; Preston Tiller (Appalachian State); Jonathon Olczak (N.C. State) and 1B/3B/RHP Kyle Whitman (Clemson).

Class of 2013 LHP Alexander Bostic (Clemson), RHP/3B/C Jeremy Schellhorn (UNC-Charlotte) and LHP Jon Stires (UNC-Charlotte) join Morgan and Barnette with Division I commitments.

The South Charlotte Panthers 16u (2013) team enjoyed a lot of success in 2011. It finished with a 51-15-3 record, earned a No. 23 ranking in PG’s 16u Travel Team National Rankings, and finished in the final eight at the WWBA Underclass World Championship and the final 16 at the WWBA 2013 Grads or 16u National Championship.

That group also won the USA Baseball 16u Cup championship and finished third at the USA 16u Nationals. With a few key additions, it finished 3-1 at the 16u Perfect Game-East Cobb Invitational in June. The SCP 2012 team, largely the same group that went 3-1 at the WWBA World Championship, won the Dynamic “End of Summer” Tournament held at the University of South Carolina.

Hutchins entered a second team at the WWBA Underclass World he called the Show Case Panthers that was made up of top 2014 prospects, including catcher Ryder Ryan from Waxhaw, ranked No. 22 overall nationally in the class of 2014. The team went 4-1 and finished in the round of 16.

“The teams are getting better,” Hutchins said. “The kids are more developed and I’m pushing these guys pretty hard – don’t get complacent with success at the high school level because if they’re going to play in college they better be successful at that high of level.”

Hutchins is a successful Charlotte businessman who, as he says, isn’t “somebody who enjoys the beach or spending my money on a mountain house” and instead makes sure the South Charlotte Panthers organization is fully funded – by him.

“I really enjoy doing it … and as long as I can fund it and I get the right kind of kids in – I don’t allow anybody in that’s less than a 3.0 (GPA) because I found out sometimes there were character issues that I wasn’t going to deal with,” Hutchins said.

“We set some high standards and we’ve been lucky enough to put together some really, really good teams. We’ve kind of got a unique little model and we’ve had a lot of fun with it … and I enjoy getting out and finding the kids and I enjoy working with the kids and the families through the process.”

Give us your feedback
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...
Read More
High School | Rankings | 3/17/2026

High School Top 50 Update: March 17

Tyler Russo
Article Image
We have another update to the National Top-50 after two weeks of even more games being played in the southern states along with seasons just starting to kick off across the country. We’re quickly approaching another stellar high school event, the NHSI in Cary, and with that will come even more movement in these rankings. St. John Bosco (CA) continues to hold firm at the No. 1 position after a 4-0 start to their season. Venice (FL) has been rolling throughout the early portion of the year and jumps up to No. 2 in the country. One of the biggest movers in this update is The Bennett School (TX) jumping from unranked to No. 8 in the country after beating a handful of top ranked programs to start the year. Some other big movers inside the top-10 are Barbe (LA), who jumps from No. 18 to No. 5 in this update as well as Aledo (TX) who jumps from No. 20 to No. 9. The rest of the top-10...
Read More
College | Story | 3/17/2026

College Players of the Week: March 17

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
March 17th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-3) came into the season with the highest external expectations in decades based on the anticipation of their offensive potential. To this point they have not only met those lofty expectations, but twenty games in they may have exceeded them. While there are plenty of high-level prospects up and down the lineup, with all that star power Vahn Lackey has stood out. Sure to be one of the first catchers selected in this year’s MLB Draft with his comprehensive skillset, he projects well as an everyday backstop at the next level. However, his overall athleticism stands out as we saw this week when he had a game where he played every defensive position on the field except pitcher. At the plate over four games including a series victory at Clemson last week, he went 9 for 15, scoring...
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/16/2026

College Top 25: March 16

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Collegiate Player Report Database As each week of the college baseball season passes, we continue to be entertained at an incredible level with high level drama at every turn.  Conference play is under way and the national landscape is starting to make a bit more sense.  The development and strength of individual players is on full-display and there continue to be upsets on occasion that sends the message no team can relax for one moment.  For the most part, the Top 10 remains unchanged with some reshuffling as No. 1 UCLA (17-2) holds on to the top spot with yet another perfect (4-0) week after sweeping Michigan.  The No. 2 Texas Longhorns (18-1) did drop their first game of the season in Game 1 of SEC play but won the series against Ole Miss and finished the week with a (3-1) record.  The Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (17-3) passed their first real road test of the...
Read More
Draft | Story | 3/13/2026

PG Draft: Under the Radar Preps

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
PG Draft: Under the Radar Preps As the spring season gets underway, the showcase circuit and early high-level tournaments have already provided our scouts with some intriguing first looks at this year’s crop of prospects. At the same time, we’ve been tracking the buzz among team evaluators, listening closely to the names that keep coming up in conversations and the players clubs are making sure they get eyes on this spring. Every year, a handful of prospects quietly slip beneath the radar during the fall and winter months, only to reemerge once the games start counting again. Sometimes it’s the result of a productive offseason in the weight room, a noticeable jump in velocity, or a step forward in skill development. Other times, it’s simply a player finally getting the opportunity and the stage to show what’s been building behind the scenes. The spring has a...
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/11/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 11

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Allendale Doesn't Rhyme With Knoxville or Danville. The Baseball Does. Meet the Three Coaches Turning Small College Programs Into National Contenders. There's something happening in small college baseball right now that doesn't get nearly enough attention. Three programs — separated by hundreds of miles and spread across three different governing bodies — are in the middle of the kind of rebuilds that make you wonder why anyone ever counted them out in the first place. One is in a Michigan lakeside college town. Two are in places that end in 'ville. All three have coaches who looked at a program and saw something nobody else did. The Perfect Game small school rankings noticed. You should too. See where Grand Valley State, Johnson U, Centre and the rest of the schools are positioned in the latest Perfect Game Top 25 Small School Rankings. NCAA DII For a generation of DII...
Read More
High School | General | 3/12/2026

High School Notebook: March 12

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
Trey Rangel (‘26 TX) with some early morning fuzz. Goes 3.2 IP on 7ks. Fastball 92-96 T97 (2508 RPM) late life ASR. Curve 79-83 (2900 RPM) sharp 10-4 shape; power curve. Cutter low-90s. Change flashed at 89 (1405 RPM); kick change. Elite arm talent. #PGHS @PG_Draft #HookEm… pic.twitter.com/Xn3WaTJoVH — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) February 19, 2026 Trey Rangel (2026, The Colony, Texas) worked through 3.2 quality innings while striking out 7 batters for his opening season look here. Fastball opened up 93-96 with heavy arm side run out the gate. He would proceed to settle into the mid-90s range beyond his first inning of work while topping out at 97 once in the second and then closed out his final inning of work with a strikeout swinging on 96. Velo range varied throughout his outing and command came and went but was still dominant for the most part. He forced a ton of...
Read More
College | Story | 3/10/2026

College Players of the Week: March 10

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
March 10 Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Lorenzo Carrier, OF, Pitt  The Pitt Panthers (12-2) are off to one of the best starts in recent program history and their offense has performed as one of the best in the country.  For the season, they are averaging almost 12-runs per game and on their recent trip to the West Coast, Lorenzo Carrier went on the kind of hot streak that is hard to comprehend.  The 6-5/215 senior from Bear, DE was a one-man wrecking crew in their 4-wins last week, starting with the fact that he reached base safely in 17 of his 19 trips to the plate.  He collected 13 hits in 14 official at-bats, scoring 10 runs, with 4 walks, 2 triples, 4 home runs and he drove in an insane 19-runs.  Carrier has refined his approach, simplified his bat path and is creating massive power that has him putting up career numbers.  For the season, he is...
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/9/2026

College Top 25: March 9

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Collegiate Player Report Database While there will not be any new faces in this weeks Top 25, there is quite a bit of shakeup as the season, somehow, becomes even more unpredictable.  There were several teams in the poll that dropped weekend series and, in some cases, registered losing records in the last seven days.  There is sure to be more chaos this week as virtually every conference starts league play and the race for regular season titles begins.  The UCLA Bruins (13-2) remain No. 1 as their sizzling hot bats led the way to a perfect (4-0) week and they swept their first Big Ten series of the year.  As one of only two remaining undefeated teams in the nation, the Texas Longhorns (15-0) jump to No. 2 before they open SEC play this weekend in Austin.  No. 3 Georgia Tech and No. 4 Mississippi State both (14-2) hold their spots in the poll after both dropped a...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 3/7/2026

Debut: Contreras YouTube Feature

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME DEBUTS NEW YOUTUBE FEATURE FOLLOWING JOSEPH CONTRERAS ON HISTORIC DAY BEFORE WBC   Behind-the-scenes access captures the youngest player in the World Baseball Classic preparing for the global stage   Sanford, Florida (Friday, March 6, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the debut of a new original YouTube feature spotlighting right-handed pitcher Joseph Contreras, as PG cameras followed him throughout the day of his final high school start before departing to join Team Brazil in the World Baseball Classic.   The feature provides exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to one...
Read More
Softball | Softball Tournament | 3/4/2026

Perfect Game Softball March Madness

Ashley Mears
Article Image
2026 Perfect Game March Madness February 27-March 1st Ashley Mears What a weekend at the Fun City Dome in Burlington, Iowa! The energy was electric from first pitch to final out towering home runs, edge-of-your-seat battles, dramatic comebacks, and extra-inning thrillers with some unpredictable endings, it was a great weekend all around. The Top Performers list welcomed some exciting new names, while seasoned seniors continued to cement their legacies, delivering standout performances week after week. For some, this may have been their final appearance on a Perfect Game stage, and they made sure it was unforgettable. In the 18u division a tough Nebraska Gold 319 Berning team outlasted the Southeast Iowa All Stars in the championship. In 16u the Top Gun 2028- Strange completed their weekend by beating the Iowa Aries 16U CE Fire Black. 18U The weekend’s Most Valuable Player award...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.