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College  | Story | 1/23/2012

The Road to Omaha begins ...

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In the history of college baseball, only the University of Southern California has won more than two-straight national titles. Amazingly, the Trojans have strung together five-consecutive national titles, stretching from 1970-74.

South Carolina certainly has a ways to go to accomplish the feat of winning five-straight titles, but has an opportunity this spring to become just the second program to win three-straight national titles.

For many teams that win a national title, the following campaign typically is filled with some uncertainty and perhaps not as much fire in the clubhouse. The Gamecocks were the opposite of that last season, and that attitude isn’t expected to change in 2012.

Last season, the Gamecocks stormed their way through SEC play before arriving at the College World Series and dazzling observers with their fantastic plays in the field, clutch hitting, and of course, clutch pitching from characters such as left-hander pitcher Michael Roth and right-hander Matt Price.

This season, the Gamecocks are very much back in the mix for the national title. Roth and Price are back, as are several key puzzle pieces from last year’s club.

Though many eyes this spring will be on the defending champions, the runner-up from last season – Florida – has extra motivation and an exceptionally talented club with the starting rotation of Hudson Randall, Karsten Whitson and Brian Johnson leading a mountain of returning contributors.

Several other CWS teams from last season are expected to continue their successful ways this season. The list includes Texas A&M, North Carolina, Texas, Vanderbilt and Virginia, all teams with a chance to return to Omaha with a little luck.

As everyone from California to Massachusetts debates which teams they believe end the 2012 college baseball season in Omaha, we in turn will provide college baseball fans with optimal coverage leading up to Opening Day, beginning with our comprehensive PG College Baseball preview.

The preview series, which runs from Wednesday, January 25, through Thursday, February 16, encompasses many parts and contributors.

From a rankings standpoint, we’ll kick things off later this week with our positional power rankings, while the PG Top 100 team capsules will be unveiled as our college baseball preview progresses.

In addition to conference previews for every conference/league and the Independents, which will include top prospect lists for each, we’ll also have an unprecedented look at how this year’s college baseball players factor into the equation as prospects with overall prospect lists and reports, and lists and reports dissected by classification.

Kendall Rogers, Allan Simpson and David Rawnsley will produce PG College Baseball preview content.

Step up to the plate with a College Baseball Ticket subscription (which will be required for many of these features) as we take you inside the 2012 season like no one else.


2012 COLLEGE BASEBALL PREVIEW SCHEDULE

Subscription package legend:

I - Insider

P - Premium

C - College Baseball Ticket


Wednesday, Jan. 25: JUCO Top 50 team capsules | JUCO Top 50 team reports (I)

Thursday, Jan. 26: Preseason player power rankings | Mike Zunino (Florida) scouting profile (C/I) | JUCO Top 200 prospects (1-100) (P)

Friday, Jan. 27: Division I Preseason All-America Teams | JUCO Top 200 prospects (101-200) (P)

Monday, Jan. 30: SEC preview (C/I) | Sun Belt preview | Michael Wacha (Texas A&M) scouting profile (C/I)| NAIA Top 10/Top 50 prospects | Division II Top 10/Top 50 prospects

Tuesday, Jan. 31: ACC preview (C/I) | Atlantic Sun preview C/I) | Feature on Florida's Mike Zunino

Wednesday, Feb. 1: SoCon preview (C/I) | Conference USA preview (C/I) | Stephen Piscotty (Stanford) scouting profile (C/I) | Division III preview

Thursday, Feb. 2: Big South preview | Colonial preview | Feature on Duke's Marcus Stroman

Friday, Feb. 3: Big East preview (C/I) | America East preview (C/I) | Chris Beck (Georgia Southern) scouting profile (C/I)

Monday, Feb. 6: Ivy League preview (C/I) | Top 100 teams capsules (81-100) (partially C)

Tuesday, Feb. 7: Big 12 preview (C/I) | SLC preview (C/I) | Marcus Stroman (Duke) scouting profile (C/I) | Feature on Texas A&M's Michael Wacha | Top 100 teams capsules (61-80) (partially C)

Wednesday, Feb. 8: Missouri Valley preview (C/I) | Top 100 teams capsules (41-60) (C)

Thursday, Feb. 9: Pac-12 preview (C/I) | WCC preview (C/I) | Brian Johnson (Florida) scouting profile (C/I) | Feature on Stanford's Mark Appel | Top 100 teams capsules (21-40)  (Particially C)

Friday, Feb. 10: Mountain West preview (C/I) | Preseason Chat Transcript

Saturday, Feb. 11: Big West preview (C/I) | Top 100 team capsules (1-20) (partially C)

Monday, Feb. 13: WAC preview (C/I) | Great West preview (C/I) | Kenny Diekroeger (Stanford) scouting profile (C/I) | Top 100 senior prospects (P)

Tuesday, Feb. 14: Big Ten preview (C/I) | Horizon preview (C/I) | Patriot preview (C/I) | NEC preview (C/I) | SWAC preview (C/I) | Top 100 junior prospects (P)

Wednesday, Feb. 15: Ohio Valley preview (C/I) | MAC preview (C/I) | Atlantic 10 preview (C/I) | MAAC preview (C/I) | Kyle Zimmer (San Francisco) scouting profile (C/I) | Top 100 sophomore prospects (P)

Thursday, Feb. 16: Independents preview (C/I) | MEAC preview (C/I) | Summit preview (C/I) | Top 100 freshman prospects (P)

Friday, Feb. 17: Richie Shaffer (Clemson) scouting profile



Kendall Rogers is the college baseball managing editor for Perfect Game USA and can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org


College | Story | 7/10/2026

Cape Cod Notebook No. 1

Perfect Game Staff
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Cape Cod League Scouting Notebook  Maverick Rizy | Ole Miss | RHP | Brewster Whitecaps  The towering 6-foot-9, 250-pound right-hander continues to stand out with one of the more unique looks on the Cape, pairing a massive frame with a low three-quarter slot that creates difficult angles for hitters. While his fastball velocity was down from its typical mid-90s range during this look, working mostly 90-92 mph, it still generated plenty of swing-and-miss. He paired the heater with an 81-83 mph gyro slider featuring tight bullet-spin action and mixed in an 85-mph changeup with quality separation. Rizy battled his command early in the outing I saw, before settling in to strike out five over three innings, showing the ability to adjust as the game progressed. Through 12.2 Cape League innings, he has recorded 18 strikeouts, and his combination of size, deception, and projectability...
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14u BCS Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Austin Way (2030, Yulee, FL) was 2-3 in game four, driving in a run and scoring once himself. Picked it well defensively at shortstop but really showed out in the box today. Works the barrel path to the middle of the field and whips the barrel through the zone. The RHH creates lift in the turn, and the ball jumps off the bat hot.  Sutton Walling (2029, Ponte Vedra, FL) is an athletic 5’11/160lb infielder who gets it done on both sides of the ball. Dominated at the plate right behind his teammate Way in the batting order going 3-3 with two doubles. He does a really good job with the barrel accuracy and works through contact with heavy hands. Lots of project-ability in the profile and is having a sneaky great week at the plate. Banks Kennedy (2030, Arcadia, FL) received it well behind the dish and was the leading force in this one driving in three rbis. He ended up going 2-3...
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2026 MLB Draft: Best Available

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft: Best Available for Day Two  A total of 135 players heard their name called on Saturday. As always, signability, bonus pool strategy, and organizational preferences play a major role in how the board unfolds. With that being said, we saw a majority of the top half off the board get selected, but there are a number of players ranked inside our Top 150 that remain available. From high-upside prep talent to polished college performers, these are the top names still available according to our Final Top 500 Draft Board.  Top Prep Bats Available (with Top-500 Board Rankings) 38. Archer Horn, SS/RHP, St. Ignatius College Prep (CA) 58. Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic (CA) 64. James Tronstein, SS/OF, Harvard-Westlake (CA) 66. Noah Wilson, OF, McCallie School (TN) 71. Cole Koeninger, SS/RHP, Keller (TX) 77. Sean Dunlap, C, Crown Point (IN) 82. Alex Weingartner, OF//RHP,...
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Another week, another big tournament makes its way to Hoover.  This week, 104 of the nation’s top 17U teams will make their way to Hoover for the 2026 Perfect Game 17U National Elite Championship.  Featuring nationally ranked teams, Division I commits, and many of the country’s top 2027 players, the tournament promises another week of elite competition as teams battle for one of the biggest championships of the summer.  With many players already committed to some of the nation’s top college programs, every game in Hoover this week offers a glimpse into the future of college baseball.  Now entering its eighth year, the National Elite Championship continues to bring in the nation’s best. Past champions include Team Elite Scout Team, Canes National, USA Prime National, Scorpions/Giants Scout Team, 5 Star Performance National, Knights Knation Scout...
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2026 MLB Draft: Day One Recap

Tyler Henninger
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Storylines Heavy College Run Early We came into the day knowing that there were a lot of talented college players at the top of the board, more specifically college bats. That came to light very early in the day, as we saw just two prep players selected within the first ten picks. The college preference lasted throughout most of the entire first round. Nearly 75% of the first 40 selections were college players. It is clear teams want players at the top of the draft that can quickly get through the system and help the big league club as soon as possible. Underslot Strategy Throughout this cycle, we knew that once you get past the first handful of picks the difference in value you were getting for let say pick ten was not that difference compared to pick 30. Because there was a large collection of players that are relatively close in value, teams were looking to get creative. We saw this...
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It's draft day and that means it's time for our final Mock Draft with the 2026 group. 1. Chicago White Sox | Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA It’s between Roch and Grady Emerson at this pick, though there have been heavy rumors of a very late deal potentially with another top 5 pick. This boils down to negotiations and we think that they will get there.  2. Tampa Bay Rays | Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian (Tex.) If Grady isn’t the first pick then he is almost certain to be the second pick. The Rays like to get creative but Emerson is a well worth prospect in his own right.  3.  Minnesota Twins | Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech This is likely the floor for Roch Cholowsky, though the Twins might prefer Lackey to Roch outright. They are thought to be in on the top college players with Emerson a distant third.  4. San Francisco Giants | Jackson Flora, RHP, UC...
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Ohio Valley Regional Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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‘28 INF Christian Ramirez (OH) WALKS IT OFF for @CincyDBulls2028 to win the chip! Has shown impressive tools throughout the weekend and in this AB showed the ability to adjust to the offspeed and win the game. #OVElite pic.twitter.com/J3MXJXFnbM — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) July 5, 2026 Christian Ramirez (2028, Mason, Ohio) helped his team win the championship batting out of the two-hole. Though he didn’t win tournament MVP, Ramirez was my favorite player to watch take a plate appearance. He has an advanced feel for the zone and sees the ball out of the pitcher’s hand quicker than most. Ramirez led the tournament with eight walks, batting .375 with a .583 on-base percentage. Much more than just the approach, the swing is efficient with little wasted movement, creates quality separation, and puts him in an excellent position at contact. With such an...
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Perfect Game Staff
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16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 ‘28 C Nico Ayars (FL) coming off a monster game yesterday & comes up with the biggest swing of this one. A triple right down the LF line to drive in two. Came into today hitting .833 this week. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @Florida_PG pic.twitter.com/Hvb7UvtkNi — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 8, 2026 Nico Ayars (2028, Fort Myers, Fla.) has just been on the barrel throughout the week so far, collecting six hits across the first four games of the tournament. That didn’t slow down on day three at Mt. Zion High School as he came up with the biggest swing of the day, hitting a triple down the left field line to drive in a pair. It’s been a standout week so far for Ayars and he’ll be a driving force behind the run through the tourney for CBU 2028 Scout Team Lawson. Rylan Jenkins (2028, Tennille, Ga.) put...
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Perfect Game Staff
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Tre Hallberg (‘27, AZ) hammers this out to deep LCF for a 2-run 💣. Continues to stand out at the plate. Power will only continue to develop #WWBAWest @PG_Uncommitted https://t.co/NlWlDygpwg pic.twitter.com/RHrgYXLmwm — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) July 10, 2026 Tre Hallberg (2027, Mesa, Ariz.) was nearly impossible to get out over the first two days of action, going 7-for-9 with a triple and a home run. A balanced right-handed swing stays compact to contact. There is quick hand speed through the zone with feel for the barrel. Hallberg has a strong feel to hit to go with power that continues to develop. The upside is apparent.  William Garcia Falmer (2027, El Dorado Hills, Calif.) collected a pair of mulit-hit games over the course of day one and two, going 5-for-7 with two doubles, a homer, and seven runs driven in. Garcia Falmer features a physical build...
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Windy City Invite & Open Scout Notes: Part 2

Perfect Game Staff
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Windy City Invite & Open Scout Notes: Part 1 Braedon Paczocha (2028, Palmyra, Wis.), a 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame catcher for GRB STiKS 16U Black, displayed a quick bat with the ability to do damage. Showed a good feel for the barrel throughout the weekend, hitting .538 (7-for-13) with 3 doubles, 8 RBI, 2 stolen bases, and a 1.376 OPS. Also received well behind the plate with quick, efficient transfers and displayed good instincts.    ’28 1B Brock Hamilton (IL) displays some present strength, driving this ball deep into the LCF gap to leg out a triple. Creates loud contact off the bat and does damage here. #WCInvite @WhitesoxAce pic.twitter.com/6EK81gG9Wi — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) July 5, 2026 Brock Hamilton (2028, Flossmoor, Ill.), one of the top first basemen in Illinois, brings a physical 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame with plenty of present strength...
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