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College  | Story | 5/31/2012

Preview: Chapel Hill/Tucson

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NOTE: Regional previews are paired up in twos by Super Regional pairing.


CHAPEL HILL REGIONAL


THE TEAMS
1. North Carolina (44-14) -- Atlantic Coast Conference
2. East Carolina (35-22-1) -- Conference USA
3. St. John's (37-21) -- Big East Conference
4. Cornell (31-15-1) -- Ivy League


The favorite: North Carolina
Top pitcher: LHP Kent Emanuel, North Carolina
Top hitter: 3B Colin Moran, North Carolina
Top prospect, 2012 draft: RHP Kyle Hansen, St. John's


The Tar Heels have been one of the nation's perennial powers for years, but somehow they've flown a little under the radar this spring. This is a very balanced club despite some offensive numbers that won't impress observers too much. UNC is hitting .279 as a team with third baseman Colin Moran, who's finally back from injury, leading the way with a .362 average, three homers and 34 RBIs. Meanwhile, Chaz Frank is hitting .303 with 37 RBIs. Also keep an eye on veteran catcher Jacob Stallings, who's hitting .299 with four homers and 38 RBIs, while Tommy Coyle has potential despite hitting .246 with four homers and 28 RBIs ... Pitching-wise, this Tar Heels staff has been fantastic all-spring long. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel has continued where he left off as a freshman last season, sitting 8-4 with a 2.03 ERA in 102 innings. Meanwhile, Benton Moss has a 1.97 ERA in 73 innings and Hobbs Johnson has a 1.37 ERA in 52 2/3 innings of work. Bullpen-wise, the Tar Heels have one of the best in the business in right-hander Michael Morin, who has a 0.83 ERA with 17 saves in 54 1/3 innings of work. Meanwhile, R.C. Orlan, Chris McCue, Shane Taylor and Tate Parrish have been terrific.

East Carolina's inclusion to the NCAA postseason field was certainly up for debate, but it's now official and it's time to see what the Pirates have in their tank this weekend. ECU enters the weekend with a .293 batting average, as John Wooten leads the way, hitting .341 with eight homers and 38 RBIs. Meanwhile, Drew Reynolds is hitting .328 with two homers and 22 RBIs and third baseman Corey Thompson is hitting .319 with four homers and 38 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Zach Wright, who has smacked five homers and knocked in 38 runs ... Pitching-wise, the Pirates have some solid arms to keep an eye on. For instance, veteran starting pitcher Kevin Brandt is having a terrific year and has a 1.85 ERA in 102 innings of work. Meanwhile, Jeff Hoffman has a 3.37 ERA in 69 1/3 innings. It's important to keep close tabs on relievers such as Andy Smithmyer (1.54), Tanner Merritt (2.91) and Drew Reynolds (3.33). ECU has underachieved for much of the season. Could it have a huge weekend in store?

The Johnnies could be a very dangerous team to watch this season. They entered the season with high hopes, but really didn't play a consistent brand of baseball until down the stretch. Now they hope to make a big-time statement this weekend in North Carolina. St. John's has the tools to get the job done, hitting .284 entering the weekend with shortstop Matt Wessinger leading the way, hitting .348 with six homers and 45 RBIs. Also keep an eye on outfielder Jeremy Baltz, who's hitting .342 with seven homers and 49 RBIs. Additionally, third baseman Sean O'Hare is one to watch, hitting .333 with three homers and 40 RBIs ... Pitching-wise, a big change for the Johnnies down the stretch has been more consistently good starts from hard-throwing right-handed pitchers Kyle Hansen and Matt Carasiti. Hansen has a 3.44 ERA in 86 1/3 innings of work, while Carasiti has a 3.79 ERA in 78 1/3 innings. Also keep an eye on the Johnnies' most consistent starting pitcher, Sean Hagan, who has a 2.58 ERA in 94 1/3 innings. Bullpen-wise, Stephen Rivera (1.84) is having a terrific year.

The Big Red hopes to make a big splash this weekend, but they'll need a few things to go their way to make a statement. The Big Red enters the weekend hitting .283 with Brian Billigen leading the way, hitting an impressive .362 with five homers and 38 RBIs. He also has a very solid .446 on-base percentage. Also keep an eye on Frank Hanger, who's hitting .305 with three homers and 20 RBIs. Otherwise, the Big Red will need several hitters to rise to the occasion ... Pitching-wise, the Big Red has three solid starters in Brian McAfee, Connor Kaufmann and Rick Marks. McAfee has a 3.19 ERA in 62 innings, Marks has a 3.09 ERA in 58 1/3 innings and Kaufmann has a 4.00 ERA in 54 innings of work. Also keep an eye on relievers Kellen Urbon and Houston Hawley, who have ERAs of 0.51 and 1.99, respectively.




TUCSON REGIONAL


THE TEAMS
1. Arizona (38-17) -- Pac-12 Conference
2. New Mexico State (35-22) -- Western Athletic Conference
3. Louisville (39-20) -- Big East Conference
4. Missouri (32-26) -- Big 12 Conference


The favorite: Arizona
Top pitcher: RHP Kurt Heyer, Arizona
Top hitter: OF Robert Refsnyder, Arizona
Top prospect, 2012 draft: RHP Matt Koch, Louisville


The Wildcats have been playing a solid brand of baseball the past few weeks and enter the weekend in very good shape with an offense that's hitting at an impressive .325 clip. Arizona has one of the nation's elite hitters in outfielder Robert Refsnyder, who's hitting .359 with six homers and 57 RBIs. Meanwhile, outfielder Johnny Field is hitting at a high level, batting .379 with two homers and 31 RBIs. Also keep an eye on shortstop Alex Mejia, third baseman Seth Mejias-Brean and Bobby Brown. Mejia is hitting .357 with three homers and 46 RBIs, Mejias-Brean is hitting .351 with a home run and 52 RBIs and Bobby Brown is hitting .343 with four homers and 47 RBIs ... Pitching-wise, the Wildcats are vulnerable at times, but fantastic when right-handed pitcher Kurt Heyer is on the mound. Heyer is 11-2 with a 2.03 ERA in 119 2/3 innings. He is limiting teams to a .250 average. Meanwhile, Konner Wade has a 4.88 ERA in 101 1/3 innings and James Farris has a 4.40 ERA in 90 innings. The Wildcats have had a shaky bullpen at times, though youngster Mathew Troupe has a 3.98 ERA in 31 2/3 innings.

When the Aggies finished the regular season on such a high note and didn't exactly impress in the WAC tournament, it was thought they might miss out on the postseason all together. Well, now only is NMSU in the postseason, it also is a No. 2 seed. The Aggies have a productive offense, entering the weekend with a .308 batting average. Stud catcher Zac Fisher leads the way, hitting .363 with six homers and 58 RBIs. Meanwhile, Parker Hipp is hitting .350 with a home run and 49 RBIs. Also keep an eye on shortstop Zach Voight, who should return full-time from an injury. Voight is hitting .301 with eight homers and 54 RBIs ... Pitching-wise, the Aggies don't possess a lot of high level arms. However, they've got a good one in veteran left-handed hurler Ryan Beck, who has a 4.22 ERA in 91 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, reliever Scott Coffman is a good one with a 3.79 ERA and eight saves in 40 1/3 innings. The Aggies must pitch better to win this series.

The Cardinals put together a solid regular season campaign, but somehow was a No. 3 seed in this NCAA Regional behind New Mexico State. The Cards have a chip on their shoulder and likely will play like a team on a mission this weekend. The Cards enter the weekend hitting .292 with Nick Ratajczak leading the charge, hitting .349 with six homers and 38 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Cole Sturgeon, Adam Engel and Stewart Ijames. Sturgeon is hitting .319 with a home run and 40 RBIs, Engel is very athletic and hitting .317 with a home run and 17 RBIs and Ijames has blasted 12 homers and knocked in 60 runs ... Pitching-wise, the Cards have some big-time arms to watch this weekend. Talented right-handed pitcher Justin Amlung has a 2.36 ERA in 103 innings of work, while Jeff Thompson has a 3.91 ERA in 73 2/3 innings. Jared Ruxer is another quality arm to watch, sitting with a 2.88 ERA in 75 innings. Bullpen-wise, the Cards have some big-time arms, including Derek Self and Matt Koch. Self has appeared in 25 games and has a 3.64 ERA in 29 2/3 innings, while Koch has a fastball that touches the mid 90s and has a 3.90 ERA in 27 2/3 innings.

Even with an RPI in the 80s entering the NCAA postseason, the Tigers definitely are an interesting team to watch this weekend. With their season on the line in Oklahoma City last week, the Tigers played an outstanding brand of baseball. Missouri enters the weekend hitting .274 with some solid hitters to watch, such as Scott Sommerfield, Blake Brown and Ben Turner. Sommerfield is hitting a team-best .302 with two homers and 25 RBIs, while Brown is a big-time power producer, hitting .299 with 10 homers and 39 RBIs. Turner is hitting .293 with a home run and 27 RBIs ... Pitching-wise, the Tigers have a couple of very solid starting pitchers to watch in Rob Zastryzny and Blake Holovach. Both pitched very well last week. Zastryzny has a 3.84 ERA in 103 innings while Holovach has a 4.60 ERA in 76 1/3 innings. Bullpen-wise, the Tigers have some quality arms to watch, such as Dusty Ross and Jeff Emens. Ross has appeared in 30 games and has a 2.38 ERA in 45 1/3 innings, while Emens has appeared in 30 games and has a 2.58 ERA in 80 1/3 innings.


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Coppy's Corner: July 14 Summer Edition

John Coppolella
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The amateur players in the Cape Cod Baseball League are the future stars of the 2027 MLB Draft. The league runs from June 13th through August 2nd. Games are played at historic stadiums in Old New England towns. It’s beautiful and charming. Hollywood even made a movie about the Cape Cod League ~25 years ago called Summer Catch. It scored an 8% (!) on Rotten Tomatoes, but, on the plus side, it featured 2001 Jessica Biel in a starring role.  It was so much fun writing Coppy’s Column this spring. My hope is to highlight a pitcher and position player each week from the Cape. And, who knows, maybe somewhere out there Jessica Biel is reading it.    Player of the Week: Carter White – Falmouth Commodores  Talk about making a great first impression! White introduced himself in a very loud and boisterous way this past week by going 9-17 (.529 AVG) with 6 RBI...
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BCS Midwest Championship Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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’29 INF Aarion Gould (IL) drives this ball deep to CF for a triple. Simple setup w/ a controlled load. Keeps the barrel in the zone w/ good extension through contact. Big day at the plate going 2-for-3 with 4 RBI. #BCSMW @WhitesoxAce pic.twitter.com/QL9jPCTAv8 — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) July 12, 2026 Aarion Gould (2029, Chicago, Ill.) earned Tournament MVP honors after helping lead Chicago White Sox ACE 2029 to the BCS Midwest Championship. The right-handed infielder displayed a direct swing path with quality barrel accuracy, using the middle of the field approach. Present strength was evident, producing two doubles, one triple, while hitting .444 (8-for-18) with seven RBI, three stolen bases and a 1.277 OPS. Gould also contributed on the mound, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings while allowing three hits and striking out six.   ’29 RHP Xavier Alvarez (IL)...
Tournaments | Story | 7/17/2026

WWBA Midwest Regional Champ. Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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’28 OF Caleb Wilson (IN) drives this fastball into the RCF gap for a double. Quick hands and bat-to-ball skills on display. Good game at the plate. Finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. #WWBAMW @TopTierBaseball @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/IC5dmPojcz — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) July 13, 2026 Caleb Wilson (2028, Crown Point, Ind.) helped lead Top Tier Americans 2028 to the 16U WWBA Regional Championship and delivered one of the tournament's top offensive performances. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound left-handed outfielder displayed good plate discipline, a quick bat and barreled balls to all parts of the field. Plus speed also added another dimension to Wilson's game on the base paths, consistently putting pressure on opposing defenses. The Tournament MVP saw the ball extremely well, hitting .667 (14-for-21) with two triples, six RBI, four stolen bases and a 1.588 OPS. Brennen...
Tournaments | Story | 7/16/2026

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Alyssa Golden
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The 21st annual 17U BCS National Championship brings together some of the nation’s top programs and elite 2027 prospects to Fort Myers, Florida, from July 17-21. With dozens of Division I commits and nationally ranked prospects set to compete, here are some of the players expected to make the biggest impact throughout the weekend. For Florida Burn 2027 Scout, which is currently ranked #5 nationally Florida Burn will be No. 107-ranked outfielder RJ Shields and No. 129-ranked third baseman Braedon Mackay. One of the premier two-way prospects in the tournament, Shields, brings one of the strongest arms in the field. The Venice, Florida native has run his fastball up to 95 mph while also showcasing a 98 mph throwing arm from the outfield, making him a weapon on both sides of the ball. On the mound this season, the Mississippi State commit has struck out 29 batters in 15.1 innings,...
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WWBA Arrives in Arizona

Emily Hicks
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After another week of summer baseball, Perfect Game action returns to Surprise Stadium as teams prepare for another exciting week of competition at the WWBA Championship. From July 14-18, some of the top programs in travel baseball will take the field looking to compete for a championship and showcase their talent against high-level competition.  The tournament will feature both the 15U and 16U divisions, bringing together talented teams and rising prospects from across the West and beyond. With several days of pool play and championship bracket action, teams will have the opportunity to test themselves against strong opponents while competing on one of the biggest stages of the summer.  Surprise Stadium will provide the setting for a week filled with competitive matchups, standout performances, and prospects looking to make an impact. From dominant pitching performances to...
Tournaments | Championship | 7/15/2026

East Cobb Go Undefeated, Takes 14U BCS

Alyssa Golden
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East Cobb Goes Undefeated, Takes 14U BCS Twenty years after winning the inaugural 14U BCS National Championship in 2006, the East Cobb Astros once again stood atop the tournament, defeating the Original Florida Pokers 7-4 at JetBlue Park. A hot, sunny afternoon set the stage for a tightly contested match between the Original Florida Pokers 2030 and East Cobb Astros 14U Orange. Although the Pokers had a two-run lead with just three innings to go, East Cobb showed their team had no quit as they pulled away with a 7-4 victory. The teams battled through a highly contested tournament field of over sixty teams from across the country, with the Pokers coming in 8-1 and East Cobb entering 8-0 in tournament play. Cohen Carter started on the mound for East Cobb, allowing seven hits and no walks while striking out three batters over four innings. His fastball sat 71-75 mph. Silas Anstett opened the...
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Kinley Kitchens
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Expectations naturally follow one of the nation’s top ranked teams. For Stars Marucci 2027, those expectations have only grown as the summer season has progressed.  Ranked No. 16 nationally and featuring a roster loaded with Division I commits and nationally ranked prospects, Stars Marucci 2027 entered the 2026 Perfect Game 17U National Elite Championship as one of the top teams to watch.  Through the opening two days of the tournament, they have shown why they are a team to watch, opening the week with back-to-back victories over SBA Tucci 2027 (6-1) and FC Twins Scout (5-2) to build early momentum heading into the later rounds.  The talent on the roster is undeniable.  Virginia Tech commits Chase Colangelo, Yogi Colangelo, and Teagan Leach, Maryland commit Jerome Fortier, and Youngstown State commit Sam Capuano headline a group filled with college bound...
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Mine Wood Bat World Series Notes

Jordan Gates
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‘28 OF/LHP Carson Tabler (OH) Rips one deep into the pull side gap for an inside-the-park HR. Athletic in the box w/ a projectable frame. Utilizes a toe tap on a fluid stroke w/ good bat speed. Good runner in stride + efficient around the bases. #MineWS @Carson_T7 @PFFlyers2028 pic.twitter.com/IVfICPg4qV — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) July 10, 2026 Carson Tabler (2028, Cincinnati, Ohio) Tabler was probably the most pleasant surprise when it comes to names from this weekend. A rather unknown for me and my staff going into the event, Tabler managed to cement himself by event’s end. It’s a true two-way projection at this stage, while he has the size in the 6-foot-3 long and loose frame, the strength will continue to add on to the 175-pound stature. While he only had two extra-base hits (triple, home run), the bat-to-ball skills were the calling card, and...
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SBA Bolts National Raise Trophy at 16u

Will Dembo
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After an action-packed week at the 16u WWBA Championships, the tournament came down to two of the nation’s top teams battling for one of travel baseball’s most prestigious titles. No. 5 ranked SBA Bolts National faced No. 60 Alpha Prime 2028 after both teams reached the championship undefeated, but the SBA Bolts were the sole team to exit without a loss, defeating Alpha Prime 10-2 in mercy rule fashion and capture the national title behind dominant pitching and explosive offensive performances. The SBA Bolts were perfect throughout their week, running the table and going 11-0 while outscoring their opponents by an impressive margin of 108-25. “It was awesome,” SBA Head Coach Travis Thompson said on the mercy rule victory. “It just kind of culminated our week. It's been a long week. I can't even remember our first game, which felt like three weeks ago. The...
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Coastal Region Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Ridge Whitfield (2029, Charlotte, NC) stands at 6-foot, 158 pounds with an athletic build that should allow him to maintain his mobility and quick-twitch actions as he continues to develop. He bats and throws left-handed. Whitfield locates his fastball to both sides of the plate, mixes his pitches effectively, and keeps hitters off balance. He competes on every pitch and doesn’t back down in big situations. Whitfield threw 5.1 innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, and no walks while striking out three on 75 pitches (58% strikes). He attacked the zone with a fastball that sat 73 mph and topped out at 78 mph, mixing in a 67 mph breaking ball and a 68-70 mph changeup to keep hitters off balance. Sam Jobe (2029, Charlotte, NC) stands at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, with a lean, athletic frame and plenty of projection. He bats and throws right-handed. Jobe shows good feel for the...
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