THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,410 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,410 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
College  | Story | 5/29/2013

Tallahassee Regional preview

 

THE TEAMS
Team Conference Record Berth Last NCAA appearance
1. Florida State Atlantic Coast 44-15 At-large 2012
2. Alabama Southeastern 34-26 At-large 2011
3. Troy Sun Belt 40-18 At-large 2011
4. Savannah State Mid-Eastern 33-21 Automatic First
THE BREAKDOWN
Florida State
1. Florida State
 
     2. Alabama      

3. Troy

4. Savannah St.
Florida State had a tough time in the ACC tournament last week, going 0-4 for the week, including a Monday loss to North Carolina. However, the Seminoles still earned one of the top eight national seeds. The NCAA Selection Committee didn't do this team any favors in terms of their NCAA Regional draw, though. FSU has a rather tough field, but is a complete club entering the weekend. FSU has a solid weekend rotation on the mound with right-handers Luke Weaver and Scott Sitz and left-handed hurler Brandon Leibrandt leading the charge. Weaver has been outstanding since moving from midweek starter to the rotation, sporting a 2.13 ERA in 84 1/3 innings, along with 100 strikeouts and 17 walks. Meanwhile, Sitz has a 1.73 ERA in 83 innings and Leibrandt has a 3.21 ERA in 84 innings. The Seminoles also have a solid bullpen with Gage Smith (2.39, 31 apps), Robby Coles (1.60, 28 apps), Billy Strode (2.31, 18 apps) and Jameis Winston and Bryant Holtmann leading the charge. FSU definitely is much better on the mound overall than people give them credit for. Offensively, the Seminoles enter the weekend with a .284 batting average, having one of the nation's more talented freshmen in DJ Stewart, who's hitting .348 with four homers and 51 RBIs. Meanwhile, also keep an eye on Jose Brizuela, who likely will be a man on a mission this weekend after being reinstated following a temporary suspension during the ACC tournament. Marcus Davis (.298/9/55) and Stephen McGee (.296/8/46) also can produce at a high level, while Jameis Winston is a terrific athlete with an outstanding arm in the outfield.
Alabama
Alabama isn't our pick to win the Tallahassee Regional, but it wouldn't be such a shocker if Mitch Gaspard's club advanced to an NCAA Super Regional. Alabama has a talented pitching staff entering the postseason. Right-handed pitchers Charley Sullivan and Spencer Turnbull both have quality arms, especially Turnbull, that can shut down anyone. Sullivan has a 3.56 ERA in 91 innings, along with 75 strikeouts and 24 walks, while Turnbull, who was up to 95 at the SEC tournament last week, has a 3.75 ERA in 84 innings, along with 45 strikeouts and 36 walks. Jay Shaw (1.38, 14 apps) and Tucker Hawley (2.60, 19 apps) are a pair of talented relievers to watch, while the return of closer Ray Castillo is huge. Castillo missed the SEC tourney because of soreness, but has a 2.61 ERA with 11 saves in 41 1/3 innings. Offensively, the Crimson Tide leaves something to be desired with a .257 average entering the weekend. However, to say this club doesn't have some dangerous hitters would be inaccurate. 'Bama really likes physical outfielder Ben Moore, who's hitting .284 with four homers and 40 RBIs, while Brett Booth and Austen Smith each have power potential with six homers each this season. Meanwhile, keep an eye on freshman shortstop Mikey White. In addition to making terrific plays in the field, White is hitting a team-high .286 with two homers and 29 RBIs.
Troy
Troy very well could be an entertaining club to watch this weekend in Tallahassee. The Trojans are a very solid offensive club, entering the weekend with the best offense in the NCAA Regional field, hitting .295 with Logan Pierce, Danny Collins, Tyler Vaughn and Trae Santos leading the charge. Pierce, a third baseman, has been tremendous this season, hitting an impressive .373 with eight homers and 62 RBIs, while Collins is hitting .363 with 11 homers and 67 RBIs, and also has a fantastic .455 on-base percentage. Vaughn is hitting .339 with 26 RBIs, while Santos isn't as consistent batting average-wise as some other guys, but is a big-time power producer. What's particularly interesting about this year's Troy club is it pitches at a much higher level than previous campaigns. Tanner Hicks, Shane McCain, Ryan Sorce and Will Starling all have valuable experience, with Hicks leading the charge. Hicks has a 3.47 ERA in 93 1/3 innings of work, along with 88 strikeouts and 26 walks. Meanwhile, reliever Nate Hill is as good as it gets with a 3.42 ERA in 33 appearances and 68 1/3 innings of work. Much like Samford in last year's Tallahassee Regional, Troy definitely can make some noise this weekend.
Savannah State
You certainly never will see Florida State shying away from anyone, but you'd be lying if there wasn't at least some concern the Seminoles must face Savannah State right-handed pitcher Kyle McGowin in the Tallahassee Regional opener. McGowin is a very solid prospect with a 90-plus fastball, and has tallied extremely impressive numbers this spring, as expected against rather weak competition. McGowin has started 14 games and has a 1.33 ERA in 115 1/3 innings of work. He also has struck out 129, walked 24 and teams are hitting him at a .215 clip. Besides McGowin, reliever Eric Ricks is a guy to watch on the mound. Ricks has appeared in 23 games this spring and has a 2.75 ERA in 36 innings. Meanwhile, the Tigers as a whole aren't exactly impressive on the mound with a pitching staff earned-run average of 4.85. This team won't dazzle you offensively either, hitting just .271 entering the weekend with Todd Hagen the key hitter to watch. Hagen is hitting .320 with 12 doubles, a triple and 26 RBIs. He also has a respectable OBP over .400. It's hard to imagine SSU making much noise this weekend outside of Kyle McGowin.
REGIONAL FORECAST
The Tallahassee Regional certainly isn't a cakewalk, but it's a tournament the Seminoles are expected to win this weekend. Alabama probably poses the biggest threat to FSU. Though the Crimson Tide aren't a great offensive club, they have plenty of quality arms that can matchup with the Seminoles. The big key for Alabama is getting closer Ray Castillo back and healthy. He missed last weekend because of soreness, so his return is integral to the Tide's success. Meanwhile, Troy can make some noise as a dark-horse contender if Tanner Hicks and the pitching staff set the tone for the offense, while Savannah State just hopes to upset FSU with McGowin on the mound, and let the rest of their chips fall where they may. Overall, this should be a competitive NCAA Regional that ends with Florida State advancing.

 


College | Rankings | 4/20/2026

College Top 25: April 20

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
As the old saying goes, “all good things must come to an end” and that was the case last Tuesday when UCLA (36-3) saw their 27-game win streak come to an end in a shutout loss to UCSB.  However, the No. 1 team in the land still has their 21-game winning streak in Big Ten to protect, as they have started off league play without a single blemish.  The Bruins will remain atop our poll this week and their historical start to the season roll on.  The UNC Tarheels (33-7-1) move up to No. 2 this week after they made their biggest statement of the year by taking the weekend series from now No. 4 Georgia Tech (32-7).  No. 3 Texas (30-8) and No. 5 Georgia (32-9) both went (3-1) on the week and won their SEC series to stay in contention for the regular season title.  Florida State (28-11) had a nice bounce back (4-0) week and re-enter the Top 10 at No. 8 this...
Press Release | Press Release | 4/20/2026

PG & EventConnect Extend Collaboration

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME AND EVENTCONNECT EXTEND COLLABORATION FOCUSED ON SCALE, SERVICE AND EXPERIENCE    Sanford, Florida (Monday, April 20, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the renewal and expansion of its long-standing housing and technology partnership with EventConnect, reaffirming a shared commitment to innovation, scale and best-in-class experiences for athletes, families and event operators across North America.    The renewed multi-year agreement extends a successful partnership that has helped Perfect Game...
College | Story | 4/16/2026

Coppy's Corner: April 16 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
Article Image
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: Jaquae Stewart – Texas State University  If you squint a little bit, you can see some Josh Naylor or Dominic Smith in Jaquae Stewart, with a stout build like a more powerful version of the teacup from the children’s song. Lately, the Sun Belt Conference has been child’s play for Stewart as he has been on fire showing an improved hit approach and power that tracks more with his 2024 performance at Northwest Florida State College than with his 2025 experience at the University of Texas. It’s tough for any player to jump from a JUCO in Florida to the big stage...
High School | General | 4/16/2026

High School Notebook: April 16

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Alain Gomez-Gudiño (‘26 AZ) with a pair of backside barrels, including a double. Physical 6-0/215 frame. Switch-hitter with power. Adv. defender with strong C&T behind the dish. @PGAllAmerican alum. #Gamecocks commit #PGHS @PG_Draft @SaguaroBaseball pic.twitter.com/2Vhuu5gYX9 — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) April 11, 2026 C Alain Gomez-Gudino, Saguaro (Ariz.) Since I first saw him as a sophomore, Gomez-Gudiño has long been one of my favorite prospects in the state. The backstop features a super physical frame at 6-foot-0, 215-pounds with a thick lower half and strong forearms. Defensively, Gomez-Gudiño has always stood out. He moves well for his size behind the plate and receives with confident hands. The catch-and-throw ability stands out. Gomez-Gudiño looks to be aggressive and will back pick runners often. The glove alone makes...
Juco | Rankings | 4/15/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 15

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Another week of undefeated weeks for our top 4 ranked teams. Joining them in the top 5, coming off an undefeated week of their own, is Florence-Darlington, a team we have consistently had as a top 10 team all season long. Cloud County and Midland College continue to put together strong weeks and climb the rankings each week it seems. Jumping into the rankings this week on the strength of a 15-game winning streak is Seminole State (OK). And Linn Benton makes the top 25 for a 2nd consecutive week and looks like the top team in the NWAC this spring. Plenty of high-level matchups at the JUCO level for some of the top teams in the county this next week.  Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 42-2 2 Gaston (NC) 43-3 3 McLennan (TX) 34-7 4 Chipola (FL) 37-7 5 Florence-Darlington (SC) 40-8 6 Walters State (TN) 37-10 7 Blinn (TX) 31-11 8 Florida Southwestern (FL) 30-12 9 Southern Nevada...
College | Rankings | 4/15/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 15

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Welcome to this week's small school baseball rankings, covering NCAA Division II, the NAIA, and NCAA Division III. As the calendar turns toward the final weeks of the regular season, the urgency is real across all three levels — teams are running out of weekends to build their cases, and the extended postseason invitations that every program is chasing don't go to programs that peak in March. The next few weeks of results will carry more weight than anything that happened before spring break, and the postseason committees in all three divisions are watching closely. Every series dropped to a team you should beat, every road sweep you let get away — it all matters now in a way it simply didn't two months ago. What you'll also notice as you read through the breakdowns below is that the numbers are doing more of the heavy lifting in how these rankings are constructed. Run...
Press Release | Press Release | 4/15/2026

Perfect Game & Youth Prospects Team Up

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME AND YOUTH PROSPECTS ANNOUNCE   BROADCAST RIGHTS AND CONTENT PARTNERSHIP    Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, April 15, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with content platform Youth Prospects centered around broadcast rights, content collaboration and expanded visibility for elite youth baseball events.    As part of the agreement, Perfect Game will grant Youth Prospects broadcast rights to select games across its premiere events, including marquee matchups at the WWBA World...
College | Story | 4/14/2026

College Players of the Week: April 14

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
April 14th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Jaquae Stewart, INF/OF, Texas State  The Texas State Bobcats (24-12) are sitting in second place in the ultra-competitive Sun Belt Conference, and they have one of the most explosive offenses in the country.  They average right at 8-runs per game and can slug with the best of them, averaging almost 2-home runs per game as well.  Sitting in the middle of the order, Jaquae Stewart, is putting together a career year and is becoming the focus of opposing teams.  The 5-10/234 junior from Sinton, Tx is your classic lefthanded power hitter and is thriving in his move from Austin to San Marcos.  While it wasn’t the best week for his club, Stewart was sensational, collecting 8 hits in his 19 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, launching 5 home runs and driving in an insane 17 runs.  For the season, he is now slashing...
Showcase | Story | 4/14/2026

PG Announces Prospect Gateway Schedule

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
PG has announced the dates for Prospect Gateway events across the country - unique opportunities for young players to receive professional feedback and prepare for the next level. The Prospect Gateways are for players ages 13U-14U and serve as a qualifier for the National Showcase. Kevin Schuver, the senior director of showcases at Perfect Game, said these events are chances for players to step out of their comfort zone and show what they’re really made of. “Perfect Game Prospect Gateways aren’t just events. They’re doorways into something bigger. For young athletes, they serve as the first real step beyond their local fields, where raw ability begins to meet visibility and purpose.” At the event, each player is assigned a PG advisor who will watch and advise them individually. There will also be other scouts giving tips on how to enhance and develop a...
Press Release | Press Release | 4/13/2026

PG & MLB Clubs Offer Discount Tickets

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME PARTNERS WITH THREE MLB CLUBS TO OFFER EXCLUSIVE TICKET DISCOUNTS FOR YOUTH TEAMS    Sanford, Florida (Friday, April 10, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new fan engagement initiative in partnership with three Major League Baseball clubs — the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals — to provide exclusive discounted ticket opportunities for teams participating in Perfect Game events.    Through the collaboration, youth baseball and softball teams competing in...
Loading more articles...