THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,416 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,416 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Championship | 12/30/2002

5. Baseball America Wins World Championship

Perfect Game Staff
West Palm, FL - For the second time in three years Baseball America took home the title. It was far from easy, but in the end the BA talent was undeniable. The team lost its first game of the tournament and just barely made it into the championship round. Over 500 major league scouts and college coaches attended the event, which has become the top scouting attraction in baseball. 72 of the most talented teams from all over USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic came to Jupiter with hopes of winning the championship rings and displaying their skills. Jared Hughes RHP (CA) who threw up to 96 mph and dominated was named the #1 prospect at the event. Team mate, Ryan Sweeney LHP/OF (IA) was named the tournament MVP.

The following story appeared in Baseball America.

By Allan Simpson
October 28, 2002

JUPITER, Fla.--Baseball America's bats were strangely silent throughout most of the Perfect Game/Baseball America World Wood Bat championship, but they suddenly came alive when it counted most.

BA scored four times in its last at-bat in a 4-1 win over Team Puerto Rico in the semifinals, then had its biggest scoring output of the tournament in the championship game as it beat the South Bay (Calif.) Sharks 8-2. Prior to that BA had scored only 18 runs in six-plus games.

An all-star team of many of the top high school players in the Draft Classes of 2003 and 2004, BA relied on another strong pitching performance in the final, this time by righthander Matt Bush (Mission Bay High, San Diego), who normally played second base or shortstop and was making his first pitching appearance of the tournament. Bush, the No. 2-ranked player in the High School Class of 2004, worked the first six innings against South Bay, striking out seven while allowing four hits. Righthander Jeff Allison (Veterans Memorial High, Peabody, Mass.), a projected first-rounder next June, finished up. In eight tournament games, BA pitchers gave up only one earned run--in its final game.

"I said from the start that we had enough pitching to win this tournament," BA coach Johnny Rodriguez said. "Fortunately, our bats started to come around at the end. Our pitching kept us in every game."

It was the second championship in three years for Baseball America, which was the pre-tournament favorite but didn't even finish first in its own pool in the preliminary phase of the 72-team competition. Consequently, it was relegated to a No. 19 seed in the 36-team championship bracket, which began Sunday.

In order, BA beat the No. 14 Austin (Texas) Baseball Club 2-0, the No. 3 seed Team Florida USA 6-4 and the No. 22 seed All-Star Baseball Academy (Pa.) 2-0 before finishing off No. 31 Team Puerto Rico and the No. 12 Sharks.

Baseball America two-way star Ryan Sweeney (Xavier High, Cedar Rapids, Iowa), who excelled on the mound, at the plate and in the field, was named the tournament MVP.Sweeney pitched a three-hitter in the semifinal win against Team Puerto Rico, then drove in two runs with a single and double in the win over the Sharks in the final.

"He did it all for us," Rodriguez said. "He hit, and he pitched against a team that I didn't think anybody could beat, because of all the drums and the music that were going on in the background." Overall, Sweeney had 13 hits in eight games and allowed no earned runs in 10 innings. Playing five games in little more than 24 hours to finish the tournament, Sweeney, understandably was as exhausted as his teammates. "All our arms are a little sore at this point," Sweeney said, "but I just sucked it up and pitched. I'm the type of pitcher that gets a little better as I go, so I felt pretty good in the fourth and fifth innings."

Puerto Rico broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning when catcher Brian Opdyke (Catalina Foothills High, Tucson) threw the ball into left field on a steal of third, allowing the runner to score. Sweeney then beared down and showed his best stuff of the game, including an 88-mph fastball. As well as he pitched, Sweeney was in danger of losing his second game of the tournament until BA rallied with four in the bottom of the sixth. Sweeney's single loaded the bases with none out, and Jared Kubin (Oakton, Va., High) followed with a game-tying sacrifice fly before Opdyke broke it open with his two-run single. BA then erupted for 11 more hits in the final against South Bay, putting the game out of reach with two runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

"This was an impressive achievement for these kids," said Rodriguez, a manager in the Florida Marlins farm system, "because everyone in this tournament was gunning for Baseball America. Everyone threw their best pitcher at us and went all out to beat us. But our kids knew they were supposed to win, so they played hard. They didn't want to be embarrassed by losing."

For Baseball America and South Bay, the final game was a case of how you finish, not how you start. Both teams dropped their opening games of the tournament on Friday and stormed to the final with six straight wins.

Sweeney, in fact, was the loser in Baseball America's 1-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies Scout Team with the only run of the game scoring on a controversial play. A line drive appeared to hit Sweeney on the foot and kick straight up in the air. It was caught on the fly by BA second baseman Lance Zawadski (St. John's Prep, Ashland, Mass.) who doubled off the base runner at second. Or so he thought. The runner believing the ball had hit the ground first, broke for home and scored on the play. The umpire ruled in the runner's favor, resulting in the game's only run. Sweeney then threw out two runners at the plate from right field in Baseball America's next game, a 1-0 win over Cincinnati's Midland Redskins and it never lost again.

South Bay, which brought its regular club team intact to the tournament, lost its opener to the East Cobb (Ga.) Astros. The highlight of its comeback was an upset of the No. 1-seeded Gold Coast (Fla.) Yellow Jackets 1-0, in the semi-finals. Former Team USA national youth team standout Andy Beal (Peninsula High, Palos Verdes, Calif.) worked the first six innings of that game. But the Sharks had little pitching left for the final as they used five pitchers against Baseball America.

Gold Coast, made up of players from 10 high schools in and around West Palm Beach, earned the No. 1 seed by going 3-0 in pool play, while allowing just one run. It then won three more games in bracket play to reach the semi-finals before falling to the Sharks.

Interestingly, the two semi-final winners hold a unique distinction. As 15-year-olds, Sweeney and Beal were recognized by Baseball America's annual Baseball For The Ages program, which identifies the best player in the nation at each age level. Sweeney was the 15-year-old winner in 2000; a year later, Beal was acknowledged at that age after pitching Team USA to the World Youth title.

The two starting pitchers in Monday's championship game were also members of this year's Team USA national youth team, that finished second in an America's qualifying tournament in Venezuela. Bush fared better than Sharks righthander J.T. Trelatsky (Agoura High, Agoura Hills, Calif.), who lasted only an inning. Trelatsky was pulled after allowing two runs, but he had just saved the Sharks win over Gold Coast by pitching a scoreless seventh.

BA, the 2000 champion, never got untracked offensively until the final eight innings Monday, but it got outstanding pitching throughout the tournament--especially Monday.

Righthander Quentin Andes (Cibola High, Albuquerque, N.M.), pitching in his third game in four days, went the distance in shutting out the All-Star Baseball Academy 2-0 on a three-hitter in Monday's opener.

"That was a key win for us," Rodriguez said, "because it enabled us to save the rest of our pitching staff for the next two games. It allowed us to save Bush and Allison for the final."

Opdyke also played a key role for Baseball America on the final day. He contributed the big hit in the win against Puerto Rico and caught all three games in 90-plus heat because the team's other catcher, Justin Brashear (Barbe High, Lake Charles, La.) was forced to return home a day early.

But no one performed as well as Sweeney, a possible first-round pick next June who has verbally committed to San Diego State, where new coach Tony Gwynn has assured Sweeney that he would be able to play both ways. "I enjoy doing both and would like to continue doing both as long as I can," Sweeney said. "Coach Gwynn has assured me that I can do both. I really swung the bat well here."

In other quarter-final games played Monday, Team Puerto Rico erupted for four runs in the top of the seventh to beat the California Blaze 6-3, the Sharks beat the Florida Crush 6-2 and the Yellow Jackets topped the Riverside ABD Bulldogs 4-1.
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 4/21/2026

Southeast Super NIT #2 Scout Notes
Jason Phillips
Article Image
Chase Jelks (‘30 GA)- with a long double to deep CF. Huge day from the primary SS, 5-for-6 w/ 4 doubles & 6 RBI. #SESuperNIT @TheDreamBall @PG_Georgia https://t.co/biFSzXCrUt pic.twitter.com/HCQMduedb5 — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) April 20, 2026 Chase Jelks (’30, Atlanta, Ga.)- the left-handed hitting Jelks was all over the barrel on Sunday in a pair of games for The Dream 14U Black. He finished the day with five hits in six at-bats which included four doubles and six runs batted in. His two doubles and four runs batted in played a big part in the Gold Playoffs Round 1 victory over the talented BPA squad out of California. He backed up that performance with three more hits in a quarterfinal’s loss to the East Cobb Astros 14U Orange to finish the tournament with a .600 batting average and 1.636 on-base plus slugging percentage. A primary utility infielder,...
Read More
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 4/24/2026

2026 MLB Draft Reports: Top 100

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
PG Draft: Top-100 Reports (April Update) 1. Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA R-R, 6-2/202, Chandler, AZ Previously Drafted: Never Drafted Roch Cholowsky has consistently ranked at the top of the class throughout the cycle due to the safety and upside of the profile. Defensively, he is a plus defender at shortstop with soft hands, consistent actions, and quality range. Not only should he stick at the position long term, he should excel there at the next level. Offensively, there is a strong mix of hit and power potential from the right side of the plate. The swing is a bit unorthodox with a shorter finish, but Cholowsky consistently finds the barrel and drives the ball with authority to all fields. He has strong bat to ball skills with impact. He has walked more than stuck out during his collegiate career, giving him a high on-base ability. The run tool is the only tool that doesn’t jump...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 4/24/2026

2026 MLB Draft Board: Top 400

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment 1 Roch Cholowsky C SS R-R UCLA Chandler AZ 2 Grady Emerson H SS L-R Fort Worth Christian Argyle TX Texas 3 Vahn Lackey C C R-R Georgia Tech Suwanee GA 4 Jackson Flora C RHP R-R UC Santa Barbara Pleasanton CA 5 Jacob Lombard H SS R-R Gulliver Schools Miami FL Miami 6 AJ Gracia C OF L-L Virginia Monroe NJ 7 Ace Reese C 3B L-R Mississippi State Canton TX 8 Eric Booth Jr. H OF L-L Oak Grove Bassfield MS Vanderbilt 9 Justin Lebron C SS R-R Alabama Miramar FL 10 Drew Burress C OF R-R Georgia Tech Perry GA 11 Gio Rojas H LHP L-R Marjory Stoneman Douglas Coral Springs FL Miami 12 Ryder Helfrick C C R-R Arkansas Discovery Bay CA 13 Chris Hacopian C SS R-R Texas A&M Potomac MD 14 Cameron Flukey C RHP R-R Coastal Carolina Egg Harbor Township NJ 15 Cole Carlon C LHP L-L Arizona State Tempe AZ 16 Jared Grindlinger H LHP/OF L-L Huntington...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 4/23/2026

Kash Shaikh Named Perfect Game CMO

Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME NAMES KASH SHAIKH CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AND HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, April 23, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that Kash Shaikh has been named the company’s new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Head of International. In this role, Shaikh will serve on Perfect Game’s executive leadership team, overseeing global marketing, brand strategy, creative, partnerships and sponsorships, while leading the company’s international P&L and expansion. Shaikh brings more than two decades of experience building brands, businesses and communities across sports, media and consumer...
Read More
Softball | Softball Tournament | 4/22/2026

PG Softball Battle for the Belt

Article Image
Perfect Game Softball Battle for the Belt April 18-19, 2026 Des Moines, Iowa It was a cold and very windy weekend, but the girls still came out and put in their best efforts. If you wanted the place to see some of the state’s top talent, this was the tournament to be at. The 18u division was quite the slugfest! The Ankeny Centennial 18U -Kennedy team took down a tough Iowa Alliance Select-Benge team in the championship. Both teams had double digit homeruns on the weekend. In the 16u division the Iowa Aries CE Fire Black took control of the game from the start and never let up on the gas, taking down a solid Alliance Select- Harper team. 18U Division Kori Lincicum (2026 Ankeny, IA) of the Centennial Jaguars- Kennedy and Drake Bulldog softball commit was the weekends MVP Pitcher. Lincicum defeated a tough Alliance team in the championship game finishing with that game with 11...
Read More
High School | General | 4/23/2026

Northeast High School Notebook

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
In a season that has already had many exciting matchups across various events, we as a staff would like to highlight or “Shout-Out” notable performers along with an Uncommitted Spotlight and Team Spotlight.  Uncommitted Spotlight: Mason Rosenberg, 1B, 2027, Bishop Eustace Prep  Uncommitted Mason Rosenberg (2027, NJ) has been an absolute force within the Bishop Eustace lineup, as the left-handed hitting slugger is hitting .481 through eleven games including six homers. The strength has vastly improved, allowing for Rosenberg to impact the baseball with authority to all fields. Couple that with improved speed and athleticism, this uncommitted 2027 can be a welcomed addition to a class looking for offense.  Team Spotlight: Northern Burlington (9-0) Northern Burlington is once again off to a hot start, as the Greyhounds sit at 9-0 thus far and have continued to...
Read More
Juco | Rankings | 4/22/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 22

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Another week down and Johnson County continues their torrid run to remain at number 1. They're 46-2 on the season with multiple hitters over 25 bombs which is astonishing for the level as the Cavs have announced themselves as title favorites. Just a couple of weeks left heading down the stretch and our field remains mostly the same with the two additions of midwest powerhouse Iowa Western and the Warriors of East Central who will have a tough test Wednesday in Poplarville against fellow Mississippi adversary Pearl River in a mid-week double header.   Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 46-2 2 Gaston (NC) 47-3 3 Walters State (TN) 42-10 4 McLennan (TX) 38-8 5 Southern Nevada (NV) 33-9 6 Chipola (FL) 39-9 7 Blinn (TX) 33-12 8 Florida Southwestern (FL) 32-13 9 Florence-Darlington (SC) 42-10 10 Pearl River (MS) 39-9 11 Cloud County (KS) 40-4 12 Cochise (AZ) 39-11 13 Midland (TX)...
Read More
College | Story | 4/23/2026

Coppy's Corner: April 23 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: Tague Davis – University of Louisville  Between 2016-2022, the University of Louisville produced 14 players taken in the Top 5 Rounds of the MLB Draft, seven of whom were taken in the 1st Round. The Cardinals haven’t produced a Top 5 Rounds pick since 2022, but that will change soon with Davis. Still only 20 years old and not draft-eligible until 2027, Davis continued his assault on college baseball this weekend with a 7-for-12 performance that included 5 HR. On the 2026 season, Davis is hitting .389 AVG / .489 OBP / .911 SLG / 1.392 OPS. That’s a 400+...
Read More
College | Rankings | 4/22/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 22

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
The final weeks of the college baseball regular season have a way of separating programs that are genuinely postseason-ready from those that have simply been good enough for long enough. Conference tournaments loom, selection committees are paying close attention, and every game on the schedule carries weight that it simply didn't in February. This week's action, combined with the latest Perfect Game Top 25, paints a picture of a college baseball landscape where the top is clearly defined — and where the middle is a genuine battle. What follows is a cross-level look at teams across the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III ranks who find themselves in that uncomfortable space: not safely in, not clearly out, but firmly on the bubble. Some have built compelling résumés that should hold up under scrutiny. Others have excellent records against soft competition...
Read More
High School | Rankings | 4/21/2026

High School Top 50 Update: April 21

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Another few weeks have wrapped up this high school season as we’re flying through the spring and most southern states are starting playoffs right around the corner. With the end of the regular season, we have another National Top 50 update to bring to you, along with this will be the start of the weekly editions of our National Top 50. We have a change at the top of the rankings as Venice (FL) takes over the top spot after just dominating their competition in the state of Florida this year. Orange Lutheran (CA) drops one spot to No. 2 after dropping a series but still holds firm at No. 2 in the country. Barbe (LA) has continued to dominate and holds onto the No. 3 spot while Tomball (TX) skyrockets in this update to No. 4 in the country, currently holding an incredible 30-0-1 record. The rest of the top-10 is names we’ve become accustomed to see with Aledo (TX) at No. 5, IMG...
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.