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All American Game  | Story | 8/21/2025

Gomez-Gudino’s Courageous Journey to PGAAC

Photo: Alain Gomez-Gudiño (Perfect Game)
SAN DIEGO -- No player at the DICK’s Perfect Game All-American Classic traveled a longer or more arduous road to get there than Alain Gomez-Gudino.

Two years ago, on August 5, 2023, Alain, his mom, Lislen, his stepdad, Joel, and his sister, Victoria, left their hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, with their dreams and a few belongings stuffed into their backpacks.



Alain, just a few weeks shy of his 16th birthday at the time, made sure to leave some room in his backpack for his well-worn catcher’s mitt. 

The family rode buses and made long walks through Central America. They survived rain forests and downpours, crossed mountains and dangerous, swollen rivers on foot. They slept outside under tarps and in bus shelters -- all to chase a better, safer life. Along the way, they saw people who succumbed during similar journeys. They were robbed and what items that were spared in their backpacks became soaked with rain and river water.

But through the miles, through the sweat and through the tears, a couple of things survived – the family’s love for each other and Alain’s catcher’s mitt.

“I packed my glove because I knew wherever I ended up I was going to play baseball,” he said. “It was the only thing that didn’t get wet.”

Last weekend, two weeks before his 18th birthday, Gomez-Gudino was in Petco Park, the picturesque home of the San Diego Padres, one of 62 players invited to the All-American Classic, PG’s signature event. His family’s dream of a better life is alive and well. His dream of playing in the major leagues, like his idol and countryman, Kansas City Royals catcher Salvadore Perez, is also alive.

Gomez-Gudino had been a top prospect in Venezuela and was drawing attention from big-league organizations. In less than two years in the United States, he has made an impressive rise on PG’s prospect rankings. He is the No. 2 rated catcher in the 2026 draft class and has committed to the University of South Carolina. He helped the West squad beat the East squad, 9-4, in the All-American Classic. The West trailed 4-0 early and rallied to tie the game in the fifth inning. Gomez-Gudino, a sturdy 6-0, 215-pound switch-hitter, had an RBI single from the left side during the uprising.

After a workout the day before the Classic, Gomez-Gudino looked around Petco Park and admitted a need to pinch himself to believe it was all real.

“This is my dream to play on a big-league field and do what I love, play baseball,” he said. “It’s incredible.”

Chasing dreams was the reason his family departed Caracas. It took 34 days to reach Mexico City, where they stayed for three months and started the immigration process that eventually permitted them to cross the border – near San Diego. How’s that for a full-circle moment?

The family headed to Scottsdale, Arizona, where an aunt lived. Alain and his sister enrolled in school and began the process of learning English. Lislen and Joel found work.

“I spoke no English when we got here, just ‘hello,’ and ‘how are you?’ ‘’ said Alain, who now speaks the language quite well.

Alain and his family have received much help as they chase the American dream. Elvin Soto, a former minor-league catcher, is Alain’s Phoenix-based adviser and an outstanding baseball resource. Brian Bratspis, the father of one of Alain’s teammates at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, has been what Soto calls “a guardian angel,” to the family.

“We are very grateful for everything,” Alain said.

As a sophomore at Saguaro, Gomez-Gudino had the good fortune of catching lefty Cam Caminiti, a 2023 PG All-American and a 2024 first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves. Scouts couldn’t help but notice Gomez-Gudino as they monitored Caminiti.

Gomez-Gudino laughed as he recalled one of the first times he caught Caminiti in a game.

“He broke my glove,” he said. “The one I brought with me from Venezuela.”

Today, the glove is sitting on a shelf, high and dry, back in Scottsdale, Alain Gomez-Gudino’s new home, the perfect reminder of how far he’s come.

All American Game | Story | 9/15/2025

PG Athletes Raise Money For Charity

Perfect Game Staff
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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME ATHLETES RAISE MORE THAN $130,000   FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITIES THROUGHOUT AUGUST    Sanford, Florida (Monday, September 15, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that its athletes raised a combined $130,195 for children’s charities during its August 2025 showcase events throughout the country.    The fundraising efforts took place at Perfect Game’s Select Festivals and the DICK’S All-American Classic, with each age group rallying behind a cause that supports children in need. The 11U and 12U Select Fests each benefited Elite Development Academy out...
College | Rankings | 3/16/2026

College Top 25: March 16

Vincent Cervino
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Collegiate Player Report Database Rank Team Prev. Rank Weekly Rec. Overall Rec. 1 UCLA 1 (4-0) (17-2) 2 Texas 2 (3-1) (18-1) 3 Georgia Tech 3 (4-0) (17-3) 4 Auburn 5 (4-0) (17-2) 5 Arkansas 7 (2-2) (14-6) 6 Georgia 8 (2-1) (17-4) 7 Mississippi State 4 (2-2) (16-4) 8 Oklahoma 9 (3-1) (17-3) 9 Virginia 10 (3-1) (16-4) 10 USC 12 (4-1) (19-1) 11 Florida State 15 (3-1) (16-3) 12 Southern Miss 6 (2-2) (16-4) 13 Oregon 14 (5-0) (17-3) 14 NC State 13 (2-2) (16-4) 15 North Carolina 20 (4-0) (17-3-1) 16 Kentucky 24 (4-0) (18-2) 17 Florida 23 (4-0) (18-3) 18 Oregon State 21 (4-0) (14-4) 19 Clemson 11 (1-3) (16-4) 20 West Virginia 25 (3-1) (13-4) 21 Tennessee 19 (2-2) (14-6) 22 Louisiana NR (3-1) (15-5) 23 Wake Forest 16 (0-4) (15-5) 24 Kansas State NR (4-1) (15-5) 25 USF NR (4-0) (17-3) Dropped Out: #17 LSU, #18 UTSA, #22 UC Santa Barbara Also Considered: Arizona State, Arkansas State, Coastal...
Draft | Story | 3/13/2026

PG Draft: Under the Radar Preps

Tyler Henninger
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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...
College | Rankings | 3/11/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 11

Nick Herfordt
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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...
High School | General | 3/12/2026

High School Notebook: March 12

Steve Fiorindo
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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...
College | Story | 3/10/2026

College Players of the Week: March 10

Vincent Cervino
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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...
College | Rankings | 3/9/2026

College Top 25: March 9

Vincent Cervino
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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...
Press Release | Press Release | 3/7/2026

Debut: Contreras YouTube Feature

Perfect Game Staff
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    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...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 3/4/2026

Perfect Game Softball March Madness

Ashley Mears
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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...
High School | General | 3/5/2026

High School Notebook: March 5

Steve Fiorindo
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Full BP & pregame I/O from ‘26 SS Keon Johnson. Whippy hands and lifted to the middle of the field throughout the rounds, athletic mover on the dirt & enough arm strength to stick on the left side. #4 in @PG_Georgia & #50 on the @PG_Draft Board. #PGHS @FPDVikingSports https://t.co/vYvReQKTVh pic.twitter.com/BksHJtA09X — Cam McElwaney (@CamMcElwaneyPG) February 20, 2026 Keon Johnson, SS, First Presbyterian Day Johnson has long been near the top of the 2026 rankings and it all culminated in being a PG All-American last August. He heads into the spring as one of the names to know in the upcoming MLB Draft and is drawing crowds to his high school in Macon. It’s a well-built 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame with good actions up the middle. The defensive acumen has continued to improve over the last few years and now looks comfortable at shortstop and even projects there...
College | Rankings | 3/4/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 4

Nick Herfordt
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The 2026 college baseball season is starting to reveal its early storylines, and across the Division II and Division III landscape a few programs have already forced their way into the spotlight. From the blistering start by the Pittsburg State Gorillas baseball that rocketed them to the top of the rankings, to the steadily rising championship ambitions of the Taylor Trojans baseball, the national picture is beginning to take shape. In Division III, heavyweight programs like the Trinity Tigers baseball and the Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks baseball have already traded blows in one of the season’s first statement series, while emerging challengers such as the Keene State Owls baseball are looking to turn early momentum into a breakout year. With many teams still just getting their seasons underway, the rankings remain fluid, but the early results are already giving us clues...
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