CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The 2019 Perfect Game tournament and showcase seasons will officially add their names to the history books when the PG National Underclass Showcase-Main Event, PG 14u Showcase-Main Event and PG Uncommitted Showcase-Main Event (2020 grads) in Fort Myers, Fla., conclude their three-day runs on Dec. 30.
Thousands of young prospects attended PG showcases, participated in PG Series events and played in PG tournaments in the past year. The latter included PG World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) – including five PG World Series (14u-18u) – Baseball Championship Series (BCS), Super25, PG Youth and the PG Baseball Association (PGBA) tournaments.
It all added up to another successful year for PG in its efforts to create opportunities for young players while continuing to grow the game both nationally and internationally. Subscribers can click here to view PG’s Final 2019 PG Travel Team Rankings and click here to see the most updated National Prospect Rankings. Complete 2019 tournament results can be found by clicking here.
What follows is a recap of many noteworthy happenings from 2019 in the 14u through 18u age-groups, highlighting both team and individual accomplishments:
BCS, Super25 champions emerge from fray
The BCS and Super25 circuits are the only PG national championship events that use metal bats, giving prospects an opportunity to swing the same BBCOR bats during the summer that they swing during their youth or high school seasons (and what they will be swinging in college).
Five programs from three US states and Canada claimed PG BCS national championships in the older age divisions in 2019: 14u: Genesis Baseball (Florida); 15u: 5 Star National 15u Dobbs (Georgia); 16u: Dulins Dodgers 16u Godwin (Texas); 17u: Florida Burn 2020 Platinum; 18u: Okotoks Dawgs 18u Black (Alberta, Canada).
5 Star National 15u Dobbs was stellar all summer and winning the championship 15u BCS helped the 5 Star’s finish as the No. 1 team in the final PG 15u National Travel Team Rankings. 5 Star 2022 OF/1B Gage Harrelson was named MV Player after helping the National 15u Dobbs finish with a 9-1-0 record.
“We try to recruit gritty, gutty, scrappy players and that’s exactly why we’re here today,” 5 Star National 15u head Coach Britt Dobbs told PG postgame. “We’ve got 19 guys who all week long unselfishly played the roles the coaching staff asked them to do and they did it to the best of their abilities, and here we are. … Our number-one thing that we say around here is ‘go a thousand miles per hour.’”
Winning the 17u PG BCS championship was just a table-setter for the great things to come in 2019 for the Florida Burn 2020 Platinum, which finished No. 2 in the final 17u TT Rankings. The Burn stood 10-0-0 after beating the East Cobb Astros 17u Navy, 2-0, in the championship game. They outscored their six pool-play opponents by a combined 41-3 and then won four playoff games by scores of 1-0, 2-1, 2-1 and, finally, 2-0.
“I’m really proud of our pitching,” Burn 2020 Platinum head coach Craig Faulkner told PG after the championship game victory. “It’s just throwing a bunch of strikes and having great defense. … It’s a really special group of guys, beating some of the best teams in the nation.” Burn Platinum 2020 ’20 RHP Trace Goforth was named the MV Pitcher.
The Okotoks Dawgs 18u Black became only the second team from north of border to win a PG BCS national championship, following the Ontario Blue Jays in 2015.
The Dawgs went 8-0-0 en route to the title, which landed them in the No. 3 spot in the final PG 18u Travel Team Rankings. 2019 OF Micah McDowell was named the MV Player and 2019 right-hander Matthew Dobberthein the MV Pitcher.
“Our guys, they never wavered, they believed in themselves from the get-go, and they left it all out on the field,” head coach Jeff Duda said. “They got the result that I feel like they deserved.”
The four PG Super25 national champs from the 14u-17u age divisions were based in three states: 14u: Florida Hurricanes 14u Platinum (Florida); 15u: Keystone State Bombers (Pennsylvania); 16u: East Cobb Astros 16u (Georgia); 17u: Ostingers Baseball Academy 2020 (Florida).
Ostingers, a small program based in the Tampa area, went 6-1-0 in taking the title at the PG Super25 17u NC; 2020 CIF/C Brock Wilken was named the MV Player and 2020 RHP Cole Stallings the MV Pitcher. They helped lead a team that went a combined 15-2-1 at the PG WWBA 17u and PG Super25 17u national championships.
“It was very special,” program founder/head coach Jim Osting told PG earlier this month. “… If you make it to that last day in Atlanta (at the WWBA 17u), that’s a pretty special tournament and a pretty special week for the kids. I think the kids realized the importance of those events. We kind of focused our summer around those (two) weeks in a row there, and they came out and played great.”
Traditional WWBA National Champions crowned; inaugural WWBA NCs added
Virginia-based Canes Baseball and Georgia-based Team Elite, two of the most prominent and successful travel team organizations in the country, took home two titles apiece at the traditional PG WWBA National Championships played in the north Atlanta suburbs in June and July.
The Canes National 15u and the Canes National 17 were crowned at the PG WWBA 15u and 17u National Championships, respectively. The Team Elite 14u National and the Team Elite 16u Scout Team won at the 14u and 16u age divisions, respectively; Team Georgia 17u National won the PG WWBA 18u National Championship.
Those championships paid-off big-time when it came to garnering postseason recognition. Both the Canes National 17 (17u) and the Team Elite 16u Scout Team (16u) were ranked No. 1 at seasons’ end, while the Canes National 15u (15u) and the Team Elite 14u National (14u) finished at No. 2.
The TE 16u Scout Team went 12-0-0 while winning the 16u championship, with 2021 SS Izaac Pacheco and 2021 RHP Grant Taylor taking home MV Player and MV Pitcher honors, respectively. They were able to get past Academy Select 16u Ingram, 5-4, in the championship game.
“It just seemed like every game one of these guys stepped up and did something big,” TE 16u ST head coach JB Brotherton told PG postgame. “The testament is with these guys, everyday it was somebody different.”
The Canes National 17 also went 12-0-0 on their way to winning the WWBA 17u championship, a mark that included an 8-3 win over the Dallas Patriots 17u Stout in the championship game. It was the third PG WWBA 17u championship the Canes Baseball organization captured since 2014, with the other one coming in 2017.
Canes’ 2020 RHP Tyler Olenchuk was named the MV Pitcher, helping the Canes 17 win the war of attrition that the PG WWBA 17u National Championship inevitably becomes.
“It’s incredible,” Olenchuk told PG after the championship game. “One guy comes out and shoves; you have 15 more guys. Everybody builds off everybody (else) and when everybody is doing their thing, stuff happens like this – championships.”
2022 SS/OF Cole Young and 2022 LHP Tristan Smith from the Canes National 15u were the MV Player and MV Pitcher, respectively, at the PG WWBA 15u NC. Team Elite 14u National 2023 shortstop Jaxon Willits and 2023 RHP Bransen Powell were the MV Player and MV Pitcher, respectively, at the WWBA 14u NC.
Teams playing in the 14u-17u PG WWBA National Championships in Georgia were also involved in PG Cares’ fund-raising efforts that benefitted the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. (please see last item of article).
Many other teams from all across the country were also able to claim PG WWBA national championships in 2019 due to the addition of age-group events in Arizona, Iowa and Texas. Those tournaments the WWBA West (Arizona), WWBA Prospect Meadows (Iowa) and WWBA South (Texas) National Championships, all of which were played in June and July.
Familiar names take home titles at PG World Series, PG Fall Championships
By the time the 2019 PG World Series national championships concluded in late July, the proverbial cream had, indeed, risen to the top.
5 Star National 15u Dobbs fed off its championship at the PG BCS 15u and runner-up finish at the PG WWBA 15u and won the 15u PGWS. Likewise, the Canes National 17 completed a 23-1-1 summer by capturing the 17u PGWS title out in the desert.
The other PGWS champions included the No. 1-ranked Kangaroo Court Roos American (Florida) at 14u, the No. 5 Dulins Dodgers 16u Ince at 16u and No. 1 Next Level Baseball 18u at the 18u age division.
The Canes National 17 followed up their 12-0-0 finish at the PG WWBA 17u NC with a 6-0-1 effort while winning the 17u PGWS, beating the San Diego Show, 7-0, in the championship game played in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Canes’ 2020 C/UT Cooper Ingle was named the MV Player.
“We had never won the (17u) World Wood Bat and the (17u PG) World Series in the same summer; we had never done that before,” Canes Baseball President & CEO and head coach Jeff Petty told PG before the WWBA World Championship in October. “That was a big deal for us and our kids really take it seriously because they want to win and they battle to the last out. …
“We did it in Atlanta; we did it in Phoenix in 100-degree-whatever heat,” he added “This group of guys, they’ve done it time and time again all year.”
The championship won by the Dulins Dodgers 16u Ince at the 16u PGWS was remarkable in a couple of different ways, mostly because it marked the third straight year the players who made up the core of the roster had won a PGWS title – they won the 14u in 2017 and the 15u in 2018. The Dodgers 16u Ince went 7-0-1 at the 16u PGWS to wrap-up a 21-3-2 summer season, with 2020 INF/RHP Lane Forsythe winning the MV Pitcher.
“To me, at the end of the day, when you win something that’s as special as a Perfect Game World Series … it’s all about the process and the chemistry that you’ve built throughout the year or throughout the years; so for us, we’ve kept this core group of kids together,” Dodgers founder/CEO/manager Tim Dulin told PG in late November. “… Each year, it becomes more and more difficult to win it.”
It also marked the end of the final PG summer season for long-time Dodger Blaze Jordan, who had finished the 2018 season as the No. 1-ranked prospect in the class of 2021. Jordan reclassified to a 2020 in the spring (he is now ranked No. 2 among the 2020s) and went on to become a PG All-American a year earlier than originally planned.
The 2019 PG WWBA Fall National Championships Protected by G-Form became a showcase platform for Michael Garciaparra’s Southern California-based GBG program.
GBG Marucci Navy 2020 and GBG Marucci Navy 2023 won the Upperclass and Freshman Fall National Championships, respectively, over the second weekend in September and the GBG Marucci Navy 2021 won the Underclass Fall NC the following weekend. The three teams combined to finish 19-0-0 at the three PG national championship tournaments.
“It obviously means a lot,” GBG founder/general manager/manager Michael Garciaparra told PG during a telephone conversation in late October. “It speaks volumes about the coaches we have in our program … and the people we attract. We’ve attracted these type of players that are competitive, good academically and have the same goals, so for us to sweep those tournaments, that was actually a very big deal.”
GBG prospects swept the MVP awards at all three tournaments: 2020 INF Rocco Peppi and 2020 RHP were the MVP and MVPi at the Upperclass Fall; 2021 C/OF Josiah Chavez and 2021 RHP Griffin Stark were the MVP and MVPi at the Underclass Fall; 2023 MIF/RHP Julien Cojulun and 2023 RHP/MIF were the MVP and MVPi at the Freshman Fall.
PG WWBA World Championship titles claimed in younger age-groups
For the past several years now, young prospects still a year or two away from competing at the PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., have whetted their appetites for that big event by competing at the WWBA Underclass, Sophomore and Freshman World Championships in Fort Myers, Fla., and West Palm Beach, Fla. Tournament directors added the PG WWBA 14u World Championship to the calendar in 2019.
The Canes National 17u sprinted to the championship at the PG WWBA Underclass World, finishing with an 8-0-0 record after edging the Scorpions 2021 Founders Club, 1-0 in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh in the championship game at jetBlue Park in Fort Myers.
2023 RHP Gage Ziehl worked six, three-hit shutout innings for the Canes, with seven strikeouts and one walk. He had pitched three other shutout innings earlier at the event and finished with 15 strikeouts and one walk in nine innings and was named the MV Pitcher. Canes National 17u 2021 SS JD Suarez was the MV Player.
“I had a lot of fun,” Suarez told PG after the championship game. “I had a heck of a team and we fought all week, and I could give this award to three or four of our guys. I just had a ton of fun.”
5 Star National 2022 Burress went 8-0-0 and got MVP and MVPi performances from 2022 3B Sal Stewart and 2022 RHP Lane Essary on the way to winning the PG WWBA Sophomore World Championship title.
“It’s all about my teammates, honestly,” Stewart, who drove in 11 runs at the tournament, told PG after 5 Star had beaten FTB Tucci, 8-0, in the championship game. “They are the ones helping me out, getting in scoring position and allowing me to get RBIs. I can’t put it on myself. I put it on my teammates because they give me everything.”
The Top Tier Roos American 2023 went 7-0-0 while capturing the PG WWBA Freshman World Championship behind MVP Aidan Miller, a 2023 3B/RHP ranked No. 2 nationally in his class. The Florida Hurricanes 14u Platinum won the inaugural PG WWBA 14u World Championship with a 6-0-0 record; Hurricanes 2024 CIF/UT Gian De Castro was the MVP.
Burn 2020 Platinum wins second straight Jupiter championship
The Sarasota-based Florida Burn Baseball organization became one of the country’s most prominent during this decade. It put an exclamation point on that standing when the Florida Burn 2020 Platinum won the championship at the PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., for a second straight year.
The Burn 2020 Platinum finished with an 8-0-0 record after dusting off the North Carolina-based Dirtbags, 11-2 in five innings, in the championship game played on a beautiful mid-October afternoon at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
The Dirtbags’ program was looking for at least a share of a third Jupiter title after being co-champs in 2010 and winning it outright in 2016.
PG All-American Jake Deleo led-off the top of the first inning with a solo home run to give the Dirtbags an early 1-0 lead, but the Burn answered with two of their own in the bottom half of the frame for a 2-1 lead. They then went off for nine runs in the bottom of the third against a fatigued Dirtbags’ pitching staff and cruised to the win.
“Sometimes, this can be an intimidating scene,” Florida Burn founder and co-head coach Mark Guthrie said postgame while his players were getting fitted for PG WWBA World Championship rings. “I’m proud of these guys for the way they did it and I’m happy that they get to go through this and experience what some of our other guys have done.”
Tommy White singled twice, drove in three runs and scored three; Bayron Acevedo doubled, drove in two runs and scored two, and PG All-American Mac Guscette doubled with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Burn’s nine-hit attack. White and Guscette, both highly regarded 2020s, were among a handful of players who were also a part of the Burn Platinum’s 2018 Jupiter championship run.
“Every day I’m so grateful to have these guys on my team,” White said. “We’re so close – we’re just a big family with the Florida Burn – and everybody loves each other. … We just love coming out to the baseball field every day and giving it our all.”
The C/INF Guscette, a Florida signee ranked No. 52 nationally, hit 10-for-22 (.455) with three doubles, seven singles, five RBI and six runs scored during the week and was named the MV Player.
“This tournament is crazy; here in Jupiter it’s just insane,” he said. “There are so many good teams and honestly you’ve just got to fight. We (felt) like the underdogs both years and we just won it again so anyone can win this thing.”
Dirtbags 2020 RHP Ben Sieracki threw eight six-hit, shutout innings over two appearances and was named the MV Pitcher.
PG 14u Select Fest, PG 13u Select Fest share late summer spotlight
The Perfect Game 14u Select Baseball Festival played out in Fort Myers, Fla., over the long Labor Day Weekend for a fourth straight year in 2019, just a week after the inaugural PG 13u Select Baseball Festival made its debut in Norman, Okla., Aug. 23-25.
Both nationally televised all-star events provided outstanding opportunities for the young prospects, most from the classes of 2022-2024.
The 4th annual PG 14u Select Baseball Festival welcomed in 44 of the top 14u age-eligible prospects for its three-day run, with baseball-related activities taking place at the jetBlue Park MLB spring training complex in Fort Myers, with the players and their families staying in royal comfort at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Hotel on the beach in nearby Bonita Springs.
This year’s two teams were coached by former major-leaguers Tom “Flash” Gordon and Tanyon Sturtze, and were appropriately named Team Gordon and Team Sturtze.
“I just thank God that I get an opportunity to be on the field; it’s what I like doing,” said Gordon, who also coached one of the teams at the 13u Select Fest. “I enjoy being around these kids and seeing them play but also seeing them growing up.”
This marked Sturtze’s debut as a coach/mentor at a Perfect Game event, but it didn’t take him long to realize he was surrounded with some pretty amazing young talent.
“I’ve talked to some of the kids already and they’re well aware of what they’re here for,” Sturtze said during the event’s first practice session. “They’re here to have a good time and just go out there and showcase what they’ve got. We want them to enjoy themselves and we want them all to go to (college).”
Team Gordon won the game, 8-2, on the strength of seven hits, while also taking advantage of 14 walks issued by Team Sturtze pitchers and four errors committed by Sturtze fielders. Top 2022 OF/RHP Nolan Schubart (Michigan commit, No. 10-ranked) doubled, singled and drove in two runs and also pitched one shutout inning, and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
“It was one of the most fun games I’ve ever played in with my teammates and the team we played against,” Schubart said postgame. “It was great competition, best in the world, and we were able to stay on top.”
Several of the young prospects were feted at the 14u Fest Awards Dinner the night before the game. Nationally No. 2-ranked 2022 SS Termarr Johnson was named the PG 14u Player of the Year, while nationally No. 36-ranked 2023 RHP Jake Lankie was named the PG 14u Pitcher of the Year.
The 14u Select Festival players were also involved in fund-raising efforts to benefit the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida (please see last item of article).
Perfect Game invited 30 of the top 13u age-eligible players to its inaugural 13u Select Baseball Festival which enjoyed a three-day run in Norman, Okla., from Aug. 23-25 with the game played at the University of Oklahoma’s L. Dale Mitchell Park.
The teams’ coaches were former big-leaguers Junior Spivey and Homer Bush, who directed Team Spivey and Team Bush, respectively; Team Spivey was on top at game’s end, 5-3.
Team Spivey’s Anthony Tralongo, Cade Arrambide, Miles Preston Ghossein, Parker Picot and Dyson Fields each knocked in a run in the victory. Team Bush’s Jarren Purify turned in the game’s only multi-hit performance with a pair of singles. Pico reached base three times, had an RBI and a run scored and pitched one shutout inning;
Team Spivey’s Tralongo, a 2024 3B/C, delivered an RBI double and walked, and was named the game’s MV Player. He was also cited as the PG 13u Player of the Year during the event’s Awards Dinner held the previous night.
“There’s no way I was on that level at that age – there’s no way,” Spivey told PG at the conclusion of the game when asked about the young players he observed over the course of the weekend. “Thirteen years old, playing the way they play. They’re way ahead of the game and they all have bright futures ahead of them.”
As part of their participation at the 13u Fest, the players were also involved in fund-raising that benefitted the Kids Korral, a privately funded project of the Toby Keith Foundation that provides housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families (please see last item of article).
Underclass stars shine at 14th PG Jr. National Showcase
Hoover, Ala., and its Hoover Met Sports Complex proved to be more than capable hosts for the 14th annual Perfect Game Junior National Showcase, which enjoyed its four-day run from June 6-9. Just more than 260 of the top prep prospects from the classes of 2021 and 2022 were in attendance at the invitation-only underclass event.
Although no Top Prospect List was published from the event, several of the top 2021s in attendance grabbed the attention of hundreds of college coaches/recruiters in attendance with standout performances during the workout sessions, batting practice and game-play.
The No. 1 standout was the country’s No. 1-ranked 2021 prospect, SS/RHP Brady House (Tennessee commit). House joined 2021 RHP Andrew Painter (Florida commit, No. 10-ranked) by throwing an event-high 94 mph fastball.
He also tied 2021 CIF Grant Hussey (West Virginia, No. 145) and 2021 OF Thomas Dilandri (TCU, No. 27) with an event-best 98 mph exit velo and threw 95 mph across the infield, an effort second only to the 97 mph throw from 2021 SS Aries Samek (Clemson, No. 65).
Samek also ran a 6.51-second 60-yard dash, an effort that trailed only the 6.37-second clocking turned-in by 2021 OF Tristan Horst (Cincinnati, No. 267). Horst’s 1.48-second 10-yard split was an event-best.
Seventeen pitchers delivered their fastballs at 91 mph or faster, with 2021 RHPs Christian Little (Vanderbilt, No. 2) and Anthony Susac (Arizona, No. 30) following House and Painter with 93 mph heaters.
“This is a good way to kick off the summer,” said Little, who, like House, was at both the 2017 and 2018 PG 14u Select Baseball Festivals. “We get to see more of the top players in the country that we haven’t seen all spring. … It’s kids that I got to play with last summer and get to share experiences with, and hopefully I can create new experiences with them here.”
2021 OF/RHP John Rizzo (Texas A&M, No. 99) threw an event-best 97 mph from the outfield, a couple of ticks faster than the 95 mph efforts from Dilandri, 2021 OF/RHP Cody Howard (Baylor, No. 115) and 2021 OF Tyree Reed (Oregon State, No. 6).
2021 SS/RHP Spencer Sheets (Auburn, No. 125) and 2021 infielder Drake Varnado (Arkansas, No. 29) both threw 94 mph across the infield, just behind Samek and House.
PG National Showcase brings heat to the Arizona desert
Chase Field, the domed home to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the heart of downtown Phoenix, proved to be the ideal venue to serve as host for the 19th annual Perfect Game National Showcase, which ran over five days from June 11-15; it was the first PG National staged west of the Rocky Mountains.
Right around 290 of the top prospects from the class of 2020 – rising seniors if you will – gathered inside of air-conditioned comfort of Chase Field while outside temperatures soared well north of 100 degrees. With five days set aside to showcase their talents, the prospects were intent on bringing a little heat of their own to the festivities.
And they didn’t disappoint. All but one of the 54 prospects selected to take part in the 2019 PG All-American Classic in San Diego to end the summer were also at the PG National to kick-off the summer.
One of those was corner-infielder Blaze Jordan, a then-16 year old top prospect out of Mississippi who in the spring reclassified as a 2020 after starting his career as a 2021. The move meant that instead of performing at a second-straight PG Jr. National Showcase in 2019, Jordan found himself at Chase Field chasing an invitation to the PG All-American Classic.
“This is really one of the best experiences that I’ve had, playing against the best in the country,” Jordan told PG during the event. “You’re going to see all of these guys in the draft next year and most of them are going to major D-I schools so it’s pretty cool to be able to play with all these and compete against them.”
Two event records were set at this year’s National and both involved arm velocity. California RHP/OF Jared Jones (Texas, No. 23) threw a record 100 mph from the outfield during his workout session and Puerto Rico SS Sabin Ceballos (Bethune-Cookman, No. 68) followed with a record 99 mph throw across the infield.
Pitching velocities went through the Chase Field roof at the event, especially in the first two days. At least 15 pitchers delivered their fastballs home at 94 mph or better and eight topped 95 mph.
Texas RHP Jared Kelley (Texas, No. 4) topped the field at 98 mph, followed closely by Oregon RHP Mick Abel (Oregon State, No. 6) at 97 mph. Virginia LHP Nate Savino (Virginia. No. 5), Florida RHP Victor Mederos (Miami, No. 49) and Indiana RHP Charez Butcher (Tennessee, No. 62) all touched 96.
As good as the pitching prospects were, they didn’t exactly leave their position-playing brethren in the dust. It soon became evident that the batting practice sessions and the infield/outfield/catcher workout sessions had become must-see for the hundreds of scouts seated at Chase Field.
“I don’t think that I’ve seen position players that are as top-end toolsy as this class has been as far as arm strength, as far as running speeds and things like that,” PG National Scouting Director Jered Goodwin said during the last day of the event. “We’ll see as we go how much they develop and how much they can do in-game, but that’s the biggest thing that I saw.”
Shortstops from Puerto Rico, including Ceballos, turned-in three of the top four infield velos with Steven Ondina (FIU, No. 65) throwing 97 mph and Anibal Saez (Coll. of Cent. Florida, t-500 throwing 95 mph. Sandwiched between them was Arizona 3B Ethan Long (Arizona State, No. 44) with a 96 mph effort; six infielders topped the 94 mph threshold.
Three other outfielders came close to hitting the century mark with their throws: California’s Chase Davis (Arizona, No. 8), Georgia’s Brad Grenkoski (Georgia Tech, No. 120) and Florida’s Jonathan Ramallo (uncommitted, t-500) all threw 99 mph; 14 outfielders threw 95 mph or better.
Sixteen runners turned in 60-yard dash times of 6.50-seconds or faster, led by California OF Jake Vogel with a 6.15-second clocking, just two one-hundredths of a second off the event record. Oklahoma OF Dominic Johnson (Oklahoma State, No. 105) crossed in 6.22, Florida OF Enrique Bradfield Jr. (Vanderbilt. No. 51) in 6.26, and Puerto Rican OF Mario Zabala (FIU, No. 11) and Florida OF Asher Akridge both ran the distance in 6.32-seconds.
“I don’t think there’s any other amateur showcase that you can go to that’s like this,” Goodwin said. “For the college recruiters, it allows them to come to see their guys that they probably haven’t seen because the college season is so demanding. “On the professional level, the (MLB) Draft just gets done and this allows them to build a list of the guys they haven’t seen.”
West wins 4th straight PGAAC; Jordan receives Jackie Robinson Award
For the fourth straight year and the eighth time in the last nine years, the West team came out on top over the East at the 17th annual Perfect Game All-American Classic, played the evening of Aug. 11 at Petco Park in downtown San Diego..
For the second straight year the nationally televised Classic was the second game of a unique double-header with the Padres hosting the Rockies in a NL West showdown during the early afternoon; the Padres lost that game, 8-3.
The Classic proved to be a bit more of a nail-biter than the big-league game, with the West breaking a 1-all time with a three-run seventh and then hanging on for a 4-2 victory. Both squads had five hits and committed one error during the nine-inning all-star game that featured 54 of the most highly regarded prospects from the class of 2020. The East was done-in by leaving 10 runners on base.
The East’s Jordan Walker ripped a pair of singles and was the only player from either team to pick up multiple hits. Alex Freeland was the only East player credited with an RBI while the West’s Daniel Susac, AJ Vukovich and Robert Moore also drove in runs.
The West’s Drew Bowser, an elite infielder and a Stanford signee from Encino, Calif., doubled and walked and scored twice, and was named the game’s MV Player.
“Everyone was just having fun, and when you’re having fun it’s just always the best,” Bowser told PG during postgame comments, speaking specifically about the West’s seventh-inning rally. “We were pretty confident we would get some hits and it worked out for us.”
The game was scoreless through the first four innings, with the East’s Nate Savino, Alex Santos, Ryan Bruno and Carson Montgomery throwing a shutout inning apiece and the West’s Mick Abel, Jared Kelley, Daxton Fulton and Kyle Harrison following suit.
All 17 pitchers who toed the rubber at Petco Park during the game reached at least 90 mph with their fastballs. Kelley threw the hardest, using a 99 mph heater to tie the event record shared by Tyler Kolek (2013) and Daniel Espino (2013).
Being named the Classic’s MVP capped an incredible weekend for Bowser. He was the winner of the PGAAC Home Run Challenge when he dropped seven bombs behind the wall at Petco Park in the allotted time in the finals, besting West teammate Cayden Wallace, who slugged three.
PG All-Americans are also involved in fund-raising for PGAAC beneficiary Rady’s Children’s Hospital San Diego and Bowser was able to collect $15,000, the largest amount in the history of the game (please see last item of article).
The 17th annual PGAAC Awards Banquet was held at the downtown Bayfront Hilton Hotel and all 55 players recognized for their accomplishments.
Mississippi corner-infielder Blaze Jordan, a Mississippi State commit ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2020, was the recipient of the prestigious Jackie Robinson Award which recognizes the Perfect Game High School Player of the Year.
“This is great; I was never expecting to get this award,” Jordan told PG. “With all these other great guys out here, this is something that you never thought you’d get. I’m really excited to (earn) it, though. It’s really special to have someone like Jackie Robinson’s name on it. It’s incredible to even receive something like this.”
Eight other PGAAs were also recognized by PG partners and sponsors at the Awards Banquet (home state in parentheses):
Baseball America Pitcher of the Year: Mick Abel (Oregon)
Perfect Game Nick Adenhart Award: Austin Hendrick (Pennsylvania)
Trackman Award: Nate Savino (Virginia)
MLB/SiriusXM Two-Way Player Award: Jared Jones (California)
G-Form HBP Fearless Player Award: Robert Moore (Kansas)
Re-Play 5-Tool Award: Pete Crow-Armstrong (California)
Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year Award: Drew Romo (Texas)
Diamond Kinetics Offensive Player of the Year Award: Dylan Crews (Florida)
2019 Jackie Robinson Player of the Year Award: Blaze Jordan (Mississippi)
Players, teams help PG Cares Foundation raise record funds
Individual players and the travel ball teams on which they play helped the Perfect Game Cares Foundation collect nearly $336,000 through their fund-raising efforts at four PG WWBA National Championships in Georgia, and at the PG All-American Classic, the PG 14u Select Baseball Festival and the PG 13u Select Baseball Festival.
Teams from the 14u-17u age divisions raised $158,907 in funds to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Players selected to play in the PG All-American Classic in San Diego raised $86,564 to benefit Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, those at the PG 14u Select Baseball Festival in Fort Myers, Fla., donated $47,375 to benefit Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and the young teenagers invited to the PG 13u Select Baseball Festival in Norman, Okla., donated $43,057 that went to the Toby Keith Foundation’s OK Kids Korral.
“One of the most amazing things to watch is the excitement and determination these young men devote to helping these children,” Perfect Game Cares Executive Director Jennifer Ford said. “To have such givers’ hearts at such a young age is a testament to how well they are raised and how big of an impact they will make in the future within their communities.”
The top fundraising teams at the Georgia PG WWBA National Championships were:
14u ($11,270 raised): Cincinnati Spikes (Ohio), $10,100; 15u ($7,515): Bronx Bombers (New York), $4,000; 16u ($110,931): Team Steel Select, $35,000; 17u ($29,191): Knights Baseball 17u Platinum (Tennessee), $8,985.
Drew Bowser brought in $15,000 to lead the fundraising efforts at the PGACC, the most an individual has raised in the 17-year history of the event. Cade Kurland also set a record for the 14u Select Festival by bringing in $9,000.
The fundraising at the 13u Select Festival exceeded all expectations for an inaugural event by bringing in more than $43,000. Christian Rodriguez ($7,175) and Cade Arrambide ($7,100) were neck-and-neck in their efforts. All in all, it was a job very well done by one and all.
“There is no greater joy than giving without the expectation of something in return,” Ford said. “We look forward to even larger success in 2020. … Together we can help bring change and opportunity for the kids who need us the most.”