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Tournaments  | Championship | 7/15/2026

East Cobb Go Undefeated, Takes 14U BCS

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 game with a single to center field, however, Carter also came ready to play as he struck out the following batter. A fly out to right field ended the inning scoreless.

Brayden Basso pitched the first four innings for the Pokers, striking out five batters. The right-hander showed his power with his fastball topping at 80 mph. He struck out his first batter and two more outs quickly followed, showing the matchup to be a defensive battle from the start.

Impressive pitching led the way on both teams as Carter struck out two more batters in the second, facing the minimum three batters in the inning.

The back-and-forth defensive battle continued as Basso struck out two additional batters of his own to enter the third inning with both teams still scoreless.

With the intensity that a championship game brings, the energy on the field and in the stands was high. Cheering, clapping and chanting filled the air as the tight bond between the players on both teams was on full display.

The first run of the game was finally scored in the bottom of the third. Connor McCloud singled to open the inning and quickly advanced to second after a wild pitch. He scored on an error to give his team the first lead of the afternoon. Yet another strikeout from Basso ended the inning.

The Pokers came alive in the fourth inning. Anstett singled and later scored to tie the game 1-1. The Pokers’ support for one another was undeniable as they erupted in celebration when Anstett crossed home plate, surrounding him as though they had just won the game.

Basso reached first on an error and MJ Chen doubled to drive him in.

The Pokers kept the pressure on offensively as Tyler O’Dell then hit an RBI single, allowing Chen to score and bringing the lead to 3-1. Jake Quintana doubled, but a ground out to shortstop ended the inning.

Basso recorded his fifth strikeout in the bottom of the fourth and a diving catch from Quintana in the outfield ended the inning.

Landon Ford entered in relief for East Cobb to start the fifth inning. He allowed three hits and no walks while striking out three batters in three innings. His fastball sat 77-81 mph.

In the bottom of the fifth, East Cobb began their comeback starting with Ben Saez, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, one double and one run scored. He hit an RBI single to score Easton Newsom. Saez earned tournament MVP honors, hitting .556 through nine games.

McCloud reached first base on error and scored after Landon Pierce singled to tie the game 3-3, sending the already electric atmosphere to another level.

“We’ve been hitting well all week,” East Cobb head coach Rock Rucker said. “I just kept telling them to stay in the moment, stay in the game. I’ve been preaching that all week.”

Chase Vega entered in relief for the Pokers and pitched the rest of the game, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out one batter over two innings.

Saez then scored on an error to regain the lead for his team, 4-3.

Back-to-back strikeouts from Ford quickly ended the top of the sixth as East Cobb’s offensive momentum made its way to the mound.

“I think it was definitely keeping a positive energy in the dugout,” Saez said. “When things didn’t go as planned, we picked each other up.”

In the bottom of the sixth, East Cobb loaded the bases with no outs. Charlie Welch scored on a walk, bringing the lead to 5-3.

Saez delivered again, hitting a two-RBI double extend East Cobb’s lead to 7-3.

“The pitcher wasn’t throwing as much velo as some of the other kids we’ve seen, so I knew if I got a pitch I could hit, I was going to swing as hard as I can,” Saez said.

A strikeout from Vega ended the inning.

With one more chance to mount a comeback, the Pokers came to the plate in the top of the seventh. Quintana tripled and scored after Blake Evans singled to cut the deficit to three runs. However, a strikeout from Ford followed by a pop out to right field secured a 7-4 victory for East Cobb.

“Honestly, it means everything,” Rucker said. “We had a great start to the year. After that we kind of hit a bump in the road, but for the past three weeks we’ve come back together as a team, and we were very successful this week."

Tournaments | Story | 7/22/2026

15u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 5

Perfect Game Staff
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15u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 Noah Rumley (‘29 NC) has been up to 90 so far in this start w/ 8 Ks in 4 innings of work. Really jumps out of the hand at foot strike w/ some ride to it; has also mixed in a SL w/ horizontal action. #WWBA @PG_Coastal pic.twitter.com/OcU57a3Syl — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 21, 2026 Noah Rumley (2029, Summerfield, N.C.) got the ball for GBC Lopez 2029 15u in their final game of pool play and dominated, going up against a tough lineup in the East Cobb Astros. The 6-foot-2 left-handed pitcher ended up going five innings, allowing only one hit and one run, while striking out nine. It’s premium stuff at the 15u level as he worked easily in the upper-80s, topping at 90 mph in the first. The breaking ball showed two-plane shape in the upper-70s as well. There’s a ton of things to like already and even...
Tournaments | Championship | 7/22/2026

Champions Named at Southwest Select

Emily Hicks
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Another week of Perfect Game baseball concluded as champions were crowned in the 15U, 16U, and 18U divisions of the Southwest Select Championship. After several days of pool play and championship bracket action, three teams rose above the competition to capture tournament titles following a week of high-level baseball. Throughout the tournament, teams from across the Southwest and beyond competed in closely contested matchups, producing standout pitching performances, timely offense, and memorable defensive plays. As the bracket narrowed, each division featured championship-caliber baseball before the final trophies were awarded. 15U Championship The 15U division title was claimed by AZ Prodigy, who defeated Nomadic 14U Premier by a score of 2-1 in the championship game. After putting together a strong tournament run, AZ Prodigy continued its momentum in the title game with contributions...
All American Game | Story | 7/22/2026

PGAAC Roster Reveal

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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 ANNOUNCES TEAM ROSTERS FOR 2026 DICK'S ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC AT CITIZENS BANK PARK   The rosters span 20 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Canada, with California leading the way Jersey City's Finnian O'Loughlin gives the host region a player in the spotlight Field includes sons of Hall of Famer Frank Thomas & MLB All-Star Brad Hawpe   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Wednesday, July 22, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the Team East and Team West rosters for the 2026 DICK'S All-American Classic, set for Sunday, August 16 at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. The 60-player field represents the top...
Tournaments | Championship | 7/22/2026

Florida Burn Cruise to 17U BCS Crown

Alyssa Golden
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Ranked fifth nationally entering the tournament, Florida Burn 2027 Scout left no doubt who the best team was at the 17U BCS National Championship. Burn finished a perfect 9-0 tournament, earning an 11-1 semifinal victory before defeating No. 86-ranked Original Florida Pokers 2027 National, 9-1, Tuesday afternoon at JetBlue Park. Burn seized control early and never looked back in a game that ended after the fifth inning per Perfect Game’s mercy rule. Burn carried its explosive offense into the championship game as Braedon Mackay launched a two-run home run in the first inning, giving his team an early 2-0 lead. Mackay’s home run sparked a five-run opening inning, setting the tone for the rest of the afternoon. The Florida commit later earned tournament MVP honors after helping lead Burn to an unbeaten championship run. “I was just trying to get something started,”...
PG Select Baseball Festival | General | 7/21/2026

13u Select Festival Roster Reveal

Jheremy Brown
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With the completion of the 2026 13u National Showcase, an event that featured some of the best talent the age group has to offer, 42 players came out with the label of "Festivaler" as they received a phone call shortly after the event concluded. Moving back to the University of Tennessee after a two year stay at the University of Virginia, Ole Rocky Top will see a mixed bag of returners; three-timers, new faces and a couple who bridged the gap from the 11u game into the 13u iteration.  Of the 42 players, 9 players call Florida their home base which is the most of any state while Texas (8), California (7) and Georgia (5) are all close behind nearly three-quarters of the players selected. In total 17 different states are represented, from Hawaii to Arkansas, Washington to Maryland and everywhere in between.  Quick roster breakdown: Three-time Select Festival: 13 players ...
Tournaments | Story | 7/21/2026

UBC Midwest X Atlantic Notes: Part 1

Blaine Peterson
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Jack Postma (2028, Barrington, IL) made an impression in Chicago this week. A 6-foot-5 right hander with a starter pitch mix. Topped out at 93 in his outing at UBC Midwest and pitched at 88-93 for 2 innings on the mound. Slider showed late horizontal bite at its best when finished out front. Change up is a usable third pitch with fading action and ability to miss bats. Clean overall operation in the delivery. Upside with added stability in the arm action. Chance to be one of the top prospects in Illinois and potentially the country with necessary adjustments moving forward.  Connor Basinski (2028, Columbia, IL) an athletic player with 2-way potential. Physicality stands out for a player in the 2028 class. Swung the bat impressively well in Chicago. Hits from a wide stance and stays balanced using strength and leverage to drive the baseball to all fields. Launched a long pull side...
Tournaments | Story | 7/21/2026

15u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 4

Perfect Game Staff
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15u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 Mason Conner (2029, Palestine, Texas) was a force in the middle-of-the-order for Gold Culture. The right-handed hitter starts from a medium stance with in-line feet and a low handset with a low back elbow, utilizes a negative leg lift stride. Strides through and uncoils the lower half well and creates separation in the back shoulder. Solid hand speed with a flat bat plane and feel to leverage and lift. Impacts the ball well with feel to impact and drive. The shortstop showed the power upside belting a two-run homer over the fence in left field and added a two-RBI knock later in the game. Medium 6-foot, 175-pound frame that was consistently on the barrel and showed a good approach at the plate working two walks. Lennon Dunn (2029, Mansfield, Texas) competed and showed the upside on the mound for Stix 2029 Scout. The right-handed pitcher...
Tournaments | Story | 7/21/2026

16U BCS Rolls into Fort Myers

Alyssa Golden
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The 21st annual 16U BCS National Championship returns to Fort Myers, Florida from July 23-27, bringing together many of the nation’s top 2028 graduates. The tournament features 44 teams, including six nationally ranked clubs, competing for a national title across five days of high-level competition. Year after year, the event has served as a proving ground for elite talent. Defending champion Showtime Select National 16U returns after capturing last year’s championship, while a talented field from across the country will look to add its name to the event’s prestigious history. One of the premier prospects in the field, shortstop Gabriel Coupet enters as the highest-ranked player in attendance, checking in at No. 49 overall in the Class of 2028 and No. 8 player in Florida. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native has established himself as one of the country’s most talented...
College | Story | 7/21/2026

Coppy's Corner: July 21 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: Coen Niclai – Wareham Gatemen  The Internet tells me that 12 MLB players have come from Alaska, 10 of whom were from Anchorage, and the best of which is Curt Schilling. Niclai, who is also...
Tournaments | Championship | 7/20/2026

FTB National Completes Elite Run

Kinley Kitchens
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Championships are never won in a single game. For FTB National 2027, this one has been in the making for years. An 8-0 victory over Team Elite 17U Scout capped off an unforgettable week at the 2026 Perfect Game 17U National Elite Championship, but according to those inside the dugout, the championship was a product of friendships formed long before the tournament ever began. FTB took their first national elite win in team history, giving one of the nation’s top 2027 teams an elite ending to their 17U summer. “This is a homegrown group,” head coach Will Haynie said. “This team has been together for the last four or five years, and I think a lot of them have been together since the Little League World Series when they were 12. It’s been fun, and a nice little cap off to their 17U summer, especially after winning a big event like this.” That chemistry...
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