THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,802 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,802 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 6/3/2019

PG European Classic: Day 4

David Rawnsley
Photo: Ignas Pauliukevicius (Perfect Game)

PG European Classic: Day 1 Notes | Days 2-3 Notes
BRNO, CZE: The Lithuanian United Team 16u is a perfect example of where baseball is in Eastern Europe. The team came to the PG European Classic last year with mostly the same team and has improved significantly over the past 12 months. Their primary source of games at home is to play in the Lithuanian Adult League against much older players.

The manager/director of the Lithuanian team, in addition to youth baseball across the country, is Virmidas Neverauskas. If that last name sounds familiar, he is the father of Pittsburgh Pirates righthanded pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas, who might be the most unlikely Big League player ever considering his background growing up in Lithuania.

Virmidas Neverauskas was literally one of the first baseball players in Lithuania and helped start the first organized team in the country. For his son to climb the highest mountain in baseball so soon after the first seed of baseball was planted in the country is incredible in context.

A perfect example of the reality of where baseball in Lithuania and in Eastern Europe is at present can be captured in watching their outfielder Ignas Pauliukevicius (2021, Kaunas, LTU) play over a few games. Pauliukevicius is 16 years old and has an outstanding 6-foot-2, 175-pound athletic build. He performed extremely well in the PG Series testing all the athletes participated in here in Brno and recorded one of the strongest grip strengths ever recorded in PG Series participation. He’s the type of athlete who could be a three-sport standout right now at an American high school. The ball explodes off his bat when he squares it up, he runs well and he was 81 mph off the mound with very raw mechanics. But his present baseball skills are so young that he would have trouble at least initially competing with his age peers in the United States. On one play on Sunday, Pauliukevicius was on second base when a clean single was hit to left field. Neverauskas was coaching third base and had a clear stop sign out almost as soon as the ball landed in the outfield, but Pauliukevicius ran right through it head down. You could see Neverauskas’ head drop and his hand go to his forehead even before the play at the plate as if to say, “Yes, I will continue to work hard with these players and help them improve but we still have a long way to go.”

Top 16U Overall Prospect

Team National Cadets shortstop Merlin-Tyrus Bendlin has consistently impressed this scout throughout the European Classic with his high-level athleticism and skills at shortstop defensively. He’s a very live-bodied athlete with bounce in all his actions and can really work through a ball well at shortstop and get rid of it quickly. Based on his 30-yard time in testing (3.81) he is probably at 6.7-6.8 type runner in the 60 and it would be very easy to give him a PG 9 grade for his fielding. Bendlin’s swing is quick and twitchy and he showed power today with a double off the left field fence, so he’s not just a high-level defender. He’s 16 years, 10 months old and will receive his high school certificate next year, so he’s the equivalent of a 2020 player in the United States. Impressively, Bendlin is also the youngest player ever to play in the top division of the German Bundesliga after making the Mannheim Tornados team this year. Bendlin can certainly play middle infield at a mid-level D1 school and probably at many higher level D1 schools.

16U Final Standings

Czech Baseball Academy Red 5-0
Czech Baseball Academy Blue 4-1
National Team Cadets 4-1
KMC Ambassadors 3-2
Czech National Team 2-2-1
Lithuanian Baseball 1-4
Czech Baseball Academy White 2-3
Ukraine United Team 16U 1-3-1
Hrosi Brno 16U 2-3
Slovakia 15U 0-5


16U Most Valuable Player
Catcher Matej Vlach (2022, Hluboká Nad Vltavou, CZE) hit in the leadoff spot for the runner-up Czech Baseball Academy Blue team and executed his role perfectly, going 8-for-14 at the plate in addition to drawing four walks, stealing six bases and scoring eight runs in five games. In addition, his walk off single in Czech Blue’s 6-5 win over National Team Cadets enabled his team to reach the championship game.

16U Most Valuable Pitcher/Top 16U Pitching Prospect

Lefthander Tomas Hrbek (2020, Brno, CZE) started two games for the champion Czech Baseball Academy Red team, picking up two wins, including throwing five innings of three-hit baseball in the championship game. Hrbek has a strong and projectable 6-foot athletic build and a very smooth delivery and arm action that produced a fastball up to 83 mph to go with a nice low-70’s slider.  Hrbek is 16 years, 5 months old and there is no question that he’ll throw harder as he further matures physically and he already has the delivery, pitchability and arm action to build from.

12U Final Standings

Czech Baseball Academy Green 5-0
Czech National Team 12U 4-1
Technicka Brno 12U 4-1
Hrosi Brno 12U 3-2
Euro Baseball Tour 12U 3-2
Ukraine United Team 12U 2-3
KMC Ambassadors 2-3
Slovakia 12U 1-4
Czech Baseball Academy Orange 1-4
Lithuania Baseball 12U 0-5

12U Most Valuable Player
Benjamin O'Rourke was an offensive force for the champion Czech Baseball Academy Green team, going 10-for-13 at the plate with five doubles, a home run and 12 RBI in five games. Of course, Czech Green did hit .573 with 23 extra base hits while scoring 70 runs in five wins, so O’Rourke had plenty of help from his teammates. He also took a start on the mound and picked up a win.

12U Most Valuable Pitcher

Martin Senk of Technicka Brno 12U threw a six-inning complete game against the Ukraine United Team in a 5-1 Technicka win, striking out nine hitters and only allowing one hit. He also contributed offensively to Technicka’s overall 4-1 record, going 6-for-14 with two doubles and a home run while scoring 10 runs overall.

Reflections on Brno and Baseball

The differences between the Czech Republic, specifically the city of Brno (pop. 300,000 +/-), and the United States couldn’t be more stark in many ways.  Yes, a Marriott Courtyard in Brno is indistinguishable from anywhere else in the world and cars drive on the right side of the road and I didn’t hear a song on the ballpark speakers I hadn’t heard before.  Map apps work on your phone. And there are plenty of the ubiquitous American fast food restaurants, although why a Czech citizen would choose to eat at a Burger King or KFC is beyond me.

The food we ate over the course of almost a week was stunningly good and amazingly clean. There are numerous food preservatives and additives that are banned in Europe that are common in the United States and the impact of not using them is immediately obvious. The breads, pastries and meats leap out for their freshness and flavor and the Czech people certainly love their sweet pastries (don’t even ask about a dumpling stuffed with fresh strawberries). There are fresh fruit and vegetables with everything. Once one leaves the city center there are gardens everywhere. The fields along the highways are lush green with winter wheat ready for harvest and interspersed with vineyards.

And everything is mind numbingly inexpensive. One of our party had a steak one night that would have run $50 at least at home; it was the equivalent of $8.50 in Czech Koruna. The spaghetti with pancetta and anchovies I had at the same meal was simply the best pasta I’ve ever tasted; it was about $7. One can never get tired of spending $1.25 for a pour of Pilsner Urquell or Starobrno. Using the ample public transportation costs $2/day.

The picturesque city center, located about a mile from our hotel was beautiful, cultural and spotlessly clean. It was completely safe to walk back alone to the hotel after midnight. And, of course, everything in Brno, like most of Europe, is old and has a history. The spectacular St. Peter and Paul Cathedral was originally built on the same site late in the 11th century and has been updated many times since. Brno was the capital of Monrovia long before the United States existed. The Starobrno Brewery is a continuation of a brewery originally founded in 1325.

But baseball, as it often does, seems to transcend cultural and living conditions. The fields and facilities were excellent and tended to with meticulous care with the same type of equipment one would find at thousands of fields across the United States. The 16-year-old and younger athletes played hard and were happy at successes, both individual and team, and disappointed with failure. The rhythms of the game were instantly recognizable to any baseball fan, whether it be in the quick call for a time out after a stolen base or the flaps down rounding of first base by an excited player after a key RBI single.

The reality is that it is very unlikely that there was a future Major League player in Brno this week and probably not even a future minor league player. There will be another Dovydas Neverauskas from a smaller European baseball country someday and there will certainly be another Max Kepler from a Germany or Italy or even perhaps the Czech Republic as well. There were many young players here this week who could play at various college programs across the United States and it is important to get especially those players playing against as high level of competition as possible so that their skills can improve.

But moving beyond the top players here, the most important role of the PG European Classic now and into the future is to continue to plant the seeds of the future baseball coaches and leaders across the region. For there to be another Dovydas Neverauskas, you first have to have the coach with the motivation and knowledge to grow the player.

One of the coaches for the Ukraine United team was seen walking around the City Stadium field meticulously taking pictures of everything down to the most basic grounds crew tools.  When asked what he was doing, he responded in broken English, “We do not have baseball fields like this in the Ukraine. I want to build one. With my own hands. To do this I must know what I will need.”

Those are the baseball seeds that are being planted.
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 1/9/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2030
Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 | Class of 2029 Today we wrap up our reviews of the 2026 thru 2030 class where we looked back on some of the eye opening metrics we saw from around the country, both in a showcase and tournament setting. To those not inside the youth baseball world, some of the metrics below would seem truly unattainable from current 8th graders, from the pair of 90 mph heaters courtesy of Amani Tuiasosopo and Kingston George, to upper-80s velocity from all over the field and multiple players north of 90 mph on the exit velocity testing (with wood), this 2030 class is one that has a chance to be special as we continue to watch it unfold moving forward.  Top Fastball Velocity  Rk Player FB Event School Hometown 1 Amani Tuiasosopo 90 2025 WWBA 14U World Championship Renton...
Read More
College | Story | 1/14/2026

2026 College Preview Index

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
From Preseason All-Americans to a Top 25, make sure to check back daily as we will continue to pump out content as a staff. Every conference preview will include a Preseason All-Conference Team as well as Draft/Prospect lists for each of the next 3 years (2026, 2027, 2028) while also breaking down every team within each conference. Publish Date Content Wednesday January 7 Preseason All-Americans Thursday January 8 Preseason Top 25 Monday January 12 Top 100 Freshmen Tuesday January 13 Top 100 Sophomores Wednesday January 14 Top 100 Juniors Thursday January 15 Top 100 Seniors College Conference Previews Publish Date Conference Friday January 16 Atlantic Coast (ACC) Monday January 19 Southeastern (SEC) Tuesday January 20 Oregon State Preview Wednesday January 21 Big 10 Thursday January 22 Big 12 Friday January 23 American (AAC) Monday January 26 Atlantic Sun (ASUN)...
Read More
Softball | Softball Tournament | 1/14/2026

Perfect Game Softball Turf Wars

Ashley Mears
Article Image
2026 Perfect Game Softball Turf Wars January 9-11 Ashley Mears   The 2026 season kicked off in impressive fashion at the Fun City Dome in Burlington, Iowa, featuring a highly competitive field across both age groups. The 18U division was loaded with talent, including over 20 Division I and II commits and several high-upside prospects, leading to intense bracket play and multiple walk-off finishes. Iowa Nationals claimed the championship over a well-rounded Iowa Prospects Gold team. The 14U division brought together quality programs from Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. The tournament championship was an exciting matchup where Southeast Iowa Swarm edged a tough Black Dragons squad. 18u Lauren Hagedorn (2026, Adel, IA) of Iowa Nationals and future Iowa State Cyclone earned weekend MVP honors after a strong two-way performance. In the circle, she consistently kept hitters off balance...
Read More
College | Rankings | 1/14/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Juniors

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen | Top 100 Collegiate Sophomores As we look ahead to another season of college baseball and continue our week of class-by-class lists, we look at the Junior class and we’ve got our Top 100 Juniors in the 2026 college season. This list aligns with the PG Draft lists we compiled at the top, with Roch Cholowsky, Drew Burress, and AJ Gracia rounding out the top three. There’s a litany of storylines to follow this year, with players who have tons of draft upside or players looking to be impactful players among their respective programs. These are the players who we feel are in a position to make some serious noise during the 2026 season. Talent is present all across the board, with players who could make some serious statements this year. Looking all the way up and down the board, there are impact bats, players primed for a breakout, Friday...
Read More
College | Rankings | 1/13/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Sophomores

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen As we creep toward opening day here in a month or so, the draft team has put together the Top 100 sophomores on campus this spring.  This list is chalk full of talent, with future draft prospects littered top to bottom. The headliner of this group is Derek Curiel, a draft eligible sophomore that took the SEC by storm last spring. The Perfect Game All-American posted a .990 OPS over the course of a full season and is projected to vault himself further up the board during his ‘26 campaign. An electric arm in Dax Whitney follows up Curiel, with Strosnider, Lawson and Franco rounding out the top five.  Keep tabs on the draft eligible sophomores in this group come the summer. The rest of the pack are eligible for next year’s draft and figure to feature at the top of many draft lists in ‘27.  Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 1/12/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
As we creep toward opening day here in a month or so, the draft team has put together the Top 100 freshmen on campus this spring.  Three high-end arms lead the way, starting with Jack Bauer. The Mississippi State left-hander reached triple digits as a prep and is sure to make an immediate impact this spring. UCLA right-hander Angel Cervantes was selected in the 2nd round of last year’s draft but held firm on his commitment and should be an impact arm for the Bruins. Following the arms, a collection of bats rounds out the Top 10. There is loads of upside to the group with the potential and they should draw considerable playing time as freshman.  As the list gets deeper, there are plenty of players that should pop up and make significant contributions both this year and years down the line. The class has both depth and talent, making for a very intriguing group of...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/8/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2029

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These players below are just entering their freshmen year's of high school, a scary though as you scroll through the 11 categories and see some of the eye opening numbers from the fastballs to the infield and outfield velocities, down to the Diamond Kinetic testing and their three sub-categories.  Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Brody McCorkle 92 2025 18U PG Mid-Atlantic Fall Elite Championship Uncommitted Ranney Forked River, NJ 1 Caleb Polk 92 2025 14U Perfect Game Select Festival Uncommitted IMG Academy Dallas, TX 1 Knox Myers 92 2025 PG WWBA Freshman World Championship Uncommitted East Bay Riverview, FL 2 Alex Bello 91 2025 16U PG Fall World Series Uncommitted Montverde Academy Orlando, FL 2 Alex Bello 91 2025 14U Perfect Game...
Read More
College | Story | 1/9/2026

LSU Reloads & Returns; Opens No. 1

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
“How do you get to success? You have to honor the process that you built to get to that success…The standard is how we operate, train, and get better each day.”” Process-oriented leadership is a popular coaching strategy here in the mid-2020s but no one exemplifies that more than LSU head coach Jay Johnson. He’s won the Tigers two national titles during his time in Baton Rouge and expectations won’t be any lower in 2026 as LSU is the No. 1 team in the country in Perfect Game’s Preseason Top 25.  Johnson is heading into his fifth season at the helm in Baton Rouge and it’s fair to say that he has already experienced enormous success. There have been two national titles in four years (2023, 2025), a Golden Spikes winner (Dylan Crews, 2023), a first overall MLB Draft pick (Paul Skenes, 2023), and five first-round MLB Draft picks during...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 1/7/2026

PG Announces Naming Rights in Chesterfield

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME AND FIRST COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION ANNOUNCE CHESTERFIELD ATHLETIC COMPLEX    Landmark Partnership to Center on Community, Inclusion and Youth Sports    Chesterfield, Missouri (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, along with the City of Chesterfield, today announced  an exclusive naming rights partnership with First Community Credit Union (FCCU) for the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex. Effective immediately, the venue will be known as the “Chesterfield First Community Athletic...
Read More
College | Rankings | 1/8/2026

2026 Preseason Top 25

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
With an interesting and action-packed fall behind us, a new college season is just around the corner. The college game continues to prove it is alive and well as the Division 1 team count has now ballooned to 308 teams for the 2026 season. With new legislation allowing teams 5-weeks to prepare for opening day, many student athletes have returned to campus and will begin skill related workouts soon. Opening Day, as usual, will fall on Valentine’s Day weekend and it is just six weeks away. After a fall of evaluation and months of research and discussion, we are ready to release our annual Perfect Game pre-season Top 25 poll. After winning 53-games, hosting the NCAA Regional and Super Region, and sweeping their way through the College World, the LSU Tigers will debut the 2026 season as our No.1 ranked team. Head coach, Jay Johnson, has now led the Tigers to two national titles in the...
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.