THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 6/21/2018

It's a SWFL Nation at SE Champs

Jeff Dahn
Photo: SWFL Nation 2019 (Perfect Game)

SWFL Nation 2019 rolls to PG 17u Southeast Championship title

FORT MYERS, Fla. – There are heads of steam and then there are Heads of Steam. SWFL Nation 2019 had definitely built up the uppercase version as it prepared to play Thunder Baseball in the championship game at the PG 17u Southeast Championship Thursday morning.

The Nation 2019s had outscored their previous four opponents by a combined 33-1 on their way to the title game and would continue to show that dominance on their way to an 8-3 victory over the Thunder; the game was played at Hammond Stadium, the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins.

SWFL (5-0-0) led, 3-0, after four innings, but the Thunder (4-1-0) closed the gap to 3-2 by plating two runs in the top of the fifth. The Nation 2019s then closed the door completely on the strength of a five-run bottom of the fifth and cruised to the win.

SWFL Nation 2019 totaled 13 hits in the contest – a number that included 12 singles – and five of its eight runs were earned. It’s an opportunistic team and the players make the most out of what’s put in front of them.

“The great thing about this team is we’ve got 10 guys that all can run under 7-seconds (60-yard dash) and they can all handle the bat; then we’ve got five guys that can really swing it,” SWFL Nation 2019 head coach Marc Trudel said. “So when those guys that can swing it are struggling, we can grind-out as many runs as we need to grind-out, which is what we did today. …

‘It’s a lot of fun to coach a team like this,” he added. “You just roll the ball out and we’ve got a bunch of baseball players out there.”

Jorel Ortega went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored; Jimmy Meredith was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs; Yariel Diaz doubled and drove in a run and Austin Jordan singled, drove in a run and scored one to pace Cape Coral-based SWFL Nation 2019 at the plate. 2019 right-handers Tyler Kreissler and Meredith combined on a six-hitter, giving up two earned runs while striking out seven and walking three.

“We do have some pitching but we play defense,” Trudel said. “Everybody’s a defender. I don’t have any holes in the lineup; we’re really blessed this year. I wish we had a little more pitching – we have seven position players who pitch and one PO.”

Thunder Baseball, based in Dunedin, won its pool with a 3-0 record, outscoring those opponents by a combined 12-6; it beat the Deltona Renegades 5-3 in the semifinals to reach the championship. Tyler Strickland doubled and drove in a run and Izaiha Kelly singled, drove in a run and scored one for the Thunder against SWFL National 2019.

Ortega, a 6-1, 190-pound infielder from Lake Worth, Fla., and a Tennessee commit, was named the Most Valuable Player; he went 9-for-14 (.643) with a triple, a double and six RBI. SWFL 2019 right-hander Matt Paulo, also from Lake Worth, didn’t allow an earned run on three hits while striking out five and walking two, in 7 1/3 innings and was named the Most Valuable Pitcher.

The Nation 2019s now moves on to play in its three biggest tournaments of the summer, the last two of which are the PG WWBA 17u National Championship in Emerson, Ga., and the PG BCS 17u National Championship back here in Fort Myers. Taking home this championship provides a nice little springboard into what lies ahead.

“I told the boys coming into this tournament that if we this it’s a great boost and if we lose it, it’s a big down,” Trudel said. “They responded to that.”


2018 PG 17u Southeast Champions: SWFL Nation 2019



2018 PG 17u Southeast Championship runner-up: Thunder Baseball



2018 PG 17u Southeast Championship MVP: Jorel Ortega





SWFL Nation 2020 on top at PG 16u Southeast Championship

FORT MYERS, Fla. – SWFL Nation 2020 was put to the test in its quarterfinal game at the PG 16u Southeast Championship on Wednesday, and the close call may have provided a much-needed shot in the arm heading into Thursday’s semifinal and championship games.

A couple of non-nail-biters would be more than welcome, and the SWFL Nation 2020 players were able to relax and get the job done.

Christopher Filippone delivered a walk-off, RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning that brought home SWFL Nation 2020’s eighth run of the game, and that was all that was needed to lead the Nation 2020s past SWFL Elite 2020, 8-0, in a run-rule championship game played at Hammond Stadium.

SWFL Nation 2020 (6-0-0) rolled to its pool championship by outscoring three opponents by a combined 23-10. It then sneaked past FTB-Gulf Coast 16u, 2-1, in Wednesday’s quarterfinals before stopping TSD Elite, 7-3, in Thursday morning’s semifinal.

“We had been struggling a little bit to start the summer at our first two tournaments, and that happens sometimes when you put a bunch of kids together for the first time,” longtime SWFL head coach Clint Montgomery said. “I thought (Wednesday’s) game against the FTB team was important for us because it was a close game, and we finally started to see the team come together.

“We haven’t been playing where I think we should be – I think our talent is better than how we’ve been playing – but we survived some games early and we finally put together probably our best game of the summer here today.”

Nine hits – eight of them singles – were all that were needed for the Nation 2020s to push across their eight runs. Ridge Skarbek tripled, singled, drove in four runs and scored one to lead the way. Josh Brooks singled twice and scored a run, Zachary Cole Cothren and Tucker Wiltrout both singled and drove in runs, and Bacon came through with his decisive RBI single in the fifth.

Sehjin Daley, a 6-foot, 195-pound right-hander from Tampa, threw a five-inning, four-hit shutout for the Nation 2020s, striking out 10 with no walks; he was named the Most Valuable Pitcher. SWFL Elite 2020’s Jaylen Youngs doubled and singled off of Daley, accounting for two of Elite 2020’s four hits.

Cothren, a 6-foot-5, 185-pound corner-infielder from Plant City, finished the tournament 7-for-12 (.583) – all singles – with three RBI and a stolen base and was named the Most Valuable Player.

SWFL Elite 2020 (4-2-0) won its pool with a 2-1 record and reached the championship game courtesy of two one-run wins: 4-3 over the PR Eagles 2020 in the quarters and 1-0 over Broward Baseball Academy 16u Gold in the semis.

SWFL Nation 2020 actually brought a 4-4 summer tournament record into the PG 17u Southeast and will leave it with a 10-4 mark. It is Montgomery’s hope the team has turned the corner as it looks forward to playing in this weekend’s PG Super25 16u Florida Super Qualifier here in Fort Myers.

It can then the start looking ahead to the PG WWBA 16u National Championship (Emerson, Ga.) and the PG BCS 16u National Championship (Fort Myers) in July.

“Those are last three tournaments and with those last two, the (college) recruiting end of it really picks up,” Montgomery said. “A lot of schools will be at those (tournaments) and to start getting on the right foot going into those would be a big thing for some of our players.”

SWFL Nation 2020’s 16u SE Championship title came only about 2 hours after SWFL Nation 2019 captured the 18u SE Championship crown and considering a third SWFL team played in the 16u championship game, it seemed like everything was coming up SWFL at Hammond Stadium on Thursday.

“This has been a real good day for the organization,” Montgomery concluded. “These were tournaments with some good teams, and we just had a good run as an organization.”


2018 PG 16u Southeast Champions: SWFL Nation 2020



2018 PG 16u Southeast Championship runner-up: SWFL Elite 2020



2018 PG 16u Southeast Championship MVP: Cole Cothren



2018 PG 16u Southeast Championship MV-Pitcher: Sehjin Daley
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘28 OF Jakob Groeschel (OH) continues to impress with the bat on the circuit, picked up 2 2Bs in the first game today. Really athletic, went 4.4 on turn; easy to dream on all the traits. #MLKEast @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/wOIwnGKnkg — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) January 17, 2026 2028 OF Jakob Groeschel (Springfield, Ohio) broke out at this event last year hitting a casual .909, and although he didn’t turn in quite the same performance, he hit a strong .462 with 4 extra-base hits, 5 walks, 5 bags and only struck out once. He’s a pretty dynamic athlete who can do a lot of things well, but the bat is the calling card as he just lives on the barrel and has no problem handling all kinds of pitching. It’s a simple swing, but he’s got fast hands and he can really impact the ball without being overly physical yet.  2030 RHP Michael Vazquez...
Read More
Juco | Rankings | 3/25/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 25

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Another strong week of Juco baseball for teams in our Top 25, and as you may see, our field is the same from a week prior with each and every team handling business in their weekend sets to hold fast to their spots on the board. Some notable movement though inside the Top 5 with Gaston jumping up to number 2 after a 33-2 start to the 2026 season as well Cloud County cracking the Top 15 for the first time all year. Looking forward to watching conference play around the country as we approach the final stretch of the regular season. Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 30-2 2 Gaston (NC) 33-2 3 Florida Southwestern (FL) 26-7 4 Walters State (TN) 26-6 5 Chipola (FL) 29-5 6 Florence-Darlington (SC) 29-6 7 Blinn (TX) 22-8 8 McLennan (TX) 20-7 9 Cochise (AZ) 28-6 10 Pearl River (MS) 25-7 11 Georgia Highlands (GA) 30-8 12 Southern Nevada (NV) 24-6 13 Northwest Florida (FL) 21-12 14 Cloud...
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/25/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 25

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Every preseason, analysts and voters pour enormous effort into ranking the small college baseball landscape — poring over returning rosters, transfer additions, coaching changes, and historical trends to assemble the most accurate picture they can of who will be contending when the postseason arrives. And most years, they get it largely right. But the nature of college baseball, with its massive rosters, unpredictable development arcs, and ever-churning transfer portal, guarantees that a handful of genuinely elite programs will slip through the cracks every spring. A team loses too many seniors. A key transfer hasn’t yet suited up. A new coaching staff hasn’t had the chance to prove itself. The voters see the question marks and leave the blank space, and then the season begins and the blank space starts filling itself in — loudly. As the 2026 season heads into its...
Read More
College | Story | 3/24/2026

College Players of the Week: March 24

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
March 24th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Quinton Coats, IF, Cincinnati The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-7) are on the cusp of the Top 25 and are playing their best ball of the season. The offense has been the driving force behind their success, and it has been incredibly consistent having averaged 8.5-runs per game. In the middle of it all, Quinton Coats, is on pace for a historic season both within the program and on a national level. The 6-3/225 infielder from Olathe, KS has been launching home runs at a record pace and opponents seem to be powerless to stop his onslaught. With incredible strength in his hands, Coats creates easy loft and in 5 road games last week he collected 9 hits in 20 at-bats, with 4 home runs, 9 runs scored, and he drove in a total of 9 runs as well. As for his pursuit of history, the modern day BBCOR bat standard single season home run record is 34, set back in...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 3/23/2026

Recruiting Notebook: March 23

Ryan Miller
Article Image
High speed look at the FF-SL from '27 SS/RHP Harry Chubb Jones Jr. (GA)... #BeastoftheEast @PG_Uncommitted @PG_Georgia https://t.co/zXWgDJjU0y pic.twitter.com/GUIUN4tWmw — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 25, 2025 Harry Chubb Jones Jr., RHP/SS, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Jones recently flipped his commitment from Clemson to Alabama, landing Rob Vaughn and staff a high-end two-way talent in the ’27 class. The Georgia native possesses tremendous upside on the mound, working from a long and lean right-handed frame that displays projection and athleticism. Jones starts over the face before working to the belt and into a higher pronounced leg lift. He fires down the mound via a standard-length arm action and high three-quarters slot. Chubb’s fastball/slider combination and feel for the zone, with the heater showcasing run/ride traits and power into the high-90s....
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/22/2026

College Top 25: March 23

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Time flies when you are having fun and the fact that we are almost to the halfway point of the 2026 season, proves just how entertaining things have been to this point. In what was an ultra-impactful week on the national landscape, there are some clubs fading out of the limelight while others are emerging from the shadows and showing they are a force to be reconned with. Conference play always makes the big picture come into view and we are now getting a feel for who the true contenders may be as the grind begins. The UCLA Bruins (21-2) keep their stranglehold on the top spot in the land as they remain unchallenged since the start of Big Ten play and finished the week with a (4-0) record. The Texas Longhorns (20-3) did lose back-to-back games this week but showed their resilience by winning an intense road series against now No. 7 Auburn (19-4). Georgia Tech (19-5) also had a (2-2) week...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 3/20/2026

2026 Draft Board: Top 300

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The 2026 MLB Draft class is shaping up to be one of the better in recent memory and, potentially, the best class in the last decade. It’s led by UCLA superstar shortstop Roch Cholowsky, a true five-tool prospect who’s the early favorite for 1:1. One of the most popular pieces of industry feedback when constructing this list was some variation of “Roch is too low” or “go up on Roch” and he’s the best college prospect since 2019 when Adley Rutschman (Oregon State, Orioles) was the consensus No. 1 prospect. Similarly to 2019, there’s a superstar Texas prep shortstop at No. 2, in 2019 it was Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville Heritage, Royals) and this year it’s Grady Emerson. Both Emerson and Alabama’s Justin Lebron would have been solid 1:1 candidates in years where Roch Cholowsky is not eligible and both have All-Star potential....
Read More
High School | General | 3/23/2026

High School Notebook: March 23

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Talon Brown (‘29 CA) showing some intriguing stuff over 2.1 IP running the FB up to 89, living 86-88 while mixing in a BB at 77. FB heavy on the day w/ a limited pitch count. 6-4, 205-lb w/ an athletic operation working down the bump #PGHS pic.twitter.com/HkLmJHrB1W — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) March 14, 2026 Talon Brown 2029 RHP, Christian Brown features an advanced 6-foot-4, 205-pound, athletic, projectable frame.  The freshman has made two appearances on the young season working four-innings without allowing a hit or run and has struck out seven opposing hitters.  It’s an easy, downhill operation and the ball jumps out of the hand, using the four-seam often that has ride through the zone, sitting 85-88 and topping out at 89.  The breaking ball showed 11-5 shape with depth spinning it at 1900 RPM+.  Brown features an athletic...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 3/19/2026

PG Teams Up with OZ Ball Tournaments PTY

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 NAMES OZ BALL TOURNAMENTS PTY AS OFFICIAL AREA DIRECTOR IN AUSTRALIA, EXPANDING GLOBAL FOOTPRINT   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, March 19, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that it has entered into a new international partnership with Oz Ball Tournaments Pty, naming the organization as an official Perfect Game Area Director in Australia. The agreement establishes Perfect Game-licensed tournaments and showcases across major Australian markets, including Sydney, Brisbane/Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.     Australian events will operate under the Perfect Game brand, delivering the same...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 3/18/2026

PG Introduces Individual Player Entry

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 INTRODUCES INDIVIDUAL PLAYER ENTRY, EXPANDING ACCESS TO ELITE NATIONAL EVENTS   Athletes Can Now Compete in Select National Tournaments Through Structured ‘Team PG’ Rosters   Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, March 18, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the launch of Individual Player Entry, a new initiative designed to provide athletes the opportunity to compete in select national events even if their primary team is not attending.   Through the program, players can now register individually and be placed on a structured “Team PG” roster, allowing them to participate fully in...
Read More
Juco | Rankings | 3/18/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 18

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
This week brings a new top team to the rankings as Johnson County (KS), on the strength of 10 consecutive wins and a 26-2 record, claims the overall number 1 spot. The Cavaliers have made 3 consecutive trips to the JUCO World Series and have the talent to make it back there again this spring. Florida Southwestern and Chipola have seemingly separated themselves as the most consistent teams in Florida. Welcome to the top 5 to the Gaston Rhinos who will be one of the first teams to 30 wins this spring. Pearl River stays as the top NJCAA D2 team and Fresno City stays as the top Juco team in California; both are coming off undefeated 2 week stretches. Welcome back to the top 25 to John A. Logan who is now 20-7 overall and have played one of the toughest schedules of anyone. And for the first time in several years welcome to the top 25 to the College of Southern Idaho, the Golden Eagles have...
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.