THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 9/28/2019

Elite Squad Sweeps Pool Play

Photo: Derek Bermudez (Perfect Game)

Event Page |  Game 1: Elite Squad 2022's/Midland Swarm Southeast | Game 2: Elite Squad 2022's/ASBA Futures Navy 2022 | Game 3: Elite Squad 2022's/Hit & Run Outlaws 2022

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Elite Squad 2022’s comes to the ball field with a presence about them. Other teams watch them. They carry about their business, and their business seems to be winning ball games by any means necessary. Pitching. Hitting. Either or. Sometimes both. The team swept its way through pool play on Saturday at the WWBA Sophomore World Championship, finishing 3-0 against their competition.

On Friday night for Game 1, the bats and arms both got it done for Elite Squad.

Connor Hegan threw a 1-2-3 first inning for Elite Squad 2022’s on Friday night, needing only 13 pitches to do it. He looked impressive in his first inning, touching 87 mph with his fastball.

He was one strike away from an immaculate inning in the second inning, getting the six-hole hitter to roll over to the second baseman on an 0-2 count. The rest of the night went much the same way.

Elite Squad rolled to a run-rule victory in four innings, winning 12-0 over Midland Swarm Southeast. Hegan threw three innings, striking out four and not allowing a hit. Blake Gollott threw the fourth and final inning, sealing the no-hitter with a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts.

Hegan and Gollott combined to throw just 43 pitches, which in a tournament policed by pitch counts, is crucial to a team moving forward.

“We do a lot of planning when we figure out who’s going to throw when,” Elite Squad head coach Scott Morrison said after Game 3. “The guys throwing Friday we make sure to keep under a certain pitch count to keep them available throughout the tournament. That’s really important. Not only was it a great showing on the pitcher’s parts, but it helps us with pitching management and pitcher availability come later in the tournament.”

Seven Elite Squad hitters recorded a hit in just four innings in Game 1, and eight different players scored a run. Raymond Bermudez, Friday night’s cleanup hitter, notched two hits, scored two runs, and knocked in a pair of RBI.

A quick turnaround saw Elite Squad back in action at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday morning, playing against ASBA – Futures Navy 2022.

Back-to-back singles and a couple passed balls meant a lead for ASBA after one inning, 1-0. But Elite Squad starting pitcher Evan Chaffee settled in after the first, throwing four innings total and giving up just the one first inning run, on top of seven strikeouts and one walk, and Elite Squad beat ASBA, 4-1.

“[Chaffee] was awesome,” Morrison said. “He came down from Buffalo, and I don’t think very many people knew who he was. He came out and he was absolutely awesome. I’m sure his notoriety will change after this weekend. We’re happy to have him as part of our organization and get him out of New York for a little bit.”

Blake Cyr earned the biggest hit of the game for Elite Squad, a single over the second baseman’s head in the top of the sixth inning that pushed the lead to 3-1. Cyr ended up on third after an overthrow and came around to score two pitches later on an Aiden Macks double that pushed the lead to the final of 4-1.

ASBA got a big-time performance out of starting pitcher Roberto Alberto Costas, who went five innings pitching to contact and giving up only two earned runs on five hits, all of which were pretty spread out.

But the Elite Squad lineup doesn’t let up at any point in the order, and easy outs for Costas were hard to come by. It was an exercise in patience for the Elite Squad lineup until they broke through for three runs in the final two innings.

Cyr, who was slotted in as an extra hitter for Game 2 against ASBA, played a silky-smooth shortstop for Elite Squad in Game 1 and again in Game 3 against Hit and Run Outlaws.

The Miami commit looks every bit the part of an ACC middle infielder in the way he carries himself on the field and how he conducts his business.

He showed off his rocket arm multiple times, which buys him another second at shortstop, although he rarely needs it with his smooth hands.

“[Cyr] is no doubt the leader of this team,” Morrison said. “Emotionally, physically, and athletically. It seems like he’s somewhere around the baseball no matter where the baseball is. He’s always up in a big spot, and more times than not he’s going to come through. He’s been awesome for us all summer and he’s only going to continue to get better.”

The biggest moment in Game 3 for Elite Squad came in the top of the fifth inning, when Steven Hammond entered the game and inherited a bases-loaded, one-out jam. With one run already in for Hit & Run, Hammond induced two pop-ups to Cyr at shortstop to get out of the jam and preserve a 4-2 lead.

It turned out to be a momentum-shifter. Elite Squad poured on five runs in the bottom of the fifth to win by run-rule, 9-1. It was led off by a two-RBI double by leadoff man Mel Rubiera, a screaming line drive down the right field line off the lefty’s bat.

Singles by Cyr and Derek Bermudez followed Rubiera, and Raymond Bermudez finished the game off with a two-RBI double to walk things off.

Now Elite Squad moves on to the playoff bracket, with plenty of pitching and plenty of bats to seriously compete for a title, something the program has capture each of the first two years of the event.

One thing is for sure – teams are watching.




Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
Showcase | Story | 12/27/2025

Main Event Invades Fort Myers

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 CLOSES OUT 2025 WITH MAIN EVENT SHOWCASE  AT JETBLUE PARK IN FT. MYERS, FLORIDA    Nearly 1,000 players expected at largest showcase of the year  that has produced over 1,000 MLB Draft picks    Ft. Myers, Florida (Saturday, December 27, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, will host its 2025 Main Event Showcase from December 28–31 at JetBlue Park, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, in the Fort Myers area.    The Main Event is the largest showcase Perfect Game holds annually,...
Draft | Rankings | 12/26/2025

2026 MLB Draft Board Update

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The calendar is just days away from being flipped over to 2026, and while the players may be on break, it’s clear that they are just itching to get back on the field and compete once again, with another season of college baseball right around the corner. For prep players (especially in warm-weather states), the season’s right around the corner, and players will be back on the ball fields sooner than later. With that said, the PG Draft Team came together and got to work on a 2026 MLB Draft Board update. A little pre-season shake-up and expansion as we took our board from the Top 150 names to the Top 300 names, in preparation for the 2026 college and prep seasons to begin. The 2025 MLB Draft Lottery occurred earlier in December and shed some light on what the draft order will look like in 2026, with the Chicago White Sox taking home the first overall pick, followed by the Tampa...
College | Story | 12/25/2025

2025 Year in Review: College

Craig Cozart
Article Image
The LSU Tigers Win It All Again For the second time in the last three years, the LSU Tigers, led by head coach Jay Johnson secured the national title. The national championship was the eight in LUS program history as they swept Coastal Carolina in the MCWS championship series. As a result, Johnson was virtually a unanimous choice for National Coach of the Year on media outlets and is the fastest coach to win multiple CWS championships at a single school. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player was Tigers’ lefthanded ace and Perfect Game First-Team All-American, Kade Anderson highlighted by his complete-game shutout in Game 1 of the CWS Finals. The roster was a tremendous blend of offensive firepower, frontline pitching and elite defense, leaving opponents with very few avenues to victory. PG Second-Team All-American, Jared Jones was the heart of the lineup with his 20...
High School | General | 12/24/2025

2025 Year In Review: High School

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
IMG Academy Takes Home the National Title Every year IMG Academy comes into the spring with top-to-bottom one of the top rosters in the country and every year have the expectation of winning the national championship. Well in 2025 they did just that after finishing the spring 24-1, winning the High School Showdown, and winning 15 straight games to end their season. Their high end offensive ability was on full display throughout the year and they will once again be one of the most talented teams in the country in ’26 as they look to go back-to-back. Two Top-10 Picks in the MLB Draft Headline National Players of the Year It was another loaded crop that took home the National Players of the Year as both Ethan Holliday, the National Player of the Year, and Seth Hernandez, National Pitcher of the Year, heard their names called within the first-10 picks in the MLB Draft. Another first...
Draft | Rankings | 12/24/2025

Top 2027 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
With the 2025 cycle officially behind us and the calendar nearly flipping over to 2026, it is time to start looking ahead to the future. More importantly, start looking ahead to the next season of college baseball and what that may mean for draft-eligible players with big dreams of continuing their journey. While the 2026 MLB Draft is now on the horizon, we are looking ahead to the future even further – to see which players have already made impacts upon their arrival to college campuses. We have already dropped our 2028 Top 75 collegiate prospects board, but this one is our Top 100 college prospects who will be eligible for the 2027 class. These are the Top 100 players in our eyes for this group, and many of them have already shown up on campus and been impactful in many ways. Whether its our top-ranked player in Oregon State’s Dax Whitney or ninth-ranked William Schmidt...
Draft | Rankings | 12/23/2025

Top 2028 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The college players in the 2028 draft class have yet to step on campus, but they're positioned to make an immediate impact. Several high end talents either turned down significant money last year or honored strong college commitments, resulting in their arrival on campus this fall. The class is currently led by a trio of high-upside arms in Jack Bauer, Angel Cervantes, and Cameron Appenzeller. They are followed by a deep group of bats that rounds out a strong, high end Top-10. Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State 1 Jack Bauer C LHP L-L Mississippi State Frankfort IL 2 Angel Cervantes C RHP R-R UCLA Lynwood CA 3 Cameron Appenzeller C LHP L-L Tennessee Springfield IL 4 Brayden Jaksa C C R-R Oregon Fremont  CA 5 JD Stein C SS R-R Wake Forest Carmel IN 6 Mason Ligenza C OF L-L Pittsburgh Brockton PA 7 Ty Peeples C OF L-R Georgia Lavonia GA 8 Lucas Franco C SS L-R TCU Katy TX 9...
Juco | Story | 12/23/2025

2025 Year in Review: JUCO

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Looking Back at the 2025 Top 10  Matt Barr (‘25 Niagara, ‘26 Minnesota Twins) Bursting onto the scene last winter, footage of an indoor bullpen rocketed Barr onto the radar of many. Explosive fastball reaches near triple digits with incredible spin numbers across the secondaries. Huge numbers at Niagara earned him the title of the first Juco player drafted in 2025. JC Vanek (‘25 Chipola, ‘26 Kansas City Royals) Just a professional hitter. Vanek for two years at Chipola was an impossible out. While there are questions if the power will ever reach what it takes to play first base at the big league level, the bat and quality defensive skillset at first base may carry. Donovan Becerra (‘25 New Mexico, ‘26 Texas Tech) One of the more high octane arms anywhere in the country last year. Can reach back for upper 90’s and has shown serious swing and...
Draft | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
2025 Year in Review: Draft We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff.  The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue...
College | Recruiting | 12/22/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 22

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Lucien Saint Cyr, INF, Class of 2026 Commitment: Bucknell Saint Cyr announced his pledge to Bucknell, giving the Bison an interesting blend of present tools and projection. Saint Cyr stands 6-foot-1 and offers room to fill in his medium frame, profiling in the middle infield defensively. The New York product starts wide at the base in the right-handed box, keeping his hands high behind the ear. He works into a subtle outward step load, firing through a compact barrel that showcases bat speed and gap-to-gap impact. For head coach Scott Heather and Bucknell, they land a high-quality Northeast infielder in the ’26 cycle, adding to a class that takes the quality over quantity approach. Patrick Diaz ('26, NY) 102 EV off the bat. Impact to the pull side. #PGNational @PGMidAtlantic @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/NN0L3FRdO9 — PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 9, 2025 Patrick Diaz,...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
Loading more articles...