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Tournaments  | Championship | 7/6/2020

Team Elite Emerge Champs at 16u Firecracker

Photo: Team Elite Scout (Perfect Game)
MARIETTA, Ga. – The championship game of the 2020 16U Firecracker Finale took place Sunday night with the one-seeded Ninth Inning Royals Honeycutt taking on the two-seed Team Elite Scout Team. The two teams faced off on field one at the East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, Georgia after a weekend filled with premier amateur baseball and entertaining gameplay. Given that these two teams were seeded one and two after pool play, it was no surprise to see these teams facing off for the chip. 

The one-seeded Ninth Inning Royals, despite a scary semifinal, cruised through the tournament field. Ninth Inning, through three pool play games, scored a total of 28 runs while shutting out all of their opponents. After yet another run rule victory in the quarterfinals, Ninth Inning would see its first challenge of the week from the 643 DP Tigers Hawkins in the semifinal game. Ironically, it took nine innings, but Ninth Inning was able to win 1-0 thanks to a sacrifice fly by Sadir Ryan. Pitchers, Matthew Navarro and Rhett Burley worked together to silence the 643 bats, posting a shutout. 



The underdog, two-seeded Team Elite Scout Team finished pool play with three wins, scoring 22 runs while allowing only four. They were able to inch out a 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals over the East Tennessee Crusaders and were powered behind a stellar outing by South Carolina commit, Adrian Roman, who pitching 6.2 innings. Team Elite was able to come out with a mercy rule victory over the 643 DP Jaguars McPhee. Team Elite pushed runs across the board while relying on their pitcher, Wes Simpson, and his five innings of stellar work, allowing only one hit while striking out four. This set up what was expected to be a very entertaining championship and a great way to cap off the Firecracker Finale. 

After a quiet first inning on both sides, Team Elite Scout Team was able to get on the board first thanks to a two-run double by Gavin Black. They were able to keep the momentum going with an RBI double by Cooper Blauser, who came around to score after taking advantage of a bad throw to second base. After just one and half innings, Ninth Inning saw themselves down by four runs. Team Elite kept the pressure on in the top of third extending their lead to five runs after an RBI double by Hayden Murphy.

The Ninth Inning bats woke up in the bottom of third scoring two runs to make the score 5-2 after three innings. Damien Anderson singled then scored on Cayden Gaskin’s RBI double. Aaron Lopez kept the train moving earning himself an RBI after hitting a deep line drive for a double. 

Team Elite’s bats responded in the top of the fourth inning scoring one run to extend their lead to four, followed by Kaden Martin who hit a ball deep enough to score the runner from third. After four innings, Team Elite led Ninth Inning 6-2. Both teams’ bats were silenced in the fifth inning. 

It was more of the same in the top of the sixth inning for Team Elite. They were able to keep the pressure on the Ninth Inning Royals scoring three more runs to extend their lead to seven. With two outs, Sammy Leis, Bryce Hubbard and Hayden Murphy were able to deliver timely hits. 

In the bottom half of the sixth, Ninth Inning responded with three runs of their own to cut into the deficit by playing small ball, with three singles and a couple of walks. Before the final inning, Team Elite lead Ninth Inning 9-5. This would be the last time either team crossed the plate. 

Starting pitcher for Team Elite, Hayden Murphy, worked efficiently on the mound pounding the zone, while throwing between 85-89 mph. Murphy was able to silence the Ninth Inning bats for 5 innings, while striking out five as well. Kaden Martin came in for relief in the final two innings giving up three runs, but it did not cost his team the lead. Murphy and Martin both worked behind their team’s big lead, which allowed for them to be comfortable on the mound. 

Team Elite Scout Team are the 2020 16U PG Firecracker Finale champions by a score of 9-5 over the Ninth Inning Royals Honeycutt. This high scoring affair was a perfect night cap to a beautiful Sunday filled with intense bracket play and stellar individual performances. 

Both teams will be participating in the 2020 WWBA 16U National Championship from July 10th to July 17th, as we look forward to more Perfect Game events. 
 

Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap

Perfect Game Staff
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‘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...
College | Recruiting | 2/25/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: Feb. 25

Nick Herfordt
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A few weeks into the season and the shape of the national picture is starting to emerge (slightly, let’s get too silly about early results). Some preseason favorites are humming exactly as advertised, a few dark horses are pawing at the gate, and a handful of early contenders are discovering that February optimism and March reality are not always the same thing. Across DII, DIII and the NAIA, pitching staffs are setting the tone, offenses are either detonating or recalibrating, and the Top 25 is already beginning to feel less theoretical and more earned.   DII UT Tyler is performing as predicted with a 12-2 start that includes a series win at Angelo State. The Patriots’ offense has not exactly been knocking the cover off the ball, but the pitching staff has been stingy, holding opponents to a .228 batting average.  They have not faced a ranked opponent yet, but...
Juco | Rankings | 2/25/2026

JUCO Top 25: February 25

Blaine Peterson
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Another strong week for many of the top teams in junior college baseball. Walters State put together another undefeated weak and sticks in the top spot for the 3rd consecutive ranking. Chipola on the strength of a 20-1 start has established themselves early as one of top teams in the country. Johnson County put together a 2nd consecutive undefeated week and moves into the top 5 with a 15-1 overall record. They will play 4 games against #22 Iowa Western this week who is also coming off an undefeated week. Fresno City (15-0) and Midland (13-0) are two undefeated programs to begin 2026. They have gone from not in the preseason top 25 to the top 15 in our rankings in less than a month. And welcome to the PG Juco Top 25 Cloud County (KS) who debuts at #23 and is coming off a huge 3 game sweep on the road in Texas of a previous top 10 program in our rankings. Plenty of good matchups ahead this...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/24/2026

Perfect Game Softball February Frenzy

Dave Durbala
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BURLINGTON, IA - Perfect Game February Frenzy, February 20-22, 2026.  Twenty-two teams, representing five states, rolled into town for the opportunity to compete in this pool play, then into bracket play, with four games guaranteed,  in both a 14u and 18u division. Taking home top honors in the 14u division was Midwest Sluggers 11, who held off a late charge by the Black Dragons , winning 7-5. In the 18u division, it was Nebraska Gold 319 Berning topping Iowa Gold Prospects 4-0, avenging a pool play opening, 1-0 loss. Below are some of the players that played their way onto our Top Performers list, including the MVP and MV-Pitcher from the championship bracket in each age division. 14U Division Earning the 14u division MVP award was Presley Perkins (2030 Taylor Ridge, IL) who although is listed as a switch hitting OF, was only observed hitting from the left side for tournament...
High School | General | 2/25/2026

High School Showdown Preview

Cam McElwaney
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We’re only about 24 hours away from the 14th PG High School Showdown and as we get closer to one of the premier events on the high school schedule, we look ahead to what we’ll see in Hoover. The teams and players are what make this event special along with the environment with scouts packing the stands for this event. As with every year we’ve run this event, there are sure to be names called in the upcoming MLB Draft along with big time contributors at the college level. This year’s field is loaded with five teams ranked inside the Preseason High School Top-50, headlined by a trio of top-10 teams in No. 8 South Walton (FL), No. 9 Blessed Trinity (GA), and No. 10 IMG Academy (FL). Rounding out the list of top-50 teams are No. 34 Parkview (GA) and No. 43 Hoover (AL), along with plenty of other teams that will challenge for state championships in their respective...
College | Story | 2/24/2026

College Players of the Week: Feb. 24

Vincent Cervino
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February 24 Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA After playing 117 games, launching 27 doubles and 25 home runs in Austin, TX for the University of Texas, Will Gasparino decided it was time to head back to his hometown of Los Angeles, CA. Based on his performance in the first two weeks of the season for the Bruins, he looks very comfortable and ready to push his name up the Draft Board. UCLA (6-1) enters 2026 with incredibly high expectations, jumped to No. 3 in our Top 25 poll with their 3-game sweep of previously ranked TCU and Gasparino provided much of the offensive firepower. For the week, the 6-6/220 outfielder went 7 for 13 good for a .538 BA, with a double, 5 home runs and 13 RBI. That brings his slash line through 7-games to .391/1.304/.548 with a double, a triple, 6 home runs and he has driven in a total of 15 runs. The scary thing is that Gasparino is just...
High School | General | 2/23/2026

Northwest Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
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Northwest All Region & Top Tools Rk Pacific NW (+ Hawaii) 2025 Record 1 Puyallup (WA) 28-1 2 Kamehameha Kapalama (HI) 19-5 3 South Salem (OR) 30-2 4 Lake Washington (WA) 21-11 5 Bainbridge (WA) 24-4 6 St. Louis (HI) 15-6 7 Iolani (HI) 11-11-1. 8 Eastlake (WA) 23-9 9 Summit (OR) 24-6 10 Sumner (WA) 18-8 11 Sunset (OR) 23-9 12 Punahou (HI) 7-10-1. 13 Mount Vernon (WA) 28-4 14 Jesuit (OR) 26-8 15 Tahoma Senior (WA) 13-9-1 16 Blanchet Catholic (OR) 31-2 17 West Linn (OR) 22-8 18 Woodinville (WA) 13-12 19 Eagle (ID) 15-13 20 Central Catholic (OR) 23-6-1 21 Service (AK) 20-6 22 Meadowdale (WA) 10-4 23 Waiakea (HI) 10-4-1. 24 Liberty Christian (WA) 24-3 25 Madison Senior (ID) 19-11
Press Release | Press Release | 2/23/2026

PG Salutes Chet Brewer, a Youth Baseball Pillar

Jim Salisbury
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PG Salutes Chet Brewer, a Youth Baseball Pillar A few weeks ago, Perfect Game and its Believe in Baseball foundation held a fundraising event in Los Angeles. The “In the Spirit of the Game” dinner and auction brought in thousands of dollars, all of which will go toward providing deserving youngsters an opportunity to play and grow in the game. Chet Brewer was not at the event – the former Negro Leagues star died at age 83 in 1990 – but his spirit was. Big time. “That night was all about Chet,” PG commissioner Dennis Gilbert said. “He was all about giving kids chances to play the game, especially kids from underprivileged backgrounds. “When you’re 15, 16, 17 years old – those years are the basis of your life. Chet helped put a lot of kids on the right path through the game of baseball.” Brewer’s impactful life has...
College | Rankings | 2/23/2026

College Top 25: February 23

Vincent Cervino
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College Player Report Database In Week 1, the Top 15 teams in the poll remained unchanged but the college baseball landscape had a different narrative in mind for Week 2. With plenty of upsets and teams at the top establishing their dominance, there was quite a bit of upheaval across the country. While there were some special performances on the mound, runs continue to be scored in bunches and high drama extra-inning games seem to be the norm. There is no time to relax or take the foot off the gas in the college game today; we are in for another wild season it appears. The LSU Tigers (8-0) made the trip across the panhandle to Jacksonville, FL, swept through the Live Like Lou Jax Classic by outscoring their opponents 33-11 and remain No. 1 this week. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-0) secure their spot at No. 2 and are off to a program record breaking run scoring spree, averaging...
General | Blog | 2/20/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 63

Ron Wolforth
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Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 62, Part 1 | Part 2 Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls - Part 3  We've made it to Part 3…the final installment of our series on baseball's most misunderstood and debated topics.   In Part 1, we tackled the curveball. The takeaway: the pitch itself isn't what’s dangerous. Decades of awful and ineffective coaching cues, ”snap your wrist," "turn the doorknob”…exacerbated and even in many causes caused some of the problems. Teach it correctly, when the athlete is ready, and it's no riskier than a fastball.  In Part 2, we examined pitch counts. The takeaway: they're a useful tool, but a limited one. Treating a single number as a universal measure of safety ignores everything...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/20/2026

18U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Dave Durbala
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SPRINGFIELD, IL - 2026 Perfect Game Softball Winter Elite Showcase, February 6 - 8, 2026.  Twenty teams rolled into Springfield to showcase their talents in this 18u, four-game guarantee, pool-into-bracket play,  at the newly opened 170,000-square-foot domed facility at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. In the Silver Bracket, it was the 09 Midwest Sluggers taking home the championship over the CR Blue Devils 18u National. In the Gold Bracket, a championship game that featured the tournament's top two pitchers, it was the Iowa Dynamite 18u with the win over GTS 15u Elite-Herrick, by a score of  2-1. The tournament, with a mix of committed players, and those young ladies striving for the next level,  was loaded with talent.  Below are some of the players that excelled on the field and made their way onto the tournament’s Top Performers list. Earning...
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