THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,401 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,401 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 9/12/2020

STiKS 2023 back looking for more

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Tyler Butina (Perfect Game)

MARION, Iowa – When a team comes into a high-profile Perfect Game tournament not even a week removed from winning a previous high-profile PG tournament at the same complex, it often finds itself wearing a bit of a target on its back.

That was the scenario Waukesha, Wis.-based STiKS Academy 2023 walked into Saturday morning at the Prospect Meadows Sports Complex as play belatedly got underway at the 26-team PG Sophomore Midwest Select Championship.



The STiKS 2023 were back in action just five days after they had captured the championship at the PG WWBA Sophomore Midwest Labor Day Classic, also played at the Prospect Meadows complex over the long Labor Day weekend. They went 5-0-0 in claiming that championship, picking up some valuable confidence along the way, but they came in here knowing it was no time to relax.

“We were feeling pretty good about ourselves but we knew we couldn’t take this weekend off,” top 2023 prospect Ethan Brown told PG on Saturday. “We had some pretty good close games last week, especially in the championship game that was coming down to the end but we felt pretty good after last weekend.

“Now we have to know to stay high-energy but also stay composed,” he added. “We have to be able to come out and just do our jobs.”

With the full slate of games rained out Friday night, the STiKS 2023 were finally able to open against the Angels out of Parker, Colo., on Saturday morning, although rain continued to fall throughout the game.

A three-run top of the third gave STiKS a 3-2 lead it held until the bottom of the sixth when the Angels were able to tie the game before the game was ended by the 2-hour time limit. The outcome left both teams with an 0-0-1 record to start pool-play.

Hitting lead-off, Brown doubled twice, singled and scored a run and Thomas Curry doubled, drove in a pair of runs and scored another.

Adam Schilz, a 6-foot-2, 165 pound 2023 righthander, threw the first three innings, allowing two runs on two hits with five strikeouts and a walk, before giving way to the bullpen. 2023 righties Brown, Jonah Conradt and Myles Rewolinski threw the last three innings and did what was needed.

“Adam Schilz did a great job; he’s been good the last two weeks,” STiKS 2023 head coach Trevor Cho told PG Saturday. “And then everybody that came out of the bullpen did a good job. … I thought our bullpen really kept us in the game there because in conditions like this it’s tough to get things going offensively.”

Cho wasn’t talking out of the side of his mouth when he commented on how well Schilz has been pitching in September. He earned Most Valuable Pitcher honors at the PG WWBA Sophomore Midwest Labor Day Classic after pitching a five-inning, 13-strikeout no-hitter against the Sioux Falls Elite.

“It felt pretty good,” Schilz said Saturday, speaking of that outing. “I just wanted to throw well and just get outs, and that’s what I did. I felt a lot of confidence but I tried not to be over-confident (today). You try not to think about it and just go out and pitch the next game.”

In their second pool-play game Saturday, the STiKS 2023 ambushed Iowa Select Hanrahan 2023, 18-0, in three innings. Tyler Butina slugged a grand slam in the win, Brayden Pleau delivered a pair of singles and five RBI, Schilz (a lefthanded hitter) singled twice, drove in a pair of runs and scored three others, Ej Kuster doubled, drove in a run and scored three and Ethan Hindle singled with two RBI and a run scored.

The STiKS 2023 came in here this weekend playing without a couple of their top 2023s: righthander Dylan Questad, a Notre Dame commit ranked No. 370 nationally, and outfielder Ryan Drumm, ranked as a “follow.”

There are several other players on this roster who have caught the eye of PG’s scouting department and they made an immediate impact on Saturday. Thomas Curry is a 2023 catcher/third baseman ranked as a top-1,000 nationally, third baseman/righthander Ethan Brown is a “high-follow” and shortstop/outfielder Ethan Hindle is a “follow”.

Cho said that Drumm wasn’t able to be here this weekend because he got a little banged up at the Labor Day event, but under normal circumstances it is Drumm who sets the tone hitting in the  leadoff spot. He called both Hindle and Curry Division-I caliber players and said all of his pitchers have all been throwing “lights-out” this month.

If Cho worries about anything with these young players it might be  that they become too focused on securing a D-I scholarship and subsequently don’t fully appreciate their travel ball experiences. He lets them know that he’s played college baseball (at St. Cloud State and UW-Whitewater), he’s played in high-profile summer wood bat leagues, he’s played with and against prospects who are going to make a lot of money in the game, and he also played travel ball.

“Looking back on my career, travel baseball is definitely way up there in the experiences that I’ve had (and) I think they kind of have that mindset, too,” Cho said. “While they’re here in this travel circuit they want to go out with as many championships as possible.

“That’s what separates this group from any other group is just them wanting to leave a legacy and build something at STiKS that’s special and that they can look back on when they get to college baseball.”

The STiKS 2023 started building that legacy with their championship performance last weekend at an event in which things just started to click for them against many of the top programs from the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and elsewhere.

They did have a couple of big-time scares at the Labor Day Classic, however, with the first coming in the first game of the playoffs when they faced P2P Millers 16U Boxwell. P2P Millers jumped out fast, building a 6-1 lead through three innings, but STiKS Academy battled back.

It scored a single run in the top of the fourth, took the lead with a five-spot in the fifth and marched to a 10-6 win after plating two more runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.

There was more drama in the championship game when the STiKS 2023 went into the top of the seventh trailing the Cangelosi Sparks 2023 Black, 2-1, but rallied for three runs in the frame to escape with a 4-2 victory. Cho told PG they were down to their last strike three times during the rally.

“It’s obviously great to win and go 5-0 but I think that the way that we went 5-0 is more impressive because we just kept battling back; when we needed it the most, that’s when we came through,” Cho said. “With this group being sophomores, I think winning a tournament like that with all the top teams going at each other, establishes a lot of confidence for the next two, three years when we’re going to be battling each other all the time.”

The players on this STiKS 2023 learned a lot about the game of baseball while experiencing the highs and lows of PG tournament bracket-play. The ability to show resiliency is both earned and learned and these guys are better for having gone through it. And they’re enjoying it every step along the way.

“It’s very fun; everyone is involved,” Schilz said. You’re not afraid if you’re doing something wrong, they’ll tell you to stop and it keeps everyone in the game. … I’m very proud of being with STiKS. I’m very happy to be a part of (this) and I’ve learned so much.”

SUNDAY’S PLAYOFF PAIRINGS WERE SET FOR BOTH THE PG Sophomore and Underclass Midwest Select Championships by the end of a long day of play on Saturday and championship day promises to be filled with non-stop thrills and spills from mid-morning right through late evening.

Adjustments needed to be made in the Sophomore MW Select schedule which resulted in the playoffs two play-in games (1st round) being moved from Saturday night to 10:15 a.m. on Monday.

One of those first-rounders features a rematch between the No. 9-seeded Angels (Colorado) and No. 8 STiKS Academy 2023 (Wisconsin); the first meeting Saturday ended in a 3-3 tie. The other play-in pits No. 10 Velocity 16u (Wisconsin) against the No. 7 Midwest Future Prospects 2023 (Illinois).

No. 1 US Elite Missouri-Waterman and No. 2 Illinois Lightning-Hart received byes directly into the quarterfinal round and will play the winners of the first-round games. No. 5 Cangelosi Sparks North-Black (Illinois) faces No. 4 The Replacements (Wisconsin) and the No. 6 St. Louis Pirates 2023 (Missouri) and No. 3 29ers Baseball 2023 Black (Illinois meet in the other two quarterfinal contests.

Semifinal games will follow the quarters and the Sophomore MW Select championship game is scheduled for 5 p.m. in the south (Perfect Game) quad.

Prospect Meadows’ north quad will host bracket-play in the Underclass MW Select Championship with quarterfinal play set to begin at 10:15 a.m.; the semis are slated for 12:30 p.m. and the championship game for 2:45 p.m.

The St. Louis Pirates (Missouri) earned the No. 1 seed and squares-off with the No. 8 Nebraska Prospects in one of the four quarterfinals. The other quarterfinal pairings include No. 5 Midwest Halos 2022 Red (Wisconsin) vs. No. 4 CGB (Illinois); No. 6 Iowa Select Obermuller 2022 vs. Elite Baseball Training 17U Varon (Illinois) and No. 7 Iowa Select Dubuque vs. the No. 2 29ers Baseball 2022 Black (Illinois).
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 3/31/2026

14u East Spring Opener Scout Notes
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Roman Keister (2030, Dade City, FL) Could not miss the barrel this weekend tallying 6 hits including 2 triples and 4 RBI. Starts the load early and controls his body well, the up the middle approach really plays in game. Also worked from off the mound for an inning and picked up a punch out.  Colton Russo (2030, Coral Springs, FL) Showed off the power burning outfielders all weekend. 5 hits including two triples that carried over the CF and RF heads. Has a good understanding about using the lower half in the swing and the bat to ball skills really impressed.  Karson Blakney (2030, St. Augustine, FL) Made his impact in a big way this week, collecting the win in the quarterfinals. In his outing he went 5 shutout innings and struck out 5 while only allowing 2 hits. Worked in the mid 70s with the FB and topped out at 78. Also produced on offense driving in 5 RBI on 4 hits. ...
Read More
College | Story | 4/7/2026

College Players of the Week: April 7

Craig Cozart
Article Image
April 7th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Andrew Williamson, OF, UCF  The UCF Knights (20-9) are coming off one of their biggest series victories in years when they went to Morgantown and took down the Mountaineers to take control of the Big 12 regular season standings.  The offense put on quite the performance and Andrew Williamson set the tone by leaving the yard in his first at-bat of the weekend launching a towering home run over the centerfield wall.  The 6-0/195 lefty from St. Petersburg, FL has one of the sweetest strokes in the college game today and when he goes, so do the Knights.  In the 3-game series, the junior collected 6 hits in his 10 at-bats, scoring 6 runs, on 5 walks, a double and he launched 3 home runs all told.  While he had a stretch earlier in the season where he was searching for his stroke a bit, he is getting locked in at the...
Read More
College | Rankings | 4/6/2026

College Top 25: April 6

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
With another week in the books, some teams at the top continue to prove they are elite, and others continue to fall by the wayside.  Meanwhile, there were several teams that had been lingering outside the Top 25 that had huge weekends to put themselves in the thick of things as every weekend has significant consequences for good or for bad.  The No. 1 UCLA Bruins (29-2) have now pushed their win streak to an incredible 23-games as they swept USC (27-6) who was previously ranked No. 7 in the poll.  The Bruins are off to a perfect (15-0) start in Big Ten play and are without a doubt the most complete team in the country right now.  The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (26-5) move up to No. 2 this week after they dismantled now No. 12 Auburn (22-9) in the midweek and then swept Cal on the West Coast last weekend.  Texas (26-5) moves down one spot to No. 3 this week after...
Read More
Draft | Mock Draft | 4/3/2026

PG Staff Mock Draft

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Welcome to another Perfect Game Mock Draft. This is not your typical mock draft as it features 15 different GMs drafting the first two rounds of the draft. Each member of the mock draft was assigned two teams and as such will be drafting all of the picks in the first two rounds for each responsible team. The actual draft order will be presented below and we will dive into how teams made their selections and how they feel about the players drafted. It is important to note that this is not how we think the draft will play out in almost any capacity. This is simply an exercise 4 months ahead of time with a large portion of the scouting staff and some picks fall under personal favorites, best available, and a multitude of other factors. Chicago White Sox 1:1 Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA | 1:41 Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame The White Sox don’t overthink here and select Roch Cholowsky, who has...
Read More
High School | General | 4/2/2026

High School Notebook: April 2

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
Lennex Minor (‘28 CA) absolutely destroys this offering to the PS for a 2-run shot. 2-4 on the day w/ 4 driven in. Athletic in the box w/ a quick stroke and strength throughout the frame. Also closed out the game running the FB up to 88 in a St. Bernard win #PGHS @PG_Scouting pic.twitter.com/KF7BsKGcm7 — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) March 29, 2026 Lennex Minor, MIF/P, St. Bernard (2028) Minor had a massive day in my look this past Saturday in a game being played at the University of San Diego.  The sophomore had a pair of hits, one which was a no-doubt homer, and drove in four.  Minor’s athleticism jumps out on the field with twitchy actions both at the dish and in the dirt.  He features a 6-foot, 170-pound frame with room to add and generates from a strong lower half and exceptionally quick hands.  Showing two-way potential, he made an...
Read More
High School | General | 4/2/2026

NHSI Scout Notebook

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
An extended look at ‘26 RHP Wilson Andersen… 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K. @HailStateBB signee. #NHSI26 @JesuitBaseball @Florida_PG @PG_Draft @PGAllAmerican https://t.co/VLwECd2qZ8 pic.twitter.com/JbTFR3Gd2l — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 30, 2026 Wilson Andersen, RHP, Tampa Jesuit  Andersen got the ball on day two of the event and showed a quick tempo, pounding the zone with a power mix. He ran the fastball up to 97 mph, working comfortably in the mid-90s, with a power curveball/changeup mix he showed confidence in. He’s one of the top right-handers in the class that saw his stock rise in Cary. Andersen is signed with Mississippi State.    An extended look at ‘26 RHP Cooper Sides… 5 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. @LSUbaseball signee. #NHSI26 @olubaseball @PG_Draft @California_PG https://t.co/Ag1MfBAR5a pic.twitter.com/5wSszVjBn8...
Read More
All American Game | Story | 4/2/2026

All American Classic Heading to Citizens Bank

Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME DICK’S ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC HEADED TO CITIZENS BANK PARK IN 2026   Perfect Game makes debut at iconic Phillies venue during America’s 250th birthday celebration   Former Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel named Honorary Chairman of All-American Classic   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Thursday, April 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that the 2026 Perfect Game DICK’S All-American Classic will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, marking the first time a Perfect Game event has ever been held at the iconic home of the Philadelphia Phillies.   The game will take place on...
Read More
College | Rankings | 4/1/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 1

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Welcome to another week of Perfect Game Small School baseball — and if you're looking for clarity at the top, you've come to the wrong place. Across all three classifications, the No. 1 spot is very much an open question, and nobody is sleeping comfortably right now. In NCAA Division II, Pittsburg State is stumbling at precisely the wrong moment, leaving the door cracked wide open for hungry challengers to come knocking. In the NAIA, defending national champion LSU Shreveport has dropped four straight and suddenly looks far more vulnerable than a program of their pedigree ever expects to be. And in NCAA Division III, the race for the top ranking is less a competition and more a ten-car pileup of elite programs, none of whom have done enough to pull away — and all of whom have done plenty to deserve it. Three classifications, three vacancies at the top, and a whole lot of...
Read More
Juco | Story | 4/1/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 1

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
Another week of JUCO baseball and another week full of wins for No. 1 ranked Johnson County . The Cavaliers have won 18 games in a row and have swept through the Jayhawk Conference to this point, setting a new school home run record along the way. Walters State returns to the top 5 this week on the strength of a 12-game winning streak. Both McLennan and Pearl River are coming off of undefeated weeks and look like strong top 10 caliber teams, while Midland (now 30-3) continues to climb in the rankings for the third consecutive week. For the first time all year this ranking will feature 4 California schools as Palomar joins Ohlone, Fresno City and Santa Ana in the JUCO rankings. Check back in next week for an update as most of JUCO baseball is now past its halfway point in the 2026 season. RK School Week Overall 1 Johnson County (KS) 4-0 34-2 2 Gaston (NC) 2-1 35-3 3 Walters State (TN) 3-0...
Read More
College | Story | 4/1/2026

Collegiate Midseason All-Americans

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Collegiate Midseason Awards * denotes Midseason Award Winner - All-Americans chosen based on statistics, prospect status, future projection, among other factors - Only true freshmen considered for Freshmen All-American teams - All Statistics as of Monday, March 30th First Team Hitters Pos. Name School Class AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB C Vahn Lackey Georgia Tech JR .423 .541 .845 36 41 9 1 10 36 7 1B Quinton Coats Cincinnati SO .360 .441 .896 38 45 8 1 19 46 7 2B Jarren Advincula Georgia Tech JR .411 .489 .563 31 46 2 0 5 30 5 3B Ace Reese Mississippi State JR .330 .417 .661 32 36 12 0 8 37 1 SS Roch Cholowsky UCLA JR .350 .493 .730 39 35 8 0 10 32 1 IF Dee Kennedy Kansas State JR .430 .549 .910 44 43 10 1 12 43 15 OF Will Gasparino UCLA JR .351 .468 .794 31 34 5 1 12 38 1 OF AJ Gracia Virginia JR .350 .504 .650 37 36 7 0 8 24 1 OF Landon Hairston* Arizona State SO .469 .551 1.027 44...
Read More
High School | Rankings | 3/31/2026

High School Top 50: March 31

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Another pair of weeks has gone by this high school season and with that we have another High School Top-50 Update. Southern states are within a few weeks of the end of the season while some northern states are just getting started this week. Through the end of the spring, we will be bringing you updates to the Top-50 along with state rankings updates coming soon. For the first time in 2026, we have a new #1 in the country as Orange Lutheran (CA) takes over the top spot after winning the NHSI. Venice (FL) came in second place at the NHSI after a thrilling game against Orange Lutheran and comes in at #2. Previous #1 team in the country St. John Bosco (CA) rounds out the top-3 and will have a big showdown against Orange Lutheran starting tonight. Barbe (LA) boasts a 26-1 record and comes in at #4 while Corona (CA) continues to string together wins and holds down the #5 spot in this update....
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.