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Tournaments  | Story | 10/15/2020

Deeper Dive into the WWBA Freshman

Photo: Jack Frankel (Perfect Game)
WWBA Freshmen WC Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

The 8th annual WWBA Freshman World Championship just wrapped up this past Monday in Fort Myers, Florida, returning to where it all began in 2013. Over its eight years the tournament has grown exponentially while the talent pool continues to take off, providing a platform for some of the best eighth graders and newly minted freshmen from around the country to put their talents on display. Of course, with the twist that 2020 presented, Division 1 college coaches weren’t permitted to attend by the NCAA but that’s another area of the tournament that has continued to grow as recruiters have made the event a priority on their calendar as it’s paired alongside the WWBA World Championship. Quite the far cry from it’s inaugural year when only one coach was in the stands which also speaks to the expediting of the recruiting process. 



Speaking of college commitments, back in 2013 the WWBA Freshman World Championships didn’t have a single listed commitment amongst the teams in attendance. But what about in 2020? When the final pitch of the tournament was thrown and the Canes FL 2024 club was crowned champion, 36 players had already given their verbal commitments to college programs around the country while right-hander Tag Andrews, who threw a no-hitter in the playoffs for the Louisiana Knights, announced his commitment to the University of Arkansas just following the conclusion of the tournament. 

The Canes FL 2024 went a perfect 8-0 in route to bringing home the title, the seventh organization to do so as the Banditos Elite won it in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016. An offensive juggernaut throughout the summer, the Canes continued to score runs by the handful as they crossed the plate 32 times in just 3 pool play games before scoring another 26 across the playoffs. Both the MVP and MVPitcher came off their roster as Niko Benestad finished with a .571 average, one home run and 14 RBI helping to pace the offense while Maddix Simpson logged 10.2 innings across four appearances in which he struck out 12 and pounded the strike zone, issuing just a single walk. And for good measure he also hit .364 with 4 doubles and a triple. 

Now that we have some history of the tournament and talked about the Canes FL impressive run, lets take a closer look at some of the numbers and performances from players across the tournament.

Here’s a number to let sink in. At a tournament comprised exclusively of eighth graders and freshmen in high school, 72 different arms touched at least 84 mph on the radar gun. While the 90 mph record set by Brandon Jenkins back in the first years has only been made in subsequent seasons, 88 mph was the top in this year’s event, a three-way tie between Jack Frankel, Brooks Wright, and Carson Messina. 

Statistically through the Top Performers, the top three pitching performances of the tournament belonged to Nicholas Rovitti, Tag Andrews, and Jack Frankel as all three recorded at least 21 outs over the tournament and had a strikeout total in the double digits with Rovitti’s 17 leading the tournament. Not far behind, unsurprisingly, was MVPitcher Maddix Simpson. 

While it may seem as though the pitching was dominant, plenty of bats stood out in a loud way including a two home run showing from both Thomas Bly and Drew Rogers whose right-handed strength is certainly something to make note of. Both Niko Benestad and Rowan Kelly led the tournament with 12 hits apiece while Everett Johnson, Daquan Cox, and Daniel Arambula all finished the week with 10 hits and PJ Morlando and Jason Bello were close behind with 9 of their own. Of the performances listed above, Kelly’s may have been the most impressive as his Meta Prime team lost in the second round of the playoffs, leaving him with three less games than every other 9+ hit performer. 

In a tournament that provides a glimpse at the next wave of talent, you don’t have to squint to see that the future is bright for the game of baseball. Congrats to the Canes FL 2024 team for taking down the title among the field of 84 and being named champions of the 8th annual WWBA Freshman World Championship. 
 

Tournaments | Story | 1/9/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2030

Jheremy Brown
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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...
Press Release | Press Release | 1/16/2026

Perfect Game Hires Blakeley As Regional Dir.

Perfect Game Staff
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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME HIRES ERIC BLAKELEY AS REGIONAL DIRECTOR    Sanford, Florida (Friday, January 16, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the hiring of Eric Blakeley as a Regional Director. Blakeley brings more than two decades of experience in elite baseball and softball events, along with an accomplished background as both a collegiate and professional player.    Blakeley joins Perfect Game after building the highly respected Crossroads Baseball Series, where for more than 20 years he developed and operated baseball...
College | Story | 1/16/2026

Conference Preview: ACC

Kyler Peterson
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  School  W L W L Boston College 28 29 11 19 California 24 31 9 21 Clemson 45 18 18 12 Duke 41 21 17 13 Florida State 42 16 17 10 Georgia Tech 41 19 19 11 Louisville 42 24 15 15 Miami 35 27 15 14 North Carolina 46 15 18 11 NC State 35 21 17 11 Notre Dame 32 21 14 16 Pitt 28 27 10 20 Stanford 27 25 16 15 Virginia 32 18 16 11 Virginia Tech 31 25 12 18 Wake Forest 39 22 16 14 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Vahn Lackey Georgia Tech...
College | Story | 1/14/2026

2026 College Preview Index

Perfect Game Staff
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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)...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 1/14/2026

Perfect Game Softball Turf Wars

Ashley Mears
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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...
College | Rankings | 1/15/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Seniors

Vincent Cervino
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Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen | Top 100 Collegiate Sophomores | Top 100 Collegiate Juniors This senior board is one of the deepest we’ve assembled in years. From experienced weekend arms with power stuff, to proven position players coming off loud 2025 spring seasons, to former prospects returning from injury and looking to reestablish their status, impact players are scattered throughout the group. Headlining the board is Maika Niu, now at Arkansas after a strong season at Marshall and an MVP summer on the Cape. Nui is a high-level athlete in center field and a legitimate offensive force who should slide seamlessly into the heart of the Razorbacks’ lineup. Close behind are two premium arms in Ole Miss’s Hunter Elliott and Kentucky’s Jaxon Jelkin. Elliott is coming off a monster 2025 spring, going 10–3 with a 2.94 ERA and 104 strikeouts, and...
College | Rankings | 1/14/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Juniors

Vincent Cervino
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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...
College | Rankings | 1/13/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Sophomores

Vincent Cervino
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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...
Draft | Rankings | 1/12/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen

Vincent Cervino
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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...
Tournaments | Story | 1/8/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2029

Jheremy Brown
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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...
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